The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 50

 

Namia let go of his hand with a cheerful smile.

Then, with a more relaxed face, she spoke.

“Since we already know each other, I’ll skip the introductions. Let’s get straight to work.”

“Yes.”

“……”

“Is something wrong?”

“Hm.”

Namia stared directly at Kiaros.

Then, with a small sigh, she politely said,

“Normally… in this kind of situation, the senior tells the junior to speak casually first. But since you’re a foreigner and might not know, I’ll just say it. Is it okay if I speak casually with you? You’re younger than me anyway.”

Ah. Now that she mentioned it, that was true.

Supervisors usually spoke casually with their secretaries.

Keyvon’s age was intentionally listed as twenty-two. She must’ve looked at the personnel file.

He had deliberately registered a younger age. The birthday was randomly scribbled in.

He’d chosen the Imote Kingdom as his background because it had the least interaction with the Empire.

That minimized the risk of any slip-ups.

And since it’s my mother’s homeland, it’s not entirely a lie.

Half of the blood in his veins came from Imote.

Though he had only ever visited once…

Anyway, it was time to fully embrace the identity of Keyvon.

“Yes.”

Kiaros nodded, and Namia smiled brightly.

“Great. Then let’s start simple—want to go over old files with me?”

File review. A light enough task for a first assignment.

Seeing Kiaros’s confident expression, Namia said teasingly,

“Don’t forget your promise. You did say you wouldn’t quit, remember? I’ll be doing a second review anyway, but…”

Her trembling lashes made her look slightly anxious—almost adorably so.

It seemed she was hesitant because of the amount of paperwork.

“Yes.”

But Kiaros really didn’t mind.

These were documents he had already reviewed once.

That review had been what led to the mass firings in the first place.

She’s nervous about making me review some paperwork? Even though she’s checking it again herself…

Namia really did seem too kind for a supervisor role.

He reassured her.

“You mentioned this is your first time managing someone.”

“…Yeah.”

“When it comes to me, just remember one thing. If the Minister gives an order, I’ll follow it without question. So don’t overthink it—just give me directions.”

“R-Really? I’m seriously going to order you around, okay? You absolutely can’t quit.”

Kiaros replied without a flicker of hesitation.

“Yes. No matter what happens, I won’t quit.”

Two hours later.

I want to quit.

Kiaros took a shaky breath.

That woman…

Namia’s smile no longer looked beautiful.

…is a demon.

***

That same morning.

The morning of Namia’s first day as Minister.

Several department heads had gathered informally. They all wore disgruntled expressions.

“This is ridiculous. A twenty-three-year-old Minister?”

“I get that the department was a mess, but treating her like one of us? Are we really supposed to sit next to her in meetings?”

They were upset over Namia’s appointment.

Opinions among Ministers were divided.

Some said the Tower Master must have had a good reason for appointing her.

Others didn’t care, since it didn’t affect their own departments.

And then there was—

“I saw Namia Roapia’s personnel record. Her academy scores and civil service exam results were terrible. It’s disgraceful that someone like that became Minister.”

“Our junior staff will start looking down on us. Don’t you think?”

This group absolutely refused to accept Namia as Minister.

They were holding a secret meeting.

“She needs to be removed.”

At the center sat a middle-aged man whose eyes gleamed coldly.

“We all hated how incompetent the last Scroll Management Minister was. Now the lowest-level staffer from that very department is Minister? Unbelievable.”

He was none other than the Minister of Finance, the most influential of all Ministers.

Historically, the Finance Minister naturally served as leader among Ministers.

“If she were young and competent, fine—I’d accept it,” he said seriously. “But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. We barely pulled the department away from the Tower. We can’t let it remain in chaos. Better to shut it down altogether.”

“Minister, do you know Namia Roapia personally?” one Minister asked cautiously.

The Finance Minister spoke as though Namia’s incompetence was a given.

“I heard from the Justice Minister that she’s quite clever.”

The Justice Minister wasn’t present. He had attended the meeting where the Tower Master insisted on Namia’s appointment.

But he had only said, “I opposed it at first, but… hmm, she seems formidable,” and then joined the indifferent faction.

The Finance Minister shook his head.

“Her twin brother, Juan Roapia, works in my department.”

“Oh? You know him?”

“He’s always a day late on deadlines, but his work is excellent. He’s been promoted quickly. I’ve kept an eye on him.”

In a department as large as Finance, it was rare for the minister to know a fourth-year staffer’s name.

Which meant Juan was that good.

The Finance Minister wasn’t biased about age or gender. He valued competence, even in a junior.

“If Juan were Minister, I’d have no issue. He’s a bit scatterbrained, but always delivers exceptional results. Every time he requested high-level access, he followed up with something valuable. But his sister…”

He scowled.

“Juan’s always said she’s been an idiot since she was born.”

“Ah…”

“They took the civil service exam as a team. Juan helped her a lot—he said she barely passed because of him.”

Another Minister blinked in surprise.

“Minister, you even know your staff’s family history? Impressive. With so many employees…”

“Not the full story,” he shrugged. “We’re not close. I just overheard it at a company dinner.”

“He said she didn’t even belong here in the first place. That he helped her through school. And that girl became Minister? No way.”

He scowled again.

“If the Tower Master insisted, maybe she’s got some decent magic talent.”

Normally, the Finance Minister wouldn’t get involved.

He was a marquess—an unusual title for a civil servant—and confident in both his background and skills.

“But regardless of her magic skills, this is the Imperial Palace.”

To him, this wasn’t about Namia personally.

It was a power struggle between the Tower and the Palace—and he was ready to get involved.

If the Emperor only appointed her because the Tower Master threw a tantrum, then he’d find a flaw and use it to force disciplinary action.

“Just wait.”

He had long despised the Scroll Management Division.

He couldn’t touch them before because of their joint jurisdiction with the Tower.

But now, they belonged to the Imperial Court.

They were fair game.

“A Minister’s main job is preparing a budget. Does anyone in the Scroll Department even know how to write one? The previous Minister’s budgets were a disaster.”

With a chilly look, the Finance Minister raised his chin.

“By the end of today, I’ll make sure that girl resigns on her own.”