Chapter 1

Not everyone finds their dream at a young age.

Adelheit Primavera, 18 years old and about to graduate from the Wilkert Empire Academy, was no different.

At that time, she had lost all will to live. A year earlier, she had received the news that her beloved parents had died in battle. Since then, she had lived without purpose.

Naturally, she hadn’t even begun to think about her future after graduation.

“Adelheit, would it be alright if I called you Heidi?”

Her career counselor, meeting her for the first time, spoke with unusual friendliness—casually using a nickname.

“So, Heidi, you haven’t decided what to do after graduation?”

He was not only kind, but also a man burning with duty. Even when faced with a lifeless student whose eyes looked like dead fish, he was determined to find the perfect path for this lost lamb.

Looking over her career form, his eyes narrowed.

“Let’s see… you’ve inherited a barony and some land. But it seems the territory is in rough shape—no residents. So collecting taxes as a lord would be impossible.”

For a brief moment, pity flickered across his eyes at her situation, which was little better than that of a ruined noble.

“But don’t be discouraged! Nobility is fine, of course, but there’s also dignity in working. Why, I myself am from a fallen noble family, but now I teach, and every day I get to be with wonderful students.”

His gentle words were meant both to console and to nudge her toward getting a job.

“I was… thinking I should work after graduation.”

Heidi nodded slightly.

Despite her despair, she knew she needed money to live. Her parents had left her some inheritance besides the title and land, but not nearly enough to last a lifetime.

“That’s wonderful! Actually, I have just the position to recommend. How about becoming a civil servant at the city hall in Rayben?”

“Hm… doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Exactly! It’s the perfect job—stable salary, great retirement benefits, the honor of serving the people!”

“Sounds good.”

“Of course it does! Especially now, after the war, when citizens’ rights have risen. The city needs officials to work for them. You’ve got excellent grades, so with a bit of study, you’ll surely pass the exam!”

Civil servant, huh? It did sound reasonable.

Clear benefits, no particular dream of her own… maybe following her teacher’s advice was fine.

So she prepared for the civil service exam.

In the spring of her 19th year, she became a junior administrative official at Rayben City Hall.

And now—

She cursed the teacher who had recommended this path.

“I seriously want to quit.”

A year passed, and at age 20, Heidi bitterly regretted her decision.

“‘Not bad,’ my ass…”

It was bad. Very bad.

The salary was pitiful. After rent and meals, almost nothing was left.

And the workload? Endless. Overtime was constant, often spent doing chores for the mayor and his family.

• Fixing the mayor’s son’s house after hail damage (called “disaster relief volunteer work”).
• Gardening for the mayor’s wife (officially “city beautification”).
• Making enough pickled cabbage to last the mayor’s family through winter (of which a token amount was given to the poor as “charity”).

Thanks to this, Heidi had become an expert in house repairs, transplanting seedlings, and fermenting cabbage—skills she never asked for.

Her civil servant life could be titled: “The Genius Official Who Can Do Everything.” A cruel joke, since her “talents” were forced on her.

And that wasn’t all.

There were the nightmare citizens.

Like the man who had shown up ten days in a row:

“Why can’t ostriches be registered as carriage animals? That’s discrimination!”

Or the old man screaming in the lobby:

“What do you mean I can’t register my great-grandson before he’s born?! Bring out the director right now!”

Still, Heidi might have endured… if not for one man:

Fisherman, her boss.

He was a monster. He harassed young female employees with sleazy remarks and pokes.

“Looking tired today. Busy at night, hmm?” he had once said, jabbing her cheek with a pudgy finger.

He beat male juniors instead—often kicking their shins with boots reinforced by wooden guards.

“Idiot! You kept the mayor’s son waiting? Don’t you even recognize his face?!”

Whack. Shin.
Smack. Head.
Punch. Arm.

She would never forget that hellish day.

On top of this, he embezzled public funds, faked overtime to claim extra pay, and skipped work whenever he wanted.

Finally, Heidi snapped.

Rather than die young from stress, she chose to quit. But not quietly.

A month before resigning, she spent three months’ wages on a magical brooch that could secretly record voices. She used it to capture every crime and harassment her boss committed.

The day before she resigned, she handed the recordings to the city guard.

Fortunately, the Empire’s laws allowed secret recordings as evidence if they revealed criminal acts.

On her last day at work, the city guards stormed the office.

“James Fisherman, you are under arrest for bribery, embezzlement, negligence, assault, and sexual harassment.”

With clear evidence and many witnesses, he was swiftly taken away. Citizens booed and jeered as he was dragged out.

“You call yourself a man?!”
“Burn in hell, scum!”
“Even hellfire would spit you out!”

For the first time in years, Heidi laughed freely.

Then, seeing her empty bank account, she cried again.

That evening, at a pub near city hall—

“Heidi, the section chief said your resignation will be processed quickly. You’ll get your severance soon.”

Across the table sat her friend and junior coworker, Elise, a frail-looking girl with thick glasses.

“Thanks, Elise. Appreciate it.”

“No, no—I should be thanking you! You had the courage to stand up for all of us. Do you know how many people suffered because of that monster?”

“Hearing that makes me glad I took him down. That bastard deserves worse than prison.”

“Exactly! Just prison is too kind.” Elise’s jaw trembled with anger.

Heidi sympathized—Elise had been his favorite target.

“Well… maybe when he gets out, he should be forced to work as an unpaid fisherman on the high seas.”

“Brilliant, Heidi! I only thought about killing him, but making him live like an insect is so much better!”

“R-right…” Heidi smiled awkwardly at her unexpectedly violent junior.

Then Elise asked:

“So, what will you do now?”

“Me? I’m going to farm.”

“F-farm?! I-I mean, I’m sure you’ll do well, but… farming?”

“Yeah. After everything, I realized I can’t work under anyone again. And I’m tired of people. Plants, though… I like them. Remember how I took care of the mayor’s wife’s garden?”

“Of course! You grew that sunflower taller than 2.5 meters, and she won the city’s gardening award—though it should have been yours.”

“Eh, past is past. Let’s forget it. Cheers!”

“C-cheers!”

She had another reason for farming, something deeply personal, but she pushed the thought away with a gulp of beer.

“So… where will you farm?”

“Where else? On my land, in Lium.”

At that, Elise froze, her hand trembling around her glass.

“W-wait… you mean the land behind Mount Aurum? The… Demon Zone?”