The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 34

Even the Emperor looked puzzled as he glanced at Kiaros.

But that wasn’t the important part right now.

Anyone with common sense should be focusing on Osone, not Kiaros.

‘After all, the accuser just suddenly shouted that he was going to confess.’

I’d watched Osone for three years and seven months.

He may have had many things to hide, but I had a pretty good grasp of his nature.

Considering he’d even asked for a teleport scroll, he was clearly on the verge of breaking down.

‘The mastermind behind the war… Osone… Doesn’t suit him. But it does suit him!’

I hadn’t thought he was capable of that.

Yet, he was consistently useless to the Imperial Family.

Now that I think about it—wasn’t it Osone who told me to shut up when I said six defensive scrolls weren’t enough?

‘So the enemy was inside the Scroll Management Department all along.’

Come to think of it, our department was perfect for infiltration.

It was the only one that could avoid Kiaros’s sharp eyes.

And since we were under the Knight Order, we had access to Klassified documents…

‘God, and that was my department… He was my boss!’

If I hadn’t recalled the original story, I wouldn’t have cared whether Osone lived or died.

That’s how thoroughly I’d been trained into helplessness under him.

‘Maybe that’s why I didn’t even appear in the original story.’

But now Osone was about to speak with his own mouth.

“I-I-I-I really—!”

The moment he locked eyes with the Emperor, Osone dropped to his knees.

“I-I-I-I just followed orders…”

I widened my eyes and nodded slowly.

Then, with more energy than I had ever mustered before, I silently cheered for my boss.

‘You can do it, Team Leader! As always—use your cowardice and underhandedness, and just spill everything!’

It looked like Osone was ready to sing like a bird.

‘Right. If you were useless here, you were probably useless to them, too. I appreciate your consistency!’

And then it happened.

With a whip sound, a dagger embedded itself in Osone’s heart.

It happened so suddenly, the audience took a few seconds to even realize what had occurred.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“Noooooooo!”

I sprang to my feet in shock.

Osone, stabbed straight in the heart, collapsed without even a scream.

‘No way! This is a courtroom! Everyone here had verified identities…’

The dagger had come flying from the audience section.

It was a sealed chamber—catching the culprit was just a matter of time.

As palace guards rushed toward the direction the blade had come from—

A woman, hidden among the audience, shouted in a shrill voice just after throwing the dagger at Osone:

“For evolution!”

And amid the panicked screams, she collapsed, coughing up blood.

She had taken poison hidden in her mouth.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

The audience around her screamed and fled in terror.

Understandable. Someone right next to them had just died, bleeding out.

I stood there in a daze amid the chaos.

Guards hurriedly removed the bodies of Osone and the woman.

‘Holy…’

I had been wrong.

[‘We don’t need to go far. Just outside the palace walls is fine. Okay?’]

I had assumed Osone wanted to flee from the Imperial Knights.

But that wasn’t it.

He’d wanted to flee from the organization he was part of.

‘They must be the ones behind the war.’

The woman who killed him, and then herself.

That mysterious group both she and Osone belonged to.

“We’ll adjourn the trial for now.”

After observing the situation for a moment, the Emperor gave a brief command.

“There seems to be more urgent business at hand.”

No one objected.

Given the circumstances, everyone now had no choice but to believe the Empress’s claim that she had been targeting Osone with a sting operation.

And so, the trial was adjourned.

***

After the chaotic proceedings were settled,

The Empress was immediately declared free.

The first thing she did after being cleared of all charges—was summon me.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I heard you called for me.”

Her room was quite the sight.

Luxurious wallpaper, but plastered wall-to-wall with weapons.

There, I met with the Empress in private.

“Namiaaaaaa!”

She threw her arms around me and spun me in circles.

I was so surprised I couldn’t even scream.

It felt like I’d reverted to being six years old.

“Thank you, thank you!”

She even tossed me into the air and caught me again.

My vision spun dizzyingly.

“Good thing I didn’t croak in that prison cell that day! If I had, I wouldn’t have caught that bastard!”

I coughed and finally made it to the floor.

Her eyes gleamed coldly as she recalled the trial.

“That guy… After seeing him in person today, I knew something was off. Just looking at him, he was shady as hell.”

She ground her teeth as she spoke.

I asked in surprise,

“W-Why? Did you have evidence?”

“Nope. My instincts.”

The answer was hollow, but her expression was deadly serious.

“I’ve met plenty of criminals in my life. Seen enough traitors who spent years hiding their identities just to strike the royal family. This was my professional instinct.”

“Uh… I see…”

“I only became Empress by accident, but I was a much better fit as a knight. If I hadn’t been Empress today, I’d have cut that guy’s head off on the spot.”

“Excuse me?”

“In situations like this, moving before thinking is usually more efficient.”

She waved her arms wildly in a mock swing.

She probably could’ve flung not just me, but Osone too.

“I might’ve gone a little overboard, but when it comes to flushing out rats, you have to go that far.”

She laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.

To be fair, there had been a lot of holes in the plan I’d suggested.

From the suspiciously changing tone of voice to the weak logic—it shouldn’t have worked.

But the Empress must have sensed something wrong as well, which is probably what let things get this far.

I had nothing to say—just smiled sheepishly.

“Namia.”

“Yes?”

At some point, she had started calling me by name like it was nothing.

“I may be a mess of an Empress, but I was a damn good knight. I risked my life to protect His Highness the Crown Prince.”

A flicker of pride passed through her eyes.

“That day, His Highness even came to thank me in person.”

“Oh…”

“Truth is, I don’t do Empress duties because… I’m afraid I’ll burden His Highness.”

She continued with unwavering clarity.

“If I mess something up trying to help, it would dishonor the royal family. If I’m too competent and build influence, I might become a threat to His Highness.”

“A threat? What do you mean?”

“Not me, of course. But Jaden is different.”

She was referring to her son Jaden—the male lead of the original story.

Her eyes darkened slightly as she mentioned the young prince.

“If my power grows, someone might cling to him and plant twisted ambitions in that immature head of his.”

“What do you mean…”

“I’ve lived my life with a sword. The idea that I’d be good at politics is dangerous in itself.”

“……”

“I could be manipulated by snakes without even realizing it. Better to remain useless—something no one can exploit. That’s basic mercenary wisdom.”

I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak.

Surely, she must know what people say about her behind her back—that she’s an incompetent and vulgar Empress.

“The role of Empress was always meant to remain vacant. So if I alone fall into disgrace, that’s the best outcome for the royal family. I never wanted to burden His Highness in the slightest. I…”

She gave a small smile.

“I’m still a loyal knight of the royal family—willing to do anything for it.”

Her solid muscles, her broad shoulders—they looked more reliable than any gown ever could.

They were, perhaps, the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“So I like you, Namia.”

“Pardon?”

“I like people who are good at their jobs. And you seem like an exceptional civil servant. You’ve memorized every legal article, you know your way around official paperwork—”

My heart thumped wildly.

As I blinked in this strange, overwhelming feeling, the Empress continued.

“I swear it. Thanks to you, I didn’t fall into the trap set by those who seek to harm the royal family. I will fulfill any wish you have, as long as it’s within my power.”