Ch.94Hard Work, Civil Servant – 3

Lunch was decided to be eaten at the Academy cafeteria due to Soohyun Kim’s strong insistence.

Even though I said it was fine, and that it had nothing to do with lunchtime.

Her reason was that she didn’t want anything that might interfere with me, even slightly.

“Being called by the Dean means it’s important, right? So you shouldn’t be even a little late. Wouldn’t it be better if you arrived early?”

Um, Soohyun. Being late is certainly a problem, but arriving early is a bit much.

Lunchtime is literally time meant for rest, yet she’s telling me to be there early.

I appreciate her thoughtfulness, but this Arbiter is too sad.

“…Alright. Let’s do as you suggest, Soohyun.”

Since she seemed so intent on taking care of me, I decided to accept her opinion.

Certainly, eating at the Academy was more time-efficient than going out for lunch.

Considering travel time, she was right that it would be tight.

‘And considering the quality of the Academy cafeteria, it’s actually better than most decent restaurants.’

The Academy is said to be coated with money instead of cement and paint.

It’s the top educational institution that trains “Superpower” users, the most important assets.

How could such a place have an ordinary cafeteria? What complaints would they face if it were?

There’s a famous story about a renowned chef who visited and was shocked as if he’d been slapped.

Afterward, he reportedly returned to his home country and unleashed a creative scolding: “You stupid sandwiches! You’re making food worse than a cafeteria!”

“Ea-eat a lot! Sole Arbiter!”

“You too, Soohyun. Slowly, so you don’t get indigestion.”

“Yes! I’ll definitely do that!”

Anyone listening would think I’d given some incredibly important order.

Responding “I’ll definitely do that!” to “eat slowly” is a bit strange.

While eating, I occasionally glanced at Soohyun.

When we first met, she was so nervous she could barely eat, let alone have a conversation.

Even when just passing by, she was constantly watching others, on edge.

Like a baby deer tensed up, afraid someone might catch her.

‘Though in reality, she wasn’t a baby deer but a witch hiding her power.’

I can’t help feeling that things are flowing a bit differently from my original plan.

It started with not being able to hand Soohyun over to the villain.

Somehow, The Crimson Witch has come to rely on me greatly.

As a bonus, I’ve become the focus of attention for The Elder, whom I’d rather not deal with.

But it’s fine. Am I not anxious? Not at all.

I’m not trying to return to the original world, nor am I trying to preserve the flow of the original story.

I want only one thing: to accomplish what I set out to do.

To live more. To suffer less. And to smile more brightly.

“Um, Sole Arbiter. I have something I’d like to ask, if that’s okay?”

Soohyun, who had been eating, cautiously spoke up.

I had somewhat anticipated this from earlier.

Her eyes had that “I’m too curious to hold back” look.

“Of course. You can ask questions, but first. Let me guess what you want to ask. You want to know if suspension is really a severe punishment, right?”

“Wow… how did you know?!”

“I have my ways.”

I answered playfully.

But… why is her expression suddenly changing like that?

She’s staring at me with wide eyes.

Then she covers her mouth and gasps “Heek!”

I couldn’t understand why Soohyun was acting this way.

“Soohyun. Soohyun?”

“Ah, ah! Yes! Sole Arbiter! Did you call me?”

“Are you okay? You seem a bit strange right now.”

“Yes. I’m perfectly fine. Of course. Yes, of course, now that the Sole Arbiter can even read my mind…”

Um, Soohyun. I don’t think it’s what you’re thinking.

I just read your facial expression when the topic of suspension came up earlier.

Rina always says that all the answers are written on my face.

So not only do I manage my own expressions, but I also pay closer attention to others’ faces.

As a result, it helps me understand others’ intentions, just as Rina does.

Especially in cases like Soohyun now, where emotions are clearly visible on her face!

“…Anyway, to answer your question. In civil service, promotion is really difficult. Plus, honor is extremely important in public office. When these two factors combine, if you do something that damages a civil servant’s honor, promotion becomes virtually impossible.”

There are limited positions available at the top.

Meanwhile, there are numerous people trying to climb up. Always too many.

This is why even the smallest flaw can affect promotion.

“I see. I thought suspension was a very minor disciplinary action.”

“Everyone thinks that. But it’s not. That’s enough.”

“Yes. If the Sole Arbiter is satisfied…”

Soohyun’s next words were very quiet and faint.

When I said I couldn’t hear and asked her to repeat, she shook her head saying it was nothing.

‘Hmm.’

Though faint, I thought I heard “…won’t need to” or something similar.

What won’t you need to do, Soohyun?

*

That civil servant who troubled the Sole Arbiter received a suspension as punishment.

As soon as I heard this, I quickly looked up what suspension meant.

‘Suspension… a disciplinary action that prevents one from performing duties for a certain period…’

This is punishment? Not completely removing them from duty, just not allowing them to come in for a while?

It’s just a break. It’s just telling them to take a vacation until things quiet down and come back later.

I felt anger rising. This person supposedly caused the Sole Arbiter a lot of trouble.

Someone who openly humiliated her and caused her disadvantages.

Just suspension? Just keeping them away for a certain period is all?

‘This doesn’t seem right. No matter how I think about it, this isn’t right.’

If the Sole Arbiter hadn’t said what she said next.

I would have tried to get them a harsher punishment by any means necessary.

“Everyone thinks that. But it’s not. That’s enough.”

Despite such a light punishment, she’s satisfied with it.

Alright. Then I’ll leave it at that too. I’ll stop worrying about it.

As much as I want to do something, the Sole Arbiter is satisfied.

“I won’t need to intervene.”

Ah, my voice was probably too loud.

Sure enough, the Sole Arbiter asked what I said.

I denied it, but I felt very sorry.

Lying to the Sole Arbiter of all people. I shouldn’t do this.

But if I’m honest, she’ll worry. I don’t want that either.

Let’s just let it go this once. After all, I’m not going to do anything.

“Well then, Soohyun. I’ll go ahead. Enjoy the rest of your lecture.”

The Sole Arbiter waving goodbye with a bright smile.

Every time I see her like this, my heart feels like it’s melting.

My head gets hot, and my lips twitch with the urge to smile.

I want to run to her right now and act spoiled.

Ask her to smile more. To encourage me more. To stay closer to me.

‘But… no. Not yet, I can’t.’

Right. Not yet. I’m still not worthy.

To stand more proudly by her side, I need to work harder.

After parting with Sole Arbiter Seojin Baek, I moved on.

There’s no lecture right after lunch. And that’s the same for “that man” too.

“You came?”

My “comrade” greets me casually, as if he knew I would come.

Although he’s still Bronze while I’ve risen to Silver.

I still think of him, Hyunwoo Lee, as my comrade.

Other people initially had negative views about the Sole Arbiter.

Now they say she’s amazing, but that’s only because she’s proven herself multiple times.

I’ve noticed how they subtly jumped on her fame.

But Hyunwoo Lee, standing there swinging his sword.

He valued the Sole Arbiter highly from the very beginning. He noticed how extraordinary she was.

Since then, he’s always been respectful when requesting evaluations from her.

Hyunwoo Lee, who recognized the Sole Arbiter’s greatness at a glance. Yes, he is indeed my comrade.

“Another round today?”

“Yes. And the rules are the same as before.”

“Call.”

He offers me a real sword with a sharp edge, not the wooden training sword we usually use.

The rules for sparring between me and Hyunwoo: Always use real swords, not wooden ones.

And while we don’t aim to kill, we give our absolute best in the match.

Comparing Hyunwoo’s skills and mine, we’re almost equal.

The difference is that I focus more on the sword itself.

While that man knows how to properly distribute his focus to other areas as well.

I want to learn that. I want to make that part mine. No, I must.

‘To fight better against Rina. And furthermore, to protect the Sole Arbiter from everything that opposes her.’

The Yellow Madwoman. It’s been quite some time since I sparred with her.

I have never won against her, not even once.

No, forget winning—I haven’t even landed a proper attack.

Rina was fast, and I was slow. I was dull, and she was sharp.

Compared to her, an overwhelming force, I was merely weak.

“Can you protect Seojin oppa from me like this? Try haaaaarder.”

She’s not giving advice. That woman is mocking me.

The sneer on her lips, the contemptuous look in her eyes.

And her body, not even tense, told me everything.

‘It’s frustrating.’

Yes, frustrating. So frustrating. So frustrating I could go mad.

More than Rina looking down on me, more than her dismissing me like a child.

Just imagining that woman beside the Sole Arbiter makes flames rise within me.

An unquenchable fire that threatens to consume me whole.

But when I think of the Sole Arbiter, I can’t allow myself to be foolish.

I acknowledge that fire and let it burn larger, but I don’t let it consume me.

The angrier I get, the more my heart races, the colder my reason becomes.

I don’t suppress my anger. But I don’t surrender to it either.

I decided to focus only on what I need to do, the path I need to take.

For the Sole Arbiter. For her. For the future where I can stay by her side.

‘Besides Rina, there are other enemies of hers.’

The Elder, Hyuk Kwak, who reportedly left the Sole Arbiter covered in blood.

I heard he even tried to kidnap me once.

The old me might have trembled in fear.

To be honest, I’m still a little nervous even now.

But I must overcome this. Overcome it and make him pay.

Wait. I’ll repay exactly what you did to the Sole Arbiter.