Chapter 9
As I drew nearer to the main building to dodge the students’ gazes, the school hours came to an end. The few students that had been scattered around were completely gone, and I could only catch a glimpse of the classes through the windows.
The result of avoiding the students came out as I hoped, but the cause of that result was far from pleasant. If I hadn’t turned around, I would have had time to enjoy a cup of tea in the principal’s office.
‘Is it catnip instead of a capybara?’
Perhaps Louise is a pink capybara instead of, well, a capybara. The blond man I turned away from the moment I spotted him was not only one of the three suspicious guys who had crawled into the country from abroad but also the sole target of caution in the nation—the Third Prince, Ainter Livnoman.
Wow, the Third Prince shows up right there! Is there something sinister going on?
In that vast academy, it was quite the coincidence that Ainter was found near Louise at that precise time. At that moment, goosebumps crept up on me. Ainter himself was problematic, but the fact that Ainter was spotted near Louise meant that the other three could easily get tangled up too, right?
Mandatory participation in a gathering with all the infamous figures from day one of deployment? Absolutely not! If they were to force that upon me, at least they should shove a bottle of Welch’s in my face as compensation.
For a moment, I imagined being in a room with four significant personalities from the continent. It was a nightmare scenario that even the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be envious of! Just thinking about it drained my mental energy, leaving me staring blankly at the nearby bench.
Being in the academy like this felt like being a student waiting for the university shuttle bus, but there was no shuttle bus here, and I wasn’t a student. To think my memories of student life would come shuffling back to me through possession—that’s absurd!
I clutched my throbbing forehead. My sharpened instincts, fine-tuned through four years of civil service, had been sending constant warnings that my future here was going to be incredibly rocky since the moment my deployment was decided. The problem was, even if I heard the warnings, there was no way to avoid the upcoming storm.
It felt like I could see the punch coming right at me, but my body wouldn’t move, leaving me to take the hit. Both my reason and instincts screamed against this deployment, yet the iron hand of authority from above made it all possible. The most terrifying power in the world is authority…
I pushed myself up from the bench and headed back the way I came. With no students around, it was time to focus on my original goal of understanding the structure of this place.
As an educational institution for many blue-bloods, the academy was filled with large, grand buildings. I took the time to examine them while occasionally crossing paths with a few students who had ventured outside during breaks.
During school hours, it felt like everyone’s eyes were on me, making me feel like some creature in a zoo, but now? Not so much. Moreover, I wasn’t planning to spend my time at the academy dodging students indefinitely.
‘I’ll just say I’m the inspector until tomorrow.’
It’s not like I could go around greeting everyone, “Hello, I’m the inspector. Just here on business.”
After wandering around and mentally mapping out the academy, I looked around and fetched my communication crystal. Now that I’d completed my tasks, it was time to handle something else before it slipped my mind.
I dialed the Senior Manager with the communication device I took from my pocket. A few rings later, his face appeared.
– Long time no see, Executive Manager. Did you arrive at the Academy safely?
“Yeah. I got in this morning but just got around to contacting you now because I had some other matters to attend to.”
– I’m glad to hear you’re doing well.
In truth, a slew of problems had crashed down on me the moment I arrived. The protagonist, Louise; Erich, who was all set for the “You’re a Good Friend!” ending; and Ainter, who came strutting over after being mesmerized by the capybara or catnip.
However, I didn’t need to hassle the Senior Manager with those concerns since he couldn’t do much anyway. I quietly tucked away the names Louise and the other two in my mind.
“Well, that’s true. But I did see something odd on my way here.”
– Please, go on.
“I reckon there’s been funding to fix the roads leading to the Academy, but they’re in complete shambles.”
Track that down and tear it apart.
The Senior Manager nodded at my directives, which sounded practically like telling him to pick up some groceries at the local market. The fate of that unidentified local official was sealed in that moment.
This was my final gift to the special carriage, with which I shared a little friendship during this long journey. I maintained our friendship, special carriage…
– I’ll sort that out and send you a report. Is there anything else you need?
“No, nothing else. Is everything okay on your end?”
– Yes, there haven’t been any issues.
Thankfully, it appeared the managers were keeping quiet. A wave of relief washed over me, and my expression softened a bit. The fact that the Senior Manager hadn’t reached out suggested no uproar had occurred, but that nagging anxiety remained. Hearing directly that there were no problems eased my mind.
“Alright then. Good work. If anything comes up, contact me right away.”
– Understood.
Having said all I needed, I ended the call. I felt relieved knowing the Senior Manager was at his post. The thought of him not being there had me picturing a free-for-all chaos where the other managers would wreak havoc, turning the Prosecutor’s Office upside down.
‘Maybe it’s for the best?’
If the department caught the Minister’s ire, I would likely have to shoulder the blame and retire, whether I liked it or not. Of course, the Minister might create a new department just for me, throw me in there, and make me work like a penance.
But even the mere thought of retirement brought a grin to my face. I tucked the communication crystal back into my pocket and started walking again.
—
The Senior Manager confirmed that the communication had ended as he put the crystal away and opened the door behind him. He had left the room because it was noisier than a marketplace, a poor environment for chatting with the Executive Manager.
As he stepped back inside, a wild party scene unfolded before him.
“3rd Manager’s grand performance! I’ll show you something amazing!”
“Yippee, heeheehee!”
“Hey! The Executive Manager’s cup is empty!”
Among the three rowdy troublemakers, the 2nd Manager was by far the loudest. He was even looking for the Executive Manager even though he wasn’t around. The Senior Manager’s gaze fell on the doll resembling a person seated in the Executive Manager’s spot with Carl’s face plastered on it. And there was the 2nd Manager, wobbling over to pour a drink into that doll’s cup, then splashing its contents onto the portrait of Carl.
“The Executive Manager drinks so well!”
Chortling, the 2nd Manager refilled the doll’s empty cup. The doll they had whimsically positioned to liven things up was becoming more and more like the real Executive Manager in the 2nd Manager’s mind.
The trigger for this madness was surprisingly trivial. The farewell party had unceremoniously scattered after Carl blew up over the banner and the ridiculous celebratory plans.
However, a department manager like the Senior Manager wouldn’t let something so petty deter their intended agenda. The 1st Manager suggested that if they couldn’t have the farewell party they wanted, they could at least throw one celebrating the Executive Manager’s arrival at the Academy.
After finishing what they needed earlier in the day, the managers cleared their schedules to prepare for the impromptu party.
“About this size, does it seem alright for the Executive Manager?”
“Wow, the portrait looks great!”
The absence of the real Carl led to the decision to seat the doll with his portrait in his place. They had even grabbed the torn remnants of the banner Carl had ripped apart and hung it above the doll.
[Ah! The vibrant life of the Academy in your twenties!]
They discarded the unnecessary words, creating a peculiarly patched-up mess instead. As upkeep of such shabby decor was basically a given for bureaucrats, each minor restoration task barely felt notable.
The ragged banner birthed from Carl’s wrath now proudly displayed itself, leaving the Senior Manager’s gaze drifting downwards.
As his eyes fell on the 3rd Manager performing acrobatics in front of the doll, paired with the 2nd Manager again splashing alcohol onto the portrait, the 1st Manager entered and offered the Senior Manager a drink.
“Have a glass, Senior Manager!”
Without hesitation, the Senior Manager took the drink from the 1st Manager and downed it in one go. He had already drunk six cups before Carl’s call.
“Everything’s going alright there?”
Earlier, Carl’s voice had dripped with anxiety and uncertainty. To which the Senior Manager confidently replied that all was well. It was somewhat akin to a misleading report to a superior…
‘If they aren’t causing incidents, I’m actually more uneasy.’
Curse this irony, but the Senior Manager looked at the Managers throwing a spontaneous bash and thought, ‘No incidents, that’s good!’ What Carl didn’t realize was that the Senior Manager’s threshold for “managers causing incidents” was quite low. Unless it affected the outside world, he couldn’t care less; he knew that if he expressed anger about what happened within their office, the outside observers would start seeing the real mess.
So far, the Managers acted on their toes, keeping it together because of Carl’s presence, meaning the Senior Manager’s mindset hadn’t shone through. But regrettably, Carl wasn’t present now.
Gazing at the 1st Manager who was pouring more drinks, the Senior Manager caught the eye of the 5th Manager in a quiet corner. They both nodded at each other’s understanding, before both downing their drinks nonchalantly. It didn’t really matter since, come afternoon when it was time to work, they’d all sober up anyway.
And thus, the party for the absent Carl proceeded in high spirits.
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