Chapter 59
The Leaving-Work Argument (2)
Once the commotion subsided, the presentations finally began in earnest.
“To help you understand more clearly, let me begin with a simple question. What methods of asset concealment do nobles commonly use?”
They were nobles themselves, so of course they would know. I pointed my prepared fan toward the student nicknamed Hwangso-gun — Mr. Bull — who was sitting closest to me. Startled, he answered.
“There’s the method of collaborating with the clergy or temples. They can store illicit assets in vaults under a cleric’s name. Because temples enjoy religious immunity, monitoring them is much more difficult compared to other fields.”
A clean, precise response — fitting for someone who graduated at the top of the Academy.
When Shawn from Foreign Affairs raised his hand, I gave a slight nod to allow him to speak.
“There’s also smuggling through merchant guilds. A type of money laundering. They falsify transactions by manipulating the prices of goods with foreign guilds, then store the difference abroad. Without close cooperation from other nations, this is extremely difficult to track.”
Naturally, the Finance Department spoke last.
“The most commonly used method is distributing assets under the names of retainers. They hide massive amounts of unreported wealth using the names of trusted knights or servants within the household.”
It seemed none of them had become central officials by coincidence. I nodded and thanked them before continuing.
“Former Chancellor Marcus and former First-Class Secretary Dorian of our honorable Chancellor’s Office used this exact retainer-name method. They dispersed their assets under their retainers’ names and then had those retainers flee overseas. We’re currently tracking them.”
I wrote Noble Asset Registration System on the chalkboard, then added the concealment methods we had just reviewed.
“The alternative I’m proposing is designed to prevent all three types of concealment crimes — not only through our four departments, but also through cooperation with the Magic Tower.”
I smiled meaningfully.
Welcome, children. First time doing a group project?
I never allow any department to freeload.
“Then we’ll get going.”
“See you tomorrow.”
The remaining members of the Concealment Office stared blankly at the backs of the Chancellor’s Office officials as they practically flew out of the room. In truth, they were drained after the long hours of meetings. Even Chief Justice Vespera had been sitting at the desk in a daze.
“What a terrifying bureaucrat. Secretary Cornelia is…!”
Shawn from Foreign Affairs huffed like he had just sprinted a hundred meters.
“To think she came with her own proposal and designated roles for each department.”
Abel from the Finance Department shook his head, as if exhausted by the mere memory. Even Vespera, who usually revealed nothing, silently agreed as he recalled the meeting.
“For the Noble Asset Registration System to run smoothly, each department will have its own role,” Cornelia had said. “Since it falls under your existing duties, it won’t be difficult. First, Finance will record the assets nobles report and track their flow. Foreign Affairs will establish investigative agreements with other nations in case assets are illegally transferred abroad. Naturally, we’ll also offer cooperation in return if foreign assets flow illegally into our Empire. There’s no reason for them to refuse that.”
“And the most important part of all this is the Magic Tower.”
“The Magic Tower?”
“We’ll have the Magic Tower cast a certification spell on every noble’s asset report, confirming authenticity and easing foreign tracking. Since the Magic Tower belongs to no political faction, their verification is the most trustworthy. Finally, once these roles are organized, the Ministry of Justice will turn them into law, and the Chancellor’s Office will coordinate interdepartmental duties and issue administrative orders.”
“She even answered all of our questions perfectly.”
Ilya, the Chief Justice’s aide, added in disbelief.
“What if a noble falsely claims someone else’s property as their own?”
Simon asked, and Cornelia answered without hesitation.
“We’ll accept the report first, then move into verification. They’ll have to prove ownership. We’ll investigate whether the contracts are forged or whether any transaction records exist. With help from the Magic Tower, verification will be even easier.”
“Right, that’s the biggest problem. But how in the world do we secure cooperation from the Magic Tower?”
Laira from Finance asked sharply — but Cornelia already had an answer prepared.
“The justification is clear. We are preventing illegal concealment — that is, crime. From a public image standpoint, the Magic Tower wouldn’t dislike the idea. Forming moderate ties with central officials isn’t a bad exchange for them either. There is enough possibility to propose it.”
“I heard Secretary Cornelia’s previous job was aide to the daughter of the Aurelius Marquis.”
“What? The Aurelius Marquisate? Their son is the next successor to the Magic Tower Master. So she knows them?”
“At the very least, she could ask through the Marquis’s daughter. I hear the siblings get along well.”
Simon leaned back heavily in his chair.
“Now I see why she was promoted so quickly.”
The others wordlessly agreed.
“At this point, we can’t even complain about her leaving work on time.”
“When I saw her walk out with the copy clerk earlier, I couldn’t even get mad. My mouth wouldn’t open.”
“Her skill absolutely crushed us — what can I even say?”
Laira, the Level-1 Finance Officer, finally began to curse. Abel, the Level-2 officer beside her, quickly tried to stop her.
“H-hey, please tone it down. If you must swear, do it back at the Finance Department.”
“Our superiors were humiliated today — you think I can sit quietly? A newcomer who joined only a few months ago brought a better damn plan than me.”
Her sharp tongue was famous across the central ministries. With her cold, steady voice, she had made several Finance Department rookies cry.
“Looking at it now, leaving on time doesn’t even matter. I think I’ll start going home when I can.”
When Shawn sighed, Simon immediately objected.
“No, no — leaving exactly at quitting time feels too cold.”
Abel took Shawn’s side.
“But Secretary Cornelia completed her work, left exactly on time, and still brought us a superior proposal. There’s no point in pressuring anyone to work overtime. Honestly, she’s right. If you finish your job, you can go home. We have no grounds to object.”
“And what will the higher-ups think when they see all the lights off in the central ministries?”
“It looks worse to keep the lights on while getting mediocre results. Finance works overtime because we have many tasks — not to put on a show. Could it be that you simply dislike seeing us leave early?”
“What was that?!”
Simon shot up from his seat, but Laira added fuel.
“Let’s be honest. You stay even when you don’t have sh*t to do. Isn’t that right, Simon?”
“Officer Laira!”
“That’s enough.”
As their voices escalated, Chief Justice Vespera finally intervened.
“I’m leaving first.”
He grabbed his bag and strode out without hesitation. Bang! The door slammed behind him, echoing through the Concealment Office like a reprimand. Everyone flinched.
“Damn, I forgot he was here. He must be furious.”
“He’s been quiet lately… what if we poked a sleeping lion’s whiskers?”
Ilya, his aide, bit his lip anxiously.
Laira leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling.
“And that Noble Asset Registration System… nobles are going to have a complete meltdown.”
I never thought I’d see my boss again just a few hours after the meeting.
“So what brings you here today, little lamb?”
The next VIP of my humble second job — after Mr. Bull — was this baby lamb. He told me how shocked he had been by the ideas I presented in today’s meeting. Hearing him talk about me as if I weren’t the person sitting right in front of him was… difficult.
“To be honest,, I didn’t expect someone who leaves on time every day to bring a good proposal. I thought she had no interest in work and only cared about going home early.”
…Feels like I should admit that’s partly true.
“I think I have to acknowledge I was wrong. Working long hours doesn’t necessarily produce better results.”
“She probably focuses intensely during her working hours. You can’t leave early unless you finish your work properly. And honestly, who wants to stay at the office any longer than they have to?”
“Is that so? It doesn’t matter much to me.”
“Really? That’s unusual—?”
“What matters is doing the job well. If you’re at your post, you should perform your duties properly. The actual time you leave isn’t important.”
After nothing but people like Marcus and Huhwang, seeing a noble who actually keeps his obligations felt almost surreal.
So this is what the Empire’s top-tier elite looks like?
Still, I warned him not to push himself too hard — burnout comes for everyone.
“I heard something shocking today. That people sometimes work overtime out of habit, or even stay when they don’t have anything to do, just because of workplace pressure. Is that really true?”
“Well… saying it out loud, it’s obvious but—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
Through his mask, his eyes were so pure that I couldn’t bring myself to continue.
“You… really didn’t know?”
His pupils shook violently at my reaction.
“I’m… shocked…”
My adorable baby lamb drooped sadly. My head throbbed.
Empire’s most eligible noble, huh? With this level of social awareness?
