The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 8

Luka sighed as he returned to his desk.

‘Seriously, Namia is just…’

Thinking about Namia made him sigh automatically. Just picturing that perpetually uninterested face of hers irritated him.

‘I mean, why does she even open her eyes like that? Like she can’t be bothered. Can’t she at least try to look alive?’

Namia Roapia.

She entered the academy as the top scorer and drew everyone’s attention, only to remain at the bottom ranks for the rest of her school years. So most people just shrugged it off, assuming she’d gotten lucky on the entrance exam.

But not Luka.

Because from the start, he had set her as his rival and had kept his eyes on her ever since.

‘I don’t know much about defense scrolls, but… that had to be something amazing.’

And of course, that ability was probably just one of many she’d kept hidden all this time.

And once again, just as she predicted, that talent would quietly fade into obscurity.

‘But seriously, what’s her deal? I always knew the baron and baroness treated her unfairly since the academy.’

Luka had long picked up on how the Baron and Baroness Roapia only ever doted on Juan.

Every time they visited the academy, not once did they pay attention to Namia.

And Namia, too, accepted their neglect as a matter of course.

‘Everything about her is just… off.’

He’d always thought she was a bit thin, but after taking a closer look at her condition, it really bothered him.

‘If her nutrition is that poor, then… I mean, she said the overtime pay was hers, but she’s not even eating properly? What the hell is she saving all that money for?’

He just wanted one opportunity—just one—to compete with her properly.

He just wanted her to acknowledge him as a true rival.

As Luka sighed deeply, troubled by the thought—

“Luka.”

It was his immediate superior, the team leader of the emergency unit, speaking abruptly.

“Will Miss Namia Roapia be awake by this afternoon?”

“Huh?”

Luka blinked, then replied,

“She… woke up at dawn today, sir.”

“What?”

The team leader jumped up in surprise, clearly flustered.

“His Highness the Crown Prince said he’d visit her as soon as she woke.”

“…Excuse me?”

Luka’s eyes widened, his jaw slack.

Of course the knights protected the Crown Prince. That was a given.

So, like Namia had said earlier, Luka had figured she’d get something like an imperial commendation at best.

“His Highness, the very future of the Empire, is paying that much attention to Namia?”

“Exactly. Even though he could’ve easily avoided the attack without those scrolls, he insists on thanking her in person.”

Luka couldn’t help but laugh bitterly as he remembered what Namia had said.

That no one would care…

Even his own boss had brushed it off, despite Kiaros referring to her as a “savior.”

‘Then… will the Scroll Department really act exactly the way Namia predicted?’

He hadn’t said anything earlier since it was another department’s business.

But to think she’d get punished for taking initiative instead of praised?

If that department really functioned like that, it was suffocating just to imagine.

‘If I were in Namia’s position… could I live with that much resignation?’

The realization made Luka swallow dryly.

‘All the credit goes to Juan. All her salary is taken by her parents. Any attempt to prove herself gets crushed by her superiors.’

Namia’s face, when she talked about her future, had been too calm. That was what hurt most.

How many disappointments must she have endured, alone, to grow that indifferent to injustice?

Now, he was finally beginning to understand why her face was always so blank.

‘To be that sure nothing will ever change, no matter how hard you try… how much must she have given up on life?’

As Luka stood in thought, his team leader asked urgently,

“Anyway, she’s still at the infirmary, right? We better inform His Highness immediately.”

“Uh… no. She left the infirmary a while ago. She went to work.”

His team leader’s mouth dropped open.

“Wait, she discharged herself at dawn and went straight to work? Is that even possible?”

“Exactly. I told her she should rest a day, but she was too stubborn.”

At Luka’s words, his team leader sighed in exasperation and rubbed his forehead.

“Then… did she go to the Scroll Creation Division? Or whatever it’s called?”

“Sir, it’s not the Scroll Creation Division…”

“Ugh. Either way, we have to let His Highness know. If he was planning to visit her at the infirmary, he’ll probably go to the Scroll Management Department instead.”

There was no doubt—this was something even Namia hadn’t seen coming.

***

Luka had insisted I rest one more day.

Of course, I ignored him and left the infirmary right on time.

‘My precious paid leave… my sacred sick days… no way. Absolutely not.’

With my usual blank expression, I walked through the Imperial Garden toward my department.

I had a moment where I wondered if I said too much to Luka, but decided to forget it.

I didn’t even have the energy left to be proud.

‘Anyway, taking leave is not an option. I’d rather burn through my lifespan than use up vacation days.’

Like any workplace, there was a fixed number of paid leave and sick days per year.

If you didn’t use them, they got converted into cash at the end of the year.

Also, like with overtime pay, it wasn’t recorded on official payrolls—it came in cash.

‘That’s my money! My real money!’

I clung to every coin I could save, enduring the hell that was the Roapia household.

On the outside, I had the dullest eyes of anyone in the Empire. But inside, I screamed with passion:

‘I’m doing great! I am doing great! As long as there’s no war! I’ve got something important I need to do!’

Sure, finding my real father or whatever was a petty, civilian-level goal, completely beneath the notice of the mighty original novel’s main plot.

But stopping the war—that part was real. And I would do my best from my position, no matter how small.

‘The people behind it all aren’t going to give up just because of one failed attempt.’

But those people were one thing, and I had a job to get to.

Thanks to that high-end IV, I felt lighter than ever as I stood in front of the Scroll Department office.

‘Whew.’

I took a deep breath and gently pushed the door open.

I was being careful, but the click of the latch echoed far too loudly.

And with that, every gaze in the tense room turned to me.

‘Yup. That’s a bad vibe if I’ve ever seen one.’

Not unexpected.

As I crept toward my seat, my team leaderOsone   marched over to me.

His face was stormy.

“Namia.”

“Yes…?”

“Let’s talk.”

Of course.

This was the universal signal for “Prepare to get chewed out.”

I bowed my head asOsone   snapped,

“Just what are you going to do about this?! Huh?!”

That wasn’t a question. It was a command to “shut up and look guilty.”

The room instantly fell into a heavy silence. No one dared speak.

 Osone  bellowed again,

“Do you realize what your reckless behavior has done to this department?!”

His voice was loud enough to echo down the entire hallway.

When I was a rookie, moments like this would’ve made my heart race and my shoulders shrink. Even if someone else was getting yelled at.

But now I was a four-year veteran.

“Your report said six scrolls! But the actual number was completely different! That makes us look like an incompetent department!”

What’s for lunch today?

Oh, wait. Wasn’t the cube steak this week?

“No, seriously. If you’re that capable, why didn’t you just join the Magic Tower?!”

Was that yesterday… or is it today?