Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

978 – A Crazy New Year’s Eve – 3

If you round it up, it could be considered to be about 10 years ago. To be exact, it was the time when I was given the position of Academy Inspector, which was not even in my horoscope. The former inspector generals who quickly heard the news were delighted by the chief’s business trip and visit to the Academy as if it were someone else’s business.

He never rejoiced as if it were his own business. If he had considered the manager’s pain and shame as his own business, he would not have rejoiced but would have submitted his resignation.

‘It was dizzying.’

Even now, when I close my eyes, memories of that time come to mind.

The day after I received the notice of my academy assignment, I went to work and was really impressed by the placards waving and applause. It was a splendid performance that definitely shattered my mentality.

I was so moved when I saw that I almost cried. I filled my fist with emotion and gratitude and showed it to the section chief trio.

And the reason why that incident came to mind again was simple.

“Oh, dad! Congratulations!”

Eri, who was one of the three exaggerated people about 10 years ago. She has a natural talent for attacking my mentality, and today she is my wife.

The day after that lady heard the news of my coronation as Duke, she displayed her heaven-given talents as if in the past.

“Thank you, my son.”

I smiled bitterly at Ferenc, who was running towards me with a cake that I didn’t know when it was made.

It was heartbreaking and thrilling. Eri’s atrocity of teabagging her husband’s tragedy was horrifying, but her courage in deploying Ferenc forward without taking the lead herself was truly amazing.

Our Ferenz, who is smiling brightly and handing over a congratulatory cake. How could I go crazy and question Eri in front of this Ferenz?

[Congratulations! Our husband’s crowning as the Duke of Gong!]

[ Ah! I’m so jealous! The life of a proud duke (proxy) standing above everyone! ]

‘This looks familiar.’

Meanwhile, I felt a subtle sense of familiarity in the phrases written on the top and perimeter of the cake.

What is it? It’s definitely a sentence I’m seeing for the first time, but it feels familiar, like I’ve seen it somewhere? Have I ever been mentally attacked by a sentence similar to that?

I don’t know. If I’ve been mentally attacked, I tend to erase the traces and memories as quickly as possible.

“Oh, dad.”

“Yes, my son. Speak.”

“What is a modern-day agent?”

I fell silent at the sight of those pure eyes staring at me.

That’s right. What on earth is a duke’s deputy? Why in the world does such an ugly and heavy title exist? It’s just a shame that Tricky will have to carry such an ugly burden for 100 years, and Maria for tens or hundreds of years in the future.

“Ferenc. How about being with your father?”

However, even if a child’s question is difficult, it is an adult’s duty to somehow answer it. I racked my brain and quietly started crying.

“Okay!”

“Right? But it’s not just our Ferenc who’s good, he’s the one who makes other people good too. That’s the Duke’s deputy.”

Instead, my own body and mind deteriorate.

He tried to suppress the words that were rising to the top of his lungs and packaged them in the best possible way. If he had a business card that was high-ranking and could boast about, such as a Duke’s deputy or other fifth-ranking or high-ranking position, he would have to please many people.

High-ranking officials should not live for their own good, but for the good of the majority. It is difficult for Ferenc, who is still young, to say this, so it is difficult, but if we sow the seeds like this, they will sprout well someday.

“really?”

Fortunately, Ferenc’s eyes widened at my words,

“Awesome! Then I’ll be your substitute too!”

‘ah.’

I ended up saying something that made my heart sink just hearing it.

No. No matter how difficult it is, you shouldn’t say such things. Childhood dreams often end as short-lived dreams, but they can lead to lifelong aspirations. The sprouting I wanted wasn’t that kind of sprouting.

‘What should I do?’

But I can’t say now, ‘Our Ferenc shouldn’t do that.’ If I did, I would be a vicious father who would trample on my son’s first dream in an instant.

“There are many other cool things besides being the Duke’s deputy, so let’s think about it slowly. There are many things our Ferenc can become.”

“yes!”

Because of that, I had no choice but to handle the situation with such obvious and ceremonial words.

If our child seems to be going down a strange path, let’s show him many other paths. A path where he can enjoy moderate wealth and fame while living as an unemployed person, rather than the annoying and difficult work of being a peacock agent.

A count who has a fief and makes a lot of money is enough to live in this world.

“…But Ferenc.”

“yes?”

“Where is Mom?”

“Because it’s a break!”

Ferenc answered my question brightly.

I see. You mentally attacked me by putting your son forward, but you are spending cozy time with your daughter.

“Then should we share the cake with Mom and Dad?”

“and!”

She walked, holding the delighted Ferenc in her arms.

I didn’t want to use the lip-pulling punishment on a mother of two. You were the one who crossed the line first, Erzsebet Krasius.

When a man harbors resentment, the snow melts even in winter.

After relaying the story of the Duke’s representation to the key nobles and families of the Duchy of Servet, he finally reported to the Emperor.

The Emperor has known about Tricky’s retirement and my replacement since early last year, but now that all preparations are complete, it is not right to speak of it again.

“─Accordingly, Tricky will step down from the position of Duke of Servette around mid-February. I, Soshin, will become the acting Duke upon retirement, and the celebration banquet for this will likely be held around March.”

“I see.”

Also, if it’s something related to the Duke and Duke’s family, it’s better to report in person rather than through a communication channel. Thanks to that, I went all the way to the Taeyangjeon even though it was cold winter.

“Wow. Time flies so fast. Who would have thought that the day would come when the Count would become the Duke’s deputy.”

Anyway, the emperor shrugged his shoulders and laughed at my report.

Damn it. Is this something to be so happy about? The duke who has been the pillar of the empire for almost 100 years is stepping down, and a member of a family other than the duke’s is taking over.

“But when you become an agent, you get to use the title you represent as your middle name, right? From February onwards, I guess I’ll be called Karl Servet Crassius of Tailglehen.”

“Since it has come to this, please put a saint in front of me.”

“Oh, do you really want to?”

Those words sent shivers down my spine. If I said that here, I felt like something worse would happen than simply adding my last name to an official document or at an official event.

“…When I stand before you one day, I will be called Saint Karl, but now I stand before Your Majesty.”

“If that is what the Count wants.”

As I bowed my head, yielding to my intuition, the Emperor clicked his tongue as if he was disappointed.

100%. If I had run this without getting used to it, I would have regretted it right away.

“Anyway, Jim is still confused by this situation, but since it has come to this, don’t have any regrets and work hard. Whether a flowery path or a thorny path will unfold before your daughter is in the hands of the Count.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will keep that in mind.”

“I’m saying this just in case, but don’t make a series of mistakes on purpose. If your predecessor is too competent, it’s scary to be compared to them, but if they’re incompetent, it’s a headache for the successor.”

“I’ll keep that in mind too.”

It was Livno’s advice, and not someone else’s, that struck me most strongly.

The Emperor was succeeded by a madman named Situation, and Situation followed the path of a series of tyrants. Unlike the polar opposites of Libnoman, maintaining an appropriate balance between competence and incompetence is my top priority.

That way, Maria, who will become the next duke, will be comfortable. She won’t have to be compared to her predecessor, and she won’t have to clean up the disaster her predecessor committed. How wonderful that is.

“Oh, by the way. I have a gift that Jim made around summer. Since the Count is here, I think it would be better to give it to him now.”

“yes?”

Just as the conversation was about to end in such a warm manner, the emperor suddenly stood up from his seat and headed toward his desk.

“Hmm, where did I put this?”

Then I rummaged through the drawers for a while,

“Here it is.”

He took out a rolled up scroll.

I’m nervous. If this is a gift he’s giving me, it’s definitely not something normal. And it’s a gift he’s been keeping since summer. What kind of room is he trying to blow?

“Now, take it. I originally planned to give it to you when you became the Duke’s deputy, but there’s no need to wait until then.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

However, I couldn’t just throw away something the Emperor himself handed me without even looking at it. I took a deep breath and accepted the scroll the Emperor handed me.

Fortunately, it was small. At least the scroll wasn’t full of bizarre content.

‘sentence?’

Instead of just letters, there was only one sentence drawn on the scroll.

A symbol of a black wolf roaring, with a sword and a staff crossed in an X behind the wolf.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. What is this? I am not an expert in heraldry, but this is the first time I have seen such a sentence.”

A coat of arms is a symbol of a family or group. In other words, being proficient in coats of arms means being proficient in forming relationships with other groups, so diplomatic officials are more knowledgeable than inspectors like me.

Of course, since I ascended to the position of Chief of the Inspectorate, I have learned the crests of most major and traditional families. The problem is that even I am seeing this crest for the first time.

“It’s worth seeing for the first time. As I just said, it’s a gift Jim made in the summer.”

The emperor, who let out a chuckle, stretched out his finger and pointed to the sentence.

“The wolf represents the count who is wielding his majesty in the north, and the black continent’s greatest sword authority. The staff is self-evident.”

‘What the heck.’

Thanks to the kind explanation, I immediately realized the identity of the sentence.

This was my coat of arms. It was my personal coat of arms, not that of a family or organization.

“No matter how much of a proxy he is, he is still a noble who exercises the authority of a duke. No one can stand above a count except for the royal family and other dukes. If that’s the case, shouldn’t he have a personal coat of arms?”

A personal emblem that no one in the empire can have except the Emperor and the Five Dukes.

All that crazy power and fame was in my hands.

“Your Majesty, this is too much of an honor for me. Please take it away!”

“You want me to take it away? I think you’re mistaken about what I said, saying it’s a gift.”

This time the Emperor’s hand was placed on my shoulder.

“The Count has no choice.”

And words heavier than my hands weighed down on my shoulders.

You fucking b*stard…