Meeting with the ‘powerful’ is never a pleasant experience.
Being called a ‘powerful’ person isn’t all that impressive. Power is inherently relative; from the perspective of a regular employee, a section chief is powerful, from the section chief’s view, it’s the department head, and from the department head’s perspective, it’s the company president.
If this keeps stacking up, surely a peak will emerge someday. If we’re going to nitpick, in this world, the two gods can be said to be the ultimate authorities, though they rarely reveal themselves.
In that sense, I am also a powerful person. In fact, I’m quite a rare type of powerful person in this world. Legally speaking, I could rival the president, who occupies the highest position among all elected leaders in a democracy.
The caveat is that this power is mysterious and isn’t solely determined by a person’s title.
Can a twenty-year-old sitting in a president’s chair treat a department head who has been working in the company for twenty years carelessly? Of course, some people do treat others carelessly. But those people usually receive harsh judgments from those around them. There’s a basic courtesy everyone should possess, and this courtesy is typically based on a person’s life experience.
Even if time passes and relationships between people become more equal, the differences in experience over time, or so-called ‘experience’, acts as its own form of power.
Moreover, people are complex beings that cannot be expressed by just one job or title. When one’s physical position changes, their social status inevitably changes too.
“So… does it mean that the Saintess is considering early graduation?”
The director of the Education Bureau of the 21st District asked me that.
As I’ve mentioned several times, the country in this world was formed by the unification of several pre-existing nations. One wouldn’t consider a demonic-controlled area as forming a ‘country,’ so in terms of the concept of a ‘country’, this world has only one, and the ruling government is, for now, a single entity.
However, each region is substantial enough to be considered a country on its own, making it impossible for the central government to control all regions at once, and they couldn’t ignore the cultures that already existed in those regions, hence the establishment of 23 regional governments to delegate governance.
If I had to compare, it’s similar to the relationship between the federal government and state governments in the United States.
Naturally, the names of the central and state government departments differ as well. The names of the central government’s ministries end with ‘부 (Bu)’, like the Education Department, Defense Department, and State Department.
The names of the regional government departments end with ‘국 (Guk)’, such as Administrative Bureau and Education Bureau.
And the place I headed toward was the Education Bureau of the 21st District.
If I compare the education director, who represents the Education Bureau, to me in terms of authority— uh, to be honest, there’s a huge gap that can hardly be compared at all. Even if I brought the central government’s education minister, it would be a bit embarrassing to compare them one-on-one, so there’s no need to mention the regional director.
However, as I mentioned earlier, ‘experience’ plays an incredibly important role in showcasing the power one holds.
In fact, a regional director doesn’t usually have a long term of office. A director is simply a position, and is not elected but appointed. Thus, when a regional representative is replaced, it’s usually the case that the director is replaced as well, and if any unpleasant events occur in their department, the director is often the one taking the blame.
Usually, serving about three years is considered quite a long time.
However, becoming a director also signifies a considerable length of time spent in politics. Typically, one’s rise comes from their connections to a regional representative. They may have worked for just two years as a minister, but their career as a politician could span decades.
The director sitting across from me was precisely that kind of person.
“I haven’t made any decisions yet,” I answered quietly while observing the director’s face.
The lack of significant change in this person’s expression made me wonder if it was because they had prepared in advance since I had said I would visit first.
Every time we met, they either showed a religious ecstasy, sweated profusely, or were exceedingly respectful; but this time, they maintained a remarkably calm expression.
“Oh, I see. Actually, I heard that the Saintess received a call from the regional university last time. It’s even more appreciated that you are thinking positively about it.”
Wait, I never said anything positive!
But then again, from the other person’s perspective, perhaps the mere act of checking in over the phone seemed like I was giving them an opportunity. Given that I was here now, that might be the case. At least for a while, until I find that culprit, I plan to act that way, so I suppose it’s unavoidable if they’re mistaken.
“… If there’s a chance, it’s better to look for pros and cons rather than immediately rejecting it.”
“Exactly. We should examine the conditions and think about the future; that’s the wisest method.”
As he said that, the director grinned and nodded repeatedly. Although he didn’t tremble like others, it was clear that he was pleased by my words.
“Do you have any particular school or department in mind?”
“No, I’m just keeping my options open for now. I’ll consider the department or school later. There are still several months left until the year is completely over.”
“Certainly, the issue of early graduation isn’t something that can be decided overnight. Take your time to think it over and make your decision. Oh, but…”
The director paused for a moment and shifted his hand to the stack of documents beside him. He picked up the top document and placed it on the desk.
I focused on the director’s moving hand. As Ramihi mentioned, if the director read the official document sent to me, he might struggle to flip through the pages. If he fumbled a few times and had to resort to licking his fingers to turn the page, he would definitely make it onto my list of suspects.
But that didn’t seem to be the case.
The director’s index finger had something unusual on it.
It looked like a rubber thimble used in home economics classes to prevent pricking one’s finger with a needle during sewing.
The director placed the document in the center of the desk and, with the tip of his finger, easily slid the paper forward. It appeared to be made of rubber since his finger didn’t slip at all, and the pages turned one by one effortlessly.
At least not this guy.
Unless he’s trying to deceive me, it doesn’t make sense for someone who left traces while reading a document meant to be discreet, to be so aware of his habits in front of me. If he were someone who thought of that kind of thing, he would not have left any traces in the first place.
Or maybe that’s a double or triple-layered trap? The early graduation proposal was literally intended to coax me into choosing early graduation. Whether it was to foster pro-government sentiments or entrap me with some contract, all I needed to do was choose early graduation; candidly speaking, it was just something like ‘if it doesn’t work out, that’s too bad’.
Was there even a need to create such a complicated trap while writing something like that?
Thinking about all this, I narrowed my eyes and glared at the tip of the director’s finger, which seemed to catch the director’s attention as he looked at me with a hint of surprise.
“… Is there something uncomfortable?”
“Huh? Oh, no.”
I was so deep in thought that I failed to hide my expression when I suddenly heard his voice. I must have looked caught red-handed.
“Ah… um, I was wondering if that document you opened contained the same information as the official document I received.”
“The official document… Ah, you mean that document? The truth is, I haven’t read its content; I just passed it along, so I don’t know the details. But I assume at least a proposal similar to this one was included.”
The director feigned casualness, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.
“It was sealed in an envelope. It was written not to open it casually… I thought it was because it contained personal information about the Saintess.”
That’s absolutely not true. My personal information was not written on the official document at all. It felt bizarre to hide the name of whoever wrote it since the proposal felt just ordinary.
“Is that so…”
In the end, is it ‘I don’t know’?
Of course, I didn’t expect to confirm everything in a single encounter, but I felt a sense of disappointment as I failed at this point.
“… May I ask if I have committed any offenses?”
The director, who had maintained a relatively composed demeanor, now seemed somewhat flustered.
“No, you don’t need to worry. Please continue.”
I simply shook my head and replied.
Well… there are plenty of other places to visit. Didn’t Seo-A say so? In reality, there are no magical solutions. Unless you find the end of the thread and carefully untangle the knots, the knot will never come undone.
… But then again, I really don’t get why such advice still applies in a world filled with magic and miracles.
*
By the time the discussion ended, the director’s back was soaked with sweat.
It wasn’t from the heat; summer had long passed.
Rather, it was purely due to embarrassment and tension.
Initially, he hadn’t been very tense. The first Saintess he met resembled other kids his age aside from her attire. Sure, she seemed more composed and thoughtful, but that wasn’t exactly an unusual sight among kids that age.
However, at some point, that image underwent a complete reversal.
It was probably from the moment he reached for the documents.
The look of ‘interest’ had completely vanished from the Saintess’s eyes.
And at that moment, the director felt as if he had finally seen the real Saintess.
What Clara Anderson wanted and why she had come this far remained unclear. Initially, he judged it by her words about considering early graduation and university entrance. Any kid her age would have been tempted by that. Although the 21st District wasn’t the biggest, its national university was counted among the top prestigious schools.
But if he thought back, that wasn’t the case. If that were true, she wouldn’t have had any reason to respond so nonchalantly in the subsequent conversation.
“The tuition fee is nothing to worry about. What the university proposed was full tuition coverage. Regardless of grades, if you attend the school diligently, there’s no need to worry about the amount.”
“Yeees…”
Looking back on it now, that statement sounds utterly ridiculous. The Saintess was in a position that could rival the head of an organization. There was absolutely no reason for someone who sits atop one of the two pillars supporting human society to be unable to pay the tuition fee for a national university. Even if her personal funds were inadequate, the church would cover it.
“We will ensure that only the best classes are available for the Saintess to shine. You don’t need to stress about the number of students in a class.”
“I see…”
The Saintess’s talent; would there even be a university capable of nurturing that? The current Saintess, Clara Anderson, had accomplished what no saint, or indeed no human throughout history had achieved within less than half a year.
Of course, it didn’t mean she was some extraordinary genius or had some avant-garde physical condition.
However, the talent she possessed was literally the divine power received from the Goddess.
That meant, in terms of distinguishing ‘authoritative’ figures, there was no one living in this world who could match her divine power.
What on earth do you teach someone who has already emerged into the world with completed talents? I heard from a roundabout source that the current church reforms began from just a few words spoken by the Saintess.
If that wasn’t a power play by an authoritative figure but rather an awakening of the believers led by a religious guiding principle, wouldn’t she actually be standing in the position of a teacher rather than a student?
Why had it taken meeting her in person for the realization to hit? Perhaps he had been enchanted by the idea of ‘we must bring her in’. If he had just given it a little bit of thought before calling her, he could have easily recognized what an unreasonable suggestion it was.
As the conversation wrapped up, the Saintess was simply gazing at him in silence. More than anything, there was no trace of interest left in her eyes.
If one were to find one emotion reflected, it would be disappointment.
Was she disappointed in her proposal? No, that couldn’t be it. She would surely know that no excellent professor from any university could properly teach her.
So why had she come all this way? It could have simply ended with a refusal from the start.
Perhaps, she was trying to discern something here.
And the Saintess found nothing from the director. What that something was, he could not know.
… To think that he had underestimated her simply because she was young and resembled the kids her age was entirely wrong.
He had been looking down on someone who had received revelations from the Goddess and rose to the position of a leader of an organization.
As the most remarkable Saint in human history, how would she have judged him? The director couldn’t even begin to imagine.
“If I decide, I will contact you, Director.”
However, as I made that statement and stood to leave, the last gaze she cast upon him was chilling to the bone.
… Perhaps, upon realizing that, he should have simply prostrated himself.
After the Saintess left, gazing helplessly at the closed door, the director slumped in his chair.
*
Escape! Fast escape!
Oh, the more I speak, the more the atmosphere turns awkward and serious, making it impossible to stick around any longer.
Initially smiling, the director’s expression grew darker as the conversation progressed, until by the end, he looked entirely morose.
He looked as though he was suffering some kind of health issue.
… Was it a problem that I kept declining their offers?
If it were me, I would probably feel the same. Sitting here pretending to be open to listen or consider only to keep refusing would annoy anyone.
Thinking back, this man wasn’t just a high-ranking official but ultimately someone’s subordinate. If he couldn’t fulfill his duties, it was only natural for someone to be upset with him.
Ah, honestly speaking, I suppose it’s none of my business.
“Oh, are you done already?”
Aurora, who had been waiting in the reception room, asked that. Since this was more personal matter of mine, the director wanted to meet me alone. Naturally, both Aurora and Linea frowned, but since I didn’t want to escalate anything, I decided to go in alone.
Thinking about it, that might have been a calculation on his part. He probably had some information that I, Aurora, and Linea were almost always together. As soon as I separated those two, it would be easier for him to control me.
… No other regional leaders have ever asked to meet with me alone.
Since nothing came of his efforts, him looking even more despondent was inevitable. Again, to reiterate, I wasn’t concerned about it, as I never intended to choose early graduation from the outset.
“There’s plenty of time left until the next appointment.”
Linea followed me like a secretary as she spoke.
“Right. It seems like we still have almost two hours left.”
I wasn’t entirely sure how things worked in other regions, but at least for the 21st District, all government institutions were clustered close together. If the appointment times were correctly arranged, one could easily visit several places in a single day.
Since I had to enter to talk anyway and I had absolutely no investigative capabilities, I was merely following my leads based on listening to his habits or phrases.
So, if someone were to ask me if it’s possible to find anything, I wouldn’t have an answer. I just hoped I could.
Ramihi seemed to be looking for something in his own way, and Seo-A said she would initiate an investigation at the Academy level, so even if I failed, someone would surely figure it out—
However, after going through the trouble of scheduling appointments with governmental departments on the anniversary without taking a break, if I came up empty-handed, I would definitely feel disheartened enough that I wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Since I wanted to return to my school days because of the vacation, now as I became a student, I found myself resentful of the holidays that I should have been free to use—human greed truly knows no bounds.
… It’s not like I could take a vacation freely at the company either.
Now that I think about it, does the position of Saintess not have designated vacations? I should ask later.
No, if I feel achingly regretful to the point of losing sleep, the blessings of the demons will surely help me feel better.
“Is it the Hero Association this time?”
“Yes, it’s quite nearby, but… shall we just go and wait?”
As Linea asked that, I quickly shook my head.
“No, let’s just kill time at a nearby café. … I really don’t want to rush into another meeting right after this.”
That sentiment was spot on.
Having just exited a dreadfully uncomfortable conversation, I had no intention to jump directly into work again.
I just hope I find something this time. I can’t continue like this indefinitely.
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