The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success-Chapter 3

Kiaros blinked.

Surprisingly, every clause Namia had cited was accurate.

Before he even realized it, he had quietly stood up and begun carrying the boxes. They were heavier than expected.

I guess she really wouldn’t have been able to lift these on her own.

When he returned from the storeroom, there were five minutes left until official quitting time.

But aside from Namia, the department was already completely empty.

Important documents related to security were lying around carelessly.

This department was technically under the Imperial Knights, so security should have been top priority.

This department absolutely has to be dismantled.

Kiaros ground his teeth, swearing silently to himself.

He glanced at Namia sitting beside him—still dead-eyed, expressionless.

He set the boxes down next to her and muttered bluntly.

“I won’t be coming in from tomorrow.”

“Ah, okay.”

Not even a hint of surprise in her face. Not even a "why?"

What is with this woman?

Her new intern was quitting after one day, and she didn’t react at all.

Thinking back to how blankly she’d handed over access rights... she probably didn’t even realize what she’d given him.

Was she just waiting to boss someone around? Is that why she memorized all those laws?

The odd sense of unease from earlier faded.

She’d said she’d be leaving on an out-of-office assignment tomorrow. That meant her access authorization wouldn’t be revoked for at least two more days.

And if it’s still active after a month, I’ll say they failed to manage access rights and use that to obliterate this department completely.

Kiaros packed up his things and walked out of the Scroll Department—without even saying goodbye to the woman now rummaging through her boxes.

***

The Next Morning

“Alright, assemble!”

The procession of the Crown Prince, the future of the empire, was about to begin.

The White Knights, his personal guard unit within the Imperial Knights, had been up and moving since dawn.

Their captain glared around, delivering a stern speech.

“Do not forget! We must protect His Highness the Crown Prince from any and all danger!”

The knights murmured among themselves, looking anything but inspired.

“He beat up fifteen guys barehanded last time, didn’t he?”

“This morning, he ran sixty laps around the drill grounds by himself.”

“That’s nothing. He can bring down buildings with one burst of aura.”

The atmosphere was far from solemn. The captain cleared his throat, embarrassed.

“O-Of course, His Highness is much stronger than all of us combined! But still—we must protect him!”

The schedule was simple, so the escort unit was small.

The captain selected five knights, including himself. Then he checked off the civil servants accompanying them.

“Medical Department? You here?”

There had to be a doctor and legal official, just in case of emergencies—even on short trips.

A young man from the Medical Department raised his hand.

“Luka Class from Emergency Response. I just arrived.”

“Luka Class, good. Lennon from Legal is here too. And... the Scroll Department? Anyone from there?”

“Ah, yes.”

I raised my hand mid-yawn.

“Namia Roafi, Inventory Team, Scroll Management Department. Present.”

“Namia Roafi... huh?!”

The captain’s eyes widened when he saw my face.

“What happened to your complexion? Are you sure you’re fit to go?”

Fair enough. My dark circles had drooped all the way down my cheeks.

I let my shoulders slump like a zombie and mumbled,

“Ah, yes...”

The captain clicked his tongue sympathetically.

“Well, it’s not like there’ll be much for you to do.”

His expression said it all—nothing’s going to happen, and she definitely won’t need to use any scrolls.

In this world, magic could only be used through scrolls. But the spells that could be sealed inside them weren’t particularly powerful.

In other words, they’re terribly inefficient.

Naturally, the Scroll Department wasn’t considered a critical part of the escort team. At best, we were backup.

Not that many people are interested in magic in the first place...

The captain glanced at my bag with a kindly face and said,

“That bag looks heavy. Why not leave out anything useless?”

Useless, huh? He had no idea what was in there.

No one—not a single person—was actually worried about the Crown Prince.

That’s going to change after today’s ambush, though.

Originally, the Crown Prince would be fatally wounded in the attack, and they wouldn’t even have time to investigate who was behind it. But if I saved him today... the story would change.

I gripped ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) the bag tightly, stuffed full of defensive scrolls.

Good thing that intern brought me the supplies.

That cocky but physically gifted intern had carried the heavy boxes in one go. If I’d tried, I would’ve thrown out my back.

He’d said he wasn’t coming back today, but I expected that.

No matter what... I will save him. I can do this.

I hadn’t slept a wink last night, but my mind was sharp.

***

Kiaros Polariwood, now free from his intern disguise, looked like a sculpture come to life.

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His shimmering blonde hair and vivid red eyes made his presence impossible to ignore. The natural beauty of a Dragonblood added an almost otherworldly aura.

Escort team. Just as the report said.

Dressed in all black for the funeral, he scanned the assembled group.

His gaze stopped briefly on one person.

That girl...

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Namia Roafi—dark circles dragging halfway down her face, big round blue eyes as unfocused as ever.

His eyes moved on. He didn’t have the luxury of worrying about her right now.

Even outside the palace, the weight of his responsibilities bore down on him.

If I fall now, the empire falls with me.

No one knew it, but the Imperial Family was in a precarious situation.

Everything now rested on Kiaros alone.

He’d been too busy the day before to even look at the Scroll Department’s files.

I’ll start reading them tonight. There’s too much to do.

With the Emperor away from the capital, the burden on Kiaros was even heavier.

Expressionless, he stepped forward and joined the escort team.

“Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!”

“Glory to Polariwood!”

Crowds had gathered to catch a glimpse of the prince’s procession.

They were almost at the funeral hall when it happened.

A sudden shout ripped through the air, slamming into everyone’s ears.

“Ambush!”

The White Knight Captain swatted away a flying dagger with a sharp clang and shouted.

“Get it together! It’s an ambush!”

Kiaros immediately drew his sword.

No way.

His eyes trembled in disbelief.

Did... did I really notice the attack after the captain?

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

Like a lie, his aura, sword energy, and magic were completely gone.

No... it can’t be... is this a blackout?

He recognized the sensation. He’d felt it once before—when he was ten.

Every member of the Polariwood royal family experienced a blackout at some point in their lives.

A period where their aura, sword energy, and magic were sealed away—necessary for awakening their dragon form later in life.

Kiaros had already gone through it at ten. The feeling of his limbs being cut off had haunted him ever since.

So why—why was it happening again now, of all times?

Only the first emperor had gone through a second blackout. No one since.

“Hold your positions!”

The five knights quickly surrounded him.

It all happened in an instant. Kiaros frowned, overwhelmed.

He was confident in his reflexes, strength, and technique—but only within human limits.

“Aaagh! Over here! 3 o’clock! They’re over here!”

A civil servant from the Legal Department screamed. Sure enough, enemies were preparing a second wave nearby.

Three of the five knights rushed that direction.

It’s a trap!

Even in confusion, Kiaros’s instincts kicked in. He ducked low.

A flurry of poison-tipped arrows hissed through the space he’d just occupied.

The enemies by the legal official were just bait. The real assassins had their sights on Kiaros.

“Aaagh!”

“Scream!”

“Help!”

People were collapsing left and right. It was chaos—complete pandemonium.

Kiaros felt a chill crawl up his spine for the first time in years.

“Calculation complete...”

A low murmur from Namia, her dark circles nearly reaching her chin.

Her voice rang out, sharp and clear, right beside Kiaros’s ear.

“Activate.”

An uncountable number of scrolls shot into the sky.

At the same time, a barrier spell bloomed, surrounding Kiaros in a dome of magic.

The rain of poison arrows slammed into the barrier—and disintegrated.