Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 1005



1005 – Do you feel the difference in the order? – 1

The parade of triplets will be remembered as the first broadcast in the history of the continent.

The appearance of the triplets in major cities and strongholds throughout Servet was enough to send the support of the people sky-high.

In particular, the fact that this relay broadcast was made with the power of magic, an invention of Tricky, was a huge bonus. The Duchy of Servet has been a region that has developed magically since the time of the first Duke of Servet, Duke Sulgeom, and all the previous Dukes of Servet have had deep magical knowledge. Thanks to this, the people of Servet have a great affinity for magic and are quite proud of Servet, a territory specializing in magic.

But, thanks to magic, you can see the lovely and dear princesses from afar? This is something that will make the corners of the Yeongmin’s mouths go up and down.

‘The Demon King has retired, but the Demon King is still the same.’

I smiled happily as I watched Trixie playing with the triplets.

The era of Duke Trixie of Servet has passed, but the majesty of Duke Trixie of Magic is still ongoing. That must be why such a wonderful invention came about.

Even Tricky says that this amazing invention that has the public cheering is just a prototype and still has a lot of room for improvement. It’s exciting to think about what will come out in the next few years.

“Thanks to His Majesty the Magong, I was able to relieve myself of a great deal of worry. In the past, His Majesty the Sulgeom said that if there was a difficult problem that could not be solved, it was because of a lack of knowledge of magic, and his words were indeed right.”

‘What is that?’

While I was happily watching the four of you, I almost burst out laughing at the touching voice of Count Sicilla.

If there is a problem, it is because of your lack of magical ability. What a magical supremacist statement.

However, Seolgeomgong was a monster known as the greatest debater, strategist, and magician of his time. He was certainly qualified to say such things. In fact, Seolgeomgong was a capable person who easily overcame the turmoil of the Cheonmyeong War and the early days of the empire’s founding.

“I guess today’s joy is because his teachings have been passed down well even after 300 years.”

So, even though it was a bit of a subtle statement, I agreed for the time being. I didn’t want to interrupt the Count of Sicilla’s emotional appreciation.

“Is this the end of the parade?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We’ve visited all the major cities in Servet, so we need to expand the list of candidates to include smaller cities before we can hold the next parade. However, it would take anywhere from four months to six months to hold parades in smaller cities as well.”

“Then I guess it’s best to end it here.”

I nodded to Count Sicilla’s words.

I’ve definitely done enough walking around. If I were to continue the parade any longer, I would have to visit lower-level areas outside of the major cities, which would increase the number of places I have to visit exponentially. But if I visit some places and pass over others, it would only cause unnecessary controversy over discrimination.

“You’ve worked hard. You’ve managed to complete the forced march of a three-day parade without a hitch. It wouldn’t have been possible without you.”

“Your Majesty, you are too generous. How could this have been achieved by our own abilities alone? This beautiful order was created thanks to the respect the people have for their ladies.”

As soon as he finished saying that, both Count Sicilla and I burst into laughter.

How can you say something like that when you have children who are only 5 years old and have just shown their faces, how much respect do they get? It would be better to see it as a craze towards idols rather than respect.

Still, it is a common occurrence for a vassal to give glory to his lord’s family. After a short laugh, he patted Count Sicilla on the shoulder and congratulated him─

‘hmm?’

The communication port in his arms began to emit light.

“If you permit, Your Majesty, I will now take my leave.”

“Oh, I see. Again, thank you for your hard work.”

Count Sicilla, who had seen the light, tried to get out of the way, so I let him go without a second thought.

Whether it was a family message or an official message, Count Sicilla had no need to hear it. The former was a matter of purely private life, while the latter had nothing to do with Servette.

“I am Karl Servet Crassius of Tailglehen, acting Duke of Servet.”

– Your Excellency, Your Majesty, I, a lowly minister, have contacted you to convey some message to you.

And as soon as the communication port was activated, I regretted sending Count Sicilla away.

“…Please speak comfortably. What are you, Your Excellency?”

– How can a mere minister treat His Excellency so carelessly? The laws of the empire are strict.

The Minister of Finance bows his head while making all sorts of fuss.

It was the most passionate teasing call I’ve received since I ascended to the throne as the Duke’s Deputy.

The top ranks of the imperial ceremonial hierarchy are naturally monopolized by Livnoman.

First of all, the first rank is, of course, the Emperor, and the second rank is the most senior of the Emperor’s consorts. At present, the Empress is the legal second-in-command of the Empire. And the third rank is usually occupied by the Empress, but the current Emperor does not have an Empress, so the position is vacant.

In this way, when the imperial couple takes the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, they receive the ceremonies in the following order: the next heir to the throne, the companion of the next heir, the prince, the princess, and the companions of the prince and princess. However, today, since this is the first time in imperial history that a situation has appeared, there is a situation in the ranking between the imperial couple and their children.

Up to this point, it’s the obvious ceremonial order that no one questions. The real problem starts from here.

‘After the direct royal family and their spouses, the five dukes come.’

Even if they are close blood relatives, such as the Emperor’s younger brother, nephew, uncle, or aunt, if they are not direct descendants, they are lower than the 5th Duke. After the abdication of Ainter, didn’t the ceremonial hierarchy go down to that level?

On that subject, the order of precedence is not that of a duke, but rather of the Minister of the Household, the President of the Imperial Diet, and the Chief Justice of the Empire. It is a strange order, neither strictly in order of title nor in order of position.

Perhaps it was at a time when the empire had just been founded and was in turmoil. It seems that the purpose was to elevate the ranks of the dukes and the highest-ranking officials, who were clearly the new emperors, and use them as shields for the emperor. In any case, the damage caused by this preferential ranking of dukes was clear.

“I am honored and sorry to meet you so suddenly, Your Excellency. I hope I have not bothered you, Your Excellency?”

Even the Minister of the Imperial Household, who is at the top of the executive branch, is lower than the Minister of Finance and the Minister of the Five Duchy, so the difference in rank between them is enormous. As a result, the Minister of Finance has to be very polite to me in terms of protocol.

Yes, to be honest, it’s only a problem for me and it’s only fatal to me. It’s a disaster that happened because I, who wasn’t even in the 5th Duke’s genealogy, was put in an excessive position.

“That attitude is what bothers me the most right now.”

That’s why it’s painful. I really hate that gentleman who has been bowing ever since he came to the Duke of Servette’s castle, that gentleman who has a flexible back but doesn’t think of lowering the corners of his mouth.

Anyone can see that it’s not because of the ceremonial order, but because they’re following the ceremonial order to make fun of it. To put it bluntly, the Minister of Finance has never bowed down like that even in front of real dukes.

“Kuuu… I’ve upset Your Majesty. This is a serious crime that requires me to immediately submit my resignation and become a barbarian.”

Soon, the Minister of Finance also seemed to have difficulty holding back laughter, shrugging his shoulders and making a bizarre apology.

Damn human. If you want to apologize, you should do something that benefits me. Why are you doing something that benefits yourself? How dare you, a minister, resign.

“Well, if you hate it that much, then just say it. There’s just you and me anyway.”

“Go ahead. I don’t even want to bother with rankings now.”

He let out a small sigh and took a sip of the teacup the attendant had left behind.

I haven’t even brought up the matter yet, and I’m already exhausted. There’s no other guest who is so annoying and horrible.

“Your Majesty─”

“You said you wanted to speak comfortably.”

“Are you the only Your Majesty in Servet?”

I closed my mouth in silence at the irrefutable assertion.

Yeah. Tricky is different from me.

“Anyway, I heard that Your Majesty has invented a unique magical tool. I heard it’s a modified version of an existing communication tool?”

“Oh, yes. There are quite a few differences, but it is based on a communication channel.”

I nodded slightly because I knew what he was talking about.

Tricky’s invention that modified the communication device. Anyone who hears it knows that it’s the broadcast screen used during parades.

“That’s not two-way communication, it’s only one-way communication?”

“Maybe so? If two-way communication were possible, that would be problematic in its own right. The noise from the entire city would be transmitted directly.”

In response to my answer, the Minister of Finance closed his eyes and stroked his chin.

“Can I take a look at that for a moment?”

And soon after, he brought up the topic.

I wasn’t surprised because I had guessed it was a request from the moment the invention was mentioned. I just wondered where the Minister of Finance would use the broadcast screen for such a request.

“Tricky is currently taking care of it. If you have any further questions, you can ask Tricky directly.”

Of course, a detailed explanation can be given by showing the item and listening to it.

Anyway, from the moment you came here to ask for a favor, the one in a hurry is the Minister of Finance, not me.

At the sudden request to view the invention, Trixie tilted her head in confusion but kindly played the role of docent.

Tricky’s rise to the pinnacle of magic was not only due to her natural talent, but also her hard work and intense interest in magic. So it must be fun to explain her inventions to others.

“Right now, we can control one thousand per communication port, but our goal is to eventually control multiple thousand with one communication port.”

“Wow, indeed. If that were possible, the efficiency would increase several times.”

The Secretary of the Treasury also repeatedly expressed his admiration for Tricky’s passionate commentary.

To be honest, it seems like I’m just reacting reflexively to the former Duke’s explanation rather than being genuinely impressed, but I understand, since anyone would do the same if they were the Minister of Finance.

“If so, Your Majesty, when will we be able to achieve the goal you have mentioned?”

“At the earliest, by the end of this year, at the latest, by the middle of next year?”

“okay.”

Then the Minister of Finance stared at the screen,

“Is mass production possible even at this stage?”

He put his real purpose into words.

The rather capitalistic goal of securing quantity.