episode_0007

A chilly breeze enters the office corridor.

Perhaps due to the age of the building.

With every step on the wooden floor, a chilling scream echoes.

There lies a single newspaper on the floor.

“The top-ranked official of the 80th term, Veil. Enlisted in the Capital Defense Army.”

It wasn’t a headline story.

However, boldly written on the front page of the newspaper.

‘A patriotic official who abandoned the glory of the royal family for the country….’

I picked up the newspaper burdened with such propaganda.

And strolled down the dilapidated office corridor, crumpling it into my pocket.

Not that I have any patriotism.

This is the northern capital, Norstern.

This area, the poorest in the capital, is shunned even by officials.

Hence, those assigned here are mostly commoners or fallen nobles.

Thanks to this, the officials stationed here were treated more like ordinary police officers than heroes.

Yet, my reason for coming here is simple.

Money.

Unlike the royal family chased out by political strife, the Capital Defense Knights are relaxed.

One can build a career safely here and secure a pension.

Furthermore, as guardians of the region, one can receive various bribes.

Pension and bribes.

Despite having been a guard for a troubled princess in a past life, I envied the well-fed knights.

“To think this building is still in use….”

I took a deep breath.

Even among old buildings, the air here feels damp, perhaps because it’s neglected.

Room 203.

Capital Defense Knights, Veil Mikhail.

My name engraved in the office.

I wiped the plaque bearing my name with the newspaper I picked up earlier.

“No matter how sweet the position, the bottom is the same.”

Yet, my heart flutters.

Though not a grand palace, there are fewer superiors to deal with.

‘Making money through side gigs suits me.’

Until I opened the door, that’s what I thought.

However, the moment I entered the office, that thought vanished instantly.

The first sight of the office was appalling.

“What kind of office is this….”

Cobwebs gathered in the ceiling corners.

Dust-covered tables and a torn sofa lay exposed.

The leather on the sofa had split, revealing its stuffing.

‘I momentarily forgot.’

As corrupt as the knights are, so is their management.

The farther from Valerian, the worse the condition.

“Let’s clean up for now….”

Ordinarily, knights have secretaries or aides for their miscellaneous tasks or patrols.

But this right is only granted to those guarding princesses.

As a low-ranking knight, all I have is a broom.

‘Endure, this place will soon be my honey pot….’

As I finished cleaning the floor, faint footsteps in military boots could be heard from the corridor.

‘One person, no, two.’

Soon, the office entrance creaked open.

And I locked eyes with the two knights who entered.

“Is this it? The new guy’s office?”

An arrogant voice.

A chubby knight with slicked-back white hair and brown eyes asks, eyeing my workspace disapprovingly.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A female knight with tear-shaped beauty marks on her black bobbed hair responds calmly and softly.

Clearly in her early twenties, she looks around my age.

“And you? A senior arrives, and you don’t even greet?”

Instantly condescending.

Truly the most deteriorated Capital Defense Knights in the capital.

I saluted to avoid appearing confrontational.

Simultaneously, I observed his mana.

With such arrogance, he must be quite a strong knight.

However….

His mana was in disarray to the point where he hardly seemed like a knight.

Certainly more abundant than the female knight standing beside him.

But untrained and chaotic.

“These youngsters these days, really-.”

Another young-looking man walks in trailing behind, shoulders slumped.

And at that moment.

My carefully maintained poker face almost cracked.

Dirty footprints appeared where the hefty man had stepped.

“If you came, at least tidy up a bit. If you’re going to receive the office, shouldn’t you clean and organize?”

He gives me a rebuke as he looks at the marks I’ve trampled on.

At that moment, I thought,

‘What is this, an evaluation of patience?’

He sits down on my chair, which I meticulously cleaned.

Then a creaking sound comes from the shabby chair as if it’s about to break.

“This kid is ranked first among this year’s recruits? The standards of candidates these days have really dropped.”

Despite numerous jabs, the senior colleague glances at me with a silent expression.

She, who is about a head shorter than me, answers in my place.

“Still, she defeated Richard.”

Feminine and soft-spoken.

Her voice catches my attention as well.

With black short hair and dark eyes, she resembles a cat.

“Our Miya didn’t hear, did she? He got disqualified because his mana went wild.”

It seems like the story has been distorted.

I defeated the guy whose mana went wild, not a disqualification.

Probably his colleagues spread false rumors for the sake of the noble’s honor.

“That kind of thing doesn’t work here, you brat.”

He throws a stack of documents onto my table.

The stack contains information on cases I haven’t even taken on yet.

Bar brawl incidents, domestic violence cases, and so on…

What is this?

Are they telling me to write reports on cases I haven’t even been assigned on the first day?

“You’re the top-ranked one, so you should handle miscellaneous tasks well by yourself, right? Handle it by the end of today.”

He chuckles and gets up from his chair.

“Let’s go, Miya. It’s too dusty here; I might get sick.”

Lupa’s expression softens as he looks at her.

But Miya solemnly replies to the senior colleague.

“I’ll finish the junior training and come back.”

“You’ll handle it well on your own. Let’s just go-.”

“Still, you should teach properly so as not to cause trouble for the seniors later.”

I’ll teach for the sake of the senior, not myself.

Upon hearing this, Lupa raises the corners of his mouth slightly.

And in a surprisingly cheerful tone, he says,

“Oh, really? Looks like the only one who cares about me is our ‘Miya,’ huh?”

After a brief fake cough, Lupa slowly walks out while looking at the junior, then gestures smoking a cigarette before leaving.

“I’ll wait downstairs. Later for a smoke or pizza.”

“I quit smoking.”

Miya salutes until he leaves, then closes the door with his back against it, taking a deep breath.

“Ah, damn…”

I blink, wondering if I misheard.

Since profanity came out of her mouth, she must be upset.

Then I hear a match striking.

I turn my head towards the sound and see Miya lighting a cigarette despite saying she quit earlier.

Her tear ducts seem to have accumulated a lot of anger, as her eyes are noticeably narrowed.

Soon, the senior asks me with a decadent expression,

“Why, you want some too?”

“No, thank you.”

As I refuse, Miya casually tosses the matchbox onto the dusty desk.

Then she moves away from me as far as possible and starts smoking.

“He’s a real jerk, isn’t he?”

“It’s okay. I’ve seen that style a lot.”

‘I actually respect it.’

How much honey has she sucked from this place to be so well-off?

After all, obesity was a symbol of wealth.

‘I’d like to know how to work less and earn more.’

“It’s fine, but your expression looks rotten.”

Miya chuckles and squints her eyes with her fingers.

Was my face that obvious?

I tried to manage my expression as best as I could.

“You’re too competent, that’s why. He detests capable juniors. He’ll want to get rid of you somehow.”

“I want to stay quietly here for a long time.”

At my firm response, Miya snorts.

Then she seems to choke or sneeze.

The sound was like a sneezing animal making a fuss.

“Well, it’s going to be tough. There’s more than one guy who perseveres like that.”

She tapped the shabby office wall with the back of her hand.

And then she revealed a secret I didn’t know.

“The office you were supposed to get was a modern building in the square.”

“No wonder only my building looked shabby…”

“But Rupher questioned why a newcomer should use a modern building and that’s why you were assigned here.”

Mia seemed to take a deep breath as if she didn’t want to think about Rupher anymore.

Crossing her legs, she put a cigarette to her lips.

“His family is quite influential. That’s how he became a knight even with a substandard body.”

Ah, so that’s why his mana was such a mess.

It was just a simple potion, an elixir.

“He only told me unpleasant things as soon as we met.”

Mia apologized to me with a smug expression.

Then, she ran her palm on her thigh and extended her hand for a handshake.

“I’m Mia Greta. Your senior in the first year here.”

“I’m Veil, nice to meet you.”

After shaking hands, she smiled at me.

Then, she went to the table and examined the miscellaneous tasks left by Rupher.

“Leave the miscellaneous tasks to me. It’s not something a newcomer should do anyway.”

“Thank you.”

I nodded dumbly in gratitude.

Upon which Mia shook her head, saying it was fine.

“No need to thank me. If I mess up, it’ll just give me a headache.”

She skillfully organized the documents.

And instead of me, she started checking reports and writing by hand on a blank sheet of paper.

As if trying to show authority as a senior to me.

“You’ve been through a lot too. You should be guarding a princess or something, why are you cleaning here?”

She remarked, looking at the broom next to the table.

“I don’t like getting involved in politics.”

Understanding my response, she nodded as if agreeing.

“Well, it’s a headache when commoners who can’t climb the social ladder get mixed up in these things.”

She sent a relaxed warning, speaking like a senior.

“But this isn’t the place for that. Staying here will ruin your personality like mine.”

Dark circles under her eyes.

Clearly, she has been through some hardships.

I casually nodded and continued sweeping.

Since I had no interest in climbing the social ladder anyway.

But soon, the broom had to stop.

Beyond the entrance, in the corridor.

Voices of many people could be heard from there.

They were even loud enough as if they were carrying something heavy.

￣￣￣.

A light knock.

I approached the door before Mia could get up.

“I’ll open it.”

I cautiously opened the door.

In front of the office were a man with a mustache whom I had never seen before and his assistants.

“Are you Veil Mikhail Kyeong?”

“Yes, but who are you?”

“I’m Colbert, the royal architect of Princess Lea.”

He handed me a decree with Princess Lea’s golden seal engraved on it.

“Princess Lea was deeply moved by your dedication to protecting the country. To support that belief, she personally ordered the renovation of your office.”

Colbert proudly displayed the expensive materials like gold and marble he had brought.

“My office?”

“Yes, she instructed to renovate it with the finest materials for maximum comfort.”

“Isn’t it burdensome to go this far…”

Mia’s eyes widened at the splendid procession before her.

“W-Whose employee are you?”

Startled by the mention of being the servant of a princess, a sight she had never seen in her life, she quickly hid the duster like a cat burglar.