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Chapter 198 – Day 29 of Management Life
Since the morning, I had been helping the Dungeon Folk make salt on the east coast.
“How could you be so heartless?! How could you just stand there like that? Your comrades are suffering!”
Jennifer was fuming on the beach, her veins popping out.
“What’s with you? One minute you tell me not to see her; the next, you tell me to. Don’t get so worked up. You’re scaring the Dungeon Folk.”
Yesterday, the Lamia I’d become friends with told me that Jennifer had been angry for two days straight.
“Got it. I’ll go see her later. Jennifer, fix my armor for me.”
Jennifer had ripped my armor to shreds. The dungeon folk seemed to pity me as I worked in my tattered undergarments. Though I was the one who tore it up!
“Why!?”
“Because you broke it! People who can’t take care of their things are no good! Everyone!”
The dungeon folk nodded and stared intently at Jennifer.
“I agree with that.”
Even the Demon King of the dungeon, who was carrying seawater, was watching Jennifer.
“Fine! Just have Sylvia fix it when she gets back!”
Jennifer threw out a parting shot before returning to the Genetics Research Institute dungeon.
“This is the sheer force of numbers against an individual. Learn to admit when you’re wrong. No one is without fault. Disagreements happen. Misunderstandings happen. So, learn to say ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘thank you.’ I think everyone already knows this, but just in case: Sorry for interrupting your work.
After confirming that Jennifer had vanished into the forest, I said to the dungeon dwellers,
“No, I think it’s important, too.”
The Demon King agreed.
“Since there are no laws in the demonic land, at least let’s be firm about things like this…”
Just as I was about to finish up, the satyr suddenly started running toward the dock.
“Ah! A ship!”
A sailing vessel appeared on the ocean.
It was a merchant ship from the Meiju Kingdom, and the dungeon dwellers began to stir.
“What should we do this time?”
Should we hide?”
“But our appearance is already known, so maybe it’s fine.”
“Makyo-san, what should we do?”
The Arachne and Harpies asked me for advice.
“Have you been seen before?”
“Yes. When I was with Jennifer-san, a trading ship came. We hid at first, but when they unloaded the cargo, they saw us…”
“Then just be bold. You’re unloading cargo from the dock anyway. Let’s clear the warehouse area of obstacles and ensure clear pathways.”
Since they rarely interact with people, they still seem hesitant. Maybe their different appearance is holding them back from taking that first step.
“Wahahaha! Leave the cargo to me—it’ll be done in an instant!”
The Dungeon King stood proudly, but the Lamia and the others stopped him.
“The Demon King’s face is scary, so you can go sort things in the warehouse…”
“Yes.”
He obediently followed the people’s orders.
When the ships arrived, the dungeon folk took the ropes from the sailors and secured them properly.
The sailors glanced at the exposed chest beneath the Lamia’s clothes but didn’t seem concerned about the Beast Demon Disease. Perhaps there was nothing to fear.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“Makyo, stop goofing off. How about doing some work?”
Sylvia and Hel came down from the sailing ship.
“That’s what I should be saying. What were you doing in the Meiju Kingdom? You didn’t cause any trouble over there, did you?”
“W-we were doing some research. What happened to your armor?”
“Jennifer attacked me and broke it. Sylvia, could you make me a new one?”
“I-I’ll… think about it.”
“It must have been intense for the armor to break like that. Were you two rough?”
Hel asked with a serious expression.
“It wasn’t me. Jennifer just pulled with all her might.”
“She pulled, not pushed?”
“Yeah!”
“What?! So that’s a thing, too?”
Sylvia and Hel seemed to be letting their imaginations run wild with some rather unsavory fantasies.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but what about Chel?”
“Sh-shouldn’t you at least take responsibility?”
Our conversation caught the attention of the ship’s crew and the dungeon folk, who all stopped in their tracks.
“Hold on. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’re blocking the dungeon folk from carrying their cargo. Let’s head to the beach.”
“N-no, we can’t stop at the beach now!”
“Right. This isn’t the time for this. Let’s go see Chel first.”
“Oh, right. Have a safe trip!”
“Makyo’s coming, too!”
Hel shouted angrily, which was unusual for her.
“Wait, what about the trade?”
“There’s not that much cargo. It’ll be fine. Come on! Hurry up! We’re going to the desert base!”
I didn’t really understand what was going on, but it seemed I was being taken to the desert.
“Well, I’m counting on you. Do you have a robe or something?”
I asked a nearby dungeon dweller to handle the trade and started looking for a robe.
“You don’t need a robe, do you!?”
“I do! My skin is peeling from the sun. Ah, this cloth will do.”
I cut some Arachne cloth to a suitable size from the warehouse and wrapped it around my body.
“All right, I’m leaving you behind!”
Now that the Sealing Curse has been lifted, Hel might be happy that she can run on her own.
“Yeah, you can leave me behind.”
“C-come on, get motivated!”
“Not happening…”
The two of them carried large loads as they headed leisurely from the forest toward the desert.
We stopped to rest at a forest spring. As I dipped my feet in the water, my fatigue melted away instantly.
“Wh-what was Makyo doing while we were gone?”
Sylvia asked, refilling the water.
“Work. He was tracing the earth veins to find magic stone mines. There’s a Nushi there, so it’s been trial and error figuring out how to defeat it.” Oh, and I went to see the dog’s flower field. The earth’s veins curve all the way up to the northern regions.”
“Ah, huh? You found a magic stone mine!?”
Hel asked, soaking her whole body in the spring.
“But there’s a Nushi that failed to become a dungeon, so it’s impossible for now. We’ll have to figure something out.”
“So, does that mean the magic stone shortage in the Meiju Kingdom will be resolved?”
“Ah, I wonder. Even if we have enough, can we transport it? If the dungeon dwellers got stronger, we’d have plenty.”
The cold water washed away the fatigue in my legs and felt incredibly pleasant.
I was spacing out, but Hel and Sylvia were splashing around wildly in the spring. They were full of energy; it was hard to believe they’d just been on a long voyage.
Once we reached the desert, our wet clothes dried completely, and the sun grew stronger. We headed toward the base, glancing at the sandworms swimming nearby.
At the entrance to the base dungeon, we found Lipa and Kahiman looking downcast. They were both carrying large bundles. Had they failed at something?
“What’s up? Did something happen?”
“”We’re sorry.””
They apologized the moment I spoke.
“I don’t understand, but don’t do that again. So, what happened?”
After I forgave them, I asked for an explanation.
“We lent the magic power gauge we got from the Sealing Clan to the Cliff Garuda sorcerers.”
“We received a lot of cursed tools in exchange, so it was difficult to refuse.”
“They need to find earth veins, too… Is that all?”
“”Yes.””
“No problem. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hold on! There is a problem.”
Hel chimed in from the sidelines.
“What’s the big deal? It’s no big deal. They’re both apologizing, right?”
“That’s not the point. The magic power gauge that we got from the Sealing Clan is missing, isn’t it? Didn’t Makyo say you traced the earth veins?”
“W-we thought you were using the gauge…”
“…”
Oh, crap. I’ve been busted. Why? And why is she angry? Why? Did I do something to deserve this?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You did. You just said you found the magic stone mine by tracing the earth’s veins.”
Sylvia ripped off the Arachne cloth that I had been wearing as a robe.
“I might have said it. It might be possible.”
“What is?”
“If you sleep with good posture and search for magic power underground, you might find the earth veins. By feel.”
“If you can find magic stone mines by feel, then it’s not just ‘by feel,’ is it?”
Lipa hit the nail on the head.
“Everyone can do it, too.”
“”We can’t do it!””
Hel and Sylvia’s voices faded into the desert sky.
Hearing the commotion, Ka-Ryu emerged from the base dungeon.
“What’s going on? Oh, Makyo. And everyone’s here, too.”
Ka-Ryu looked at everyone.
“How did it go? Did you find the key to breaking Chel’s curse?”
“We got the cursed artifact from Cliff Garuda.”
“We got the documents from the Meiju Kingdom.”
Despite going all the way to a foreign country, all four of them looked rather downcast.
“I see. Well, it can’t be helped. Does Makyo know about Chel’s curse?”
“No, I don’t think so. Maybe she doesn’t intend to tell me. But Jennifer told me to go see her.”
“Then it’s best to have Makyo take a look. This way.”
I was led to a familiar dungeon.
There was a large hall with magical machines being repaired along both walls.
In one corner sat Chel. She was somehow black and huge.
“What’s that? Pretty cool! What happened?”
“Heheheh. Pretty cool, huh?”
Only on the right side did insect-like, jet-black limbs extend. Wings seemed to be sprouting from her back as well. Chel sat on a round stool.
“Was it no good?”
“There’s never been a case of someone retaining consciousness after becoming a devil. In fact, your current state is nothing short of a miracle.”
Hel explained to Chel while unfurling a scroll.
“Cliff Garuda said the same thing. I saw mummified devils, too—they were all dried up and skeletal.”
Lipa pulled out a jar, supposedly to seal the curse, but it seemed useless.
“No options left, huh? Makyo, sorry, but could you cut it off?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why, you ask? Because I got cursed by a devil.”
“But it looks cool.”
“Not cool at all. With it like this, eating’s a struggle. I can only sleep sitting up. And moving? I freeze up. See? I can barely move now.”
Chel tried to stand but lost her balance.
“So you want me to cut it off and attach a golem arm?”
“Exactly!”
Chel made up her mind and held out her right arm, which was now as stiff as a stick.
I channeled magic from my fingertips and cut a nearby stone to practice.
“All right, you asked for it, so don’t blame me later.”
“I won’t.”
Perhaps because she was tense about having her arm cut off, Chel’s accent disappeared.
“Can I ask something?”
“What?”
“Did you get hit by the demonic land’s Nushi and get the ‘Devil’s Curse’?”
“I told you I did! Just cut it off clean in one go! I’ve got wings on my back, too!”
“Oh, right… Your back. Huh.”
“What? What is it!?”
“No, since we’re here, could I run an experiment?”
“An experiment?”
“Like, does magic still work?”
“It does. Look.”
A spear of flame appeared in midair.
“What about magic power?”
“As long as it’s not solidified…”
With that, Chel showed me her black palm.
“All right, let’s spar a little.”
I placed my left hand against her palm, allowing her to send her magic power to me.
I enveloped it, spinning the black magic power with my own like a slime’s stomach.
Spinning wildly, the black magic power ran rampant through my entire body.
“Makyo!”
Chel shouted.
“It’s okay.”
As the black magic power passed through my head, I faintly sensed emotions such as “tribal love” and “sacrifice.”
All that remained was to make the magic’s stomach sticky. Its rotation slowed rapidly, and a viscous, black, slime-like magic began coursing through my body.
“Lend me that jar.”
I asked Lipa to bring the Sealing Jar, and then I poured the black, slime-like magic into it from my other hand.
Squelch.
“Whoa! Look at this! Your dark, murky emotions have turned directly into magical power. What a nasty curse.”
I showed everyone the contents of the jar, but they weren’t impressed.
“Wh-what did you do!?”
Sylvia asked, her round eyes widening further.
“I ate it. I ate the Nushi magic flowing through Chel’s body.”
“Ate it!?”
Hel let out a hollow voice.
“Yep, eat or be eaten. That’s just the way of the demonic land, right? All right, let’s eat a little more.”
I had Chel send black Nushi magic from her hand and wrap it in stomach-like magic. All I did was make it sticky.
Once you know the method, it’s just a matter of repeating the same steps.
Saketsu and Katan, who had brought the golem’s arm with them, fell silent as they watched me work.
Once the Sealing Jar was full of the Nushi’s black magical power, Chel’s arm gradually returned to its original color and size.
“What are we doing with this?”
Lipa asked.
“Leave it out in the desert to dry, then burn it. Got another jar? Anything will do.”
Saketsu promptly brought over a larger jar.
“What about the wings? Do you want to keep them?”
“No way! Those wings are so annoying that I can’t even sleep!”
In the end, it was evening by the time I finished absorbing the Nushi’s magic inside Chel.
“I feel kind of deflated.”
“Me too.”
Ka-Ryu and Chel were leaning against the wall, staring off into the distance.
“Ka-Ryu, did you finally get your eyesight back?”
“About time. My vision’s still weak. But Makyo looks just like I imagined.”
“Oh?”
Did she not expect much?
“Dinner’s ready. Want some?”
Katan had prepared a meat and wild herb soup.
“I’ll take some. You should eat too, Chel. You used up a lot of magic and stamina, didn’t you?”
“I know.”
When Chel stood up in her usual form, the surrounding golems murmured in surprise.
“Makyo!”
Just as I was about to eat dinner, Chel called out to me.
“Thanks a lot!”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”
I raised my hand in return.
Just when I thought I was finished with one job, Jennifer rushed in, clutching armor that was even more mangled and broken than yesterday’s.
“Sylvia-san! Are you back!?”
“This is awful… Jennifer!”
“Huh!? Chel-san! Are you healed?”
Jennifer tossed something that barely resembled armor anymore.
“My one good suit!”
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