Chapter 17
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 17: The Chairwoman's Secret Personal Request
The dungeon raid was successful.
No, it was safe to say it was a massive success.
Having finished the investigation and harvesting the bloodstones that needed to be harvested here sufficiently, no, beyond the maximum amount, not a single member was hurt, and we returned.
Was that all? I even returned having perfectly accomplished a laundry method for Liquefied Mana Tar, the problem causing headaches at Ignis Industry.
That wasn't the end.
I even arranged a place to have an agreement with the Lizardmen, the settlers of that place. An agreement with settling monsters was a factor that was a huge help in a dungeon raid.
Because it was essentially creating a situation where we didn't have to purposely fight.
If this isn't a success, what is?
However, the investigation squad members absolutely didn't have the faces of successful people.
Kang Jaewon, who had silently shut his mouth, and. The other investigation squad members reading his mood, no, accurately speaking, my mood.
They were stealthily reading my mood like puppies caught playing a prank.
At that sight.
"Boss, how about roasting those people this time and getting something? Like forcing them to visit the laundry."
Elena offered a word. I clicked my tongue at her business tactics trying to empty their wallets even in the midst of this.
As soon as we exited the dungeon.
"As expected."
Carmilla greeted us with a smile.
On the shoulder of her, wearing a red dress, was sitting the bird familiar from when we first visited the headquarters. A beautiful bird with a red light.
At the sudden appearance of the Chairwoman, the life disappeared from the members' expressions.
Because she appeared as if she had been waiting. As if she knew our every move.
"You're waiting as if you were watching."
At my words, Carmilla smiled.
"Of course. I was watching intending to intervene if a problem occurred, but..."
At her words, the members' shoulders shrank.
"There was no need for that."
Click, clack.
She approached.
"I will apologize first. It seems this lady managed her employees too poorly."
The members' attitude. The gossip directed at her.
"Cursing a superior in a place where this lady isn't present can happen. But openly ignoring a guest the Chairwoman invited is an unacceptable act."
Intense flames rose from her body.
Fwoosh!
"How insolent. I don't know who is cursing whom. Those clothes you wear, the equipment you use, and even the treatment you receive right now..."
A power incomparable to Red Tail's obsidian spear filled the space.
"You enjoy all of it thanks to this lady, yet you dare to ignore my choice and treat a guest like this?"
Those flames headed towards the investigation squad members. To all members except Kang Jaewon.
"T-that is..." "Chairwoman, just once, please listen to our words..." "We didn't recognize him! Mercy..."
The investigation squad members kneeling. But she did not stop.
The flames rising from her hand burned all the equipment they were wearing.
In an instant, they were in their underwear.
Everyone was astonished at the sight of burning all the equipment while leaving the people intact. That was the beginning.
"Did this lady give permission to open your mouths?"
As she gestured, the Dragon's mana pierced the members' mana cores.
"You are all fired." "Kuaaaak!" "Uwaaak!" "This lady will take back all the grace bestowed upon you. You will use power no different from civilians moving forward. Other guilds will not accept you either. Who would accept you, who dared to act to disgrace your employer?"
The Dragon's power drained from the members' mana cores. Despite the members' screams, Carmilla's expression did not change.
Everyone except Kang Jaewon lost their strength and collapsed.
They pleaded asking for mercy, but there was no forgiveness from Carmilla.
"Team Leader Kang Jaewon." "Yes, Chairwoman." "You, who neglected the management of your subordinates, will have your salary reduced for 6 months. I will assign you a solo mission for one month. It seems I trusted you too much." "I am sorry."
It was a harsh punishment that couldn't be handed down to a successful investigation squad member.
Carmilla must have known since she was watching everything.
That this raid would have failed if I hadn't been there.
That it was successful thanks to the negotiation with the Lizardmen.
'This is right.'
Their disposal was not my jurisdiction. It's the job of Carmilla, the Chairwoman of Ignis Industry.
"I-it's immense."
Elena, who stepped back behind me and watched the situation, said.
"I thought she was just a pervert dragon, but to think she had such power..." "I can hear everything. I don't know who you're calling a pervert dragon?" "Hiccup!"
Elena covered her mouth.
"Now that the processing is all done, I should talk about the contract."
As Carmilla took one more step closer, the heat emanating from her was felt starkly on the skin.
"You may check." "It's smooth."
She smiled and stroked the washed protective suit with her hand.
Admiration settled in her eyes looking at the protective suit from which the tar was perfectly removed.
"How long can this protective suit last?" "The mucus of the red swamp probably won't react for about 18 hours in total. After that, even if it reacts, it will react slowly unlike before." "Additional maintenance is possible, right?" "Of course. You just need to apply a new coat of oil. If managed well, the maintenance time will increase further." "Not only can it be reused because washing became possible, but you even raised the function..."
The corners of Carmilla's mouth went up.
"This isn't a matter that can end with just a greeting of thanks." "I'm telling you our Boss's skills are decent."
Elena cut in and shouted.
It is thanks to this seat's power being added! The combination of the benefactor and this seat! This pink-haired woman was not helpful in the slightest!
Peep also chipped in a word.
At that sight, Carmilla twitched her finger.
"I believed it, but it's much more amazing..." "Moving forward, you can leave the protective suits at our laundry." "Of course. Apart from that, I'd like to leave all other special laundry; would that be possible?" "I think that will be difficult. Because it's a small business I handle alone, the workload would become too much." "That's a shame."
Possessiveness settled in the pupils of Carmilla, who smacked her lips.
"However, I can sufficiently accept the Chairwoman's personal requests."
Because mending clothes is possible however much she wants.
"Then shall we go to the office?"
Having finished her words, she said to Kang Jaewon.
"Send all the harvested bloodstones to the material support team. And tell the board of directors to organize a negotiation team with the Lizardmen well." "Understood."
Kang Jaewon, who calmly answered and bowed his head, said to me.
"Mr. Jinsoo, I am sorry. It is my fault for not being able to control my subordinates properly." "Well, it's fine. Because it ended well."
I felt Carmilla's punishment was a bit excessive, but they probably have their own circumstances too.
'Seeing it, it seems the members borrowed some power from Carmilla...'
Then they should have behaved better.
After exchanging greetings with Kang Jaewon, I followed Carmilla to her personal office.
In front of Carmilla's personal office.
"Ahem, from here on I'd like to only show the Boss, is that okay?"
At the words Carmilla brought out while clearing her throat, I entrusted Peep hanging on my shoulder to Elena.
"I'll be back." "W-will you be okay?"
Elena looked at me with an expression not knowing what to do.
"Why?" "You said it last time. That she's a weird dragon with an exhibitionist complex."
Heat is felt from behind. Carmilla's anger was felt all the way here.
"It's fine." "If anything happens, please call my name immediately. Even if I have to borrow even a little bit of God's authority, I will come to help you, Boss."
At her words.
"Will you stop?"
Carmilla crumpled her brow and cut in.
"There's nothing like that. And who is an exhibitionist patient? This lady has never done such a thing even once. I don't think I ever showed you either?"
Elena, receiving the anger of Carmilla crumpling her brow, shrank back slightly and spat out a word.
"Flame Ahjumma (middle-aged woman)."
A timid rebellion. And that.
"...Who is an Ahjumma? Are you finished talking right now?"
It seemed to have worked properly.
"T-this lady is in her early 20s by human standards! I am absolutely not at an age to hear Ahjumma!" "You're much older in dragon age, aren't you." "Y-you rascal!"
Carmilla's face, turned red as if she would burst right away.
I cut in between the two.
"Now, now, calm down, and let's go in quickly. I'm also curious what the request is."
Thanks to barely stopping them, Carmilla also took a step back.
"Right. This lady was too excited."
I entered the personal office alone with the calmed Carmilla.
Clack.
The heavy soundproof door closed, and external noise was perfectly blocked.
Carmilla's personal office was the height of splendor, befitting the office of the Chairwoman of Ignis Industry. But what caught my eye was a giant special safe placed in the middle of the room.
A giant safe. It was a safe with a size much larger than a person. An object closer to a door than a safe.
"..."
Unlike her usual confident and arrogant gait, she strangely hesitated and approached the safe.
"Um, Jinsoo."
Her tone felt a bit changed.
"Can you swear that you will take everything you see from now on as a secret?" "What..." "I'm asking if you can keep everything you see in my personal office a secret."
Oh. It changed from 'this lady' to 'me'?
To speak while hesitating this much, it was clearly a fatal secret. Is she going to tell me the location of her reverse scale or something?
"Of course." "You will ab.so.lute.ly keep it a secret?" "Naturally. I will not speak of anything I see here outside." "Good."
The safe door, which went through a whopping triple security of fingerprint, mana, and iris recognition, opened with a heavy sound.
Rumble-.
What came out from inside was not an immense artifact or gold bars.
The back wall of the heavy safe smoothly split to both sides, and the secret room hidden beyond it revealed its appearance.
"Come in."
Inside the secret room I entered guided by her.
"It's a bedroom." "...Right. It's where I sleep. Shall we call it... a Dragon's Lair?"
That place was Carmilla's secret private room, or rather, a giant bedroom.
On the giant king-size bed placed in the middle, blankets and pillows woven from Ice Sea Silk, emitting a blue light so bright it hurt the eyes, were scattered about.
I pointed at the pitch-black marks embedded all over the blue silk blanket.
"Is it soot?"
It wasn't simple dust. Powerful flame mana had condensed and cooled—so-called dragon's ash—was densely embedded in every crevice of the blanket's collar and the bed's fabric.
"Ahem!"
Carmilla made a loud and exaggerated fake cough. Looking closely, she was flushed bright red from the tips of her pointy ears down to the nape of her neck. It was understandable, since that arrogant dragon was showing her secret bedroom and scorched bedding to a strange man.
"I, I..." "Yes?" "I! Sometimes my sleeping habits are fierce. When I have territory fights with cheeky elf bastards or other dragons in my dreams... heat leaks out of my mouth unconsciously!" "...So you're saying these are the traces of a breath that came out while sleep-talking?" "I-it's similar."
She didn't drool in her sleep, she drooled embers. So that's why the blanket turned out like that.
"This level isn't something to be embarrassed about. People often drool while sleeping too, you know." "..."
The signs of her being embarrassed didn't subside easily.
Fiddling with her fingers, she hesitated for a moment, then clenched her fists tightly.
"...This isn't the end." "Yes?"
She walked briskly towards a wardrobe situated on one side of the bedroom.
And as she opened it.
"This is..."
Underwear of thin and erotic designs, to the point of being see-through, were scattered about.
To think the Red Dragon, the incarnation of flame, covers herself with an Ice Sea Silk blanket and sleeps wearing such unconventional underwear.
But what caught the eye more than that was. The fact that soot was smeared on the silk underwear as well.
Because of that, there were holes pierced in secret places too.
"S-stop looking!"
She angrily shouted and closed the wardrobe door.
"So this is why you told me to keep it a secret." "...Right."
She turned completely red. As much as the dragon scale I received from her.
"Originally, I had no intention of asking for something like this too." "..." "I heard you even gave a massage to the Magic Tower's golem, right? So I thought it would be okay to show you this much." "Mm. During all this time, did you just keep buying new ones one by one?"
She nodded her head.
"Even so, I can't entrust it to Wiz Clean, can I. If a rumor spreads to those Magic Tower bastards that 'the Great Ignis spews breaths while sleeping', what would happen to my face! Furthermore, this underwear... no, I hate to death showing my bedding to those bastards."
It was the arrogant Chairwoman's perfect attempt to cover up her dark history. A perfect gap moe, to the point where I wondered if she was really the same person as that ruthless Red Dragon who mercilessly purged the hunters outside earlier.
I held back the laughter leaking out inside me.
Let's endure it. If I laugh, I die.