Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

963 – Become the Heart of the Continent – 4

Three days after submitting the petition containing the names of the ministers, the emperor summoned all the ministers.

I didn’t want to go. Anyway, the Dani’s development issue is only a problem that involves the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Culture. Even if we were to add one more, it would be the Ministry of Justice, which would be in charge of the related laws. If I may be unreasonable, I would even add the Ministry of Magic, which would help in the Dani’s development? As the Minister of the Inspectorate, I have nothing to do with this matter.

However, from the moment I put my name on the group petition, I was entangled in this matter. However, saying, “I’m not the minister, so I’ll get out of it,” would be like officially revealing that the position of the inspector general is vacant.

It would set a bad precedent for the Empire to fire a civil servant on vacation, and for the Inspectorate, it would be like losing a strong supporter and totem, and for Erich, since the Imperial Count himself has become unemployed, he will probably struggle to get rid of the proxy label.

‘In that case, why don’t you just put my name up?’

Being bothered once and being bothered in many areas. I hate both, but if I had to choose, I’d rather choose the former.

So, I walked bitterly to the conference room in the Imperial Household Ministry building,

“The Ministry of Culture disagrees with the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

As soon as the meeting began, an ominous atmosphere prevailed.

A direct statement, not a roundabout one. A miracle where the lowest ranking official in the administrative department directly attacks the third-ranking official, following the Imperial Household Ministry and the Ministry of Finance.

The Emperor’s eyes trembled at this wondrous sight, and the reactions of the other ministers were no different.

‘oh my god.’

Of course, I was included in those ‘other ministers’. Because the hand that had just grabbed the teacup stopped right there.

Soon, the eyes turned to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The establishment of the Transcontinental Treaty Organization was a large-scale project that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had achieved by raising his voice in front of the Emperor and other ministers. It could possibly be a brilliant achievement that would leave the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ name on the continent forever.

And while creating a headquarters for a treaty body could be the first step toward a glorious future, it has been met with opposition before it has even begun.

That was scary. What if the Minister of Foreign Affairs starts pretending to be crazy and dancing with his sword again?

‘No.’

Fortunately, however, the Foreign Minister’s face showed confusion rather than anger.

That’s really fortunate. For now, I avoided the sword dance.

“Danis has long since lost its function as a city. The Trika Empire was the first to inherit the Mandate of Heaven and thoroughly suppressed the previous empire, Muuno. Danis, which had been the capital for a thousand years, fell less than a hundred years after the destruction of Muuno. For approximately two thousand years after that, Danis existed as a ruins site.”

In fact, even if he was angry, he would have been crushed by the Minister of Culture who spewed out words like a machine gun.

“This is not about redeveloping a run-down city. It’s about building a new city on top of cultural assets.”

Even the justification was perfect, so the Minister of Foreign Affairs cowered even more.

That’s not wrong. If you treat Danis as a backward city, it’s natural to rebuild it, but Danis is a place that has changed its category from a backward city to a historic site. Developing a slum is in the national interest, but building a city on a historic site is crazy.

That is why the Minister of Culture immediately refuted it. It is the Ministry of Culture’s job to protect historical sites, and if they neglect this, it is dereliction of duty. Rather, the Minister of Culture is working faithfully as much as the salary he received from the Emperor.

‘What should I do with this?’

Again, the gaze turned to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

To be honest, I had guessed that this situation would unfold. Given the cultural nature of the country’s deep affection for history, I thought that the brakes would naturally be applied.

Still, I thought there would be some opposition that would be open to compromise, as it was a matter for the new order of the continent. I thought they would express regret somewhat indirectly and discuss it to find a suitable compromise.

I didn’t know you’d use your ultimate skill right from the start. If you say ‘we’re against each other’ from the beginning, it’ll be difficult to compromise.

“…I fully understand the Minister of Culture’s concerns. Danis is a historical site with considerable value simply by existing. As a noble of the Empire, I also consider Danis, where the Mandate of Heaven first occurred, to be beautiful and noble. How could I wish for Danis to be destroyed?”

In the midst of this intense chaos, the Foreign Minister barely managed to regain his composure.

Amazing. As expected, the pinnacle of imperial diplomacy is different no matter what. If it were me, I would have been hit by the opening ultimate and still not come to my senses.

“The reason the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wanted to establish the headquarters of the treaty organization in Danis in the first place was because of the symbolism of Danis. But if they are establishing the headquarters while damaging the symbolism, then there is no point in establishing the headquarters.”

“However, if we develop Danis, the existing ruins will inevitably be destroyed. We have only two options: either leave it alone or destroy everything.”

“We will proceed with development in a way that is in harmony with the ruins. The area of ​​the city during the Muno era is different from the area of ​​the city today. Of course, since it was the capital of the empire, Danis is not small, but it is not so large that it is difficult to handle. Since we have already secured the land near Danis, we will maintain the ruins─”

I raised my teacup to my lips while listening to the heated discussion between the two ministers. At first, I was surprised by the opening remarks of the Minister of Culture, but this was not something I should be involved in.

I just sit there quietly, and when a vote is needed, I support the majority, and when there is something to sign, I just write my name or something. That’s the extent of my role.

‘you also?’

‘me too.’

As I was quietly drinking tea, my eyes met with those of the emperor sitting at the head table.

Strangely, it felt like we were having a conversation even though we only made eye contact. The emperor also seemed to have no intention of interfering in the confrontation between the two proud ministers.

‘That makes sense.’

If it were normal, I would have criticized him for being lazy, even though he is the emperor, but the current situation is completely understandable. Isn’t this a discussion that arose because the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Culture were faithful to their respective roles? It’s a bit burdensome for the emperor to intervene.

‘I wonder how it will end.’

Now that I’m relaxed, I’m curious to see how the Danis development discussions will end.

Even though it is something that has nothing to do with me, when I witness such a fierce debate, I am curious about how it will end. I wonder who will win between the two ministers.

Is the headquarters being built according to the wishes of the Minister of Foreign Affairs? Or is it the result of protecting the historic site at the behest of the Minister of Culture?

‘There is a possibility that the Minister of Culture may make a concession on this.’

I glanced at the profile of the Minister of Culture.

The recent cultural atmosphere is festive thanks to the large-scale ruins discovered in Wiridia. If you were to say you were going to develop Danis in normal times, you would naturally react as if you were crazy, but after experiencing the overwhelming slope, it is likely that you will react somewhat more leisurely.

It’s a shame that the opening ultimate is Yoo Hae-jin, but that’s how it is. Even if Danis gets slightly injured, if Wiridia is there, it’s within the range that even the Minister of Culture can accept.

─ It was three hours ago that I thought that.

“There are instances where cultural assets and residential areas coexist all over the continent. Danis can easily walk that path!”

“That’s a cultural asset that was added to the residence, and the city expanded further! It’s different from building a building on ruins!”

The heated debate between the two ministers did not subside even after three hours.

Is it more like a mood thing? Didn’t something similar happen when Ryuton and Bazen clashed? The only difference was that it was the Minister of War, not the Minister of Culture, who raised his voice.

‘When will it end?’

Anyway, I was starting to get tired of just sitting.

I tried my best to listen to that loud argument with one ear and let it out the other, but it became burdensome when it lasted for three hours. Now, even if I try to ignore it, my eardrums start to burn.

What should I do? It seems like he doesn’t care about me anyway. Should I sneak out? No, the ministers may not know, but the Emperor will not ignore my absence. If I run away, an arrest warrant will be issued in less than three minutes.

“stop.”

While he was seriously considering whether to pretend to have received a revelation from Enen, the Emperor opened his mouth.

“I know very well the devotion and loyalty of the ministers. Neither the Minister of Foreign Affairs nor the Minister of Culture can compromise on their duties.”

After saying this, the emperor turned his head and looked at his ministers.

More specifically, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Culture, who are the main characters in the controversy.

“But now is the time to exercise the virtue of compromise rather than a sense of mission. So, let’s cool our heads for about 30 minutes and then resume the meeting.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I will follow Your Majesty’s orders.”

The endlessly rising heat finally subsided with the emperor’s declaration of rest.

Still, it is fortunate that the Emperor’s orders are followed obediently. It seems that even the Emperor is not so excited that he cannot open his eyes yet.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ah, the Minister of Justice.”

Anyway, as it was a precious break, I got up from my seat to get some fresh air when the Minister of Justice, who was nearby, spoke to me.

“The Inspector General is on vacation, but you are personally filling in for me. Isn’t this overtime work?”

“Haha, this is a precious opportunity for other ministers to gather their opinions. Why would I leave this position for personal reasons?”

Actually, I really wanted to empty it. I held back because I knew that if I did, more trouble would come up.

“And it’s not like it’s hard work since you’re just keeping your seat.”

“Don’t say that. Aren’t you all just sitting in your seats, except for the two of you?”

I smiled bitterly at the undeniable words.

That’s true. Except for the two ministers, they are just totems that guard the throne up to the Emperor.

“It is truly a complicated matter. Both the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the position of the Minister of Culture are equally valid. It is difficult to compromise on this issue, as it is not a matter of clear right and wrong.”

“That’s true. We can’t have our headquarters floating in the air like Aphel’s aerial battleships.”

I let out a small laugh, but all I got in return was silence.

What is it? No matter how far-fetched the statement may be, it was just a joke. And besides, you didn’t really say you wanted to float it, you said you couldn’t, what the…?

‘what.’

Why are you looking back?

Why are you looking somewhere else and not at me with anxiety?

“…in the air.”

The small doubt was dispelled by the faint madness that came from the back of my head.

And then the fear started to creep in, to the point where I was afraid to turn my head.