Otherworld Company Chapter 55.1: The Beginning of the End, Work just Repeats This

Jiro Tanaka: 28 years old – Has Girlfriends

Girlfriend(s): Suela Handelberg & Memoria Tris

Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Regular Employee)

Magical Aptitude: Eight (General Class)

“Is that Sakar?” (Jiro)

“Yes, it is Sakar, the city of trades, a town that does not belong to any nation.” (Memoria)

Today was my fourth day in another world, and due to our early travel, we were able to catch a glimpse of the city walls towering in the middle of the grasslands a day earlier than planned.

To be honest, I feel tired from the unfamiliar journey.

The main one is mental fatigue.

Although it was unavoidable, the simple task of walking through the same scenery over and over again, with only trees visible in the forest, and occasionally running away from or fighting off an occasional demonic beast, was quite tiring.

And if I thought it would end when I reached the road, it didn’t. The monotonous scenery continued, with only a road across a grassy plain.

Still, I was doing somewhat better.

If I were a little younger, I might have marveled at what fantasy is, but here I am, a man in his thirties working for that complicated company.

The time for a literal fantasy has passed.

Moreover, I have my partner Memoria, I have no shortage of conversation partners to kill time.

I’ve walked this far by separating myself from the rest of the world and thinking of it as if I was walking for fitness during the early stages of my life.

At least I got to experience that unpaved roads are harder on the legs than I imagined.

“So? Why don’t you guys get back on your way?” (Jiro)

“Well, as luck would have it, your mission was accomplished this time around.” (Memoria)

“Don’t say it like that, Giro, Mary. I have to ask myself, what is the test of God.” (Ashley)

“What are you talking about, you’re done with your work. That’s it.” (Jiro)

On behalf of the priestesses who are lamenting why the world is so heartless, Ashley sighs deeply as she turns to us, contrary to me, who is filled with the sense of accomplishment that I have overcome such mental hardships and finally arrived at our destination.

I responded with a look of dismay saying, what are you talking about?

The point of a job is to get it done, and when it’s done, it’s done. I wonder how many corporate warriors on Earth are lamenting that they will never finish work on time and have to work overtime.

If you don’t know if it’s done or not, it’s okay to say it, but it’s too ridiculous to mourn the result of a job even though it’s done well.

“Even if it’s because of the mushrooms that accompany you at night.” (Jiro)

“I’m still not satisfied!” (Ashley)

The priestess, now known as Ashley, swinging around a leather bag containing some kind of item.

The leather bag is filled with a substance that is the root of the increased activity of demonic beasts, resulting in the completion of their mission.

The contents are not unacceptable to this woman, but they are necessary for their report, so she cannot let them out of her sight.

“Shall I throw it away then?” (Memoria)

“Don’t ask me that knowing that I can’t throw it away, Mary.” (Ashley)

“Well, Mary did find it.” (Jiro)

And as the same question and answer kept repeating for three days, she keeps rejecting Memoria’s response.

The same conversation has been going on for so long that I’m beginning to feel something akin to an ulcer.

It’s been three days.

They’ve been this way ever since we first arrived in the otherworld and set up camp.

I’d like to forget about it, but it’s been so recent that I remember it well.

It was the morning after our first encampment.

I had been on guard all night and greeted the group when they woke up after the sun came up.

I was struck by how familiar Ashley looked that morning.

I was almost tempted to say that she looked like some kind of office drone.

The sun came out of the clouds and told me a fact that I didn’t want to know, that there was no way that I could wake up in the morning and find that I had finished work, whether in Japan or another world.

For these people, I guess they were escaping reality by getting lost in the forest and desperately trying to survive.

Out of that situation, Ashley and her friends now had to face reality.

Memoria and I, watched Ashley and the others as they passed breakfast and conversed about how to report the situation with smiles that showed their empty energy, eating sandwiches made from leftover bear meat and bread, as if those were other people’s business.

And since I don’t want to get involved in other people’s business, the conversation naturally shifted in a different direction.

“By the way, is it common for demonic beasts to become active around here?” (Jiro)

“It is common for one type of demonic beast to increase, but if it is every species, it is quite rare.” (Memoria)

“Is that how it is?” (Jiro)

but the topic settles into a derivative of that conversation.

The reason is that the increase in activity of demonic beasts affects our journey as well, so it’s no one else’s business.

“What could be the cause?” (Jiro)

“I can tell you a few things, as far as I can speculate.” (Memoria)

“Are there any?” (Jiro)

“Yes, for one thing, powerful demonic beasts are invading our territory. A dragon or some other disaster-spreading type demonic beast.” (Memoria)

“Yeah, that happens all the time. You know the ones that get chased away and it results in a stampede?” (Jiro)

“Yes, it’s an uncommon phenomenon, but it’s happened multiple times. Other speculations are similar, too. It’s a turf war, a battle for dominance, and the result is the same. Also, if it’s early spring, it could be mating season.” (Memoria)

“Are demon beasts cats or something?” (Jiro)

“Although they have demonic in their name, It’s still a beast, but it’s still a beast, so we can’t speculate without definitive proof.” (Memoria)

“Maybe you’re right.” (Jiro)

Either way, it’s just a chat that goes on at breakfast.

We have no need or obligation to investigate.

We need to watch out for demonic beasts, but that’s all we’re going to do.

After finishing breakfast, all we had to do was digest the rest of our itinerary.

“Oh, there’s something unusual there, right?” (Memoria)

“Are those mushrooms any good?” (Jiro)

“No, they are tasteless.” (Memoria)

“So is it medicinal?” (Jiro)

That’s what I thought, but then Memoria spotted a mushroom growing in a corner of the riverside, and, noting how unusual it was, she got up and walked over to it and took one in her hand.

I peeked over and looked at it, but the mushrooms, with their black umbrellas dotted with peach-colored specks in places, were not flattering or mouthwatering.

I asked about the mushrooms because, in my mind, they could be edible and a delicacy, but it seems that they are not as edible as they appear to be.

Then I asked her about another possibility.

“Yes, it’s a type of stimulant.” (Memoria)

“…” (Jiro)

“Its main use is as a marital–” (Memoria)

“You don’t have to say it.” (Jiro)

Even though it was morning, a night activity-related topic came out.

I had a pretty good idea of what they were used for.

I shook my head to stop them and saw the same kind of mushrooms in my field of vision.

“Memoria, did you just say that this mushroom is rare?” (Jiro)

“Yes, I did.” (Memoria)

“How often do you find those?” (Jiro)

“If it’s on the market, is it so rare that it’s gone as soon as you put it out?” (Memoria)

“I see, it seems to be quite rare, but I don’t know. I mean, they are growing in clusters like this right in front of me.” (Jiro)

The word “rare” would be rejected if they see such a sight.

I had no idea that this would be one of the solutions to Ashley and her team’s problems.

It was a coincidence that we found it, but we intend to take immediate action.

Memoria guessed that if we went up the river, which was about 100 meters, we would find more than one or two clusters of mushrooms all over the place.

These mushrooms are normally quite rare and do not grow in such clusters.

Perhaps it was a sign of abnormal weather or some other natural calamity, but they were growing all over the place, enough to induce a drop in the price.

Just when we suspected that the mushrooms had come this far and were being manipulated by some other force, a demonic beast resembling a deer appeared and took a bite of the mushroom right in front of our eyes.

For the demonic beasts, it was a way to quench their thirst in the river and eat mushrooms that were non-toxic except for their effects.

The result was more obvious than seeing fire. That’s right, they move around all sorts of energetically, don’t they?

And from the perspective of Ashley and the others who were almost killed, it must be a fact they don’t want to admit to, even to the point of wanting to scream that it was the cause of their deaths.

From my point of view?

“Oh, of course, it is.” (Jiro)

I’m convinced it’s a fantasy.

I was easily convinced that fantasy is the fact that such an unusual and rare thing can suddenly occur in droves.

At any rate, from there, I gathered the mushrooms that might be the cause of the outbreak as evidence and set out for the city.

The fact that something unusual was actually happening should be enough to prove it.

“Well, it’s none of our business.” (Jiro)

“That’s right.” (Memoria)

“Even if we have just traveled together, we became companions! You two should take this a little more seriously!” (Ashley)

“It’s someone else’s business.” (Jiro)

What are you saying to the person you’re parting ways with after this?

I don’t think it’s possible, but if they plan to follow us like this, we’ll have to think about running away as fast as we can.

“What do you want us to do? After this, we may never meet for the rest of our lives.” (Jiro)

In fact, in a couple of months, we’ll literally be crossing worlds, and the odds of meeting up there would be like winning every lottery ticket you ever bought.

“You’re not going to ask me to follow you to church, are you?” (Jiro)

“No, not that far.” (Ashley)

“Giro, she seems to be doing exactly that. Please give her a reply.” (Memoria)

Having Memoria pointing it straight, without doubt, she reacted as if she was choking on her words.

When I saw her reaction, I answered immediately with a smile.

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