Chapter 22: Undercover
Tap, tap.
Swish.
The office was silent.
The only sounds were the occasional movement of a pen on paper and the sipping of tea. The ambiance was so soothing, one could record it and sell it as a premium white noise collection.
"This won't do."
Ascal stood up with an energy reminiscent of a major corporation CEO pulling a sword. Lia glanced briefly at him, then looked away.
It was one of his frequent outbursts.
"We need to return to our roots."
He had been living too honestly. Going to work, working, eating, coming home, feeding Fer, sleeping, and then doing it all over again the next day.
This was problematic.
It was like he was just an ordinary official.
He needed to actively struggle against this mundane routine.
So that he could break free from the relentless flow of time that slowly led to an inevitable promotion.
"Lia. Bring that to me."
"Are you talking about the cathedral construction file?"
The mark of an excellent secretary had many criteria, but for Ascal, the most important was understanding him perfectly even when he spoke ambiguously.
In that regard, Lia was exceptionally competent. Even when he just said 'that', she knew exactly what he meant.
As Ascal nodded, Lia brought the documents related to the cathedral construction.
<Bidding Competition for Cathedral Construction>
Although there had been various tasks recently, this 'cathedral construction' was undoubtedly the most significant.
It had been on his desk for a while, but he had procrastinated due to the pressure.
That was because, even in this fantasy world that resembled the medieval times, the church wielded immense power. In some respects, it was even more terrifying than the original medieval period.
With just one prayer, a paralytic could walk again.
Witnessing this would make one donate their entire fortune to the church. And then they'd completely give up on their life, banking everything on the afterlife.
Moreover, the empire's state religion, 'The Church of the Stars,' preached that depending on the tithes offered during one's lifetime, they'd get a better place in the afterlife.
To add to this, if one brought a friend to the church, their believer level would rise. And if that friend brought another friend, their rank would go up again...
'Is this some kind of multi-level marketing?'
Anyway, The Church of the Stars recently wanted to build a new cathedral. And they entrusted the empire with its construction.
The church had a lot of money.
Naturally, many construction guilds, hungry for that lucrative opportunity, jumped at the chance to work on the cathedral's construction.
And among those guilds, the question was, which one would be chosen? This was the task that Ascal, the current main head of the Evaluation Department, needed to address.
"Lia. Weren't there originally about ten guilds? Why are there only two left?"
"After investigating, I excluded the phantom guilds, those with poor performance, or those entangled in corruption."
Lia had essentially done a preliminary screening.
'Tsk.'
He had, of course, intended to pick the most established guild for him, but now that option was limited.
In the end, only two guilds remained.
'Golden Hammer' and 'Blue Flame'.
Ascal read the report Lia had prepared.
Golden Hammer was a promising guild with several verified achievements, solid capital, and manpower. Any sane person would typically choose this guild.
Blue Flame was an emerging guild that had recently gained recognition. While smaller in scale than Golden Hammer, it had a rather impressive portfolio.
No matter how he looked at it, either choice seemed right.
Ascal pondered.
But.
What if he threw his weight around a bit?
Currently, he held the esteemed position of the main head of the Empire's Evaluation Department and was a successful 5th-grade official.
In other words, he was in a position where he could flex his power legally.
"Lia. Send a message to both guilds. Ask each to construct one building. The guild with the better structure will be awarded the cathedral construction."
"Understood."
Of course, no manpower or funds would be provided. Neither would there be any specifications for the building. They would have to handle everything under the most unreasonable conditions.
With this, the slate was wiped clean, and he would surely become infamous as an incompetent and greedy official.
It was a perfect plan.
***
"Both guilds have accepted the offer."
"?"
Why would they agree to such terms?
A few days later, after hearing Lia's report, Ascal's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Did you tell them they won't receive any support until the projects are complete?"
"Yes. It seems it has only fueled their competitive spirits."
That was impossible.
There must have been some miscommunication.
Ascal finished donning his coat, preparing to leave.
"I think I need to pay them a visit."
"Please wait a moment. I'll prepare to accompany you."
"No. I'll handle this trip alone."
Who knows what she might interfere with if she comes along. Ascal preemptively cut off Lia.
"...Understood."
For some reason, Lia looked somewhat disheartened.
***
This trip was to be conducted in undercover.
He needed to hide his identity as an imperial official and investigate any behind-the-scenes schemes the guilds might have.
To do that, Ascal first needed to find a carriage to go there.
"Where are you going?"
"To Severin."
"I'll get you there safely and swiftly."
Reassured by the trustworthy old coachman's words, Ascal climbed into the carriage.
The seat, seemingly upholstered with expensive leather, felt comfortably soft against his behind.
"What brings you to Severin?"
However, there was a problem.
Regardless of the era, coachmen sure loved to chat. If one got the chatty ones, they'd regale them with everything from current events to their life stories, tormenting passengers with a full-course conversation until their destination.
For his part, Ascal preferred to simply close his eyes and rest until he arrived.
Still, he couldn’t disregard the older man's attempts at conversation.
"I'm going to assist with some construction work."
"Ah, I heard the Star Church is building a grand cathedral recently. Is that what you're referring to?"
"Yes."
The coachman seemed pleased with the topic.
"My son is actually from a prominent guild. So, I know a thing or two."
"Oh? Is that so?"
His son graduated from this prestigious university, he was an executive in a renowned company, and he was a high-ranking official. Such bragging was a staple in coachmen’s repertoire.
At the rate they spoke, one would think gathering all the coachmen's sons would be enough to run an entire country.
Ascal decided to employ the 'listen with one ear, ignore with the other' tactic.
"What do you think about the current political scene?"
"Uh..."
'Suddenly, politics?'
This was unexpected. Ascal almost choked on his spit.
"I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but isn't the emperor's health deteriorating? It seems like he should be considering a successor."
"Um... Indeed?"
"Who do you support?"
This was a dilemma.
Cold sweat started to form on Ascal's brow. This was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
If he chose the wrong answer...
'Get down.'
'Yes?'
‘Why would I let a dimwit with such opinions ride in my carriage? I might need to sprinkle some holy water to cleanse it.'
The situation could escalate into something horrifying.
After pondering for a moment, Ascal replied,
"Who do you support, sir? I'm curious to know your esteemed opinion."
In such situations, it was always wise to first listen to the other person's opinion.
"Obviously, it has to be the Crown Prince, right? He holds a solid standing as the heir, and he's the eldest. Naturally, the Crown Prince should succeed the throne."
'Wait, if he had already made up his mind, why did he ask in the first place?'
Ascal looked at the coachman with a hint of disbelief.
"Still, all the princesses are remarkably talented as well. It wouldn't be odd for any of them to succeed. Personally, I'd love to see an empress before I die..."
"Oh... I see. I feel the same way."
The old man's thoughts were difficult to follow.
Before they knew it, they had arrived in Severin.
Ascal quickly shed his coat and changed into the discreet attire he had prepared. From here on, he needed to keep his identity hidden, much like an undercover agent.
Fortunately, he didn't need to search to find where the guild competition was taking place.
Upon setting foot in Severin, he instantly noticed the laborers shouting out instructions.
"Workers of the Golden Hammer, come this way!"
"Blue Flames, over here!"
They seemed swamped with preparations.
Ascal approached and observed. As per the reports, the Golden Hammer had relatively upscale equipment, and their work attire looked sophisticated.
On the other hand, the Blue Flames looked shabbier but emanated a fierce determination.
"You there! Why are you dilly-dallying? Time's a-wasting."
"Me? Are you referring to me?"
"Who else? You're exasperating! If you're here to work, hurry up and get dressed. What are you waiting for?"
Ascal was mistaken for a laborer.
Before he could clarify, an official from Blue Flame handed him work clothes and directed him to the construction site.
Caught off guard, Ascal found himself blending in with the laborers.
'Well, this might actually be a good vantage point for surveillance.'
But as days went by, Ascal never seemed to find a moment to leave the construction site.
***
"Hey, Carl! Grab a pickaxe and start from there!"
"Yes~ Yes! On it right away!"
A few days later, a fully acclimated Ascal, now drenched in sweat, received a bowl full of hearty stew.
The stew, generously filled with chunks of meat, looked nourishing at first glance. Ascal gulped it down straight from the bowl.
"Ah! This is the taste!"
He was naturally vibing with it.
'It's quite good, isn't it?'
Who knows? Maybe this was his true calling after all.
