Chapter 9
Chapter 9
It had already been ten days since I joined the Urban Development Department.
“Everyone, gather in the meeting room.”
As soon as work began, Team Leader Toma Harens called all the employees together.
There had been several meetings over the past days, both big and small, but not once had I been called.
“Everyone means everyone. Why are you just standing there?”
So I thought I would be excluded again this time, but the team leader frowned and glared at me.
What was this? Had he suddenly had a change of heart?
That couldn’t happen.
I needed to get fired as soon as possible!
Although confused, I went into the meeting room. The other employees were already seated around a long oval wooden table.
Among them, the only empty seat was the head of the table—clearly the team leader’s seat.
So where was I supposed to sit?
Should I have brought a chair?
“Don’t block the way. Stand over there.”
While I was looking around, Allen Cranter smirked and pointed to a corner of the meeting room.
None of the other employees or the team leader objected.
Ah.
So they wanted me to stand quietly like a folding screen and watch the meeting without sitting down.
That’s a relief.
I had been worried that they might suddenly decide to treat me as a member of the department.
Thankfully that wasn’t the case.
Feeling reassured, I stood quietly in the corner.
“Alright, let’s begin with the situation reports.”
“Zone A has finished installing the triangular roofs.”
“Zone B will begin installing triangular roofs starting next Monday.”
“Zone C will also begin work next Monday…”
When Toma Harens spoke, the employees reported while reading from documents.
They even cleverly blocked the map spread on the table so I couldn’t see it.
They’re even isolating me like this.
It was the same obvious exclusion I had often seen in the real world.
But since it clearly showed they didn’t acknowledge me, it actually put me in a good mood.
“Aileen, was it? How do you think this issue should be resolved?”
I had lowered my head to hide the smile that almost escaped me when the team leader suddenly directed a question at me.
Since I had no idea what they were discussing or even what they were looking at, I could only blink silently.
“Tsk. Acting like you knew everything, but it turns out you’re just an empty cart making noise.”
“That’s right. The triangular roof and water channels were probably just lucky guesses. His Lordship and everyone else seem to be overestimating her.”
“Isn’t there a saying about a cow backing up and accidentally catching a mouse?”
The other employees began criticizing me as if they had been waiting for the opportunity.
Allen Cranter in particular tore into me enthusiastically.
I might not have been an elite, but no one had ever called me incompetent or inadequate.
And weren’t these the same people who had suggested the ridiculous idea of covering roofs with grass and leaves to block rainwater?
Hearing such nonsense from them made me furious.
I felt like flipping the table and shouting, What kind of bullshit are you spouting?
If I did that, I’d definitely get fired…
“Then I’ll have to hold your father responsible for raising his daughter poorly.”
The moment I remembered the lord threatening Tabin with those words, I shook my head.
Flipping the table would get me fired, but it would be because of my own fault.
Then the lord would shift the blame onto my father.
So instead, I had to make them conclude that I was incompetent and fire me on their own.
“You’re right. I also thought it was strange that His Lordship evaluated someone as lacking as me so highly.”
Instead of getting angry, I agreed with them.
It hurt my pride, but my life mattered more.
When I smiled and went along with their criticism, the team leader and the other employees stared at me in disbelief.
“She admits it herself. Is she crazy?”
“Seriously. I thought she wasn’t right in the head from the beginning, but I didn’t think it was this bad…”
Bang, bang—
As the employees started whispering again, the team leader tapped the table to silence them.
“Well, at least it’s good that you understand how lacking you are.”
“That’s true.”
“Then you should study, shouldn’t you?”
Study?
At Toma Harens’ signal, an employee seated to his right hurried out of the meeting room.
“Take this.”
When he returned, he shoved a large box into my arms.
It was filled with blueprints.
“What… is this?”
“These are blueprints used for constructing buildings in Zone C. Some were approved, and some were rejected.”
Toma Harens smiled meaningfully.
“By tomorrow, separate the approved blueprints from the rejected ones. If you’re going to work in the Urban Development Department, you should at least be able to do that much.”
[1-3. Earn recognition from the Urban Development Department team leader.]
[Reward: 5,000p]
The moment he finished speaking, a Main Quest appeared before my eyes.
Why the hell do I have to earn recognition from someone like him?!
Anger welled up from deep in my chest.
“…Understood.”
But unlike sub quests, main quests gave me no choice.
So I accepted through gritted teeth.
“They’re all strange…”
I examined every blueprint the team leader had given me.
But no matter how carefully I looked, none seemed like designs that would have been approved.
“Did they deliberately put only rejected blueprints in here to mess with me?”
Knock knock—
Just as that reasonable suspicion formed, someone knocked.
“Excuse me.”
It was the annex caretaker.
“May I ask how much longer you’ll be here? We need to lock up soon.”
Come to think of it, it was already past eight in the evening.
I hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed while reviewing the blueprints.
Only then did I look around.
All the other employees had already left for the day.
They usually worked late, but today everyone had gone home early.
If it weren’t for that damned main quest telling me to earn Toma Harens’ recognition, I would have left hours ago.
“I’m leaving now.”
Since I had finished reviewing the blueprints, I packed my things and left the office.
“Hey.”
After leaving the annex and heading straight for the stagecoach stop, I heard someone call out.
“What?”
There was no one nearby.
“Did I imagine it?”
Maybe I was hearing things because I had worked too hard for once.
Or maybe it was just the eerie darkness around me.
“Let’s go home quickly.”
Just as I was about to hurry away, an arm suddenly shot out of the darkness and grabbed mine.
“Ahhh!”
I screamed and swung my bag.
Thud.
With a dull sound, the contents of my bag spilled all over the ground.
“…More violent than you look.”
That voice… could it be—
“Y-Your Lordship?”
It really was Calix Krauvel.
A human more frightening than a ghost had just appeared.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
I instinctively apologized while picking up the things scattered on the ground.
Unfortunately, one pen had rolled all the way to his feet.
The lord nudged the pen toward me with the tip of his shoe as if it were something dirty.
“Pick it up.”
No wonder he was the final boss of the novel.
Just look at the way he behaved.
Staying near someone like him could only bring trouble.
Determined once again to get fired as soon as possible and leave this place, I gathered the pen and the rest of my belongings.
“The carriage is ready, Your Lordship.”
When I finished picking everything up, Noah Roheim appeared.
“Miss Aileen?”
“Hello.”
Noah Roheim’s eyes widened slightly when he noticed me.
“You’re leaving work now? The stagecoaches heading toward the city gate should have stopped running by now.”
“It’s only eight. The stagecoaches already stopped?”
I asked in shock, and Noah Roheim sighed.
“Oh dear. You must not have known. The stagecoaches only run until seven in the evening.”
That couldn’t be.
I had lived in a world where public transportation ran even before dawn.
I never imagined the stagecoaches would stop so early.
Then how am I supposed to get home?
If I walked, I would only reach the gate around midnight.
But the gates would already be closed by then.
“Your Lordship, since you happen to have business near the city gate, perhaps you could let Miss Aileen ride along and drop her off nearby?”
While I was wondering what to do, Noah Roheim said something ridiculous.
“Very well.”
To my surprise, the lord accepted the suggestion.
Riding in a carriage alone with the final boss of the novel.
Just thinking about it made it hard to breathe.
I’d rather sleep outside and wait for the gate to open.
Wait.
If that’s the case, I could just sleep in the duty room here.
Tabin would worry if I didn’t return, but if I explained that the stagecoaches had stopped running, he would understand.
“Actually, I still have some work to—”
[Surprise Quest Appears ☆]
Just as I was about to refuse Noah Roheim’s suggestion, a system window appeared before my eyes.
[Q. Please enjoy a cozy carriage date with the lord!]