FERH 38

Chapter 38

Meanwhile.

“Is our rookie leaving?”

Seriously?

The people of the Special Taxation Bureau were steeped in shock and horror.

Torban’s resignation became a trivial, minor issue.

After all, trying to stop someone who wants to leave wouldn’t change anything, and Torban didn’t do much work in this department anyway.

“If we lose our rookie, we’re basically dead.”

“This is talent poaching!”

For a group of people with an unusually strong sense of self-awareness, the members of the Special Taxation Bureau let out deep sighs.

Among them, Til was the worst.

When he had sent off a lover he’d dated for two years before breaking up, he’d felt relieved—but hearing that Rianel, with whom he’d spent less than two months, was leaving made him feel inexplicably dejected.

Til glanced toward Rianel’s desk. As if reflecting Rianel’s personality, it was so neatly organized that it looked like it belonged to someone ready to leave at any moment.

“It still feels like the rookie might open that door and walk in even now….”

To think that what he’d seen at the interrogation committee would be the last time.

Til recalled every moment since Rianel had first joined the Special Taxation Bureau.

Thinking back, they had only praised his abilities—they had never really treated him like a rookie or taken care of him in any way.

“If that really was the last time, I should’ve treated him better.”

“Hey, when you say it like that, it sounds like our rookie died.”

Wilbrin looked dumbfounded.

Mel agreed.

“Right. He’s just going somewhere nice and not coming back, that’s all….”

“Doesn’t that sound even more like it?”

Just as Til was shaking his head—

“I’m back.”

The door to the building opened, and someone no one had expected poked his face inside.

“G-Ghost!”

“I’m alive.”

“Oh. Right. That’s true.”

Til cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Anyway, why are you here? D-Don’t tell me you came to pack your things….”

“No. I’ve finished my meeting with the higher-ups and returned to resume my duties.”

“Weren’t you becoming a minister?”

“I declined.”

“Why on earth?”

Til was genuinely curious.

He himself hated anything related to the Ministry of Finance, but a ministerial post had enough appeal to suppress that level of aversion.

Rianel’s answer was clear.

“That position makes it hard to do things ‘halfheartedly.’”

“…At this point, I honestly admire your consistency. Most people would jump at the chance and think about climbing up, not about being overworked!”

“There are plenty of ministers who just come to work and stamp approvals while their subordinates handle all the actual work….”

Wasn’t it a position where he could live the kind of ‘halfhearted’ life Rianel wanted?

“Negligence of duty is an act that requires highly sophisticated intellectual tactics. You must maintain incompetence at a certain level while balancing things so the organization continues to function. That’s quite troublesome and labor-intensive, and not something you can do ‘halfheartedly.’”

“…Huh?”

The people of the Taxation Bureau stood there with their mouths open, struck by a sense of absurdity they hadn’t felt in a long time.

I-Is that so?

It was clearly nonsense, yet for a moment it sounded oddly plausible.

‘Aren’t people who really live halfheartedly just soaked in laziness, drifting along with the passage of time, then scrambling to produce results only when a deadline hits, living day to day like mayflies?’

Wasn’t it that they didn’t live that way on purpose, but ended up like that after being dragged along by habitual sloth?

“Uh, rookie. That doesn’t really seem right—”

But before Mel could finish speaking, the door to the director’s office opened and Asil came out.

“Since everyone is gathered, I have one announcement to make.”

Mel cleared his throat, and the others straightened their postures and focused their attention.

Asil wasn’t the type of director who strictly enforced discipline, but the position of agency head still carried a certain authority and presence.

“About what…?”

“With Torban Jansen’s resignation, the team leader position of the Special Taxation Bureau is now vacant, so we need to appoint a successor.”

The people of the Taxation Bureau instantly forgot the conversation they’d been having just moments ago.

The team leader position of the Special Taxation Bureau.

On the surface, it was indeed a “promotion,” but no one there coveted the position.

‘It’s not like your salary goes up significantly just because you get a title.’

Unless you were promoted to vice-minister or minister level, a team leader’s pay was more or less the same.

‘And on top of that, you have to shoulder a ton of responsibility.’

The previous team leader, Torban, had left after carrying out the role relatively comfortably.

But now, the situation was different.

With Rianel’s arrival, the authority of the Special Taxation Bureau itself had expanded, and even a heavyweight like the Empress Dowager was keeping an eye on the agency.

Thanks to that, they’d shed the stigma of being “salary thieves,” but there were now plenty of burdensome factors that made taking on the team leader role daunting.

‘Besides, it’s the only middle-management position in the agency.’

Back when the former Empress had established the agency, it hadn’t been this small.

There had been a director, a deputy director, and three team leaders.

But after the deputy director was dismissed for corruption and left the position vacant, and staff members gradually departed, the number of team leaders dwindled to one.

“…So, anyone want to do it?”

Asil said he would leave the team leader position up to the department’s own discretion, then went back into his office.

After that, a brief silence followed.

At Til’s words, everyone began cautiously reading the room.

And then began the desperate struggle of people desperately expressing, with their whole bodies, “As long as it’s not me.”

“Isn’t this kind of thing usually decided by seniority?”

“I think that kind of old-fashioned organizational culture is a bad habit that needs to be abolished.”

Til immediately shot back.

“Rather than that, wouldn’t sociability and affability be more important? Once you’re a team leader, you have to go around greeting people all over the place. In that sense, I think Wilbrin, who can really hold his liquor, should do it.”

Wilbrin, who had been quietly sitting there, suddenly got hit by the stray bullet and sprang to his feet.

“What are you talking about? Obviously this should be decided based on ability. In that regard, I think it’d be best if the rookie became team leader.”

“Is that so? Well, I suppose it’s about time we started making appointments based on ability.”

“Of course, I think someone with low tenure like me should be excluded.”

“What about you, Mel? You’re pretty solid all around—nothing particularly lacking, not bad at all.”

“I’ve only just hit my first year, seniors. That kind of position is a burden for me.”

They recommended each other in order to avoid dying themselves.

Naturally, there was no way a conclusion would be reached, and in the end they arrived at a final agreement.

“Let’s go with a secret ballot.”

“Sounds good.”

Thus, a temporary polling station was set up, and everyone voted according to the principle of one person, one vote.

Thirty minutes later.

“Woooo!”

“Applause! Hurry, applause!”

“Then we’ll hear a few words from our new team leader!”

Amid everyone’s cheers and applause, Rianel, who had been elected as the new team leader, said:

“This is election fraud.”

“But it was decided by majority vote.”

“Majority rule cannot be considered a rational decision-making method, as it fails to represent everyone’s opinion.”

Wilbrin rummaged through the ballot box and held out the results sheet.

“All but one vote were reflected.”

Til asked,

“Then who wrote my name?”

“I did.”

“Wow, so we all wrote the rookie’s name, then?”

“Who else would we have written?”

Til shrugged, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Honestly, that was true!

“I object. Since the principle of secret voting has just been violated, I judge that it would be appropriate to hold a revote for procedural fairness.”

“The result will be the same anyway—do we really need to waste paper?”

Since Rianel had been chosen by majority vote, he lightly ignored Mel’s minority opinion.

“Before the revote, I have one thing to say. If you don’t vote for me, I will guarantee you a civil service life without overtime.”

“Isn’t that vote-buying?”

“Boo! Team leader, explain yourself!”

“I’m not the team leader yet.”

“Explain yourself anyway!”

As the Special Taxation Bureau grew noisy and chaotic, the door to the director’s office opened and Asil came out again.

“Has it been decided?”

“Yes!”

“Not yet.”

The answers conflicted, but Asil decided to respect the majority opinion.

“We need to hand over the transition documents and discuss future work schedules, so please come inside.”

Asil looked directly at Rianel.

With no hint of expectation or surprise—like someone who had anticipated this outcome.

“Did you know I would be elected?”

Asil replied curtly.

“If not you, then who?”

An answer without a shred of hesitation.

Rianel trembled all over with a sense of betrayal and shock.

‘If I’d known it would turn out like this, I should’ve opposed the vote…!’

Of course, it was already too late