Chapter 10
Chapter 10
What kind of insane quest is this?
Something like this should obviously be ignored.
[Reward: 3,000p]
[※Failure will result in a penalty.]
As if it had read my thoughts, the system message changed.
Wait—why does a sub quest have a penalty?!
[This is not a sub quest. It is a Surprise Quest.]
[For reference, Surprise Quests have a time limit. 10, 9…]
“What? Wait a second!”
I was so startled that I spoke out loud instead of thinking it.
“What are you doing?”
At that, Calix Krauvel asked with clear irritation on his face.
The intensity of his gaze was so frightening that cold sweat ran down my back.
“Ah, well…”
While I desperately searched for an excuse, the countdown in the system window continued.
My mind grew increasingly frantic and I couldn’t organize my thoughts.
[4, 3, 2…]
“Please take me to the city gate!”
In the end, I had no choice but to accept the quest.
As expected, riding in a carriage alone with Calix Krauvel was suffocating.
If I looked forward, I might meet the lord’s eyes, so I kept staring out the window the whole time.
The stagecoach I normally rode circled through residential districts and markets picking up passengers.
But the lord’s carriage cut straight across the city center.
The scenery was completely different from what I had seen from the stagecoach.
The buildings were far more luxurious, and the streets were spotless without a trace of trash.
This must be the district where the wealthy live.
While I was looking around, something caught my attention.
The triangular roofs.
How did they make those?
Did they copy mine after seeing it?
If that were true, they had stolen my technique without permission.
That made me extremely annoyed.
Wait… shouldn’t I actually be happy?
The reason the lord had placed me in the Urban Development Department was because of the triangular roof.
If they realized they could make it without me, it would become much easier for me to get fired.
“How is the work at the Urban Development Department?”
Just as I was hoping to get fired quickly, the lord suddenly asked.
Silence was uncomfortable, but conversation was worse.
“Yes. It’s fine.”
“I heard the Urban Development Department staff are giving you a hard time.”
So Noah Roheim must have reported it.
“It’s less hazing and more that they doubt my ability. I can handle that much, so you don’t need to worry.”
If the lord intervened, it might disrupt my plan to get fired as soon as possible.
So I repeatedly emphasized that everything was fine.
“You said this is your first time working, yet you speak like someone who has worked for years.”
“I-is that so?”
I had said it without thinking.
Maybe I had revealed too much.
I needed to be more careful.
Anyway, what exactly does “enjoy a cozy carriage date with the lord” even mean?
Surely it didn’t mean I had to hold hands or chat affectionately like real lovers.
Until now, all the quests had been related to architecture.
Why had something like this suddenly appeared?
“Have you lived in the Hunter’s Village your entire life?”
While I was thinking about the quest’s intention, the lord suddenly began interrogating me.
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Then why didn’t you step forward before now?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“The monsoon. There has been damage every year—last year and the year before. Why did you remain silent before but step forward this time?”
Because I only transmigrated into this world recently.
The words rolled around in my mouth.
Even if I said them, he wouldn’t believe me.
“I tried to stop it several times before, but I always failed. This time I was just lucky. Yes, it was all luck.”
Until now I had hated people dismissing my ability as luck.
But with this man, I sincerely hoped he would believe exactly that.
“Luck is also a form of ability.”
“Haha… is it?”
I had always felt this, but this person was strangely generous in odd places.
“I hope your luck continues when you work at the Urban Development Department.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll try my best.”
I couldn’t say I had no intention of continuing to work there, so I answered vaguely.
At that moment, the lord’s straight lips lifted slightly.
Wait.
He can smile like that?
[Surprise Quest Success!]
[Reward: 3,000 points.]
A quest completion window suddenly appeared before my eyes.
That counted as success?
What exactly were the criteria?
It was absurd, but there was no point asking.
More importantly, I wasn’t losing anything.
So I decided to let it go.
“Have you finished sorting the blueprints?”
The next day, Toma Harens called me over as soon as I arrived.
“Yes. Here they are.”
I placed the box of blueprints on his desk.
Toma Harens looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it.
“What are you doing? I clearly told you to separate the approved blueprints from the rejected ones.”
“They are all rejected blueprints, so I didn’t separate them.”
He had obviously given me only rejected blueprints to mess with me.
Since I had figured it out, he must have been surprised.
If he acknowledged that, the main quest would also be completed.
“Ha. That’s an interesting thing to say.”
While I was thinking about what equipment I should buy with the points I had saved, Toma Harens laughed sarcastically.
“So you don’t know anything and decided to claim everything is wrong?”
That meant some of them were supposedly approved blueprints.
That surprised me even more.
No matter how many times I checked them, none looked like something that could possibly be approved.
“Which ones are the approved blueprints?”
Genuinely curious, I asked.
Toma Harens pulled out four sheets from the pile.
“These.”
I examined the blueprints he handed me.
How could these possibly have been approved?
Even after rubbing my eyes and checking again, I couldn’t understand.
“This blueprint has a foundation that’s far too thin. If rain causes even slight ground subsidence, the entire building will tilt. And in this one, the spacing between the columns makes no sense. If it’s that wide, it can’t possibly support the weight of the upper floor.”
I pointed out the errors one by one.
Toma Harens’ face turned red, then pale.
“You’re a rookie who just joined. What do you think you know?”
“You don’t even have experience. Just do what we tell you.”
Incompetent superiors trying to protect their pride—whether in a novel or in reality, they were exactly the same.
I had planned to pretend to be incompetent and get fired.
But seeing truly incompetent people made my blood boil.
This really was harder than I thought.
“Even a rookie like me can see the mistakes, yet the highly experienced team leader couldn’t notice them. That’s quite unfortunate.”
The real-world Han Seona had endured humiliation because she had to keep working at her company.
But Aileen in this novel had no reason to endure it.
“By the way, since we’re talking about it—when I was leaving work yesterday, I noticed quite a few buildings with triangular roofs installed.”
The moment I brought it up, Toma Harens’ face visibly stiffened.
That was exactly the expression of a guilty thief.
“It seems someone copied the triangular roof design I created… Could it have been you, Team Leader?”
Bang!
“Who copied it?!”
Toma Harens slammed the desk and jumped up.
“I analyzed it myself and created it! It’s far better than the one you made!”
“That’s what people call copying.”
“I said it’s not!”
It was obvious to anyone, yet he stubbornly denied it.
“I didn’t realize you were someone who couldn’t even hold a proper conversation. I almost feel sorry for the employees working under you.”
The moment I finished speaking, I heard someone cough awkwardly behind me.
They probably thought the same thing but couldn’t say it out loud.
“In this department, my word is law! If you don’t like my methods, leave immediately!”
“Why should I? If you don’t like me, fire me yourself.”
“Y-you…!”
Toma Harens glared at me with bloodshot eyes but couldn’t finish his sentence.
It was obvious he wanted to fire me immediately but couldn’t because of the lord.
The thought was so amusing.
“You’re not going to fire me?”
When I provoked him, Toma Harens threw the blueprints at my face.
“Get out of my sight right now!”
Ah.
Failed to get fired again.
“I’ll take that as permission to leave early today. I’ll see you next week, Team Leader.”
After bowing politely, I picked up my bag and left the office.
“That crazy woman…!”
“Please calm down, Team Leader.”
Toma Harens’ roaring voice sounded almost sweet to my ears.
It felt like confirmation that the day I would finally get fired was not far away.