Chapter 108
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108.
Knights in full ceremonial regalia marched in formation, drawing every eye in the vicinity.
Yet the man continued his tirade against the Imperial Family and Winter Palace, utterly oblivious to the gravity of his situation.
"Bearing the Imperial name should be a source of shame! Is this the dignity of the Empire? I would hang my head in—"
But the moment the knights encircled him completely, he fell silent, overwhelmed by their presence.
Though inwardly startled, he raised his voice louder, as if to prove he wasn't intimidated.
"Now you're trying to intimidate me for speaking the truth? If this is a fair trial, you should prove your case, not resort to threats!"
He truly seemed convinced of his own righteousness.
The contrast between the knights' splendid, orderly bearing and the man's reckless accusations was so stark that passersby stopped in their tracks.
Not only them—other applicants checking the results also turned their attention toward the commotion.
The man, sensing the crowd's gaze upon him, grew even more animated, as if his purpose had been achieved.
"The very fact that you're trying to intimidate me is proof you have something to hide!"
How fortunate.
That he wasn't the type to be easily cowed.
'If he were, he'd never have orchestrated kidnapping or assassination plots.'
I clicked my tongue, recalling what Roselita Salice had endured in the original story through this man's actions.
In the original, he had infiltrated a banquet under a false identity and carefully lured Roselita Salice away, creating an opportunity for abduction.
But here, such deception and infiltration were impossible from the start.
Because the Imperial Palace's security chief was my superior, Cassian Artez.
Allowing someone so clumsily disguised to slip through would be catastrophic.
So the Imperial Knight Order had stopped him before—
'Do you know, Advisor? We are truly wronged. How could they call our kind, gentle, and magnificent Advisor a demon!'
'That's right. The Advisor is a hero and the god of victory. Those journalists calling Salice Advisor a demon must have something wrong with their eyes.'
'If they just experienced ten minutes of His Highness Cassian's training, such words would vanish instantly.'
I was receiving criticism bordering on vilification.
When was it again—after the dragon expedition ended?
My superior, being meticulous and thorough, had identified every knight who failed to perform adequately during the expedition or made mistakes.
Moreover, among those not selected for the expedition, he had rooted out every knight who had neglected their training.
Naturally, they all had to endure training of truly brutal intensity.
'Since when did the Imperial Knights have such high performance standards!'
'We're just trying to earn a living, but if it weren't for my precious wife at home, I'd have submitted my resignation on the spot.'
How desperate must they have been to carelessly discard their honor as knights?
With such a nauseating man persisting, that male must have found himself cornered and driven to resort to this spectacle.
Critically, he was not without skill—he wouldn't have failed the recruitment examination entirely.
Of course, his temperament was the problem.
Had he not lost points for attitude, he would have scraped into the bottom tier of the three-fold selection pool.
Naturally, had he made it into the three-fold pool without attitude deductions, I would have invited him to the interview.
'Had the interview gone well, I would have been delighted to hire him.'
If he worked competently, I planned to indulge him sweetly until the kidnapping incident unfolded.
There was even a provision allowing me to hire one-and-a-half to two times the standard quota as probationary assistants—it was perfect.
A capable worker, and I wouldn't need to feel a shred of conscience exploiting him?
An excellent arrangement.
Whether he was a criminal mage, a Dark Guild master, or an attempted kidnapper.
In short, I hadn't deliberately failed him out of pettiness.
'A criminal who can't even work properly—isn't that a serious flaw?'
If you've caused harm to society, you should dedicate yourself to grinding away and contributing meaningfully with your own body.
Yet here he is, shouting with mediocre abilities!
Moreover, his endless prattle about fraud and corruption was exhausting his repertoire, and the crowd's gaze had grown cold.
I clicked my tongue and walked slowly toward him.
The atmosphere was perfectly ripe for toppling this criminal flat on his back.
*
"Hello, Applicant!"
"Finally, someone I can actually communicate with. But isn't it rather shameful that you need to parade knights around just to step forward?"
Indeed, this was a person whose mouth was so loose it could float if thrown into a river.
"Shameful? Not at all. My superior is incredibly protective of their subordinates—overprotective, even. How could I refuse?"
As for that particular skill, I harbored no doubt whatsoever that I could match him.
"What? Are you seriously spouting such nonsense about your superior's consideration?"
"Of course you wouldn't know if it's nonsense, Applicant. You've never worked as an Imperial Advisor before."
I responded lightly, then continued in a tone so excessively courteous it became almost grating.
"It's truly unfortunate. I desperately wanted to work even as the lowest-ranking Imperial Advisor, so I completely understand your disappointment at failing."
"Disappointment? Why are you pushing me like this?"
"You needn't try so hard to comfort yourself. I, too, take pride in my position as an Imperial Advisor."
"That's not what I meant. I'm simply criticizing the unfairness in the examination I took for amusement."
"Ah, of course. I understand you're trying to preserve your pride by saying that. And I can certainly infer that your noble intention is to voice the grievances of those applicants who failed unjustly but couldn't speak up!"
At my artless remark, he—who had been speaking so rudely—closed his mouth and stared at me in disbelief.
One must always observe one's opponent carefully before acting.
"But what can be done? Standards are standards, and ability is ability. How could I abandon the fair criteria I announced as an Imperial Advisor?"
"You're just spouting words—"
"My, my, one must listen to what people say until the end. You're not unaware of who I am, are you?"
"How would I know who you—"
He tried to deflect and counter my words, but my gentle smile made him clamp his mouth shut.
Honestly, I'd hoped he'd continue talking.
If he was going to squander his opening like that, I had no choice but to exploit it well.
"You should know."
I dropped my business smile and deliberately looked down on him.
Then I took another step closer.
As the distance narrowed, the knights surrounding us shifted into ready positions.
I then spoke in a voice only he could hear.
"Or are you admitting you're utterly incompetent?"
"...What?"
"You were acting out, thinking we wouldn't know your identity. Think carefully about that."
He hadn't expected such blatant disrespect, and his wavering eyes betrayed his shock.
"Don't say something presumptuous like that. And one more thing."
I casually opened the folder I'd brought and showed him its contents.
His neatly graded examination paper.
"The fairness you speak of is fully prepared as well."
He quickly scanned the document thrust before his eyes, then alternated his gaze between me and his test paper in disbelief.
"But... even with this score, it didn't fall within the range? You expect me to believe—"
"Thank you for that reaction, Applicant."
I deliberately drew a polite smile, then swiftly closed the folder and stepped away from him.
"Now, I shall announce the criteria and scoring rubric you requested!"
"Wait, hold on!"
He rushed forward to stop me, but the knights immediately restrained him.
"Of course, other applicants are welcome to request verification as well. If you submit an official request, I will personally respond to you."
Watching the stark contrast between the man now trembling with fear and myself, a subtle sense of anticipation rippled through the crowd.
"However, unlike others, this applicant seems to wish for his grievances to be revealed publicly, so I intend to honor that request."
With courteous guidance and an abundance of sympathy, I recited the procedural details as though I bore no personal stake in the matter.
"This is not the Imperial Family's original intention, but since you desire it so strongly, I shall provide you with a thorough explanation of the scoring results and the reasons behind them."
All while making clear that this spectacle was not something I had orchestrated, but rather his own wish.
With the applicants gathered around, I proceeded to conduct a proper explanatory session near the results announcement board, exactly as he had wanted.
Watching his face grow redder by the moment, like ripening fruit, it seemed he was quite pleased with the situation.
*
That day's test explanation lecture received high praise from many.
[This Exam's Direction and Next Exam's Trend Prediction!]
[Top-Ranked Administrative Officials Exam Passer Interview!]
[An Unnecessary Sacrifice—Who Is He?]
[Imperial Palace Clarifies: Original Scoring Sheet and Test Questions Were Always Planned for Release.
-Exclusive to This Publication: Actual Imperial Palace Exam Plan Obtained!]
With such a rare topic of interest, journalists eagerly wrote favorable articles.
I had distributed press materials appropriately as well.
Meanwhile, that afternoon's protagonist found himself in a most fitting location.
A room barely ten square meters in size.
In that space containing nothing but a small cot and a window the size of a palm, the man wore a gray uniform provided directly by the Imperial Palace.
"You must be delighted to have entered the Imperial Palace as you wished?"
As I spoke with a smirk, he glared at me indignantly.
"No matter how you glare, you won't be able to kidnap me."
There is, after all, a very sturdy iron cage between us.
This person was experiencing an Underground Prison stay that even I had never undergone—how enviably thorough.
"I have never done such a thing. Bring evidence if you're going to speak."
Naturally, he resorted to denial like the criminal he was.
"I entered here only for causing a disturbance in front of the Imperial Palace. A sentence of one week's imprisonment should be all for such a crime, shouldn't it?"
I simply smiled at his words.
Perhaps because he had endured so much that day, his expression wavered for a moment.
Though we had scarcely begun.
"You seem to know quite well, but what can be done about it?"
His true identity was none other than—
"That law is from sixteen years ago."
At the time of the Basmach Concubine's fall from her horse, she was the one who had conspired with Scarlett Jamoti.
"Isn't that right, Duke Lopez?"
"Of course."
She was also the very person whom Duke Lopez's House had been searching for over the past sixteen years, grinding their teeth to reclaim their family's honor.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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