Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Punishment
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Madness had brought over a chair, and I sat down on it, looking up at her.
The work was simpler than I had imagined.
Cleaning, restocking the shelves, disposing of any expired products, and ringing up customers when they came in—that was all there was to it.
There didn't seem to be any immediate problems, but that only made the situation feel all the more serious.
This place was so everyday and peaceful, yet something lurked that could shatter that peace in an instant.
The convenience store door opened again.
Maybe it was because everyone who worked nights was on break or sleeping right now.
For a street with no one around, there sure were a lot of customers.
They just whispered that I was cute as they saw me sitting quietly next to Madness.
These people didn't seem to mean any harm to her either.
In fact, they were rather kind.
Especially one of them, who paid for a bag of potato chips and told me to eat them.
Crunch—
I munched on the salty, savory potato chips, sharing them with Madness as I muttered.
"It's a lot more peaceful than I thought...?"
It had only been about two hours, so I couldn't draw any firm conclusions, but based on what I'd seen so far, it actually seemed like a pretty decent job.
As long as they paid properly, that is.
"Yes, the morning customers are generally friendly."
"What about afternoons?"
I fed potato chips into Madness's mouth one by one as I asked, and she ate each one I gave her before continuing.
She must have decided there was no point hiding anything now that I'd come here myself.
"A bit irritating. The street being what it is, there are a lot of drunks."
"Sexual harassment must be bad too."
"Not really. Men who come all the way to a red-light district like this to vent their urges know exactly where they can and can't do it, don't they?"
"Is that so?"
I'd never thought of it that way, but it made sense.
That would mean the customers who bothered Madness—morning or afternoon—were just drunks being annoying, but not enough to make her act so subservient.
That left one possibility.
"What about this place's owner?"
"......All my common sense about working in society comes from the Store Manager."
"Then I need to kill that bastard."
It slipped out in anger, but I knew full well I couldn't actually do that.
Madness seemed to understand it was just me venting, so she didn't say much and didn't force any "common sense" on me like yesterday.
"But why did he teach you such things?"
This was pure curiosity.
If it was to crush her self-esteem, why?
And if he didn't want to pay her, he could've just fired her.
No matter how much I tried to think "normally" about this world, it didn't make sense.
If you don't want to pay, don't assign work.
If you assign work, then pay up.
Instead of this perfectly reasonable common sense, why teach her some twisted version of it?
If this was this world's common sense, I'd boldly reject it and live "unreasonably."
Begging subserviently, seeking forgiveness.
Those are things you do only when you've actually done wrong.
Apologizing for nonexistent crimes when you haven't done anything, acting subservient when innocent—that's just slavery.
Madness chewed and swallowed the last potato chip in her mouth before answering my question.
"Because that's common sense in society?"
"I don't need that kind of common sense."
I flatly rejected it and shoved a handful of potato chips into her mouth.
Every time she opened her mouth, it grated on my nerves, so it was better if she just quietly ate.
"When does this place's owner show up? Does he only appear around your quitting time, since he bothered hiring part-timers?"
"Goooood..."
"Swallow first before you speak......"
"......Soon. He'll come."
He's coming?
This was Madness's shift, so why come now when he'd even hired part-timers?
I'd learned this world's social norms from online communities, but as the Demon Realm's sovereign, I wasn't lacking in knowledge or foresight.
A store this size seemed fine with one person.
Yet he was coming anyway.
As if on cue, the door opened, and a skinny man walked in.
Madness stood from her seat and bowed her head in greeting.
"Store Manager."
"Yeah, yeah. But who's the kid next to you? Cute."
"My little sister."
"Oh, but is it okay to bring your sister here during work hours and just have her sit?"
His tone was smiling, but it carried a sleazy undertone.
Why?
I glanced at Madness, and she bowed her head a little lower, speaking even more subserviently.
"I'm sorry. She's a good kid, so if you let it slide this once, it won't happen again."
This was weird no matter how I looked at it.
I'd planned to just watch, but I changed my mind.
"What did Sister do wrong?"
"...She doesn't seem that well-behaved? What's with the way she talks?"
As soon as I spoke, he tossed out a mocking jab at Madness, and I could feel her body tremble faintly.
Seeing that, something surged up from deep in my chest, making me bite my lip. I barely held it back and spoke again.
"I'll ask once more: what did Sister do wrong?"
"Bringing family into a sacred workplace is wrong from the start."
"Sacred workplace?"
This dump?
I glared suspiciously at the owner, the Store Manager. He grinned unpleasantly and continued as if he'd just remembered something.
"Oh, and she stole too."
"Stole?"
"Caught her taking discards. Said something about giving them to her sister, huh? So it was you."
I knew what discards meant.
Food or drinks past their expiration dates.
Perfectly edible, but no longer sellable as merchandise.
And she'd tried to steal those?
"That..."
I looked at Madness hoping it wasn't true, but she offered no excuses.
If it was true, then I had nothing to say.
Stealing discards or whatever, if she'd tried to steal, it was her fault regardless of context.
A good sovereign accepts the truth, even if unpleasant.
Even if it benefited me, that didn't mean her transgression was forgivable.
But that didn't erase why I'd come here, and I still had my say.
"......That's definitely Sister's fault. But Store Manager, you know you're not paying her the wages you promised. Her theft is wrong, but isn't that a separate issue?"
"Little brat talking back..."
"I've lived at least dozens of times longer than you, so spare me that."
You shouldn't be rude even to the rude.
Especially not in my fallen state.
I swallowed my contempt and made my plea.
"Wait, did you seriously say that to a kid? That I'm not paying properly?"
But he ignored my plea entirely, turning to Madness with a crooked smirk.
"I'm sorry."
Madness's head drooped lower. Her gaze fell to the floor.
"You should be grateful I let the theft slide and kept you on. Think bringing one kid here changes anything?"
"I'm sorry."
"I told you: just say sorry, take what I give, do what I say. Is that so hard?"
"I'm sorry."
"Why can't you get it? Orphan kid begging for a job, I took pity. Caught stealing, I docked your pay and let it go. Be grateful. Can't you understand?"
"I'm sorry......"
"What, gonna report me to labor board later?"
"I'm sorry......"
"Post in the store chat? Want blacklisted? Where you gonna work after this? Dumb bitch who doesn't know her place?"
Now I got it.
He believed himself superior to us, drunk on that delusion, unable to think straight.
The Store Manager pulled out his phone, muttering about chats and such, hurling insults at Madness. Then, as if struck by a thought, he grinned nastily.
"Heh, wait, no. Yeah, pretty face means plenty of options."
"Go sell yourself next door in the red-light district. Bet you'd earn more. Want to? I'll buy."
I couldn't take any more.
"Enough."
"Brat interrupting adults..."
"Didn't I clearly say... enough?"
I tilted my head.
I'd spoken clearly enough to understand.
"Madness. Is the language I speak different from this scum's?"
"No."
"Then why can't he comprehend?"
I knew.
We were invaders.
We were the defeated.
And I was their sovereign.
So, I must endure whatever is done to me.
That was the path of a sovereign.
Thus, "I" was fine.
But.
Before being invader or defeated, as sovereign of a world, I could no longer tolerate my subordinate—my realm's being—being insulted.
And I had the power to punish this scum.
Without looking at Madness, I stared him down and opened my mouth.
"Madness, the insults you receive are aimed at me as well. Do you understand?"
"I'm sorry."
"Madness, listen well. From now on, unless you've truly done wrong, never apologize."
"Understood."
"What... what bullshit is this...?"
"I will now deliver fitting punishment upon you."
"What?"
"Rest assured, I have no intent to break this world's laws, so you won't die."
Instead, pain befitting the crime. Etched deep into your bones.
I burned a single drop of mana.