Jobless Rising! ~I’ve Become a NEET. I Acquired Lewd Skills and Lived a Life of Sex in the Other World and in Japan. Before I Knew it, I Was Impregnating A Harem of Ladies?!~

Chapter 50: The Otherworldly Meeting: There’s Always That Boss Who Storms In and Leaves a Mess…

As we left the mansion, a carriage was waiting. We climbed in and headed for the castle.

“Alright? I’m saying this again, but…”

“I got it, I got it. Keep my mouth shut, right? I don’t wanna screw up either, so I’ll just stand quietly behind you, Erinabel.”

“Good. After the meeting, I’ll give you some noble etiquette training at the Seventh Outpost.”

“Ugh…”

Well, Erinabel’s probably saying this for my sake. Plus, she’s my guarantor and employer in this world.

I’m still clueless about a lot of this world’s norms, so if she’s making time to teach me, I’d better take it.

With that light conversation, the carriage arrived at the castle. Following Erinabel, I finally stepped inside.

“Whoa…!”

The castle was messier than I expected. Tons of people, and the hallways were cluttered with stuff left lying around.

But Erinabel didn’t bat an eye, striding forward confidently. People we passed moved to the side, making way for her.

“Damn, everyone’s stepping aside for you.”

“Obviously. Come on, up the stairs to the meeting room.”

We climbed to the fourth floor. No magical elevator or anything…?

At the end of Erinabel’s path was a huge door guarded by two soldiers.

“Erinabel, we’ve been expecting you.”

“And this person is…?”

The soldier’s gaze shifted to me. Yeah, figures they’d check.

“My retainer.”

“Eh…!?”

“What?”

“N-Nothing! My apologies! Please, go ahead!”

The soldiers opened the massive door, and Erinabel and I entered.

“Oh? Erinabel-dono, arriving last is unusual for you.”

In the center of the room was a long, oval table surrounded by several people. Among them was the purple-haired, big-breasted Onee-san I met before.

Erinabel glanced at the man who spoke.

“So what? There’s no rule saying I can’t arrive last, is there?”

“True enough. By the way, who’s that man…?”

“My retainer.”

“……!”

At her introduction, several men turned to stare at me. …What!?

Not everyone reacted, though. Some didn’t flinch, others stole quick glances while pretending not to care. Reactions varied.

Ignoring them all, Erinabel took an empty seat. I stood slightly behind her, to the right.

“With the time upon us, let’s begin the meeting. The first agenda item…”

A fantasy otherworld meeting…! What kind of stuff do they talk about…!?

I was curious at first, but I got bored fast. Listening-only meetings are easy, but when it’s not interesting, I just wanna nap.

“Therefore…”

“However…”

“Where will the budget come from…?”

In short, they’re short on soldiers and debating where to get more. You can really see how messed up this country is…

Then the topic shifted.

“Next, regarding the rebels… specifically the Yugdovarn faction. Alkrom was recently confirmed to have infiltrated the capital, but their whereabouts remain unknown…”

Ugh, that guy still hasn’t been caught? Is he still lurking in the capital?

‘I recall a certain someone with special powers foresaw a grim future caused by Alkrom.’

Yeah, Erinabel mentioned that before. A prophecy that’s never been wrong, apparently.

“Capital security falls under Erinabel-dono and Amberta-dono’s jurisdiction. Any progress on apprehending Alkrom and the rebels?”

“…Alkrom hasn’t been found yet.”

“Yes, we plan to strengthen patrols further.”

“That’s troubling. If you don’t take them down soon, who knows when more imperial soldiers will fall… Especially with our troop shortages already a concern…”

A bearded old man spoke up arrogantly. Erinabel shot back immediately.

“Huh? Isn’t it the Knight Corps’ job to crush the rebels in the first place? If you’d wiped them out already, we wouldn’t be dealing with guerrilla attacks in the capital.”

“What…!? Are you shifting the blame to the Knight Corps…!?”

“Is that what you heard? I don’t care about blame. But it’s been a year since I smashed the gates of Lagrado Fortress. Why hasn’t the Knight Corps reclaimed the territories the rebels took?”

“Because! We lack the supplies and funds to…!”

It’s not quite tit-for-tat, but Erinabel doesn’t let anything slide. She’s the type who claps back hard.

From a boss’s perspective, she’s probably seen as someone who’d push back, so they avoid dumping annoying tasks on her.

Me? I was a yes-man, so I got stuck with all the grunt work.

“Capital security has actually improved since…”

“The rebels…”

“The Knight Corps…”

Ugh, this is dragging… Can it end already? That’s when it happened. The hallway got noisy, and the door burst open with a BAM.

“Yo! You guys are at it, huh! Good work, good work! Hahahahaha!”

…Who!?

A man in his mid-30s stumbled in, clearly drunk—red-faced, staggering, unkempt beard, and messy blonde hair. Zero sense of cleanliness.

Flanked by two scantily clad beauties, his arms around their shoulders. This is not the attitude for a meeting…!?

Who’s this spoiled noble brat…? But his identity hit me fast.

“His Majesty Aranx…!”

Huh…!? His Majesty!? So this drunk, salaryman-looking guy…!?

‘Ho? So this is the current emperor of the Kainzbern Empire. Quite the womanizer, it seems. I sense a favorable vibe.’

What kinda vibe!? The only time I hear “vibe” is in spiritual stuff or manga and games!

I get that the emperor might join a meeting, but drunk with two beauties in tow? What’s the deal!?

Everyone in the room seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“…It’s rare for you to attend a morning meeting…”

“Huh!? Yo, Zeppenbar! I ain’t here to… hic!… join the meeting or nothin’!”

“…Then, may I ask why…?”

“Woke up early for once! Hic! Just came to check if you lot are workin’ hard for me! Yup! Looks like you’re not slacking—good stuff! Gwahahahaha!”

Holy…! It’s like a CEO randomly swinging by to check on things…!

That’s such a pain. Employees have to deal with the sudden visit, can’t brush off the boss, work grinds to a halt, and anyone not used to talking to the higher-ups gets nervous and underperforms. Zero upsides.

Ugh… Flashbacks to the car dealership…

“So, Zeppenbar! My empire’s doin’ alright, yeah!?”

“Yes… We’re discussing matters as we speak.”

“Do your job! Don’t let Yugdovarn keep givin’ us trouble! Hic! Oh!? My knights Amberta and, uh…”

Zeppenbar whispered something to him.

“Right, right, Erinabel! Glad you two are lookin’ lively!”

He forgot!? The Twelve Radiant Generals are directly under the emperor, right!?

But Erinabel, used to this, bowed slightly alongside Amberta-Onee-san.

“With you two, the capital’s defense is solid! Well, Cerialis alone could handle it—don’t really need the rest of the Twelve, haha!”

The emperor blatantly stared at Amberta-Onee-san’s chest.

Can’t blame him! My eyes keep drifting there too! Half the guys in this room are sneaking glances!

Men are creatures drawn to big-breasted cleavage. There’s gotta be a black hole in there, sucking in male gazes only.