The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 107
‘If I fall from here, I’ll die!’
If I fell like this, it would be instant death. Even as I fought to obey, a scream rose to the tip of my throat.
We didn’t fall—instead, we landed on a nearby branch.
My eyes widened as I gasped for breath, and there on the adjacent branch was a figure in black clothing. It was a Raven Servant, concealing their form.
“Don’t move. Just watch.”
Kiaros commanded in a low voice.
Nestled in his embrace, I breathed heavily and blinked frantically. At the same moment, the man beside us made a bird’s cry.
‘Watch? What does that mean?’
From the context, that bird call seemed to be a signal among the Ravens—something like “don’t move.”
I blinked, bewildered. As my eyes darted about, Kiaros whispered.
“Namia, you haven’t witnessed many crime scenes, so you wouldn’t know—but people moving covertly don’t usually walk that slowly. They don’t carry their target in plain sight like that either.”
Ah, field experience.
I couldn’t compete with someone who had that. It wasn’t something in books, nor something you could study separately.
Now that I thought about it, Anastasia hadn’t brought the beaker she was supposed to swap in her hands.
I’d assumed she’d hidden it somewhere before entering, which meant she’d have to conceal it again when leaving.
“We can watch a bit longer. At this rate, she won’t get far anyway. Fortunately, the liquid is in a cup with the lid still open, so there’s no chance someone could suddenly snatch it or ambush her, kill her, and take it.”
I was amazed at how much he’d deduced in such a short time. And the way he whispered the explanation to me, even though we could have simply observed in silence, felt tender.
“However….”
He studied my face as he continued.
“I have no idea why Anastasia would do such a thing.”
In any case, we watched Anastasia’s retreating figure from high in the tree. She had already left the Office Building and was walking toward the Garden beside it.
True to form, her gait was utterly unhurried. There wasn’t the slightest hint that she was engaged in anything secretive.
And in one corner of the Garden she was heading toward….
“Here.”
Anastasia handed the beaker to Victor.
“Is it done? Are we finished?”
* * *
Anastasia had been leaving work latest these days. Though even that was only 6:30 PM.
The reason she left thirty minutes late was simple: she’d recently placed a book called “The End of Obsession Is Escape” in the Office, and it was far too captivating.
‘Should I just take this home? No, I need to read the home books separately at home. I brought this one to read during lunch or break time at the Office.’
Since “The Doomed Escape” which she was currently devouring at home was also an excellent work, she could barely manage to stand from her desk by 6:30 PM.
Just as she was preparing to leave the empty Office.
“Anastasia? You’re still here?”
Victor, whom she thought had already left, came back into the Office. Anastasia tilted her head as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
“What, did you need something?”
“Huh? Why are you talking like that?”
“I, I’m leaving around this time, and you, you know that well, don’t you?”
“Ah… you’re too perceptive, Anastasia.”
“It’s, it’s something everyone in the Office knows, so….”
Anastasia shrugged her shoulders. Victor was strikingly handsome and had been a celebrated charmer since his Academy days, but she didn’t particularly care for him.
It was clear he harbored feelings for Namia, yet he kept poking and prodding at her from every angle—precisely the type she despised most.
“Actually… something just came up. A favor.”
“What is it?”
“I ran into the Minister of Education earlier, and he asked me to bring him a vial of Yongin blood. He said he’d be conducting experiments in his room starting tonight. Apparently, he’s not feeling well.”
Anastasia nodded readily.
Truthfully, she’d been puzzled why he even came to the Production Workshop when he could conduct such experiments with nothing more than a desk and scrollwork paper.
“He said I could bring it anytime today. You know I have a lot of appointments, so I actually have plans this evening.”
Victor spoke with a slight smirk.
“But now that I think about it, this seems like an opportunity for the Minister and me to be alone together.”
“Uh… what?”
“I’m going to confess.”
Anastasia’s eyes widened instantly, her interests having struck a bullseye.
“While I hand this over… I’m going to confess. That I’ve liked him for a long time, and I’ve hesitated for so long, but now I simply can’t hold back anymore.”
“W-w-w-wait. A confession isn’t something you just… challenge into.”
Anastasia offered her counsel with genuine sincerity.
“A confession should be like a Christmas present a child receives—that’s how you make it succeed.”
“Huh? You mean I need to put such pure feelings into it?”
“No, that’s not it. I mean, it’s when someone’s already expecting to receive a gift and is full of anticipation. Like, if they don’t get it, they’d be upset and bewildered. That kind of situation.”
Victor’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t argue and continued.
“Still, I’m going to do it. Otherwise, the Crown Prince will steal him away from me.”
“Ah… because of the Crown Prince…”
Everyone in the Scroll Department knew that Kiaros was expressing his affection for Namia by even drawing blood for her. Honestly, it was already common knowledge throughout the entire Civil Service.
Anastasia nodded.
“Y-yes… well then, good luck. And prepare yourself for the rejection route…”
“But there’s a problem. Since I have plans this evening, I arranged to deliver it at night, but there’s an issue.”
“What kind of issue?”
“I’m a coward… I really don’t have the courage to cross through a dark corridor. But I also don’t want to miss this chance to be alone with him, and I can’t exactly carry it with me to my appointment either…”
He made his request with an earnest expression.
“Could you bring it here tonight? Only Team Leader-level staff can enter the Production Workshop anyway. If you just bring it, I’ll handle the delivery myself.”
Truth be told, if things continued this way, there was a high probability he’d never confess at all.
Confessing to the Crown Prince’s lover would mean losing his life, after all.
“O-okay. But I have a condition.”
Under normal circumstances, Anastasia would never return to work after clocking out. But this request aligned far too perfectly with her interests.
“H-how does it go? I want to hear the aftermath. Y-you have to tell me. In as much detail as possible. Remember all the dialogue.”
“… Why are you so convinced I’m going to be rejected? Do you really think Namia will go to the Crown Prince?”
“No.”
Anastasia shook her head.
“A-actually… I think Kibon has a higher chance.”
“… Why on earth?”
In that moment, a shadow fell across Victor’s face. Seeing that thick, viscous expression, Anastasia became certain of Victor’s feelings.
He truly did care for Namia. Yet it was slightly different from what she’d anticipated.
‘I thought he might be following the regret route—not wanting to keep her himself, yet reluctant to let her go to another. But what is this dense, murky emotion? And why does it feel… right?’
Victor, noticing Anastasia’s slight bewilderment, demanded an explanation.
“She’s just a foreign intern.”
“Uh, what?”
“She’s not even as handsome as the Crown Prince, and when I looked up her address, she’s not wealthy either. She doesn’t have a proper job, and her bloodline is unremarkable.”
“You, you looked up her address? You’re darker than I thought, aren’t you? How thrilling…”
“She’s inferior to Namia in every way. So why?”
A hint of madness flickered in Victor’s eyes.
“I failed as Student Council President, failed as a senior at work, failed as a marquis’s son—so why does she succeed?”
“That, well…”
Anastasia blinked as she spoke.
“You should ask her when you confess. How would I know what’s in the Minister of Education’s heart?”
Yet inwardly, she thought: ‘I think I understand.’
There was no reason not to help him with this request anyway.
“Here.”
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Is that… enough?”
Victor, sitting on the bench, let out a dry laugh and nodded.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Victor slowly rose and walked toward her. He took the beaker from her hands and carefully set it on the bench.
“You’ve done well, Anastasia. Thank you.”
That was when Anastasia sensed a sudden surge of killing intent directed at her.

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