It had been a few days since I gave the secret orders to the unit leader. Of course, I didn't expect immediate results, so I decided to wait patiently.

After all, it's not something that could be fixed in a few days. The affection of Section Chief 4, which has been twisted for years, could only be mended by a god. It was a matter of making small, gradual changes—like water seeping through the cracks of a stone, slowly but steadily.

Still, it would be nice if there was some progress before March. If the school year starts and we go past the opening ceremony, I wouldn’t be able to see Section Chief 4 until the summer break.

"So, treat Section Chief 4 warmly when you see him."

"I’ve always been warm."

I quietly turned my gaze to Section Chief 1, who was humming, as if offended.

It was true that Section Chief 1 and Section Chief 4 were close, but if you asked whether Section Chief 1 was warm, I’d have to tilt my head in doubt. Honestly, if anyone were to observe, it would look like Section Chief 1 was just teasing and bothering the quiet Section Chief 4.

*Can I trust this person?*

I was worried. Wouldn't this just make Section Chief 4’s situation worse?

"Anyway, don't worry! If Penellia gets together with the Chief, it’s the only way to escape the youngest position!"

But when I heard that, I started to feel reassured. Right, I shouldn’t trust Section Chief 1’s warmth but rather their ambition.

"There’s no such thing as the youngest."

Of course, I corrected my small misunderstanding. Who calls someone the youngest between married women? It’s just a matter of who entered first.

As I pulled my lips, which had made that wrong remark, Section Chief 1 quickly nodded, understanding the correction. Since I had given a reminder, there wouldn’t be another mistake.

"By the way, Chief, I’ve been curious about something for a while."

"Say it."

As soon as I let go of my lips, Section Chief 1 took a few steps back and carefully spoke.

"...You’re writing the Minister’s evaluation, right?"

"Yeah."

It was an obvious question, so I gave a straightforward answer.

"Who else would I be evaluating except for the Minister?"

The year-end personnel evaluation. It was the only time a subordinate could evaluate their superior.

This year-end evaluation would go to the Personnel Department of the Ministry, and after the evaluations were compiled, the Personnel Department would submit them to the Emperor. It was one of the few opportunities when the opinions of the desperate civil servants on the field could reach the Emperor.

"Honestly, this doesn’t seem like an evaluation of the Minister."

Section Chief 1 muttered in a grumpy voice and snatched the paper I was writing the evaluation on.

Isn’t this the state of affairs now? A subordinate stealing their superior’s work. What a mess.

"The current Minister of Finance, Dever Briard of Blocheon, is just and always takes the initiative. No matter how low the rank of a subordinate, he listens to them and decides on the most efficient solutions..."

Reading the evaluation I had written, Section Chief 1 turned their gaze back to me.

"Who is this? If there’s such a Minister, let’s hire him!"

"I’m talking about the Minister's office right now."

I took back the stolen evaluation paper as I spoke.

I knew it myself. The evaluation I wrote was just a fantasy, something that only existed in fairy tales. But what could I do? If I wrote the evaluation with my true feelings, I would only be bombarded with criticism.

"What if I write honestly and the Minister gets fired?"

Then, damn. The future where I fill that position is already set.

The Crown Prince is already eyeing my promotion, and the Minister is looking to retire in one way or another. If I post even a little negative evaluation about the Minister, they won’t hesitate to grab the opportunity.

Of course, the Minister won’t actually retire but will be reassigned, but that would probably make him happier than staying in a job that doesn’t suit him.

"Is it alright to write a false evaluation?"

"If I report falsely like this, won’t I eventually get fired?"

Section Chief 1 looked at me with a sympathetic expression, but I didn’t care.

Dreaming is free, isn’t it?

***

There is no department that isn’t busy at year-end, but the Personnel Department is the busiest at the end of the year.

It’s inevitable. At year-end, the achievements and evaluations of each department and official are collected, and there’s the bribery and lobbying, trying to attach a positive note to the final report submitted to the Emperor. Everyone is scrambling to ensure they don’t get a negative evaluation.

Even though the Personnel Department doesn’t lead the officials' personnel orders, they are one of the few departments that can legally advise the Emperor on his decisions. It’s like how in a battlefield, the commanders in the field are less influential than the central staff officers.

*If hell exists, it must be here.*

But the power and workload are proportional in the Empire's administration. Sometimes, I think it’d be nice to have my authority taken away just to reduce my workload. I don’t even want to be promoted to Minister, please.

And when I look at the evaluations of the civil servants, I sometimes wonder if I’m living in the human world or if I’m in some livestock pen with a bunch of animals.

As soon as they find the slightest flaw in their superior, they embellish it with all sorts of modifiers. The more they exaggerate, the more the superior steps down and the more the subordinate has a chance to be promoted. Of course, not all officials are like that, but those with ambition, even if few, can make a lot of noise.

It’s a position where I get to witness the ugliest side of humanity. It’s physically and mentally unpleasant.

"Chief, here’s the material sent from the Inspection Department."

"Ah, leave it there."

As I briefly pressed my temples from the constant headaches, the deputy approached and handed me a thin stack of papers.

*Inspection Department.*

I smiled slightly at the sight of the familiar name. Honestly, just a few years ago, the Inspection Department was a place that seemed to exist on the far edges of the world.

"Fuh─"

When I saw the evaluation written by the head of the Inspection Department at the top, I couldn’t help but laugh.

The evaluation was full of praises and compliments. If you only looked at the evaluation, it seemed like the Minister was a saint. But after reading three consecutive pages of false praise, it became more amusing than anything else.

*I can see right through this.*

It was clear they were desperately trying to keep the current Minister in place, and everyone could tell it was a false evaluation meant to get a reward in return.

It’s funny. After reading so many evaluations full of schemes, finding such a blunt one was like discovering an oasis in the desert.

Not only the head of the Inspection Department but also their subordinates were the same.

[ The head of the Inspection Department always takes the lead and responsibly takes care of the mistakes of his subordinates─ ]
[ He is polite to his superiors and kind to his subordinates, rejecting unreasonable orders and giving appropriate commands. ]
[ He takes responsibility for his words and never repeats them. He doesn’t cut off his subordinates to avoid responsibility. ]

"Khuh..."

Even the founding records of the Aymanka Empire probably weren’t as full of praise as this.

The deputy and the section chiefs were praising him so enthusiastically that even I, not the person being praised, felt my face heat up. And hidden within those praises, the dark plots almost made me burst out laughing.

One of the reasons why the head of the Inspection Department couldn’t resign was because of this evaluation report.

"At such a young age, becoming the head of the department caused many concerns, but it seems like you’re leading the department well, so I’m truly relieved."

When His Majesty looked at the evaluation report from the Inspection Department, he didn’t say anything further after that. It was an implicit statement that the head of the Inspection Department would stay no matter what.

"The head of the Personnel Department. Wouldn’t it be easier if your workload was reduced a bit? Don’t worry about the evaluation report from the Inspection Department."

And even the Crown Prince’s intention to maintain the current state of the Inspection Department was clear.

So, the evaluation report from the Inspection Department won’t affect any personnel changes. The head of the Inspection Department, who doesn’t know this, must be disappointed.

*I wish other departments were like this.*

A brief moment of greed passed through my mind, but who cares? Dreaming is free.

Anyway, making people laugh with just words is a talent in itself. I’m looking forward to seeing what evaluation report will come next year.

***

I knew the unit leader was writing something diligently. But since it was the year-end evaluation period, I just assumed they had a lot they wanted to say to me—nothing more to it. If the unit leader had a lot to say, it just meant I was lacking, and I couldn’t blame the unit leader.

When I saw the team members whispering with the unit leader, I wondered if I really was that lacking, but I let it slide. I couldn’t get angry at the team members who might have been dissatisfied due to my shortcomings.

...I should’ve gotten angry.

"Unit Leader."

"Yes."

"What is this?"

The paper handed to me by the unit leader was full of determination. As soon as

 I checked the paper, I closed my eyes.

"It’s the collective opinion of the Mukwangdae members."

And with that grand declaration, my mind nearly went blank. Opinion? Is it even appropriate to call it an "opinion" in such a document?

"It’s the true loyalty of all the members, including myself."

"Where do you see loyalty—"

"If it’s not loyalty, please consider it the love of family."

I couldn’t say anything after hearing that.

What a cowardly way to mention family at a time like this. How could I refuse after that?

"Please, just once—just read it all the way through. That’s all I ask."

And with that, how could I refuse?

...Alright, I thought of it as advice from a subordinate to a superior, and as the love expressed by family. That’s the right way to think about it.

With those thoughts in mind, I steadied my trembling hands and read the paper handed to me by the unit leader—

[ All members of the Mukwangdae, including Unit Leader Giuseppe Digo, formally request of Captain Penellia Yust. ]

[ Having been reborn through the grace of the head of the Inspection Department, which happened years ago, we can never repay that kindness no matter how many times we are reborn. However, we cannot abandon the idea of repaying this favor, as that would be the behavior of a beast. ]

[ But how can we not lament the fact that the Captain sees the head of the Inspection Department as someone to follow blindly, not as someone to repay the favor to? ]

[ Currently, Captain─ ]

I couldn’t read more and closed my eyes again.

"Captain."

But the unit leader, as if not allowing me to close my eyes, opened his mouth.

"The reason for repayment should not be repayment. Wouldn’t it be sad if you only saw our relationship as one of strict superiority and inferiority?"

"......"

"Of course, we are willing to be your subordinates. However, if you wish for something beyond that, it would be rude to remain silent just because we are repaying the favor."

I couldn’t say anything in response to the rare seriousness of the unit leader.

I had to refute it. Like the unit leader said, I had received a lot of favors. I had to repay them thoroughly.

But with that subject in mind, how dare I let the unit leader approach me casually? That would surely be inappropriate.

"If you want to repay, think about what the Chief wants. If you do what you want, it’s just self-satisfaction."

But I couldn’t argue.