041 – Internal War! #3
Apate the executive director pointed at my colleague Marquius with his finger.
He was saying that Marquius was a mole for the rebel faction Tartarus.
"Marquius?"
"Mr. Marquius is a rebel...?"
The office erupted in murmurs in an instant.
Soon, Manager Bones asked in disbelief.
"Director, why do you suspect Marquius of being a rebel spy? I hope you have solid grounds for doubting one of my subordinates."
"I'll explain. Marquius, back when you were alive, you were infamous as a bandit, weren't you? You betrayed your comrades, killed them all, and even tried to murder the boss who took you in and raised you—only to die with him in mutual destruction!"
What? I thought he just had a thief's face, but he was actually a real bandit? And a psychopathic killer who'd offed more than ten people, no less.
"...He was that terrifying?"
"Kinda figures. His face is way too scary-looking..."
"He's gotta be the spy!"
"Phrenology really is a statistical science, huh—."
The office buzzed and swayed like a stormy sea.
Apate the director snapped his fingers with a triumphant grin, as if he'd seized the upper hand.
"The sweet taste of betrayal is more addictive than opium. So, Marquius—what do you think of my hypothesis? That you, unable to kick your habit of backstabbing, tried to do the same to your comrades here in Happy World?"
"......"
Marquius, who loved to chatter away about everything, suddenly went quiet. Marquius being silent? That was a rare sight.
Was this guy really part of the rebels? Honestly, his face had always looked suspicious! And this was my chance!
"Hold on! My colleague Marquius absolutely cannot be a rebel! I'll vouch for his identity myself! If it turns out he was one of them, I'll take full responsibility!"
It looked guilty as sin for Marquius no matter who you asked. What if I shielded him? And offered to shoulder the blame too? The arrows of blame would surely turn on me as well. It'd be like standing against a 10-meter tsunami with a pot lid.
Perfect!
"Joey's right! There's a chance Mr. Marquius isn't the spy! Heck, this Crowzer could be the spy for all we know!"
Crowzer chimed in at that moment. That dimwit probably had no idea what he was even saying.
Anyway, the key point was that Apate the director bit down hard on my guarantee.
His orange eyes gleamed craftily as he clapped his hands with a smack.
"Vice Manager Joey, a guarantee is something only a man prepared to throw everything away for another can utter. Are you fine losing your job for Marquius's sake?"
"Of course!"
My immediate reply sent waves of shock rippling through the office staff like a tidal surge.
Hedone, the chick-like junior employee, was especially moved—tears streaming down her face.
"Aah, how much must Vice Manager Joey cherish his staff! He loves his colleagues and subordinates like they were his own flesh and blood!"
That idiot Hedone. Where would you find someone as selfish as me?
But somehow, her foolishness must've been contagious—
"Vice Manager Joeyyy!"
"I'll take responsibility too!"
"Me too! If you quit, Vice Manager Joey, I'll quit right alongside you!"
Why was everyone talking about quitting? Had they all gotten food poisoning from those fancy restaurant meals I'd been shoving down their throats these past few days?
Apate grew furious at our display instead.
"To think there'd be this many fools willing to shoulder the blame themselves. Fine—arrest them all! You'll stay locked up with him until Marquius confesses!"
# # #
Happy World had plenty of prisons. After all, despite its cheery name, the place had been designed for punishment and torture.
The staff of our Penalty Execution Department were all thrown into a massive cell built to hold giant Titans.
It was a ridiculous situation, all things considered. What the hell were we even doing? Was this a dream or something? I couldn't help but chuckle.
That's when Manager Bones, trembling beside me, jumped in shock.
"You're laughing in this utterly hopeless mess! Joey, you must have an ace up your sleeve! You truly believe Marquius is innocent, don't you?"
Innocent? Nah, I figured he was guilty. Marquius was a bandit with a villainous mug. Even if he wasn't a rebel spy, he was shady as hell and probably guilty of plenty already. While we sat here, the ferocious audit team would rip into him like tigers, eyes blazing—down to every receipt from the convenience store next to his house!
Once they shook him down, the dirt would fly. He'd get disciplined. And I'd be utterly ruined, leveraged 60 times over for my guarantee.
It was a flawless scheme. So flawless even Apate, the god of deception and lies, hadn't sniffed it out.
My perfect victory. I could burst out laughing!
I was struggling to hold it in when Marquius let out a heavy sigh.
"Joey, and all of you. Sorry for getting you thrown in prison because of me."
"No, Mr. Marquius. Don't worry about it."
"Joey, why the sudden formal speech?"
Why formal? Marquius was a psycho who'd stabbed a bunch of people to death. Who knew if treating a guy like that casually might get me offed in a flash?
Maybe that's why I started replaying all my past interactions with him in my head.
Soon, Manager Bones asked Marquius.
"No one in this Penalty Execution Department is without a backstory. But yours takes the cake, Marquius. What exactly happened? Since we've all boarded the same sinking ship, spill it honestly."
Marquius averted his eyes. Must be hard to talk about.
"If it's tough, you don't have to say."
I encouraged him. No words could flip this hopeless situation anyway.
"And everyone, don't worry too much. I'll shoulder the blame alone."
Getting fired was plenty with just me. It had to be that way. If my staff lost their jobs en masse because of me, it'd haunt my dreams forever.
Marquius laughed haha at me.
"Joey, I truly respect you. Alright, I've made up my mind. I'll come clean. Back in my childhood, bandits overran the whole country. It was a world where laughter was a luxury."
Marquius slipped into reminiscence. After all the weird crap these past few days, I could sense something bad brewing.
A feeling that Marquius shouldn't speak?
But he chattered on noisily, as always.
"My sister and parents were killed by bandits too. I was seven then—groveling pathetically to survive. Took a long time, but I got my revenge in the end. Pretty standard tale."
A vengeful ghost! Marquius was a terrifying avenger!
"That's it?"
But Manager Bones scowled like it was a dull story. Everyone else too. Hedone, who fainted at the drop of a hat, even yawned.
"Kinda boring, honestly."
"Not enough punch."
Punch? I wondered what they meant until it clicked. Penalty Execution staff dealt punishment to all sorts of villains and wicked spirits daily. They clashed with the cruelest, most brutal inmates. Marquius's revenge drama—losing family to bandits—probably felt mundane by comparison.
"Still. It was hard to talk about. Betrayal's betrayal. My scary face always made people wary of me. But Joey, you were different from the moment we met."
Pop—he stood up. He looked around at everyone.
"This is the first time so many people have trusted me. I wanted to hide it longer, but no choice. Can't let my precious comrades suffer in a Titan cell."
Clang-clang—he approached the bars and rapped the cold iron with his hand.
"I'll confess."
Confess. Was he really a Tartarus spy after all? A chill ran down my spine—
Then Marquius added.
"I'm Marquius, deputy manager of HQ's Safety Management Team. Under orders from CSO Prince Zagreus, I rejoined as a newbie and infiltrated this Penalty Execution Department."
What? HQ deputy manager?
My mind reeled at the sudden revelation. I had no clue what this chatty bandit was on about, but I knew things were spiraling way out of my control!
"The reason I infiltrated Happy World was to catch a bigwig backing the recidivist Tartarus. And I've got plenty of evidence already. However—."
Marquius glanced at us huddled on the floor. His fierce, bandit eyes held a strange fondness.
"I guess I got hooked on this little game without realizing. Stayed too long, grew attached, and forgot it was time to go. Sorry for the trouble, everyone."
Slap—his hand on my shoulder.
"Especially you, Joey. You saw through my disguise ages ago but kept my secret. I can only say thanks. You have my full respect!"
"What the hell do you think I saw through?"
"No need to play dumb now. You believed in my innocence more fiercely than anyone. You couldn't act like that without knowing everything."
Just then, Apate the director rushed into the holding area and asked Marquius through the bars.
"You're Prince Zagreus's confidant? You've been undercover in Penalty Execution for years on a rebel investigation? And you already have all the evidence? Then who the hell is the mole—."
"Director Apate, this isn't mole territory. If word gets out from here, it'll be the biggest scandal since Business Renewal. Right—."
Swipe—Marquius turned toward the prison entrance.
There stood Happy World's president, Thanatos, his blue eyes glowing eerily.
"—President Thanatos of Happy World. Or should I say, Legion Commander Thanatos of the recidivist Tartarus?"
Murmurs rippled through instantly.
Marquius continued.
"Power enough to turn a blind eye to Crates's embezzlement. Authority to access the supply warehouse without records and siphon weapons. All the circumstances point to your betrayal."
Thanatos's death-god eyes gleamed coldly.
"I thought I could hide it longer. Vice Manager Joey, your competence became too big a variable. On that note—care to join me? This is a scout offer."
What the hell did I do? I felt so wronged I could cry.
Apate shouted next.
"Protect Vice Manager Joey! We can't let talent like him get stolen by Tartarus scum! Defend him even unto a second death!"
Whoosh—then the ghost goddess Lady Melinoë appeared.
"Thanatos, you'd best surrender quietly. Even you can't take on two executives at once. Make one wrong move, and you'll spend the night utterly wrecked."
The executives faced off. Subordinates began fainting just from that.
"Th-the executives' intensity is too much."
"Can't... breathe..."
The atmosphere grew insanely tense!
Thanatos finally spoke, his voice heavy as a boulder.
"If the strawberry runs?"
Strawberry runs? What the—
"Strawberry jam."
Boom! Thanatos vanished in a puff of rising mist.
That night, every evening edition of the Soul Society papers screamed like this.