Otherworld Company Chapter 58.1: Ok, But First, I Need a Cigarette Break

Jiro Tanaka: 28 years old – Has Girlfriends

Girlfriend(s): Suela Handelberg & Memoria Tris

Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Regular Employee)

Magical Aptitude: Eight (General Class)

“A hero was just summoned. Are you sure?” (Jiro)

“It’s a possibility, but it has the highest possibility.” (Memoria)

“Then… that feeling similar to an explosion of magic power is due to some summoning magic?” (Jiro)

“Yes.” (Memoria)

“We’re still in the process of checking behind the scenes, but it’s not the magical power of an attack spell, and the scale detected is also abnormal. In that case, it has a high chance with that range that it could be a dragon. However, if there is a disaster of that scale, one or two rumors should come in. If that was not the case, there was only one possibility left. If someone was forcibly summoned from another world, it makes sense that there would only be a wave of magic power and no damage. If you deploy enough offensive magic to cause a magic wave of that magnitude, even from a distance you can see at least smoke. It would be impossible to conceal it.” (Barth)

“I think it’s too early to make a conclusion, but… then what do we do with all the circumstantial pieces of evidence?” (Jiro)

I’m not sure I understand it, but Barth’s explanation makes sense to me.

The next question is why the summons occurred.

There is a cause that must be attributed to an event.

No, in this case, a reason.

Did our president make a move?

That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I hear that a hero has been summoned, but we haven’t received any word.

I may be the only one who hasn’t heard about it.

“Memoria, did the president make a move?” (Jiro)

“No, that’s impossible. Especially since there has been no contact. Moreover, I can’t guess how he would move at this stage, given the lack of time and preparation.” (Memoria)

“I don’t understand why he hasn’t contacted us.” (Barth)

“Barth.” (Jiro)

Memoria says it is highly unlikely, and Barth says it is impossible for them to just ignore the arrangements and make a sudden move.

The company hasn’t completed the dungeon yet before we were sent here.

Would the president of the company act in such a way as to turn the testers he had gathered to make sure everything was ready to go into operation into a meaningless act?

I can’t say it’s impossible, but I can say it’s highly unlikely.

The place has become a den of speculation.

People in the vicinity are discussing why the summoning took place, or whether this magical power is something else.

In the midst of all this, naturally, Memoria, Barth, and I continue our talk.

“I want to have a little more information, but I’m asking for something that isn’t available.” (Jiro)

“It’s a sudden thing, and it takes time to gather information over here.” (Barth)

“If it’s over there, it would just take one call.” (Memoria)

“There are also communication beads available here, but their number is limited…” (Barth)

Is there a disparity in the exchange of information?

The difference in the means of transportation alone is huge, but if we look at the means of communication, it is only natural that there will be even more differences.

It is also frustrating to have no choice but to wait.

If I could use the phone, I would contact them, but without a cell phone tower, a smartphone is nothing more than a sophisticated camera.

No, I don’t bring it because it is fragile, although it has many other uses.

“Can’t you get in touch with the company?” (Jiro)

“I can get in touch with them, but except for emergencies, I have to take the regular route. However, it takes time.” (Barth)

“Isn’t the hero summoning an emergency?” (Jiro)

“It depends. The actuality is that the Demon King’s Army isn’t even in the area at this time. It’s hard to say whether that information is valuable enough to give them.” (Barth)

“We have to be careful in our haste, just in case it turns out to not be the truth.” (Memoria)

“You’re right.” (Jiro)

The information that a hero has actually been summoned has not yet been completely verified.

Even Barth will not be able to do anything risky.

Blocked in all directions, we are left waiting for instructions.

When I noticed that such thoughts occupy my head, I shook my head and as I try to stop the useless spinning and frustration, I naturally reached for my cigarettes.

“Oh, you seem to have a good one there?” (Barth)

“Do you smoke?” (Jiro)

“Yeah.” (Barth)

It is inevitable that people will find me about to smoke one with their eyes open, or rather, with their mouth open.

There is a limit to the number of cigarettes I can give, but I offer him one because I think it would be tactless to smoke alone.

He takes one without hesitation.

The two are lit by a lighter and the other by magic, each with a different source of fire, but both gestures are the same.

The smoke is naturally kept away from Memoria.

“Truly, the cigarettes over there are awesome.” (Barth)

“You can get smokes here?” (Jiro)

“I have some connections for them. However, they’re a luxury item that is only available in small quantities.” (Barth)

“Oh great, I’ll take advantage of that luxury item when mine is gone.” (Jiro)

While laughing at Barth’s jokes, lamenting that I was a bush snake, I smoked my cigarette and reorganizes the information calmly.

That’s all I can do right now.

I’ll skip the question of whether or not the assumptions are correct.

If the conditions for summoning the heroes are not related to the Demon King’s Army, then there must be something else.

There must be some other factor that is not related to the Demon King’s Army, but to this world alone. There is no basis for this. If I had to say, it was just a hunch.

The Demon King is the natural enemy of the heroes, but I have a feeling that there is another factor involved in this case.

There has to be.

“I haven’t had a worse time than this. The price of wheat is going up, and rumors of the Inquisition are spreading. Thanks to that, sales are going down. I can’t stand it.” (Barth)

“I see.” (Jiro)

“Oh? What is it? Is it about the income of my store?” (Barth)

“It is about the reason why the hero is summoned that is unrelated to our president.” (Jiro)

“What?” (Barth)

Barth’s words connected something in me, and something came to mind, though it is not just a matter of guesswork.

Saving the world is the role of the hero, they are called to respond to things and help.

The Demon King is the one the heroes are supposed to be fighting against, but it is not absolute.

It is evil that the hero fights against, or more specifically, evil in the eyes of their own group.

“If my prediction is correct, the summoned heroes can no longer be said to have been summoned under good reasons.” (Jiro)

“Hey, don’t just believe your own prediction, explain yourself.” (Barth)

“I’m guessing they’re–” (Jiro)

“Barth!! They really did it!” (Man)

“One after the other! What the hell? What is next, will a god descend on us?!” (Barth)

Before I can say what I’ve come to expect, the door to the store is violently thrown open.

A grown man, breathing hard on his shoulders and still not losing momentum, shouts to Barth.

The situation changes as if it were planned one after another, and Barth answers the man with an energy that makes him want to shout.

“The hero has been summoned!” (Man)

“What now, is that not as expected?” (Barth)

“Not in the slightest! They didn’t just summon one! They used the magical power of the sacred mountain to summon several heroes!” (Man)

“What? Really! You mean the Sacred Mountain Arch?” (Barth)

Sacred Mountain Arch?

It seems to be as expected a hero was summoned, but based on the conversation, it seems that the method is far more terrible with summoning a large number of heroes.

“Memoria, what’s in Sacred Mountain Arch?” (Jiro)

“…It’s a seal.” (Memoria)

“…a seal?” (Jiro)

I don’t want to ask what is it.

Especially with Memoria’s face looks paler than usual.

It seems that human beings are creatures who are not satisfied unless they repeat their mistakes over and over.

“What seal? What is sealed? Is it an Evil god or something?” (Jiro)

After coming this far, I can’t take the option of not asking anything.

I would be in danger if I kept my ears closed under such circumstances where Memoria and Barth and the others were looking very concerned.

While this happens, I feel like abandoning everything and just saying whatever to everything.

At this moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a vicious monster or a dungeon.

“It’s the first Demon King who became a spirit body.” (Memoria)

“Hey, they’ve broken the seal of what’s-his-name. They sure do things that wouldn’t help themselves.” (Jiro)

Going past my shock, I just threw in a tsukkomi.

Isn’t that seal more likely to be broken by the Demon King’s army?

Why would the camp of the heroes, the Demon King’s enemies, go to the trouble of breaking it?

It’s something from around 5,000 years ago, right?

Does the spirit body have some consciousness or thought?

Even if they do, they can’t be sane.

What can be taken from that is…

“…so, it is very dangerous, right?” (Jiro)

“…very dangerous.” (Memoria)

“How dangerous?” (Jiro)

“…I don’t know. But at the very least, the first generation’s thought body is still there.” (Memoria)

“What if there are none left?” (Jiro)

“It would be able to destroy human beings in significant numbers.” (Memoria)

“They are idiots, aren’t they? The people who summoned the heroes are absolute idiots. What were they thinking using the energy that maintained such an important seal to summon them?” (Jiro)

I said it twice because it’s important, but it’s neither a joke nor a mistake.

What did they think they were doing, breaking the seal of such a dangerous being?

Thanks to you, the human race in this world is on the verge of extinction.

This world will be destroyed before our president can do anything about it.

“…But there are heroes? It wouldn’t be that dangerous, right?” (Jiro)

Well, the people who summoned them probably thought it was safe to do so because there were heroes, but it was still dangerous.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, there seem to be enough heroes available.

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