The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 110

Seeing how exhausted I was, Kiaros entered the room with me.

Not long after, the Raven who had followed the one carrying the vial returned with a report.

“He went into the temple within the Imperial Palace. The one where the High Priest and the other clergy are staying.”

Of course!

My eyes lit up quietly.

“Judging by appearances, he seems to be one of the priests the High Priest brought along.”

Currently, the High Priest was staying in the palace temple with several priests.

The Raven glanced at Kiaros for permission before speaking.

“Should we raid the place now and arrest them all?”

“Hm.”

Kiaros crossed his arms and fell into thought for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

“They’d probably claim it was the rogue action of a single priest and cut off the tail. Since the High Priest might be involved too, I don’t think it’s wise to storm the entire temple with just this level of evidence.”

The fact that Kiaros himself suggested the High Priest might be complicit—!

I glanced at him sideways and asked,

“Do you suspect the High Priest?”

Kiaros replied slowly,

“After the founding of the Empire by the first emperor, long-standing peace led to the gradual decline of the temple’s power. If something were to happen to the Dragonkind and the continent were thrown into chaos, the temple would rise again.”

Spot on.

Granted, I knew the future, but the fact that Kiaros could deduce this much without knowing the future was genuinely impressive. A truly imperial successor worthy of the Empire’s future.

My eyes widened, and Kiaros added slowly,

“Of course, I’m not entirely certain yet…”

From his standpoint, that was reasonable.
But in my heart, I was already sure.

The High Priest is definitely involved.

In the original story, as soon as Jayden left the palace, he discovered that the priests followed the High Priest with absolute loyalty.

Even to Jayden’s young eyes, the priests seemed blind and mindless, like they had no self-will. And the ones currently in the palace were handpicked by the High Priest. There’s no way they acted alone.

And another thing I couldn’t forget:

The bait involving Dragonkind’s blood—this was my independent move.
The High Priest had already planned to enter the palace before any of that happened.

In the original story, the High Priest never stayed in the palace at this time.

That meant the High Priest had another goal—one unrelated to Dragonkind’s blood.

Something had changed from the original timeline… and that change brought him here.

I glanced at Kiaros.

Standing beside me was someone the Reformist faction most wanted to eliminate.
In the original story, they ultimately failed to assassinate him—but now?

Kiaros was still in his “dark period,” and the Reformists had to know that.

Could it be… the High Priest came to kill Kiaros himself?

Victor had definitely told me to be careful earlier. Even though I was under Kiaros’s protection inside the Imperial Palace.

That meant there was someone inside the palace who could end my life, regardless of any guards.

And the High Priest… is a test subject himself.

According to the original story, the High Priest would continue to maintain his youthful appearance—like someone in his forties—well into the future.

Doesn’t that mean the High Priest possesses extraordinary power? Enough to kill someone like me in an instant…

Kiaros, he might need to be a little more cautious—but I? I could probably be eliminated in a flash.

I can’t explain all of this to Kiaros… I’d have to tell him I know the future. And that would be even more suspicious.

While I was deep in thought, Kiaros spoke up.

“I was supposed to see you off on your final day leaving the palace, but I guess I’ll have to cancel.”

At that, I raised my eyes to look at him.

“Your Highness.”

“Hm?”

“What if… I try approaching the High Priest?”

It was a bold suggestion—but his answer was immediate.

“No.”

Kiaros shook his head firmly.

“I don’t like the idea of you being in danger.”

“I’ll always take Keyvon with me. And the moment it gets even a little dangerous, I’ll use him as a shield without hesitation.”

Now that I knew the enemy might directly target me, I couldn’t sit idly by.

“To catch a tiger, you have to step into its den.”

Eyes gleaming, I began to explain my plan.

***

Late at night, in the palace temple.

The High Priest received the blood-filled vial from the priest and smiled faintly.

“So this is Dragonkind’s blood…”

It was a superb material for experimentation.

He had been frustrated, having run out of it.

There was only a small amount recovered fifteen years ago, when the current emperor had bled in the south. It hadn’t even been collected intentionally, so the quantity was small.

But the effects of that experiment had been incredible.

It revealed the future.

Though vague, it had been accurate.
The first test subject predicted Kiaros’s second dark period.

Namia Roapia, part of the escort team, had prevented the assassination, but Kiaros had appeared visibly shaken—confirming the dark period’s validity.

After that, they gathered what little blood remained and tried again.
But that experiment failed.

Whether due to insufficient quantity or a flawed test subject, it was impossible to determine. The samples were too few.

Well… that subject had their own issues. They’d volunteered, after all…

But if he could obtain Kiaros’s blood, there would be another chance to glimpse the future.

Dragonkind’s blood was just that valuable.

Thanks to Victor Arwin.

A fine young man, but deeply deficient.
Despite his exceptional abilities, his troubled upbringing had left scars.

His compulsive need to be liked by everyone came from that same emptiness.

The Reformists had always recruited those with such voids in their hearts.

Victor had left them after becoming heir to Marquis Arwin.

But those types… usually come back.

That’s why they hadn’t killed him right away.

Core deficiencies can’t be filled externally. If the heart remains unchanged, the need returns in another form.

Eventually, Victor came back of his own accord—claiming he wanted to destroy Namia Roapia.

He also wanted to eliminate Kiaros Polariwood, who coveted her.

We might still get some use out of him.

He wasn’t reliable enough for important work—he had left once, after all—but keeping someone with his abilities around wasn’t a bad idea.

Give it a year or two, and he might even volunteer for experimentation.

The High Priest himself had grown stronger this way.

“A lucky windfall, indeed. Fortunate.”

He hadn’t come to the palace for this originally.

Once he accomplished his true purpose and left the palace, it would signal the successful onset of chaos within the Empire.

And when chaos comes, the temple will rise again.

Smirking, he stroked his beard.

***

That night, after hearing my plan, Kiaros nodded reluctantly.

“If that’s truly what you want, you can give it a try.”

“Then… may I use Your Highness’s name again… just a little?”

“What a strange question. Do you even have any of my name left not already in use?”

He even chuckled playfully.

Still, for safety, he made absolutely sure I would bring Keyvon with me.

So the next afternoon, after thoroughly preparing myself, I tugged the bell cord.

Before long, Keyvon arrived. I greeted him energetically.

“His Highness must have filled you in, right? Let’s go.”

“Sorry? Go where?”

“To the chapel.”

In other words, the temple inside the palace.

“But could you wait outside for just a bit? I need to change and put on some makeup. Her Majesty the Empress sent me a whole bunch of clothes—I’ve been meaning to pick one from the batch.”

“Ah… sure.”

And so, I changed into one of the outfits I’d already picked out yesterday, grabbed a few scrolls, and marched out with pride.

Keyvon screamed.

“What in the world are you wearing?!”

Blinking innocently, I answered:

“Something nice, maybe?”