"Yeah... It must have been tough... If it's okay with Asu, you can stay here as long as you want."
Even while flustered by the work in front of her, she often smiled warmly at Asu. She often patted his head or treated him like a child.
She even muttered something about "middle school syndrome" sometimes, though he had no idea what that meant.
Especially when she looked at him with a tender expression and patted his head, anger would well up inside him.
Treating me like a weak child!
It felt like an unwanted warmth and lump were filling his heart.
Instinctively, he knew that this warmth would seep in like a drizzle and weaken him. So, while he wanted to use magic to terrify her, he also wanted to stay as he was.
'That man with the black eyes was unpleasant...'
Today, he met some quite perceptive human children. They had a good eye for recognizing strong individuals, so they were pretty decent for humans.
Making dalgona for the first time was also quite fun. When the dalgona started to rise, it was amusing to see the woman next to him more excited than himself.
And although he didn't want to admit it...
He really didn't want to admit it...
But working part-time was more fun than he thought.
Taking and relaying orders from the customers who kept coming in.
Every time he cleared the piled-up tasks, the woman would open her big eyes in amazement.
"Asu, you're definitely a genius!"
"…This is nothing special."
Although he said that, he didn't feel bad.
He washed the glasses and saucers and put them back in their places. After finishing all the work, he felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw the neatly organized counter.
Asu was originally a manifestation created by the magic power of a god of the abyss.
To him, the memories and experiences of individual entities were meaningless. They would all disappear when he eventually returned to his original form.
The busy part-time job, the quite talkative children, and the woman who smiled gently.
All these memories would vanish when this body died, but for some reason, he didn't like that.
That's why.
Asu lay down on the futon. Next to the pillow was a large, bright red slime-shaped cushion. The woman, with a dazed expression, had placed it there because she said he would feel lonely if he slept alone.
"See, you won't feel lonely with this."
Unconsciously, he touched his forehead again. Although the warmth had long since faded, his hand moved softly, tracing the spot where it had been. The woman's bright smile came to mind.
"…Tch."
Just wait a little longer.
He hadn't fully recovered his magic power yet. When he did, he would kill her then.
Yeah, it's just because of the magic power.
That's all. Really.
* * *
"You lost the manifestation?"
In the top floor of <C&L Corporation>, the CEO's office.
Secretary Lee On slightly furrowed her brow upon hearing Ise-in's words. The change in expression was so subtle that it was hard to notice, but it was rare for her, who always wore a calm and refined smile.
"Yeah, the box was empty. We searched the area, but it hasn't been found yet."
Ise-in scanned the report again as he spoke.
There was something odd in the report. The disappearance of the manifestation and the fact that one body was missing.
Cedric Choi, who had been disguised as a bodyguard at the scene, said that everyone except himself was dead, and no one had survived.
Cedric Choi wouldn't lie to her. But no matter how many times she counted, one body was missing.
'Maybe there was one less person from the start.'
Ise-in decided to forget about the number of bodies for now. They were such a chaotic bunch that they might not have reported a change in the number of people, and dealing with any survivors could be done later.
More important was the whereabouts of the manifestation.
"We must find it. You know what it is. The manifestation of the god of the abyss, Azathoth, is essential for our plan."
"I know. But there's no clue as to where it disappeared to."
It was a plan that had taken a long time to prepare.
First, they captured the sacred beast, the long-tailed phoenix, and used it as a vessel to summon the manifestation. They gradually infused it with dark ether until the sacred beast was completely corrupted.
To obtain the dark ether without leaving a trace, they had to use an indirect route. They used the Syn Crown faction under their control to gather dark ether for several months.
They successfully summoned the manifestation by sacrificing the completely corrupted sacred beast. They eliminated everyone involved to ensure secrecy and laundered the acquisition route.
Although the manifestation wasn't in a complete state, it didn't matter. Ise-in's goal was to forcibly capture the manifestation and extract its infinite magic power for use.
'With that magic power... I can make Cedric Choi the number one.'
Not only that, but she could shake off the annoying competitors and firmly establish <C&L Corporation> as the top.
It was all part of the plan proposed by the capable secretary in front of her.
Lee On was a perfect secretary. All the strategies she proposed were innovative and achieved perfect results. Thanks to Lee On's advice, <C&L Corporation> grew from a small, powerless guild to its current position.
This time, the plan was perfect, and the execution was smooth.
But the manifestation's whereabouts were still unclear.
'If we can't find it...'
Ise-in nervously tapped the desk. If someone else found the manifestation, not only would all their efforts be in vain, but the guild could be in danger.
"Is there... any way?"
The secretary, Lee On, who always smiled beautifully, provided the answer again. Her eyes, which resembled fake jewels, glowed strangely.
"Of course, there is a way."
"Really?"
So far, no problem had been unsolvable with Lee On's advice. Ise-in looked at Lee On with trust and expectation.
"Here it is."
Lee On took a small golden box from her pocket and handed it to Ise-in.
Click.
When she opened it, a small, oddly shaped object with two horns connected was inside.
"What is this...?"
"It's a replica of a great artifact. It's a fake, but its effect is definite."
It felt ominous.
Although its nature was unknown, the object emitted a very strange power. Looking at the center of the object made her head throb and her stomach churn.
"It's an item that creates a rift."
"...! What?"
"There's no need to be so surprised, CEO."
Her smile was unusually calm, given what she had just said.
A manifestation is a god's avatar created with magic power. If it escaped, they could simply summon a new one.
However, only one manifestation could be summoned at a time.
To summon a new one, they had to dispose of, i.e., kill, the previous manifestation.
This item was a device to create a rift that would summon monsters from another world.
The summoned monsters would track the manifestation's magic scent and dispose of it.
"Hehe, simple, right? You don't need to get your hands dirty. I'll prepare the summoning of the new manifestation. All you have to do is break this."
Lee On took Ise-in's hand and placed it on the horns. It seemed like the small object would break easily with just a slight pressure.
"...!"
Startled, Ise-in pushed the box away. Her hand was trembling.
"No... No matter what, I can't do that. The damage... The damage will be too great."
"Then I'll leave this box with you, CEO. Take your time to think about it."
Smiling, Lee On added,
"Soon, you'll realize I'm right. Don't forget, all you have to do is break it. You need the manifestation's magic power, don't you?"
"..."
Click.
Lee On closed the door and left.
Ise-in was about to hide the box somewhere out of sight but hesitated.
No, no. I can't do that.
But... But maybe...
* * *
"...CEO?"
Cedric Choi stopped in surprise.
Ise-in was walking down the corridor with a dazed, blank expression.
Ise-in didn't seem to notice Cedric Choi standing right in front of her. It was strange. Cedric Choi approached and called out to her more loudly.
"CEO, where are you going?"
"...! Ah, Cedric."
Ise-in, who seemed to have just woken from a dream, was startled. She tried to smile and say it was nothing, but her mouth was tight.
"What's this?"
Cedric Choi pointed to the box that was sticking out of Ise-in's jacket pocket.
"...!"
Thud!
Before Cedric Choi's hand could touch it, Ise-in slapped it away. The sound of the hand hitting the empty corridor echoed loudly.
"Ah, I just saw something I didn't recognize..."
Hastily, Ise-in gathered the box in her arms and apologized.
"It's an important item, so I overreacted. Sorry."
"It's okay."
And silence.
An awkward atmosphere filled the air.
After a moment of hesitation, Cedric Choi spoke first.
"CEO, I have something to ask. Do you have a moment?"
"Sorry, I have a guild leader meeting soon... Let's talk later."
Without waiting for Cedric Choi's response, Ise-in hurried down the corridor.
Left alone, Cedric Choi sat on a sofa at the end of the corridor. He took out his phone and looked at it, pressing a number but ultimately not hitting the call button.
"Ha..."
His chest felt tight.
Recently, CEO Ise-in had been acting strange. It had been several days, and she wouldn't answer when asked what was wrong.
She hadn't mentioned the black monster that had escaped from the box. She only kept asking if the number of bodies was correct.
Feeling uneasy, Cedric Choi had hidden the existence of the survivor. It was just a gut feeling, but he thought it was better that way.
That survivor, a hunter with the unusual name of "Supreme," had said he was quitting hunting, so it shouldn't matter...
'What exactly is she doing...'
No, it wasn't just this time.
At some point, Ise-in started to hide more things from him.
At first, he thought it was natural since guild management was Ise-in's responsibility. He didn't understand the complex matters and focused on his role in dungeon raids.
Cedric Choi's initial awakening rank was A. He was now S.
It was undeniable that the guild's full support had been a significant help in reaching his current position.
So, he moved according to Ise-in's instructions to become the hunter the guild needed.
But gradually, more and more things in the guild were unknown to him.
It was an absurd thought, but...
Sometimes, he felt like he was just a puppet drawing attention in the front.
When did it start?
Looking back, it was after that secretary appeared.
Cedric Choi wanted to vent this discomfort somewhere.