Chapter 09
It had already been ten days since I joined the Urban Planning Department.
“Everyone, gather in the conference room.”
As soon as he arrived at work, Team Leader Toma Harens called all the staff together.
We’d had many big and small meetings during that time, but not once had I been called.
“Everyone was told to gather—why are you just standing there?”
So I assumed I’d be excluded again this time, but the team leader frowned and looked straight at me.
What is this? Did he suddenly have a change of heart?
That shouldn’t be happening.
I need to get fired as soon as possible!
Though flustered, I headed into the conference room for now. The other employees were already seated in a circle around a long oval wooden table.
Among them, the only empty seat was the one at the very head—the team leader’s seat.
Then… where am I supposed to sit?
Should I have brought a chair?
“Don’t block the way. Stand over there.”
As I looked around, Allen Cranter smirked and pointed toward a corner of the meeting room.
The other employees and the team leader said nothing.
Ah, so that’s it. Don’t even think about sitting—just stand like a folding screen and watch the meeting.
‘That’s a relief.’
I had been worried they might have some strange idea of accepting me as part of the Urban Planning Department, so this was actually a good thing.
Finally reassured, I stood in the corner.
“Alright, let’s start with the situation reports.”
“Section A has completed the installation of triangular roofs.”
“Section B will begin installing triangular roofs starting next Monday.”
“Section C will also begin work next Monday…”
As Toma Harens spoke, the employees reported while looking at their documents. Even the map spread out on the table was cleverly angled so I couldn’t see it.
‘They’re even excluding me from this.’
It was the same kind of blatant exclusion I’d often seen in the real world, but it actually felt good because it clearly showed they didn’t acknowledge me.
“Eileen, was it? How do you think we should solve this issue?”
While I was lowering my head to suppress the smile creeping out, the team leader suddenly threw a question at me.
Since I had no idea what they were looking at or discussing, I couldn’t answer and just blinked.
“Tch, acting like you know everything, but you’re all noise and no substance.”
“Exactly. The triangular roof and waterway were just lucky coincidences. The Lord and everyone else seem to be overestimating her.”
“Isn’t this what they call a cow backing into a mouse by accident?”
The other employees began criticizing me as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
Especially Allen Cranter, who seemed delighted as he tore into me.
I’d never been called lacking or incompetent anywhere, even if I wasn’t exactly an elite.
And weren’t these the same people who had suggested the absurd idea of covering roofs with grass and leaves to block rainwater?
Hearing such nonsense from them made me furious—so much that I wanted to flip the table and shout at them.
If I did that, I’d definitely get fired…
“Then your father should be held responsible for raising his daughter poorly.”
At that moment, I was reminded of the Lord who had threatened me using Tabin, and I shook my head.
If I flipped the table, I might get fired—but it would be because of my own fault.
Then the Lord would shift the blame onto me and my father.
So instead, I needed them to decide on their own that I was incompetent and fire me.
“Right. I also thought it was strange that the Lord evaluated someone as lacking as me so highly.”
So instead of getting angry, I agreed with them.
It hurt my pride, but my life was more important.
When I smiled and went along with them, the team leader and the others looked at me as if I were absurd.
“She’s admitting that herself? Is she crazy?”
“Seriously. I thought she wasn’t right in the head from the start, but I didn’t think it was this bad…”
Bang, bang—
As the employees started whispering again, the team leader knocked on the table to silence them.
“Well, at least it’s good that you know how lacking you are.”
“That’s right.”
“Then you should study, shouldn’t you?”
Huh? Study?
At Toma Harens’ signal, an employee sitting to his right hurried out of the room.
“Take this.”
When he returned, he handed me a large box. Inside, it was filled with blueprints.
“What… is this?”
“These are the blueprints used when constructing buildings in Section C. Some were approved, and some were rejected.”
Toma Harens smiled meaningfully.
“By tomorrow, separate the approved blueprints from the rejected ones. If you’re going to work in the Urban Planning Department, you should at least be able to do that.”
[1-3. Earn recognition from the Urban Planning Department Team Leader.]
[Reward: 5,000p]
The moment he finished speaking, the main quest appeared before my eyes.
Why do I have to earn recognition from someone like that?!
Anger surged up from deep within my chest.
“I… understand.”
But unlike sub-quests, main quests didn’t offer a choice, so I clenched my teeth and accepted it.
“They’re all strange…”
I examined all the blueprints the team leader gave me, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find a single one that seemed likely to be approved.
“Did they intentionally put only rejected blueprints in here to mess with me?”
Knock knock—
Just as a reasonable suspicion arose, I heard a knock.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
It was the annex manager.
“May I ask how long you plan to stay? It’s about time to lock up.”
Come to think of it, it was already past 8 p.m.
I had been so focused on reviewing the blueprints that I hadn’t noticed the time passing.
Only then did I check the time and look around. The other employees had already left work.
They usually stayed late, but today everyone left early.
If it weren’t for that damn main quest to earn Toma Harens’ recognition, I would’ve left long ago too.
“I’m leaving now.”
Since I had finished checking the blueprints, I packed my things and left the office.
“Hey.”
As I exited the annex and headed straight for the carriage stop, I heard someone call me.
“What?”
There’s no one around.
“Did I mishear?”
Maybe I was hallucinating from working too hard for once.
It might’ve also been because of the eerie, dark atmosphere—like a ghost could appear at any moment.
“I should hurry back.”
Just as I was about to quicken my pace, an arm suddenly shot out from the darkness and grabbed mine.
“Aaah!”
I screamed and swung my bag.
Thud—along with a dull sound, all the belongings inside my bag spilled onto the ground.
“…More violent than you look.”
That voice… no way.
“M-My Lord?”
It really was Calix Kraubel.
Someone even scarier than a ghost had appeared!
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
I apologized reflexively as I picked up the items from the ground.
But of all things, a pen rolled right up to his feet.
The Lord nudged it toward me with the tip of his shoe as if handling something dirty.
“Pick it up.”
As expected of the final boss of a novel—just look at the way he acts.
There was nothing good about staying near someone like this.
I resolved to get fired as soon as possible and leave this place, then picked up the pen and the rest of my belongings.
“The carriage is ready, My Lord.”
Just as I finished picking everything up, Noa Rohaim appeared.
“Miss Eileen?”
“Hello.”
Noa Rohaim’s eyes widened slightly as he noticed me.
“Are you heading home now? The carriage to the castle gate should have stopped running by now.”
“It’s only 8 p.m., and the carriage has already stopped?”
I asked in surprise, and Noa Rohaim sighed.
“Oh dear, it seems you didn’t know. The carriage only operates until 7 p.m.”
No way. I’d lived in a world where public transportation ran even at dawn, so I hadn’t even considered that it might have stopped.
‘Then how am I supposed to get back?’
If I walked, I’d only reach the castle gate around midnight, and by then it would be closed.
“My Lord, since you happen to have business near the castle gate, how about taking Miss Eileen along and dropping her off nearby?”
While I was wondering what to do, Noa Rohaim said something absurd.
“Very well.”
The Lord, whom I expected to refuse, accepted the suggestion.
Riding in a carriage alone with the final boss… just thinking about it made me suffocate.
‘I’d rather wait for the gate to open and sleep outside.’
Wait. In that case, I could just sleep in the duty room here.
Tabin might worry if I stayed out without notice, but if I explained that the carriage had stopped running, he’d understand.
“On second thought, I still have something to do…”
[Surprise Quest Appears ☆]
Just as I was about to refuse Noa Rohaim’s suggestion, a system window popped up before my eyes.
[Q. Please enjoy a cozy carriage date with the Lord!]
