Chapter 41
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Chapter 41
It was true. I really did excel at ancient languages.
After a moment of silence, the Minister of Justice was the first to speak.
"Hmm, Miss Namia Loapi. I'm aware that even at the Academy, only students with high grades can take advanced ancient language courses."
He was right. My Academy grades had been in the lower ranks, so I hadn't been able to take advanced ancient language courses when I was an upper-year student.
The Minister of Justice seemed to have assumed my grades based solely on my position in the Scroll Management Department.
He spoke firmly.
"You can't just get by memorizing a few phrases."
I bowed respectfully and continued speaking.
"Karti arha haoalum katena. I taught myself by reading books. Atina kaloba anatursa. I am not merely memorizing a few phrases."
"That doesn't make sense. Why would you self-study that?"
"Atanaka arin kayurom aratana. Ancient languages contain many words that form the foundation of scroll magic incantations."
The Tower Master let out an amused chuckle at my words.
He spoke with evident satisfaction.
"That's genuine fluency."
"Atana. Correct."
The Minister of Justice clicked his tongue in frustration.
Well, it was understandable to be at a loss for words.
A minister at merely twenty-three years old?
'By any measure—experience, precedent—it truly makes no sense.'
But...
There was no clause stating that a twenty-three-year-old could not become a minister.
All eyes turned toward the Minister of Justice. He rolled his eyes in apparent panic and exclaimed.
"A-and the way one walks must also be trained separately, like that of a high-ranking noble!"
I stood up abruptly and straightened my posture.
Then I walked gracefully around the room in perfect form. I hadn't paid attention to it normally, but when I did focus, it was manageable.
And I came to a halt in perfect posture amid the silence.
Crown Prince Kiaros murmured with a dazed expression.
"...I thought you were dragging your body around because you lacked energy."
"I was conserving my energy. I am honored to have cleared up this small misunderstanding."
Even so, I was the daughter of a baron who could attend noble etiquette classes.
I had learned all the basic refinements at the Academy. I simply hadn't bothered to maintain them—I hadn't actually forgotten them.
As I sat back down gracefully, the Minister of Justice cried out again.
"A-and! You must also be well-versed in the various clauses that change constantly. Especially personnel-related clauses, which change frequently—you must memorize exactly when and how they changed. You'll be managing subordinates, after all!"
I clasped my hands together and answered with utmost respect.
"Ah, you speak of personnel-related clauses."
And without pause, I poured forth a torrent of words.
"On February 11th of this year, Article 33, Section 9 was revised regarding civil servants' residences. On May 29th of this year, Article 4, Section 2 regarding disciplinary matters was amended."
"..."
"However, Article 56, Section 11 of the Imperial Palace Civil Service Law—which states that a ministerial position is appointed by the Imperial Family upon the recommendation of at least two department members including the appointee themselves—has never been changed since the nation's founding. For reference, Article 39, Section 12 of Magic Tower-related law states that members of the Magic Tower possess rights equivalent to those of Scroll Management Department personnel."
"...You, Miss Namia Loapi. Surely...."
The Minister of Justice opened his mouth in disbelief.
I added shyly.
"I agree with the Tower Master's opinion, and I also recommend myself."
So it was the Tower Master and me.
Two recommendations fulfilled the basic conditions for ministerial appointment.
The Tower Master excitedly swung his fist and shouted.
"Nice! I've definitely memorized all the personnel regulations, haven't I? Hehehehehehe!"
The Minister of Justice blinked in utter bewilderment. It seemed he needed time to accept this absurd situation.
And I looked shyly toward the Empress.
If this were an Imperial appointment, then my ally here would be....
"Miss Namia Loapi."
That's when Kiaros interjected.
"Do you perhaps wish to become a minister?"
Of course I did!
A minister could report directly to the Crown Prince.
And that wasn't all—I could also access classified documents from various departments.
'This means it'll be easier to give Kiaros hints about the original story!'
Even when trying to respond to the original story, being at the bottom meant there was nothing I could do.
So I'd kept joking to myself, saying things like "unless I became a minister" over and over.
And now it seemed that was actually happening.
'Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not because I, I have a desire for power, no, no!'
Besides, I couldn't become the Tower Master anyway! Unfortunately!
'Ah, no. What am I thinking so honestly about....'
I rolled my eyes and steadied my resolve.
'I, I need to prevent war! War! It's absolutely not because I want to become a minister! C, clear throat!'
Something pricked my conscience, but that was something I could ignore. Ignoring my inner voice was the easiest thing in the world.
I nodded with an innocent expression and answered.
"I wish to devote my entire body and soul to achieving this."
Then Kiaros opened his mouth solemnly.
"Then I...."
That's when it happened.
"Excellent!"
Before Kiaros could finish speaking, the Empress jumped to her feet and shouted.
"Namia Loapi, I appoint you as minister! Your Majesty, Your Highness, that's acceptable, isn't it? Yes? Yes? Yes?"
The final procedure—appointment by the Imperial Family.
Thus the Empress drove the nail home.
"This child's capabilities are more than sufficient! I can prove it! My long-held principle is that people should be treated according to their abilities!"
"Yesssssss! That's wonderful!"
Pushing aside Kiaros, who was about to say something, the Tower Master also jumped to his feet.
"That's exactly it!"
The Tower Master and the Empress reached out their hands simultaneously.
The moment I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking they were about to fight again.
"Bravo!"
The two of them clapped their hands together with a sharp, resounding high-five.
The sound was so loud that the Crown Prince's Aide in the back flinched in surprise.
"Namia Loapi as Minister! Ahahaha! Excellent, excellent! The Tower Master has come up with a splendid idea!"
"Thank you for the appointment, Your Majesty the Empress! My, what a wonderful rapport we have! Perfect timing!"
These were two people who had once torn the room apart while quarreling.
Yet now they chuckled together, their hands continuing to collide in celebration.
"She creates such innovative scrolls with remarkable skill! With continued collaboration with the Magic Tower, she'll become a brilliant mage!"
"I noticed earlier that she possesses excellent qualities as a civil servant! She'll become a truly outstanding talent for the Imperial Palace!"
These two, who had been belittling civil servants and mages respectively, swiftly changed their tune.
The Tower Master's eyes gleamed as he even brought up the previous minister.
"I guarantee she'll surpass that fool! He couldn't even create a single proper scroll! All he did was whine to the Magic Tower constantly!"
"Exactly, exactly! Didn't he have numerous family-related scandals? Namia's household is in such disarray that she couldn't possibly engage in corruption even if she tried!"
And throughout all this, the Emperor, who had been smiling quietly in silence, slowly rose to his feet.
"So be it."
The Emperor made no effort to hide his displeasure as he gently extracted the Empress's hand from the Tower Master's grasp.
Then he took the Empress's hand firmly in his own and spoke gently.
"We face a great conflict ahead. We cannot afford to quarrel among ourselves over trivial matters."
His tone was almost as if he were placating the Minister of Justice, who had been fiercely opposed.
"It would be best to conclude this by having both the Magic Tower and the Imperial Family each take a step back."
In other words, he was proposing to end the negotiation between these two organizations, which inevitably clashed.
"However, we cannot leave the Scroll Management Department, which endangered the Imperial Family, untouched. We shall dissolve the Scroll Management Department and reorganize it as the Scroll Department, appoint Namia Loapi as Minister, and incorporate the remaining staff under her authority. And."
It sounded like the same thing, but bureaucratic procedures still required such formalities.
The Emperor raised his eyebrows as he continued.
"Until we have tracked down and completely eradicated all those behind the plot against the Crown Prince and the Empress, the Scroll Department shall remain under Imperial jurisdiction."
In essence, he was saying he would remove our department from the Magic Tower's domain.
The Tower Master clicked his tongue once, clearly displeased. After all, this meant losing the Magic Tower's influence.
Yet he had to acknowledge that his own management had been lacking.
"Ahem, ahem, it's only temporary. Ahem, I shall cooperate on the condition that Namia Loapi assumes the ministerial position."
Good heavens.
I sat there feigning composure, but my eyes were spinning.
I was truly becoming a Minister.
'This is insane, absolutely insane. I'm becoming a Minister....'
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