'If a problem occurs and war happens because of that, it's your fault. So good luck!'
I couldn't stand still and do nothing after hearing nonsense like that. I hurriedly explained things to the Senior Manager, assigned tasks to all the Managers, and prepared to leave for the Academy. I had already worked four years as a civil servant, but it was my first time receiving such a horrible dispatch order.
"From what I've heard, except for the necessary personnel, most were transferred away from the Academy. If so, who's going to be my aid inside the…"
"There's none."
"Hmm, then how much funding will I receive?"
"You won't."
"Then money for expenses?"
"None."
"Then, what do I get?"
"Nothing."
I'm not sure who was the one who said you shouldn't spit on the face of someone smiling, but after seeing the Minister of Foreign Affairs smiling, I really wanted to punch him in the face.
"I apologize. It's just that the three countries have offered too many things, so officially, we were forced to take out almost everyone besides the essentials."
"How can I work in such an atmosphere? Even in the South, they give you something to work with!"
"But still, you don't need to worry. You're an Director from the Enforcement Department's office, so you won't need to do anything that requires aid or money."
I was put in a situation where I had no choice but to worry, yet here he was saying that I shouldn't worry. I wasn't sure what his intentions were while saying such a thing. I sighed after remembering the last conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
I was already sad that I would be sent for a long-term dispatch. That place being the Academy made me feel like I was about to go crazy. Not only that, but they weren't going to give me any kind of support. I was literally going to be on my own.
"But while on vacation, you can return and take a break. It's almost as if you were a student."
"Please, shut up."
I clenched my teeth while listening to the Minister's provocative words. What vacations? For a civil servant, the words 'vacation' had no meaning. The only thing that changed was the place where you worked.
Seeing the Minister laughing as if saying, 'What will you do about it?' Made my insides turn upside down.
That kind of scum was my higher-up.
"I'll be going. Just give me the dispatch order."
If I couldn't change my fate of getting stuck in the Academy, I'd rather go as soon as possible because I felt my mental health declining every time I looked at the face of the Minister.
The Minister smirked while looking at my face and gave me the dispatch order. He was poking fun at me because he found my expression hilarious, but there wasn't enough time to waste keeping me here.
"You aren't a student, so your parents won't cover for you if you do something. Be careful."
"Understood!"
He made fun of me one last time.
"1st Manager, try to investigate what I've told you."
"Yes~"
"2nd Manager, don't forget to sort your documents correctly. You need to finish fast. Okay?"
"Yes, yes, obviously."
"3rd and 5th Managers don't have many things to do. So when something happens, deal with it the best way you can."
"Understood."
"I'll remember that."
"Senior Manager… Good luck."
"Yes, thank you."
I took a glimpse at my subordinates one last time. With my sudden dispatch, the Senior Manager was someone that had to be comforted. The 5th Manager was someone with common sense who knew how to act, but would the other Managers be fine in a Enforcement Department's office where their Director was absent?
'Should I take 2nd Manager with me?'
If the three Managers are together, one didn't know what kind of incident they would cause. Weren't these bastards the ones who angered Lavish Duke even while I was watching over them?
Who would they anger after Lavish Duke? The Blood Reaper Duke? lf they did that, I would really have to offer them as a sacrifice.
"Why are you looking at me like that…? How scary."
The 2nd Manager trembled a bit after looking into my eyes and asked. It seemed like he'd been able to see a parallel world where he was offered as a sacrifice.
"No. It's nothing."
I began thinking if I should drag 2nd Manager along and make him suffer with me, but I shook my head. For the sake of peace between the countries, I had to go alone.
At this point, I couldn't take 2nd Manager, nor did I have a reason to take him. To be honest, I think I had more than enough reasons to do so, but that didn't change the fact that I still couldn't take him.
'Can I really go and leave everything to them?'
I looked at the Managers in front of me, who were laughing. The future seemed bleak.
"I'm going to make sure nothing happens. We can't make you worry while you're dispatched somewhere far away."
The Senior Manager noticed my subtle change of expression and said that to calm me. Then I was finally able to nod. Yes, if the Managers aren't trustworthy, let's believe in the Senior Manager.
"Okay, but if something happens, call me."
"Yes. I'll call you if something does happen."
"Okay…"
After silently whispering to the Senior Manager, I got on the carriage and went to the South.
"Heck, why are the roads in such a state?"
After leaving my uneasiness behind, my body started wobbling up and down as I got closer to the Academy. The rhythm at which my body moved made it look like I was inside a club saying, 'Let's get this party started…'
From what I remember, they'd received money to fix this road a while ago, but it seemed like they had done home-expansion work instead of maintenance work. You fucker, the first thing I'm going to do after reaching my destination is go after you.
As I wrote the name of an unknown provincial governor's name inside the list of people to investigate, the carriage moved up and down as if agreeing to my decision. You are also struggling to run through a road like this, huh? Because I was being dispatched alone, I felt a sense of friendship from the carriage.
There was the person driving the carriage outside, but because of the difference in social status, he became surprised every time I talked to him. So, one could say that the carriage was my only friend.
Although I wasn't keen on this type of friendship, which made me move up and down.
"Damn it. How annoying that 'teleport' can't be used."
Teleport wasn't common magic, but there were teleportation magic circles installed in most of the important cities of the Empire. Considering the importance of the Magic Academy, there should be a teleportation circle here. However, because of the characteristics of the place where the Academy was located, making teleportation magic circles around it was strictly forbidden.
When Celesterra was still a kingdom, the biggest country on the continent was the Andals Empire. The Academy was located in the territory that used to be its capital.
The Andals Empire had made the Academy as luxurious as possible. When Kefellofen took over the control of the Andals Empire, they weren't able to destroy the Academy or move it to another place, so they decided to use it as it is. Back then, they didn't have that much money, so they had to save as much as possible.
The Academy was inside what used to be the capital city of an enemy country, so if the city grew too much, there was a chance that rebels from Andals would try to use it to their advantage. That was why they hadn't put a teleportation magic circle around this area and why the Academy didn't receive permission to have a teleportation magic circle. Thus, people had to get there by using a carriage or hiring a magician who could use teleport.
That might have been a reasonable excuse back then, but it had been 300 years since then. There was no need to be so cautious about Andals' rebels anymore. After all, the Empire had extinguished them.
The real reason why they hadn't installed one was the price. Teleportation magic circles weren't something that anyone could make, so the price of building one was really expensive. There wasn't anything of significance around the Academy, and the Academy had most of the necessary facilities, so people didn't need to go out.
'You jerk Minister.'
The reason was obvious since they'd refused to build a magic circle around this area a few months ago. If he knew he would be sent to the Academy, the Minister would have made sure it was approved. No matter what. In the end, this was all because of the Minister.
"Director, I can see the Academy."
"Woah."
I came back to my senses after hearing a voice. Since there wasn't anyone to talk to, I was deeply immersed in my thoughts. Large castle walls became visible in the distance. Woah, how tall…
"To think it'd be so tall even at such a distance…"
"I'm sure the Director knows, but the scale of it increased after merchants that aimed at the students and teachers began to gather around this area. Not only that but as merchants that served other bigger merchants and their families appeared, it became a small city instead of just an educational institution."
'Academy city…'
For some reason, I felt that in this city, there should be a student that's good with rail guns.
After that brief conversation, there was silence. The only sound that could be heard was the rattling of the moving carriage. Although we'd finally exchanged some words, the relationship between us was still somewhat awkward. The stifling silence only ended when we passed through the castle walls.
"It seems like the security personnel has decreased quite a lot."
I checked out the city after putting away the dispatch order I'd received back from the security guard. There were lots of people and shops, but no security guards could be seen.
"Hmm, is that so? It's my first time in the Academy, so I'm not sure."
"Back then, the castle walls used to be manned by at least four security guards."
We'd only passed two security guards. When I showed them my dispatch order, they began trembling as if they were phones in vibration mode. I just told them to do their best before entering the castle walls.
'It seems like they've really only left the necessary personnel.'
"You won't have any aid inside the Academy."
"They've all been transferred away, so no one will be able to help you."
"There's nothing you can do about it. If you hate it so much, you should've become the Minister."
I remembered what the Minister of Foreign Affairs said (Although slightly distorted). I had understood what he said, but coming and seeing it on my own, made me really feel that I had to endure while using my title of Enforcement Department's office's Dirctor in a place I'd never been to before. In a place where there wasn't anyone I knew.
'When are the vacations…?'
In university, it used to be in June. I wonder if that's also the case here.
I once again felt the sensations of a university student that felt excited about the start of the semester but couldn't wait for the end of it. After entering the main building of the Academy, my long carriage life finally came to an end.