How big is Neitmel’s headquarters, exactly?
Squire couldn’t say for sure. After all, she was just a low-level employee in the Executive Department, rarely having the chance to visit other divisions. All she knew was that it was a colossal space with over forty floors, each with varying ceiling heights. The entrance itself was set very deep underground—perhaps stretching down a thousand meters or more.
And the Supreme Commander’s office lay at the very bottom of this underground base.
Ordinarily, even the ministers didn’t have direct access, but because she was personally summoned, Squire’s employee card surprisingly allowed the elevator to descend to this deepest level.
The Supreme Commander, shrouded in terrifying legends, was coming to personally fire her. She wondered if it might actually be her getting canned—first sprinkled with salt and pepper, then cumin—just thinking about it made her scalp tingle.
For some reason, the deeper the elevator went, the dimmer the lighting became, and by the time it reached the lowest level of the headquarters, the light had taken on a faint reddish glow…
“Is this hell?”
The door opened, and a dim, blood-colored light spilled out along the corridor leading further in.
“Guh—”
Squire swallowed nervously inside the elevator. The sight gave her goosebumps. She glanced at the floor sign—boldly displayed above was the label: Supreme Commander’s Office.
Stepping out of the elevator, the familiar dizziness washed over her again. This was proof of entering the boss’s mental realm—or perhaps she had already stepped into a dream?
“Nyx, are you still there?”
【Nyx is with you.】
“So I’m still in the real world, right?”
【Uncertain. Dreams can be conceptual spaces. It’s possible for the body and carried items to enter a dream along with the mind.】
Nyx’s explanation left Squire fuzzy-headed. But when he turned to look back at the elevator, he found only a cold wall where it should have been.
Apart from the dim corridor and the unknown darkness ahead, there was nothing else.
Squinting to bolster her courage, Squire shouted, “The Supreme Commander has a twisted sense of humor, huh? Scaring people like this, what’s the fun?”
The only response was a hollow echo.
Though the headquarters stretched deep underground, each floor had a fixed area. If she just walked straight ahead, she should see the office.
But just as Squire took her first step, the corridor’s gravity suddenly shifted, and she plunged straight ahead… no, straight downward into the abyss.
“Waaah!”
She screamed uncontrollably. The familiar weightlessness stirred agony in her bladder, but the fall stopped abruptly, and Squire found herself sitting on a single leather sofa.
Genuine cowhide, radiating an upscale texture.
“Where is this…”
The spotlight above illuminated a small circle around her and the sofa. She couldn’t see the walls, but from the darkness came the sharp click of high heels tapping the floor.
A high-pitched female voice spoke from the shadows.
“Little Sister Squire, you know why I called you here, don’t you?”
Squire recognized the voice—it was the BOSS.
Elegant red hair in big waves, demonic horns atop her head, dressed in a tailored women’s suit, with bat wings folded behind her, she slowly emerged from the darkness.
“…Is this… to fire me?”
Squire spoke softly, praying that the news from Fran was false.
“Mm, that’s right.”
But the BOSS shattered Squire’s hopes.
“Starting today, you are to leave Neitmel Corporation.”
So she really was getting fired?
“…Can you tell me why? Is it because of the accident in the Modification Department?”
“The board wants someone to take responsibility. From my position, I must give them an explanation, so both you and Fran, who were at the center of the incident, must leave. That accident did indeed happen because of you two…”
Squire wanted to shout she was innocent, but only helplessness escaped her lips.
“I thought so…”
Everything was as Squire had suspected. Since this was a scapegoat resignation, the cross-department transfer she’d hoped for was impossible.
Reality’s heavy blow landed on her chest. Squire slumped her shoulders and sighed deeply.
She hadn’t even debuted as a manga artist yet, and now she was truly unemployed.
Since receiving Fran’s notice last night, she hadn’t dared ask further. Not knowing gave her a shred of hope. But now it seemed that hope never existed.
“I’ll go back to the Executive Department to pack my things and then head to Human Resources to process my resignation…”
“Wait, don’t rush.”
The BOSS crossed her arms and grinned wickedly, as if savoring Squire’s dejected expression.
She continued, “What I just said was only the official reason. There’s another purpose for making you resign; otherwise, why would I summon you here alone?”
“Huh?” Squire looked up.
That sounded like there was more to this.
Leaning on the sofa armrest, the BOSS reached out, lifted Squire’s chin, and inspected her closely. Squire shrank her neck, avoiding eye contact with the Supreme Commander.
“Hmm, you look pretty harmless. Saying you’re a magical girl shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Magical girl?”
Why mention a magical girl?
Squire didn’t understand what the BOSS meant.
“Listen carefully, Little Sister Squire. What I’m about to tell you is something you cannot share with anyone after you leave here—not even other Neitmel employees.”
Squire stiffened her face and nodded seriously.
“From today on, you are Neitmel’s fourteenth minister. The organization will assign you a mission—an ultra-secret mission.”
“Minister? But I was fired, wasn’t I?”
This sudden promotion left Squire baffled.
“Didn’t I just say? This is just a nominal dismissal. You will no longer belong to Neitmel Corporation. You’ll process your resignation and transfer to another company I designate, serving there as a minister.”
Squire cautiously asked, “Is it a subsidiary of Neitmel? Am I leaving Central City?”
Being a minister at a branch sounded better than a low-level employee at headquarters. Leaving this sorrowful city might be a good fresh start…
But the BOSS shook her head with a smile:
“No, no, no. It’s still in Central City. This place is Neitmel’s foundation. But you’ll be active in that company as a hero. It’d be best if you could build your reputation.”
“Huh? A hero? What’s going on?”
Going to the BOSS’s designated company as a magical girl?
“Dream Magic Hero Dispatch Company. You’ll be performing legitimate hero work there, under the identity of a magical girl… called Clara, remember?”
“Yeah, it’s Clara.”
That was the hero name Fran gave her. Apparently, Fran was already involved in some plan unknown to Squire, and had deliberately kept silent last night, making her anxious all night long.
Realizing she wasn’t truly being fired, Squire relaxed a bit.
“So, BOSS, what exactly is going on? What kind of minister am I going to be?”
“Undercover Department.”
The BOSS clapped her hands, and a plan document appeared out of nowhere.
“Minister Squire, I want you to get as close as possible to the power center of the Hero Association.”