“Uhhahaha! Scientist! Good morning!”

“Uh? Yes… Good morning.”

The day after I handed over the energy drink to Galm, I was startled by how friendly he was being. It was such a sudden change that I wondered if people could really change that dramatically.

Did he eat something strange? Being a tiger beastman, maybe he ate some wild greens that made him like this. As I squinted at him with suspicion, Galm paused as if he felt my gaze and let out a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha! No need to be scared! I didn’t come here to pick a fight!”

“Ah, yes. I figured as much.”

“If anyone tries to pick a fight with you, just let me know! I’ll take care of it!”

“Thank you…?”

“But you see, Scientist, I have a favor to ask…”

Ah, there it is. I realized why Galm was being so friendly. People don’t just change overnight; he must want something from me.

Why had this once business-like Galm suddenly turned so friendly? Was he going to ask to borrow some money? Or maybe he was going to tell me to leave the organization because he found me unpleasant? No, with the smile on his face, that seemed unlikely.

Surprisingly, what Galm wanted wasn’t either of those.

“I’d like a few more of the potions you made yesterday.”

“…Huh? Oh, you mean the energy drink.”

“Energy drink? Calling it just an energy drink is an understatement…”

Galm looked at me with astonishment, as if I were missing the point. I tilted my head in confusion, but despite my puzzlement, I felt relieved. He wasn’t asking to borrow money or for any ridiculous guarantees; he just wanted me to make more energy drinks.

That was an incredibly easy favor.

“If you think it’s useful, you can just tell the boss officially. Then the boss will give the order for production…”

“Scientist. Is that all you’re satisfied with?”

“Satisfied? It’s not really a matter of satisfaction at this point…”

After all, I was just replicating the products from Earth using the same ingredients. I hadn’t been stressed out over creating that potion, nor had I poured any money into it, so there wasn’t really any point in saying whether I was satisfied or not.

Of course, in my perfect world, I’d prefer to do nothing and just get paid, but since Regalia had scouted me as the organization’s scientist, I had to at least carry out the minimum tasks required. Even if that level of work was where an undergraduate would be at…

But Galm seemed to misunderstand my words. His face shifted through various shades of red before he cautiously stood up.

“I see. So I just need to talk to the boss, right?”

“Yes. Making a few more isn’t difficult, but if you want a steady supply…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll fix your treatment soon.”

“Uh? Huh?”

As I watched Galm leave, exuding a menacing energy while saying things I didn’t understand, I wondered if I had made some sort of mistake.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall doing anything awkward. It left me scratching my head, trying to figure out why Galm was so angry.

*

On the top floor of the Evil Corporation’s building.

A bit of a commotion was happening in the chairman’s office.

“Don’t just barge in—”

“Shut up—!”

Bang!

Regalia immediately recognized the fierce tiger beastman who burst through the door and set down the pen she had been holding, because this was a routine occurrence.

“Hey! Boss! I have something to discuss!”

“…Galm. Even if you’re eager to see me, you do remember where we are, right? There are procedures in place here.”

“I don’t have time to waste on procedures.”

Sneering at Regalia’s words, Galm casually sank into a couch, leaning back and opening his mouth in a relaxed manner.

“As the boss, you probably already know why I’m here, right?”

“Uh… Did you hear about the news from yesterday? Have you regained your strength of your prime? Congratulations. After pouring so many resources into it, you actually made it…”

“That was thanks to that potion the scientist made.”

“…What?”

Regalia blinked as if she couldn’t believe her ears. After staring at him again, she looked at Galm as if searching for the truth in his words. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say there was no reason for him to lie.

Sure, it was true that she had instructed Eight to make something helpful for Galm or Aile. However, that ‘helpful’ thing was supposed to be on a much lower level.

‘He made a potion that returned Galm’s body to its prime? In just one week?’

It was preposterous beyond words. Galm wasn’t a man who belonged to an evil organization like this.

Galm, the Beastman King.

A former soldier with legendary status who had achieved distinction in various wars. They even said that if he weren’t part of the beastman race, he would have been sitting in the seat of a rival.

However, he had been forced into early retirement due to discrimination against his race and a few incidents during operations. Even though he should have been in prison, he was still active in society thanks to his spectacular achievements.

Even he couldn’t heal his body with every resource and connection he had during his military days. This meant his body was irreparably damaged, regardless of what was available in the world.

‘Could that possibly make sense?’

She couldn’t easily believe it, but Galm had no reason to lie, and what she had seen the previous day was clear evidence that he had indeed regained his prime strength.

Of course, even if he tried to force her to believe it, it would be an utterly unbelievable occurrence.

“Well… I see. We really do have a skilled one, don’t we?”

“That skilled one? Seems like he’s not too pleased with how he’s being treated.”

“What? What’s wrong with my organization? I thought we offered the best benefits in the industry!”

“For a scientist like him, that level of benefit is basic. Am I wrong? He’s supposed to be a genius who made a potion that brought me back to my prime in just a week?”

“Ugh… That’s true, but…”

Then what should be done? While Regalia was deep in thought, Galm grinned and relayed something he had heard from Eight.

“He said this isn’t enough. He won’t be satisfied with just this showing.”

“…Even after achieving such results?”

“Yeah. Also, he expressed some disappointment towards you as the boss.”

“Hmm…?”

“Are you going to be satisfied with just this level? I can do more! Anything you want, I can do it! That’s what he said.”

I never said anything like that.

I didn’t say that at all, but that was clearly how Galm saw me. The thoughts I never verbalized were clearly seen through by the Beastman King.

Galm was here, as a man, to convey this to the boss, out of gratitude towards the beastman who had saved him. Of course, it wasn’t just for my sake; it was for the boss, too. If I felt disappointed in the boss and left for another organization, it would be a huge loss for everyone.

“—Alright. If you’re saying that much, I guess I have to start believing in Eight a little more.”

“Yeah, that. We should begin by distributing the potion he made to all the members. If they drink it before a battle, even the regular combatants should be able to take on a C or D-rank hero.”

“…Is that really so? I’d like to try it myself.”

It was surprising to see Galm, who rarely praised anything, show such interest in the potion Eight had made.

If it really has that much effect, couldn’t it be downgraded for civilian use?

Regalia was not only the head of an evil organization; she was also the chairperson of a global corporation ruling the world. She had no intention of letting a good product go to waste.

‘Well, I suppose the important thing now is to give Eight more research opportunities.’

If Eight heard that, she would freak out, and Regalia began to think of the assignments she could give her.

*

“—So, now you’re going to make something helpful for Aile!”

“…Huh?”

It hadn’t even been a week since I joined the villain organization, and already a second request was coming my way.

I looked at Regalia with a pained expression, as if I really didn’t want to do this, but Regalia was grinning as if she found something amusing.

—So? You don’t want to? You want to be booted out on the streets?

It felt like she was saying that. I nodded, teary-eyed.

“Y-Yes… understood.”

“Ah— that’s right. The potion you made, we’ve decided to distribute it officially within our organization.”

“Really? You mean…?”

“Yeah. Please work on mass production as well. That’s it for now.”

“Ah, uh—.”

The tears I had been holding back finally burst forth.

I fell into despair at the thought of the overwork that was about to come my way.