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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“W-What are you doing?!”
Jericho, suspended in mid-air by Rue’s tentacles, looked at me with indignation.
I circled him silently, observing the surprisingly muscular physique of the delinquent.
He was quite well-built for a drunkard. There were signs of training. Though he still had a fondness for alcohol… Perhaps he neutralized the effects with holy magic?
“Put me down!”
“Did you drink again?”
“W-What does it matter?!”
Had he bathed in alcohol? The pungent smell made me pinch my nose. He looked like he had been marinating in a vat of liquor.
Was this really a Theology student?
“You were informed about the interview today.”
“Th-That’s why I’m here!”
“Look at the time. You’re ten minutes late. And you barge in here and say, ‘Am I still on time?’ There are things a person should say in this situation. If you weren’t a Theology student, I would have thrown you into a dungeon and made you crawl back here.
I still can, you know. Want to try me?”
I glared at him menacingly and rubbed my fingers against the blade of my mithril shovel.
“S-S-Sorry!”
My intimidation tactics seemed to be working. He finally quieted down and started looking at me nervously. I didn’t like that either.
“Glad you understand. Now, let’s begin the interview.”
Did this guy deserve to be treated with respect?
Or should I just bury him up to his neck?
“Name.”
“Jericho Wrangler!”
“Say that again. What?”
“Wrangler! D-Don’t you know? Everyone in this academy knows our family name…”
I didn’t.
What kind of name was Wrangler? I had never heard of it in the original story. I only remembered names from the original story, though even those were a bit fuzzy…
“I don’t.”
“…Hmph. Whatever. No one cares about a fallen family anyway.”
So he was going for the sob story approach. I adjusted the angle of my shovel, making the blade gleam under the light, and asked,
“Your family is ruined, yet you’re still attending the academy?”
“I paid the tuition in full before my family went bankrupt. Not that it matters now.”
His face was etched with pain. I was slightly intrigued by his story. It was an interview, I could ask, right?
But first, I needed to put him in his place. He was getting a bit too comfortable.
I held the shovel closer, gauging the distance between us.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to split your head open with this.”
“…Just do it.”
“What?”
“Ending this shitty life wouldn’t be so bad. Just… make it quick, please.”
Was he an alcoholic with bipolar disorder? His rapidly shifting emotions were giving me a headache.
He needed therapy, not a job.
Did this world even recognize mental illness?
Fantasy settings usually ignored such things.
“…You’re good at being annoying.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“So, is this your sob story? How your family fell apart and you became a delinquent?”
“Th-Think whatever you want…”
His gaze was fixed on the gleaming mithril shovel.
Was he that fascinated by it? I put the shovel away, leaned back in my chair, and pressed him further.
“Tell me. What happened?”
“You really don’t know?”
“I don’t.”
“That’s surprising… It was even in the Imperial Gazette.”
“I don’t know, so just tell me.”
“Do I… have to? You might regret hearing this.”
“Just tell me.”
“…My family was ruined because of their involvement with a cult. My father died of grief, our title was stripped, our assets were seized… My mother, who was involved, disappeared, and my younger sibling is somehow surviving on their own… and my future is ruined. No one would hire a priest whose family is associated with a cult.”
I see. I looked at him with indifference. A bitter smile twisted his lips. He was smiling, but it wasn’t a real smile. It was an understandable reaction.
But it was still just someone else’s story. I had no reason to sympathize.
I had my own baggage.
Want to try surviving for ten years on a deserted island with snakes, bears, and zombies?
“So you became a drunkard?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re still attending the academy?”
“What choice do I have? I have nowhere else to go. And I’ve already paid the tuition until graduation.”
It was a perfect situation for recruitment… I looked at Jericho’s dejected face and decided to test his abilities. He had a tragic backstory, but that didn’t change anything.
“Where’s your family?”
“I don’t know. My sibling works for a trading company. They’ll be fine.”
“And you’re just going to wallow in self-pity?”
His attitude was terrible.
“That’s why I came to this interview. Though I wasn’t exactly… eager.”
“…Who forced you to come?”
“…Professor Duran. He said, ‘At least try to live like a human being!’ Not that it’ll change anything.”
So someone still cared about this fallen noble.
“…Whatever. It’s a waste of time talking about this. Tell me what you can do.”
“You want me to… sell myself? You’re not going to hire me anyway.”
“I might, if you’re useful.”
“Hmph… I received training as the family heir. I even handled paperwork for my father for about a year before enrolling in the academy.”
So he had some practical experience, unlike the other candidates.
That was a significant advantage. But judging by his attitude, I would need to motivate him somehow… or perhaps use mind control.
“And?”
“My grades… well, you know. But I was in the top three during my first year. I gave up after that.”
[How much longer? This is tiring!]
“How would you describe your faith? Devout?”
“My family was destroyed. What faith?”
He had managed to stay in the academy until his final year. Judging by his attitude, I was surprised he hadn’t been expelled.
“If I hire you, will you work diligently?”
“What use would a loser like me be?”
“I’m assessing your… recyclability.”
“Just hire someone else. There are plenty of people more qualified than me.”
“Any recommendations?”
I pulled out the notepad with the list of candidates and handed it to him. This was my final question.
I was curious about his judgment.
Jericho, now standing on the floor with Rue’s tentacles slightly loosened, scanned the list and said,
“Kenneth is a no. He’s hot-headed and reckless. He’ll probably rip the documents while handling them.”
Hot-headed. I hadn’t noticed.
They were all so well-behaved in front of me. I listened to his assessment of the other candidates.
“Avril is diligent, but she’s a bit… slow. She’s meticulous, though, so she’ll improve with experience. Benny? Tsk… He and Avril don’t get along. They have similar skills, but I wouldn’t recommend hiring them both. Avril is more… agreeable. Though she’s a bit too devout… Ted… his parents work for a trading company, so he’s good with numbers. He’s a bit of a pushover, but he’s easygoing and competent. And his faith isn’t as… fanatical.”
“I see.”
“You’re looking for someone who’s not as… enthusiastic about their faith as the first-years, right?”
He had figured it out. Jericho seemed to have realized who was behind the screen.
The others hadn’t noticed, too intimidated by my presence. He was bolder than I thought. I liked that.
“Correct.”
He had grasped the key point. Most of the other candidates hadn’t.
His assessment of the candidates matched my observations in some aspects, but he also had insights I hadn’t noticed.
“Avril, Ted, and Alma are relatively less… devout… compared to the others on this list. The rest… they’re better than the first-years, but not by much. I recommend those three. Can I go now? I have a drinking engagement.”
His recommendations were identical to mine.
They weren’t exactly warrior material, but those types usually weren’t very bright, so I hadn’t considered them seriously.
One more question. I ignored his grumbling and asked,
“Last question. How do you compare to the three you’ve recommended?”
“I’m a loser, obviously.”
[That’s a lie.]
“Be honest. I hate liars.”
I met his gaze. His eyes were slightly unfocused. He was a mess, but with some… adjustments, he could be quite useful.
I discreetly tapped Rue.
Rue’s eye gleamed.
“…Well, experience is everything. I’m sure I can do a better job.”
“Alright. You can go.”
I released him from Rue’s grasp and dismissed him.
“I-I can really go?”
“Yes. Go, before I change my mind.”
He bolted out of the room like a startled rabbit. I could hear him running down the hallway. I turned to Karina and Renny, who were still behind the screen.
“What do you think?”
“He seems competent, but wouldn’t it be better to avoid him?”
“Hmm… he’s a bit too… free-spirited.”
“What if we… re-educate him?”
“We’ll have to see how he performs…”
So they were reserving judgment.
He was a promising candidate, aside from his attitude.
So this was it.
I pondered my decision.
I had said I would hire three or four people. I needed to choose from the remaining candidates. An idea came to mind.
Benchmarking.
“I have a good idea.”
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“Welcome, successful candidates. You’ll be working as apprentice employees for the next week. Any problematic behavior… well, you know what will happen.”
The four interns nodded vigorously.
“Yes, sir!”
I grinned, watching them nervously shift their gazes.
Time to put them to work.
“Now, I’ll explain the precautions. First…”
And thus, I acquired four temporary subordinates I could exploit without reservation.
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[Your Text Here]
A cult? Which one? Is that irrelevant, or will its name surface after some time? Why didn’t he push his buttons more? Like with the bait of revenge, for example. The cults will interfere anyway, so that wouldn’t be an empty promise.