Awaiting at the rendezvous point for the ambassador's escort mission...

 

"Agony. Utter agony."

 

I stood before the entrance with a weary expression. Why, you ask?

 

Yesterday, when I returned home, I found myself waiting in front of Lenka-san's house. Next thing I knew, I was dragged inside and forced to work as a fashion model "for free until late at night."

 

"Ugh... I can't take it anymore."

 

Staying overnight would have been fine, but Lenka-san insisted, "Leave it to me while you're away!" Of course, I refused, but she began to throw a tantrum like a child, insisting, "No, nooo! I want to stay at Miss Elraina's house!" With the meeting time approaching, I eventually gave in.

 

So, I entrusted Lenka-san with the keys I had and came here. And, of course, my gear is as usual.

 

"Good morning, Miss Elraina."

 

"Good morning, Miss Okua."

 

"Oh my, what's wrong? You look tired. Are you alright?"

 

"Hahaha... I'm fine, yes... I am."

 

Just to be sure, I drank an energy drink to boost myself. So, while my body might be tired, I'm full of energy!

 

"Really? Well, if it gets too much, please let my escorts take care of things."

 

"Escorts?"

 

Did she hire someone else besides me?

 

"Allow me to introduce them. Come forward, both of you."

 

"Yes, ma'am."

 

After responding, two male demonkin, armed with swords and naginatas, stood beside Miss Okua.

 

"They are Yuuzen and Toga, who are escorting me."

 

"I am Yuuzen. As you can see, my weapon is a sword. Nice to meet you."

 

"I am Toga, a wielder of the naginata. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

 

They bowed and greeted, so I followed suit.

 

"Ah, I'm Elraina. Nice to meet you both."

 

"Good Elraina. They are 'beings similar to myself.'"

 

"Huh? Similar... they're clearly demons... Oh!"

 

Before I could say they're demonkin, I understood what Miss Okua meant.

 

"Well, let's discuss the details in the carriage."

 

"Eh?! But I'm the escort, shouldn't I stay outside?"

 

"It's fine, leave it to them."

 

Should I ride? Shouldn't I? As I hesitated, it would be a waste of time, so I followed Miss Okua's instructions and got into the carriage.

 

"I'm in. Let's go."

 

As soon as Miss Okua said that, the carriage jerked and began to move.

 

"Now, where should we start?"

 

"I've heard the conditions for becoming a messenger from the gods, so we can skip that part."

 

"Oh, is that so? Then let me reintroduce myself.

 

My name is Okua Konoe. In Japanese style, it would be Sakura Konoe."

 

Well, considering the names of demonkin, I suspected their surnames and given names were reversed.

 

"Before reincarnation, I was named Megumi Miyaguchi. I worked as a banker."

 

Huh, a banker!?

 

"You were in quite a good position."

 

Being a banker ensures a stable income, and as long as you don't mess up, it's not the type of job where you'd get fired easily.

 

"Yes, relatively speaking, I got a good job. But in reality, it was tough."

 

"Why is that?"

 

"As soon as I joined, I was told to get various qualifications. There were work quotas to meet, and if you didn't meet them, you'd feel embarrassed. When consulting on loans, you had to thoroughly check if the other party could afford it financially or if they might run off without paying, and then there's..."

 

Seeing her murmuring with such a dark expression, I felt scared and unconsciously grimaced and leaned back.

 

"That bloody hierarchy! Ha?! Well, leaving that aside, I died from overwork."

 

"Overwork!?"

 

Overwork. It seems to refer to cases where someone dies due to long hours of overtime or harassment from colleagues, even though not all cases result in death.

 

For example, there are cases where someone is diagnosed with overwork due to mental disorders caused by harassment from superiors, making it impossible for them to return to work.

Volume 05 Chapter 21

 

 "....Come to think of it, I feel like such news was circulating about two years ago."

 

The news, if I recall correctly, was about a woman collapsing suddenly while on duty, being urgently transported by ambulance, only to be pronounced dead at the hospital. However, what's strange is the subsequent events.

 

"A female banker passed away, and then a few days later, the spokesperson and several others who were holding a press conference, along with the woman's superior, suddenly went missing."

 

According to the media, they speculated that they might have fled overseas to evade responsibility or were hiding somewhere. Quite a tale, isn't it?

 

"So, the dreadful speculation was that they all peacefully committed suicide in the Aokigahara Forest."

 

"Oh, you've got a keen sense. That deceased female banker was me in my past life."

 

"Oh, really?"

 

"Oh, those superiors were a bunch of scum parading around with a medley of power harassment, sexual harassment, and forcing their colleagues into psychological abuse just to crush their rivals."

 

While power harassment alone is commonplace, isn't it dangerous to indulge in sexual harassment and subjecting colleagues to psychological abuse?

 

"I, too, was threatened by my superiors and colleagues, enduring overtime and late nights under duress, as they said, 'If you dare say such things, I'll fire you.' Every day was a nightmare."

 

Well, that's something to consult with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

 

"So, I collapsed in the middle of work. After I died, a messenger came to me, asking me to be their emissary. It was none other than Shikiori-sama, the goddess revered by demons."

 

"Wow, really? By the way, what did Shikiori-sama ask of you?"

 

"She wanted me to do something about the chaotic finances of the Demon Kingdom, considering I used to work as a banker."

 

"Wow, is that so?"

 

Chaotic finances, huh? I wonder who was in charge of finances?

 

"So, I agreed, but on one condition."

 

"A condition?"

 

I wonder what it is; I have a bad feeling about this.

 

"I asked them to send those superiors who had harassed me to some black company and let them suffer the same fate as me, for eternity!"

 

"Isn't that problematic in itself, huh? Wait a minute... Ah! Are you saying it was your fault that the representatives of the bank disappeared?"

 

"Yes."

 

She said it straightforwardly, and she even looks proud of it, this person.

 

"I got the 'OK' I wanted."

 

"Why!?"

 

"Because if they had stayed put, they would have negatively influenced many people, or so they said, seems like that was their reason."

 

"I-Is that so?"

 

Seeing that dark smile, I felt like I shouldn't ask any further.

 

"....Ah."

 

"What's wrong, Ellyna-san?"

 

"There are enemies ahead."

 

There are four of them, and since this area is a grassland, they must be either wolves or goblins. Moreover, since they're coming straight towards us, there's no way to just let them pass.

 

"Well, first, could you stop the carriage for me? I'll take care of them."

 

As I pull the cocking handle of the IWI ACE32, I say.

 

"Yes, understood. Please stop."

 

As Ouka-san says that, the carriage comes to a halt slowly. At the same time, she opens the door and steps out of the carriage.

 

"Now then, shall we?"

 

Saying so, I kneel down, adjust the selector to semi-auto, and aim the ACE32 at the wolves in the distance.

 

200 meters. It's a bit far, so let's lure them a little closer.

 

"There really are monsters!"

Volume 05 Chapter 21

 

Unfazed by the words of the escorts, the Wolves waited for them to come within range.

 

"Just a bit more... just a bit."

 

As the Wolves approached to about 100 meters, they pulled the trigger and released the bullets. The leading Wolf stumbled and fell.

 

"First one down!"

 

Continuing, they aimed at the one diagonally behind and fired three shots, bringing it down along with the Wolf right behind it.

 

Lucky!

 

With that thought, they shot down the last one with two shots.

 

"That's it, huh?"

 

The Wolf that fell, entangled with the second one, tried to get up.

 

Not going to let that happen.

 

Thinking so, they aimed at the Wolf's head and shot it down. They watched as it sank into the ground. They remained cautious, scanning the surroundings for any other enemies.

 

"...Clear. Finally done this time."

 

They said, getting up and brushing off the dirt from their knees.

 

"Shall we go retrieve that Wolf?"

 

"Yeah, but man, those guns from the future are something else."

 

Guns from the future?

 

"You see, this person was named Hijikata Toshizō in their past life."

 

"Huh?"

 

Hijikata Toshizō, the one from the Shinsengumi?

 

"And the other person is famous for being Guan Yu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

 

"Whaaat!?"

 

They exclaimed in surprise, unable to contain their shock.