Thump-thump, a vertical mine exploration!
But wait, we have to go down 10,000 stairs!
The administrative staff, who had no choice but to follow the Governor in a procession, were sweating profusely and gasping for breath.
As they went down countless stairs and even had to climb some in between, it was clear to see their legs trembling. Some of them sat down with pale faces.
“Usually, people don’t come down all at once. Unless there’s an emergency, they take breaks at rest areas while descending. We skipped that part, though.”
Melissa, clad in a wizard’s robe and secretly training her stamina daily, explained, looking relatively fine.
“Really? Wow.”
Pastel, who was naturally strong just from eating gems, was impressed.
It seemed like people wanted to say something but were too shy to speak up!
The Governor, being a girl who hadn’t even reached adulthood, naturally thought she would only go down partway to check out a bit of the upper mine and return, but little did she know she would just go straight down to the depths.
Governor: “Ugh, this is exhausting! How can such a brutal work environment even exist? The staff here must all be exceptional elites!”
Administrator: “Haha. A million times true! We’re doing pretty tough work after all. This isn’t something just anyone can handle! Let’s head back, we have a feast prepared!”
Governor: “Wow. You elite folks working in a place like this are amazing! This gem mine was not a place for a rookie like Pastel to mess with! This isn’t a layoff; it’s all performance bonuses!”
But in reality, the Governor had just come down without a clue.
Ugh.
Pastel, too exhausted to say she wanted to return, forced herself to keep up while glancing back at the trembling administrative staff.
I feel like I did something wrong.
It felt like coming out for a factory inspection and suddenly realizing climbing a mountain was right in front of her!
She felt like the chairman who fired an employee just because they fell over, interpreting their fall as a sign of the factory’s bleak future…!
Ahh!
I’m not that kind of person!
I’m not the bad chairman who fires employees based on my mood, unable to even distinguish between construction work!
Pastel, who originally came to just fire some people, felt a million times unfairly treated.
If this goes on, I’ll be misunderstood as the bad chairman who fired people just because they couldn’t climb the mountain…!
What if?
No matter what justified reason I add, I’ll still be the stingy chairman firing them for not being able to climb!
Ahh!
So unfair!
Yet, on another note, Pastel felt a tingle in her skin and her heart raced pleasantly, her complexion improving.
Oh?
Pastel, as a chairman, could fire subordinates based on her mood without anyone being able to say anything—what a super ultra powerholder!
I shouldn’t be like this, but it feels a bit enjoyable!
Is this the taste of power?
I feel like being a chairman is my true calling!
Wow.
“Tsk tsk.”
The Demon Lord clicked his tongue. His red eyes looked dismissively at the exhausted administrative staff.
“This is how weak these workplace folks are? They’re not qualified to stay here.”
Ugh, real chairman vibes.
The difference from the kind Pastel is that he’s serious about it.
“It’s disappointing they don’t have diligence. If there are this many stairs, they should have been training by climbing them frequently.”
Melissa affirmed as if it were only natural.
Wait?
If Melissa reacts like this…?
No, no! Office workers can’t possibly climb mountains!
It has nothing to do with their work!
Bringing up unrelated job duties for a performance evaluation makes no sense at all!
Pastel felt flustered.
She sensed the fearful gazes around her.
The staff who didn’t collapse looked mortified, while those who sank down had faces of despair.
The atmosphere suggested this was a legitimate reason for dismissal.
Huh?!
Huh?!
This can’t possibly be grounds for dismissal!
Firing an innocent employee over such ridiculous grounds is outright malicious!
It’s too much to fire office workers without muscles just because they’re exhausted from daily paperwork!
It’s just too much!
She felt as if gazes were waiting for a response. There were fearful looks, expecting Pastel to casually mention the word “termination.”
Pastel’s face crumpled. She felt the unfairness growing inside her.
A sound slipped out of her mouth.
“I’m not that kind of person! I just came to inspect, and I wasn’t planning to decide on a firing from just one visit…!”
Silence fell.
Blank stares were directed her way.
Ahh!
Her explanation isn’t working!
So unfair…!
###
The kind Chairman Pastel decided to pause the inspection for a moment to let the exhausted staff rest.
“A kind chairman who thinks of her subordinates!”
I admit it!
“Hmm. Is that so?”
The Demon Lord looked at her peculiarly.
Oh?
“What’s with that look, Demon Lord?!”
It’s the mood to want to fire someone based on a whim!
Since she was misunderstood, she felt like evolving into a bad chairman!
“It’s nothing. I just found out there’s a simple cooking facility here. I think I’ll try using fresh gems as ingredients. I don’t really know what ‘fresh gems’ even means, though.”
His pink eyes narrowed.
“Are you dodging the question?! A smart person like me doesn’t miss that!”
The Demon Lord didn’t bother replying and quickly stepped out of the lounge, looking like he needed to escape, barely handling his teenage angst.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Frustrated, Pastel waved her arms in exasperation.
“I think the Demon Lord has gotten meaner lately!”
He wasn’t like this before!
He used to respond well to my words, and we’d have fun times together!
“The Demon Lord has completely changed! He’s utterly transformed! A real demon!”
Suddenly, she wanted to confess and reprimand him.
The Demon Lord was the one who half-adopted that girl left alone because he couldn’t forget his first love, tailored his taste, and gently wooed her—he’s a criminal throughout history!
Thoughts of making him a criminal surged within her.
Isn’t the dishonor falling on the Demon Lord anyway? I mean, it’s only natural for a demon to act as a demon, right? Isn’t it no different from already tarnished honor?
—But how was it before?
The Fairy popped up behind her.
“Whoa!”
Pastel trembled. She quickly looked around to see if anyone else noticed the presence of the Fairy.
Chic furnishings came into view.
Although it was a harsh mine’s depths, it seemed like a clean space designated for high-ranking officials. Without windows, the walls and floors retained their natural stone patterns, resembling the surface in a way. The magic circle for air on the decorating table buzzed with light.
Nobody else was around.
Pastel recalled that Melissa said she would go comfort the staff and felt relieved.
But why did Melissa, who created an atmosphere that she needed to be let go, go to comfort them?
Suddenly feeling a bit wronged.
As Pastel sulked, the Fairy stared blankly at her.
“Ah, what did you say?”
—What was the Demon Lord like before?
One of Pastel’s cheeks puffed up. She held for a moment, releasing air in defeat.
“I don’t know! But anyway, the Demon Lord is totally bad now! Don’t you think so, Fairy?”
—Huh?
The Fairy looked bewildered.
Then, seemingly uninterested, she smiled and nodded vigorously.
—Is that so! Just like you said, he’s a completely bad demon! To bother you, he must be the most wicked demon I’ve ever seen!
What refreshing positivity.
Oh?
Pastel felt a bit uneasy now that the Fairy had said so. Hearing it from someone else doesn’t feel great.
She pressed her lips together and then let them go.
“I don’t think that’s right. The Demon Lord isn’t a bad person.”
Right, right.
—Huh?
The Fairy seemed shocked.
Silence ensued without conversation.
Pastel looked around the lounge with a slightly pouting expression.
“More than that, didn’t you feel anything while coming down? Why the cult wanted to take over this place or something?”
—Feel?
The Fairy, placing her hand on her forehead, started slowly looking around. At one point, her eyes widened in surprise.
—Ah? This feeling is…?!
Oh?
“Do you feel something?!”
They say the wicked energy of the Evil God is trapped within the gems, so could it mean there’s a malevolent being sealed in this gem mine?
The Fairy’s eyes sparkled with intelligence.
Her mouth opened wide.
—Oh, I feel nothing!
She proclaimed with confidence.
Ugh.
Pastel turned pale, as if she just heard that the Evil God is sleeping here.
Then she returned to a calm expression.
“Is that so? What a pity.”
When the Knight Order had sent people to investigate the mine, there wasn’t any helpful information either.
Should she just go in person to check it out?
Bloop.
Even the resident miners wouldn’t know what a rookie could find just wandering about.
Was the real purpose just securing funding, then?
That could be it.
Suddenly, a sound came from her pocket.
Oh?
Pulling it out revealed a compass.
The needle spun around before pointing in one direction.
What is this again?
Pastel’s expression went blank.
Now that she thinks about it, she had been carrying this in her pocket daily.
It had become a habit to take it along with her house keys and wallet, so she couldn’t even remember why she carried it.
—What’s that? I thought it was a prized possession, but it works?
What was it again, what was it again?
Something floated up in her memory.
“Ah! This phenomenon?!”
Pastel gasped.
—What’s happening?!
She raised the compass high.
The compass shone under the light.
“This is…!”
Pastel screamed, looking smarter than ever.
“I forgot what it is!”
Wow.
Looks like she needs to think for a bit!
