Chapter 392: King of Inspection (2)

My world ended today. Or maybe it was yesterday.

But did it matter whether it was today or yesterday? The future was gone either way.

Calm down.

After a moment of despair, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Let’s think this through. One person’s world didn’t crumble that easily. There was no way something like that would happen to me.

Yes—this was just a nightmare. I probably blacked out from sheer anxiety. The moment I open my eyes, I would see a normal personnel announcement. Something reasonable.

It’ll be fine.

“Fuck.”

But opening my eyes didn’t change anything. If anything, the words were clearer now that my vision had had a break.

I couldn’t believe it. Since its establishment about a hundred years ago, the Prosecutors’ Office had always been just a ‘department’. Although people said its authority and status didn’t fit a mere department under the Ministry of Finance, actually elevating it to a ‘ministry’ was a different matter entirely.

And it wasn’t just a name change, either. They were pulling entire departments out of the Special Service Agency and merging them into this thing.

This is an actual ministry now…

I bit my lip without realizing it. I could have managed somehow if they had just changed the name to a ministry while keeping the department-level structure. Sure, the prestige would skyrocket overnight, but the workload would stay the same.

But from this notice, it was clear. The new Ministry of Inspection would be smaller than others, maybe, but it would definitely operate on the same scale, which meant that the responsibility would also be sky-high.

This is driving me crazy.

I couldn’t help but sigh. I became the youngest Executive Manager in my teens, and now I was to be the youngest minister in my twenties? Forget imperial history and search the entire continent’s history. Had there ever been such a precedent?

What am I going to do?

I stared blankly at the communication crystal. Unlike regular personnel changes where people received advance notice and could adjust, emergency and special changes were final once announced. It was the final decision proclaimed to all officials in the emperor’s name, so it couldn’t be revoked.

Besides, it wasn’t like the Emperor would go along with it even if there was a chance to revoke it. He made this drastic move knowing the implications. There was no way he’d walk it back. He was the type who wouldn’t have mentioned the promotion in the first place if he wasn’t sure.

Dammit. Did he promote me just because I became the Imperial Heir’s godfather? Maybe he didn’t like the idea of the godfather being just some mid-level official, so he bumped me up to match the title.

Ah.

The communication crystal suddenly lit up as I was pondering these rational doubts, making me flinch.

My hand trembled instinctively. I already had a feeling—whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good for my mental health.

“This is the Executive Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office.”

Still, I answered. Maybe it was Father who was calling to congratulate me, or maybe it was the Senior Manager who wanted to scream with me about this madness.

— Oh, you answered. I’m glad. I thought you’d be too busy receiving congratulations.

And I regretted answering immediately.

— Why the long face? Today’s a good day, isn’t it?

Seeing the Minister smiling as if he couldn’t be happier made me want to go mad.

“…Why the sudden formality…?”

— I can’t speak casually to someone who’s about to become a minister, right? It’s only natural.

Apparently amused by his own joke, the Minister started laughing out loud.

Bastard. What is Enen doing, letting this old man run free?

Until a few minutes ago, I wasn’t in a good mood. While the appearance of the Imperial Heir strengthened the imperial succession was good news for me as a loyal subject, the early resignation of the Minister of the Imperial Household as a result was irritating.

After all, the Minister of the Imperial Household doesn’t just handle household affairs but also leads the entire administration as the highest-ranking minister.

Fortunately, the Executive Manager of the Imperial Household Department would act as a proxy for household affairs, but for the time being, I, the Minister of Finance, would have to take on the role of the administration’s leader. It was enough to make one sigh.

However, that sigh disappeared without a trace the moment I saw a certain sentence.

“Pfft—Hahaha!”

I burst into genuine laughter. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed like this.

I’d definitely chuckled at a joke or smiled at good news, but this? This was different. This wasn’t joy—it was glee, the kind that hits you when you witness something absolutely ridiculous. The kind of unhinged delight that keeps bubbling up no matter how hard you try to stop. I laughed so hard that it took me a while to calm down.

“Pfft—“

The moment I turned my eyes to the next line, I laughed all over again. I didn’t think one sentence could have this much impact. It was honestly impressive.

Ministry of Inspection, huh.

Anyway, after calming my second bout of laughter, I organized my thoughts. After all, the amusement I felt as his acquaintance and the concerns I had as the Minister of Finance were separate matters.

On a personal level, this was great. I get to watch that poor bastard completely lose it now that he’s a minister. It was almost inspiring. I’m so happy that I could work joyfully for the next ten years.

But on a professional level… this was a curveball I didn’t see coming. One of my ministry’s five key departments had been pulled out and turned into a separate ministry, and the guy I thought would eventually be my successor had been poached. As if filling the void left by the Minister of the Imperial Household wasn’t enough, now I have this issue to deal with.

…Well, I don’t necessarily have to choose the next minister myself.

At least I don’t need to worry too deeply about the next minister. High-ranking officials often recommended their replacements, and the Emperor typically accepted the suggestion—but it wasn’t mandatory. His Majesty would appoint someone himself if I stepped down without naming anyone.

In other words, it was just a shame that he wouldn’t be succeeding me, but it wouldn’t be a problem.

Yes, it’d be better to see him become a minister now than decades later. Let’s laugh this off and move on.

The Ministry of Finance without the Prosecutors’ Office.

Now, this was the real question: What would happen to the Ministry of Finance after losing one of its five core departments?

…

It shouldn’t be a problem.

After thinking it through, I realized it didn’t change much at all.

The Prosecutors’ Office was only technically under the Ministry of Finance. In reality, it was an odd department that operated under the Emperor’s direct orders and meddled in all other departments.

Having been part of it myself, I knew that fact well. And even after becoming minister, I mostly just got courtesy reports from them.

With that conclusion, I almost started laughing again. Surprisingly, this whole Ministry of Inspection creation affair wouldn’t affect me at all.

— This is the Executive Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office.

So, I called him with a cheerful heart. This was one of those rare moments where I could tease someone without any chance of retaliation.

“Oh, you answered. I’m glad. I thought you’d be too busy receiving congratulations.”

My soul felt at peace the moment I saw his expression sour.

“Why the long face? Today’s a good day, isn’t it?”

— …Why the sudden formality…?

“I can’t speak casually to someone who’s about to become a minister, right? It’s only natural.”

Seeing his expression contort even more filled me with indescribable joy.

His Majesty had left me a truly wonderful parting gift before abdicating.

Holding back every insult I could think of, I managed to force out something polite.

“Old man, have you gone senile?”

Honestly, that was about as gentlemanly as it could get. No one in the world could’ve shown this level of superhuman restraint and mercy.

— There’s no need to get upset on such a good day.

The Minister finally dropped the creepy formality and started speaking normally.

Some good day this was. This was a royally fucked day, if anything.

— Well, anyway, congratulations on becoming a minister. Honestly, wasn’t it already a given? The only question was when, not if.

“No, I thought it would happen after at least 20 years! Does a minister in their 20s make any sense!?”

The Minister’s expression twisted slightly at my heartfelt cry. If that gentleman had any conscience left, he should pity my situation—

— You seriously thought I’d be stuck in this job for twenty years?

This bastard. There wasn’t a shred of decency left in him.

I was so speechless at his self-preserving logic that I just stared at him, dumbfounded—while he casually smiled and nodded like he was passing on life wisdom.

— Right, I’ll probably work for about twenty more years. But you’ll work for about sixty.

“Please just go somewhere and die.”

For a moment, I wondered if murdering a superior would get me fired, Minister of Inspection or not—

Please, just let me unleash one Sky Cleaver.

We talked a little longer after that, but all it did was break my spirit. Normally, I’d find a way to fire back at the minister just for fun, but this time? I had nothing to retaliate with.

— Look on the bright side. You’re still based at the Academy, so the Senior Manager and the Executive Manager of the Intelligence Department will handle the founding of the new ministry. I mean, they ran everything back when it was still the Prosecutors’ Office, anyway.

He even delivered a killing blow with undeniable facts.

The founding chairman issue was actually my only hope. After all, it was the establishment of a new ministry, but the chairman was outside the capital. And returning to the capital wasn’t an option since I was carrying out the important task of managing foreign royalty.

I had hoped, maybe, just maybe, they’d give the job to someone else or delay the founding altogether.

However, the Minister crushed that hope immediately.

…The Executive Manager of the Intelligence Department would’ve done a good job.

The regret was eating at me. He was older and more experienced—wouldn’t it make more sense for him to be the first minister, and then I could take over later? I could accept that much.

Of course, it was a futile regret. This entire reshuffle was clearly built around me becoming a minister. Without that, the whole plan falls apart.

Don’t cry, my inner resignation letter.

I tried to calm myself as I watched the congratulatory messages for my promotion start piling up on my communication crystal.

I’m only enduring this because I received a great gift from the Emperor at the victory ceremony.

Otherwise, I would have submitted my resignation letter by now.

I scrolled through messages from the Senior Manager, the Executive Manager of the Intelligence Department, Elizabeth, Penelia, and even the 2nd Manager… until I saw one from Father.

His sincerity made me smile without thinking. Especially that one word—‘designate.’

And then, the following sentence had me doubting my eyes.

…

Title succession ceremony…?