Chapter 50
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Chapter 50
I released the hand I'd been holding with a slight smirk.
Then, with newfound composure, I spoke.
"Since we've met before, let's skip the introductions and get straight to work."
"Yes."
"...."
"Is something the matter?"
"Hmm."
I stared intently at Crown Prince Kiaros.
Then, with a faint sigh and a respectful tone, I spoke.
"Normally... in situations like this, a superior should tell their subordinate to speak casually first. But since you're a foreigner and probably don't know our customs, I'll tell you. Is it alright if I speak casually with you? You're quite young too."
Ah, now that I thought about it, that was true.
Superiors typically spoke casually with their secretaries.
'I deliberately set Kibon's age to twenty-two. He must have checked the personnel record card.'
Since he was an Intern, I'd intentionally set his age younger.
I'd carelessly scribbled down a random birthday.
The fact that he was from the Imoet Kingdom was because that kingdom had the least diplomatic exchange with the Empire.
Since I'd essentially created a non-existent person, I needed to minimize any potential problems.
'And since it's my mother's homeland, it's not even entirely a lie.'
Half the blood flowing through his veins was from the Imoet Kingdom, after all.
Of course, I'd only visited the Imoet Kingdom once in my life....
Regardless, I needed to grow accustomed to Kibon's identity now.
"Yes."
When Crown Prince Kiaros nodded, I let out a slight laugh.
"Good. Let's start simple then—how about we review some old documents together?"
Review work—it was light enough for a first task.
Seeing Crown Prince Kiaros's confident expression, I spoke somewhat hesitantly.
"Don't forget your oath. You said with your own mouth that you'd never quit. I'll be doing a second review anyway...."
His eyelashes trembled slightly with anxiety, which somehow felt endearing.
It seemed he was worried because there were so many documents.
"Yes."
But Crown Prince Kiaros was truly fine.
In fact, these were documents he'd already reviewed once.
Hadn't I fired all the Scroll Management Department staff based on his review results?
'Getting so flustered over just reviewing some documents. And he even said he'd do a second review himself....'
Namia Loapi seemed far too kind to be in a supervisory role.
I reassured her by speaking again.
"You mentioned this is your first time having a subordinate."
"...Yes."
"When dealing with me, you only need to remember one thing. If you give an order, I will follow it unconditionally. So stop overthinking and just give me your instructions."
"R-really? I mean it—I'm going to give you orders, so you absolutely cannot stop."
Crown Prince Kiaros answered without any change in expression.
"Yes. No matter what happens, I will not stop."
And less than two hours later.
'I want to quit.'
Crown Prince Kiaros breathed heavily, trembling.
'That woman....'
Namia Loapi's smile no longer seemed beautiful to me.
'...Is she a demon?'
* * *
The morning of Namia Loapi's first day as Minister.
Several ministers had gathered informally. All of them wore angry expressions.
"This is absurd. A twenty-three-year-old as Minister?"
"No matter how dysfunctional a department is, having someone like that at the same rank as us feels wrong, doesn't it? Are we really supposed to see such a child in ministerial meetings?"
They were dissatisfied with Namia Loapi's ministerial appointment.
Opinions were divided among the ministers.
One group of ministers accepted it gently, reasoning that the Tower Master must have had his reasons for placing her in the position.
Another group of ministers remained indifferent, saying it didn't concern them as long as it wasn't their department.
And....
"Well, I happened to see Namia's personnel record card, and both her Academy grades and entrance exam scores were terrible. For someone like that to become a Minister is a historical disgrace."
"Even the lower-ranking staff under us will start looking down on us. Won't they?"
A group that absolutely could not accept Namia Loapi becoming a Minister.
They were secretly gathered in a meeting.
"We need to drive her out."
In the center sat a middle-aged man whose eyes gleamed with gravity.
He spoke in a low voice.
"Remember how dissatisfied we all were when the previous Minister of Scroll Management was incompetent? And now a mere underling from that department becomes Minister? Need I say more?"
It was the Finance Minister, known to have the most influence among all the ministers.
Historically, the Finance Minister had naturally assumed the role of leader among the other ministers.
"If she were competent despite her youth, I could acknowledge her."
The Finance Minister spoke with a serious expression.
"But that doesn't seem to be the case. Since we've barely managed to extract the Scroll Management Department from the Magic Tower's control and place it under the Imperial Family, we cannot allow it to remain as dysfunctional as before. We might as well have abolished it entirely."
"Do you personally know Namia Loapi, Finance Minister?"
One of the ministers asked carefully.
The Finance Minister was naturally speaking under the premise that 'Namia Loapi is incompetent.'
"According to the Minister of Justice, it seems Namia is quite sharp."
The Minister of Justice was not present at this gathering.
He had been present when the Tower Master asked for Namia to be appointed as Minister.
But he had only said, 'I was opposed at first, but... she seems formidable,' and then turned toward the indifferent ministers.
The Finance Minister shook his head and spoke.
"In our department, doesn't that Namia Loapi have a twin brother? Huan Loapi."
"Oh, is that so? Do you know him?"
"He's always a day late with deadlines, but his work is excellent. The quality of his output is outstanding, so I promoted him quickly. I've been keeping an eye on him."
In a large department like the Finance Ministry, a minister typically wouldn't know the names of fourth-year employees.
In other words, it meant Huan Loapi's abilities were exceptional enough to have reached the minister's attention.
The Finance Minister harbored no prejudice regarding age or gender. Therefore, he had no qualms about acknowledging the abilities of even a fourth-year employee.
"Even if he were my peer, if Huan were to become a minister, I'd accept it. He's somewhat clumsy during work, but ultimately he produces unparalleled results. Whenever I've approved his requests to access higher-level documents, he's always brought back results worthy of that access. But that younger sister of his..."
The Finance Minister stroked his chin and muttered with clear disapproval.
"Huan has always been saying his younger sister was foolish since the day she was born."
"Ah."
"They were on the same team during the entrance examination. Huan helped her considerably, and apparently she barely passed the entrance exam."
At this, one of the other ministers asked in surprise.
"Wait, Minister. You know the personal circumstances of a fourth-year employee? That's impressive. How many employees does the Finance Ministry have..."
"I don't know the details either. There's a significant rank difference, so I haven't had many conversations with him. But I overheard some talk at a company dinner."
The Finance Minister shrugged as he spoke.
"He said his younger sister wasn't really someone who should be here in the first place, and that he'd helped her a lot since their school days. And now she's a minister? It doesn't make sense."
He declared this with blazing eyes.
"If the Tower Master threw a tantrum, then her magical abilities must be at least competent."
By nature, the Finance Minister rarely involved himself in such matters.
Unusually for a civil servant, he held the rank of marquis. He was a man confident in both his abilities and his background.
"But regardless of her magical abilities, this is the Imperial Palace."
However, he viewed this situation as a power struggle between civil servants and the Magic Tower. That's why he decided to step in.
If the Emperor had appointed her because he couldn't resist the Tower Master's outburst, then couldn't he simply find fault and impose disciplinary measures?
"Just wait and see."
He had long been dissatisfied with the Scroll Management Department.
He simply couldn't touch it because it was under dual jurisdiction with the Magic Tower.
But now the Scroll Department belonged to the Imperial Family. Now he could touch it.
"The basic duty of a minister is drafting budgets. Does the Scroll Department have anyone who knows how to properly draft a budget? The previous minister's work was a complete mess."
The Finance Minister tilted his chin up and spoke coldly.
"By the end of today, I'll have her resign of her own volition."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org