Otherworld Company Chapter 76: The Pitfalls from Blind Spots (End)

Another Side

~3^rd Person Perspective~

　After experiencing a floating sensation for a few seconds, the destination of the magical light should have been a hard cobblestone pavement.

Even though one of the spies thought so, the feeling that came through their feet was the feeling of stepping on the sand as it made a crunching sound.

Without showing his agitation, he immediately checked the situation in order to respond to the abnormal situation.

The brick wall exposed a rocky surface, and the soldiers who were supposed to be waiting for them were nowhere to be seen.

Unlike the students, who were suddenly brought to a strange place and were horrified, the spies were busy grasping the differences between the place and the place they had expected.

That is probably why they were quick to spot a girl with silver hair and an expressionless face, who did not look like she belonged in such a cave, waving a small flag.

Based on my experience as a clandestine investigator, he had to say that this girl was suspicious.

The location, the current situation, and the timing all pointed to her as the enemy.

“Welcome, we have been waiting for you, Japanese civilians.” (Memoria)

Amidst the hostility that lurked deep withing the spy, the girl began her response as if she had known that the heroes would be appearing.

She did not look nervous as she waved her flag in a flapping manner as if to say, “Please pay attention to me.” (Jiro)

The Japanese students must have thought she was like a tourist guide.

However, it did not take long for the confused spies to realize that they were being led into a trap by a girl who was performing her role without hesitation.

“My name is Memoria, and I am a sort of pilot to take you back to Japan, but you don’t have to remember it. You will have to rest here.” (Memoria)

In fact, their thoughts were correct.

Rest.

The spies think it’s a word that means death.

The students who thought that this was their destination began to stir at the sudden development, and some even started to wonder if the evacuation destination was Japan.

The students, who had thought this was their destination, suddenly began to murmur at the sudden turn of events, and some of them began to ask if they were in fact going to Japan as their refuge.

The situation was getting worse and worse, and from the bottom of their hearts, the spies wanted to shout out, “It can’t be true.” (Jiro)

The students may not know this, but it is not possible to use such an easy way to move from one world to another.

First of all, even the people who summoned them did not know how to send them back.

The spy, who belongs to a country that prides itself on being better than any other country at summoning rituals, shows no sign of irritation and calmly activates a magic item to signal his location, saying he must ask for help.

“The ‘fake hero’ over there, for now, please be quiet. I don’t want to waste your time.” (Memoria)

At the same time, the secret agent was caught in mid-air.

“Mitaka!?” (Hero)

One of the students shouted out in concern for the spy who had been caught in mid-air.

Some of the students suddenly reached for their swords in a spur-of-the-moment action.

But that’s not all.

“Oh, my body?” (Hero)

“I can’t move!?” (Hero)

“Huh? Why!” (Hero)

In the blink of an eye, everyone is incapacitated.

“This is one of the ancient dungeons in Ithar, a realm where the blessings of the Sun God are diminished. Even if you are a hero, I can at least prepare such a trap that can contain immature people.” (Jiro)

The shadow that stirred from the girl’s shadow was attacking the students with clear intention.

“Don’t worry. There will be no pain and it is not life-threatening. The next time you wake up, you will be back to your normal, slightly noisy routine.” (Memoria)

However, not all students can be reassured after seeing the girl who proceeded with the work in a nonchalant manner, while telling them to sleep.

On the contrary, her nearly expressionless face stirs up fear and makes them more violent.

Even so, the shadows still mercilessly and surely seize and cover the students.

Some of the spies realized from the technique and the enormous magical power that they were dealing with an opponent that was not human, but it was too late, as more than half of their bodies were covered by the shadows, and they could no longer scream.

The other spies, together with the other students, spilled magic power, waved their arms, and put strength into their legs, but as if mocking their futile efforts, the shadows continued to cover the students without slowing down.

The scene was like a person trapped in a bottomless swamp desperately trying to crawl out.

Then one by one, the shadows covered the vision of the students who had been resisting until the end, and the place became quiet.

Another Side END

Side Memoria

~Memoria’s Perspective~

Looking at the black ground, still slightly wriggling, I confirm that the plan has worked.

Once this happens, it is only a matter of time before everyone is subdued.

No matter how high the magic resistance of a hero is, if they are inexperienced, it is possible to capture and subdue them.

All that was left was to wait until the forced sleep trap had completed its work.

I cannot move from here in order to maintain the trap.

And since this is a magic designed to capture any being other than the user without prejudice, it is not possible to summon a person I could speak to.

To put it simply, I have oceans of time.

I have no one to talk to.

I have no books to read.

The only thing I can do when I have nothing to do is to think.

And the first thing that came up was the plan for how these heroes were captured.

Just right, to see if there are any holes in the plan so far.

According to Jiro, my emotions show up in my actions, and I tilt my head and ponder on what happened up to this point.

The beginning of things goes back to before I left Jiro when we were discussing how to bring these heroes back to Japan.

“The first plan was a return agreed upon by both the country and the students, the second plan was a forced escape agreed upon only by the students, and the third was…” (Jiro)

“…is the forced return by abduction without regard to the will of the other party.” (Memoria)

“When you say it again, it smells like a crime.” (Jiro)

The last meeting was in a room at the inn before we parted.

We will be in regular contact, but the next time we meet will be when I return to Japan, whether successful or unsuccessful.

Jiro was reading the documents in front of me and trying to memorize the details.

I had no problem because I had already memorized them, so I went along with his checking process as well as reviewing them.

I had a girlish desire to be with him, so it was not hard for me.

The first plan is to negotiate with the government to return the heroes without leading to conflict.

Both Jiro and I think this is a long shot.

I don’t think that that country would give up the heroes quietly after having summoned them.

It’s a plan that makes you feel lucky if you succeed.

The second plan is the main plan.

Some of the heroes must want to return to Japan, and we will work with them to escape.

The condition is that we need to make contact with the heroes, but in terms of success rate, this is the most realistic plan.

We have already arranged the means of transportation for this purpose.

The third plan is the one that would be issued if neither the country nor the heroes wish to return.

In my personal opinion, if the situation gets to that point, it would be better to abandon them.

Jiro said it was just harassment, and I am sure he feels that way, but I think his true feelings are different.

That man is serious and gentle at heart.

Sometimes he can be cold-hearted, but basically, he is a good person.

I don’t think he would take the option of abandoning them until the very end.

“But, Jiro, can you really deceive them with this kind of thing? To this extent, I can’t believe they haven’t taken measures.” (Memoria)

“You would think so. But, Memoria, on the contrary, the success rate of this trap will certainly exist when that very thought is born.” (Jiro)

This plan was also supposed to be a great insurance policy.

But as it turned out, this plan eventually paid off.

“The biggest mistake people make is when they fail to sense ‘discomfort’ when what they normally do is slightly out of line. Using human error as an excuse, they forgo reporting and do not accurately convey the contents, thinking that everything will be fine because it is business as usual. At this point, there is a difference in interpretation between the reporter and the reported. This is what leads to mistakes.” (Jiro)

Jiro said, “I used to make mistakes like that.

The third plan, if I could summarize the contents of the third plan, was to create a state of emergency and use the opportunity to disrupt the information relay and abduct the heroes.

If they were to escape and be locked up, I would lead them into the trap to escape.

That’s all there is to it, in a nutshell.

“The key to the third plan is how far I can go to make a fuss, but the key is to plant a number of small manipulations to make people think they are still doing the right thing. It’s like playing a game of ‘telephone’ where you only have to change one word to make the answer mean something else. That’s all it takes to get the Japanese students to act.” (Jiro)

The strategy that Jiro devised was one that we, the Demon Tribe, would never have thought of.

That is why I asked back, wondering if it would be that easy.

Jiro said that my question was natural.

He gives me a quick overview to clear up my doubts.

Jiro says that the content of the plan is obvious, but it seemed to me that this is the difference between our point of view and that of the Japanese.

“There is a saying in Japan, ‘If you want to shoot the general, shoot the horse first.’ We don’t aim for the heroes or the Knight Commander, much less the head of the country. It’s the hands and feet. We are going to act on the potential messengers around here and make them report incorrectly. We will have the mages in charge of the transfer infiltrated by the Underworld Guild members and rewrite only a part of the transfer formula, the destination. After that, we just need to create a situation where students living in earthquake-prone Japan move around without any sense of unease. Then they would naturally follow our evacuation guidance. The destination of the route is our territory. After that, we should just seal them off without including their wishes.” (Jiro)

Subdue rather than defeat.

I saw a ploy that was not forceful.

The top management at the scene is drawn to the rampaging and conspicuous Jiro, we may be able to stop this plan by abducting the weapons called “heroes” by taking advantage of their Japanese common sense.

“Afterwards, we will diligently transport the students who have been suppressed and return to Japan where the media is making noise.” (Memoria)

Jiro laughed, “I don’t think it will work that easily.

That’s probably why he had so many other contingency plans in place.

I also gave instructions to my fellow vampires and went around charming soldiers who went to bars and brothels so that they wouldn’t be found out.

But Jiro,

I thought so too at the time, but as it turned out, this plan was the most effective.

The initial negotiations ended in vain, and the plan to win the hearts and minds of the heroes who were aiming for an internal reaction turned into a high-risk plan because of the forbidden technique of [Face Stripping].

With time ticking away, this plan was the only one that worked.

“This is the result.” (Memoria)

By the time I was sure there were no deviations or problems, the noise had disappeared from the surroundings.

Instead, there were several shadow cocoons lying on the ground all around.

“I made a flag in imitation of a Japanese tourist agency, but in hindsight, it was useless.” (Memoria)

Now all I had to do was to carry them to the transition area, which was further down the floor, and my task would be complete.

Jiro would have started to escape by this time.

This business trip will be over in a little while.

If Jiro returns safely, we will have given that country a good blow.

My mouth loosens a little when I think of that.

“Then, let’s call the Golems and carry them out.” (Memoria)

But that would be after the job was done.

If I can get my loose mouth back to normal, I will be my usual self.

I hold out hope that I will soon be reading in that quiet store, and I call out a few golems with a magic stone.

Out of nowhere, one golem brings out a cart and the other golems pile the heroes into it.

“I hope Jiro is okay too.” (Memoria)

I worry about him as I watch the scene.

The one who went to pick him up must have been one of the best cavalrymen in the Demon King’s army.

I had heard rumors that he had a somewhat difficult personality, but I am sure Jiro will be fine.

For now, I will wait and trust.

Seeing that the cart with the heroes was done, I proceeded deeper into the dungeon.

Memoria Side End

Memoria Tris – 193 – Unmarried

Boyfriend: Jiro Tanaka

Occupation: MAO Corporation, Commercial Facility, General Store Staff

Magical Aptitude: Unknown

Job Title: Store Manager

Note for the Day

It is dangerous to assume that you are doing things perfectly when in haste.

A/N: That’s all for this chapter.

It was a long trip, but I am almost done with the Business Trip Arc.

I hope to wrap it up in a few more chapters.

I hope you will continue to support this work

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