Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Incompetent Minister Wants to Retire
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Before heading toward Erwin's private quarters, Saintess Johanna endlessly and fervently reassured her own trembling heart.
‘This sacrifice is for the Holy Kingdom. This is for the sake of the Holy Kingdom. This is solely for the Holy Kingdom.’
What Johanna was attempting to orchestrate was a classic kind of honey trap—a calculated beauty scheme of the highest stakes.
Thanks to this momentous Intelligence Department conference, Erwin Barrmut's profound abilities had once again been undeniably proven to the entire world.
No sovereign country would fail to covet such a rare talent for manipulating the complex flow of global affairs single-handedly.
The Fraus Holy Kingdom was certainly no exception to this rule of greed.
‘Haa...’
This desperate move was not something anyone had explicitly ordered her to undertake.
Saintess Johanna Faust was offering her own sacred body to Erwin purely out of a sense of intense, unyielding patriotism.
‘Did the legendary princesses sacrificed to horrific monsters in ancient stories feel exactly like I do right now?’
If one were to just replace the word "princess" with "saintess," the reality of the situation was not all that different. Erwin Barrmut—that enigmatic man was truly a predatory beast cloaked in a delicate human skin.
To be perfectly honest with herself, Johanna was absolutely terrified. Her entire body would not stop trembling from the crushing weight of tension and fear.
She possessed zero experience with men, let alone any form of romantic entanglement, but the fact that her first encounter would be with Erwin Barrmut himself filled her with an utter, paralyzing dread.
‘But even so, it is a gamble worth taking.’
If things went according to her meticulous plan, Erwin would bear the permanent, shameful stigma of having defiled the Saintess.
Sure, such an act might not hold significant water as crude blackmail, but as powerful leverage in high-level negotiations, it could open many otherwise locked doors.
‘If it really works out perfectly, he might even be persuaded to defect from the Empire to our side...’
Though her holy position kept her from ever bragging about it openly, Johanna was deeply and rightfully confident in her own physical appearance.
She had only recently come of age, standing right at the peak of radiant feminine beauty, and her figure drew endless, admiring stares from all men.
Above all else, she bore the world's singular and one-of-a-kind title: Saintess.
‘Males possess a primal love for staining a pristine white canvas with their own dark colors. No man could possibly resist the allure of claiming the Saintess's very first time.’
She was absolutely certain—if she could just make it through that door, he would fall for her trap with 100% certainty.
The only remaining issue was her own faltering resolve.
After agonizing over the choice time and again, Johanna finally steeled her nerves and made for Erwin's silent room.
And the very moment she unveiled her lethal, pink negligee, a woman in a menacing owl mask suddenly seized her by the throat and hoisted her high into the air.
Christina growled low and dangerously at her, as she was barely able to breathe, her tone dripping with a lethal and immediate threat.
"Where exactly do you get off pulling a pathetic stunt like this?"
"Put her down right now."
Hey now, ease up your grip. If you squeeze her neck too hard, the Saintess's head is going to have a tragic and messy breakup with her body.
Her face is already turning an alarming shade of blue. She will actually die if you continue!
"I said put her down immediately."
Christina responded by hurling the Faust Saintess toward the far wall with considerable force.
...I specifically told you to let go of her, not to throw her like a projectile.
"Hahk, hahk, hahk, hahk..."
The Faust Saintess panted raggedly and desperately for air, her eyes wide with a lingering terror as she alternated panicked glances between me and the masked Christina.
This is a serious problem. This event won't spark a massive international incident, will it?
"Faust Saintess."
"I am so sorry! I am sorry! I am sorry! I am sorry! I-I swear I won't tell a single soul! P-Please, I beg you, just spare my life...!"
Oh, so you won't tell anyone about this? That actually suits my needs just fine.
It's not that I truly doubt her word, but it is always better to confirm the situation.
"You truly won't breathe a single word of this encounter to anyone?"
"N-Never! I swear on my life I won't!"
That is good enough for me.
"Then you had best head out of here right now."
"Y-Yes! I am going! Goodbye!"
The Faust Saintess scrambled frantically to her feet and bolted out of the room in a state of pure panic.
You could at least show some manners and close the door on your way out.
"S-Sorry, Minister."
I shut the door she had left swinging open and turned to find Christina—who had now removed her mask—shaking like a leaf in the wind.
What exactly is her deal now?
"What are you apologizing for?"
"F-For acting on my own without orders..."
"It is fine."
My desire for sleep has completely vanished now. There is no way I will be able to drift off after this—what am I supposed to do with myself?
I pondered the matter briefly, then projected my voice toward the ceiling.
"Someone fetch me some booze and some decent snacks."
Moments later, I found myself seated around a table that was piled high with assorted drinks and dishes, with the Owl members gathered all 'round.
Hold on a second. Why are all of you sitting down here with me?
I just wanted a quiet nightcap to unwind my nerves—how did this turn into a full-blown company dinner party?
Weren't you lot supposed to be on active duty?
"Minister, here you go."
Dozens of questions swirled in my head, but with them already settled comfortably in, sending them back to the ceiling felt like a killjoy move, so I just rolled with the situation.
I took the drink offered by John and poured full rounds for each of the Owl's glasses.
Come to think of it, this is actually our very first real get-together outside of work.
"Cheers to us."
We clinked our glasses together lightly and took a long sip.
Hm. The booze itself is honestly awful. But the quality of the snacks makes it somewhat tolerable.
"What kind of meat is this?"
"It is probably lamb."
"Kuh, this is delicious! Drinking booze with the Minister is truly the best!"
"Do not get too cocky and loud, or you will catch absolute hell from the leader, Sergei."
"Loosen up a bit, leader. Ah, Minister—please have some water along with that drink."
Alexander is clearly the caring, attentive type hidden under that tough, mercenary exterior.
Sergei must truly love his liquor with a passion.
Christina is chowing down on the food as enthusiastically as usual.
John and Valdemar... your stoic, silent vibes overlap far too much—one of you really needs to switch it up a bit.
Drinking with the crew turned out to be far more ordinary and mundane than I had originally imagined.
We sip moderately, munch moderately on the food, and chat idly about nothing.
I get it now. So this is how social bonding actually works.
"By the way, Minister! Taking only Celine to a fancy spot like that—that is so unfair!"
"A fancy spot?"
Christina's cheeks were a bit flushed from the alcohol; I racked my brain and remembered I had only taken Celine out once before replying.
"You mean the Golden Griffin?"
"Yeah, exactly there! You are so biased! You always show favoritism toward Celine!"
I have never once favored anyone over another.
Hell, I wouldn't even know the first thing about how to show favoritism.
"Take me there too! To the Golden Griffin!"
It's not a big deal to me, but per Christina's gripe, wouldn't that just make it favoritism for the Owl members instead?
Hmm. It is too much of a hassle to nitpick these details. I will just schedule a full department dinner there later on.
As that thought crossed my mind, the other Owls began to chide Christina for her outburst.
"Ease up on him, Christina."
"Do not put the Minister on the spot with your demands."
"Exactly. The Golden Griffin is no mere dive bar."
"Celine is his primary aide—some degree of preferential treatment is par for the course."
I said there is no favoritism involved. And the Golden Griffin trip was merely payback for her consistent bento meals.
"All of you be quiet! You were all jealous as hell of her too!"
"Well..."
They all shot awkward, guilty side-glances my way at her words—yeah, it was clear they all wanted in on it.
The Golden Griffin certainly seems to be popular among the staff.
"We will sort out the specific dates when we get back home. For the whole department."
"...I beg your pardon?"
"Hold on just a moment, Minister."
"You surely do not mean...?"
"Is this for real?"
As if I would ever joke about a dinner plan.
"The Intelligence Department's inaugural celebratory dinner—to be held at the Golden Griffin."
As the other Owl members erupted in loud cheers, Christina only muttered under her breath, clearly still dissatisfied.
"No, I wanted to go just the two of us alone, like Celine did..."
"Shut it right now!"
"Shut your trap, girl!"
"Shut your mouth immediately, Christina!"
"Shut that filthy mouth of yours!"
What incredible enthusiasm they have.
Ah, while we are at it—should I invite Francesca? She got us safely to Fraus and back, so she certainly deserves it.
On the road back to the Empire after finally leaving the Holy Kingdom capital, I asked her straight-up about it.
"Mm. Take me there next time, but just us two alone. I wasn't expecting any payback anyway... but if you insist, would you mind one specific request?"
"What is it?"
Francesca hesitated for a moment at my question before finally answering me.
"Could you please come with me to see the Supreme Commander...?"
I beg your pardon?
The Acherus Empire's various Knight Orders fell under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Army on paper, but they enjoyed considerable practical autonomy.
They handled routine public security and internal affairs, setting them apart from the regular army in several key ways.
In times of peace, the Knights guarded the interior while the Army defended the borders—or so the division went, with supposed cooperation... that in reality never happened.
The lack of overlap in their duties fueled a deep-seated mutual disdain between the two forces instead.
Both roles were undeniably vital, yet they would bicker endlessly over whose contribution mattered more to the Empire.
It was a simple, yet explosive pride clash.
Such rivalries cropped up everywhere, but the Imperial government hated seeing its key defenders squander their energy on petty squabbles.
Hence the implementation of periodic joint Knight-Army training sessions.
"Normally these rotations are shared, but as you know well, Erwin—I am the 'baby' among the captains..."
If she had truly wanted to, Francesca could have leveraged Erwin's powerful name to pressure her more senior colleagues.
But she had chosen not to, for three specific reasons.
First, her own innate gentleness and sense of fairness.
Second, a very real fear of permanently straining ties with the elder captains.
Third—and most crucially—she simply had not wanted to trade on Erwin's name for personal gain.
"Do you mind if I tag along with you to the joint training?"
"Ah, no worries there at all. I cleared your presence as an observer ahead of time."
Right after Erwin had agreed and they had returned to the capital, she had promptly notified the Army high command.
They had been visibly reluctant but lacked any legal grounds to refuse his presence, so they had eventually approved.
"We are here. This is the spot."
Riding abreast at the head of the 3rd Knight Order, Erwin reined in his horse and surveyed the area.
The Imperial Army had already arrived first and was staring them down with obvious hostility.
"...Let us go pay our respects to the Supreme Commander first."
Dragging her reluctant feet toward the command post, Francesca began to regret the ask—had she burdened Erwin needlessly with this tension?
She had originally figured his presence would ease her nerves facing the Supreme Commander solo, but this dynamic felt off.
‘Erwin is incredible, but the Supreme Commander is in a whole different league of power...’
The man was the Empire's undisputed top military mind, the supreme head of the entire Army apparatus.
It was not that Erwin fell short—they simply occupied vastly different domains of authority.
It was far too late for any second thoughts now.
As Erwin and Francesca entered the large command tent, the Supreme Commander rose from poring over the training ground maps.
His face was etched with a profound and unmistakable displeasure.
"Welcome, Captain Chirner. And... Minister Barrmut."
"Yes, Supreme Commander."
"It has been a long time no see. And, of course, congratulations are in order."
Erwin's out-of-left-field remark immediately drew sharp stares from Francesca and the Supreme Commander's aides to him.
The Supreme Commander cocked his head in genuine confusion.
"Congratulations? On what exactly?"
"Merlin's Staff. It is finally complete and functional, isn't it?"
The tent's warm air froze solid in that singular, terrifying instant.
Flustered and silent for a beat, the Supreme Commander then suddenly bellowed like a wounded tiger.
"That information is a top-level military secret!"