Chapter 407
Ever since I scattered rewards to the dying zombies, I haven’t bothered glancing towards the Senior Manager’s office. Honestly, I probably won’t until the very last day.
It’s just that I’m watching them toil away, trying to fulfill their last transfer orders, and I’m thinking getting involved might just shorten my own lifespan. I know that feeling all too well.
If I were a specialist at handling office tasks, I might try to end the suffering of those poor zombies, but honestly, if I stepped into the chaos led by the Senior Manager, I’d just be a nuisance. If I can’t help, I might as well not be in the way.
‘Just sitting still might add a point or two to my score.’
I don’t know who came up with that saying, but it’s pretty wise. If you can’t be a competent and diligent superior, it’s better to be an incompetent and quiet one.
– Isn’t that too much of a free ride?
“Isn’t it better than burning out all on your own?”
Even Erzevet couldn’t refute that and nodded seriously.
It was proven how annoying it is when a superior meddles everywhere by the previous head of the Inspection Department. He wasn’t incompetent, but a capable pain in the neck. Just bringing up his name makes Erzevet cringe, and let’s not even start on the suffering of the civil servants back then.
‘That guy was insane.’
Setting personal feelings aside, he really was crazy. Right after he took on the Inspector General position, the reports that previous heads left behind made me chuckle bitterly.
‘Who flattens a whole village just to find one traitor?’
And the traitor wasn’t even confirmed to be there; he just went and leveled the place anyway.
Of course, the Inspector General has authority over local executions, but previous heads rarely used that power unless it was a dire situation. I never have, either.
But that guy must be the only one who used it like it was a meal. It’s no wonder that when the Second Prince’s faction fell, his own family got wiped out.
– If the superior isn’t having fun, at least they should be quiet.
I noticed Erzevet thought that too and murmured it quietly.
Yeah, “fun” is a bothersome word, but it’s true. It’s best for a superior to just sit still in their chair. I hope the Emperor understands that—
– Ah, but the Head of Information is also a quiet person, right?
“Yeah.”
Erzevet broke my train of thought, shaking her head affirmatively. She told me earlier that the first division responsible for interrogations and the second division handling information were headed to the Information Department. So now, Erzevet’s direct superior is the Head of Information.
Fortunately, the Head of Information is someone who blends into the background—to the point it’s hard to spot him unless you go searching for him. He’s like a legendary Pokémon that haunts the office, and at least he won’t annoy his subordinates.
Well, except—
“The Information Senior Manager is the Division 2 manager.”
– Huh?
“The Senior Manager will be your superior once the Inspection Department is established.”
How unfortunate that the Senior Manager, who’s set to lead the sub-departments, is the Division 2 manager. What a constraining lineup.
– Can I quit?
Erzevet, her eyes darting around, asked cautiously. Maybe she was feeling dizzy at the thought of the Division 2 Manager not just being a colleague anymore, but now also a superior.
I mean, she might know more about the Division 2 Manager than I do, since they shared the same rank and had a lot of interaction doing similar work together.
“Can you?”
But I couldn’t give Erzevet the answer she wanted. How could a weak Minister who couldn’t even grant vacation days decide someone else’s retirement?
If retirement was an option, I would’ve done it first. No matter how close we are, I can’t let that go.
– If I can’t retire, can I transfer? Senior Aria went to serve the Crown Princess; she must need more maids, right? Can I be sent there?
“Not a chance.”
Her attempt to bat her eyes and look pitiful was admirable, but that wasn’t happening either.
‘What did the Crown Princess do to deserve this?’
Seriously, what kind of crime did the Crown Princess commit to deserve having Erzevet as her maid? Sure, I know they’re surprisingly close, but there’s a world of difference between being friends and being employed as a maid.
Besides, the Crown Princess just gave birth recently, so she needs rest and stability. She’s someone who has to embrace the royal family and the empire. And Erzevet beside her? The Crown Princess might end up with a headache trying to manage Erzevet’s antics instead of the other way around.
It’s a harsh judgment on my girlfriend, yet it’s the truth I can speak openly because of our relationship. To control Erzevet, I’d need to unleash greater chaos, and it’s utterly selfish to think the Crown Princess could manage that when I’ve failed.
“I’ll make sure to promote you when the time comes, so don’t worry.”
With that, I tried to soothe her by proposing a different path, but—
– If I get promoted, the Division 2 Manager will be promoted too! So that doesn’t solve anything!
Her perfectly logical rebuttal left me speechless.
This is all the fault of the Division 2 Manager…
*
This is the best time of my life. If life keeps staying like this, I might be able to smile even if I were demoted to a commoner.
‘Our lucky charm.’
Looking at my adorable son, Julian, sound asleep in his cradle made me smile involuntarily.
No matter how many times I look, he resembles both me and Christina perfectly. His soft navy hair, reminiscent of Christina, is gorgeous, and those sparkling blue eyes—the ones that aren’t visible because he’s sleeping—are just like mine.
I already feel sorry for the future ladies of high society. The thought of them falling for my Julian makes me lament all over again. Before meeting the love of my life, I made a fair few ladies cry too.
‘Though, that was all experience.’
Watching his little hands fidget as if he’s dreaming, my smile deepens. If my son were to break hearts, I’d be right at the forefront to scold him, but having a lot of romance experience wouldn’t be a mark against him.
Having popularity doesn’t equate to being a bad person, after all.
“Rafaet.”
“Ah, Christina.”
As I found myself lost in looking at Julian, I turned at the sound of Christina calling me from behind.
She approached me with a radiant smile and hugged me, and I kissed her forehead.
I can say without a doubt that these are the best days.
“Seeing you here first thing in the morning makes me happy.”
“Haha, I feel the same.”
At her words, I let out an uncontrollable laugh. Sharing my life with the love of my life and having brought forth a fruit of love is a blessing, but to top it off, I’ve snagged some unexpected vacation time too—what’s not to be happy about? I get to spend the morning with family.
Honeymoon leave, childcare leave; I’m dodging even the most ruthless of bureaucratic obligations. Because of that, even as the Inspection Department hustles to establish itself, I can enjoy this peaceful daily life.
Moreover, I never expected the Inspection Department to become a proper operational department at the time of Julian’s birth. I can’t help but think maybe Julian is a gift from Enen for all my hard work.
‘By the time my vacation ends, the establishment should be in its final stages.’
It’s a given. The Senior Manager’s handling things in place of the Executive Manager, and the Senior Manager wouldn’t just overturn what he initiated. The only variable now might be the Head of Information, but they’re also drowning in existing tasks, so they’re not going to waste energy fighting with the Senior Manager.
So, the establishment of the Inspection Department is moving ahead without me intruding at all.
‘Perfect.’
That means all I need to do is waltz in when it’s time to get to the Inspection Department—
‘Huh?’
I instinctively glanced at my communication device in my pocket—it was glowing.
Who could be contacting me so early in the morning? Is it my father or mother? Or perhaps my father-in-law or mother-in-law?
“Rafaet Baron here.”
I took a step back to ensure Julian wouldn’t wake and pulled the device out.
– It’s me.
“Director?”
I frowned at the unexpected presence of the Director. I never thought it would be him.
“Is it really appropriate to contact someone on vacation?”
This was a complete surprise. Our unwritten rule was to leave anyone on vacation alone unless it was a dire emergency. If the Director contacted me while I was on leave, it would mean that the rest of the team would go all out on making his vacation as thrilling as a ride on a rollercoaster.
Such was the last-ditch consideration to ensure mutual survival among us during vacations. Yet here the Director had crossed that line. What a pity.
– I’m sorry. Something urgent came up that I need to inform you about.
Of course, the likelihood of the Director going over that line is much higher than a minor issue.
‘Crap.’
That thought hit me instinctively. If the Director is ignoring our unwritten rules to call me, what kind of situation has arisen? I’d rather he’d crossed the line for personal reasons instead.
– Where are you now?
“…Well, I’m still at the capital.”
– Perfect timing.
My anxiety began to rise. Him saying “perfect timing” doesn’t seem to bode well.
– I submitted a temporary list of officials for the Inspection Department to the Emperor yesterday, and he summoned everyone on it. It seems he intends to appoint them according to the observational draft.
I swallowed hard without thinking.
“W-Why me…”
While I have my suspicions, I tried to deny them, opening my mouth as if to say, “So you need me to fill in.” I was ready to grumble and assist him if that were the case.
Yet reality was always cruel.
– I added your name as the Head of Information.
“……”
My best days began to wobble.
I was walking to the Ministry of Finance when I absentmindedly looked up at the sky.
‘Damn it.’
It was so clear it felt like a joke. The sky didn’t know how I felt; it just kept shining bright.
“Did you say I’m the Senior Manager? Then that means you got promoted, right? Congrats! That’s awesome!”
How heartbreaking. There isn’t a soul to comfort me with my pain. Even Christina, sitting there about to cry at the thought of having to go to work while on vacation, lit up at my promotion news and smiled.
I know that’s the typical reaction. Being promoted to a management position at a young age is like a badge of honor, and it’s not uncommon for those who had to claw their way in to share their philosophy of hard work.
But this is the Inspection Department. We’re witnesses to how the higher you climb, the more painful it becomes. For someone like us, promotion is the poison we should avoid at all costs.
‘Senior Manager?’
Plus, knowing my Division 2 Manager is buried in paperwork, there’s hardly a worse term to me than “Senior Manager.”
This is insanity. A 20-something Division Manager is already too much, and now a Senior Manager? Does that even make any sense?
– The Chief of Division 3 will become the Executive Manager. Just so you know.
But then I thought about the Division 3 Manager, who rose to Director status, and it soothed me somewhat.
Well, I’m better off than him.
And being a Senior Manager is still much better than being a Minister in my twenties.
‘Ha.’
I decided that’s how I would think about it.
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