Chapter: 694
In fact, the “department” of the Second Manager and the “department” itself are written with the same character.
Despite being mid-level officials with lots of subordinates they can boss around, the Second Manager is dragged down by the absolute authority of the Executive Manager above them. With the title of Second Manager comes the inevitable workload—and there’s no clearer connection than that.
Thanks to this, aside from Hecate and me, the five Second Managers have long turned the Information Department’s office into their personal lounge. You’d almost think the deity that crafted this dream was unable to create their mansions and just stuffed them into the Information Department instead, meaning they can’t leave the place!
It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. I can’t just say, “Well, I’ll wake up from this dream before the week is over, so you don’t need to work,” right? I mean, saying that would definitely land me in a mental hospital.
“Hey, Red.”
And on the third day in this dream, I made my way to the Second Manager Gerard’s office.
“Hey there, Blackie!”
However, even though the Executive Manager visited in person, Gerard had the audacity to wave his hand dismissively as a greeting.
What a cheeky little rascal! While both the Executive Manager and Second Manager are part of the same administrative team, there’s a massive gap of authority between them. The Executive Manager is treated as a key resource nationally, while the Second Manager’s role is only operational within the department or region.
“Is that Second Manager losing his mind? Can you give him a reprimand or something?”
“Please just make it a suspension or a prison sentence. I just want to go home!”
Gerard’s heartfelt plea left me momentarily speechless. I completely understood his feelings.
“Red, quit whining and drink this.”
“Eh?”
So, instead of handing out a punishment, I threw him the gift I had brought on my way in.
“…Ooooh!?”
Just as he was nonchalantly receiving the gift, Gerard let out an animalistic roar upon seeing what it was.
It was an ugly sight, but I understood. The gift matched precisely with Gerard’s tastes.
“This is Boyar wine!”
Among the tiers of wine, Boyar is treated as a top-tier SSS-rated wine across the continent. Gerard had been singing its praises, vowing to drink it when the war was over.
This was a fine wine bought specially for the poor Second Manager who couldn’t clock out.
“Wow, where on earth did you find something this rare?”
Seeing Gerard beam like that made my smile involuntarily rise.
As he said, Boyar wine is pricey but hard to come by. You could have the cash, but if luck isn’t on your side, you still won’t get it.
But here, Boyar wine was for sale at some street vendor! Is this dream really that lenient?
“Does the source really matter? It’s just going down your throat, after all.”
“Pff, that’s true.”
Bursting into laughter, Gerard pulled out a wine opener from his pocket.
I didn’t even think about it twice; it was such a natural act. Did the Wise Duke carry an opener around too, making it a basic necessity for drunks or something?
“Are you going to drink it right now?”
“Of course! I’m not going to just sit here with Boyar wine in my hand and let it sit! This bastard is worse than any nomad!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at his genuinely serious tone.
“Don’t forget you also have some snacks. If you down this on an empty stomach and collapse, the others will have to pick up your work!”
“Oh, come on. Why’d you bring that?”
As I pulled out a small cheese box, Gerard’s expression transformed instantly into one of delight.
Such a simpleton. As long as he has booze and snacks, he’ll thrive no matter where he’s dropped!
“By the way, why are you treating me to this liquor? They say when someone acts differently, it’s time to worry.”
“Just thought I should do something nice for a guy who can’t go home.”
“Damn, this is my last supper then.”
Despite his grumbling, I couldn’t stop laughing as Gerard alternated between sips of wine and bites of cheese.
More importantly, what was that nonsense he just said? Did he just claim that when someone acts out of character, it means they’re going to die?
‘That’s just a load of crap.’
You were just going about your usual business, and you died. The same goes for everyone else.
It’s just some nonsense made up by people who wanted a friend’s death to feel special.
‘If it were true, I would have treated any odd behavior as a warning sign and tried to prevent disaster.’
But, there wasn’t even time to protect against that bastard’s sudden death.
Considering the opponent was Kagan, I guess that was just how it had to be.
“Got another bottle on you?”
“I wanted to buy more, but there wasn’t enough of a conscience to spare.”
With that curt reply, Gerard quietly gulped down his wine.
If a commoner managed to drink a whole bottle of Boyar wine, that’s already living the high life. Who could be greedy for more?
Starting from Gerard’s office, I went around like I was smashing through each department’s office.
But unlike Gerard, no other Second Managers showed such wild enthusiasm, which was a little disappointing.
“Is everything coming together well?”
“Up until the Executive Manager arrived, yes.”
I could almost sense Idrid’s eyes cursing why I even came, shouting that he’s super busy.
“…What’s happening?”
“Just because it’s busy doesn’t mean we should act hurriedly. The more hectic it gets, the more we need to stay composed. We can’t stop praying toward our goal for such a minuscule task.”
Oliver had been praying with the team members from his Second Department.
“Wait, is the Executive Manager here to clear out work for us?”
Drake was hastily mixing the tasks of each department since they had nothing immediate to do.
“Where’s your Second Manager?”
“He said he’s practicing his attack in thin air, preparing for a stealth invasion! He stepped out for a bit!”
Walter, with his priorities seriously twisted.
I felt a bit let down. Having risen from team leader of the Fourth Division to Second Manager of the Information Department, I had hoped their behavior might have changed, but sadly, it was all pretty much the same.
They were still doing things the same way they did in the Northern Region, and old habits were resurfacing even after his promotion to Second Manager. Honestly, Gerard demonstrating various drunken antics when drinking was, at this point, way more creative.
“A Second Manager should show some dignity. Still tied down by behaviors from back then?”
“Another strange thing the Executive Manager is saying. Quit talking nonsense and drink some tea.”
“Sure.”
I poured out my disappointment to Hecate, but the reply came back cold as ice.
Yeah, how could I expect people who’d never touched the heights I’ve reached as a Judicial Minister with the Senior Manager and myself to look at things the same way? Just like how a sparrow can’t comprehend the meaning of a phoenix.
“So, are they saying everything is going well?”
“Pretty much? We should be able to proceed as planned.”
Nodding casually, Hecate let out a little sigh.
“Thank goodness. This is the first time we’re working with the major nobles, so I was worried everyone might make mistakes or stumble.”
“The major nobles aren’t anything to rely on. They need authority and power to back them up; without that, they’re just high-ranking nobles with fancy titles.”
As I tried to sip some tea, I could feel Hecate’s stare urging me to lift my head.
“What is it?”
“Just thinking, was our Executive Manager always this confident and cool?”
She chuckled, hopping up onto my lap and poking my cheeks.
“Sure, you were the cute little brother, but now you feel so dependable, and although you’ve just become an Executive Manager, you seem like a seasoned senior… I’m so happy!”
With those overflowing praises, my cheeks heated up for some inexplicable reason.
Honestly, getting flustered over compliments at this point was a bit ridiculous. I had been told I rose too high for my age or accomplished remarkable feats countless times since becoming the Judicial Minister over these last seven years.
Yet hearing these usual praises from Hecate felt fresh and made me feel bashful but also proud. It sounded sweeter than anything I’d heard before.
‘I’m finally hearing what I wasn’t in reality.’
In reality, both of us were just regular team leaders. It was awkward for team leaders to encourage each other, meaning I had never heard such compliments.
Of course, I was labeled the chief, but being labeled as superior to others didn’t create a clear hierarchy between team leaders, so that didn’t hold much significance.
“What if we grow up just fine even without us here?”
“What are you talking about? I grew up just fine on my own!”
As I pulled Hecate closer while she kept poking my cheeks, her smile deepened.
“Yeah, that must be true. Seems like you did great all on your own.”
But the emotion reflected in her smile felt different from before, so I decided to hold my silence.
“…It’s already night.”
After a long moment of silence, when I glanced out the window, the bright daylight was replaced by soft moonlight.
How strange. Just a moment ago, it was bright daylight, and now it had suddenly turned to night.
‘What a temperamental personality.’
Cursing some unknown deity, I chuckled at the absurdity. Ever since I first entered this dream, time had been flowing normally, and yet suddenly speeding it up was pretty predictable.
“I wanted to part ways in the daylight.”
“If it’s bright, I’ll probably feel nostalgic, so that’s not allowed. Parting at night feels more like a complete day together.”
I couldn’t come up with a counter-argument, so I could only nod in silence.
If we had parted in the morning, I would have begged them to stay until midday; if it was daylight, I would’ve pleaded for them to stay until evening. Even though I had promised myself to enjoy this just a little longer before leaving.
“Darling.”
“Yeah, darling.”
“When did it start?”
It was an out-of-context question, but Hecate stroked my head like she knew everything.
“From the very beginning.”
Ah, so it’s from the very start.
From the moment I opened my eyes in this dream, and since she woke me up, Hecate seemed to know everything about the situation.
That this was merely a dream. That our meeting was, in fact, a miracle. That everyone but me had died.
“That’s quite disorienting. If it began as a dream, it ought to end as a dream, right? So why is this suddenly taking a turn?”
With a forced smile, I grumbled.
“Why complicate things?”
And, to be honest, part of that was quite sincere.
If we had met in a dream, it would have been enough for us to end it in a dream. It would have sufficed to conclude neatly when I desired.
If it were to be a farewell with Hecate knowing everything from the start, it would have been better to have held such a conversation at the beginning. If that were the case, I could have had deeper discussions with Hecate and with those guys too.
No, that’s not it. I have no clue if this situation is a dream or a miracle at all. Whether it’s just a mess of my own desires expressed in dreams or if gods and souls truly played a part in this miracle is unclear. It could be an official account or apocryphal tales; the line is indistinct.
“…Seriously, why complicate things?”
Before long, my body acted on its own. I found myself holding Hecate tightly.
“When I wanted you to come, even when I begged you to step into my dreams, you never did… but now that I’m feeling a bit alright, you just pop in out of nowhere. Isn’t that just too unfair?”
“I’m sorry.”
As I expressed my mild resentment, Hecate pulled me in closer.
“But… if we had shown up, I think it would have made it even harder. We might have followed you, insisting on tagging along.”
It was hard to deny her statement, so I could only offer a quiet smile in response.
I couldn’t help but keep laughing for a while.
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