Chapter 27
Chapter 27
“The lord is not currently present.”
I had dragged my injured leg all the way to the lord’s castle, only to hear that he wasn’t there.
All the strength drained out of me, and my tense shoulders slumped.
“Where did he go?”
“For security reasons, I cannot tell you. I also cannot inform you when he will return.”
As if he had anticipated my next question, the butler added firmly.
“He’ll return sometime today, right?”
“I cannot say that either.”
Ah, seriously. You could at least tell me that much.
“Then I’ll be at the Urban Development Department office until six this evening. If the lord returns, please let him know that I would very much like to meet him.”
Annoyance surged inside me, but I forced a smile as I spoke.
The butler looked me up and down with clear displeasure before reluctantly nodding.
Did I do something wrong?
When I first came to the lord’s castle after being brought in by the knights, he had been excessively polite.
But today he seemed sharp and openly hostile.
I tried to think if I had made some mistake with the butler, but nothing came to mind.
“Ugh.”
Lost in thought, I stepped forward without realizing how much pressure I put on my foot, and a sharp pain shot through my ankle.
“I should have brought the crutches.”
The medieval-style crutches were so crude and heavy that I had left them behind.
Now I regretted that decision.
Walking slowly, I eventually arrived at the Urban Development Department office.
“Hello.”
I greeted them energetically as I entered.
But no one answered.
It wasn’t that they were ignoring me—there was simply no one there.
“Where did everyone go?”
I checked the schedule posted on the wall.
“Oh, they went to repair buildings.”
The entire city was unsettled because of the monster that appeared outside the city yesterday, yet everyone had still gone out to work.
I liked that.
To be fair, even when Toma Harens had been around, the staff worked diligently.
The problem had been that the team leader was incompetent, which meant they wasted time on pointless things.
“Oh, Miss Aileen.”
An employee whose face I recognized—though I didn’t know his name—walked into the office.
“I heard you injured your leg and were taking a break until tomorrow. But you came to work?”
“I just came to meet the lord for a moment.”
“Oh, you came to meet the lord.”
The employee smiled knowingly.
Looks like he’s imagining something strange.
I was tired of explaining, and even if I denied it, he probably wouldn’t believe me.
So I gave up.
“Don’t stand there with your injured leg. Go sit down.”
“That’s what I plan to do.”
I looked toward the corner where my desk used to be.
But the desk and chair were gone.
“Your seat is over there now.”
The perceptive employee pointed it out immediately.
The place he indicated was directly in front of the team leader’s desk—the seat held by the second most powerful person in the Urban Development Department.
It had once belonged to Anton Brown.
And now it was my seat.
Looks like my status had risen quite a bit without me even noticing.
Since I never asked for it, I didn’t feel happy about it—just uncomfortable.
“If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll bring it for you.”
That kind of kindness felt burdensome.
“In that case, could you bring me the repair logs from the work completed so far?”
But there was no reason to refuse.
The employee handed over the documents immediately and then left the office again, saying he had other work to do.
I was checking the work logs alone when someone knocked.
“Excuse me. I’m from the Administration Department. Is the team leader of the Urban Development Department here?”
“No, he’s out on duty. What is it?”
“A man named Bram Gus came looking for the team leader. Since he doesn’t have a visitor pass, I came to confirm.”
For security reasons, outsiders needed a pass to enter the annex.
“Since the team leader isn’t here, I’ll inform him and send him away.”
“Wait.”
The Administration Department employee was about to leave, so I hurriedly stopped him.
“I know him. I’ll go speak with him.”
“Very well.”
I organized the work logs and stepped outside the annex.
Bram Gus was standing near the castle entrance, smoking.
“Smoking isn’t good for your health.”
When I approached and said that, he raised his eyebrows and threw the cigarette away.
“I’m old enough that even my parents wouldn’t nag me. Yet here I am being scolded by a little brat.”
“You say that, but you listened.”
“I can’t smoke in front of a patient.”
The patient wasn’t me—it was you.
Through the slightly open collar of his shirt, I could see the bandages wrapped around his chest.
Just thinking about yesterday made it obvious he had been injured far worse than I was.
“How’s your leg?”
It was a little funny that he was worrying about me.
“It’s fine. I heard you came to see the team leader, but he isn’t here right now. If you tell me what you need, I’ll pass it along.”
“I came because of the drainage construction.”
I had expected that.
“Apparently the construction will resume the day after tomorrow. I came to confirm whether that’s true.”
“What? It’s really restarting the day after tomorrow?”
When I asked in surprise, Bram Gus chuckled.
“You work for the Urban Development Department and you’re asking me that?”
Ah. Right.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
“I only heard that construction would stop until the worm’s habitat was dealt with. So it’s really restarting the day after tomorrow?”
“I only heard rumors myself, so I came to confirm it with the team leader.”
“The team leader went to District 6 to oversee repairs. Let’s go there and ask.”
I started to lead the way, but Bram Gus waved his hand.
“You’re injured. Where do you think you’re going? I’ll go check, so stay here.”
“You’re injured too.”
“This is nothing for a man.”
Honestly. Injuries aren’t divided by gender.
“I’m fine. Let’s just go together.”
“No. If we go together and something happens, the lord will get angry. Just stay here.”
“What does the lord getting angry have to do with me getting hurt?”
Bram Gus looked at me as if asking whether I was serious.
Ah. I understood from his expression.
It was because of the rumors about me and the lord.
“The lord and I have no relationship whatsoever, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“But yesterday—”
“I said no.”
I cut him off firmly.
“And District 6… actually, it’s probably better if you go alone.”
Then I remembered that I had told the butler I would wait for the lord until six.
If I disappeared without saying anything, the butler might get into trouble.
So I decided to stay.
As for the drainage project, I could ask the lord directly.
“Alright. I’ll go ask and come back.”
“Yes, please.”
I saw Bram Gus off, hoping desperately for good news.
Bram Gus returned just before six in the evening.
There was still no word from the lord.
“I asked your team leader. Apparently the lord said the construction will resume the day after tomorrow.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Time was precious, so losing three days was unfortunate.
But it couldn’t be helped.
People’s safety came first.
We’ll just add more laborers to make up for the delay.
If necessary, I could ask employees from the Urban Development Department or other officials to help.
Digging dirt didn’t require special skills.
“But even if the construction resumes, I doubt the laborers will show up.”
Bram Gus crossed his arms and spoke seriously.
“A lot of people were injured because of the worm yesterday. And many still haven’t recovered from the shock.”
That was true.
After encountering such a terrifying monster, it would be strange if they were completely fine.
“Then it’ll be hard for you to come to work the day after tomorrow too.”
“Huh? Why me?”
“You’re injured too.”
“I told you it’s nothing.”
Since he kept acting tough, I lightly nudged his chest with my elbow.
“Ugh!”
Bram Gus let out a cry and stumbled backward.
Unfortunately, his foot caught on a stone.
He lost his balance and fell backward.
His head struck the ground with a dull thud.
“Are you alright?”
I hadn’t intended for that to happen, so I was startled.
The impact must have been strong because Bram Gus couldn’t get up right away and groaned in pain.
“Mr. Gus, if you can hear me, please answer.”
[Surprise Quest Completed!]
While checking on Bram Gus, a system window suddenly appeared in front of me.
[Q. Strike the back of the annoying foreman’s head.]
[Reward: 10,000p / 10,000p]
…Somehow, I had completed the Surprise Quest without meaning to.