Chapter: 282
As days went by, the number of raiders hitting the Ministry of Finance increased. Usually, civil servants would hold onto at least a modicum of dignity and politeness, but today, they seemed to have regressed to a barbaric, violent era. If they were wielding swords instead of documents, they’d look like Vikings fresh off the boat.
I was a bit scared. Was this the desperate talk of civil servants blinded by the budget? This was more like an outright dark revolution than a mere evolution.
“How long can we hold out?”
As soon as the raiders—no, civil servants—left from the Ministry of Territory, the minister whispered. A question soaked in despair, asking just how many more of these crazy waves he’d have to ride.
“Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Special Services, and Education remain.”
“Just the big ones left, huh.”
The minister murmured as if in shock, which made me chuckle. As he said, we were only left with difficult departments.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to dominate the continental diplomatic scene for the empire, the Ministry of Internal Affairs handled domestic affairs, the Special Services department was practically cheating, and the Ministry of Education nurtured future talents. One by one, they were like money-sucking machines, specialists hardened in the art of draining funds. For a minister who hadn’t even been in office for a few years, facing them was daunting.
“Damn it, it’s not like we’re holding onto the money.”
Watching the minister scrub his face roughly made a wave of happiness wash over me deep inside. The suffering of a superior is joy for a subordinate.
“Since it’s not being held onto, they’re acting this way.”
So I naturally threw in my two cents to his grumbling.
If he was truly holding onto funds, would there be this kind of chaos? They would just come in, casually take it, and that would be that. There’s no quiet process for stealing someone else’s money.
“Stop with the useless chatter and check this.”
“Yes.”
The minister was left speechless by my extremely logical remark, as if he wanted to silence himself with work.
It looked like power was being leveraged to suppress, but the happiness bubbling inside me grew even stronger. Just the fact that he was dodging the question was a testament to the extreme situation he was in.
“Speaking of which, isn’t it the first time the Magic Department has come?”
Anyway, as soon as I saw the mountain of documents the minister handed me, I casually opened my mouth. It was the papers from the Magic Department.
It was curious. Even amid the additional budget preparation period where every other department was flipping out, the Magic Department seemed almost otherworldly, calmly doing its thing. They hadn’t submitted anything in the last few years, even before the current minister took office. With the Magic Tower being a golden lifeline for them, they never felt the need to grovel before the Ministry of Finance.
The firm philosophy of the Magic Minister—“A mage can’t be poor and hungry”—ensured that the Magic Department had it easy. Truly, our dear mother, the Magic Minister.
…And now, this year, the Magic Department had for the first time requested an additional budget.
“Did the Magic Tower go bankrupt?”
Of course, that would never happen, but the situation was so unexpected it made me think. It felt like finding Bill Gates at a soup kitchen.
“I heard the initial meeting at the Magic Tower got prolonged, so they haven’t received their funds yet. Acknowledging such a chaos is, of course, impossible.”
“Oh.”
“‘Oh’ is right, you idiot. You also heard that earlier.”
Indeed, when someone visited from the Magic Department, they did explain a lot about their situation. But the issue was that I hadn’t really grasped it at the time.
With all the other paperwork from different departments cluttering on my desk, there was barely any time to tune in. Honestly, I only learned someone from the Magic Department was even here after it was too late to listen to the explanations.
“That’s surprising. Meetings at the Magic Tower dragging on like that.”
“Rare indeed.”
The minister seemed to agree with my point, lightly nodding. Given the overwhelming authority of the Magic Minister sitting at the top, meetings were never allowed to extend excessively.
Who would dare challenge someone with seniority, experience, position, and ability all overwhelmingly in their favor? It would take a massive dose of courage—or rather, foolishness—to refute the Magic Minister. Thus, what usually happened was that things were handled according to their wishes or tradition, leaving no reason for the meeting to go long.
Also, when I recently saw the Magic Minister, it didn’t seem like there were any pressing matters worth mentioning.
‘…It must be nothing serious.’
After a moment of thought, I concluded reasonably. The Magic Minister didn’t look gloomy nor did they ask for help. At the very least, no negative incidents were likely.
So let’s think positively. Perhaps the passionate mages were gathering to discuss creating a new magical tool. If anything had truly gone wrong, by this time, the Magic Tower would be an absolute battlefield of spells.
*
The Deputy Tower Lord of the Magic Tower, who is essentially equal to the permanent Tower Lord, is the apex of wizards in the Empire and is revered by all. Even the Minister of the Magic Department or the Grandmaster of the Royal Magic Corps are just passing titles to the Deputy Tower Lord.
‘Just a pretty facade to look at.’
Yet, in this role of Deputy Tower Lord, instead of feeling like an elder, it feels more like being a nobody. The critical point is being the second in command, constantly shifting under the permanent Tower Lord.
As the second-in-command handling the mundane tasks, though you might feel like you can touch the Tower Lord as their equal, it’s far from it. That peculiar perception makes the role of Deputy Tower Lord a place of torment and suffering. While it may be called “second-in-command,” it amplifies the struggling mid-level manager’s shortcomings to the extreme.
Moreover, outside the Magic Tower, people can’t even approach the Tower Lord, who is the continent’s greatest wizard. They bring all sorts of requests and deals to me instead. With the Deputy Tower Lord already so busy, it’s incredibly annoying.
And is the inside of the Magic Tower peaceful? Not at all. I have to coordinate and oversee the White, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Black Towers. It’s even more bothersome and irritating than dealing with outsiders.
‘These kids nowadays…’
Mages are beings who build their own realms of the mind. It’s no surprise that mages have inflated egos.
The older mages, having become aware of their surroundings and closely observing the Tower Lord’s wall, can usually come to their senses, but the young ones? Sadly, most of the Magic Tower is filled with these youths.
Controlling and managing these self-important youngsters over my ten years as Deputy Tower Lord… I’ve often felt the desire to quit and disappear.
‘Should I just disappear?’
Regrettably, that desire continues to rise even now.
At the beginning of the year, the meeting at the Magic Tower gathers to discuss the annual plan and share opinions on new magical tools. Major wizards gather to negotiate all activities.
“Hasn’t the Green Tower handled the Academy instructors for some time? Naturally, they should take the lead this time as well!”
“That’s not handling—it’s monopolizing. Isn’t it time to concede a bit?”
Inevitably, during this meeting, we also have to select instructors dispatched to the Academy to teach magic.
“What nonsense! This isn’t the time for concessions on such a crucial task! This is something that must be assigned based on merit, not on courtesy.”
“Which is all the more reason the Green Tower should not handle this!”
“What? Can I take that statement as the official stance of the Red Tower?”
And without a doubt, there’s never been such intense opposition over the issue of Academy instructors. At least not during my tenure as Deputy Tower Lord nor in previous administrations.
‘Damn them all.’
My head starts to throb. Usually, the issue of Academy instructors is seen as a nuisance, but now they were behaving like warriors headed into battle.
Still, as a wizard, I can empathize with this madness. If they land the position as Academy instructors, they’ll essentially be teaching the Tower Lord’s one and only student. Actually, they’re not just going to teach but intend to learn even a little of the Tower Lord’s magic through that student.
However, as the Deputy Tower Lord, I can’t condone this ridiculousness. We’re in a desperate need to wrap up this meeting and return to our usual tasks, and this chaos is way too much.
“Enough.”
Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and intervened. If I left this uproar unchecked, it could likely escalate to a duel.
“I will decide the dispatch of this year’s Academy instructor regardless of affiliations. Candidates will apply in private and we’ll decide through a vote.”
Glancing at them as if to hint I’d persuade them with a thunderbolt if there was resistance, the noisy youngsters quietened down.
Yeah, this is the best way. Whether the Green Tower takes it or another tower does, even designating a specific tower would lead to fights within. In that case, a vote where everyone has a say will at least give a sense of fairness.
“The candidates will be limited to attendees of this meeting.”
“Deputy Tower Lord, that restricts the opportunities for those wizards who couldn’t participate in the meeting—”
I raised my staff quietly.
“We can’t dispatch kids who are too busy to attend the meeting.”
Lowering it again.
“Let’s speed this up. If you want to be an instructor, raise your hand. The votes will be strictly confidential, so don’t worry about it.”
With a small sigh, as I began the selection of candidates, the attendees cautiously started raising their hands. From what I could tell, it was about a third of those present. Fair enough; I just wish they’d show this enthusiasm more often.
As I surveyed the candidate pool, suddenly—
“I withdraw.”
A candidate declared their withdrawal out of the blue. At first, I thought they’d just remembered another task and moved on, but then—
“…I also withdraw.”
“Yes, me too.”
“It seems I may have bitten off more than I can chew.”
Not merely one or two candidates withdrew; all the candidates stepped back. Wait, are these kids messing with me? They were just making a ruckus a minute ago!
But something felt off. The eyes of all those who had announced their withdrawals, as well as those of attendees who hadn’t registered as candidates, were fixed behind me.
“……”
Following their gaze, I turned around, and my eyes widened in disbelief.
The candidate who had successfully withdrawn all other candidates from contention and became the one and only nominee for this year’s Academy instructor, expected to guide the students—
“…Since there’s only one candidate, this year’s Academy instructor will be the Tower Lord.”
Seeing the Tower Lord nodding as if satisfied left me feeling devastated.
“Haha, the Tower Lord certainly cherishes their student.”
“I envy the students. If possible, I’d like to enroll at the Academy myself.”
As this unimaginable development fell into awkward silence, they slowly began to speak one by one.
That’s right. There’s the Tower Lord’s one and only student in the Academy. It’s entirely possible that their beloved student was to be treated so directly. It’s indeed quite a reasonable deduction.
……
‘The head of the Information Department.’
No, I can’t trick myself.
No matter how I think about it, this is all the fault of the head of the Information Department.
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