The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 3

Kiaros blinked for a moment.

Surprisingly, every legal clause Namia had cited was accurate.

Without realizing it himself, he stood and began moving the boxes. They were quite heavy.

‘Guess she really couldn’t lift these alone.’

By the time he returned from the storage room, there were only five minutes left before official dismissal time.

Yet every staff member, except Namia, had already gone home.

Confidential documents were scattered all around the office.

Considering this place belonged to the Imperial Knights as well, security should have been top priority.

‘This department must be dismantled, no matter what.’

Grinding his teeth, Kiaros made the vow silently.

When he glanced at Namia, her expression was still blank, like her soul was somewhere else. He dropped the boxes beside her and said curtly:

“Starting tomorrow, I won’t be coming in anymore.”

“Ah, yes.”

She didn’t look the least bit surprised, nor did she sound interested. She didn’t even ask why.

‘What is this woman?’

She had no reaction to her subordinate quitting after a single day.

Given how dazed she’d been when he asked for document access, she probably didn’t even remember granting it.

‘Was she just reciting those clauses to get someone to do her work?’

With that thought, he dismissed the strange sense of unease he’d felt earlier.

Namia had said she’d be going on a field assignment tomorrow as part of the funeral delegation. That meant her access wouldn’t be revoked until at least the day after tomorrow.

‘And if it still hasn’t been revoked after a month, I’ll use that as proof of security negligence and shut this place down for good.’

Without so much as a farewell to the woman now rummaging through the boxes, Kiaros gathered his things and left the Scroll Department.

****

The next morning.

“Alright, form up!”

It was the procession of a royal—the Crown Prince, no less, the future of the Empire.

The White Knights, the unit directly under the Crown Prince, had been busy since dawn.

Their captain stood with a grim face and eyes wide, delivering a speech.

“Don’t forget! We must protect His Highness the Crown Prince from any and all threats!”

The knights, however, didn’t look the least bit moved and murmured among themselves.

“Didn’t he beat down fifteen guys barehanded last time?”

“He ran sixty laps around the training field this morning, by himself.”

“Is that all? One swing of his aura and he could flatten a building.”

The atmosphere wasn’t exactly solemn. The captain cleared his throat and shouted again.

“O-of course, His Highness is far stronger than the combined strength of us all! Still, we must protect him!”

The itinerary was simple, so only a small unit was accompanying him.

The captain selected five knights, including himself. Then he turned to check the civil servants accompanying them.

“Where’s Medical?”

A doctor and legal officer were included as part of the escort team. Even with a simple schedule, emergencies could happen.

A young man from the medical team raised his hand.

“Emergency Response Team, Luka Klass. Just arrived.”

“Luka Klass, check. Alright, Lennon from the Ministry of Law is here too. Now, Scroll… anyone from that department?”

“Ah, yes.”

I raised my hand mid-yawn.

“Namia Roapia from the Scroll Department’s inventory team, reporting.”

“Namia Roapia… gasp!”

The captain audibly inhaled when he saw my face.

“What happened to your complexion…? Miss Namia, are you sure you’re up for this?”

No surprise—my dark circles practically reached the middle of my cheeks.

Shoulders slumped like a zombie, I replied:

“Ah, yes…”

The captain clicked his tongue, looking genuinely sympathetic.

“Well, there’s not much to do anyway.”

His expression clearly said nothing was going to happen, and there’d be no need to use scrolls at all.

In this world, magic could only be used through scrolls. But the spells that could be stored in them were relatively weak.

‘Which means their efficiency is terrible.’

Naturally, the Scroll Department wasn’t a major player among the Royal Knights. More of an auxiliary presence.

‘No one’s even interested in magic to begin with…’

Looking like he meant well, the captain glanced at my bag and said,

“That bag looks way too heavy. You should take out some of the useless stuff.”

Take out what? You don’t even know what’s inside.

No one seemed the slightest bit concerned about the Crown Prince.

‘But after today’s ambush, that’s all going to change.’

Originally, the Crown Prince would be fatally wounded and die before anyone had time to investigate the culprits. But if I could save him today, things would be different.

I hoisted my bag full of defense scrolls and steeled myself.

‘Thank goodness that intern brought me the materials yesterday.’

He was arrogant but physically strong. He carried the heavy boxes all in one go. If I’d done it myself, I would’ve thrown out my back.

He said he wouldn’t be coming in again, but I expected that.

‘No matter what… I will save him. I can save him.’

Even though I’d been up all night, my mind was clear.

Kiaros Polariwood, now shed of his intern guise, looked like a living sculpture.

His radiant blond hair and vivid red eyes made his presence known from afar. Add in the ethereal beauty unique to Dragonkin, and he exuded an otherworldly aura.

‘The escort team… just as the report described yesterday.’

Dressed entirely in black, befitting a funeral, he scanned the escort party.

His gaze paused briefly on one person.

‘That woman…’

Namia Roapia—her dark circles still extended down her cheeks, clearly sleepless.

Her large, round blue eyes were as unfocused as ever.

He quickly turned away. He didn’t have the mental space to be concerned about her.

Even beyond the palace, the heavy weight of responsibility bore down on him.

‘If I collapse now, the Empire collapses with me.’

It was a tightly held secret, but the royal family was teetering on the edge.

Everything in the royal house depended solely on Kiaros.

He’d been so busy with other matters yesterday that he hadn’t even checked the Scroll Department’s documents.

‘I’ll look over them starting tonight. There’s too much to do.’

With the Emperor currently absent from the capital, Kiaros’s workload had doubled.

Wearing his usual stoic expression, he set off with the escort team.

“Long live the Crown Prince!”

“Glory to Polariwood!”

Crowds had gathered to see the royal procession.

They were nearly at the funeral site when it happened.

A panicked shout rang out.

“Ambush!”

The White Knights’ captain slashed away a flying dagger with a loud shing and roared.

“Get it together! It’s a surprise attack!”

Kiaros immediately drew his sword.

‘No way.’

His eyes wavered with confusion.

‘I… noticed it after the captain did?’

A cold sweat ran down his spine.

Aura, sword force, magic—none of it was present.

‘Don’t tell me… the Dark Phase?’

He recognized the feeling. He’d experienced it once before, at the age of ten.

Every royal Dragonkin had to endure it once in their life.

During the Dark Phase, one’s aura, swordsmanship, and magical power were sealed. Only after enduring it could one unlock the ability to fully transform into a dragon.

Kiaros had already gone through that phase at ten. He still remembered it clearly—like all four of his limbs had been ripped off.

So why—why now, of all times—was it happening again?

Only the first Emperor had ever experienced two Dark Phases. No one else ever had!

“Everyone, hold your positions!”

The five knights quickly formed a defensive circle around Kiaros.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Kiaros furrowed his brow, overwhelmed.

He had the reflexes and strength to hold his own, but only within the bounds of human capability.

“Aaaah! Over here, this way! Three o’clock! They’re at three o’clock!”

The civil servant from the Ministry of Law screamed.

Sure enough, attackers were preparing a second ambush nearby.

Three of the five knights rushed in that direction.

‘It’s a trap!’

Even amid the confusion, Kiaros instinctively ducked.

Poison arrows whizzed past the spot where he had just been standing.

The attackers near the legal officer were just a distraction. The real strike was aimed at the Crown Prince from another angle.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Gah! Ugh!”

People collapsed left and right—it was pure chaos.

Kiaros felt a chill he hadn’t known in a long time.

“Calculation complete…”

Namia, dark circles and all, murmured softly.

Her voice, oddly clear, rang in Kiaros’s ear.

“Activate.”

Countless scrolls shot into the air.

In an instant, protective magic enveloped Kiaros, forming a barrier that blocked the incoming barrage of poison arrows like rain.