The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 86

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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 86
“What are you talking about?”
“All the mental experiments you attempted on me failed, didn’t they? You said my mental fortitude was so overwhelming and my willpower so formidable that you couldn’t touch it at all.”
Originally, the Organization had planned to strengthen Cedric Loapi and then use him as a human weapon.
Cedric Loapi was an excellent test subject.
He endured and overcame any pain. Whenever precautions were explained to him during the process, he followed them meticulously.
Thus Cedric Loapi grew stronger, but a problem emerged. He refused to move according to their desires.
[Come now, harbor rage toward the world. Don’t you want to destroy everything? Every choice you’ve made has been a disaster anyway, hasn’t it?]
First, he needed to cultivate anger toward the world and align himself with them, but that alone proved difficult.
[Listen carefully. Complaining about things beyond your control despite your efforts won’t help your life. Instead of wasting time on that, you should seek alternative methods achievable through effort. Do you understand? Steel your resolve.]
[Hey! I’m talking about you! Your instincts are terrible! Why are you lecturing me?]
The Experimental Team at the Organization Laboratory reached the following conclusion about Cedric Loapi.
A clear-eyed ethical zealot.
His values were so firmly rooted that brainwashing barely took effect.
[Now, stop thinking. Surrender your will. If you entrust everything to us, you’ll find peace….]
[I cannot rely on the comfort others provide. Listen carefully. As long as I am human, I must not cease thinking. Only through endless contemplation of righteous living can I become the master of my own life.]
[This bastard’s preaching again, damn it!]
[Don’t curse. Profanity doesn’t diminish the other person—it diminishes your own dignity. If there’s conflict, resolve it through dialogue first. Please rephrase that more civilly.]
Ultimately, the Experimental Team reached this conclusion.
[The test subject is so exceptional that we tried to pull him to our side like the others, but… unless we touch his mind, it won’t work. But his mind is unnecessarily resilient! Damn it!]
To touch Cedric Loapi’s mind, he himself had to freely choose to think, “I will willingly cooperate with them.”
That was the surface reason the Masked Woman had come to find Cedric Loapi directly.
“Why are you so fixated on my memories? Answer me.”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“I’ve told you plenty about my daughter all this time.”
“Who asked you to? You just kept rambling on your own!”
That was when blood trickled from Cedric Loapi’s lips. Not long after, more blood gushed out.
“Don’t worry.”
Cedric Loapi spoke urgently after coughing up blood.
“It’s a side effect from the experiments—blood sometimes backs up like this. Usually happens about a month after the experiments. I feel a bit nauseous the day before it happens, but once the blood comes out, I’m fine. It’s nothing serious. In fact, expelling the contaminated blood makes me progressively stronger.”
“What are you saying? I wasn’t worried anyway.”
“Then instead of worrying, tell me something else.”
Cedric Loapi called out desperately to the woman’s retreating figure.
“Namia… Is Namia doing well?”
“How far is the Capital from here? How would I know?”
The woman answered irritably without turning around. Then she added with exasperation.
“She’s probably doing fine.”
Her halted footsteps quickened again. The woman moved away from the prison cell and murmured softly so Cedric Loapi couldn’t hear.
“…Because I made it that way.”
As the woman’s footsteps faded, Cedric Loapi was left alone once more.
Only then did he let out a low groan, the pain from the restraints searing through him.
Fifteen years. Fifteen years confined in this cramped iron cell like a caged beast.
“Namia….”
There were countless moments when I felt on the verge of madness, yet each time I would soothe myself.
“If I let on that I’ve noticed, she’ll stop coming. So I pretend not to know….”
Just as I once explained the day’s events to my little daughter, gently and patiently.
“Your mother isn’t naive, is she? Goodness, she actually thinks I won’t recognize her just because she wears a mask. Fifteen years now….”
6. Victor Awin’s Circumstances
One day before the Saint Cairo Banquet.
The Scroll Department was extraordinarily busy. We had taken on the central event of the banquet.
“The Empress is attending the banquet for the first time in a very long while.”
I spoke kindly to my department members.
“Once we successfully conduct this opening ceremony, I’m certain everyone’s perception of the Scroll Department will change.”
Saint Cairo, symbolizing the love between mother and child.
The Empress and Young Prince were to use scrolls together to create a spectacular visual display.
“You’re all aware that we requested cooperation from the Ministry of Education because our personnel was insufficient, right?”
But it was no simple matter. We needed the magical power and cooperation of many people.
That was why we had turned to the Ministry of Education for assistance.
“About seven fifth-year civil servants will be coming.”
Using staff from another department as auxiliaries for someone else’s event. And fifth-year civil servants at that.
It was frankly an extraordinarily discourteous request.
It was no coincidence that the Minister of Education had come rushing over huffily days ago, or that Luca had offered his concerned advice.
But in the end, the Minister of Education agreed to cooperate. So I personally selected the seven civil servants who would assist us.
‘I haven’t forgotten.’
On my first day as their department head, that exact group had mocked our staff members at the cafe. I had personally distributed a list of ‘tasks for the Ministry of Education employees’ to my team.
“Feel free to assign them whatever you need.”
“B-but… is it really alright to ask them to do things like this…?”
“Yes. I’m planning to cover their dinner expenses from our budget anyway, so don’t hesitate.”
Everyone nodded at my resolute response.
Though I didn’t make it obvious, satisfaction was written plainly across my staff’s faces.
It seemed they too had not forgotten what happened before.
“Of course, have them move all the scrolls too. They’re decorative scrolls, so they’re extremely heavy.”
“D-didn’t you find it difficult to make them?”
Anastasia asked with concern.
“Y-you made all of those by yourself, d-didn’t you…?”
I had made every scroll myself. I’d had to pull several all-nighters, but there was no way around it. I answered with a slight smile.
“Well, it’s fine.”
In truth, my condition wasn’t particularly fine. These past few days, my stomach had been feeling oddly unsettled.
[You rushed ahead and did it, then realized it wasn’t quite right, didn’t you? That’s why your complexion looks so poor, isn’t it? Anyone can see you’re not feeling well.]
Now that I think about it, Luca truly had a discerning eye. He had seen through my discomfort at a glance, reading it from my complexion alone.
‘I think I’ve been pushing myself too hard. I’ll need to rest after the banquet.’
As I steeled myself, Victor, who had been reviewing the report, tilted his head and asked.
“By the way, Minister. Do we really not need to do a rehearsal? There’s no rehearsal scheduled.”
“Ah… I wasn’t able to create enough scrolls for a rehearsal. The Banquet Hall has been under continuous remodeling during all this time as well.”
I answered with a wry smile.
“Besides, the Young Prince and the Empress have been practicing continuously in the office these past few days. I was too busy creating those scrolls to manage anything else. But I’ve calculated everything accurately, so it should be fine.”
At that, Anastasia let out a deep sigh.
“You… you… you’ve really pushed yourself too hard, haven’t you… We could have helped… you prepared almost everything by yourself….”
“Everyone was busy with other tasks anyway. It’s fine.”
I smiled brightly as if I truly meant it.
“All the office scrolls that were in the green boxes have been moved to the warehouse, so there’s no reason for confusion. Still, until right before the event, please keep checking the blue boxes that are classified for the banquet. If they get mixed up, it would be a real disaster.”
That was when my stomach churned again.
‘What is this? This has never happened before. Am I getting old?’
Even when I had stayed up for several nights writing Huan’s reports, I had only felt tired—my stomach had never churned like this.
And now I was eating better and sleeping better than back then.
‘Well… it’s not unbearable. If this keeps happening after the banquet, I should visit Luca.’
In any case, I managed not to show it.
“Then let me tell you what needs to be done during the banquet. First, Team Leaders, would you come into the Minister’s Office?”
Anastasia and Victor nodded. As I entered the Minister’s Office first, Kibon followed quietly and spoke.
“Minister.”
“Hmm?”
“Is something bothering you somewhere?”

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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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