This Isn't an E*otic Game?-Chapter 82: Department Operarium (departement Operarium)
“How do you feel about being in the capital?”
“It’s dizzying. I didn’t realize teleportation would be this headache-inducing.”
“Normally, people experience this sensation the first time they move through space. You’ll get used to it as you do it more.”
At the highest level of the Magic Tower in the capital.
The view of the city outside the reception room, where the headquarters of Karma ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Company was located, was enough to steal the soul of any labor theorist.
Jonathan Karma smiled as he watched the labor theorists, who were absentmindedly staring at the scenery outside, almost as though they were drinking tea.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
“The view is certainly impressive. Most people are quite shocked.”
“It is astonishing. The technology to build such tall buildings is remarkable.”
Kal Lenaro nodded along without hesitation.
At that, Jonathan smiled.
“I’m confident I can surprise you even more. Would you like to see?”
“I would like to see. What is it?”
“Follow me. I’ll give you a tour of the slums.”
Jonathan and his wife, Oliviera, left the Magic Tower with the labor theorists.
They began to walk through various districts of the slums together.
And the further the tour went, the more the labor theorists’ mouths dropped open in shock.
“Is this really the slums?”
Well-paved brick roads.
Neat and cleanly constructed residential areas.
Murals on the walls that seemed to have been made by artists.
“This used to be the slums. Until the Saintess appeared, this was the poorest area in the capital.”
“This place? Really?”
“Yes, it’s true. Come, let me show you how the workers in the capital live.”
Jonathan Karma led the labor theorists through businesses in the slums and showed them the workers there.
The sight was even more shocking for the labor theorists.
“They work from 9 AM to 6 PM. Lunch break is from 12 to 1 PM, for one hour. And there are separate night shifts, and they start work after dinner. The night shift workers receive slightly higher pay.”
“...How much do they earn?”
“30 Salreds a month. Night shift workers receive 45 Salreds. That’s why there are more people volunteering for the night shift.”
“...I never thought I’d say this, but with that kind of salary, can they even afford anything?”
“For the businesses entering the slums, I provide the essential elixir for factory operations at half price. Because of this, even though wages are increased, it doesn’t result in much of a loss.”
“Goodness. I never thought such companies existed...”
“Let’s take a look at another one. Oh! That’s a new tire factory. Would you like to see it?”
The tour of the slums was beyond shocking for the labor theorists.
There was not a single worker in the factories who looked unhappy.
Although they looked tired and worn out, the hope in the workers’ eyes was something that amazed the labor theorists more than anything.
“...Would it be alright for us to go around and observe on our own today? Mr. Karma?”
Since the scene was so unbelievable, the labor theorists finally started to feel suspicious.
They broke away from Jonathan Karma and started to travel around the capital themselves, observing the workers.
The conclusion they reached was that Jonathan Karma was not lying.
“Not just here, but most of the workers on the outskirts of the capital are in similar conditions.”
“Eight-hour workdays. One-hour lunch breaks. High wages. Employee training. I even saw women appointed as managers over the men because they were doing well at their jobs.”
“You put a woman over the men?”
“They said they wouldn’t consider whether they were male or female. They made the decision based on ability. In my lifetime... I’ve never seen capitalists do something like this.”
“Karma Company is helping workers get loans from banks. They’re pushing a policy where workers can buy homes with loans based on Karma Company’s guarantee. Also, Karma Company pays the interest on those loans.”
“The workers are building their own homes with their salaries.”
“Wages are rising, and now that they can secure housing with loans, the workers’ living standards have risen to an unimaginable level.”
“There is no child labor here. Instead, children go to schools built by Karma Company and the Imperial family. Well-trained teachers are teaching the children letters, math, science, and the basics of magic. There’s no tuition fee. It’s all free education.”
“They even provide free meals for the children.”
The labor theorists were left speechless.
Having heard all of this, Kal Lenaro could only give a bitter laugh.
“...I suppose we don’t need to do anything about the capital.”
“Most of what we asked for has already been accomplished. There wouldn’t be any problems even if we just made the labor law based on Karma Company’s operating policies as the basic rules.”
Kal Lenaro remained silent as he listened to the overwhelming testimonies.
“Didn’t you say that capitalists should do their work, and we should do ours?”
At that moment, Kal Lenaro truly understood the Saintess’ words.
“We’ve forgotten our compassion for the weak, and we’ve become the ones slaughtering the most workers, haven’t we?”
“Even if the revolution succeeded, I wonder if we could have raised the workers' standard of living to this level.”
“Probably not. They were too busy fighting the capitalists. How could they have improved living standards?”
Self-deprecating words were exchanged, but the expressions on the labor theorists’ faces were rather bright.
“We’ll do as the comrades say. We’ll draft the labor law based on how Karma Company runs its operations.”
“We’ll leave the work of benefiting the workers to the capitalists.”
“We’ll just tear apart those who stray from the principles. That’s what we do best.”
The task ahead became all the more clear.
They were hunting dogs.
They were happiest when they could tear apart capitalists who had gone astray.
And so, they planned to continue doing just that.
The very next day.
“Isn’t this enough?”
“There’s not much to change. We can just follow Karma Company’s operating method.”
Jonathan Karma and the labor theorists quickly finalized the provisions of the labor law without much difficulty.
From then on, nothing stood in their way.
The agreed-upon labor law provisions were submitted to the Senate, and the Senate quickly reviewed them, confirmed there were no issues, and passed them.
Of course, not everything the labor theorists had requested was passed exactly as they had asked.
“The new department name... the Ministry of Employment and Labor? Doesn’t it sound too bland?”
“It doesn’t have enough authority. It lacks authority.”
“The name will need to be changed by us.”
The department name for the Imperial administration where the labor theorists would work was newly assigned by the nobles.
The Imperial Labor Bureau.
“Department Operarium,” as they say.
And as soon as the passage of the labor law and the establishment of the new department was approved in the Senate, the Emperor immediately summoned Kal Lenaro.
“Kal Lenaro.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Punish the capitalists of Scrap Yard for their crimes according to the labor law. In principle, punishing past offenses with the revised law is prohibited, but I will make an exception this time under my authority. Ensure that such actions never happen again among the workers. Make an example of them.”
At the Emperor’s words, Kal Lenaro clenched his fists tightly.
His fists were clenched so tightly that they turned white from the pressure, and with eyes filled with both anger and joy, he looked up at the Emperor.
“I will obey, Your Majesty.”
It was the moment of revenge that the labor theorists had longed for.
The only difference was that it had become a legal act.
****
The protest of the workers gathered at the Iron Road and the Square didn’t show any signs of dwindling, even after Kal Lenaro and the labor theorist leaders had disappeared.
“Punish Mayor Biyass!!”
“Guarantee us humane treatment!!”
“Show us that law and justice still live in the Empire!! Punish the factory owners!! Punish them!!”
They shouted their unified slogans and gathered to sing together.
“Rise, oppressed people!”
“Rise, slaves of hunger!!”
“There is no great savior anywhere!!”
“There are no gods or emperors, no orators! Workers, save yourselves...”
“Comrade, is it alright to sing these lyrics? The Saintess and His Majesty are here...”
“Just skip that part and sing it!!”
They had to modify the lyrics slightly in the middle, but still,
The hundreds of thousands of workers in Scrap Yard gathered in the streets, singing and chanting slogans as they fought for their rights.
Karma Company fed and housed them well, and the Grace Order treated the sick among them with care.
Iomene, leading the Black Fortress, and the Temple of the Gods’ forces ensured that no violent incidents occurred and kept everything well-regulated.
And so, after a little more than a week of protests...
Finally...
The labor theorists who had gone to the capital returned.
“Comrade Kal Lenaro has returned!!”
All the workers gathered in the streets moved to see Kal Lenaro.
And when they saw Kal Lenaro and his labor theorists,
The workers all had to stop speaking.
The neat and dignified uniforms.
And the clear engraving of a pickaxe and hammer on them, along with the symbol of the Arkal Empire, marked them as a legitimate, Emperor-approved department.
It meant that they had become a legal government agency, authorized by the Emperor.
Anyone who saw the labor theorists, dressed in those uniforms, would be completely overwhelmed.
They made their way toward the central square.
The flashes of reporters' cameras went off from buildings in all directions.
“In the name of Department Operarium, could you please summon the factory owners here? His Majesty the Emperor has ordered their punishment.”
And in the central square, Princess Iomene, who had set up the investigation headquarters, silently handed over the factory owners to be interrogated, as Kal Lenaro had instructed.
Not long after, the factory owners of Scrap Yard were brought out, handcuffed, surrounded by the Black Fortress interrogators, Ketrautus, and elite paladins from other sects.
“You! You bastards!!”
“My daughter!! Bring back my dead daughter!! You bastards!!”
“Punish them!! Show us that justice is still alive!!”
Amid the roars of the workers, Kal Lenaro climbed onto a mineral transport forklift set up in the square.
One of the labor theorists carefully handed him a declaration, and Kal Lenaro unfolded it.
As Erfa, who had followed them to teleport, secretly cast an amplification spell behind him, Kal Lenaro began to read the declaration aloud.
“You are all guilty of violating the labor law passed by the great Theovilo von Arkal, His Majesty the Emperor, and the nobles of the Senate!! The charges are as follows!”
His booming voice was amplified by the mages stationed in various districts of the city and spread throughout all of Scrap Yard.
Because of this, the workers who had come out to protest could hear Kal Lenaro’s declaration clearly.
“Child labor!! Lack of responsibility for industrial accidents!! Excessively low wages!! Violation of the obligation to provide protective gear for miners and steelworkers!!”
One by one.
Dozens of charges were being read out in detail.
As they heard the charges, some workers began to sob.
“Illegal interrogations!! Torture and assault incitement and complicity without proper court authorization!! Forceful suppression of legal protests!! Threats of dismissal for workers!! Failure to pay wages and cremation of corpses from industrial accidents without returning them to the families to destroy evidence!! After investigation, you are guilty of a total of 54 charges!! We know!! This city knows, and every worker who has shed blood and sweat here knows!!”
Kal Lenaro looked at the factory owners, with Mayor Biyass at the forefront.
He was still laughing, as though he found the entire situation absurd.
He laughed incredulously.
Kal Lenaro returned the smile.
“This will be your last moment seeing the light of day. According to the labor law, you are all sentenced to life in a labor camp!!”
The workers’ roar erupted.
It was a deafening sound that could shake the entire Scrap Yard.
Standing on a nearby building rooftop, Iomene watched the entire scene unfold and saw Al Maday approach her.
“The workers’ response is too intense. Should we send the Ketrautus to control them?”
Iomene shook her head.
“No.”
She smiled.
“Don’t you understand why my father has made us punish them through Operarium, among all the organizations? He wants to give the Imperial citizens the belief that the Imperial family hasn’t abandoned them. We cannot ruin this moment, can we?”
