“Hahaha—! Scientist! Good morning!”
“Huh? Oh… good morning.”
The morning after handing the tonic to Galm, I showed up at the villain organization, only to be taken aback by Galm’s incredibly friendly greeting. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was even possible for a person to change so dramatically overnight.
Had he eaten something strange? Being a tiger beastman, maybe he nibbled on odd herbs that did this to him. As I looked at him with suspicion, Galm seemed to sense my gaze, paused for a moment, and then burst into a hearty laugh.
“Hah—! No need to be scared! I’m not here to pick a fight!”
“Oh, uh, right.”
“On the contrary, if anyone gives you trouble, just tell me! I’ll handle it for you.”
“Uh… thanks?”
“But, you know, Scientist, I have a favor to ask…”
What could be the reason behind Galm’s transformation from a moody business-type to Mr. Friendly? Was he asking to borrow money? Or maybe telling me to leave the organization because he couldn’t stand the sight of me? Nah, he was grinning too widely for that.
Surprisingly, none of my guesses were correct.
“About the potion you made yesterday. Could you whip up a few more?”
“…Huh? Oh, the tonic.”
“Tonic? How dare you call that a mere tonic…”
Galm looked at me as if I were some kind of genius. But I just tilted my head, not understanding what the big deal was. Despite my confusion, relief washed over me. At least he wasn’t asking to borrow money or looking for a guarantee; he just wanted me to make a few more tonics.
That was such an easy request to fulfill.
“If you think it’s useful, just tell the boss. I’m sure she’ll officially order its mass production…”
“Scientist, are you truly satisfied with that?”
“Satisfied? I wouldn’t say it’s a matter of satisfaction…”
I mean, I was just copying the components of some products from Earth and putting them together here. I wasn’t using my head to create it or pouring money into it, so talking about satisfaction seemed unnecessary.
Of course, ideally, I’d prefer if no one asked me for anything and just tossed money my way, but— since Regalia had recruited me as the organization’s scientist, I at least had to do the bare minimum. Even if that minimum was on par with an undergraduate student…
However, for some reason, Galm seemed to misinterpret my words. His expression shifted from red to purple, and he stood up cautiously.
“So, I just need to talk to the boss about this? Is that right?”
“Yeah. Making a few more for you isn’t really a tough task, but if you want a steady supply, it might be better…”
“Got it. Don’t worry. I’ll quickly take care of your situation.”
“Huh? What?”
Watching Galm leave with an ominous aura, I pondered whether I had made some kind of verbal blunder.
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. I spent a good while scratching my head, unable to understand why Galm seemed so angry.
On the top floor of the Evilus Corporation building.
A slight commotion was occurring in the office where the chairman worked.
“You can’t just barge in here…”
“Shut it—!”
BAM—!
Regalia, sensing this was just another typical day, calmly set down the fountain pen she was holding as Galm, the tiger beastman, stomped through the door.
“Hey—! Boss! I’ve got something to say!”
“…Galm. As much as you might want to see me, have you forgotten where we are? There are procedures for a reason.”
“I don’t have time for procedures.”
YAWN—
Scorning Regalia’s words, Galm plopped down on the couch like it was his personal throne, comfortably leaning back.
“Since you’re the boss, you already know why I’m here, right?”
“Ah… if you’re referring to yesterday’s news, yes, I heard. Has your peak strength returned? Congratulations. After pouring so many resources into it, you finally achieved it…”
“That’s all thanks to the potion made by the Scientist.”
“…What?”
Regalia blinked, as if she didn’t believe her ears. A moment later, her eyes widened again as she looked at Galm, as if searching for confirmation that he truly meant it. Galm shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, “Why would I lie?”
Of course, she had instructed Eight to create something useful for both Galm and Ayle. However, it was supposed to be something that was merely “helpful.”
“Did he really make a potion that restored Galm’s body to its peak condition? In just a week?”
WHAT—?!
Explaining how utterly absurd that was would be a challenge. Galm was not the kind of character who should belong to a villain organization.
Galm, the Beast King.
A former soldier, a legend who had achieved remarkable feats across countless wars. If he hadn’t been a beastman, it was said that he would have already earned a general’s position.
Nonetheless, due to racial discrimination against beastmen and some unfortunate incidents during operations, he had no choice but to retire. Normally, someone of his caliber would be stuck in prison, yet the magnitude of his achievements allowed him to still operate in society.
Despite using all the wealth and connections he had acquired during his military service, Galm had been unable to cure his body. This meant there was essentially nothing in this world that could heal him.
Does that even make sense?
As hard as it was to believe, Galm had no reason to lie to her, and the demonstration he had shown today was undeniable proof that he had regained his former strength.
Even if she tried to force herself to accept a truth that was incredibly hard to believe, it still felt impossible to swallow.
“I see… as expected, this is a talent I’ve discovered.”
“About that talent— he doesn’t seem particularly satisfied with his treatment.”
“What—? What’s wrong with my organization—? I think we have the best conditions in the industry!”
“For a scientist of his caliber, those conditions are just standard, aren’t they? How about it? He’s a genius who made a potion that restored me to peak condition in a week, right?”
“Ugh… that’s true, but…”
So, what on earth should she offer him? Regalia was deep in thought, racking her brain for ideas. At that moment, Galm grinned and relayed what he thought he had heard from the Scientist.
“He said it’s nothing. He’s not satisfied with only showing that much.”
“…Even after achieving such an accomplishment?”
“Yeah. And one more thing. He expressed his disappointment to you as well, Boss.”
“Hmm…?”
“Is it really that little of me? I can do more! I can do so much more, so trust me with something else! That’s what he said.”
He never said that.
Eight had never said such a thing, but to Galm, that was how it appeared. Thoughts that had never crossed Eight’s mind were vividly visible to the Beast King.
Galm had come to relay this to the Boss, both as a man and as a beast who owed much to the Scientist. Of course, this was not solely for Eight’s benefit, but also for the Boss’s. If Eight felt disappointed in Regalia and left for another organization, it would represent a significant loss.
“Alright. If you’re saying that much, Galm, then I suppose I should have a little more faith in Eight.”
“Exactly. First, we need to start distributing the potion he made to all our members. If they drink it before a battle, even our regular fighters should be able to hold their own against a fair number of C-rank or D-rank heroes.”
“…Is it that effective? I’d like to try it myself.”
Seeing Galm, who rarely praised anything, speak so positively about the potion, Regalia’s interest began to pique regarding the concoction that Eight had created.
WOW—!
If it really is that effective, maybe they could downgrade it and release it to the public? It could be a smash hit.
But for now, what was crucial was giving Eight more research tasks.
Imagining the horror he would feel at that thought, Regalia began to brainstorm what kind of requests she could assign him next.
“—Since it has come to this, the next task is to create something that will be helpful to Ayle!”
“…Huh?”
It had only been a week since I joined the villain organization.
Barely even a month had passed, and yet here came the second request.
I looked at Regalia with an expression that clearly said “I really don’t want to do this,” but Regalia seemed to find it amusing, grinning widely as she tilted her head.
So? You don’t want to do it? Want me to toss you out on the street?
That’s what it felt like she was saying. With tears welling in my eyes, I nodded my head.
“Y-yeah… understood.”
“Oh— by the way, regarding the potion you made? We’ve officially decided to distribute it within our organization.”
“Huh? What do you mean… ?”
“Yeah. We’re also asking for mass production, so I’ll leave that to you.”
“A-ah…”
The tears that had begun to pool in my eyes finally spilled over.
I sank into despair at the thought of the workload that awaited me.
The end of Chapter