170 It was only about ten days ago that a notice that the Hwamaekline territory was looking for an official was put out in all the castles in the territory.
However, even before the originally scheduled deadline of one month expired, the front of the official residence in McLane Town was crowded with applicants.
“Now, now. Stand in line. Line!”
“The people who want to manage things are trying to keep order… ah, kind of!”
“There! If you keep cutting in, you’ll get points deducted from the interview!”
There were over 300 applicants today for the announcement that about 30 people would be selected.
When a dozen soldiers were sweating trying to control that number of people.
Dwayne and Rupen Ferran, who had to interview all those people and select talented people, were already half-faced.
The three fatties at McLane’s residence are being forced to diet in real time.
In the end, Ferran, whose cheeks were half fat, threw away the documents he was holding.
“Oh no, why is there so much? We’re not even able to do our jobs!”
“You’re noisy, Feran. You’re not the only one having a hard time right now!”
“No, but still.”
“Both. Shut up.”
Dwayne, with shadows under his eyes extending down to his chin, quelled the commotion of his subordinates with a gloomy voice.
His hair and beard, which hadn’t been combed for several days, were already matted to the point where I didn’t know where to start, which made me even more scared.
Lupen craned his neck and looked through the resume again.
‘Damn it. ‘They’re all nobles.’
Among the applicants, many were half-babys, but there were also quite a few with decent work experience.
The problem is that most of the people with such seemingly good careers are nobles with titles.
Even if they were barons, single-ranking nobles with no right of succession, they were only commoners, so if they became officials, the number of people they had to serve increased.
‘Even though he was an official from Calia territory, Douglas and Walter Maim didn’t even post an announcement, so how did you find out about it? driving me crazy.’
For some reason, a large number of low-level officials from the ruined great estate had gathered there.
The conflict in my heart is already saturated.
Honestly, the stress from the conflict was worse than the fatigue from work and interviews.
I couldn’t tell what my boss, Dwayne, was thinking, but at least my colleague Feran’s expression was similar to his.
I sighed deeply, but nothing changed.
Because they didn’t make the final decision.
“Submit all officials from the great estate to a second interview. The lord will make his own decision.”
“Dwayne, then we will suddenly be serving our superior…”
“That’s enough. Is the territory important or are we important?”
“Dwe no, brother! Then we…!”
“It’s noisy. You can hear everything outside. And I’m sure Lord Uriya will take good care of it.”
Dwayne spoke in a calm voice, but Lupen still looked dissatisfied.
“No, but…”
“The reward money we received after the war was enough to live on for the rest of our lives. Lupen, let’s not be greedy.”
“Ha… Brother, you are truly a loyal subject. I am a narrow-minded person.”
“I’m in pain too, you idiot.”
“It’s okay. I’m the only one who’s bad. Just me.”
As Lupen grumbled, Ferran next to him intervened.
“If you get stressed, you’ll lose weight. I’d rather just sleep.”
“Shut up, Feran! You pig! What are you doing while you’re at it?…”
“Oh, stop! Both of you, stop!!”
Even though Lupen and Feran grumbled, they followed Dwayne’s wishes.
And the hairy financial administrator, who had worked at the McLane estate for 20 years, looked at the applicants waiting outside with bitter eyes.
‘It’s thanks to our territory that it has become so prosperous. ‘Okay, let’s think positively.’
But for some reason, I wasn’t very happy about that scene.
* * *
“Are you ready for the harvest season at Tethron Castle?”
“I put it on the desk, Administrator.”
“What about the construction of the town wall?”
“These are the documents on the right side of the desk.”
“And then, um…”
“The agenda was about the construction of the road from Tethron to Sylvan and Bipros. It’s still being sorted out. I’ll make sure you get it by tomorrow morning.”
“Slow down, Fabian…”
“No, Dwayne. I have to show my abilities to the lord who chose me.”
Dwayne could only nod his head at the words of Fabian, a thin, young administrator who was different from him.
There was nothing wrong with what he said.
Although it was only a few days, the documents organized were clean and the work was processed quickly.
The content was also flawless.
‘Did you say you were from Douglas?’
It was only after listening to him that I learned that the announcement that had been circulated only within the McLane territory had spread throughout the capital and the kingdom without the leadership’s knowledge.
Thanks to this, McLane Estate was able to easily supply the management personnel it needed, but Dwayne could not help but welcome the situation.
The biggest reason was that the two people who received the highest ratings among the applicants, Fabian and Lokman, a middle-aged gentleman, were baronets with the title.
in other words.
‘Damn it. ‘You have to be respectful to your subordinates.’
The good news is that they also respect him, but what makes it even more difficult is…
“Ah, the document you mentioned earlier has been re-uploaded with several errors corrected. Please re-apply.”
“error?”
“There was a small error in the budget calculation. When verified using the Rohter method of cross-validation…”
In this way, they are capable of easily talking about theories they do not know much about and applying them to practice.
Seeing them like that made him feel ashamed.
A feeling of skepticism that has been going on for several days already.
After continued deliberation, Dwayne finally came to a conclusion.
bang!
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Dwayne?”
“Where are you going?!”
Dwayne’s steps, refreshingly ignoring the voice calling from behind, were very fast, but strangely seemed very heavy.
bang.
“These are the approval documents, Mr. Confucius.”
“Leave it. It’s getting faster, isn’t it?”
Logan, who was considering the tilt of the sun outside the window, smiled and looked up at Dwayne.
“Yes. Most of the newly elected officials are doing their part. In particular, Fabian and Lokman are better than me.”
“Ho? Is it that bad?”
Dwayne’s expression hardened slightly at the sight of Logan tilting his head.
But he didn’t forget what he had to say.
Because your feelings and work are separate things.
“Yes. It is definitely outstanding. We are continuing to recruit officials, so if only a few more such talented people come in, the volume of documents submitted to the Confucius will be greatly reduced.”
“Oh, that’s a good story. I need to get it back to normal quickly and make sure it doesn’t hurt me as much as possible. Okay, good job. Now, let’s get out there.”
“But Confucius.”
“hmm?”
Logan made a puzzled expression at the momentary change in atmosphere.
“So, I’m telling you…”
“What is it? Why are you so hesitant? Just tell me.”
“I… I want to quit my job.”
“Oh? You’ve had a hard time recently. Then take a few days off. As for vacation…”
“I want to retire, not vacation, Confucius.”
“…what?”
Logan looked at Dwayne with blank eyes for a moment at the unexpected words.
“Why are you like this all of a sudden? Did I do something to upset you?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“But why?”
“I don’t think I need to be here anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Actually, ever since I heard that Sir Heinkel was retiring, I have been thinking about whether I should also resign.”
“That Lord Heinkel, instead of retiring, has now gone on to become a training consultant. You know that, right?”
“It has nothing to do with it. I just felt my limitations.”
“No, what limit?”
“The newly hired managers are doing a better job than me. Having me, a commoner, as their boss will not be good for the organization’s efficiency.”
“Ha…”
Logan couldn’t answer right away to those strong words.
The tired face was still there, but Dwayne was giving a firm look in his eyes as if to prove that it wasn’t because of that.
“Ha… I’m going crazy.”
“I’m sorry, Archduke.”
“No, I’m sorry I never knew you were thinking that way. Let’s think about it together for a moment.”
“Your Majesty…”
Logan stood up and paced around, contemplating a solution to this sudden situation.
Then after a while.
When the shadow that fell on Dwayne’s tired face became a little darker.
“Okay. Then you become a noble too! That’ll do it then!”
Logan let out an absurd sound.
“…yes?”
Dwayne’s face, which had been maintaining an expressionless expression, suddenly collapsed.
…Was being a noble something I could do if I wanted to?
For a moment, confusion of common sense arises.
The Archduke in front of him was going one step further.
“When I think about it, my father and I were definitely indifferent. War isn’t just fought with knights or soldiers, so we didn’t even think of giving titles to the civil servants who supported us reliably. That’s a big mistake.”
Dwayne barely came to his senses when he heard the words as if he could give him a noble title right away.
“Hey Confucius? I understand that you have already used up all the titles you received from His Majesty.”
“Ah, it’s okay. If I ask, a baronetcy would be enough. I wonder if His Majesty will reject my request.”
“Confucius? If you abuse your power like that…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just don’t get criticized. It’s better to get criticized than to become a monarch who can’t even take care of his loyal subjects.”
“It might not end with cursing. If you end up estranged from Your Majesty…”
“This is fine. If it’s okay, I’ll kneel down and pray to Your Majesty.”
Dwayne just gaped at that firm tone and could not stop it any further.
More than anything.
‘That much for me…’
When I saw Logan’s back running straight to the communication room, I felt like I was going to burst into tears at any moment from the overwhelming emotions.
* * *
At that time, in the capital city of Grands, there was a big topic that hit the noble family.
Count Chiron Wolves, who had run away, appears.
One of the margraves who disappeared during the Battle of McLane.
With all the margraves executed and their families either executed or wanted, Chiron Wolves, who had disappeared, appeared in the capital city of Grand.
“I will give you all the hidden wealth of the Wolves family. I will ask you to make amends for my past mistakes. Please just spare my life.”
I don’t know where they came from, but at some point, Chiron Wolves collapsed in the front yard of the royal palace.
The soldiers watched him, waiting for the king’s orders, but no orders came from the palace for more than three days.
Chiron Wolves, who had been left in the front yard of the royal palace, was drying up without even being able to take a sip of water.
That was harsh even considering that he was an intermediate force user.
His Majesty wants Chiron Wolves to dry up and die.
As the man wanted as a traitor was not killed and left alone in the front yard of the royal palace, the rumor was soon believed to be true, and the swordsman who heard the news, albeit belatedly, headed to the royal palace.
Because it was not good to allow ugly rumors to spread for a long time in a newly started country.
‘Chiron. ‘You used your brain well.’
The Sword Duke recalled the withered face of Chiron Wolves he had glimpsed before entering the palace.
The time when the war was over and everything was put in order.
Still, it was a time when not everything was stable.
In a situation where the royal family is in desperate need of power and money, they only want their lives to be spared because they will offer up the hidden wealth of a family that has not been in the top three positions in the kingdom for nearly 300 years?
From the royal family’s point of view, it was a good deal.
However, I couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
‘If I really had that kind of wealth, I could just live in exile in another country…’
Of course, I would have to worry about assassins in the kingdom for the rest of my life.
Did you choose poor freedom over a rich life of fear?
Or…
‘There must be another ulterior motive. That’s probably why His Majesty left him there.’
Whatever it is, you just have to convey your opinion. I asked His Majesty what his intention was in leaving him alone for three days.
“Please join me, Grand Duke Felix Esperanza.”
– Come in.
I’m sorry.
When the door opened with a familiar voice, the king’s face appeared.
Instead, it is a large king’s office where all officials can gather and have meetings.
The king was watching his duties at the head of a room in a spacious space where ministers from each department could enter.
The swordsman, who was smiling in satisfaction as he looked at it, soon saw the small bottle lying on the king’s right and his complexion hardened slightly.
‘alcohol?’
The king’s flushed face, presumed to be under the influence of alcohol.
The swordsman’s eyebrows twitched at a sight he never expected to see in Daejeon, the royal palace in broad daylight.
“Ah, Geomgong. Welcome.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty. But since the daytime, that drink…?”
“Our stiff king is trying to nag me again. Haha. Don’t be too harsh. This is a kind of comfort.”
“Comfort…?”
“Should I say that it is a memorial to my brothers who died in vain and a jeju for my stuffy and frustrating past that felt so vague?”
“….”
“I have lived my whole life struggling, trapped in the shadow of my brothers. Now that I have finally gained freedom, wouldn’t it be okay to enjoy it a little?”
“Your Majesty…”
“Don’t look at me like that. It won’t last long. So, why did the King come to see me first?”
“Oh, that’s…”
The moment the swordsman tried to hide his embarrassment and bring up the matter.
– I have carried out what His Majesty ordered.
A loud voice came from outside Daejeon, interrupting his words.
