I Became the Servant of the Blind Wicked Woman

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It was a rare, golden opportunity for a break. Immediately after the meeting ended, a few directors requested assignments for divine investigation tasks. However, as the head of the Divine Investigation Office, I authorized no such tasks.

It was a manpower issue.

To avoid situations like Dimedes' sudden demise, we needed either two directors or a combination of one director and myself.

Two directors going on a business trip?

Etna City still had much to be cleaned up. We couldn't just take high-ranking individuals like directors away so easily.

Neuro and Dimedes' primary roles were combat-related, so it wasn't a big deal to pull them from Etna City. But if Bertrand or Arabella were absent for even a few days, it would be a significant blow.

"Even the scoundrel Creton is now fully absorbed in the construction site…"

He seemed to be burning with frustration since he was banned from his gangster activities and human trafficking. But I had no intention of letting him loose again.

If he got involved in the slave trade again and attracted attention from external forces, it would complicate matters. Hydra Corporation had to remain below the radar until the protagonist arrived and clashed with the Ten Towers.

Drug-addict Meconion had no immediate tasks within the city. However, she wasn't suitable for external missions in the first place.

"She's strong herself, but she's more of a type who commands her followers."

To minimize the impact of a director's absence, it's best for me to handle divine investigations alone. The next best option is to accompany a director.

I wanted to delegate even the fieldwork of divine investigations to other directors. I grabbed a piece of paper and started jotting down thoughts as they came to mind.

"A risk assessment of Blasphemia's ruins for director combat readiness? Am I really writing this right after the meeting?"

Huh?

"Boss?"

"I noticed the door wasn't closed, so I came in."

Waving her hand with a casual "Hello," Carisia appeared as usual. At least, as she usually did in front of me.

She had temporarily shed her always-worn suit jacket and combat gauntlets, dressed in casual clothes.

"This is an invasion of privacy. You shouldn't just come in during off-hours."

Carisia laughed softly.

"Then, are you going to kick the boss out?"

I sighed and organized the documents I had been scribbling. Carisia wouldn't seek me out without reason.

Last time she barged in out of nowhere, listened to the directors' reports, and then fell asleep, but she must have had a good reason.

"What brings you here?"

Carisia hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"That kid, Kine. Before she enters Musaeion, she needs to erase or hide her divine power, right?"

"Yes. If she's lost her faith, her divine power won't recharge, so it's best to deplete any remaining divine power."

***

At that moment, Kine was praying to Bacchus. He was the god who hadn't saved her family from betrayal, but she knew no one else to pray to.

She knew the names of other gods. However, Bacchus was the god she and her family had believed in.

Since her prayers weren't solely for herself, she couldn't help but turn to Bacchus.

"Please protect my family's souls from that man's beasts and let my will not be broken…"

Having her reunion and farewell mortgaged, Kine couldn't disobey the narrow-eyed man. But if he tried to use her as a tool for evil schemes, she wouldn't forget the guilt of those evil deeds.

Kine prayed and prayed that her will wouldn't be completely tainted by the man's evil.

***

"I have a different opinion, though…"

Orthes questioned Carisia's muttering. Carisia shook her head, indicating it was nothing.

"Did you really say that without thinking? Good grief."

No matter how she looked at it, it was the skilled act of a villain threatening her family. Carisia often wondered if Orthes was genuinely naive or just acting when he occasionally showed such bewildering innocence.

"To pass the transfer exam for Musaeion, magical skills are crucial. None of the directors are really suitable as teachers, right?"

"Yes. If we expand the range to include people outside the company, Geryon or Kaicle might be suitable for teaching the basics."

"For basics, I can teach her. I have some free time these days."

"You're going to do it yourself, boss?"

Orthes, stroking his chin, nodded. Excluding her position as the final decision-maker of Hydra Corporation, Carisia was undoubtedly the most suitable person to teach magic.

After all, she was the best in Etna City. The problem was her responsibilities as the president, but if she said she had free time, it meant she genuinely had time to spare.

Confirming Orthes' approval, Carisia dusted off her clothes and stood up.

"About the divine investigation tasks…"

"Yes."

"If it's hard to dispatch directors because they are needed in Etna City, hire troubleshooters or mercenaries. Draft a plan, and I'll approve the budget immediately."

Why should we save money? Carisia said with a slight smile.

***

I want to save money!

…is something I couldn't say even with a knife to my throat. Carisia would shoot beams instead of using a knife.

My goal was to save enough money to enjoy a luxurious retirement.

After Carisia left, I re-read the stack of papers I was drafting. Hiring mercenaries or troubleshooters instead of directors could indeed save time and manpower.

"The problem is security."

Can I trust mercenaries? From my experience in the troubleshooting industry, most mercenaries and troubleshooters weren't trustworthy.

I've spent most of my time in the industry since waking up in this world and meeting Carisia.

Even though I've been in the industry for a long time, it's not normal to be betrayed so many times that I can't even count them on both hands.

Employers and colleagues alike betrayed me. Hearing "Before you betray me, I'll betray you first!" was truly absurd.

Even my job meeting Carisia involved a betrayal by my employer.

I probably looked like an easy mark without a reputation, so they thought it was safe to backstab me. Most of my troubleshooting career was spent on high-risk, remote assignments, so I had no chance to build a name for myself.

"…No good memories, so let's just focus on work."

The general criteria for differentiating troubleshooters from mercenaries is scale. A one-person operation is a troubleshooter; if they belong to a mercenary company and operate organizationally, they're mercenaries.

Ancient mercenary bands gradually grew into mercenary companies, dominating the market and changing the meaning of the word "mercenary" to refer to companies and their members.

In that context, the term "troubleshooter" emerged to refer to individual-scale mercenaries akin to the independent mercenaries of the past.

Actually, there's a sense among troubleshooters that "we're different from regular mercenaries!" emphasizing the term troubleshooter.

When you look at the backgrounds of troubleshooters, most are mercenaries who went independent to avoid paying brokerage fees to mercenary companies.

I recalled the list of troubleshooters and mercenary companies I memorized during my active years as a troubleshooter.

First criterion for filtering was trustworthiness. Then skill. Names were crossed off one by one.

I searched the remaining names on the Ether Network. In this industry, it's common for business partners to die and close up shop overnight.

After crossing off and crossing off names…

"None left?"

Damn it. Damn those mercenary companies. They all failed the trustworthiness test. There's only one option left.

"I'll have to visit that guy who said he was setting up a magic tower. He'll treat me well."

The list of magic towers applying for certification this time included his name. Lampades Tower.

He was the only colleague who didn't betray me during the job where all the other colleagues backstabbed me. His character… no, his elven nature was definitely above the industry average.

I should ask if he's willing to dispatch his magicians when I meet him.

Since there's no divine investigation work for about a month, I'll rest until then.

"That's it for today!"

I lay down on the bed. With so many business trips recently, sleep came quickly.

『Hey! Head of the Divine Investigation Office! Hey!』

…was gone somewhere.

What woke me from a rare, thoughtless sleep was Divius' call. I had left him dissecting Dimedes and Sikton.

"What is it?"

『Something strange came out of that Sikton guy's head. Come see for yourself.』

Haha, damn it.

I clicked my tongue and changed my clothes. I can never catch a break.

***

Divius looked at Dimedes' corpse and thought.

"Since my name is similar to his, I used to get hate mail intended for him. Good riddance."

About five minutes after sending the message, Orthes' footsteps echoed in Divius' surgery room.

"What did you find?"

As usual, his face wore a gentle smile. Whether he had just woken up or had been waiting, his expression was always consistent.

Divius thought it was likely the latter. Orthes wouldn't rest with potential threats to Carisia lying around.

"Haha. Good thing. Contacting him immediately even though it was early morning was the right call."

It was clear Orthes would prioritize anything related to Hydra Corporation or Carisia, no matter how tired he was.

Divius guided Orthes towards Sikton's skull.

"Why am I looking at a human body exhibit in the middle of the night…?"

Having just woken up, Orthes' head throbbed.

To read over 200 fully translated episodes, patreon.com/Denji02