Otherworld Company Otherworld Company Chapter 125: The Evaluation Of Others Is Rarely The Same As One’s Own Evaluation

Another Side

~3^rd Person Perspective~

“Kakaka, it is usual for the Lord to invite someone to a feast, but today it is sudden, isn’t it Ogre King?” (Fusio)

“If he felt like drinking, he would drink, and you were the one he wanted to drink with, Undying King.” (Kio)

　The Ogre King’s residence was built in the image of a Japanese mansion.

　In one of the rooms of the mansion with a Japanese rock garden, a drinking party was being held under the moonlit night.

　The participants were the Ogre King Raidou and the Undying King No-Life, two of the most powerful men in the Demon King’s army and called Instructors Kio and Fusio by Jiro.

　They poured each other drinks and downed their liquor.

　Ogre King, who is accustomed to drunkenness and has become their daily routine, and the Undying King, who sips down the intoxicating liquor that intoxicates his soul.

　Only a similar being would be able to join the feast between these two.

　Even though the door is open, the room is filled with a rich liquor aroma that would knock the average person over.

　In such a space, the two men happily drink with each other.

“So? If we don’t get down to business, the night will end, right? I don’t mind if I just immerse myself in a fun banquet like this.” (Fusio)

“Oops, I almost forgot. What about it?” (Kio)

“You’re missing the subject, Ogre King. I can guess what you want to say. You mean Jiro?” (Fusio)

“Yes, it’s only natural if we’re all here together.” (Kio)

“I trained on a whim at first, but he turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought he would be. He is the first person in a long time who has such a lively soul. Is this a topic enough to talk about at a drinking party? But is it a topic that needs to be talked about again? He is steadily gaining strength.” (Fusio)

　When the two of them are together, the story of the growth of their disciple naturally comes out.

　They have talked about this topic many times, which has become a regular topic of conversation.

　The content of the conversation, such as human nature and strength, is so trivial that there is no need to confirm it with each other.

　For the two of them, it was like answering each other’s questions.

“From what I’ve seen, his full power seems to have reached the point where he can actually hurt us, what do you think?” (Kio)

“Yes, that sword has been refined to the point where it can reach for my life. If only he could hone his raw skills.” (Fusio)

“Are you saying it’s time to devour?” (Kio)

“No.” (Fusio)

“Oh?” (Kio)

　The Undying King nodded his head in agreement with the Ogre King, who implied that he had the ability to strike a blow but did not have the skill to do so, but the Undying King, who normally would have agreed with him, answered no this time.

　When two people with different sensibilities come together, their answers often do not match.

　However, the timing of the meeting was unexpected for Ogre King.

　As if urging him onward, he raises his cup to his eye level.

　For the Ogres, who are a warrior race, a strong enemy is the second most important element in their lives after food.

　To say that there are ogres who spend all their time fighting, even while they sleep, is an understatement.

　Jiro was undoubtedly a gem in the rough, and the Ogre King was looking forward to seeing what the Undying King’s answer would be, hoping that if he refined it, it would lead him to an existence that might even surpass his own.

“Ogre King, do you also think you are ready to be devoured.” (Fusio)

　If there were other demons present, they might have wondered what kind of a joke it was for a demon to be eaten, but the Undying King, aware of his gaze glinting at something beyond his empty, hollow eyes, said nothing and urged onward.

“He has grown up to this point in a short period of time, like a fish finding water, knowing that is where he belongs. As if to encourage this, turbulence gathers around him. The turbulence can chip and hurt people, but it can also be stones that polishes them up. I want to see how far he will go, whether he will be sharpened and crushed or be polished and shine.” (Fusio)

　If it is the nature of ogres to seek out powerful enemies, it is the nature of the undead to cling to life.

　Because they have transcended death, they cling to life, yearn for it, envy it, and cling to it.

　Jiro, a person who shows the brilliance of life, is like a jewel that makes them want to see beyond him.

　Although they are two very different people, they are fundamentally similar in what they seek.

　That is why, unlike the other generals, these two work together on many occasions.

“Jiro doesn’t seem to realize it. His talent bloomed late. Now it is just a matter of how far he can climb before it falls apart.” (Fusio)

“Kukuku, I see. If you say so, I’ll let him mature a little more.” (Kio)

“Kakakaka, if you want to drink good liquor, impatience is the enemy. We only need to move when someone who tries to steal the liquor appears. After that, the people around them will take care of them for us.” (Fusio)

　The night passed without a word as the two toasted to another night of good drinking.

　Another Side END

　Side Jiro

~Jiro’s Perspective~

　I was unaware that I was attracting trouble.

　Speaking of me, who took the exam.

“Did I pass?” (Jiro)

“Guu…” (Lizardman)

　An artificial mountain was under construction in a simple arena-like facility.

　After a few pats to knock the sand out of my palms, I asked the examiner for what seemed like the umpteenth time to confirm that I had passed.

　At first, I was made to deal with a C-ranked, mid-level lizardman.

　The demon examiner in front of me had explained that I would pass or fail the test regardless of whether I won or lost, but the weapon I was given was a rusty dagger with a dulled blade, and my opponent was armed with his own well-maintained weapon.

　I was so annoyed by the examiner’s atmosphere that he was determined to fail me by making me beat up my opponent with my bare hands, without using any weapon.

　So, I beat him to a pulp without letting him do anything.

　No matter if he was a veteran or not, he was weak compared to the instructors, and I felt no sense of danger compared to the dungeon tour I had just done.

　It was natural for me to be smug and ask if this was enough to pass the test.

“I-it’s rare to have a one-on-one fight in a dungeon!! We’ll move on to the next test!” (Demon)

　I realized at that stage that this was a bitter excuse from the examiner, who had thought he could win because he had underestimated the human, but my two fathers-in-law had told me to beat them mercilessly and thoroughly, so I just complied and followed their instructions.

　Next up was a C-rank party of five.

　It was a well-balanced basic  party, with a shield and two attackers in the vanguard, a healer and a magician in the rear guard, and the commander as an all-around ranger.

　The examiner, who thought this was good enough, told the party that they would pass the exam if they won, and started the battle without any preparation.

　The reaction of the people around me seemed to be that they were expecting a mass assault and lynching, but I am neither a sadist nor a softy to go along with such an expectation.

　Indifferently, I beat the vanguard again with my bare hands, turned to the mudguard who had launched a surprise attack, and easily knocking them down while evading the magic of the rearguard.

　From there, it was a process of building this mountain.

　The ranks increased and the number of people increased.

　The other side was the opponent who became stronger and stronger without getting weaker, but it did not exceed my ability to cope with the situation. To the extent that I didn’t have to pull out the Mineral Tree without exceeding my ability to deal with it.

　I heard that the one I defeated just now was an A-rank, but I still managed to win without any problems.

“So? Pass? Fail?” (Jiro)

“Fuc–Fail!!” (Demon)

“Why? I beat the people you set up, just like you told me to.” (Jiro)

　But the result was a fail.

　Unless there was some hidden element, I was able to demonstrate my fighting ability as instructed by my opponent.

　If the opponent he was fighting had falsified his rank, that would be a different story, but judging from the atmosphere around him, the last minotaur explorer, if not the top, was definitely a skilled fighter.

“Ugh, shut up! If I say you failed, you failed! If you understand, get the hell out of here!” (Demon)

　This is starting to stink.

　The examiner in front of me was not very intelligent.

　It looked like he was emotionally rejecting my words.

　The atmosphere of Mr. Gray and Mr. Might who saw this also became suspicious, but I feel that such a blatant rejection notice is not the level of racism.

　I think there must be something else going on behind the scenes.

“Hmm, is that so? Can I take this as a notification of the results of a fair examination?” (Jiro)

“Oh, of course. If you’re unconvinced, then go ahead and do it.” (Demon)

　If you stubbornly don’t change your response and do inequality, then I have an idea.

“Then you have no problem for me reporting this to the Ogre King and the Undying King, do you?” (Jiro)

　Before he could tell me to leave, I said what I was going to do.

“!!! What nonsense! Outrageous for someone like you to talk about the names of the two of the Seven Generals!! You can be punished right here, right now!” (Demon)

　As soon as I mentioned the names of the titles of two instructors, the color of his face changed for a moment, but he quickly regained his sense of authority, perhaps thinking I was bluffing.

　I wanted to tell him to try it if he could, but I decided that it would be more interesting to do it later than here and now, so I decided against it.

“You don’t have to ask on what basis that it is a lie. So, I’m just going to tell the two of them what happened here. I demonstrated my strength, strength that is the foundation of the Demon King Army in the conditions you presented, and yet you denied it on the stage you prepared. I can’t wait to see how the two of them, who believe that strength is justice, will react when they hear this story?” (Jiro)

　When I hear the word “punishment,” I don’t even cower.

　Rather, I provoke them and try to smoke out something they are hiding.

　I feel bad to sound like the fox borrowing the tiger’s authority, but it’s true that we know each other, and they are getting in the way of my wedding preparations.

　I’m prepared for a hangover, so I’ll at least invite them over for a drink and give them something to talk about.

　I grinned at him as if to say, “If you can punish me, punish me,” and the examiner went quiet, his previous bravado gone.

“Mr. Might, Mr. Gray, let’s go.” (Jiro)

“Yes, we should.” (Might)

“Hmm.” (Gray)

　Ignoring such behavior, I left the facility.

　Perhaps because I had shown strength, I could feel their eyes on me, but they did not seem to want an entanglement.

“Well, that’s troublesome. This was the most convenient place in the most recent dungeon, but I didn’t expect for you to be treated like this.” (Might)

“Hmm, the most convenient place to get similar materials is here, but it’s far away from here. It would take a long time to get there.” (Gray)

“It can’t be helped. Let’s go back to the company and rework our plans.” (Jiro)

　This was an unplanned trip to gather materials.

　It might be natural for things to go wrong.

　If that was the case, it was probably good timing for me to pull out of the trip at this point.

“Brother, the battle just now was amazing!” (Fox Ears)

“You were.” (Gray)

“Of course!!” (Might)

　My two fathers-in-law who looked disappointed, and just as we were about to leave the facility where we thought there might be something going on behind the scenes, a girl with fox ears stood in our way.

　I’m not sure if she was watching the fight earlier, but I don’t feel the scrutinizing look she gave me when we first met.

“You seem to be in trouble, don’t you? If you want to enter the dungeon, can I help you?” (Fox Ears)

“I refuse. If you talk about entering by illegal means, we’ll be troubled sooner or later, and since you are an acquaintance. I’ll pretend you didn’t ask me earlier.” (Jiro)

　It is standard practice to avoid proposals that are likely to cause trouble in the future, even if I am tempted by the words that come out of the girl.

　Even if you were to get the desired material, it would be no different than if you had obtained it through poaching.

　Not wanting to celebrate my marriage with such a thing, I tried to pass by the girl.

“Brother, if you go home like this, you’ll only get caught up in trouble, right?” (Fox Ears)

“……” (Jiro)

　The girl with the fox ears prevented me from leaving.

Note for the Day

I care about my reputation, but it takes guts to listen to my evaluation.

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