The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 55

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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 55
The Minister of Finance was indeed seasoned. His expression grew guarded, as if sensing something amiss.
I, who had been watching in silence with sharp eyes, spoke in one breath.
“It seems you’re suggesting I recorded the balance incorrectly, but I’ve actually been troubled by some irregularities in the Finance Ministry’s documents. Here, in this section, the magic circle usage fee is calculated at 0.035%, but in fact, we lowered the fee to 0.032% five years ago. Since it was announced through the Scroll Management Department, the Finance Ministry had no viewing authority over it. In principle, the Finance Ministry should verify with us once a year, but it appears you never inquired because there had been no fee changes for the past 159 years.”
“Uh, what?”
At my response, the Minister of Finance’s complexion changed instantly.
He quickly regained his composure and asked with wide eyes.
“But if a fee that hasn’t changed for 159 years suddenly does change, shouldn’t you have informed us? Isn’t that common sense?”
“Of course that would be the sensible approach, but in principle, the verification itself is the Finance Ministry’s responsibility. As a principled man, Minister, surely you understand?”
Of course, it wasn’t the Minister’s fault.
A minister couldn’t possibly verify such minute details.
“Fine. But.”
The Minister of Finance stared at the documents intently for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.
“I understand the Minister of Scrolls’ point. But if the fee was lowered to 0.032% five years ago, why did the Finance Ministry’s balance always work out perfectly?”
It seemed he had postponed his original intention of forcing my resignation.
After all, the Finance Ministry’s affairs came first.
I smiled slyly and spoke.
“The missing 0.003% fee for four years… someone must have been embezzling it. That’s why the balance worked out perfectly.”
The Minister of Finance’s face turned completely pale.
‘Perfect.’
I grinned and shrugged my shoulders.
‘The Loapi Baronial Family is finished now.’
The problematic 0.003% fee.
It was a small amount for the department as a whole. But for an individual, it was substantial, and accumulated over four years, it became quite considerable.
I discovered this fact while reviewing Huan’s documents.
[Huan? About the magic circle usage fee—who’s responsible for inquiring about it in our department?]
[Me. I’m the one who goes to the Magic Tower and pays the usage fee.]
[The Magic Tower lowered the fee starting last year. Fix this. The calculations should have been off since last year, right?]
[Ah, so that’s why the Magic Tower refunded gold coins last year? What should I do? I just thought they made a calculation error there and took it for myself.]
[…What? Are you insane?]
I nearly jumped out of my seat, but Huan blinked and spoke.
[It works out perfectly. Just for a few years—I should keep this. I can just say the fee was lowered right before the person in charge changed.]
[Are you in your right mind? Embezzlement is grounds for disciplinary action.]
[Who knows the Magic Tower lowered the fee? Your department people don’t do their jobs anyway. They won’t even notice. The Magic Tower people never show their faces to the world. I’m just exploiting a loophole in the system.]
[This is absurd. If I didn’t know, fine, but knowing this and still—]
[If I get disciplined, everyone will think you ratted me out, Namia.]
Huan spoke with a swagger.
[Then you’ll never find out where your father is.]
[Hey, you…]
[Don’t play innocent. You already committed fraud on the exam.]
[What are you talking about?]
[I did all your assignments for you. That’s basically cheating on the exam, isn’t it? And you’re exploiting the system’s loopholes for your father just the same, aren’t you?]
In the end, I had no choice but to hold my tongue.
But I hadn’t forgotten.
‘And it’s paying off!’
The Minister of Finance wasn’t a fool—he couldn’t possibly fail to deduce what Huan, his subordinate, had been doing.
“Minister.”
I spoke, looking directly at the Minister of Finance.
“Aren’t you curious how I came to know such an extraordinary fact?”
“….”
“Ask Huan about the reports he’s submitted up until now.”
Of course, he wouldn’t be able to answer a single question.
Then you’ll know whose mind those reports came from.
To be honest, I wasn’t entirely blameless myself.
I hadn’t even intended to claim that achievement as my own.
But….
‘I may not be able to face myself, but if I can take it, I should.’
I glanced around at the department staff trembling outside the Minister’s Office.
‘How many mouths depend on me.’
Nine employees remaining in the Scroll Department. No, ten if you count the New Intern.
I couldn’t let them continue to be disrespected and live like this.
And there was another reason.
‘If Huan is fired, the Loapi Baronial Family is finished.’
The Loapi Baron already had substantial debts. He was using his son’s civil service position to patch one debt with another.
But if Huan gets fired?
‘The creditors will swarm in demanding full repayment.’
Moreover, Huan now had to return three times the embezzled amount to the state treasury according to protocol.
‘Then they’ll have to sell the house.’
As far as I knew, that house was all they owned.
The house my father had bought for them.
‘So they’d become beggars, essentially.’
The Minister of Finance cleared his throat, looking flustered.
“Oh, by the way.”
I bowed respectfully as I spoke.
“According to protocol, only the person who leaked internal departmental documents is subject to disciplinary action. As you’re well aware….”
Even if I wrote the reports for him, I’m not subject to discipline.
The Minister of Finance stared at me for a moment, his eyes wavering.
Then….
“Let’s, let’s talk about this later. I should go check on things first.”
He excused himself and rushed out in a panic.
‘Ah.’
I watched his retreating figure and thought to myself.
‘Being a minister is wonderful….’
Now that I’d become a minister, I could speak directly to the Minister of Finance like this.
If I were still a lowly clerk like before, this situation would have been unthinkable.
‘This is absolutely insane…. It’s so good.’
And the ability to submit budget proposals like this—wasn’t that the minister’s prerogative?
Without the minister’s position, I couldn’t have even raised these points through documents.
If I’d merely mentioned it to some low-ranking Finance Ministry official, I’d either be ignored outright or hear complaints about creating unnecessary work.
‘With power, things really do get resolved quickly and efficiently…. This is no joke….’
The long-standing emptiness and pain in my heart was, if only temporarily, soothed by this power.
I smiled slightly and spoke to Kibon.
“Well.”
Kibon simply stared at me with a dazed expression.
“Shall we get back to work? We still haven’t finished the review.”
* * *
Kiaros stared intently at Namia. She was truly an astonishing woman.
Just her interpretation of the Imperial language alone was remarkable.
To receive a translation of the Imperial language I’d used my entire life….
‘Huan will certainly be dismissed.’
Kiaros had already made arrangements with the Loapi Baronial Family.
The only problem was Huan Loapi, whose civil service status was guaranteed….
‘And she’s resolving it on her own.’
Namia’s eyes sparkled as she reviewed the documents again.
Kiaros gazed at Namia’s face.
A woman who had longed for family dinners and ordinary conversations.
Yet… a woman who pursued power and actively soothed that emptiness through it.
‘She’s caught the Minister of Finance’s eye. He’ll likely visit again soon.’
Had Namia calculated this situation from the very beginning?
The Minister of Finance was someone Kiaros knew well.
An authoritative man, but equally capable.
‘And his adopted son… isn’t he in this department?’
He glanced at the Scroll Department roster.
Namia had reorganized the department and promoted him to team leader of this organization.
Moreover, she had urgently sent a recall request to him while he was on an extended overseas assignment.
‘Victor Awin….’
Since Victor had registered as an adopted son after becoming a civil servant, he hadn’t been seen in social circles.
He pretended to examine the organizational chart before suddenly asking.
“By the way, Minister. Team Leader Victor Awin here shares the same surname as the Minister of Finance.”
“Ah, yes.”
“So you’re blood relatives.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then Victor must have that same stubborn personality too.”
“Ah, no.”
…Wait.
‘Ah, yes’? That’s not right?
Namia continued speaking.
“You’re not stubborn at all, senior.”
…What?
Seniiiiiiiior?

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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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