Chapter 15

The day of my first job had arrived.

I was waiting in the first-floor lobby since I was supposed to meet Mill-senpai at 8 a.m.

"Huh? Why are you already here? There's still over an hour left..."

"Huh? Yeah, that's right."

"W-Wait, did you get the time wrong or something?"

"Huh? It’s from 8, right?"

"Y-Yes, that’s correct, but... then why—?"

"? Isn’t arriving an hour early common sense for working adults?"

"No, it’s not!? Since when is that common sense!?"

"Huh? At my last workplace, showing up two hours early was the norm..."

"What kind of workplace was that!? Wait, hold on! Don’t tell me you’ve been here since 6...?"

"? Yeah. I got here at 5:45."

"That’s early! Way too early! From now on, just come on time!"

Huh? That’s weird... I always thought arriving early and waiting for your superior was standard. I had a faint suspicion that two hours might be excessive, but even one hour seems too early. Maybe working at that company really warped my sense of time.

"...I’d heard rumors, but seriously, what kind of place did you work at before...?"

Lost in thought, I didn’t catch Mill-senpai’s muttering.

"First, our job is managing the estate. Since Karu handles cooking, our main tasks are cleaning, garden maintenance, and assisting Lord Albert with his duties. Finances, accounting, and bookkeeping fall under separate roles. Shifts rotate daily, so be mindful of that."

"Mhm, got it."

"Today, we’ll tend to the garden. Don’t worry—we won’t handle anything like the wicked roses, Evil Roses, just yet."

"What kind of plant is that? The ‘wicked rose’ or whatever?"

"Roses that trick people and eat them. They’re low-tier, but still a hassle if they tangle you up~."

"Whoa… So those are the man-eating plants Lord Albert mentioned?"

"There are plenty of man-eating plants, but these are the most troublesome."

"Yikes… Are we literally risking our lives at this job?"

"Lady Yuka is an Archdemon, though. She could crush them effortlessly. They probably wouldn’t even register as enemies."

Mill-senpai said it so casually. But crush them effortlessly? I’ve never even fought before. Am I strong… or weak?

"Today’s work involves plants common in the human world, so no need to stress."

"Thank goodness. What kind of plants, exactly?"

"Lily of the valley, aconite, red spider lilies, daffodils, autumn crocuses, and such."

"That’s a list of toxic plants."

"The worst is the manchineel tree."

"The most dangerous plant in the world."

Pretty sure it’s Guinness-certified or something, right?

"Their toxins don’t affect demons, so no worries."

"Demons are insane."

Seriously. Human logic clearly doesn’t apply to them.

"By the way, are there poisons that work on demons?"

"Hmm… One example, from the human world, would be… Clostridium botulinum, I think? Some microbe like that. Ingesting large amounts of its toxin might make you feel unwell."

"…Define large amounts."

"Let’s see… Around 200 grams?"

"Demons are freaking monsters."

※ Botulinum toxin is said to be lethal to over 10 million people per gram.