Chapter 19: Swallowing Pride

After leaving the office, the tension released and a sigh of relief escaped me.

Once again, I’m reminded that things in the world don’t go as planned.

Whether it’s reality or the world inside a game.

When I caught the fence, I thought I’d done the landlord a favor in my own way. The landlord even received a reward for the bust, and I got 1 silver coin. And I thought that was the end of it. Is this the price for 1 silver coin? Can I give back the coin and pretend this never happened?

After gaining 50 Family Prestige points, I could check my accumulated prestige: the Streit family prestige is currently at 50 points. That means my prestige was 0 from the start. According to the description, I can receive benefits when it reaches 100 points, but I don’t know exactly what those benefits are.

Finally, there’s the third F-Rank title.

The F-Rank Negotiator title came with a benefit of 20% increased persuasiveness.

I suppose it means a 20% increase in the probability of persuading someone during negotiations?

It’s a high percentage, but I’m not sure how persuasion actually works. However, through the two titles I’d gained before, administrative work became relatively easier and I could face enemies more capably. I’ll definitely be able to feel the increase in persuasiveness too.

"This way, please."

After finishing my meeting with the Finance Minister, I was guided by an attendant.

The place he led me to was the basement of the Finance Department residence.

A prison? A torture facility? Why is something like this here? Wasn’t this the Finance Department residence? Despite sensing my questioning gaze, the attendant offered no answer and simply opened the door to a room. Inside were two men: one with sharp features and one with gentle features.

I could tell the man with gentle features was the superior.

His clothes were exceptionally fine. Those aren’t tunics just anyone can wear.

They’re high-grade garments reserved for upper nobility.

"What’s going on? Who’s that man?"

"This is Sir Streit."

"Streit? Ah, then is he—?"

The man with gentle features looked at me with a curious gaze, appraising me. The man with sharp features seemed to find me disagreeable. As soon as they heard my surname, the two men’s reactions diverged sharply. So I activated the Manager Scouter.

First, the gentle-looking man who appeared to be the superior was Adelbert von Reinfeldt.

He’s the eldest son the Finance Minister is trying to keep in check, and he holds the position of Inspector General.

And the other man with sharp features is Andreas von Rüdiger.

Rüdiger is the Deputy Inspector General of Finance.

"I’m Wolfgang von Streit. I received orders to join the investigation."

"Have a seat, Sir Streit. Thanks to the case you brought to light, we haven’t had a quiet day," Adelbert remarked.

The Finance Minister’s son seemed to find this situation highly entertaining. On the other hand, I clearly saw daggers fly from the eyes of the man sitting across from me. Yeah, that made sense. In any organization, no one looks favorably on someone who parachutes in halfway through, especially when the ultimate boss was the one who planted him.

They could see me as a mole or a spy.

Adelbert looked back and forth between me and Rüdiger, clearly amused.

"Sorry about that. Please understand Rüdiger’s discomfort. He really hates it when someone meddles in his work. Hey, how long are you going to sulk? This is a personnel decision Father made."

"...Andreas von Rüdiger."

That was the full extent of his introduction. His gaze toward me was ice-cold, as if he truly resented my presence. At this point, I felt more frustration than sympathy. You think I wanted this? Your ultimate boss is the one who pressured me and shoved me in here, so why are you taking it out on the wrong person?

But I didn’t let my emotions show, because I was in front of the successor.

Adelbert looked at me intently and asked,

"What did Father offer you?"

I wanted to tell him the truth.

That his father was pushing me in as the Elsheimer son-in-law to keep him in check. How would Adelbert react if I answered like that? But that was the Finance Minister’s hidden agenda, and it was too risky for me to reveal it.

If the Finance Minister found out I knew his innermost designs—thoughts he hadn’t shared with anyone—would he leave me be? And the same goes for Adelbert. You should never readily trust beings called upper nobility. When I couldn’t say anything, Adelbert waved his hand.

"Well, never mind. Father’s intentions are transparent enough. I’ll appoint you as a temporary inspector with my authority. You’ll receive orders as Rüdiger’s assistant. Remember that it’s temporary."

"Yes. I’m only an outsider, after all."

"If you have ability, this could be your chance to officially enter the Finance Department. Right, Rüdiger?"

"..."

Being scrutinized by these high-ranking nobles is unbearable. But what can I do? I’m just a lowly hereditary knight, and the Finance Minister’s son sitting before me is upper nobility—he’s practically a sovereign to the lower nobles living in the capital.

If I were a lord, he couldn’t treat me this way.

The only way out is up.

That’s one reason my goal is to become a lord. If I become the Elsheimer son-in-law? Others might see it as a tremendous leap, but it means spending my whole life as a subordinate to the Finance Minister’s family. I absolutely don’t want to be under anyone.

In my office job, I had no choice but to accept reality, but the reason I adapted so quickly to the noble world is this very drive. I want to command, not be commanded. I want to live as someone with power who gives orders.

That’s why I set my goal as becoming a lord, which is realistically achievable.

I’d probably need to be a national hero to receive land, but with the system and my abilities, it’s not an impossible challenge. On the other hand, receiving a title is nearly impossible in my generation. Of course, nearly impossible doesn’t mean zero probability.

Even the lowest-ranking titled noble, a baron, can’t be treated carelessly by even a grand duke if he owns land. We call titled nobles who own land princes. And counts and above are classified as grand princes. The presence or absence of land determines a noble’s power.

A grand duke represents the nobles belonging to the duchy, handles external diplomacy, and mediates disputes between princes. And princes have an obligation to participate in mobilization for 45–65 days according to their contract with the grand duke. If I become a lord, this obligation would apply to me too.

In novels, the protagonist can easily gain titles because they have special abilities and tremendous power, but that’s impossible for me. I can’t swing a sword and shatter mountains; I’m just a rookie barely learning swordsmanship. My only real combat experience has been against slum thugs.

"I’m just someone who showed up uninvited, so I’ll follow your instructions completely."

"You know your place? You’re fairly sharp at reading the room."

In the end, I swallowed my pride for now, bending to the reality.

Seeing my behavior, Rüdiger’s glare softened a bit.

I never had any intention of earning merit here in the first place. The merit I want to earn is merit toward becoming a lord, not merit for the Finance Department. Am I foolish enough to clamp shackles on my own ankles? I need to plan my escape somehow, now that I’ve secured a delay.

The cold atmosphere thawed a bit.

As an unwelcome guest, the position was deeply uncomfortable, and I had no one I could call an ally. But at least it wasn’t outright hostile, which was fortunate. Keeping my head down seemed to be the right approach. Though I was planted here against my will, unconditionally deferring to the authority of superiors was the wisest move.

It was know-how from my previous life.

Rüdiger said to me,

"I appreciate you deferring to my command completely. To be honest, neither of us wants a tiresome situation. However, since the Finance Minister assigned you to me, I’ll share some of the credit with you. So let’s work well together."

You don’t really need to share it with me.

Of course, saying this would be throwing Rüdiger’s goodwill back in his face, so I kept it to myself. When you’re in front of a superior, it’s best not to do anything that draws attention. Come to think of it, since the Finance Minister has set his sights on me, to slip free of his grasp, it might not be a bad idea to funnel all the credit to the superiors in front of me.

If I don’t earn merit, maybe the Finance Minister will lose interest in me?

Now that I think about it, that’s a plausible approach. I failed to earn merit due to lack of ability. Sometimes the simplest tactics work without overthinking. He plans to use me by installing me as the Elsheimer son-in-law, but if I prove incompetent, won’t he turn his attention to another candidate?

There’s no need to be fixated on me.

There are poor duchy knights aplenty.

And I’ve accumulated 50 silver coins through repetitive quests.

I’m absolutely not a poor duchy knight.

"The key to this case you uncovered is that it’s connected to the Administrative Department. If we leverage this properly, from our perspective, we’ll have a strong card to play against the Administration," Rüdiger disclosed.

The fence I found is connected to the Administration?

Then from the Administration’s perspective, I might be a real thorn in their side. They might even harbor hostility toward me. Plus, from the outside looking in, I’m clearly affiliated with the Finance Department. I’ve unwittingly landed in the Finance faction.

Why did I activate the scouter to find that secret space back then?

I should have just turned a blind eye.