Chapter 4

Chapter 3

I'm a Civil Servant – 3

After almost reaching the point of a thrilling interview with the Golden Ball, I barely managed to salvage the situation, and a week has passed. Until four days ago, I had dreams where Section Chief 3 exploded spectacularly and the Golden Ball finally came to the Inspection Department.

In those dreams, I was helplessly swayed by his hollow laughter and soul-stripping eloquence, and I don't know how many times I slammed the table, thinking, "I should have countered like this!" The details were so vivid that it made me even more frustrated. Is someone controlling my dreams? How could I have the same dream for four consecutive days?

"Did you sleep so well that you had dreams?"

"For four consecutive days…?"

"Slept… well…?"

"The working environment of the Inspection Department has hit rock bottom…"

What was that last part? What did you do for a week without sleeping?

"Section Chief, you covered my shifts, so my date was postponed. I haven't been able to catch up on sleep while handling the backlog."

"Maybe not letting you go home is for the good of the junior section chiefs?"

What a bastard. It seems even in such an environment, some people can still manage to date. Section Chief 3 looked at Section Chief 2 with a sad expression in response to his broad provocation. That guy was a typical failure.

Of course, I am too. After a brief exchange of camaraderie with Section Chief 3 when our eyes met by chance, we turned away. I don't want to get used to this kind of camaraderie.

Section Chief 1, who had been watching the scene, scratched his head and spoke up.

"Director, I have something to say."

"Huh? Didn't the report from Section 1 end?"

"No, I have something else to tell you."

"What is it?"

"The Minister is looking for you. He said to come after the meeting."

My body stiffened at the mention of the Minister, then relaxed. The grace period until after the meeting suggested that it wouldn't be another ink bottle and shouting session.

I felt sad that I instinctively shrank at the word "Minister." There are few superiors, but each one of them is not an ordinary person. Maybe it would be better for my mental health to have ten ordinary superiors instead?

"Why would that old man use a messenger when he has a perfectly good communication system? He made the deputy director do it last time too."

At that, Section Chief 1's red eyes silently stared at me, as if asking, "Do you not know?"

"What, what, what?"

"Director, you don't answer the Minister's calls, right? He gets angry because you only answer three or four out of ten calls."

"Sometimes people get busy and can't answer calls."

A civil servant can sometimes be too busy to answer calls. The Inspection Department is not a village guard post but one of the core departments of the empire. If the director answered all calls, it might be a sign of idleness. The Minister should be happy that his subordinate is busy with work.

Section Chief 2 burst out laughing at my brazen response, as if saying, "That's why you're a regular visitor to the Minister's office."

"If I were the Minister, I would have stuck a pen in your head long ago."

"Guess that's why he always points it at me."

One of my long-standing questions was finally answered. Indeed, that's why…

"Ugh… Anyway, should I go now? He didn't call me in anger, but I'll see an angry Minister if I'm late."

"It's always the same, so it doesn't really matter."

Even though he said that, I quietly stood up. It's even more unpleasant to see him regularly. He always finds new and creative ways to get angry, which is maddening for the recipient. My eyes momentarily glazed over.

"If you keep acting like that, I'll designate you as the next Minister when I retire!"

I still can't forget that roar from a year ago. Touching on what people fear the most, that was too much…

"Anyway, since there's nothing else to say, let's adjourn."

"Yes~"

"Come back safely."

-Knock knock

"Minister, it's me, the head of the Inspection Department."

"Come in."

I seriously considered closing the door as soon as I opened it. The Minister, with dumbbells in both hands, was flexing his muscles while working out. Oh, my eyes.

"…What are you doing?"

"Are you already getting old? I'm working out."

No, I'm not asking because I don't know you're working out. Who works out in their office during business hours?

"Ah, yes, I see."

Of course, I couldn't say that with the Minister right in front of me.

'Being in a workout state is better than an enraged state…'

If he were enraged, those flexing muscles would fly at me. I secretly wished he had spent a hundred days training alone.

The Minister, watching me cautiously enter, threw the dumbbells to one corner, and the floor shook violently with a thud. Crazy… crazy bastard…

"Why are you so surprised? Can't you lift that much?"

"Excuse me? Why do you think I can lift it?"

The Minister, with his impressive muscles on full display, walked over to me as if a giant bear had stood on two legs. The incredible sight made me almost kneel and beg for forgiveness, even though I didn't know what I had done wrong. Anyway, I did something wrong… The Minister, who had approached, frowned and slapped me on the back.

"Ouch!"

"Brat, you look so thin. You've been stuck in your office, so you've lost all your muscle."

"I haven't heard that from anyone…!"

Do you think no one looks thin to you?

I protested spasmodically from the pain in my back, but the Minister ignored me and laughed instead.

"Of course, you haven't heard it. You never go outside."

"Damn, that's even more frustrating."

"Enough, sit down. I called you here for a reason."

The Minister turned his back on me and sat in the main seat, so I had no choice but to sit down without further protest.

'How did he get even bigger in a few weeks?'

A quick scan revealed that his muscles had definitely grown more than last time. Endless growth potential? Who let such a crazy creature loose in the world? Is he even human? He's more like a half-ogre. One thing is certain: he's not meant to stay as the Minister of Finance.

Every time the Ministry of Finance holds a welcome party for new officials, the pupils of the new recruits shake wildly at the sight of the Minister. This is proof that it's not just my opinion but everyone's. He's more suited to be the Minister of War or a marshal, not the Minister of Finance. In many ways.

"What are you thinking?"

"Just that you're amazing."

If I told people I work under someone like him, they would probably think I'm in a gang, not the Inspection Department…

The Minister, seemingly uninterested in my flattery, leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. Wow, even the chair looks small now.

"You don't have any work to do lately, right?"

"Well, no. If I had any, it would have been assigned by you, wouldn't it?"

There are many reports and tasks from the sections, but there's nothing the director needs to handle directly. I almost got involved in the Golden Ball incident, but fortunately, it was resolved at the Section 3 level.

"Hmm…"

"Why are you doing that? Are you trying to give me a break? But there's nothing for either of us to do lately, right?"

"There wasn't, but there is now."

"Why end it there? That's unsettling."

So, there is something now. I instinctively saw a future of being beaten up and frowned. But the Minister didn't care whether I showed dissatisfaction in front of him.

'What is it? Is it really a big deal?'

Showing my dissatisfaction openly, the Minister, who doesn't just sit idly by, didn't immediately shout or punch me. Silence is the most terrifying, and this is definitely not a regular matter. Damn, it's only been a week since the Golden Ball incident was resolved, and something else has happened?

Meanwhile, the Minister, like me, was deep in thought. A task had come up, but it was too big for a section chief to handle and too small for the Minister to go personally. Of course, he could force a section chief to go, but if things went wrong, the Minister might have to intervene directly.

The problem was that the Minister couldn't move around freely these days. If he could, he would have acted without hesitation.

'Should I give this to him?'

Kal was one of the section chiefs in the Ministry of Finance, but considering the status of the Inspection Department and Kal's personal status, he couldn't be considered just a section chief. He was definitely above the others, though not on par with the Minister.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"You said you wanted to go to the Academy, right?"

My eyes widened, and I felt a surge of energy. Yes, I often said that. I wanted to enjoy a simple life at the Academy instead of this hellish civil service life. Every time I said that, I would get a slap on the back from the Minister, telling me to stop whining.

'Could it be? A promotion? A retirement promotion?'

If so, I could understand why the Minister was so conflicted. He had to let go of such a high-level talent, and naturally, he would think long and hard. But he decided to accept my resignation.

In fact, I trusted the Minister. I believed that beneath his rough exterior and harsh tone lay a serious and considerate heart. That's why he didn't ignore my heartfelt pleas and eventually accepted them! Although we only spent about four years together, those four years were more meaningful than forty. Ah, yes, indeed.

"Minister! I have always deeply respected you!"

The Minister looked at me as if to say, "This brat is at it again." But I didn't care. In my heart, the Minister had already become a hero who granted my lifelong wish.

"Leaving your side to be just a student at the Academy is a sad thing, but I will never forget the four years that felt like forty years with you. From the moment I first met you, my time has flowed differently. That's why these four years felt like four hundred years…"

The Minister, who had been listening indifferently, handed me a document while letting my retirement speech go in one ear and out the other.

"Stop whining and read this."

"─So, the four thousand years with you… What is this? A retirement benefits form?"

Only then did I stop my resignation speech and take the document the Minister handed me. Normally, I would have received it as if it were radioactive waste, but in my heart, the Minister had already become a god ruling the world for the sake of order.

"…What?"

A single sentence in the document shook my faith in the Minister.

My eyes trembled as they met the Minister's.

The Minister nodded calmly.

"You said you wanted to go to the Academy. I made a special effort for you."

"This crazy! I said I wanted to attend the Academy, not work there! Who in their right mind would want to work at the Academy!"

But the order was already written. The Minister of Finance, appointed by the Emperor, had issued the directive. Refusing without a valid reason would be a challenge to the Emperor and the Empire.

If you don't like it, tough luck. If you're unhappy, go to another department. The karma I usually inflicted on the section chiefs was now coming back to me. Although I had learned all that karma from the Minister. Ultimately, with no justification left, I had no choice but to leave the Minister's office with the order, which was essentially a slave certification.

"Real bastard…"

The Minister's status changed from god to bastard.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!

To find the essence of "A Civil Servant in a Fantasy World"…