It’s a Misunderstanding. It’s a Team-Building Event.
"Administrative Officer-! Aaaah, Administrative Officer-!"
"Why are you being so creepy? Won't you let go? Even if I do this, you won't let go?!"
Aiden had been listening to Jamie’s whining for days now, to the point where he felt like he was going to go bald from the stress.
"Let’s go to a team-building event, okay? We’ve finished all the urgent work, haven't we? Administrative Officer-!"
"Team-building event? Don't make me laugh."
Jamie, who had been quiet for a while, had caught this "disease" ever since he heard the rumor that the trading post staff had gone on a two-day, one-night team-building retreat.
"...I apologize."
Watching the scene, Kalisa sighed softly and bowed her head.
The trading post was technically under the Department of Commercial Development. However, since the core staff consisted of members from Kalisa’s former merchant guild, it was a group where the merchant culture was still stronger than the bureaucratic one.
"The guild used to hold team-building events around this time every year. I should have stopped them."
"That’s not something you need to apologize for. Every group has its own organizational culture."
Aiden didn't intend to blame Kalisa. In fact, it was said that the trading post staff had been coming up with quite a few decent ideas since their retreat. There were organizations that needed to relieve tension and foster camaraderie, and the trading post staff were exactly that kind of group.
"Don't you think our Lord’s Castle needs a team-building event too? Administrative Officer, look, see? How drastically has our organization changed this year? With the opening of the Administrative Welfare Center, the departments have completely changed, new adjutants have arrived, and the division of duties has been overhauled! It’s actually strange that we haven't had a team-building event yet!"
"Still, no."
"Why not? Administrative Officer-!"
"Stop dragging out your words like that; it doesn't suit you. It’s creepy. And hey, go outside and ask. See if there’s anyone who actually wants to do it!"
Aiden thought to himself.
Department dinners. Full-staff team-building retreats. Irregular mountain climbing. Even the "Unity Sports Day."
'Ugh.'
It was PTSD incarnate. When he was a rookie, he had to prepare an idol dance to perform on stage because he was young, and once he adapted to the organization, he had to show up at a gimbap shop at dawn to buy dozens of rolls of kimchi gimbap before climbing a mountain.
'You want me to do that again? I hate it. I won't! I can't!'
On the day he had to participate in a three-legged race on a track under the scorching sun, Aiden had made a vow: If I ever become the one in charge, I will burn every single one of these 'team-building' events that have no unity to the ground.
Fortunately, now that his workplace had changed from City Hall to the Lord’s Castle and he had become the decision-maker he had so desperately wanted to be, a team-building event was out of the question.
Aiden thought he would be the kind of boss who listened well to his subordinates.
"I knew you’d say that, so I already conducted a survey!"
But it seemed life didn't flow that easily. Aside from his pestering, Jamie was more competent than he looked, and the people of the North were all obsessed with gathering in groups to have fun.
"The approval rate for the team-building event is 96.4 percent!"
"......"
"It was an anonymous survey, of course. Just in case it looked like coercion by hierarchy. Hehe."
The survey Jamie handed over had an absurd figure printed on it. That day, Aiden’s world collapsed.
"Is it really right to do this on such a cold day?"
Tents were lined up in the open space in front of the Lord’s Castle. Since it was the place where the market was held every fortnight, it was surrounded by a wooden fence and the ground was kept flat, making it perfect for hosting such an event. In front of each tent, large wooden boards proudly displayed the names of their respective departments.
"Livelihood Support Department! Livelihood Support, gather over here! Hahaha!"
The Livelihood Support Department, led by Jamie, looked more like Barracks Ver. 2, stomping their feet while shouting chants like "Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" It was hard to rationally understand why they were doing such a thing, but since they had certainly drawn attention, it was clear that Jamie’s original goal—muttering that "if you're going to be a clown, you have to be the best"—had been achieved.
Jamie’s Livelihood Support Department was a bit different from the social welfare officials at City Hall in the past. It was hard to tell if they were recruited that way on purpose or if they had changed to be like Jamie, but one thing was certain: they were a group of physical types with muscles the size of a child’s head on their arms.
'No wonder the volume of civil complaints for the Livelihood Support Department was so low.'
Aiden’s question was neatly resolved as he watched the Livelihood Support officials gathered together.
"Commercial Development Department, this way."
"Reporting. All 13 members of the Commercial Development Department have checked in. The Post Office and the Trading Post have set up their own flags. Today’s schedule is—."
The Commercial Development Department, led by Kalisa, consisted of officials who looked like they wouldn't bleed even if you pricked them with a needle. They were people who exuded an elite vibe, but since all the typical merchants who loved money had been sent to the trading post, the officials in the Commercial Development Department had become a group of people who saw money only as numbers.
'Even I find them difficult. Phew.'
Aiden and the Commercial Development officials seemed similar at first glance in that they liked and were good at their work. But there was one difference: the Commercial Development officials were typical organization members with a strong FM (Field Manual) streak, while Aiden was an organizational leader who would stop at nothing for the success of a task, which was why they couldn't be grouped into the same category.
"Kitchen, Kitchen, Kitchen!"
"Wooooooah-!"
It wasn't just the officials who had gathered. As it was a full-scale team-building event for the organizations under the Lord’s Castle, the kitchen staff, maids, the barracks, and—
"Nyaaaang-."
Even the Cat-folk from the Post Office had all gathered.
"...It’s a madhouse."
"There are no dogs here, meow."
"......"
Aiden regretted it once again. He should have just insisted until the end that he wouldn't do it, regardless of the 96.4 percent. Fatigue was already pressing down on his shoulders.
"Please come to your seat, Administrative Officer."
Roland, who hadn't been in the North long enough to be in charge of a specific department, had volunteered to be the host of today’s team-building event and Aiden’s personal secretary.
"Don't tell me that’s my seat?"
"Yes. I put some thought into it."
And that was the problem. Aiden’s seat was set up on a temporary staircase. If you walked up the red-carpeted stairs, there was a sofa large enough for two adults to sit comfortably. The sofa was decorated with white, fluffy fur, and strange feather fans were attached to both armrests.
"If I wear a feathered hat, I’ll look exactly like a tribal chief."
Aiden was certain that while he didn't know the era or region, the visual was definitely closer to a tribal chief than a king.
"Hey, it’s just this much. Hehe."
"...That’s not a compliment."
Anyway, he couldn't keep all these people waiting, so Aiden climbed the stairs with the heart of a cow being led to the slaughterhouse and sat on the sofa.
Whoosh-!
"Ah, you startled me! Seriously!"
"You can't be cold."
As soon as he sat down, the torches on both sides ignited. A large brazier was also placed instead of a table.
"Whoa!"
A thick fur was placed on his lap like a blanket, and looking closely, it was a wolf. He knew this because—
"Why on earth do you leave the head on when making fur!"
"Hey, that’s what makes it look cool."
Roland, this guy. Does he actually have Northern blood flowing in his veins? How else could he be like this?
"......"
As a result, Aiden’s visual was certainly overwhelming. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing, though.
"Hehehe..."
The team-building event hadn't even started yet, but Aiden, whose entire daily capacity of energy had been drained, stared blankly and waved at the cheering staff with a feeling of resignation.
"Wooooooah!"
"You look cool, our Lord!"
"Whistle-! Administrative Officer, look over here too!"
Amidst the cheers, where it was impossible to tell if they were sincere or teasing, the first game began. The first game was an obstacle course race. Various obstacles were installed in the open space.
"It looks a bit dangerous. It’ll be a big problem if the participants get hurt. Why don't you remove a few of the dangerous ones?"
"That’s why Lapisha has come out to support us. Over there."
"No, you should be thinking about how not to get people hurt, not talking about fixing them if they do!"
"Hey. But if the obstacles are pathetic, it’s not fun."
"......"
Roland seemed to have adapted to the North quite well, more than Aiden thought. He felt that if he entrusted him with a department soon, he would do his part. Aiden looked at Lapisha and her disciples, who were positioned on one side as a last hope, but they were whispering with Jamie, who was running around excitedly, and then handed over silver coins.
"Don't tell me that’s gambling?"
"It’s not gambling, it’s a bonus game?"
"Don't talk nonsense! Stop it right now! What will the residents think if they find out!"
"It’s just for lunch money..."
"Sigh."
"I’ll go tell them to stop."
Roland went to catch Jamie, muttering nonsense like, "Ah, I was definitely going to win this time." Anyway, it was a mess.
'Why am I the only normal person in this neighborhood?'
Aiden clicked his tongue as he took out the documents he had secretly hidden in his pocket. At least it was fortunate that there were many braziers, so he wasn't cold while reading the documents.
"Waaaaaah!"
A scream caught Aiden’s ears, as he had been instantly immersed in his documents.
"What is it?"
"Kekeke! Look at that, Administrative Officer."
Roland, sitting next to him, giggled and pointed to the arena where the obstacle race was taking place.
"They say the North is the best at hanging people, and wow, as soon as he stepped on that trap, he soared into the sky! Kekeke!"
He didn't know how they did it, but one of the contestants who had stepped on a trap placed on the ground was hanging upside down in the air, swaying back and forth.
"Don't laugh, find out who made that trap and submit a separate report later. Also, check what kind of things they’ve made so far and attach it."
"Ah, yes."
"And release that hanging employee. His face is going to burst."
"Since it’s the first game, why don't you release him, Administrative Officer? Everyone will be happy."
Usually, he would have refused, but Aiden felt a bit moved because it was funny to see them playing like that. Just as the wind blew, he draped the wolf fur he had been covering his knees with over his shoulders and went down under the podium to operate the device to release the employee who had stepped on the trap, but—
"You cannot enter right now!"
"Who do you think you are to block me! Move aside! I heard that the Lord’s deputy of the North is here!"
Just as a loud noise erupted, the temporary wooden door of the team-building venue creaked open.
"I hear laughter so loud, what important work could you be doing—."
A man with a chubby impression had broken through the guards and entered the castle grounds recklessly.
"Hiccup!"
He seemed to have pushed his way in quite majestically, but upon facing the situation inside the venue, he began to hiccup. Seeing his pupils shaking uncontrollably, it was clear he was misunderstanding something.
"......"
Aiden calmly assessed the situation. The hellish obstacle race had just ended. The participants were sweating so much in the cold weather that steam was rising from their shoulders and heads, the eyes of the officials from each department were bloodshot because they were excited that they had to win the first game, and one contestant who hadn't cleared the obstacle was trembling with embarrassment at being hung in the air.
And, the icing on the cake: Aiden, with his impression crumpled to the point of no return because he was annoyed at the situation, draped in a fur with a wolf’s head attached, was about to operate the device that hung a person in the air, when—
"Who?"
It was Aiden asking for the identity of the stranger.
In other words, it was a stage perfectly set for the opponent to misunderstand.