Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

The Dalfon Company is the best business company in the entire demon king’s kingdom and it is not self-proclaimed, everyone recognizes that as a fact too. However, this company was only founded 200 years ago.

It was during that time when farm products, including dungeon potatoes, were hit by a plague that spread through the world.

In order to survive the global food shortage, twenty-three companies of the demon king’s kingdom merged into one.

It was the Dalfon Company.

Since then, it became the main food producer and price adjuster of the demon king’s kingdom.

It seems like the demon king’s kingdom managed to overcome the famine caused by the plague of fairy wheat 20 years ago because of the Dalfon Company.

The Dalfon Company’s operations are decided by a board of 17 people who are called candidates.

Those 17 candidates are descendants or successors of the representatives of the previous companies before they united.

Well, some of them are still the original representatives of those companies.

Even though there were 23 companies that participated in the merger, there are only 17 candidates in total….maa, there are various reasons for that.

If I have time, I’ll tell you the details but it’s already too late.

-0-

It is one of the candidates of the Dalfon Company who gave me that invitation.

Ridley Baker Macker.

「I’m really sorry for that thing earlier.」

The plump auntie who looks around 40 years old apologizes to me.

But I seem to have heard something.

「That thing?」

She’s saying that she doesn’t have anything to do with most of what happened earlier.

That’s what she means to tell me.

Though I don’t know which part she is apologizing for. There were too many things that the Dalfon Company had done.

What had the Dalfon Company done?

1. They had a lich called Tony in the basement of a certain place in the royal capital.

2. They used tony to target me, Ur-nee, and Al-nii.

3. They tried to destroy Tony using adventurers.

4. They attacked us when we entered the building of the Dalfon Company.

5. When she saw me tied up, she burst into laughter.

Yeah, that last one is especially unforgivable.

You will have to apologize to me, thoroughly.

-0-

「Do you know our company? I’m only one of the candidates, not the representative.」

「I know.」

A candidate may participate in a board meeting and give an opinion but never the final say.

The only one who can do that is the person selected from the seventeen candidates which is basically their representative.

The term of office is five years.

It seems like there’s a rule that you can’t become the representative in succession and once you become a representative, you can’t become a representative again for the next 30 years.

「This time, I only invited you.」

「Are you?」

「Yes. The one who’s keeping that lich is Giling. The one who asked the lich to kidnap you was Maskund.  It was Raizen who hired adventurers to try to dispose of that lich. It was Lulusa who attacked you in this mansion. Those have nothing to do with me.」

「You were the one who laughed at me.」

「I’m sorry about that. I was just surprised seeing you tied up….kukkukkuk」

….doing it again.

「I’m really sorry. Etho…It really has nothing to do with me but I apologize because the one who did those are from the Dalfon Company which I’m a member of. And Giling was already caught. He’ll probably be going to stay in the castle tomorrow. As for Maskund, he was against the backstreet cleaning so I think it’s his way of harassing Count Chrome. 」

「Harassing?」

「Right. I think the reason he used the lich was to ensure the firepower of the team. But don’t worry, we got Maskund too.」

「Why try to dispose of the lich then?」

「The timing was completely wrong. Raizen doesn’t know about you. He thought that the lich will be a fatal wound to the Dalfon Company so he tried to crush it.」

「I see. What about Lulusa….?」

「Should be lying down there….areh?」

When we entered the building, we were immediately attacked by two dozens of armed men but were they cleaned up already?

That’s not it.

They are already standing and are in good spirits.

They are even laughing.

What’s so funny?

「Idiots! When you took your time, your luck has already run out! Our strongest force has arrived!」

Three shadows broke into the mansion.

「Fierce Tiger Demon King Army number 3, Ojess of the right.」

「Fierce Tiger Demon King Army number 4, Haifrigta of the center.」

「Fierce Tiger Demon King Army number 5, Kihatroy of the left desu.」

「Fuhahaha! Go! Defeat the intruders!」

….they are faces I knew.

「I’m sorry. We were only hired with money!」

「We didn’t even hear what we are going to do!」

「It’s all that guy’s fault!」

The three faces I knew betrayed Lulusa the same time they saw me.

That’s great but, is that okay?

You didn’t even hesitate to betray that guy.

No, if you guys are okay with it, I guess there’s no problem.

-0-

I left the three alone and had Gol-anii take care of Lulusa and his men.

「Lulusa is only trying to protect the Dalfon company, he’s not going to hurt you….Also, you received my invitation but you jumped over the fence to get in and it’s already night so they might have thought you’re attacking….」

「If I go in the front door with just the invitation, I guess you’re just going to drive me away, right?」

「It is certainly my fault for not indicating the time for our meet up….but there’s no way I’ll expect you to come immediately after receiving the invitation.」

「Then, let’s offset us jumping over the fence with that mistake of yours. Ridley-san, have you ever thought of becoming the representative of the Dalfon Company?」

「Eh? No, I haven’t but….」

「Is that so? The number of candidates will decrease because of what happened today and the representative will resign. You’ll do it, right? Or is he the sticky type?」

「I don’t think he’s that sticky but…..maa, this time, the representative is not involved in any of this, right?」

「Are you saying that all of these are the candidates’ will?」

「I think so.」

「Then, let’s say that the representative was pulling strings behind the scenes and drive him away. After that, Ridley-san can be the representative of the Dalfon Company and you’ll try to do things for me after.」

「Wait, no, please wait.」

「What’s wrong?」

「The current representative has always been excellent so….it will be hard to drive him away.」

「But this time, if someone doesn’t take responsibility, I think Uncle Demon King and Uncle Beezel will find you trouble.」

「But aren’t  Giling and Maskund the ones who should take responsibility?」

「Cutting off two candidates to protect the company, isn’t that a wonderful move? Don’t you think it is normal to exterminate as many evil candidates as you can?」

「Ugh….」

「If you really care about the company’s future, the representative must resign and a new leader must be born.」

「Y-you might be right but….the current representative is really top-notch. In addition, he has left the royal capital a few months ago so it is impossible to make him take the responsibility…」

「Why is the representative himself not in the royal capital?」

「In the last few years, the Goroun Company, which is based in Shashaato City, has gained momentum. Because of that, the food production and price adjustment in the kingdom that the Dalfon Company is responsible for has become unstable. He went there to ask for cooperation.」

「He went to Shashaato City?」

「Yeah」

「Is your request for cooperation going well? It looks like it doesn’t since it has been a long time since he went there, right?」

「Maa, it is similar to telling the Goroun Company to throw away any food-related profit they earn so it’s natural that it won’t go well.」

「This is something that involves the whole kingdom. Isn’t this the scene where Uncle Randan gets involved and not the representative of the Dalfon Company?」

「Ano….that Uncle Randan you’re talking about, is it Randan-sama of the four heavenly kings? According to the information I have, Tiselle-sama is close with the demon king-sama, Count Chrome, the magnificent Gol-sama, Sil-sama, and Bron-sama. Are you also close with Randan-sama?」

「That’s right. Ah, should I call him Randan-sama instead?」

「N-no. Please feel free to call him however you wish. Ehto….the production and price adjustment of the food of the whole kingdom is something that our company has been responsible for. We can’t ask Randan-sama to deal with it.」

「Is that so? I’ve only heard it now but since the whole kingdom’s welfare is involved so if Uncle Michael doesn’t agree, the kingdom will fall into crisis, is that right? If the biggest company and their greatest competitor told them that, he will surely resist. In this situation, I think it would be better to ask Uncle Randan to tell Uncle Michael about this matter.」

「Ano, just to confirm….who is Uncle Michael?」

「Uncle Michael is the president of the Goroun Company.」

「Are you close?」

「No, but my dad is.」

「Tiselle-sama’s father….I heard that he is the village chief of Village Five….so it’s true.」

「Yeah. And since Goroun Company is making money from Village Five, they are good friends.」

「The Dalfon Company got nothing from there though.」

「Ah, right. Village Five is near Shashaato City and when the Goroun Company has risen, you are no longer able to control the food production and price there.」

「That’s right. Shashaato City is also a key point and a gateway that connects the capital to the east of the kingdom so if we can’t control that place, it will affect the whole kingdom.」

「As expected, I think it will be easier for you to throw away your pride and ask for Uncle Randan to mediate.」

「….even if I want to, there’s no way I can make an appointment with Randan-sama unless I’m the representative.」

「Is that so?」

「Randan-sama is a busy man after all.」

「Okay, then let me tell you this, Uncle Randan will go to my house to eat tomorrow night.」

「Eh?」

「They’ll come to celebrate our admission. It was a little late though.」

「Ehto…..」

「Maa, maa, since the problem with the Goroun Company will be solved, how about it? Will you be able to be the next representative with that achievement?」

「E-even if I became the representative, without taking roots, I’ll only make company fall apart….please spare me.」

No.