Chapter 14
Chapter 14
After working for quite some time, it was already five in the afternoon.
“I’ll wrap things up here for today!”
I wanted to keep working a bit longer, but if I did, the stagecoach service might stop running.
While Tabin and the homeowner couple went to clear away the debris, I stood there catching my breath and brushing dust and wood powder off my hands when the boy rushed inside.
“Big sister, the team leader came looking for you.”
“The team leader?”
What team leader would be looking for me… ah, Toma Harens?
Turning my head just in case, I saw that it really was Toma Harens.
Other Urban Development Department employees stood behind him as well.
Toma Harens stepped in without hesitation. He looked around at the temporarily patched ceiling and floor, the tools, and the materials piled to one side, and his expression twisted into a frown.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“As you can see, I was repairing the house.”
“I’m asking who gave you permission to repair the house.”
“I received permission from the homeowners.”
His eyebrow twitched, clearly displeased with my answer.
“You think it’s acceptable to leave the office during work hours and repair houses without the team leader’s permission—and then talk back about it?”
“You asked, so I answered.”
“Aileen!”
Toma Harens’s voice roared like a lion’s.
He always called me “hey” or “you,” so I thought he didn’t even know my name.
Apparently he did.
“Leaving the office without your permission was my fault. I sincerely apologize for that.”
If something needed to be acknowledged, it should be acknowledged.
“But I didn’t realize I needed your permission to repair a house.”
“This building isn’t privately owned. It’s city property. That means its maintenance and repairs fall under public administration.”
“Then didn’t I do the right thing?”
I tilted my head slightly.
“As an Urban Development Department employee, it seems like I did my job properly.”
“Hah. I knew reasoning with you was impossible, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
Toma Harens let out a hollow laugh and crossed his arms.
“First. I never instructed you to repair this building.”
“……”
“Second. Our department issues work orders. We don’t personally handle construction sites. All field work is handled by the Oak Heart Workshop.”
Now that he mentioned it, the boy had said he asked the carpenters from Oak Heart Workshop but was rejected.
“Is there a law or a direct order from the lord stating that all field work must be given to the Oak Heart Workshop?”
I wondered if that was why he was so angry.
At that moment, Toma Harens’s eye twitched.
What was that expression?
It looked like someone who had just finished using the restroom and suddenly realized they forgot to wash their hands.
“So that’s not the case. Then there’s no reason the work must go to Oak Heart Workshop.”
“That’s the established practice.”
Ah.
Practice.
Such a convenient word.
And one I hated the most.
Most things called “practice” weren’t written down anywhere officially.
They were simply rules created by higher-ups for their own convenience.
And if that were all, it would be one thing.
“Usually when such ‘practices’ are established, the other side tends to show their appreciation in rather generous ways…”
I deliberately trailed off with a smile.
“Did you perhaps receive something from the Oak Heart Workshop as well, Team Leader?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Toma Harens shouted even louder than before, though his eyes darted toward the employees who came with him.
So he really did take a bribe.
That must be why he was trying so hard to stop me from doing repairs.
If I continued, his source of money might be cut off.
Even worse, the bribery itself might be exposed.
Wait… could the reason he started installing triangular roofs in the unaffected districts instead of the severely damaged ones also be about money?
Now that I thought about it, every district that received triangular roofs first was home to wealthy nobles and merchants.
Too perfect to be coincidence.
“Whether you received a bribe from the Oak Heart Workshop or not can be determined through an investigation.”
“Do as you please.”
I expected him to panic a little, but surprisingly he looked calmer than before.
“But if the investigation proves otherwise, you will submit a resignation letter and leave the team.”
Toma Harens pointed at the wide-open door.
“We don’t need an employee who ignores her superior’s instructions and throws around baseless accusations.”
“Fine.”
When I nodded without hesitation, his eyes narrowed.
He probably expected me to get scared and back down.
Not a chance.
I wanted to quit as soon as possible anyway.
If he was giving me the chance to submit a resignation letter, I should be thanking him.
“Then let’s go see the lord together.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
A low voice suddenly cut in.
The crowd gathered near the doorway parted to the sides.
“We’ll discuss it here.”
Through the gap appeared Calix Krauvel.
The moment the lord appeared, the Urban Development Department employees who had been standing at the entrance vanished as if they had never been there.
Their place was filled by Tabin and the building’s residents.
“Why has the lord come all the way here?”
“I don’t know. But the atmosphere looks tense…”
“I heard that young lady repaired the place without the team leader’s permission.”
The residents murmured among themselves while watching us.
Tabin looked at me with eyes full of worry and anxiety.
Ha… what a hassle.
Tabin thought I was doing well in the Urban Development Department.
Now he had to see something like this.
I couldn’t help sighing.
“Your Lordship.”
Toma Harens, who had also stiffened up, stepped forward.
“Aileen falsely reported that she was going out for field work during work hours and left the office without authorization.”
His tone was respectful, but the look he gave me was venomous.
“Furthermore, without the permission of her team leader, she interfered with a building owned by the city and proceeded with repairs on her own initiative.”
Calix Krauvel looked at me.
His gaze was so sharp that my shoulders instinctively shrank.
“If an employee who ignores the chain of command and acts independently is left unpunished, it will cause problems in the future.”
He might as well just say outright that I should be fired instead of circling around it.
I wanted to be fired as soon as possible.
But that didn’t mean I planned to go down alone.
Just as I was about to mention the suspected bribery from the Oak Heart Workshop—
“W-wait a moment!”
The boy shouted and stepped forward.
“I was the one who asked big sister for help.”
His clasped hands trembled, but his voice rang out loudly.
“Ever since the last monsoon, water kept dripping from the ceiling. The walls and floors were soaked, and the mold smell was so strong it was hard to breathe.”
“That’s correct.”
The homeowner couple whose house I repaired today also stepped forward.
“This has been happening for nearly a month. We submitted repair requests several times, but all we were told was to wait.”
“The Oak Heart Workshop said the same thing.”
After that, other residents began speaking up one by one.
“That young lady only did what a manager should have done. Punishing her makes no sense.”
“That’s right. If anything, the other administrators who failed to do their jobs should be punished.”
As the residents took my side and criticized the incompetence of the officials, Toma Harens’s face visibly stiffened.
Calix Krauvel listened quietly before turning to me.
“Explain where you began the repairs and how you carried them out.”
This situation was becoming troublesome.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Ah… I started with the roof first. That was where the rainwater intrusion was the worst.”
I answered as if pushed into it.
“Then I removed the ceilings of the leaking units, cleared away all the soaked finishing materials, and removed the cloth and rags stuffed inside.”
While listening, the lord surveyed the interior of the building.
“…The finishing work is still temporary. Once everything dries completely, I plan to reapply the wallpaper and repair the ceiling.”
“How long will it take to complete everything?”
“About ten more days, including the weekend.”
“Hm…”
Calix Krauvel stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.
“It is certainly a serious offense to leave your workplace without reporting to your superior and to falsely claim you were going on field work.”
His low voice carried a strange authority that commanded everyone’s attention.
“However, considering that you carried out work that the administrators failed to handle, you will take responsibility and complete the repairs to this building.”