Chapter: 2
The Executive Princess, kidnapped by the Demon King called the Minister, managed to escape on her own and return.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome! You finished quicker than last time.”
“It seems the old man’s stamina has declined. Perhaps he should moderate his temper every now and then.”
While I was replying to the Senior Manager, the four Managers who had been sitting with him tried to stand up, but I waved my hand and gestured for them to sit back down.
“Oh, don’t. There’s really no need to stand up.”
“Since you got the Minister’s scolding instead of us, this is the least we can do.”
“You little punk, stand up this instant.”
The 2nd Manager provoked the Executive Manager, who in turn tried to crush him with authority. It was pure chaos, but they seemed accustomed to it, chuckling as they settled back in their seats. Only after I took my place at the head of the table did the five of them bow their heads. I nodded, confirming who was present: Senior Manager, 1st Manager, 2nd Manager, 3rd Manager, and 5th Manager. Great, everyone’s here.
“Now, my dear slaves. I must express my deep regret for calling you in right before the off-duty time.”
“I have a date! Is this urgent?”
“With that remark, you’ve just confirmed yourself for duty.”
“Damn it.”
As the 2nd Manager, who shouldn’t have opened his mouth, sulked, I waved a document in my hand. This was the reason I had been summoned to the Minister’s office and the reason I had called the executives together right before quitting time. Maybe it was because I held back the impulse to tear it apart more than a few times on my way here.
“Can you see this?”
“I don’t know about other things, but I can definitely see the Ministerial document.”
“What’s it about? It’s been a while since we gathered like this.”
“It’s the lovely piece of art created by all of you that has stolen my precious two hours.”
Whoosh! The document flew through the air, as if dancing to the tune of my tangled emotions, before landing perfectly in the middle of the table.
Only then did the executives glance at the contents of the document, avoiding each other’s eyes as if they had silently agreed to it. The Senior Manager sighed as though he was about to burst, while the other Managers either cleared their throats or concentrated hard on the dust particles floating in the air to avoid my gaze.
“Who was responsible for investigating Earl Yorun?”
After admiring their wretched state, I murmured softly. It felt like I was issuing an ultimatum that said, “Speak the truth and I’ll let it slide.”
“Uh… I did it.”
The 3rd Manager, who had been gauging the atmosphere, cautiously raised his hand, and I responded with a gentle smile, shining brightly at the confessing sinner.
“You should stick your head down and reflect on this.”
“Yes…”
Of course, everyone knew that I was not taking it lightly, even if they answered my ultimatum truthfully. But they also knew that if they didn’t acknowledge their mistakes, the repercussions would be unbearable. The 3rd Manager swallowed back tears as he stood up and bashed his head against the floor, while the others averted their eyes, praying not to be caught in the crossfire.
Officially, it was the 3rd Manager who led this, but in truth, all the Managers had jumped in and torn through it together. I glared at them with fiery eyes, then sighed deeply.
“My dear slaves. Though our job is akin to that of hunting dogs, if you recklessly bite anyone without consideration, then instead of calling you slaves, I’d have to address you as my dear sons of bitches.”
The department I led was the Prosecutor’s Office under the Ministry of Finance. On paper, we wielded indisputable authority, reporting solely to the Minister of Finance and the Emperor.
And openly, we were referred to as hunting dogs, tasked with monitoring the flow of money, keeping an eye on the Empire’s budget, and smashing any illicit actions with swift brutality.
Our authority was so formidable to the point that people questioned the appropriateness of placing such an institution under the control of the Minister of Finance instead of the Emperor.
Such was the might we possessed, that if we picked the wrong target, we would be bombarded from all sides.
“This month, after Earl Yorun had his hand cut off, many contracts burst along with him.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Due to that incident, the Gold Duke expressed his concerns to the Minister.”
“…”
Maintaining a heavy silence, the Senior Manager flinched at the mention of the Gold Duke, glaring at the 3rd Manager. While it was known that one Earl had faced the consequences due to a misidentification, realizing that it connected to the Gold Duke was a different matter. If he had known, he would have thrown the Managers to the wolves before the Minister called me in.
“So what did the Gold Duke say…?”
“You know how he is about money, right? Rather than punishing the one responsible, he demands monetary compensation.”
“I’ve got a list of families competing against the Gold Duke’s faction. Which department should I pass that to?”
“3rd.”
Upon that instruction, the 3rd Manager stood up from the ground he had become one with. Though I still wasn’t looking kindly upon him, I had no other choice. This was quintessentially a task for the 3rd department.
“You’d better take care of your own mess.”
“Yes, of course.”
“As long as the Gold Duke’s losses are covered, he’s typically not the type to fuss too much.”
“I will absolutely remember today and will be more careful going forward.”
“Good, you’re dismissed.”
Bowing, the 3rd Manager dashed out of the Executive room. Despite his large, muscular frame, he moved quickly, seeming like he had put all his stats into Agility. Is it because he lacked a proper head that he felt less resistance from the air?
“Everyone else, be careful, too. If anything like this happens again, you will all share in the blame.”
With that wave of my hand, the Managers who had been sitting anxiously could finally escape. They would probably release their pent-up frustrations on the other officers once they returned to their offices. But that was none of my concern. If they had simply done their jobs, none of this would have transpired.
When I first entered the civil service, we were all cautious, even about falling leaves. But the new hires these days were so carefree; I couldn’t stand how recklessly they handled their responsibilities…
“Damn it.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, just reminded me of the past.”
The Senior Manager, on the verge of exiting, looked back at my voice. I smiled and waved him off, feeling anxious about my condescending tone toward the elderly.
Oh no, four years in the civil service had completely ruined the once innocent me…! I’m only 21, yet what kind of dark evolution am I going to face over the next few decades?!
‘Should I just grab the budget and run away?’
Well, doing that would definitely end my civil servant life, but it would also mean the end of my life too. No matter how strong my family’s connections were, embezzling funds as a Prosecutor would result in nothing but execution.
Having reincarnated only to end up with a death sentence by embezzlement was far too disgraceful. I hadn’t endured this long just to meet such a terrible ending.
As I glanced out the window, the sun was already setting. The meeting had ended faster than expected. But since I had summoned them just before quitting time, we had already surpassed that hour.
This marked “The 40th Consecutive Day of Failed Early Exits.” Who should I share this joy with…?
Perhaps due to the involvement of the Duke, the situation was resolved more smoothly than anticipated. The Minister even mentioned that the Gold Duke was pleased after seeing four competing families suffer.
I had already been timing my chance to blow them away. But now, I had a clear reason. So watching them get obliterated brought me a rhythmical joy. Honestly, if they’d been competent, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place!
“…So, some of the confiscated assets have been handed over to Earl Yorun. We washed them a couple of times before passing them on, so there shouldn’t be any future issues.”
A few days later, at the new meeting, I clapped at the satisfactory results. Yes, my staff could do well when they applied themselves!
“As expected, the 3rd Manager’s brilliance never ceases to amaze me.”
“Executive Manager, didn’t you once say you’d like to toss that guy’s shiny head away?”
“Shut it.”
“Sob…”
I firmly shut down the 1st Manager’s interruption, who was still trying to undermine the trust and camaraderie between a superior and their subordinate.
The 1st Manager’s sudden reveal, the 2nd Manager chuckling while brushing back their luscious hair, and the 3rd Manager trembling while silently shining with a lack of hair, all while the 5th Manager stared at the ground. The poor 3rd Manager was now at the center of the mockery.
The 1st Manager, the instigator, tilted her head in confusion at the 3rd Manager’s flustered state. She was the most deadly type: utterly oblivious to her impact.
As the conversation drifted onto “Since when did the 3rd Manager go bald?” I pounded my fist on the table to redirect everyone’s attention.
“Stop mocking the hard-working individual who just returned!”
“But it was just the Executive Manager and the 1st Manager who spoke. We didn’t say anything!”
“Your mere presence is enough to ridicule him, considering you have so much hair.”
“Well, I didn’t realize that.”
“So…”
Oops, I was supposed to put a stop to this.
“Anyway, great job, 3rd Manager. You know you got lucky this time, right?”
“Yes, well, the necessary documents for the operation were all set, so I was able to proceed quickly.”
“Not that. If it had to be a Duke, it’s better for it to be the Gold Duke instead.”
“Ah…”
The 3rd Manager nodded in agreement, a shared understanding settling in. It was best to avoid entanglements with Dukes altogether, but if it were unavoidable, the Gold Duke was the least troublesome among the five Dukes in the Empire. The other four were in numerous, troublesome ways, not even human.
“If you end up mixed up with another Duke, I’ll personally hand you over to the Duke, so don’t worry.”
“Eh? That’s really worrying…”
“If you have a problem with it, feel free to transfer to another department. If you can.”
I could hear the faint curses aimed at me from the 2nd Manager, but it didn’t matter. I often cursed the Minister too.
Of course, I didn’t do it where they could hear me. Wink! 2nd Manager, looks like you’re pulling another late shift today.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.