Roland took a few sheets of paper from a nearby shelf and handed one to each of Martina and the others. It appeared to be an organizational chart of the royal palace.
“In this country, the Kingdom of Luxaria, His Majesty is at the top, with ministers beneath him. Each minister heads their respective departments. The civil servants are divided into various departments, so there isn’t just one head. The Ministry of the Interior, which includes the Bureau of Administration, is led by the Minister of the Interior. There’s also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with its own minister, and others like that. Then, there are non-civil organizations too, like the Order of Knights, which is led by the Minister of Military Affairs.”
The organizational chart displayed all the intricate details of each department, information usually disclosed only to those who became civil servants. Martina’s eyes sparkled at such privileged knowledge.
“It’s such a complex organization…!”
“Yes, it is. As for the Bureau of Administration’s role, simply put, it’s the mediator of this vast organization. Our job involves various tasks in national administration, going around different departments to get approvals and ensuring the policies the higher-ups want to implement can actually be realized. Not glamorous work, really.”
A civil servant who happened to be passing by overheard and laughed.
“Yeah, that’s spot-on! But let me tell you, those mundane tasks can be incredibly rewarding.”
“I get it. It’s honestly fun to see our work gradually shape policies. So, do your best and don’t dread it too much.”
After more explanations, the three of them were assigned to their direct supervisors for on-the-job training. Martina’s supervisor, at her own request, was Roland.
“Are you sure you want me?”
“Of course!”
Martina felt relieved to have Roland, who didn’t seem to mind her being a commoner, as her supervisor. Feeling fulfilled in her job was important for her to fully enjoy the royal library.
“Now, your desk is next to mine. You can use everything here.”
The desk was equipped with all the essentials: writing utensils, books, stacks of paper. Martina’s gaze was fixed on the books, of course.
“Thank you very much!”
“I noticed you’ve been eyeing the books—do you like reading?”
“Yes! I became a civil servant just to read books.”
“What…? How does that make sense?”
“I heard civil servants have access to the royal library… Oh, should I not say things like this?”
Seeing Martina stiffen up, Roland’s surprised expression slowly turned into a wry smile.
“You… you’re the first person I’ve met who became a civil servant for that reason. Well, the library is impressive.”
“It is, isn’t it! I heard civil servants can enter freely.”
“Yes, as long as you have the civil servant’s cloak and brooch, you can enter on your days off. But remember, the high-ranking officials use it too, so mind your manners. Although discrimination against commoners is rare nowadays, it does still happen.”
Hearing Roland’s advice, Martina’s expression fell slightly as she recalled Sylvan ’s attitude and a few civil servants frowning at her.
“…How can I avoid trouble?”
“I doubt you’ll be in real danger, but people might say unpleasant things. You could avoid it by staying in the dorm on your days off, but…”
“That’s impossible!”
If she couldn’t go to the royal library, there would be no point in becoming a civil servant. Roland, seeing her determined refusal, put a hand to his chin, glancing upward.
“In that case, it might be hard to avoid it. But there’s one way—you could get the protection of someone with high status. That would make people think twice about bothering you.”
“…That sounds difficult.”
“Yeah, it could be. But you’re smart. If you excel, you might catch someone’s eye.”
“I understand… I’ll do my best!”
Determined to make her mark as a civil servant for a peaceful reading life, Martina smiled, and Roland looked at her with amusement.
“Alright, let’s get to work. My main task involves coordinating the deployment of the knights. First, do you know what kind of duties the knights have?”
“Yes. The Royal Guard protects the royal family, the First Order fights monsters in the kingdom’s territories, and the Second Order deals with monsters that local private forces struggle to handle.”
“Correct. The First and Second Orders require a lot of coordination, particularly. When they deploy, we need to arrange road closures, make public announcements, seal off dangerous areas, and more. For the Second Order, we also liaise with the nobility. And there’s plenty of back-and-forth with the Finance Department over deployment budgets, as well as coordinating with the Justice Department when special legal exceptions are required. In short, it’s a lot of running around.”
Martina, even with just the introduction, could already sense the challenging workload, and her brow furrowed slightly.
“Haha, there’s a lot more to explain, but are you following? Don’t worry; if you can’t remember everything, I’ll teach you as many times as it takes.”
“Thank you. I’m quite confident in my memory, so I should be fine. But… I’m worried about the physical aspect. We’ll be going around on foot, right?”
Although commoners generally have more stamina than nobles from walking frequently, Martina, having spent most of her childhood in the library, had hardly any experience running around outside.
