༺ This Place Is An Excellent Source of Civil Servants (3) ༻
The disaster of the President being turned into ‘Brilliant President Fragment x8’ by an enraged Treasurer was avoided. It was fortunate since collecting his fragments would also be quite a task.
“Sirri Dared, is it correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
“That’s the right name. Take it.”
“Thank you!”
The Treasurer’s booming voice felt satisfying. If such an enthusiastic friend entered the Ministry of Finance, then my future would be more comfortable. It would be even better if she joined the Prosecutors’ Office.
Bowing her head, the Treasurer happily accepted the business card with both hands. It was evident to anyone that her shoulders, which had trembled with anger, were now trembling for a different reason. She had the dubious distinction of being the second daughter of a noble, so there was no way she was going to get a letter of recommendation from anyone.
‘This is what a newbie should be like.’
She genuinely enjoyed even the smallest opportunities. You must grow up properly. It would be really sad if such a fresh newbie were to undergo a dark evolution like the trio of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Managers.
“I’ve closely observed your efforts and abilities in the student council for a while. I wanted to give you a recommendation letter before, and I’m glad you accepted it.”
“It’s an honor! I will not forget this kindness!”
There was no need to thank me to that extent. I should be more grateful.
“I asked the President to keep it a secret, so don’t feel too upset about it.”
The Treasurer kept nodding when I said this while patting the President’s shoulder next to me. This should prevent any potential second round of issues.
The President might tease her occasionally, but one can’t miss an opportunity to tea-bag someone else. I understand; I was the same when I was his age…
‘Oh, damn it.’
I bit my lip slightly as a dreadful thought naturally crossed my mind. What nonsense was I talking about when there was only a 2-year age difference between us? I’m still young.
My mind seemed to be aging faster than my actual age. I need to snap out of it. I can’t become an outdated youngster.
“These are the letters of recommendation for the other officers.”
Suppressing my dismay, I handed over four business cards to the President. I had already given one to the Treasurer. If I delayed handing them out to the other officers, they might think they were being overlooked.
These talents would serve the Empire for decades to come, and I couldn’t afford to hurt their feelings over trivial matters. I trust that the President would handle it today.
“I’ll make sure they get delivered properly.”
“Very well.”
There was need to worry even if the President forgot because the Treasurer was watching. Besides, it wasn’t something that could be easily pocketed; it would be delivered to its rightful owners.
With Marghetta’s farewell at the Vice President’s office, I left the student council room.
‘It’s quiet.’
That meant the Treasurer didn’t grab the President by the throat as soon as I left.
That was a relief. It would be a loss for the Empire if two future civil servants fought and got hurt. After all, their bodies were no longer their own; they belonged to the Empire.
On my way back to the club room, I took out my communication crystal in a relatively deserted spot.
— A partnership?
“If you want to put it grandly, yes.”
It was important to act quickly on important ideas before you forgot them.
Of course, I could have done this in the club room, but I couldn’t just sit still after spreading the letters of recommendation to the current student council and hearing from Marghetta that she would definitely grow next year’s student council.
If there were raw gems rolling on the ground, it would be more efficient to collect them professionally rather than picking them up individually. How frustrating would it be to miss out on potential slaves – or rather – future civil servants due to such inefficiency?
So, I suggested to the Minister that we should create a system where the student council automatically entered civil service through cooperation with the Academy.
“After all, the student council wants to enter official positions. And wouldn’t it be beneficial for us if we had more newcomers?”
— That’s true.
Contrary to his response, the Minister’s expression seemed indifferent, as if questioning whether there was a need to meddle when things were already going well.
This fiery old man had become a complete office worker after sitting at a desk for two years. He didn’t even bother touching anything he didn’t have to. Where did the passionate Manager who used to punch me in the jaw in front of the former Minister go?
“These kids are aiming to become civil servants. Is there really a need for them to take the exams?”
Nevertheless, I continued speaking because I needed the Minister’s approval. Nowadays, even someone without any experience could become a civil servant just by having a letter of recommendation. Was it really a problem to give a free pass to kids who had rolled through the student council for three years?
— They’re already aiming to be civil servants, so there’s no need to create such a system.
‘It’s not a problem, but it’s a hassle.’
Although he didn’t say it out loud, the Minister’s expression seemed to convey just that.
It was certainly not a simple issue. It involved the Academy, so the Ministry of Education would get involved. And everything had to be properly documented since new people would regularly join in. It wasn’t impossible, but it would be extremely bothersome.
On the other hand, the existing system was sufficient if we were to continue and let them become civil servants by taking the exams. And if someone really wanted to pass the exam, they could follow my lead and secure a recommendation letter.
But that shouldn’t be the case. Such a haphazard approach risked missing out on raw gems—
— Hey.
“Yes?”
I was about to start speaking again when the Minister spoke first.
— How many are left?
The minister’s nonchalant question left me speechless for a moment. Damn, why was he asking about that now?
“…There are seventy or so left.”
— Ha.
I finally managed to answer after hesitating several times, and I heard the Minister scoff.
— Don’t tell me you still believe in that, do you?
“Why would you suddenly bring that up?”
I felt annoyed. I felt really annoyed at him for bringing up a topic I was trying not to think about.
My hands and feet were shaking, but there was nothing I could do across the communication crystal.
— Sometimes I can’t tell if you lack intelligence or if you’re just too naive.
“Just say that I’m overly faithful.”
And damn, aren’t ‘lacking intelligence’ and ‘being too naive’ basically the same thing?
‘Damn it.’
I sighed and irritably ran my hand through my hair.
I knew it, too. I was clinging to something meaningless and unreliable.
“Leaving talented individuals unattended is like committing a sin against the Empire. If you can bring in… yes, a hundred or so talents to replace the Prosecutors’ Office’s Executive Manager, then maybe I’ll consider it.”
Those were the words the Crown Prince told me on the day I went crazy, bypassed the Minister, and handed in my resignation directly to him.
The Crown Prince, after seeing my resignation, made a deal with me. Honestly, it wasn’t so much a deal as it was teasing. The Crown Prince would probably change his words even if I really brought a hundred people, saying ‘The Prosecutors’ Office’s Executive Manager could be replaced by two hundred people, not just one hundred.’
I knew it well. What I heard was like promising a toy to a child who was causing a ruckus, saying, ‘I’ll give it to you if you behave well this year.’ But the desperate and needy often wanted to cling to something, or anything. I was no different…
— By the way, how did you manage to find thirty people?
“I recruited all of them from the academy. The academy really is a great place.”
Since the minister had already seen through my intentions, I decided to go all out. Besides the student council, I had a bit of fun during the last practical exam.
Yes, this partnership proposal was full of my personal interests. I planned to automatically recruit all those prospective civil servants from the academy to fill up the hundred spots. Was something wrong with that? Was I doing this just for my own benefit? It was a win-win solution for everyone.
The student council would be happy not to suffer, I would be happy to retire sooner, and the Crown Prince would be happy to have new slaves. It was perfect.
Sadly, it seemed like the minister wasn’t included in this happy scenario.
— I’ll consider it, so just stay quiet.
Telling me he’d consider it was pretty much the same as telling me to shut up because I was being annoying.
“Understood.”
But what could I do? If the person who needed to approve it remained indifferent, then there wasn’t anything I could do.
I guess I’d have to keep writing the recommendation letters myself. Still, I should be able to reach a hundred before I graduate.
The call with the Minister stretched on until well into the club hours. To be honest, it felt like more than half of it was me pathetically begging.
Still, it was so unfair. Couldn’t he grant me this one favor after all the rolling around I did for the Ministry of Finance and the Empire?
‘What a waste of time.’
It was already time for the club members to gather in the club room. They wouldn’t have caused any trouble in the meantime, would they? If they did something strange to commemorate the start of the second semester, I just might cry out of sheer frustration.
When I was in the capital, it was easier to step away for a bit with Marghetta, the butler, and the 4th Manager around. Those good days were gone now.
’Good times?’
Come to think of it, it was strange. Was my working environment so bad that the time I spent with the club members at the capital now counted as ‘good days’?
I shook my head slightly to clear these thoughts. There was no use in reaching for some red pill that would only make things harder for me.
…Although it felt like something difficult was already waiting for me.
‘What’s going on this time?’
As I got closer to the club room, the indistinct noise grew louder. It felt like an ominous sign of trouble brewing.
My steps quickened involuntarily. It could lead to a full-blown diplomatic incident if they’ve escalated from a verbal dispute.
“Oh, Advisor! Have you arrived?”
But when I opened the door and entered, Rutis greeted me with a teacup in hand.
“You’re unusually late.”
“I was held up with some work.”
A quick scan of the club room showed that my worries were unfounded. They were just having snacks and chatting among themselves as usual.
‘They made me worry for nothing.’
I felt foolish for rushing over in a panic.
“Ah, we ate the snacks that were already in the club room. There wasn’t time to make new ones.”
“It’s fine. Just eat them all up.”
I guess those were leftovers from when I invited Villar and Perosa over. It didn’t matter much since they’d get stale over time anyway.
“Haha, thank you. We’re all commemorating getting rejected by Louise, so there really wasn’t any time to make them.”
…?
Commemorating what?
With those words, Rutis shrugged and turned his gaze to one side. At the end of his gaze was Louise, whose face had turned red, her eyes darting around nervously.
‘What’s going on?’
What on earth happened?
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