The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 114

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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 114
“Ahhhhh!”
“What?! What is it?!”
With a thunderous crack, the Priests burst out first. Through the narrow gap in the door, I could glimpse the chaos unfolding outside.
They had been sleeping peacefully before the sudden commotion jolted them awake. Simultaneously, the Palace Knights and Attendants on patrol came rushing over.
“What has happened?”
“What’s going on?”
Moments later, the Civil Service officials from the nearby Department who were on night duty also came running.
“We heard an explosion coming from this area!”
With so many people gathering, there was no way this incident could be swept under the rug.
By tomorrow morning, reports would certainly be filed, and even if the accident was deemed minor with no casualties, the Construction Department would begin comprehensive safety inspections of the entire Temple.
But then….
The Dormitory wall, which seemed destined to collapse just once, made another crashing sound as it gave way.
“Ahhhhh!”
“It’s collapsing again?!”
Kibon, pressed tightly against me, let out a soft groan and pressed his forehead with his hand. Then he whispered low.
“I apologize….”
His breath tickled my ear from how close we were. The warmth of his proximity was unmistakable.
But to hear “I apologize” from Kibon of all people!
Kibon was someone who never said those words, no matter what happened.
It wasn’t that he never did anything wrong. But he never even offered a casual “pardon me” to his superiors.
Yet now, those words had come from Kibon’s lips. It was truly astonishing. I shook my head in surprise.
“Why are you apologizing? It seems the Crown Prince gave you a bomb that was far too powerful!”
As I shook my head, my forehead rubbed against his chest. He held his breath, his eyes squeezing shut. Outside, absolute chaos had erupted.
“Wait, there’s no one inside, is there?”
“Everyone has already come out!”
At that moment, the ground shook with a tremendous boom, and the Storage where we were collapsed with a sickening crunch.
“No, the Storage is collapsing too!”
I hadn’t accounted for this at all!
Why was the Storage collapsing into chaos?
“Fortunately, it’s already packed full with farming tools, so there’s likely no one inside.”
“Right? Who would be in there in the middle of the night anyway?”
Kibon and I were startled but couldn’t even scream, pressed tightly together as we were.
Of course, as the Storage collapsed, we both fell.
Fortunately, the farming tools tangled together, creating a tiny pocket of space that protected us.
And in that split second… Kibon fell beneath me, shielding my body with his own, so I remained completely unharmed.
From that position, I heard footsteps approaching the Storage.
“Sigh, we’ll need to rebuild this….”
“The Construction Department didn’t do a safety inspection here, did they? It was nearly collapsed already.”
Kibon and I went rigid, exchanging only bewildered glances with each other.
Throughout it all, the distance between us had become far too close.
Kibon lay on his back beneath me, his arms wrapped around me protectively, while I found myself pressed against his chest.
It was an awkward situation, and the confined space left me unable to move even slightly.
“…I’m terribly sorry….”
Kibon whispered the words with an expression of genuine distress. I opened my eyes wide and hastily shook my head in denial.
“What are you apologizing for? This is all because of the Crown Prince, after all.”
“That’s true, but… I’m still truly sorry….”
It would have been manageable if people had simply gathered in large numbers, but the real problem was that some were now peering into the storage room itself.
If anyone discovered us in this position… it would be absolutely catastrophic.
‘If only I’d rushed out from the beginning… No, even that wouldn’t have helped….’
In the end, remaining perfectly still was our only option. Each time footsteps sounded near the storage room, my heart would race with tension.
And beneath me, Kibon’s heart was pounding just as intensely.
Our heartbeats were so close that we could feel them synchronizing, both of us equally tense in the darkness. When our eyes met in the gloom, heat rushed to the tips of my ears.
“Should we just leave this as is?”
“The storage room’s condition is worse than the chapel, isn’t it?”
A couple of people kept peering around the storage room, each making their own comments.
My body had gone rigid, completely unable to move, and our breaths mingled together. That’s when it happened.
“Oh my!”
“Good heavens!”
The storage room wall collapsed once more with a tremendous crash, and farm tools clattered loudly. I nearly cried out, but managed to stifle it with desperate effort.
“Goodness, if we touch it, things will only get worse.”
“It’s better to leave it alone unless we want to wake everyone up.”
“Let’s deal with it in the morning.”
Fortunately, the collapsing farm tools sent the people who had been peering around the storage room on their way.
They then joined the group that had been inspecting the Temple.
“Ah, there are bomb fragments here.”
“It must have rolled in and detonated.”
They had apparently already discovered the bomb debris that Kibon had detonated.
“But why is there a bomb here?”
“This looks like it came from the Palace Knight Order, doesn’t it? The Crown Prince distributed an official notice earlier that mentioned something about bombs.”
“Huh? What was it?”
“The Knight Order was collecting and disposing of unexploded ordnance today when several birds grabbed some and flew away with them. They’re telling us to inspect the buildings and be careful about safety accidents.”
“Ah yes, that’s right! That’s why the Attendants came to inspect our department earlier!”
Through all of this, Kiaros’s handling of the situation had been flawless.
He had already laid the groundwork to prevent any questions from arising about the bomb’s whereabouts.
He truly was a meticulous and thorough person.
“It seems the Imperial Palace Temple has no assigned civil servant, so they couldn’t verify it.”
“We need to assign someone responsible for this. Ah, but not our department. It’s too far away.”
“Our department is swamped too. Tell the Construction Department to handle it. Isn’t that their job anyway?”
And so, the civil servants’ perfect finale was watching them scramble to pass the work off to another department.
Amidst the commotion, the High Priest’s voice rang out.
“If there are no major issues, it seems you may depart.”
At that, the gathered crowd began offering their own remarks.
“Still, you could remain here for now, couldn’t you? Until the safety inspection is complete, please stay in another room within the Imperial Palace.”
“That would be preferable. Come along now.”
It was the sensible thing to say.
Simultaneously, it was the sound of their plan to summon Kiaros and then collapse the Temple crumbling to dust.
I heard the High Priest sigh.
“Sigh…”
In a situation like this, insisting on staying would have been suspicious.
Eventually, the High Priest and the Priests began following the Attendant, their footsteps heavy.
The sound of their footsteps fading into the distance reached my ears.
I whispered to Kibon.
“Even after those people leave, I think we should stay still for a while.”
With farming tools precariously stacked all around us, I was terrified that if we tried to leave, we might cause an even louder crash.
But then, with a tremendous crash, another pile of tools collapsed. People clicked their tongues from a distance.
“Goodness, what a mess that is.”
“That Storage needs to be rebuilt entirely. We should just move everything out while we’re at it.”
It truly was a disaster.
Still, I was grateful they didn’t return despite their remarks. I was exhaling a sigh of relief when Kibon whispered urgently.
“Please… stay still…”
“Hmm? I’m not moving.”
“Don’t… fidget… I’m… struggling.”
“Your position is uncomfortable? Then wait a moment.”
But the instant I shifted even slightly, another tremendous crash echoed through the space, and this time a section of the wall collapsed. I startled and pressed myself back against him, whispering.
“No, we should just stay still.”
“…Yes…”
Kibon squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled a pained breath.
Though the people seemed to have all left, my heart continued to pound fiercely, refusing to settle.
Kibon and I were in the same state.
Rather, now that the people had departed, in the silence I could hear more distinctly the rustling of our clothing and the mingling of our breaths.

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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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