I’m a Rookie, but I’m an Experienced Professional - Chapter 28

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 28

 

Is this what they mean by getting something without lifting a finger?

 

In the midst of my ambiguous feelings—unable to be purely happy yet unable to dislike it either—I heard heavy footsteps.

 

When I turned my head, I saw Callix Crowbell covered in dust.

 

The knights behind him were in a similar state. Dirt was stuck in every gap of their armor, and their swords were stained with thick blood.

 

Had they just finished dealing with the worm habitat?

 

“Why are you here?”

 

As soon as Callix saw me, he raised his eyebrows and asked.

 

“Well…”

 

“Ugh.”

 

As I was about to answer, Bram Gus clutched his head and sat up.

 

“That woman…”

 

“That woman?”

 

When Callix Crowbell repeated the words, Bram Gus’s face instantly hardened.

 

He sprang up so quickly it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been groaning moments before, then bowed deeply toward the lord.

 

“Greetings, my lord!”

 

It was amazing that he could do that even with bandages wrapped around his chest.

 

Callix glanced over Bram Gus once, then looked back at me without saying anything.

 

“I asked why you’re here.”

 

“I came to see you, my lord.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes. I had something to ask about the drainage construction.”

 

His eyebrows rose slightly.

 

Callix Crowbell handed the sword he was carrying to a knight standing behind him and said something.

 

The knights then dispersed in perfect order. Bram Gus also read the situation and quickly disappeared.

 

Callix Crowbell turned back to me and nodded his head.

 

“Follow me.”

 

* * *

 

“What are you curious about?”

 

As soon as Callix Crowbell entered his study, he took off his dust-covered coat and handed it to the butler while asking.

 

“I heard that the drainage construction will be suspended for a while until the worm habitat is found.”

 

“That’s right. So?”

 

Callix Crowbell, who had even undone his cufflinks, sat on the edge of his desk.

 

“Did you rush here because you’re worried we won’t finish before the autumn rains due to the construction halt?”

 

“Yes, that’s correct.”

 

Since there was no reason to hide it, I answered honestly.

 

“But judging by your appearance, my lord, it seems you’ve just returned from clearing the worm habitat.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

When Callix picked up a cup, the butler filled it with water.

 

“A good detection dog happened to come by, so I put it to good use.”

 

I guess there are dogs that can find monster habitats, like drug detection dogs.

 

“We’ve cleared all the worm habitats near the river, so construction can proceed as scheduled.”

 

The lord dismissed the butler and continued speaking.

 

“However, there are many injured, so we’ll need to find new workers.”

 

“I was thinking the same thing. So, could you station knights during the work?”

 

“Knights?”

 

“Yes. Even though the worm habitats have been cleared, people will still be reluctant to work out of concern. But if your knights are there to protect them reliably, they’ll come out with peace of mind.”

 

The lord thought for a moment, then nodded.

 

“Let’s do that. Is there anything else you need?”

 

Oh, does this mean he’ll grant whatever I ask for?

 

“Then I’d like to hire about twice as many workers as before. Some of the work we’ve already done has been damaged, and we need to compensate for the delay with manpower. If possible, I’d like to work at night too.”

 

Thinking I couldn’t miss this opportunity, I rattled off all the conditions I wanted.

 

The lord stared at me intently.

 

‘Did I make too unreasonable a request?’

 

But I couldn’t give up on any of it…

 

“Yesterday, you could have just run away, but you went to save people instead.”

 

While I was pondering how to persuade him, the lord spoke.

 

“Even though I told you to rest until tomorrow, you dragged your injured leg all the way here to check on the construction situation.”

 

His eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

 

“Why are you working so hard?”

 

It was ironic to be suspected for working hard.

 

“I’m just doing my best at the job I was given.”

 

“It’s not because of the wish, is it?”

 

“That’s part of it too.”

 

Though it was actually the biggest reason, I didn’t want to reveal my true feelings, so I deflected appropriately.

 

The lord stared at me for a moment, then spoke again.

 

“You said you want to hire more people? Fine. Do that.”

 

“What about working at night?”

 

Hoping he’d allow this too, I asked casually.

 

“Well. Can the workers endure from dawn until late at night? There won’t be any light at night either.”

 

“I’m thinking of doing it in two shifts. People who come out at dawn work until 1 PM, and those who start then work until 8 PM.”

 

That was also why I wanted to hire twice as many workers.

 

Since it was hard physical labor using the whole body, it would be much more efficient to rotate shifts appropriately rather than making them work long hours.

 

“For lighting, we can use gas lamps. That level of brightness is sufficient for simple digging work.”

 

At my proposal, Callix raised his lips as if finding it interesting.

 

“I’ve thought this before, but you come up with many ingenious ideas.”

 

“Haha, do I?”

 

I’d like to tell him this is common in the world I originally lived in.

 

“Then people working at night will need carriages to get home. I’ll prepare those as well.”

 

Ah, that’s right. At 7 PM, all the stagecoaches stop running, so there’d be no transportation.

 

“Thank you for your consideration.”

 

I sincerely thanked him for taking care of aspects I hadn’t even thought of.

 

“Anything else you need?”

 

“Nothing right now.”

 

“Nothing right now means there might be something later.”

 

Tsk, unnecessarily sharp.

 

“Then I’ll be going now.”

 

“Are you returning to the hunters’ village?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How will you get back?”

 

At his question, I checked the clock on the desk.

 

7:10 PM. It was past the time when all stagecoaches would have stopped running.

 

‘When did it get so late?’

 

While talking with the lord, I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

 

Should I sleep in the guard room tonight?

 

“I’ll provide a carriage.”

 

“That’s not necessary.”

 

I hurriedly shook my head at the lord’s suggestion.

 

“I can sleep in the guard room, so it’s fine.”

 

“You must not like being indebted to me.”

 

“Well, yes…”

 

“Or are you refusing because you’re worried the rumors might grow worse?”

 

When I smiled awkwardly at being hit right on the mark, Callix Crowbell chuckled.

 

“Other women are desperate to get involved with me somehow, yet you’re refusing that opportunity. I always feel this way, but you’re truly peculiar.”

 

If those women knew that you’d be consumed by dark magic and turn evil in the not-so-distant future, they’d be horrified and run away.

 

“That makes me look forward to it even more.”

 

The corner of Callix’s mouth curved up crookedly.

 

“Reducing autumn monsoon damage won’t be easy, but work hard at it. Even if you fail, don’t get too discouraged.”

 

Was it my imagination that it sounded like he was speaking on the premise of failure?

 

“You may go now.”

 

After leaving the study, I returned to the City Planning Department office while mulling over my uncomfortable feelings.

 

* * *

 

That day I slept in the guard room and returned to the hunters’ village in the morning.

 

“Eileen, you’re back? You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, have you? Come sit here.”

 

Tabin, who happened to be preparing breakfast, welcomed me warmly.

 

In the past, he used to get restless if I was even a little late, but lately he seemed completely unbothered.

 

It seemed he had gotten used to it after I spent several days in the guard room working on the drainage canal blueprints before.

 

“Did the worm problem get resolved well?”

 

“Yes. Thanks to the lord clearing out all their habitats, it looks like construction will resume tomorrow.”

 

“That’s good.”

 

While eating breakfast and chatting about various things regarding the drainage canal construction, I recalled the meaningful words the lord had said before I left his study.

 

“I have something I’m curious about.”

 

It was also a problem I had pondered all night in the guard room but couldn’t find an answer to.

 

“What does it mean when someone asks you to solve something urgently, then says something like ‘I don’t know if you can do it, but work hard at it’?”

 

“Hmm, well.”

 

Tabin took a sip of water and thought for a moment before speaking.

 

“It looks like teasing to me.”

 

“Teasing?”

 

“Yes. He wants to see how much the person he asked will struggle.”

 

Considering the lord’s twisted personality, it was certainly possible.

 

‘But that man seemed to genuinely care about his territory’s people…’

 

You could tell from how he was the first to ask me to prevent summer and autumn monsoon damage,

 

and how he personally went out to clear the habitats when the drainage canal construction was delayed because of the worms.

 

The typical lords I had read about in books would just order their subordinates around and wouldn’t move personally.

 

If it wasn’t the meaning Tabin suggested, then what exactly was contained in those words?

 

I had asked Tabin to find an answer, but somehow my head became even more complicated.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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