Why Did a Hot Spring Erupt There?
Askal Devr — Chief of the 3rd Division, Evaluation Department received the golden nameplate. Staring at the plaque left alone on his desk in the empty office, he felt an inexplicable sense of doubt.
‘Should I just close my eyes and run away?’
No. With his visibility this high, fleeing would immediately bring a pursuit team after him. In the end, the only way was still to prove his incompetence and get fired.
‘Fine. Bring it on, whatever it is. I’ll make sure to mess it up properly.’
Yet a day passed, then two, and no proper work came Askal’s way. Government positions were like that—endlessly busy when things were hectic, but absurdly idle when they weren’t. Askal even went to his superior to ask.
“Is there no work for me?”
“Ah. Something will come up soon. Just rest.”
A month went by like that. Surprisingly, nothing happened during that time.
“The lunch tastes good today.”
Alone in the office, he ate a packaged sandwich, sat at his desk, and stared blankly out the window.
With so little to do, he had recently started growing bonsai. Today, the little tree had sprouted new buds. The fertilizer had been worth it. Today, he changed the soil. Grow well, little one.
While writing in his plant diary, Askal slipped into a sage-like state of enlightenment.
‘Please, just give me some work……’
His daily routine could be summarized as follows: eat, go to the bathroom, sit meaninglessly at his desk, water the plant, and leave when it was time. To some, it might be a dream life, but Askal, whose body carried a kind of time limit, could not endure this boredom.
‘This won’t do. I need to request a transfer.’
The moment he stood up from his seat—
“Pardon the intrusion, Chief Askal.”
The person who entered the office was unexpected.
Kane. Chief of the 1st Division and a 4th-grade secretary. He was essentially the powerhouse of the 1st Division, the very reason the Evaluation Department existed. Unlike the 3rd Division chief, who was little more than dead weight, he was someone worthy of respect.
Askal reflexively moved to greet him, then stopped. In his current position, he was nothing more than an upstart who had risen through luck. Even though he was only a 7th-grade manager, he had snatched the chief’s seat. To Kane, who had earned his position as 1st Division chief purely through merit, Askal was likely an eyesore.
What if he flipped the script and acted outright disrespectful? He would immediately fall out of favor, be ostracized, and wither away in the Evaluation Department. Then, as a ghost employee, no one would care if he quit management.
“Visiting another division without prior notice is rather discourteous, don’t you think?”
“Hah, my apologies.”
“I would appreciate it if you gave prior notice next time. So, what brings you here?”
Perfect. This level of rudeness could win a workplace insolence contest. Proof of that was Kane’s face, which had been wearing a friendly smile moments ago, now stiffening.
“I came because there’s a task I’d like to delegate to Chief Askal. It involves evaluating land. Given your reputed excellent eye for such matters, I thought you’d be the right person. Of course, you’re free to decline.”
How long had it been since he’d received real work? Askal suppressed the laughter bubbling up inside and answered with the most solemn expression he could muster.
“I’ll take it.”
“Oh! You will? Then I’ll send the necessary documents shortly.”
Askal nodded while pretending to read a report, not even glancing at Kane. He wanted to appear disrespectful to the very end.
“……He’s gone?”
Once Kane had completely disappeared, Askal slumped in his chair. The act had been a success. And he had even obtained the work he had so desperately wanted.
Now, if this insolent parachute ruined the job spectacularly?
Resignation wasn’t far off.
“Heh heh heh.”
The Evaluation Department’s work was simple. For the sake of the empire, evaluate everything that could be evaluated. And among those things, naturally, ‘people’ were included.
“Did you meet Askal Devr?”
“I did.”
Kane removed his outer coat. His secretary naturally took it and hung it on the rack.
“The rumors say he’s just some upstart who got lucky.”
“That’s nothing more than the jealousy of the incompetent.”
Kane never forgot his friendly smile. When a middle-aged man with a slight paunch smiled like that, most people relaxed. It meant they unconsciously viewed the other person as harmless.
And when that happened, their true nature would reveal itself. Kane was always accustomed to evaluating such people.
“He didn’t relax at all when he saw me. He even glared at me, as if asking what scheme I’d come to pull. A mere twenty-year-old upstart, doing that to me.”
Kane didn’t seem displeased as he spoke. The Evaluation Department was festering. There were far too few competent talents, and incompetent people were simply eating the nation’s grain while producing nothing but waste. But—
“Askal Devr is the real deal.”
Kane was a legendary figure who had risen from the bottom to chief of the 1st Division through sheer ability alone. His judgment was never wrong.
“How do I ruin this job so spectacularly that the news spreads?”
He opened the report he had received from the 1st Division.
With the recent increase in foreign visitors, we intend to develop a tourist site. We would like the Evaluation Department to verify which of the following candidate locations would be most suitable for a tourist destination.
In short, it was a land evaluation task. Deciding where to build a tourist site that would attract many foreigners. Askal read the report carefully. There were three candidate regions.
1. Ancient Ruins Site: Filled with old ancient ruins. Building a museum here could draw quite a crowd.
2. Rock Canyon: A large cliff with a waterfall, offering beautiful natural scenery.
3. Wasteland: A barren plain with nothing to see, but easy for carriages to travel through and convenient to access.
That was the summarized content. By common sense, option 3 was obviously a dud. Even the report’s tone, written in bureaucratic language, suggested choosing between 1 or 2.
‘It’s been a while since I went on a business trip.’
Askal spent several weeks touring the candidate sites, deep in thought. The ancient ruins site was indeed filled with relics that would tempt artists and scholars. Building a museum there would likely generate considerable revenue.
Then there was the rock canyon. Though he had visited many famous spots, it had been a long time since he’d seen such beautiful natural scenery. Sheer cliffs towered over humans in an overwhelming display.
Lastly, the wasteland. There was simply nothing there. Its only advantage was convenient transportation.
‘It’s decided.’
Askal made his decision and submitted the report to his superiors.
“……The wasteland? Are you certain this is the right choice?”
“Yes. I am certain.”
“Understood. Askal, I’m trusting you on this. This matter has been drawing attention even in the council, so know that failure will affect your performance evaluation.”
That was good news to hear. The die had been cast.
“Did you hear the rumor? The 3rd Division chief caused a real mess this time.”
“He built a tourist site in a wasteland with nothing in it. What a madman.”
“His luck has finally run out. Tsk. All that’s left is demotion.”
Several months passed. As Askal walked through the corridors, he overheard people badmouthing him. His choice had been correct after all. The tourist site built in the wasteland had almost no visitors. Losses kept piling up.
Watching his reputation plummet in real time, Askal smiled. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if he were held responsible and recommended for resignation.
While packing his things in the office so he could be fired at any moment, someone opened the door and burst in.
“A HOT SPRING!!!!!!”
“……?”
The person shouting loud enough to hurt his ears was a colleague Askal had been close with back when he was in the 4th Division. Her name was Susia. Recently, thinking the 3rd Division looked like a cushy post, she had applied for a transfer and joined them. Susia made a fuss, then spoke to Askal.
“Chief! A hot spring erupted in the wasteland! It’s packed with tourists right now! Did you see this coming?!”
“?”
What was she talking about? A hot spring erupted in the wasteland? Why? How?
Askal went to the wasteland himself. And he witnessed an unbelievable sight. In a large hot spring billowing with steam, countless foreigners were enjoying the waters.
“Oh. The empire’s hot springs really are different.”
“It feels like my mind and body are being healed.”
“Enjoying the hot spring and drinking imperial milk lets you taste heaven without dying.”
Was this truly reality? No. Did this even make sense?
“As expected…… Askal, you……”
Kane, who had come to the wasteland with him, spoke with admiration.
“You possessed an eye even I cannot surpass.”
And the next day—
Askal Devr is promoted to 6th-grade manager for his achievement in discovering the hot spring.
He received the familiar appointment letter, now embossed with gold leaf.
“Ah. The familiar appointment letter.”