Chapter 4 |
***
“Hahahaha—! Scientist! Good morning!”
“Huh? Oh… good morning.”
The day after I handed the energy booster to Galm, I arrived at the villain organization’s headquarters, only to be startled by Galm’s unusually friendly greeting. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was really okay for a person to change so drastically overnight.
Had he eaten something strange? Since he’s a tiger-man, maybe he ate some odd plants, causing this change. As I looked at him with suspicious eyes, Galm seemed to notice my gaze, pausing briefly before letting out a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha—! No need to be afraid! I’m not here to pick a fight!”
“Oh, uh, right.”
“On the contrary, if anyone tries to mess with you, just tell me! I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Uh… thanks?”
“But you know, Scientist, I have a favor to ask…”
Ah, so that’s what this is about. I finally realized why Galm was suddenly acting so friendly toward me. People don’t just change like that for no reason. He must want something from me, and that’s why he’s being so nice.
What could be the reason for anization because he couldn’t stand the sight of me? But no, he was smiling too much for it to be the latter.
Surprisingly, neither of my guesses was correct.
“The potion you made yesterday. Could you make me a few more?”
“…What? Oh, the energy booster.”
“Energy booster? You call that thing just an energy booster…”
Galm looked at me with admiration. I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding what the big deal was. Despite my puzzlement, I felt a bit relieved. At least he wasn’t asking to borrow money or for me to co-sign something—he just wanted a few more energy boosters.
That’s an easy enough request.
“If you think it’s useful, you should speak to the boss about it. She’ll probably give the order to mass-produce it officially…”
“Scientist, is that really enough for you?”
“Enough? I wouldn’t say it’s about satisfaction…”
I mean, I just copied the components of something from Earth and put it together here. I didn’t break my back or pour money into making it, so there’s no need to talk about satisfaction or anything like that.
Of course, I’d prefer if they didn’t ask me to do anything and just gave me money, but—since Regalia hired me as the organization’s Scientist, I needed to at least do the minimum work required. Even if that work was at a level more fitting for an undergrad student…
However, for some reason, Galm seemed to misunderstand my words. His face turned a mix of red and purple before he carefully straightened up.
“So, you mean I should talk to the boss about it. That’s what you’re saying?”
“Yes. While making a few more for you isn’t a big deal, if you want a steady supply, it would be better to…”
“Got it. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your situation gets sorted out soon.”
“Uh? What?”
Galm left with an ominous air, leaving me standing there, wondering if I’d said something wrong.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out what it was. I spent quite some time scratching my head, trying to understand why Galm seemed so angry.
***
On the top floor of the Evilus Corporation building.
A minor commotion occurred in the office where the Chairman’s office was located.
─You can’t just barge in there…
─Out of my way—!
Bang—!
Regalia, sensing that this was a frequent occurrence, calmly put down the quill she had been holding as the tiger-man burst through the door.
“Hey—! Boss! I’ve got something to say!”
“…Galm. No matter how much you want to see me, have you forgotten where we are? There’s a procedure for this.”
“I don’t have time for procedures.”
Scoffing at Regalia’s words, Galm casually took a seat on the sofa and leaned back.
“Since you’re the boss, you should already know why I’m here, right?”
“Ah… if you mean the news from yesterday, I heard. You’ve regained your strength from your prime? Congratulations. Even after pouring so many resources into it, nothing worked, but now…”
“It’s thanks to that potion the Scientist made.”
“…What?”
Regalia blinked in disbelief, thinking she’d misheard. A moment later, she blinked again and looked at Galm as if to ask if he was serious. Galm simply shrugged, as if to say, “Why would I lie?”
It was true that she had ordered Eight to create something useful for Galm and Ayle. However, the idea was simply to make something “helpful.”
‘He made a potion that restored Galm’s body to its prime? In just a week?’
Even describing how absurd that was would be difficult. Galm wasn’t just any ordinary member of the villain organization.
Galm, the Beast King.
A former soldier and a legend who had achieved great feats in countless wars. If he hadn’t been a beastman, people said he would have surely become a general by now.
However, due to the racial discrimination against beastmen and a few unfortunate incidents during operations, he had been forced to retire. Normally, someone like him should have been behind bars, but the feats he accomplished were so extraordinary that he was still able to move about in society.
Despite using all the wealth and connections he’d amassed during his military career, Galm had been unable to heal his body. It meant that no matter what existed in the world, nothing could fix him.
‘Could that even be possible?’
As unbelievable as it was, Galm had no reason to lie to her, and the display he gave yesterday was clear proof that he had regained his former strength.
Even if she wanted to force herself to swallow this unbelievable truth, it was still hard to accept.
“I see… As expected, he’s someone I picked up.”
“But this genius Scientist doesn’t seem to be satisfied with his treatment.”
“What—? What’s wrong with my organization—? I think we have the best benefits in the industry!”
“For someone of his caliber, those benefits are only what he deserves, right? I mean, consider it. He’s a genius who made a potion that brought me back to my prime in just a week, isn’t he?”
“Ugh… That’s true, but…”
Then what should I give him? Regalia pondered the issue intensely, racking her brain. At that moment, Galm grinned and relayed what he thought he’d heard from the Scientist.
“He told me that this was nothing. That he wasn’t satisfied with showing just this much.”
“…Even after achieving such a feat?”
“Yeah. And one more thing. He made it clear that he was disappointed in you, too, Boss.”
“Hmm…?”
“Is this really all I’m worth? I can do more! I can do so much more, so give me something else! That’s what he said.”
He didn’t say that.
Eight never said anything like that, but in Galm’s eyes, it certainly appeared that way. The thoughts that never crossed Eight’s mind were clearly visible to the Beast King.
As a fellow man and a beastman who owed the Scientist a debt, Galm had come to convey anization, the loss would be huge.
“─Alright. If you say so, Galm, then I suppose I should put a bit more trust in Eight.”
“Exactly. First, we should start by distributing the potion he made to all our members. If they drink it before a battle, even our regular combatants should be able to handle most C-rank or D-rank heroes.”
“…Is it that effective? I’d like to try it myself.”
Seeing Galm, who rarely praised anything, speak so highly of the potion, even Regalia began to show a deep interest in the potion that Eight had created.
If it was truly that effective, perhaps it could even be downgraded and released to the public? A product like that would be a hit.
But for now, what mattered most was probably giving Eight more research tasks.
The thought of which would have made Eight shudder, Regalia began to think about what she could assign to him next.
***
“─So, the next task is to create something that will be useful to Ayle!”
“…Excuse me?”
It had only been a week since I joined the villain organization.
Not even a full month had passed, and yet another task was already being thrown my way.
I looked at Regalia with an expression that screamed “I really don’t want to do this,” but she just tilted her head, smiling as if she were enjoying herself.
─So? Don’t want to do it? Want me to toss you out onto the streets?
She appeared to be saying that. With tearful eyes, I nodded.
“Y-yes… understood.”
“Oh─ by the way, the potion you made? We’ve decided to distribute it officially within the organization.”
“Excuse me? By that, you mean…”
“Yes. We’ll be mass-producing it as well, so I’ll leave that to you.”
“A-ah…”
The tears that had welled up in my eyes finally spilled over.
I fell into despair at the thought of the overwork that was sure to come.
End of Chapter
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