Chapter 55
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Chapter 55
The Finance Minister was indeed seasoned. His expression grew guarded, as though sensing something amiss.
I, who had been watching in silence with sharp eyes, spoke in one breath.
"It seems you're suggesting I miscalculated the balance, but I've actually been troubled by some irregularities in the Ministry of Finance's documents. Here, in this section, the magical circle usage fee is calculated at 0.035%, but in fact, we lowered the fee to 0.032% five years ago. Since it was announced through the Scroll Management Department, the Ministry of Finance had no viewing authority. In principle, the Ministry should verify with us once a year, but over the past 159 years, since there were no fee changes, it appears they never inquired."
"Uh, what?"
At my response, the Finance Minister's complexion changed instantly.
After quickly regaining his composure, he asked with widened eyes.
"But if a fee that hasn't changed for 159 years suddenly does change, shouldn't you have informed us? Isn't that common sense?"
"Of course that would be common sense, but in principle, the verification itself is the Ministry's responsibility. As a principled Finance Minister, surely you understand?"
Of course, this wasn't the Finance Minister's fault.
A minister couldn't possibly verify such minute details.
"Fine. But."
The Finance Minister stared intently at the documents for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.
"I understand the Scroll Department Minister's point. But if the fee was lowered to 0.032% five years ago, why did the Ministry of Finance's balance always match perfectly?"
It seemed he had set aside his original intention to force my resignation.
The Ministry's affairs naturally took priority.
I smiled faintly and spoke.
"The missing 0.003% fee for four years... someone must have been embezzling it. That's why the balance matched perfectly."
The Finance Minister's face turned completely pale.
'Done.'
I grinned and shrugged my shoulders.
'The Loapi Marquessate is finished now.'
The problematic 0.003% fee.
It was a small amount for the department as a whole. But for an individual, it was substantial, and accumulated over four years, it became quite considerable.
I discovered this fact while reviewing Huan Loapi's documents.
[Huan? About the magical circle usage fee—who's responsible for asking our department about it?]
[Me. I'm the one who goes to the Magic Tower and pays the fees.]
[The Magic Tower lowered the fee starting last year. Fix this. The calculations should have been off since last year, right?]
[Ah, so that's why the Magic Tower refunded gold coins last year? What do I do? I just thought they made a calculation error and took it for myself.]
[...What? Are you insane?]
I nearly jumped out of my seat, and Huan Loapi blinked and spoke.
[Perfect timing. Just for a few years—I should keep this. I can just say the fee was lowered right before the person in charge changed.]
[Are you in your right mind? Embezzlement is grounds for disciplinary action.]
[Who knows the Magic Tower lowered the fee? Your department people don't do their jobs anyway. They won't even care, will they? The Magic Tower people never show their faces to the world. I'm just exploiting a loophole in the system.]
[This is ridiculous. If I didn't know, that'd be one thing, but knowing and still—]
[If I get disciplined, they'll think you ratted me out, Namia Loapi.]
Huan Loapi spoke with a swagger.
[Then you'll never find out where your father is.]
[Hey, you....]
[Don't pretend to be clean. You already committed fraud on the exam.]
[What are you talking about?]
[I did all your assignments. That's all academic fraud is, isn't it? You're exploiting the system's loopholes for your father too, aren't you?]
In the end, I had no choice but to hold my tongue.
But I hadn't forgotten.
'It was worth remembering!'
The Finance Minister wasn't a fool—he couldn't possibly fail to deduce what Huan Loapi had done as the person in charge.
"Minister."
I spoke to the Finance Minister.
"Aren't you curious how I came to know such an extraordinary fact?"
"...."
"Ask Huan Loapi about the reports he's submitted up until now."
Of course, he wouldn't be able to answer a single question.
Then he'd understand whose mind those reports came from.
To be honest, I wasn't entirely blameless either.
I hadn't actually intended to claim that achievement as my own.
But....
'I'm not blameless in my own eyes, but if I can take it, I should.'
I glanced around at the department members trembling outside the Minister's Office.
'How many mouths depend on me.'
Nine employees remained in the Scroll Department. No, ten including the Intern.
I couldn't let them continue living in disgrace.
And there was another reason.
'If Huan Loapi is fired, the Loapi Marquessate is finished.'
Baron Loapi was already drowning in debt. He was using his son, a civil servant, to patch debt with more debt.
And if Huan Loapi were fired?
'The creditors would swarm in demanding full repayment.'
Moreover, Huan Loapi now had to pay three times the embezzled amount into the national treasury according to regulations.
'Then they'd have to sell the house.'
As far as I knew, that house was all they owned.
The house my father had bought for them.
'Now they'd just be beggars, essentially.'
The Finance Minister cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Oh, by the way."
I bowed respectfully and spoke.
"According to regulations, only the person who leaked internal department documents is subject to disciplinary action. You're aware of that, I'm sure...."
Even if I wrote the reports for him, I'm not subject to discipline.
The Finance Minister stared at me for a moment with wavering eyes.
Then....
"Let's, let's talk about this later. I should go check on things first."
He bowed hastily and rushed out.
'Ah.'
I watched his retreating figure and thought to myself.
'Being a minister is wonderful....'
Now that I've become a minister, I can speak directly to the Finance Minister like this.
If I were still a lowly clerk like before, this situation would have been unthinkable.
'This is insane.... It's so good.'
Moreover, the ability to submit budget proposals like this—isn't that the minister's prerogative?
Without being a minister, I couldn't even point out issues using documents like this.
If I'd merely mentioned it to some low-ranking Treasury Department official, I'd either be ignored or hear complaints about creating more work.
'With power, things really get resolved quickly and efficiently.... This is no joke....'
The long-standing emptiness and ache in my heart—power soothed it, at least for now.
I smiled faintly and spoke to Kibon.
"Come on."
Kibon simply stared at me with a dazed expression.
"Shall we get back to work? We still haven't finished the review."
* * *
Crown Prince Kiaros stared intently at Namia. She was truly an astonishing woman.
Just her interpretation of the Imperial language alone was remarkable.
To receive a translation of the Imperial language I've used my entire life....
'Huan will be dismissed, then.'
Crown Prince Kiaros had already made moves with the Loapi Marquessate.
The only problem was Huan Loapi, whose civil servant status was guaranteed....
'She's resolving it on her own.'
Namia's eyes sparkled as she reviewed the documents again.
Crown Prince Kiaros gazed at Namia's face.
A woman who had longed for family dinners and ordinary conversation.
Yet... a woman who pursued power and actively soothed that emptiness within herself.
'She's caught the Finance Minister's eye. He'll likely visit again soon.'
Had Namia calculated this situation from the very beginning?
The Finance Minister was someone Crown Prince Kiaros knew well.
An authoritative man, but equally capable.
'And his adopted son... isn't he in this department?'
He glanced at the Scroll Department roster.
Namia had reorganized the department and promoted him to team leader of this organization.
Moreover, she had urgently sent a recall request to him while he was on an extended overseas assignment.
'Victor Awin....'
Since Victor became a civil servant and was registered as an adopted son, he hadn't been seen in high society.
He pretended to examine the organizational chart before suddenly asking.
"By the way, Minister. Team Leader Victor Awin here shares the same surname as you."
"Ah, yes."
"Are you blood relatives?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then Victor must have that same stubborn personality too."
"Ah, no."
...Wait.
'Ah, yes'? That's not right?
Namia continued speaking.
"My senior isn't stubborn at all."
...What?
Seniiiiiior?
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