Monster Company Tycoon - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Monster Company Tycoon
Chapter 13
Because the man revealed his name so abruptly, I found myself introducing myself in return.
“Oh, yes, hello there. I’m Choi.”
“I’m Teon! My brother’s amazing, right!?”
“Choi—an unusual name.”
Despite telling him nothing but my name, I felt the man’s wariness toward me ease considerably.
“What are you talking about? You’re not really Choi, you’re—”
Just then, Brownie suddenly whooshed through the air and cut in.
I hurried to cover his mouth, but Brownie nimbly dodged my hand and darted away. Then, as if to shield me from both of them, he positioned himself in front of me.
“A fairy?”
“Yes! This great sprite of the land demands your respect! You lowly humans, bow before me—!”
Brownie’s declaration rang out boldly before he suddenly burrowed into my hair and vanished.
“What’s wrong?”
I whispered the question, and Brownie trembled as he muttered back.
“I sense something frightening….”
Now that he mentioned it, I felt it too. A sharp, chilling aura had suddenly radiated from Ragnar.
But the moment our eyes met, that aura dispersed as if scattering into nothing.
What was that just now?
“Anyway! This Dungeon is far too weak for you! It’s against the rules for the strong to bully the weak, isn’t it?”
“Monsters are not the sort of weak beings who deserve consideration.”
“Well, yes, but! Think about it! If you sweep through such a weak Dungeon, then… I know!”
I turned desperately toward my brother and continued.
“Where are aspiring adventurers like Teon supposed to train? You’re trampling on the potential of adventurers who might become truly great in the future!”
I knew myself that this was sophistry, pure nonsense. Yet I had to stop this man’s challenge by any means necessary.
“A Dungeon is a den of dangerous monsters.”
Ragnar showed no sign of backing down.
He bent slightly at the waist to meet my gaze, then spoke in a measured tone.
“If monsters were to break free from the Dungeon and attack the Civilian Area, countless lives would be lost.”
“That’s right—Dungeons are bad. If you don’t deal with them in time, disaster strikes! And you took my Wooden Sword too!”
A pang. My conscience pricked sharply, since I was the one who’d taken that sword.
He could just throw away that battered old blade and buy a new one. Why insist on taking it back?
If his only goal was recovering the Wooden Sword, I’d give it back and be done with it.
“That’s only something an Instant Dungeon would do—! The Dungeons run by the Demon Kings would never commit such petty, unprofitable acts.”
Brownie, hidden in my hair, muttered in a voice only I could hear.
“It won’t happen, they say. No, it won’t!”
I raised my voice to Ragnar again.
“How can you be certain of that?”
“Because I’ll stop it! This Dungeon will never attack the Civilian Area! This Dungeon is… well… more like a facility designed to keep monsters from ever leaving in the first place!”
“You’ll stop it, you say…?”
Ragnar’s eyes narrowed with doubt as he looked me up and down.
“You don’t appear to possess any combat ability whatsoever.”
What should I do? Was there any good way out of this? What could I possibly do…?
I took a deep breath before speaking.
“I… made a contract with the master of this Dungeon!”
In the end, I decided to tell him half-truthfully, tailoring my situation somewhat.
If that man takes the Sacred Relic, things will go very wrong. I have a responsibility to protect my Dungeon no matter what. I’m its Administrator, after all!
“I made the contract to protect this world! I’m managing this Dungeon safely so that monsters don’t break free!”
Then Brownie interjected again in a small voice.
“It’s close enough. It’s true that if you work hard, you can protect the world.”
…What’s that supposed to mean?
I was curious, but this wasn’t the time to press for details, so I pushed the remark to the back of my mind for now.
“A contract, then….”
Ragnar regarded me with newfound interest.
“So you’re saying… you’ve made a contract with a Demon King? Do you realize that in admitting this, you’ve confessed to being a heretic yourself?”
“…A heretic? What does that mean?”
“By forsaking Reta, the holy spirit who guards this land and stands opposed to the demon spirits, and taking the hand of the Demon King—an enemy in all but name—you’ve become a heretic.”
A heretic. A heretic, through and through.
“Gasp…!”
“Monsters cannot form a society outside the Dungeon. The Temple forbids it strictly.”
Brownie had said something along those lines.
I’d wondered why the Temple was getting involved in monster affairs, but I hadn’t dwelt on it.
But what if—what if monsters in this world were like demons to religion, absolute evil as defined by doctrine?
I’m pretty sure I’m in serious trouble right now….
My heart began to race wildly.
Of course, I had the common-sense prejudice that the Demon King was a bad entity. So when I learned that the being who brought me to this world was the Demon King, I was genuinely terrified.
‘But once I saw the reality of it, I wasn’t so scared anymore.’
In my mind’s eye, a plump owl was scratching at my sides with its talons.
It’s not just appearances. The Demon King promised me fair compensation and has done nothing to harm my body.
On top of that, he even drew up a contract and got me hired at a new job. He gave me an enormous advance payment of twenty million won!
It was an unavoidable choice born of desperation, but looking back, the terms weren’t so bad at all.
The Demon King is lazy, incompetent, shameless, devoid of financial sense, out of shape, and a heavy sleeper, but….
“Chihuahua, sounds like you’re thinking something rather disrespectful right now.”
……Anyway, the Demon King I’ve seen with my own eyes seems far removed from the absolute evil the world speaks of.
I don’t know about other Demon Kings, but at least the one I’ve contracted with seems trustworthy.
“You said it yourself. I made this contract to protect this world. How could protecting the world ever be heresy?”
What I believed in wasn’t rumor or the Temple. It was what I’d seen with my own eyes, experienced directly, and judged for myself.
If I received fair compensation, I’d fulfill the responsibility that came with it.
I see a task through to the end.
That was the principle I’d upheld throughout my working life.
So then….
This company—no, this Dungeon—I’ll protect it myself!
Ragnar tilted his head and asked in a grave voice.
“What exactly are the terms of your contract?”
“Contract details aren’t disclosed outside the parties involved. You don’t know about confidentiality obligations or data protection laws?”
At my words, Ragnar’s face fell into confusion for a moment.
“Are you perhaps in danger or in need of help? You weren’t coerced by the Demon King into signing, with your safety held as collateral, were you?”
I flinched.
Did he say I need help?
The moment I heard those words, a thought flashed through my mind.
What if the Temple knew how to send me back to my original world?
If they did, I wouldn’t have to face those monsters anymore—the ones that terrified me so much I had to remove my glasses to look at them. I could live safely and comfortably among humans like myself.
…I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. There were times I thought finding a way outside the Dungeon might be better.
But that thought didn’t last long.
The faces of the monsters waiting for me in the Dungeon came to mind, one by one.
The Goblin who wept at his first victory, the Skeleton who danced with joy over a single Wooden Sword, the Small Slime who bounced with excitement at the mention of “Hidden Card.”
And even Brownie, who begged me not to abandon them.
…What would happen to them if I disappeared?
If the Demon King ran this Dungeon himself, it would collapse for sure.
If this had been the early days when no one was hired yet, I might have caved at Ragnar’s words. I might have clung to him, begging him to get me out of this failing Dungeon.
“…No, there was no coercion. I did it with a clear head! After careful deliberation! It was entirely my choice.”
I felt some anxiety about missing a good opportunity, but abandoning my post mid-contract would be far too irresponsible.
I’m Choi, and though my department once had just one team member, I’ve held the rank of team leader. Integrity and diligence are my pride.
As a cog in a company that pays well, I show absolute loyalty.
“I see….”
His eyes still held suspicion, but the atmosphere suggested he wouldn’t push the matter further.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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