Chapter 5: The Dark Part-Time Job
Time flies, and it’s already been two months since I enrolled in the academy. Honestly, I barely made it in.
At this academy, every student is issued an emblem on their left shoulder. The order goes like this: gold for the top students, then silver, bronze, blue, and finally black. Yep, no doubt about it—mine’s black. But hey, I’m just glad I got in at all.
At least I won’t have to hear any nagging from Papin and Maman, and I can barely maintain my position as the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
[“So, you’re deliberately aiming for the lower ranks to explore the world from the bottom up, huh? Well, since I’m at the top, I’ll scout from above!”]
Kirs seemed to have seen right through my plan! Well, that’s what my face said, but in reality, I was barely scraping by—dead last in the entrance exams. Let’s keep that a secret, though. My high test scores were thanks to a mix of cheating and some natural smarts, plus my swordsmanship being slightly above average.
By the way, my little sister is apparently the top of her class. It’s kind of special, like Othello, with the siblings dominating the top and bottom.
—I’d probably get punched if I said something like that out loud, so I’ll keep it to myself.
Anyway, two months into academy life, I’ve been struggling with one thing: money.
I get an allowance from home, but I hardly use it. The reason? I’m saving up. Why? Simple.
It’s so I can live a slow life in another world after I quit being the leader. Maybe it’s the Japanese in me, but I feel like I need to build up my assets properly.
So, I’ve been saving all my pocket money. As for the Revolutionary Army, I avoid taking money as the leader. If my secret gets out, it won’t just end with me being killed—it’d be ethically sketchy too.
That’s why I’m earning my own money now!
And right now, I’ve got a big money-making opportunity in my sights.
[Daily Pay! 50,000 Gold!! A safe job anyone can do!]
Hehehe, I found this flyer posted in the royal capital. Since I’m a student now, I live in the dorms, which are located in the capital. I was looking for something interesting to do—partly for work, partly to kill time—when I stumbled across this flyer. It feels like fate.
Alright, let’s head over to this job right away. No time to waste.
As I walked in my school uniform, I passed a few other students.
“Hey, isn’t that the kid with zero magic power?”
“Hehe, what a loser.”
“Don’t say that! If you badmouth him, his sisters will come after you. His older sister is the student council president, you know.”
Hmm, seems like the “loser” label has stuck pretty well. Anyway, let’s put that aside and head to the job site.
The royal capital is huge, so I made sure not to get lost as I made my way to the job location. This is it—the place offering 50,000 gold a day.
“Um…”
“Huh?”
“I’d like to work here.”
“You’re a student from the Magic Knight Academy, right?”
“Yes.”
“Kukuku, my condolences… I mean, welcome! You’re the second student from the academy to come here.”
Wait, only two? Wow. Are the academy students really that clueless? There’s no better part-time job than this!
The job site is in a shady alley in the royal capital. There’s an old house there… and apparently, it goes underground? There’s a secret staircase leading down. I had no idea this place existed.
The man who greeted me looked a bit intimidating, but when he smiled, he seemed kind of cute. He seemed like a decent guy.
As I went underground, I found myself in a large basement.
“Kukuku, come on in.”
“Thanks! So, about the job…”
“Ah, just pour your magic into these gems.”
“…Huh?”
“What?”
“Um, I don’t have any magic.”
“What? You’re from the Magic Knight Academy, right?”
“Yes.”
“…Tch.”
Oops. Does that mean I won’t get paid? No magic, no money, I guess.
“Well, whatever. Just touch the gems for now.”
“Huh? I’ll still get paid for that?”
“Kukuku, yeah, it’s fine.”
What a nice guy! I’m sorry for thinking his goatee didn’t suit him at all!! He’s actually super dashing and cool!!
The room had some stone statues and a few people who seemed to be the employers. They were all wearing white coats. Hmm, there’s something red on their coats… but, well, this is another world, so I guess it’s nothing to worry about.
And there’s another student in uniform… Oh, it’s that girl Nadeko who’s jealous of Kirs.
“…Huh? You’re… that guy who’s okay at swordsmanship, right?”
“Zero-Lagler, from the same class. Nice to meet you, Nadeko.”
“You want to work here too?”
“Yes.”
“…Take my advice—run. Now.”
This girl… She’s trying to keep this job all to herself, huh? I thought so ever since she was jealous of Kirs—she’s a pretty greedy person.
“And forget everything you saw here…”
Hey, hey. She’s definitely trying to keep it to herself, isn’t she?! I won’t let that happen! She’s trying to hide this job from the other students and hog all the benefits for herself, the greedy little—!!!
I can’t stand people like her!
“No, I’m staying. I won’t let you have all the glory.”
“…You’re a good person. But, you know, your actions aren’t right. I’m sure you came here knowing what kind of place this is…”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
She’s saying my actions aren’t right, huh? What’s wrong with wanting to earn money efficiently?! This world doesn’t have something like a NISA savings plan, so I have to build my wealth myself.
“I’m not running away. Sorry, but I won’t let you hog this all to yourself.”
“…I see. Then, at least let’s keep this place a secret between us.”
“…It’s true that spreading word about this place wouldn’t be wise.”
This hidden gem of a job—if the other students find out, it’ll be a hassle. I won’t be able to earn my money. Right now, I’ve saved up 2 million gold through sheer determination. I want to grow that even more.
Specifically, I’m aiming for around 10 billion gold. It might be impossible, but… I can’t just stop here.
We’ll monopolize the money, just the two of us. Let the other students do regular part-time jobs and earn their pittance, while we take the lion’s share.
Hmm, not a bad proposal.
“Alright. This place is our secret.”
“Yeah, thanks… Uh, Zero, right?”
“Yeah, thanks for remembering my name. I feel like we’re going to be in this for the long haul. Your name’s Greedy Little Demon, right?”
“Nadeko.”
“Right.”
“You just… heard it. Why’d you get it wrong?”
“I slipped.”
“Then, I guess it’s fine.”
As we were whispering, the man at the entrance kicked a chair.
“Hey, what are you two whispering about?! Hurry up and touch the gems!! You brats!!”
“…He’s showing his true colors.”
“Yeah.”
Well, if you’re paying 50,000 gold and the workers are dawdling, you’d get mad too. Fair’s fair—it’s a high-paying job, after all.
“Alright, I’ll go first.”
The gem was glowing red. It was about the size of the alarm clock in my room. I touched it. Since I’m supposed to have no magic, I can’t activate my Dark Smile BGM.
Hmm, no reaction.
“Well, that’s how it is. Next, you do it, girl.”
Just this and I get 50,000 gold. Maybe I’ll treat myself to something nice tonight. I usually save, but it’s good to splurge once in a while to keep going. It’s like dieting.
Now, let’s see what happens with Nadeko. When she touched the gem, it started glowing red, enveloping her in a dazzling light.
“Looks like she’s the ‘Chosen One.’”
“Kukuku, I can’t believe we found her here.”
One by one, the men stood up and drew their swords. More people emerged from behind—four women and four more men.
“…Run, Zero. I’ll make a path for you.”
This isn’t some prank, is it? It doesn’t seem like one of those American shows where they involve unsuspecting people.
Those swords are real, and the magic they’re amping up is real too.
So this is… a dark part-time job, huh? I thought they were just being generous, but… a dark job?!
There are thirteen enemies in total. Hmm, this might be tough for her. I’m not sure how strong she really is. She might be good in real combat, but the numbers are against her.
If I use my magic, it’ll trigger the Dark Smile BGM. But if I beat them all up, it’ll feel off. If I leave it to her, she might die. So, what should I do…?
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
[Caw caw. Luu-luu, luu-lu-lu-luu~, aaaaaah!]
Before I knew it, crows had manifested in the cramped room. Everyone looked up. Seven crows were clinging to the ceiling like bats,
making mysterious cries as if calling something.
“May I touch that gem as well?”
““““Guh!!!””””
“…Huh?!”
Someone was leaning against the wall. The atmosphere in the room changed with that one sentence. Everyone’s attention was drawn to that spot.
A man in priestly robes. They knew who he was.
“The Proxy… You!”
The man muttered it. They knew of his existence. On the other hand, Nadeko knew nothing about him.
(Who…? I don’t know. But I can feel it—his magic power, density, output. He’s on a whole other level, even above the leader!)
The magic he exuded was beyond human.
“I can’t believe the Proxy found this place…!”
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
