The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 101

A dark night. The underground prison.

“I—I swear! I really did it for the Empire’s sake!”

The Minister of Education’s panicked screams echoed through the jail.

“I thought Namia Roapia—that woman—would end up ruining His Highness the Crown Prince! I even have proof!”

He shouted desperately, loud enough for the prison walls to tremble.

At that moment—

“Would that proof happen to be this scroll, Minister of Education?”

The Emperor approached with elegant steps and spoke softly as he stopped before the minister.

“You mean the one you carefully hid in the safe in your home.”

The Saint Cairo banquet had ended successfully, and the Ravens had already completed a thorough search of the minister’s home.

Kiaros had been the one to issue all the orders, leaving behind only a note: “Something more urgent came up.” The rest he had left in the Emperor’s hands.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

The Emperor unfurled the scroll in front of the minister’s eyes and, in a refined and solemn voice, began to read.

“Namia Roapia: He told me, ‘My cute, precious, and adorable little baby MiamiyaNamia, you can do whatever you want. Oppa will protect you. Just marry me. Actually, I already secretly prepared the wedding~.’ That’s what he said.”

At the Emperor’s reading, the surrounding Ravens all barely stifled their laughter with a series of “pfft” sounds.

“See, Your Majesty?! Namia Roapia, that cursed woman—she completely manipulates His Highness behind the scenes, and—”

“She’s still better than a minister who tried to kill every last education official.”

The Emperor responded leisurely.

“And to be fair, she’s not wrong.”

The Ravens began murmuring among themselves.
“Did he really secretly plan a wedding?”
“Wow, he really ran ahead all by himself…”

Even the Emperor’s aide gave a sad nod of agreement.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education’s face turned deathly pale. He hadn’t expected the Emperor to take it so lightly.

Then—crack—a metallic sound rang out as the iron bars behind the Emperor bent outward.

The Emperor grabbed the minister by the chin and locked eyes with him.

“Well then. Let’s not waste time and get to the point.”

“K-Khh!”

“Tell me about the Reformists—those behind you.”

The sheer pressure from the Yongin made even the Ravens shiver.

“I—I don’t know much! But!”

The Minister gasped out his words, trembling.

“They knew the future!”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

Kiaros had once remarked, “They act like they already know I’ll be entering a dark period.”

“Of course, not everything they predicted was right, but still…”

Well, if they had known everything correctly, the minister wouldn’t be sitting in prison like this.

While the Emperor fell into thought, the minister began weeping openly.

“It’s like… like this whole world was already written out… like a book with a fixed story…”

***

Early dawn, the next day.

A figure in black—clearly one of the Ravens—guided me to Kiaros.

“I heard the general situation from that intern named Keyvon.”

I never imagined I’d be meeting him again this early.

Kiaros sat with his usual poised grace, his voice calm and relaxed as always.

“You say that, because you didn’t fall into the trap at the banquet, the Reformists may now target you directly. And so, you want to stay at the palace. Also, you might need to drop my name a little?”

Despite the leisurely tone, the words came out at lightning speed. I blinked blankly, then nodded.

“…Yes.”

“That’s the most delightful thing I’ve heard all day.”

Kiaros crossed his arms and nodded.

“I’ll prepare a place for you in the palace right away. My personal imperial physician is on standby—get checked out, and don’t go into the Scroll Department for the time being.”

“Imperial physician…? Why me?”

“Keyvon said you needed medical attention.”

I was momentarily speechless.

He really accommodated that intern’s request?

It hadn’t been more than a few hours since Keyvon said he’d contact the palace—and now I was getting a direct audience with Kiaros?

‘…There’s no way Keyvon is just an ordinary intern.’

That must be why he never seemed intimidated by anyone despite his position.

“But… why should I not go to work?”

“You’re sick. Better to rest for a few days while you stay as a guest of the palace. And it doesn’t seem like the Scroll Department has any urgent matters.”

I nodded obediently.

“I’ll do that, then. Thank you for your consideration.”

Honestly, I had been planning to use sick leave or even personal time off.

Now that things had unfolded like this, I wanted them to catch the mole while I was away.

“And this—ahem—this thing about using my name… Sounds like you’re planning to bait the Reformists again?”

“Yes.”

I was currently suspicious that the Temple might be cooperating with the Reformists.

To investigate that, I was planning to use the mole still within the Scroll Department.

It just so happened that the Grand Chamberlain’s party was still staying in the palace—so it made sense for me to stay here as well. If nothing else, I’d be safer after repeatedly thwarting the Reformists.

“Even if nothing happened at the banquet, the Scroll Department mole would likely behave as usual. If they suddenly lay low, that would basically expose them.”

“True.”

“If we bait the mole and observe whom they contact, we might be able to identify the Reformists’ other collaborators.”

“Other collaborators…”

Kiaros fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

“I heard you’re unwell. Maybe you should rest for now. We’ve already narrowed the mole down to two candidates—I can take over from here.”

“Thank you for the concern. But this is still the Scroll Department’s issue. I want to see it through to the end.”

That part was sincere.

We could interrogate and arrest both suspects—or simply dismiss them. But one of them might be innocent.

If so, I wanted to protect them. They were still one of my people.

“…And I want to do everything I can, so I can meet my father as soon as possible.”

I added, hesitating slightly. Kiaros spoke gently.

“Then I grant you permission.”

And then, in a softer tone, he added,

“I’m sorry about Cedric Roapia. I promised to help you meet him soon…”

“No, no!”

At his sincere apology, I shook my head quickly.

“It’s just… because of my childhood in the South, I’ve clung to thoughts of my father—even when I knew it was kind of foolish.”

“Hmm. Sounds like you didn’t have the best time in the South.”

“That’s true. You’re right.”

I chuckled as I replied.

“When Your Highness invited me to Count Kalto’s estate, I should’ve ignored my father and just gone. If I had, he wouldn’t have ended up selling himself to the Reformists.”

“So it was Cedric Roapia’s decision.”

“Yes. He said, ‘What’s the point of a few coins? Nothing will change.’”

Thinking back on it, I couldn’t help but laugh again.

“But now that I think about it… Even if I’d gone with him to collect that money, he probably would’ve refused it anyway.”

“Why?”

“He would’ve said that saving a life shouldn’t come with a price. That’s just who he was. It frustrated me… but I loved that about him.”

That upright old man… because he loved me so much, he ended up siding with the enemies in the shadows.

Just thinking about it—it was a love so enormous it overwhelmed me. Even if he never asked what I wanted.

“I see.”

Kiaros propped his chin on his hand.

“If Namia had come to Count Kalto’s estate… a lot might have turned out differently.”

“Yes. Since Your Highness even offered to marry me, you might’ve paid off all his debts and helped me enroll in the academy, too.”

I giggled.

“Maybe I’d have ended up at the Magic Tower…”

“That part’s not so great.”

Kiaros interjected with a languid tone.

“If you enter the Magic Tower in your mid-teens, you can’t come out for twenty years.”

“I’d be fine with that.”

“I wouldn’t have been.”