Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Administrative Hell
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"No."
Kalligo said it without taking his eyes off the documents.
"Pardon?"
His subordinate's voice rose slightly. Kalligo set the papers down and turned his head. He saw the coffee cup.
"The one who asked me to fetch coffee is saying no—what am I supposed to do? Drink it myself?"
Ron pulled the coffee cup back.
"Sorry. Slipped my mind."
"The Captain forgets things sometimes too, huh."
"In a situation like this, anyone's mind would go blank, right?"
Ron glanced at the documents piled high on the desk.
"Yeah, true. Do we have to review all of these?"
"We do. What can we do when they're short-staffed? All we can do is help out with my talented self."
The Holy City terrorist attack had been a horrific incident, but administratively, it wasn't a huge issue. They just needed to assess the civilian casualties and provide support and compensation.
But the incident that exploded a week ago was on a whole different scale from a terrorist attack that killed civilians.
If it had happened in another district, it might have been manageable, but of all places, it occurred in the noble residential district.
Key officials from the Administrative Bureau and other major administrative offices in the Holy City had died. The number of personnel able to return to work had plummeted.
If it were simple tasks that could be solved by just throwing more manpower at them, the vacancies could have been filled quickly, but that wasn't the case.
On top of that, the palace had been obliterated. The empire's symbol had crumbled away completely clean.
Honestly, he'd thought about it a few times in his head. Wouldn't it be kind of fun to watch that pristine beige-toned palace come crashing down?
But imagination is enjoyable only as imagination, and when it became reality, hell unfolded.
The palace was where final decisions were made on matters sorted by the Administrative Bureau and other ministries.
The emperor's edicts, the assembly's proposals, orders from each bureau—all gone up in smoke in an instant.
What did that mean?
"While we're on the topic, this too..."
Ron handed over the coffee and subtly offered a bundle of papers.
Kalligo looked at his subordinate with the most disgusted expression he could muster.
"My 'instinct' has never been wrong. Let me say it again. No."
"Come on, just handle this first. The Holy City Defense Bureau is throwing a fit right now. With the 2nd Administrative Bureau paralyzed, they're hounding us nonstop over budget execution. It's driving me insane."
"Did you take a bribe from them or something?"
"A bribe? Who do you think we are? Sure, we're handling all their administrative work right now, but we're the Special Inspectorate Unit. Taking money on the side for stuff like that..."
Kalligo twitched one eye as he stared at his subordinate. The man pursed his lips and continued.
"I didn't take money, but I did accept a favor from someone I know."
"I'm doing this crap because of a favor from someone I know too. Ever heard of Ardhens? How about I arrange a meeting between him and our Blue Lion here, the one who asked you for the favor?"
"...I'll leave it here. Look at it if you feel like it."
"If I feel like it."
Ron turned away. He was heading back to the pile of documents on his own desk.
"I'll review it and get back to you."
"No! It's been three days with no answer—does that make any sense?"
"I'm sorry."
That came from the left.
"Excuse me, this is really urgent."
"I know. We're reviewing it as fast as we can, so please wait a bit longer."
"Until when?"
"If the person in charge lets me go and waits, it might get processed faster. Every minute we're talking is delaying it."
That was from the right.
The Administrative Bureau's waiting room had turned into a marketplace. Bureaucrats from various bureaus and offices had swarmed in since dawn, hounding his subordinates.
This was the problem with a massive organization. Everyone smiles happily when funds and supplies flow smoothly, but the moment things get clogged, everyone collapses.
For an empire of this size, flexibility was impossible.
The 2nd Administrative Bureau's primary duty was allocating funds to the Holy City's major facilities, and the man who had handled it smoothly was Director Aleng.
If he could bring back the deceased Director Aleng, Kalligo thought he could offer up half his soul—he meant it seriously.
"You're a harsh one. Dumping this on me and then going off on a solo vacation."
Kalligo spread out a sheet of scrap paper on the desk and climbed up. The waiting room came into full view.
He watched his subordinates getting pushed around from all sides, then took a deep breath.
"Attention, everyone!"
He bellowed. The bureaucrats stared blankly.
"I'll give you 10 minutes. Sort only the procedurally necessary documents and stack them in order against the right wall. Then leave. Exactly 10 minutes."
A pot-bellied bureaucrat scowled and spoke up.
"Hey, Captain Kalligo! Isn't this too much? The budget we needed this week is blocked, and our office is paralyzed. We're in charge of Holy City water facilities, and sewage is backing up—it's chaos! Fixing that requires money and control authority. When the hell are you going to approve it?"
"Handling shit and piss is definitely important. Of course. Holy City streets stinking? Horrific. But Sir Citrian—as far as I know, your office has surplus funds left."
"We already used that last month for..."
"Does that mean you mismanaged your surplus? Or do I need to personally review your financial statements?"
The bureaucrat huffed like a boiling kettle but said nothing.
"Sir Citrian, why do you think the Special Inspectorate Unit took over the 2nd Administrative Bureau's duties? My subordinates here are all capable fellows. Top security clearance too. His Majesty judged we could handle it most smoothly, and that's why I'm stuck here."
"That's..."
"Fine. Everyone, hands off! As of now, we're stepping down from 2nd Administrative Bureau duties. Sir Citrian, your office can take it over. I'll inform His Majesty myself."
"Hey, Captain. You know I didn't mean it like that. No one appreciates the Inspectorate's hard work more than I do. Right, of course. I got a little heated and misspoke—don't take it to heart."
The bureaucrat let out a hollow laugh and hurried out the door. Kalligo narrowed his eyes at the remaining ones.
"What do the rest of you think?"
No sooner had he spoken than the bureaucrats dropped their documents and fled the waiting room.
In the chaos, they jostled to claim they'd arrived first, stacking papers upfront, causing a brief commotion.
The waiting room fell silent. Kalligo sighed and climbed down from the desk.
"Captain, how long do we have to stay here? We have a few things left to handle on our end."
"I want out too. This isn't what I signed up for. There are several things piquing my curiosity waiting for me right now, and wasting my time on this useless crap..."
But as a First-Class Noble, his duties held him back.
If he enjoyed the privileges of a First-Class Noble, he had to bear the responsibilities. It was a direct order from the emperor—no escaping it.
The man from the cabin, Gilliuard's movements, the prophecy. Tempting mysteries beckoning from afar, and here he was, stuck.
Kalligo picked up the coffee cup and went to the window. The view opened wide. Mountains in the distance, plains too.
It was hard to believe a massive palace had stood right there. The site crawled with workers.
Everything above ground was gone, but the Think Tank materials underground should be intact.
The empire's top architects had been thrown at it to salvage what they could. If the ground collapsed, it'd be another disaster.
Outdated Giant Soldiers, with operating energy minimized, were clearing rubble.
Even minimized, they were Giant Soldiers. Using money-eating strategic weapons for construction was the current reality of the Holy City.
It'd be nice to pivot Giant Soldier development toward that sort of thing. He pondered, then dropped it. Considering the Mana Condensation Rod production costs, it'd always run a deficit.
"What about the elders' meeting?"
Kalligo asked Ron, who had just pulled away from his documents. Their eyes met; the subordinate pretended not to notice before answering with a pitiful look, upset at losing break time.
"The 19th session is about to start. No end in sight. The heads of each bureau are still waiting outside with their carriages."
"And the First-Class Noble houses?"
"Arriving one by one. The Shan house in Trwala will take time. By the time they get here, it might all be over. Just their proxies sweating bullets among the old snakes."
"His Majesty is young, so call him a spry snake."
"One of you getting dragged off for lese-majeste is enough."
"If this drags on, prison might be better. Sick of it."
Kalligo perched on the windowsill and asked.
"What about the Silder kids? They should be here soon."
"No matter how late, they'll arrive within three days. Assuming no incidents."
"Right. Assuming no incidents."
Silder's mages were en route to the Holy City. Few in the Inspectorate even knew.
Excluding the team on mission, maybe two? With that level of security, if there was an incident...
"Here comes one."
Deong was visible riding toward the Administrative Bureau.
Soon after, Deong entered the waiting room. He looked a mess, like he'd ridden nonstop.
"Go wash up. No manners."
Kalligo said.
"Manners in this situation? What the hell happened to the Holy City? I couldn't believe my eyes riding in. Did someone sell the palace? Has the empire's finances finally collapsed?"
"Lost a wrist, and your sense of humor went with it."
Kalligo said, eyeing Deong's prosthetic.
"Got hit hard. Too tired to explain—ask someone else."
He lowered his voice.
"The mages?"
Deong tilted his head at the question.
"They haven't arrived yet?"
"Didn't you bring them?"
"I was the rear guard wrapping up at the estate. The advance group should be here by now?"
Kalligo tilted his head back. His neck ached. When it wouldn't loosen, it really wouldn't.
"Looks like we have a rat in our ranks too."
"Pardon?"
"Hoping it's not you."
He patted Deong's shoulder and called for Ron and Dabans—subordinates who knew about the mage transport op.
"Not sure if it's here or with the mission team, but the info leaked."
"I see."
Ron and Dabans pulled out items simultaneously. Standard gear for Inspectorate members.
"Where should we wait?"
"Being confined might be better right now."
They spoke as if suspicion was natural. Kalligo ran a hand through his hair and asked.
"You two aren't upset?"
"What's to be upset about? It's standard procedure. And you'll investigate, right Captain? That's fine. We never leaked, so no punishment."
Ron said. Then Dabans started to say he'd take a break.
"Never mind. Get back to work."
"We want confinement. One more whiff of ink and I'll puke. Actually, I leaked it."
"I did it."
After separating the two lunatics claiming responsibility, he looked at Deong.
"Blind?"
"You mean that lady knight you assigned, Captain? Bivinel. She's bringing it here."
"You've got her restrained properly? Even if her mind's half-broken, she might still resist. Could turn into a Magical Beast."
"Treating her like a corpse, don't worry. Sealed tight in a coffin for transport."
"Good work."
He was crossing his arms to organize his thoughts when the waiting room door opened again.
Disheveled hair, clothes stained with blood. Riang entered, clearly not right at first glance.
"We got hit, Captain."
Riang spat that out and collapsed forward.