When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 61

Episode 61

Several hours before Lilly-chan accidentally opened the door to the underworld. The civil servant who had undergone examination and treatment by the saint headed straight to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

During the break in meetings before heading to the cathedral, he briefly chatted with the Minister of Internal Affairs, Eva Robbins, and Cynthia, but he hadn’t yet made a detailed report.

Originally intending to be a temporary adjuster, he had left the capital for Kohane. His desk and such were left as they were in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Given Eva’s suggestion to drop by the ministry when things settled down, Jez headed straight there from the Tashman Great Cathedral.

His agility in this matter was quite remarkable; he was a relatively competent civil servant.

—

“Once again, thank you for all your hard work. Many unexpected things happened, but thanks to Lord Norman, everything went smoothly. I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, Lord Norman. By the way, how’s your health?”

After arriving at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, exchanging greetings and chatting with old colleagues, Jez was escorted to the Minister of Internal Affairs’ office.

Despite Eva Robbins being busy, she promptly made time for Jez. While she occasionally nagged, she seemed like a kind-hearted aunt, undoubtedly a good superior.

However, one should not be deceived by this soft atmosphere. In the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the frontline state of Tashman Kingdom, the person who had held the top position for many years couldn’t just be a good person.

Throughout the eight years since Jez graduated from the Royal Academy, despite making various mistakes, he continued as a civil servant, thanks to her behind-the-scenes support.

Although Jez wasn’t directly told about this, he somehow sensed the situation. Jez also understood that he couldn’t be on equal footing with this person.

Updating his former superior on recent events and exchanging information for the past few months, Jez discussed topics other than the contents of the Zwey document or the war, as Eva had attended the earlier meeting and was naturally aware of those.

“Is Kohane maintaining public order properly?”

“Yes. My expectations were exceeded for that city. It’s honestly rare to see a city with such well-established control.”

“I see. As expected of Hugo Zwey, I suppose?”

“Yes, I think so too. But René’s presence is significant as well. It’s exceptional for a royal to become a regional legion commander outside of the 1st Legion, and to maintain the right of succession.”

While the success of everyone involved in this series of events during the Southern Great Uprising was due to their flexible responses, René’s presence during her two years as the commander of the 7th Legion was also significant.

When Jez arrived in Kohane, the staff at the 7th Legion’s headquarters were always working overtime. On the other hand, it was rare for there to be such a workload in a normal legion headquarters during peacetime. Of course, wartime is a different story.

This indicates that René, Erin, Hugo, and others were working not only for the 7th Legion but also for the entire city of Kohane and the entire Southern Front.

“Princess René. A prodigy who rose to the rank of legion commander almost solely on her swordsmanship, and also demonstrated talent in managing the legion and governing the entire region… She’s amazing. To the point of causing various concerns.”

Repeatedly, the Southern Great Uprising this time was a great success when looking at the results alone. However, conversely, things went too well.

As Eva, the Minister of Internal Affairs, pointed out earlier, René not only demonstrated her martial prowess but also her talent and results as a ruler in a very clear manner.

Especially the declaration of Royal Order 11 and its subsequent handling were remarkable. This is exactly the decisive leadership and execution ability required of a king to lead a country.

Originally, disputes over succession to the throne rarely occurred in the Tashman Kingdom. There is no time for internal disputes in a state at the forefront of humanity.

Current King Ramses had nominated Prince Leo Tashman as Crown Prince long ago.

Leo had steadily accumulated achievements as the commander of the 1st Legion, and his bright personality had earned him considerable popularity. It was a given that he would become the next king. There had been no problems with this established route so far.

However, recently, voices supporting René as the next queen had begun to leak from the leaders of the southern cities and some influential southern aristocrats, although they hadn’t been publicly expressed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs couldn’t afford to let such a potential seed of civil war grow. For Minister Eva Robbins, this was a very troublesome issue.

It was precisely because of this delicate situation that Eva wanted to talk to Jez, her former subordinate whom she knew well, as soon as possible.

“Lord Norman, how do you view René Tashman?”

The current situation that Eva is concerned about is certainly recognized by Jez as well. Jez pondered what to answer while understanding the intention behind Eva’s question.

“Well, it’s undeniable that she’s still rough around the edges. However…”

As Jez hesitated slightly, Eva urged him to continue with her gaze.

“There is certainly talent for kingship… There may even be quite remarkable potential.”

Eva, sighing upon hearing Jez’s troubled response, couldn’t help but feel exasperated. It was unexpected for Jez Norman, who usually showed no interest in power, promotion, or factional struggles, to say such things.

Naturally, the world wasn’t filled with people like Jez. Minister of Internal Affairs Eva Robbins felt weary just predicting how such individuals would act. It seemed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs would become even busier from now on.

After Jez and Eva talked in the Minister of Internal Affairs’ office, Jez promised to continue exchanging information with Eva regularly and then headed to his desk within the ministry.

Next to the Minister of Internal Affairs’ office was a spacious area where the minister’s secretaries worked. Bureaucrats from the Ministry of Internal Affairs constantly came and went, making it hectic.

While greeting former colleagues and thinking that it had been a while since he had returned, Jez headed to his desk. And there, next to it…

“Hey there, Cynthia. It’s been a while at the workplace.”

“Senpai!!”

Jez called out to his junior, who had been working on documents with a serious expression. It had been a while since he felt this atmosphere. After putting down his belongings and sitting at his seat, Jez spoke to Cynthia.

They had met when he battled with King Ramses last night upon returning to the capital, and they had also seen each other during the meeting earlier today, but having a proper conversation like this was rare.

“Sorry for being so abrupt. I couldn’t talk much yesterday or just now.”

Seeing Jez apologize with a remorseful expression, Cynthia smiled and quickly finished organizing the documents on her desk.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said with a smile, then casually asked, “You’ll be in the capital for a while, right?”

Jez explained about his recent discussion with the saint about treatment plans and also mentioned that he had to report to the parliament tomorrow. After finishing his explanation, Cynthia, with a slightly embarrassed expression, unconsciously looked up at Jez with upturned eyes.

“Senpai? Can I come visit your place for the first time in a while? I want to talk with you leisurely, and I’ll cook dinner too.”

“Uh, sure.”

Where did the tsundere Cynthia Clark, who had just been assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, go? She was being so coy. She’s a smooth operator, that junior.