“I really don't want to go there in such a humiliating way...”
Early morning.
Li An opened his eyes.
This was a habit he had developed over many years.
Yet today, he unusually had no desire to get out of bed.
He even wished he could merge with his bed forever.
The reason was simple. During the Antique Festival, he had unexpectedly acquired the lost sword of the founding emperor of the Barba Empire. As a reward, he had obtained the privilege of an audience with the Emperor.
—An audience with the Emperor.
Just thinking about those words caused Li An's body to tense up involuntarily.
Although rumors whispered that the current Emperor of the empire was old and frail, even to the point of needing assistance to walk, everyone knew that the Emperor still possessed unshakeable power.
Even highly decorated officials could lose everything in an instant because of a single word from the Emperor.
In short:
That was—
The supreme existence.
Therefore, Li An was exceptionally cautious today.
He carefully checked his clothes—whether there were creases on the hem, if any buttons were misaligned, or if his hair was messy. Any minor mistake could trigger unpredictable consequences.
“Sigh...”
Li An's face was heavy. He even deliberately styled his hair at a snail's pace, hoping that time would stop. Unfortunately, no matter how much he stalled, he eventually reached his limit.
“I really don't want to go.”
He prayed earnestly.
If a sudden downpour were to start right now, maybe the audience would be canceled.
In this world, was there anyone who wanted to avoid going to work more than he did?
The answer was: yes.
“Why is it like this?”
When he arrived at the office of Section Three of the Evaluation Department, Li An froze.
Today's atmosphere was even gloomier than usual.
“Ah...”
“If only I were a sea cucumber.”
“Lying there every day, not having to do a single thing.”
Sushia was like a soul-less snail.
Dragging her heavy body, she slowly crawled across the office.
But she had always been this way, so it wasn't particularly strange.
What was truly strange was—
...that the others were not normal either.
“I want to turn into a tree.”
Devon sat on a rocking chair, his lifeless eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
Because he had lost the bet, he was demoted from the position of Section Two Chief to a regular staff member of Section Three.
Right now, he seemed to have suffered a severe mental breakdown.
“Well then.”
“These two were already a bit...”
Li An thought to himself.
But in the next second, his eyes fell upon Isha and stopped.
Something was wrong.
Isha's issue wasn't her mental state.
It was her outfit.
She was actually wearing an eyepatch, looking exactly like one of those chuunibyou characters from light novels.
Li An stared at her.
Sensing his gaze, Isha began to explain.
“My eye is infected.”
“I'm sorry, I don't think I can accompany you to see His Majesty.”
“If I spread it to others, it would cause trouble.”
Hearing these words, Li An instantly detected that something was amiss.
Isha was lying.
She didn't have an eye infection at all.
She was simply unwilling to see her father, the Emperor.
What was the reason? Was she afraid of exposing her identity, or did she simply dislike her father? Li An didn't know, but he felt inexplicably uneasy in his heart.
If she didn't want to go, couldn't she have just said so? Why did she have to use an eye infection as an excuse? This was the future Empress, after all.
“It sounds quite serious,” Li An said deliberately. “Let me take a look. Take off the eyepatch.”
“No,” Isha refused immediately. “If I infect you, it will lead to severe consequences.”
“Just a quick look won't make it spread so easily.”
“No, the risk is too high.”
The two of them were deadlocked for a moment.
Li An brought out his final trump card.
“Why do I feel like you can't take it off for some other reason?”
The air grew quiet for an instant.
Isha remained silent.
Then, she let out a soft sigh.
“Fine.”
“Please step back a bit.”
She took off her eyepatch.
In the next second, Li An froze.
Isha's right eye was indeed noticeably bloodshot. It truly looked like an infection.
“Wait...”
Li An stepped closer.
“Section Chief?”
A memory from his past life suddenly surfaced.
Back when he didn't want to go to school, he had done something similar. Simply by rubbing his eyes constantly with the back of his hand, they would turn red. And then he could fake being sick to ask for leave.
And the color of Isha's eye right now was exactly the same as back then.
“Take care of yourself.”
In the end, Li An didn't expose her.
Cornering someone who was desperate was not his style.
Moreover, Isha was not a required participant for the audience with the Emperor. If her true identity were exposed, she wouldn't be the only one in trouble. Pandora's box could not be opened just yet.
“Then... I'll need a temporary assistant.”
Li An surveyed the office.
The others were either away on business trips or lacked experience.
Ultimately, his gaze came to rest on Devon.
Devon was born into a count's family, was familiar with noble etiquette, and possessed abundant experience in officialdom.
Without a doubt, he was the best candidate.
“Devon.”
Devon, rocking in his chair, stopped swaying.
“So... you still need my help in the end? Since you've asked, I naturally won't refuse.”
Li An's lips twitched.
“Sushia. You're coming along as well.”
Sushia, face down on her desk, raised her head.
“...Me?”
“Yes. You still have the offense of fleeing the sweet potato patch without permission.”
“You're so mean.”
The appointed time arrived.
A luxurious carriage pulled up outside the entrance of Section Three.
When Sushia saw it, her eyes instantly went wide.
“Is this the royal carriage? You must be joking. Just the decorations alone are probably worth enough to buy a house.”
To Li An, the status of a carriage was similar to luxury cars in his past life. Therefore, Sushia's current reaction was just like a regular person seeing a hypercar for the first time.
The coachman, dressed in formal attire, bowed and asked, “Are you Lord Li An Adolf?”
The three of them then entered the carriage.
“The seats are so soft,” Sushia marveled.
“Indeed.”
“Chief, I heard that after promoting to a fifth-rank official, the empire gifts a private carriage. You're about to be promoted to the fifth-rank, aren't you? I'm so envious. Though it still can't compare to a royal carriage.”
Right then, a voice came from the opposite side.
“Ahem.”
A middle-aged man with a mustache was sitting there.
Li An was startled.
“General Supervisor?”
“No. Should I call you 'Your Excellency Minister' now?”
The newcomer was none other than the General Supervisor of the Evaluation Department—Caris.
“What brings you here?”
“Naturally, to accompany my subordinate to receive his reward. The merit of a subordinate is also my merit.”
Li An: “...”
So that was how it was. He was here to claim a share of the credit, which was extremely in line with the style of imperial officials. Nevertheless, Li An did do his best to maintain a calm facade because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back his laughter.
'Claiming credit on my behalf? This is the best news I've heard all day.'
His opinion of the General Supervisor rose slightly.
However, in the next second—
“Haven't you been a bit too arrogant lately?”
“Huh?”
“I've given you so many conveniences. And yet, you haven't even sent a single gift? Young people these days are truly getting worse with each generation.”
Li An: “...”
His newly elevated opinion instantly plummeted back to zero.
Half an hour later, the General Supervisor finally stopped his nagging. He suddenly looked at Sushia.
“By the way, Sushia. Would you be interested in becoming my assistant? The compensation is definitely better than in Section Three.”
“No, thank you,” Sushia refused without the slightest hesitation.
The General Supervisor was stunned. “Why?”
Sushia answered seriously, “Because being around you is too smelly. Or rather, you have the scent of a middle-aged man. Plus, I don't like your mustache either.”
The air instantly fell dead silent.
The General Supervisor froze in disbelief, and Li An was also momentarily dazed.
He had to admit, Sushia was incredibly brave. Then again, she had every right to say that. Since she was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Senistia, even the General Supervisor of the Evaluation Department wouldn't dare provoke her lightly.
'Good job,' Li An silently gave her a thumbs-up in his heart.
The imperial palace was even more colossal than imagined.
Although the outside world whispered that the empire was in decline, hundreds of years of accumulated heritage was still not something ordinary nations could compare to.
“Are you Lord Li An Adolf? We have been waiting for you for a long time.”
The guard looked at Sushia. “And this is?”
“She is Sushia Senistia. She is accompanying me as an attendant.”
The guard's expression shifted immediately. “So it is the lady of the Senistia Ducal Family. My apologies.”
A ducal house carried substantial weight, even in front of the royal family.
Afterward, the guard looked at the General Supervisor. “General Supervisor Caris of the Evaluation Department?”
“My apologies. Your name is not on today's list.”
“He is our superior, could we perhaps...”
“No,” the guard shook his head.
Ultimately, however, the guard still allowed all three of them through. This made Li An even more certain that the Evaluation Department was ultimately not a powerful department after all. Those powerful departments, like the Ministry of Magic or the Law Enforcement Department, probably wouldn't even be stopped for verification, let alone have to negotiate with the guards here.
“When will we be able to see His Majesty?”
“His Majesty is currently conducting an important meeting. Please wait a moment.”
This was the third time Li An had heard those words.
Identity verification, attire check, and etiquette verification. Only after all of these were completed did they wait for a long time. By the time Sushia had nearly devoured all the snacks in the reception room, finally—
“Please follow me.”
Li An straightened his clothes once more, making a final check to ensure there were no issues.
Then, the massive palace doors slowly swung open.
Inside was a colossal throne crafted of jade.
And the person seated upon it—was none other than the Emperor of the empire.
“The eldest son of Baron Adolf... I originally thought you would become a soldier. I did not expect you to end up as an administrative official. The changes in this world are truly unpredictable.”
The voice was deep, carrying a metallic chill.
His body had already weakened to the point of needing assistance, but those eyes remained incredibly sharp, as if they could pierce through all things.
He gazed at Li An.
This man's name was Camaron Barba. And he was also... the true cancer that would destroy the empire.
Rate on N.U.
