Pretty and Competent Administrator (2)
She looked like someone of pretty high standing, dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by soldiers. And from the way she was demanding the administrator in banmal, she had to be at least a fifth-grade official or higher.
"Isn't there an administrator around?"
"I'm the administrator."
Hildeva rose from her chair. The man gave her a haughty once-over and clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"The city hall was empty, so I wondered where you could be. Drinking here, huh?"
"Pardon? Did you even send word that you were coming? Who are you?"
"So it's fine to slack off without notice? You're unqualified."
Hildeva said nothing. It wasn't that she'd been struck speechless or intimidated by his aura. After eyeing him for a moment, she suddenly exploded.
"Do I know you? Who the hell do you think you are, talking down to me like that!?"
"How dare you not know who I am..."
"Like I give a damn if you're a con artist or some wandering bum! Don't you know that in a direct territory, even nobles rank below the administrator!?"
Her ferocity was so intense that the man flinched. He'd guessed she had a spirited personality, but he hadn't imagined she'd be this fierce.
"Dragging swordsmen around to cause a scene!"
"Sw... swordsmen? These are guards!"
Before he knew it, the man was using polite speech to defend himself. He rummaged in his bosom and pulled out some documents.
"You'll see when you look!"
Hildeva snatched the papers from him. As she read them, her expression turned awkward.
"A new... administrator is coming...?"
The people in the hall murmured at her words. I stepped up beside her and took the documents. They were official appointment orders stamped with the seal, assigning a fifth-grade administrator to Rosens City.
Had a messenger already reached the capital? Even so, this fast?
Hildeva, who'd been so bold just moments ago, now looked a bit deflated as she asked, "By any chance... are you the new administrator?"
She was seventh-grade herself, so if this guy turned out to be fifth-grade, the tables would turn completely.
The man cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm that person's attendant. I came ahead to survey the situation and make preparations."
"Attendant? Then... what's your rank?"
"Eighth-grade."
Pride swelled on the man's face. Unable to hold back her anger any longer, Hildeva erupted.
"You rude little shit!"
"An eighth-grade punk like you, throwing your weight around!"
As Hildeva unleashed her tirade, the man's face drained of color. The guards standing behind him just exchanged glances, not daring to intervene.
"Administrator, calm down."
People grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Still fuming, she shook them off and kept venting.
I approached the man. "The administrator seems pretty upset, so maybe it's best if you step away for now."
"Ah... Understood..."
His face was one of total defeat as he nodded. "This way."
I led him upstairs and gave him one of the guest rooms. "Stay here for now. Have you eaten?"
"No, not yet..."
I went back downstairs, told Della to bring food to the room, and sat the dumbfounded guards at a table.
Hildeva slumped in her chair, chugging beers one after another. The hall, which had been lively before the man arrived, was now deathly quiet. Between the argument and the news of a new administrator, things felt unsettled.
Maybe that's why people didn't eat much more and started leaving one by one.
I stripped the remaining pork and portioned it out on small papers, handing it to guests as they departed.
"Great meal. It was delicious."
They greeted me as they left the inn. Though it ended early due to the unpleasantness, their faces were bright. Hopefully, this had brought us a little closer.
Della cleaned the hall, with Mollo helping her. The guards, having finished eating, carried their dishes to the kitchen.
Hildeva's table was littered with empty mugs, yet her complexion hadn't changed—she could really hold her liquor.
"Feeling calmer now?"
"Where'd that jerk go?"
"Upstairs... You planning to go chew him out again?"
"No. I need to hear the situation and prepare for the handover."
She spoke in a deflated tone. "I was too flustered earlier to think straight, but orders are orders."
What the hell is an "eol-teng-gu"?
Hildeva let out a deep sigh, her breath reeking of beer.
"But why's a new administrator coming when there's already one here?"
"Probably the capital's determination to restore the city quickly."
That made sense. Rosens had been a sizable city with a resident fifth-grade administrator before... But Hildeva had done all the hard work so far, and now this sudden replacement felt off somehow.
Hildeva stood up, brushing herself off. "Come upstairs with me, Bertrand."
"Me? Why?"
"I need someone to hold me back."
"You gonna start another fight? Hold it in. Wouldn't want that attendant tattling to the new administrator."
"Ugh, whatever. Hurry up."
We entered the room together. The man, sitting at the table and picking at meat, spotted Hildeva and choked violently in surprise.
"What a piece of work."
Hildeva sneered as she perched on the bed. The man took a sip of beer, wiped his mouth with his sleeve while eyeing her warily, and asked, "What's your name?"
"Hamond."
"Hamond. I'm Hildeva, seventh-grade administrator here."
She emphasized "seventh-grade." "Just because you're the attendant of a fifth-grade doesn't make you fifth-grade, right?"
Shame flushed Hamond's face, but he didn't apologize.
"When's the new administrator arriving?"
"In about two days."
"Then why'd you come alone ahead of time?"
"It's been a mess for years. Gotta clean out the trash before the administrator arrives, don't we?"
Hildeva's face hardened instantly. I stepped in for her. "Trash, you say? What exactly do you mean? You're not here just to sweep the streets, are you?"
"As if I'd do that sort of work."
Arrogance crept back into his voice. Even after getting chewed out by Hildeva earlier, he was like this—must just be his personality.
"With virtually no administration for so long, we'll check the ledgers before handover, see if finances were handled properly. If there's issues, we'll wrap them up definitively before proceeding."
"In plain terms, you're sniffing around to see if I've been skimming. And if I have, cough it up?"
"If that's the case, yes."
"You...!"
I gently held back Hildeva's arm as she bristled again. "Do you have a place to stay in the meantime?"
Hamond looked at me like I'd asked something stupid. "The city hall, obviously."
"Hildeva's staying there right now."
"Ah, right. Hildeva, pack your things and vacate the city hall as of today."
"What?! We haven't even done the handover—why do I have to move?!"
Hildeva bellowed, and this time Hamond pushed back without flinching. "This is an administrative order! Unless you're planning to shred shady ledgers in the dead of night, pack now!"
He waved the appointment order in her face. Mentioning the order shut Hildeva down cold.
"Hildeva, you got caught off-guard earlier, but watch your words from now on. I'll report everything you say and do to the new fifth-grade administrator."
He stressed "fifth-grade." "That person has served long in the capital. Not like peripheral administrators who've bounced around the boonies."
Hildeva clutched her forehead. "Ah... my head..."
That night, Hildeva packed and left the city hall. With nowhere else to go, I let her stay in an inn room.
"Didn't expect it to end like this..."
As she unpacked, Hildeva grumbled. "Make yourself at home while you're here. I'll whip up something tasty."
"Thanks, even if it's just words. Sigh..."
She sighed deeply again. "Busted my ass holding this ruined city together, and just as it's getting livable, I get kicked out."
The next morning, Hildeva got a summons and headed to the city hall early. Looked like handover prep was starting immediately.
Della, Mollo, and I had steaming potato soup and bread for breakfast.
"Bertrand, thanks for the meal. I'll drop by again sometime."
Mollo set off toward Bue through the morning mist.
Della and I milked the cows, cleaned up, and passed the time. A few citizens stopped by for field snacks—bread, cheese, a few bottles of wine.
Around noon, Hildeva returned for lunch.
"How's the prep going?"
She snapped irritably at my question. "That guy's a total psycho!"