I Have Too Many Superiors - 4
No matter how used one becomes to a posting, the original workplace always feels more comfortable. It's a little strange that the comparison is a workplace rather than home, but unfortunately the place I've spent more time than home is the Audit Department, so what can I do?
That was why I planned to rest somewhere familiar while I was already here. There were several high-ranking people I had to mind at the Academy, but in the Audit Department there was no one above me. At most I only needed to watch the minister who shared the same building.
I was definitely thinking that.
The rumor has already spread.
Looking at the communication crystal sparkling and flaunting its presence made my heart ache. As a civil servant I only needed to mind the minister. The Imperial Family sat above that, of course, but at least they never contacted me over unexpected matters. Fortunately I would not be receiving any word from the Imperial Family for a while.
But before I was a civil servant, I was also an imperial noble. Compared to my superiors as a civil servant, the people above me as a noble were overwhelmingly more numerous. In the end I was merely a successor, not a title holder myself. Just counting the dukes alone, I already had five people above me.
"This is Audit Department Chief Karl Crassius."
"Karl, my boy. It's me."
I could not keep a superior waiting, so I answered at once. A man with a neatly trimmed beard and a gentle smile appeared in the crystal.
"Karl Crassius, successor of House Crassius and Audit Department Chief of the Ministry of Finance, greets Your Excellency the Duke of Victory. Have you been well?"
"Well enough. What could possibly happen to a fellow who simply holds his post?"
The moment I confirmed who it was, I hurriedly bowed my head. The one who had contacted me was one of the five dukes—the Duke of Victory. After the Demon Duke, now the Duke of Victory? What day was it today?
"I heard from the Demon Duke. You're in the capital, are you?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. I came up briefly on some business."
The loudspeaker who had spread the rumor was, of course, the Demon Duke. Elder, your mouth is a little loose. Or perhaps it was consideration, telling me to visit people I was close to before I returned to the Academy.
"I was disappointed I couldn't even see you off before your assignment. Do you have time?"
"Of course. Even if I don't, I'll make it."
"Haha, thank you. I'm always in the usual place, so come whenever it's convenient."
"Understood."
I confirmed that the light of the communication crystal had vanished and slipped it into my pocket.
I should at least pay my respects.
It had not been on the schedule, but since he had personally contacted me I had to go. What kind of mad noble refused a duke's invitation?
I needed to be back before club time, so I did not have much to spare. Convenient or not, I would have to move immediately if I wanted to return to the Academy without being late.
The Imperial Army General Headquarters. The stronghold of the Duke of Victory, who as Deputy Commander and Grand Marshal led the Imperial Army in place of the Emperor, the nominal Commander-in-Chief. Even the Minister of War did not dare try to control the Crown Prince's father-in-law, making the Duke of Victory the de facto head of the military.
It saddens me every time I see it.
And it was the place where I should originally have been working. He had said he would prepare a good post at Headquarters once he moved over to the military, but thanks to the Crown Prince's spectacular sabotage I never even got near the place. If I had not taken that hit back then, would my life have turned out differently?
I did wonder what rank I would hold by now if I had spent two years at Headquarters under the Duke of Victory's patronage. At the very least I would not have rocketed up to a bizarre post like Audit Department Chief.
With a bitter heart I entered the building. The guards saluted in welcome. I had come and gone so often before the Academy assignment that they now treated me as half a military man rather than an outsider. It felt like the lingering attachment left behind after I failed to escape to Headquarters.
"Good work."
I returned the salute appropriately and headed for the Deputy Commander's office, yet exchanging greetings with every person who recognized me along the way was work in itself. Two years earlier, certain I would transfer to Headquarters, I had met with Headquarters personnel often and gotten friendly in advance.
That bastard Crown Prince, really.
Even after two years the deep rage still rose. Right after my promotion to Audit Department Chief, when Headquarters people congratulated me while looking at me with eyes that said What the hell is this guy doing?, I still could not forget it. It was as if a man whose promotion was already locked in had been bluffing about coming over to the military.
But I had been wronged. Even I only learned of my own promotion after receiving the notice. Normally, personnel moves at the chief level and above were told to the appointee in advance, yet that Crown Prince bastard had committed the atrocity of suddenly promoting both me and the minister.
Arrived.
While I chewed out the Crown Prince in my head, the Deputy Commander's office came into view. Indeed, nothing made time pass better than cursing high-ranking people when no one could hear.
Knock knock.
"Your Excellency, it's Karl Crassius."
"Ah, you came quickly. Come in."
I opened the door and saw the Duke of Victory rising from his seat and approaching. No, you don't have to get up.
"Welcome, Karl my boy. It's been a while."
I bowed my head toward the Duke of Victory, who patted my shoulder and laughed. Leaving aside that he was a duke, I owed this man far too much.
"It's been a while, Your Excellency. I'm glad to see you well."
"Why check on my well-being twice? To leave without a word while thinking of me so much—I was quite disappointed."
"I'm sorry. It was such an urgent matter..."
"Haha! Just joking. Of course I understand."
Then he took my shoulder and personally seated me, which was rather overwhelming. When he himself headed for the tea set in the corner I hurriedly rose, only for him to wave me back down. This kind of well-meaning consideration was the scariest thing of all.
"You've already had some with the Demon Duke, but have a cup with me as well. Is that all right?"
"It would be an honor."
I blankly watched the back of the Duke of Victory as he smiled and prepared the tea. Ever since the day years ago when I stood up offering to do it for him and got forced back down by sheer strength, it had been like this. Wow—tea personally prepared by a duke. Such an enormous honor...
"My dreams were good today. It must have been a sign a precious guest was coming."
"Even Your Excellency pays attention to dreams. Unexpected."
"Probably because I've gotten older. Ah, keep what I just said a secret from the Demon Duke."
"Haha. Of course."
I let out a small laugh at the Duke of Victory's words as he brought the tea. It was a known fact among those in the know that the Demon Duke had taken an interest in dream interpretation these past few years. If she learned that the Duke of Victory had said something like "I seem to pay attention to dreams because I've gotten old," she would come charging in.
That the subject was the Duke of Victory himself did not matter. He had been sniped on the age front either way. In truth no one cared that the Demon Duke was a hundred and twenty years old, yet she herself reacted so sensitively that everyone else ended up minding it. Was this one of those cases of being crushed by a disaster one had brought on oneself?
"I heard many of noble blood have gathered at the Academy."
"Yes, that's right."
"It must be tough on you. I'm almost sad I can't offer any help."
"How could I ask for Your Excellency's help in the duties I've been assigned? I'm grateful just for the words."
With that, the Duke of Victory and I raised our teacups to our lips at the same time. After a brief silence, it was the Duke of Victory who spoke first again.
"Well, if it's you, Karl, you'll handle it well. His Highness the Crown Prince has also shown trust in you."
"I'm nothing but grateful."
I knew it—he had not called me out of the blue simply to drink tea.
So it's maintaining the status quo, then.
The noble bloodlines gathered at the Academy. It referred to Ryutis, Later, and Tanian, yet from the Empire's perspective Ainter inevitably came to mind first.
What the Duke of Victory said was simple. It was regrettable that I was suffering under the Crown Prince's order to watch Ainter, but he could not reverse the Crown Prince's will. Still, the Crown Prince had no intention of going further, so I could continue watching Ainter under my own judgment as I had been.
That was a relief, at least. I had been worried the Crown Prince might go mad and order Ainter dealt with at any moment, yet the Duke of Victory had succeeded in locking the matter into the status quo. Not unilaterally taking the side of his son-in-law the Crown Prince, but minding my situation. Truly something to be grateful for.
"Not at all. It's only possible because of what you've built up, Karl."
The Duke of Victory answered my thanks with a light smile. I also raised the corners of my mouth slightly. Even so, with these small debts piling up, I could not say I felt entirely at ease.
Aside from saying the Crown Prince had chosen to maintain the status quo, the Duke of Victory made no other work-related remarks. If there had been a matter a duke himself needed to convey, that would have been the bigger issue anyway.
While we exchanged simple conversation over tea, something suddenly occurred to me, and I carefully opened my mouth.
"Are the others well?"
"Probably. Aside from myself and the Demon Duke, they never leave their territories, so how would I know if they're doing well?"
A relief. I had been worried I might get summoned by other dukes as well, but if they were not in the capital there was no need to worry. The Duke of Victory and the Demon Duke having business in the capital were the unusual ones; dukes usually stayed in their territories and only rushed over when the Emperor called.
The Iron Blood Duke, essentially retired; the Golden Duke, absorbed in business; the Wise Duke, who seemed to enjoy city-building in her territory. I already knew they were dukes rarely seen in the capital, yet hearing confirmation they were not here put my mind a little more at ease.
As I nodded with a sense of comfort filling my chest, the Duke of Victory spoke with a slight smile.
"Rather, shouldn't I be asking you for news of the Iron Blood Duke, Karl?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Oh dear, I've made a slip of the tongue in my old age. Forget what I said."
Then he burst into laughter—anyone could see the remark had been intentional.
How far has it spread?
Having a rough idea, I awkwardly laughed along. Probably Margeta had told the Iron Blood Duke about the banquet, and the Iron Blood Duke had told the Duke of Victory. The fact that I, who had never danced before, had suddenly danced with Margeta must have been interesting.
Burdensome.
The Duke of Victory was one of the people who knew why I refused even to get engaged, let alone marry. So he brushed it off as a slip of the tongue, yet he was clearly probing by casually mentioning Margeta.
I knew the remarks came from concern for me and nothing else. Still, bringing it up whenever I started to forget was a little frightening. It was not as if he were an elder I greeted on holidays.
I never even received this kind of pressure from the head of my own house. Anyone watching would think I was the Duke of Victory's son.