The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 63

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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 63
The Minister of Education slammed his hand against the table.
“I’ve already become a Minister—how am I supposed to handle this? By principle, he and I hold equal positions.”
Even as he spoke, the Minister of Education ground his teeth in frustration.
Then Riedan shrugged and replied.
“Above the Minister, there is the Imperial Family, is there not?”
At Riedan’s words, the Minister of Education’s eyes narrowed.
He had roughly anticipated what Riedan was driving at.
“I believe I could handle this for you.”
The ‘price’ for doing so need not be spoken aloud—he understood perfectly.
It was a favorable performance evaluation.
“You understand, don’t you?”
Riedan ground a scattered document beneath his shoe as he spoke.
“Jayden Young Prince listens only to me.”
A shadow darker than that cast upon the Minister of Education’s face fell across Riedan’s features.
The Ministry of Education was a coveted department. He had clawed his way to Team Leader through countless underhanded schemes.
Even then, he would need to wait another decade merely to become a candidate for Minister.
Throughout that process, he had to constantly worry about his evaluations.
‘Yet this green-eared brat suddenly caught the Tower Master’s eye and became a Minister?’
On top of that, he had apparently caught the Minister of Finance’s attention and secured a substantial budget.
‘I need to eliminate this irritation. This is my chance to secure better evaluations and stability.’
Riedan smiled with sinister intent.
“Hmm.”
The Minister of Education also raised his eyebrows and nodded, though his words remained deliberately vague.
“The authority of the Empire is indeed quite important, but….”
At those words, Riedan’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“Am I not already protecting Jayden Young Prince from his lowborn mother? Consider this merely an extension of that protection.”
* * *
Kiaros’s expression was grave. I caught a glimpse of his profile and barely managed to swallow a sip of tea.
By human instinct, one could not help but feel tense in the presence of a dragon.
‘I’m sorry for taking your time….’
Yet inwardly, I still spoke in casual tones.
That too was human nature.
‘But your younger brother is in such a state now. You need to know the truth.’
After staring at Jayden’s disrespectful letter for some time, Kiaros let out a deep sigh.
Then he set the documents down with a sharp tap.
“First, allow me to explain the contents of the documents that Miss Namia brought.”
The Empress looked at Kiaros with an uncertain expression.
This was the first time I had seen the Empress so withdrawn.
“The soundproofing scrolls in the Separate Palace are being consumed far too rapidly.”
“A soundproofing… scroll?”
“It’s a scroll distributed to the Imperial Family for maintaining security during sensitive conversations. It’s been modified so that a simple calculation activates it, so the Empress likely has one as well.”
There existed scrolls where the creator would complete all calculations beforehand, allowing the caster to simply tear it to activate it.
Typically, the inventory was maintained at around five sheets per member of the Imperial Family.
‘Yet the staff at the Separate Palace kept requesting additional scrolls from the Inventory Team.’
I quietly pointed to a corner of the wall.
There lay a heap of shredded scrolls piled high.
“Ah, I had no idea what they were for… I simply used them occasionally for paper-cutting practice, that’s all.”
These were scrolls we had labored so hard to create….
I tried to maintain my composure. That’s when Kiaros continued his explanation.
“Jayden Young Prince is still young, so there should be no need for conversations requiring security. Yet the soundproofing scroll inventory is depleting faster than even the Crown Prince’s Palace.”
“That, that’s…”
“Jayden Young Prince has no friends. Those who visit the Separate Palace are only family members or civil servants from the Ministry of Education responsible for his education.”
Kiaros raised his eyebrows. Then he stated his conclusion calmly.
“Since we have never used scrolls within Jayden Young Prince’s palace, it means the Ministry of Education civil servants are using the Separate Palace’s soundproofing scrolls during lessons.”
“Hmm…”
The Empress blinked, her expression bewildered.
“Does the Imperial Family require soundproofing during their education?”
“That couldn’t be the case.”
Kiaros answered in a low voice.
“It means something that needs to be hidden from the outside is happening during his education.”
“But, but!”
The Empress cried out, gripping her skirts.
“Jayden Young Prince’s academic performance isn’t poor, is it? His relationship with the civil servant overseeing his education is fine, there are no marks of abuse on his body, and unlike me, he’s elegant and dignified wherever he’s presented!”
Yet that outcry was less an argument than a desperate wish.
She simply wanted to deny it. But….
‘Even as empty words, I can’t say otherwise.’
Kiaros seemed to share my thoughts, maintaining his silence.
After a long pause, the Empress trembled and added:
“Your Majesty, I beg you… If something dreadful is happening to Jayden, then surely, absolutely…”
She couldn’t continue.
Seeing her large frame at a loss, a sigh escaped me.
In the awkward silence, I spoke quietly.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is equally uncertain about what’s actually happening.”
To be honest, I was astounded that Kiaros had deduced this much from documents alone.
The moment he saw the statistics, he drew conclusions without even hearing my explanation—truly a genius.
I took the Empress’s hand and spoke gently.
“So wouldn’t it be better if the Empress went to see for herself?”
Then Kiaros interjected, furrowing his brow.
“Going now won’t reveal anything.”
His voice was measured and monotone, as always.
“Even if the Ministry of Education were truly doing something to Jayden Young Prince, they wouldn’t admit it easily. First, we need to secure evidence.”
So I responded with an equally measured and monotone voice.
“According to Article 33, Section 2 of the Palace Knights Law, a Palace Knight may conduct targeted surveillance and entrapment investigations against suspicious individuals with Imperial Family authorization. If the Empress, serving as a Palace Knight, conducts such investigations with the Empress’s authorization as a member of the Imperial Family, the Scroll Department will cooperate fully without reservation regarding all means and methods.”
A moment of silence fell.
The Empress clearly hadn’t understood, but Kiaros furrowed his brow and asked.
“You’re suggesting the Empress conduct entrapment investigations as a Palace Knight? And the Scroll Department will assist with this?”
He grasped that one phrase perfectly.
Then the Empress’s eyes widened as she stepped forward.
“What should I do, hmm? What should I do! My child’s matter, and in the end I have to step in myself! Hehehehe!”
“Allow me to explain. Well, but….”
I glanced at Kiaros.
He had been quite helpful in swaying the Empress’s heart, but now he was no longer particularly necessary.
He was already busy tracking down the mastermind, so it seemed fine to send him off now.
“You must be quite busy, so perhaps you could….”
That’s when the Empress waved her hand and interjected.
“The Crown Prince should join us too! I feel I can only be reassured if the Crown Prince is there with my delicate, pure, and fragile heart!”
Hmm? That’s neither factual nor logical?
As I furrowed my brow, the Empress whispered toward Kiaros.
“You must stay as close as possible to the target. That XX did well, didn’t it?”
Of course I heard everything.
Kiaros pressed his forehead. The Empress’s eyes widened again as she whispered once more.
“Struggle! Seize! Don’t forget. War! Extortion! Confinement!”
So I carefully pointed out.
“The latter part is criminal, Your Majesty.”
Kiaros, who had been quietly observing the Empress, let out a deep sigh.
Then he looked at me and spoke.
“It seems we need at least one person with common sense, so I suppose I should join too. What do you think, Miss Namia?”
“…At least one? But I’m here?”
Kiaros gave no response.
In any case, the two members of the Imperial Family had made their wishes clear….
In the end, we decided the three of us would move together.
“But what’s the method?”
Kiaros examined the documents again and asked.
“Looking at just the documents, there’s no particular method outlined.”
“Ah, that’s because I prepared it together with my secretary. I didn’t include the method.”
I hadn’t told Kibon how to handle it either.
I only had him conduct the research.
At my answer, Kiaros wore a peculiar expression for a moment.
“Why?”
And then he regarded me carefully, asking slowly.
“Is it that you don’t trust the Tower Master’s Secretary?”

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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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