Chapter 412: 1, 2, 3, 4

「「「「………」」」」

「You bring them in now!? I’m not in that much of a hurry….」

「You’re the one who told me to clear their schedule, Deris. Fortunately, they were at work today. It’s just right to explain, isn’t it?」

Immediately after that conversation, Giorgia brought four hooded and masked guild staff to this room. I know I asked for it, but they acted too fast.

「Ah, hello~」

「「「「……… *Bow*」」」」

When Haru greeted the four, they bowed slightly at the same time. Even though they didn’t say a word, it was clear enough to me that they are on good terms with Haru. It is quite unusual for them to respond to other people’s words.

「What, you didn’t tell her about Ii and the others, Deris?」

「I was going to tell her soon.」

「Shishō?」

「Well, how should I put it…. Let me introduce them to you again. Their names are, from left to right, Ii, Aru, San, and Suu (TLn: one, two, three, four). Just like Haru employing Gobuo with magic, I’m employing these girls with magic. They are zombies, they can’t speak, and they hide their faces, but you don’t need to be afraid of them. They look like normal people after all.」

「Eh? …… U-Um, Shishō?」n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

「I can guess what you want to ask, but I will listen just in case. What is it?」

「You’re employing humans, moreover they are women corpses…. Isn’t that something that will make Nell-san furious? Also, I think you have to question your naming sense.」

The first half is plausible, but I don’t want to be told that by Haru, who named a goblin ‘Gobuo’. It sounds strange if you call their names in succession, but it’s normal if you call them alone. Ii. Aru. San. Suu.

「You don’t have to worry about Nell. She and Alezel already know that I’m employing them. Well, it’s a long story and it’s not something pleasant to hear, so I will omit the details. They’re now working as dismantlers for the guild, and I’m here to invite them since they will be fighting force. That’s all.」

「I-I see…?」

「You don’t seem to understand, huh. And while we are at it, the will be examples for strengthening Gobuo.」

「I see!」

Different from the previous reaction, she was really interested in it. Gobuo has stopped growing for a long time, but now he will be able to go to the next stage. I’m sure this is a very happy thing for Haru. Well, I also welcome it since he can be added to the fighting force. Since his job is a Hero, everything becomes a related skill, so I have high expectations for his growth speed.

「Setting the invitation aside, when is the departure day? I have the receptionist work and other indispensable works, so you have to make it clear.」

Hey, isn’t the receptionist work unimportant―― no, it’s nothing.

「Okay. I’ll put it in the official notice from the country. Until then, Ii and the others can do their work as usual. Ah, that’s right. If you don’t get permission from the guild headquarters, let me know later. I’ll do something behind the scenes.」

「Hoho, how reliable. That’s scary~.」

「Ii-san, Aru-san, San-san, Suu-san, let’s do our best!」

「「「「…… *Nod*」」」」

Haru shook hands with each of them, and they exaggeratedly swung their arms up and down. Ooh, it’s unusual for them to be excited and eager to do something. They are always reluctant whenever I give them instructions, so I feel somewhat complicated.

「Then, I’ll come again later. You guys, take care.」

「「「「……… *Silent*」」」」

「Hohoho! Deris, you’re being ignored!」

「S-Shut up. They are not very responsive in the first place, so it’s normal!」

「See you~」

「「「「…….. *Wave hand*

」」」」

「They are waving their hands at Haruna-chan, though?」

「………」

It’s complicated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We returned to my house, which was moved to the garden of Nell’s mansion. Inside the house, Lilyvia is sleeping soundly on my bed, and Gobuo is cleaning the house.

「Wow, it feels really nostalgic.」

「Me too!」

Because we’ve been away from home for a long time, this mundane scene in my familiar house is comforting. But Lily, you should sleep in your room.

「But Shishō, is it really okay to come back now? I mean, you still have something to do, right? Like, trying to contact Alezel-san….」

「Well, you don’t have to worry about it, Haru. More importantly, Gobuo.」

「Gobu?」

When I called him, Gobuo stopped cleaning and came running to us. Ugh, I’m so touched by Gobuo’s consideration. It’s a mystery why the ones I’m employing are so different from him.

「Now, Haru, I have a question. How have you been employing Gobuo so far?」

「I was using the Dark Magic 『Vile』, and now I’m using the Darkness Magic 『Vitoll』.」

「That’s right. What’s the difference between the two?」

「Err, I think that the ability will drop when using Vile, but the original ability will stay intact when using Vitoll. But in both cases, there’s no growth through level up.」

「Good. You’re studying hard, aren’t you?」

「Ehehe.」

I pat Haru’s head and compliment her.

「Well, Haru’s Abyss Magic has exceeded level 40 recently. Now, Gobuo finally will be able to advance to the next stage.」

「The next stage, huh? Gulp…!」

「Goburi…!」

(TLn: gulp – (ゴクリ) gokuri – goburi)

Haru can’t stop her excitement, and Gobuo gulped. Wait, goburi? What the hell is that sound!?

「Shishō, why are you pressing your eyebrows? Um, are you sick?」

「No problem. I’ll just think of it as an auditory hallucination. Now, Haru. What magic does Gobuo need to advance to the next stage?」

「I think it’s level 30 Abyss Magic, 『Vengeance』!」

「Nice try, but you’re wrong. Vengeance is a magic that manipulates corpses on a large scale. The number increases dramatically, but they are disposable. They can’t be maintained, and the orders that can be given are limited to simpler ones than Vile and Vitoll, though it’s depending on the ability of the user. You know, it’s the magic that I used to clean up the corpses of the army that Gobuo led a long time ago.」

「Ah, I remember! So it was a different kind of magic from Vile!」

At that time, the zombies were ordered to jump into the flames by themselves after cleaning the battlefield. It’s more efficient and hygienic to have them clean up themselves rather than doing it manually. The order I gave was simple and it was really a good method. Well, even though Gobuo has no memory of it, I don’t think we should talk about it in front of him. Let’s stop it now.

「This time, I will have Haru use the level 40 Abyss Magic, 『Executioner』. It’s a magic that removes the growth restrictions of the corpse you’re employing.」

「Oooooh!」

「Gobuuu!」

「Moreover, this magic has another characteristic. The experience that has been accumulated so far will bloom when Executioner is applied. In other words, his efforts doing housework under Haru until now are not wasted.」

「OOOOOHH!」

「GOBUUUU!」

Heh, how strange. Only at this time, I feel like I can understand what Gobuo is saying. It’s really strange.