Chapter 54
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Chapter 54
"N-no, wait, Minister, what brings you here...?"
The first person to greet the Finance Minister at the Scroll Department Office was Anastasia.
Anastasia Kayen.
A passive civil servant in her ninth year of service.
The female team leader those Ministry of Education officials had mocked at the cafe earlier.
"W-we should have g-gone directly to you...."
One of the two team leader positions in the Scroll Department was meant for Victor Awin.
'He's on an extended business trip abroad, but he'll be back soon. I even sent an early return request this morning....'
The other position went to Anastasia Kayen. She was a reasonably safe choice in many respects.
Her only drawback was that she often secretly read romance novels with peculiar titles during work hours....
Even now, she hastily concealed a book titled "The Handsome Boss Hides His True Identity."
That was a problem that would resolve itself once I gave her more work.
"C-c-c-coffee? Would you like some?"
Still, as a team leader, she was doing her best.
She'd spoken up at the cafe earlier, and now she was dealing with the Finance Minister who'd suddenly appeared.
The Finance Minister asked as if bewildered.
"Coffee? Do I not have hands? Do I not have feet?"
Anastasia blinked and asked.
"Th-then, would you like c-coffee grounds and hot water?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Y-you said you h-have hands...."
There was a reason Anastasia kept going on about coffee.
Oson, who wasn't even on her team, sent her on coffee errands every day.
It was because her desk was close to the Break Room.
[Ah, I'm sleepy. Anastasia, one coffee!]
[M-me? M-m-me?]
[Are there two Anastasias here?]
[W-we took the same exam to get in, d-do the same work for the same salary, b-but I'm not even your team leader?]
Anastasia's own team leader, hearing that exchange, enthusiastically chimed in.
[My coffee too, Anastasia!]
A passing minister also called out.
[Mine too, Anastine!]
[M-my name isn't Anastine, it's Anastasia....]
[Ugh, too long. From now on I'll call you Coffee-sha. Got it? Hahahaha, Coffee-sha!]
And so Anastasia became responsible for coffee for both the team leader and the minister every day.
The Finance Minister, unaware of the situation, clicked his tongue in disdain.
"Do I look like someone who's going mad without coffee?"
"Th-then...."
Anastasia trembled as she spoke.
"N-no, we have green tea powder and h-hot water as well.... W-we always keep them ready."
"What exactly are you?"
"You've asked about my identity. Thank you for the inquiry. As of today, I am Anastasia Kayen, the newly appointed Team Leader of the Management Division."
Hm?
Anastasia Kayen had suddenly stopped stammering.
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Finance Minister waved his hand dismissively and spoke.
"Never mind that—where is the Scroll Department Minister?"
I had been observing his demeanor carefully from within the Minister's Office.
Kibon, who stood beside me reviewing documents, tilted his head and muttered.
"He's a minister himself, yet he doesn't know the minister is in the minister's office?"
"...."
"...Sir?"
The foreigner's problem was clear—his command of the Imperial tongue still seemed clumsy.
I shook my head and answered.
"No, Kibon. That means 'The minister should come out immediately.'"
"Sir?"
"There's no helping it. I'll interpret for you, so come along."
"...Are you saying you'll interpret the Imperial language, sir?"
"Yes."
Taking the bewildered Kibon with me, I stepped out of the Minister's Office.
The tall, middle-aged Finance Minister stood there triumphantly, holding a single document.
"Welcome, Finance Minister. Please, come in."
In terms of seniority, I ranked considerably below him.
The Finance Minister strode briskly into the Minister's Office.
I bowed respectfully and then sought his permission.
"I apologize, but this colleague is an intern. He's still learning the Imperial language, but he's eager to gain experience, so I'll provide interpretation for the more difficult parts. Since I'll be writing things down, there shouldn't be any inconvenience in our conversation. Would that be acceptable?"
"No problem."
I held a notepad against my palm so only Kibon could see it.
Kibon still wore a bewildered expression.
The Finance Minister spoke with a stern face.
"From your perspective, it would be better if the two of us could speak freely."
"Ah, yes."
I quickly wrote on the parchment so Kibon could understand the situation.
I'm about to grill you now.
Kibon's eyes widened.
I smiled faintly and replied.
"I'm perfectly fine with the intern being present."
"Well then, let's proceed that way."
The Finance Minister continued bluntly.
"Before I state my business, I must make one thing clear—I am, regrettably, a man of principle."
I don't like you.
"I reviewed the quarterly budget proposal you submitted earlier, and there are some issues."
Since this morning, I've been waiting with bated breath to catch your mistakes.
"It doesn't seem to be malicious—more like a fundamental error."
You shouldn't be a minister.
"You should know that budgets are sensitive matters. One mistake and you could be dismissed for embezzlement, which would also cost you your civil servant status."
I intimidated you earlier by calling myself a principlist, but if you step back quietly, I'll bury this matter.
"Still, the minister's dignity is at stake, so I came personally rather than sending a subordinate."
I intimidated you earlier by calling myself a principlist, but let's handle this quietly.
While I interpreted, Kibon's expression remained bewildered throughout.
It seemed to be a moment where he felt the inadequacy of his Imperial language.
"The mistake you made was...."
It was when the Finance Minister handed over a document.
I opened my mouth slowly.
"You're referring to the balance discrepancy on the second line of the implementation plan, correct?"
"...Uh, what?"
Precise. But seeing that you already know this, I'm anxious that the situation will reverse from here on.
After finishing my final interpretation, I set down my notepad. My Imperial language lesson ended here.
I spoke with a bright smile.
"I was actually waiting for you, Finance Minister."
* * *
[Don't worry, Mother. If things continue like this, rapid promotion is as good as guaranteed.]
Since joining, Huan Loapi spoke proudly at dinner every evening.
[The Finance Minister values competence far more than status or anything like that.]
[But you're the son of a baron's house.... There are many people from viscount families in the Treasury Department. You often see people from earl families too.]
Usually, Imperial Palace civil servants were lower nobility or commoners.
But occasionally, high-ranking nobles would arrive. So-called geniuses who valued honor.
[Our minister is Marquis Awin, you see. To the minister's eyes, barons and viscounts probably look the same.]
The Finance Minister was a typical example of such a person.
He was the heir to a marquis house, but beyond that, he wanted to serve the nation.
The Treasury Department was a core ministry that even the Imperial Family couldn't handle carelessly, and in civil servant society, the Finance Minister held clear superiority over other ministers.
'Of course. Because they handle the budget.'
Thus, a high-ranking noble bearing the title of Finance Minister possessed tremendous honor.
[He's already memorized my name, saying my reports are decent. That means I've caught his eye.]
Huan Loapi spoke with satisfaction.
The problem was that I had written all his reports.
Huan Loapi unconditionally brought Treasury Department documents home and entrusted them to me.
[He carefully observes who wrote the initial draft of the report. That's why even my Team Leader above me can't take credit for my achievements.]
Every time I heard those words, I felt conflicted.
It wasn't because Huan Loapi was so confidently claiming it as his own achievement.
Having things taken from me by Huan Loapi had become so routine since Academy days that it no longer stung.
It was simply that I wished our own department's minister could be like that.
'But...'
I gazed at the Finance Minister before me and smiled even more brightly.
'So the moment has finally come to use those past incidents like this!'
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