Chapter 31 - Volume 2 (2/2)

Mazelan, who tried to argue against Isaac’s conclusion at first, soon nodded reluctantly.

‘I guess his straightforwardness hasn’t changed either.’

Mazelan made a dry cough to change the mood.

-But if you succeed, you will be accepted as official heir to Rondart Family.

“So I’m f.u.c.ked if I fail, but if I succeed, I will receive a reward that I don’t want. That is one h.e.l.l of an enticing mission you’re handing me. Would you feel happy if you received a mission like this?”

Isaac had been singing about being transferred to a rural village ever since Mazelan met him. Even if Isaac were to succeed, Rondart Family wanted a dead Isaac, not a living, breathing one.

-There’s nothing we can do. It was decided so suddenly. This is what Port City managed to sc.r.a.pe up all their lobbying. Since the Department of Administration officially decreed this order, even I have no way to alter it. But what the opposing factions managed to do was to give you power by turning you into a makes.h.i.+ft Lord. Not many people get to live like a king for 3 years, you know.

Isaac looked shot back at Mazelan’s attempt at consolation with dumbfounded look.

“What’s the point of giving out orders when there’s no one willing to follow it? Don’t you know a man who acts like a king without arms and legs will only earn the mockery of those around him?”

-…I’m sorry.

Mazelan smiled bitterly as he apologised. Isaac watched this and sighed alongside him.

“It’s fine. I know what you’ve been through to help me out until now. So, how much power and authority does a Lord’s representative have?”

-You may be a representative, but considering that no one will be transferred there as a Lord, you might as well consider yourself to be a Lord. Lords have the same power as a King.

But there were few restrictions. They were allowed to create, dissolve, and/or change all laws regarding the administration, legislations, and private laws, but if a ma.s.s of residents were to send a complaint to the Department of Administration and the Department of Administration deem the complaint to be acceptable, there would be a referendum aimed at the entirety of the population within that region.

Therefore, Lords are Kings who must watch out for their popularity and support from their subjects. But as long as the Lord doesn’t place brutal laws, no amount of complaints will pa.s.s through the initial screening.

Another set of restrictions are aimed toward prevention of changes to the law that stop a complaint from going through, and one of the main restrictions is the freedom for the subjects to a.s.semble openly. Any attempt at stopping these would be pivotal in pa.s.sing through the screening.

After listening to Mazelan’s explanation, Isaac nodded and spoke.

“So, a Lord is someone that can be changed if enough people call him an a.s.shole and the government agrees that he is an a.s.shole. But otherwise, the people are told to go f.u.c.king live somewhere else if it isn’t so bad.”

-That’s a crude way to put it, but you are correct.

“Hm…”

Isaac folded his arms and began to think. Mazelan looked at him expectantly.

-Do you have some revolutionary method?

There are many cities that are in a similar situation as New Port City but were just not as bad. The battle against unemployment and crime rates is fought not by the Department of Administration but by all government bodies. If Isaac could come up with a newfound idea and change New Port City, other cities may also follow his example and turn their cities into a better place.

“No. I just found the situation I’ve gotten myself in to be funny. It was 5-year time limit back in Campus, and now it’s 3 years in New Port City. What a limited life I’m living.”

-Ha! Ah, sorry. I just found it funny. Limited life you say. Now that I hear it, it sounds very convincing. Kukuku, I think it suits you.

While Mazelan continued to chuckle, Isaac asked a question.

“So why am I still alive?”

Mazelan coughed wildly at the unexpected question. It seemed something got stuck in his throat and he coughed and wheezed for some time; when it finally settled down, he looked back with his face in pain.

-Kekek, what are you on about?

“I may be talentless, but I’m no fool.”

-That’s right. You’re not a fool.

“…”

It seemed as if Mazelan was talking about a completely different subject, and Isaac lost his train of thought for some time. He scratched his cheek and continued.

“The first thing that came up to my mind when I received the College graduation certificate is what you were going to use me for.”

-…

“I’m not innocent enough to think they gave me the College certificate for nothing. I should have been a Campus student until the end, but the fact you guys gave me that certificate meant I needed to have it for some reason. When I heard that I was transferred to New Port City, I understood everything. If a College graduate were to die in New Port City, Central will turn the world upside down, and you guys get to kill two birds with one stone. Very efficient.”

-… You’re mistaken.

“How could I be mistaken? I think one innocent soul is a small price to pay to fix up an entire city.”

-Do you think I’d simply allow that to happen!

Mazelan stood up as he shouted, but Isaac simply shrugged.

“I know you’re quite the bigshot, but I really don’t think Central cares about getting on your bad side.”

-…

“That’s why I don’t understand. Even until now, I have been waiting to see who would be sent to kill me, but there haven’t been any visitors. Since I had all this time on my hand, I decided think. Am I really that important for Central to refrain from killing me?”

-So what’s your conclusion?

“I’m asking you now because I don’t know. Am I really worth more than a city?”

-Only you can make and improve your own worth.

“So basically, you don’t know.”

Mazelan moaned at Isaac’s reply. After a brief series of whinges, he sighed and began to speak.

-d.a.m.n it, they told me to keep it a secret, but since you already figured it out, I guess it doesn’t matter. In truth, Central is completely uninvolved in this incident. You’re just G.o.dd.a.m.n unlucky.

“Those are sad words to hear. It’s too bad I can’t deny it.”

Isaac nodded at Mazelan’s confession.

-It started with the Milros Family. Headmaster Corduroy already prepared a nice rural village for you to live in peace. It may be rural, but the Administrator job is still a government occupation. It had to go through the Personnel Office eventually. And the largest faction within the Personnel Office is Count Milros’s Family.

“Did they reject it?”

-That’s not even close. Instead of rejecting, they tried to stop you from getting any government occupation outright. They were planning to deal with you by summoning you back home by any means necessary. But none of that could happen if you began work as government official.

“So why does that matter about getting a College degree?”

-It’s not so simple to generalise the influence of the College and the Campus. If the Personnel Office were to reject an offer the Headmaster of College made, it would make it seem like the College is inferior to Personnel Office.

“So that’s why they gave me a College degree? So that I had no choice but to be made a government official?”

-That’s right. And as a counter, Count Milros put you in New Port City.

“So they played me in a b.l.o.o.d.y game of politics?”

-And it’s still ongoing. The Personnel Office decided to suggest an impossible feat on you, because they couldn’t stand the fact that you were doing so well in New Port City. New Port City is more complicated than you think. It’s not just the Department of Administration; even the Department of Supplies and the Department of Law are involved. However most of it is still under the jurisdiction of the Department of Administration. But they got really angry when the Personnel Office, who had nothing to do with New Port City, decided to influence the city by bundling you with it. So they retaliated by accepting the Personnel Office’s offer while giving you the greatest authority possible.

“It was the Personnel Office that told me to change New Port City into a normal one; since Department of Administration had no substance to reject it, they at least decided to make it easier for me to act?”

-That’s right.

“…”

Irritation began to surface on Isaac’s face. Mazelan noticed it quickly and tried to comfort Isaac the best he could.

-But there is still hope. They told you to make it happen, but not maintain it right? Basically, drop the unemployment and crime rate down on the last month of the time limit.

“You make it sound as if maintaining it for a month is easy. I can’t even fathom how much money that single month would cost.”

-I’m just telling you now so you can prepare for it. Just relax and don’t worry too much. I’ll figure out a way for you.

“Don’t bother yourself with it. Since it’s come to this, I’ll do something about it.”

-R, really?

Mazelan’s face tensed up at Isaac’s words. He had seen firsthand from start to finish how Isaac eliminated the bullies that had bothered him back in Campus.

“Yes. It p.i.s.ses me off that they keep poking me from the sides, and it also annoys me that they are using me as their chess piece for their fight for power. It seems my retirement will only be comfortable when I remove this last name of mine.”

-Huhu. Interesting. I’ll do everything I can to help you.

“Yes. Then I’ll contact you when needed. Ah. Is it problematic if everything you said were to be leaked into public?”

-Huh? Of course. It won’t look nice if the word that the Empire’s government bodies were fighting against each other.

“Well I think most of the people in the Communicator room heard all this, so do what you can to stop them from leaking it.”

-Huh? s.h.i.+t!

Mazelan’s scream was the last thing that pa.s.sed through the Communicator before Isaac disconnected. Some of the operators quickly looked at Isaac, then left to leak this urgent news to the rest of the City Hall. Isaac, however, was too deep in thought as he watched the invisible screen and tapping his finger.

“Annoying…”

Isaac wanted to officially forfeit his status as a heir once he graduated, but the factions against Count Milros were not only going to make that impossible, but also guarantee that he inherits his t.i.tle in an attempt to weaken Count Milros’ influence, according to Mazelan.

Isaac thought he was safe since the status as College graduate was going to protect him from a.s.sa.s.sination, and all of the administration back home was already run by the Baroness. He thought they would be satisfied with that fact but didn’t know there were matters like these that affected him.

Thankfully, what’s nice to hear is that the opposing faction has given Isaac some power just as Mazelan had said. If they told him to change New Port City with only the power of an Administrator, even Isaac would have to give up and throw both his hands into the air.

But no matter how he put it, he was just a bystander who got caught in a fight between giants, and the fact that he was getting kicked around as their p.a.w.n annoyed him greatly.

Basically he had to sort out this Rondart Family business. He had no wish to expose his neck to make it easy for them to guillotine him. Perhaps they will finally leave him in peace if he were to fix up this broken city, inherit his t.i.tle as the Baron, then throw the t.i.tle away to his younger brother and tell him to f.u.c.k off with that measly province.

“I’ll do what you want. But, I’m doing it my way.”

<script>