Yamada , a 35-year-old single man, wants to build his ideal second home in the village of another world. A life that combines the best of both the other world and reality - Episode 12

“How much is it?”

“A fixed salary of 500,000 yen per month.”

…Huh?

“Uh, sorry… did you say 500,000 yen?”

“Yes. On top of that, there’s a performance bonus for defeating demons.”

Commission!?
Wait, hold on a second!

“Um… what happens if I don’t defeat any demons that month?”

“Unfortunately, it’s just 500,000 yen.”

Unfortunately!?
Does this guy even know what unfortunately means!?
That’s basically saying I get 500,000 yen for doing nothing!

“Uh, is that really okay?”

“Oh, well, there are what we call ‘mandatory assignments.’ If there’s some kind of emergency, or if you really aren’t doing any work, we’ll give you those. To tell you the truth, this brown envelope was actually such a warning.”

He said that, then took out the envelope that had been delivered to this house.

“Oh, I see…”

“Yes. Tadashi-san hasn’t achieved any results for the past year. That’s why.”

A brown envelope in this day and age…
Ah, right—Grandpa doesn’t even own a cellphone.

“So basically, I just need to defeat demons occasionally?”

“That’s right. Everyone has their own pace, after all.”

So if I just work casually, it’s 500,000 yen plus extra…

“That’s amazing.”

“We’re not done yet.”

“…Huh?”

What now?

“That 500,000 yen is the lowest rank.”

“Rank?”

“Yes. Your pay is evaluated based on the level and number of demons you’ve defeated.”

…In other words, promotion!

“Please, tell me more.”

My heart’s pounding!

“We have grades, from 9th class up to 1st class. If Yamada-san joins, you’ll start as a newcomer at 9th class. That’s the fixed salary of 500,000 yen.”

So 500,000 yen is the bare minimum.

“And if the grade goes up, so does the fixed salary?”

“That’s correct. 8th class is 800,000 yen.”

That’s a jump of 300,000 at once!?
That’s already higher than my current monthly salary!

“S-Seriously that much?”

“You shouldn’t be surprised at that level. 7th class is 1 million, 6th class is 2 million, 5th class is 3 million, 4th class is 5 million, 3rd class is 10 million, and 2nd class is 30 million.”

That pay scale is insane!
This is monthly, not yearly, right!?

“What about 1st class?”

At that question, he simply raised one finger.

“…One hundred million.”

Incredible…

“Um… why is it that high?”

“Because we are desperately short on personnel. This isn’t something you can study for or get into by graduating from a good university. It’s like a high school graduate becoming a pro baseball player and earning billions.”

I don’t know much about baseball, but I get that it’s a big deal.

“A-Amazing…”

“We’re still not done.”

Still!?
There’s more!?

“Uh… what else?”

“We haven’t discussed commission yet.”

Ah, commission…
Extra money for defeating demons…

“How much is it?”

“I can’t tell you an exact figure here. A surveyor determines the rank of the demon, and it depends on that. But… here, I’ll give you this.”

Kirigaya-san said this, placed a brown envelope on the desk, and pushed it toward me.

“W-What’s this?”

“This is the bounty for the demon you recently defeated. Whether or not you accept this offer, please accept the reward.”

He said that, so I took the envelope and peeked inside.

One, two, three…
There were ten 10,000 yen bills inside.

“Eh? This much?”

“That was a lowest-rank demon. So that’s the minimum bounty.”

The minimum is 100,000 yen…
For that weak little demon?

“What about others?”

“For example, recently I earned a 1 million yen bounty.”

“U-Um… what’s your rank, Kirigaya-san?”

“I’m 4th class.”

So this month, this guy earned 5 million fixed plus 1 million bounty—6 million total.
And that’s assuming he only took down one demon… which isn’t guaranteed.

“How about it? Interested in a high-class career change?”

The annual salary I sweated for as a mid-level manager… this guy makes it in a month.
Unbelievable.
Too unbelievable.
And I could—maybe not at that level—still drastically increase my pay.

“What about my grandfather?”

“He was 7th class.”

Huh?
The Great Mage himself?

“That’s all?”

“He didn’t work very enthusiastically. His ability seemed extraordinary, and I even told him he should work more, but he said he had other things to do.”

Ah… magic research.
But now I know where his mysterious money came from.
He made easy cash as an exorcist, then poured it into his research.
No wonder he could buy this house and have assets despite always being home.

“I see…”

“Today I just wanted to explain things. This is a life decision, so you should take your time. I’ve only told you the good parts so far.”

“Sorry, but I’d like to hear the bad parts too.”

I mean, I know I’m getting blinded by the money here.

“Alright, I’ll explain. It’s something you can probably guess—your opponents are demons. Not all demons are as weak as the one you fought before. If you make a wrong move, you die. And in this line of work, if you die, we can’t take responsibility.”

So that’s why the pay is so high…

“Right…”

“You have a young child. And your age, too. You should consider those before deciding. There’s no rush.”

Yeah… I need to think calmly.
This is the kind of decision you take home and discuss.

“Yes. I understand. Thank you.”

…Hm?

“Yes?”

“I’d like to do my best as an exorcist!”

Wait, what?

“You’ve… already decided?”

“Yes! No doubts whatsoever!”

Oi…
What’s wrong with me?

“V-Very well. Then I’ll proceed accordingly.”

“Thank you very much.”

My thoughts and my mouth are saying different things.
What’s happening to me?
Don’t tell me… is this a demon’s doing!?

“Meow…”

Hearing Miriam’s cry, I looked at her—she was staring at me with an incredibly sad expression.
Startled, I turned around, and saw Ruri peeking through the slightly opened door…
looking at me with the exact same incredibly sad expression.