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I felt a wave of guilt and self-loathing when I realized that I couldn’t respond to the Vice Captain’s words. Guilt for not considering how to repay Master, and self-loathing for putting myself before him.

It was absurd. After all, I should be devoting my entire life to him, yet I found myself distracted. Instead of repaying the kindness Master had shown me, I had fallen into the bizarre situation of repaying him just for the sake of it.

When did it start?

I bit my lip. How long had I been deceiving even myself?

Of course, my loyalty and devotion to Master were unwavering. Even if I had been looking in the wrong direction, that much had never changed. If that had been compromised, I might as well have lost my sight and hearing.

But just as the Vice Captain said, I had become self-satisfied. If that was the case, then how was I any different from someone who was blind or deaf?

“Repayment should be done in the way the recipient wants. If the giver decides, it’s not repayment—it’s just a way to feel good about themselves.”

The Vice Captain continued speaking when I didn’t respond. He never showed mercy when someone revealed a weakness, pushing forward with all the relentless determination seen in the 4th Division.

It was just sad to see him use that determination against me.

“Captain, would you do anything the Executive Manager asks for?”

“Of course. Even if it costs me my life.”

I was able to answer this question confidently. Master had given me a new life, and without him, I would have either died long ago or lived a fate worse than death.

So, I would give it up willingly if Master wanted to take back the life he gave me.

“Then how about becoming his wife?”

“Th-that’s…”

My confidence vanished again. While I was ready to do anything, this seemed impossible no matter how much I thought about it. It was far too much for someone like me.

I was merely Master’s shadow, his loyal dog that lingered by his side. I would only tarnish his brilliance if I were to get any closer.

“That would be for my benefit, not Master’s…”

“It’s up to him to decide that.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“But, I’m just a commoner…”

“Do you really think he would care about that?”

There was no way Master didn’t already know what I knew.

In the end, I lowered my gaze in silence, defeated by the Vice Captain’s relentless logic.

I was trapped. Whatever argument I made would be useless. If I said that it was too much, he would tell me that Master would make that decision. If I gave reasons why it was impossible, he would ask if I really thought Master wouldn’t know better.

“I’d even consider changing my gender if the Executive Manager wanted to marry me.”

I shuddered at those words. Was it because of the Vice Captain’s destructive will? No. It was because he said it so casually knowing it would never happen.

The Vice Captain knew Master would never propose to him, so there would be no need to change his gender and he could say whatever he liked. All he needed to do was convince me.

“But I don’t understand why you’re behaving this way when you don’t need to go through such trouble.”

“…”

The Vice Captain kept talking, and I listened in silence.

Even after I finally escaped him, every soldier I encountered began lecturing me.

…Maybe I should request another deployment.

For a moment, that thought crossed my mind. There should be plenty of places to go, even if it wasn’t in the North.

***Writing a glowing review for the Minister on his evaluation report and then seeing him in person left me with a strange feeling. It was probably similar to how a child felt when they realized that Santa Claus was just their dad all along.

No, it was even more than that. From the kid’s perspective, at least their dad was still someone precious and worth looking up to.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just thinking you look as healthy as ever.”

How bitterly ironic. The glowing praise I wrote on the evaluation wasn’t just to flatter him. It was more like a piece of art, an unconscious expression of the kind of boss I wish I had.

But the reality was harsh. The brutal truth didn’t change no matter how artistic I got.

If only he weren’t my direct superior.

I have never resented my position as an Executive Manager more than today. I might have a shot at getting a new minister if I were just a Manager or Team Manager, but I’d definitely end up as the new minister if they did a shuffle now.

Come to think of it, I wouldn’t be in this mess if the Crown Prince hadn’t promoted me to this position. Damn it. If anything was wrong in my life, then half of it was the Crown Prince’s fault. The other half was Kagan’s.

“Since you’re here, take a seat. Stop standing around making a racket.”

“Yes, sir.”

The most distracting thing was probably the Minister, who was working out in the middle of his office, but I kept that thought to myself.

“Oh, did you submit the evaluation?”

The minister, having tossed his dumbbells aside, asked as if he had just remembered.

That surprised me. I didn’t think he cared about what others thought of him. I assumed he wouldn’t care less about something like that based on the way he acted.

“Don’t worry, I wrote it like you’re an unparalleled saint in the world.”

I nodded, giving him a reassuring thumbs up.

Even people who didn’t like the Minister would change their minds after reading that evaluation. They’d see him as a true leader who genuinely cared for his subordinates.

But the Minister frowned despite my sincerity.

“For once, just write half of what you actually say to me.”

“Do you think I’m crazy?”

There wasn’t a chance I’d do that, so I answered firmly.

There was no way I’d be doing anything that would benefit the Minister. I couldn’t bear the thought of him retiring before me, not even for a second. If I was stuck as the Executive Manager, then he should be stuck as the Minister for life.

“You tough bastard.”

The Minister finally sat down, tossing out a backhanded compliment.

Of course, he didn’t mean it seriously. At this point, neither of us was worried about losing our heads over an evaluation report. We were just clinging to a sliver of hope.

“So, what did you call me here for?”

I cautiously asked once the Minister sat down.

I’d given a routine report not long ago, and there wasn’t anything particularly pressing at the moment. The Minister wasn’t exactly the type to call someone in just for a friendly chat.

“It’s about the North.”

I leaned forward, curious.

“Has something come up?”

It caught my interest because it was unexpected. From what I heard from the 4th Manager, they hadn’t found much and had just returned. But if the Minister was bringing it up, then something must have come to light.

“No. Nothing at all.”

?

What the hell?

Then why did he call me in?

“It’s so empty that it’s suspicious. The Special Service Agency turned over every stone, and they found absolutely nothing.”

However, my frustration started to subside as I listened further.

Finding nothing and achieving nothing were two different things. Even if they didn’t obtain critical information, they should usually find at least some traces. The fact that they found nothing at all was not a normal situation.

“No matter how vast the North is, there are only so many places where people can survive. Unless that Defier and his remnant forces are hiding in some eternally snow-covered mountain…”

“There’s no way that bastard would retreat like that.”

“Exactly. And that’s the problem.”

We were talking about Heaven’s Defier, Udesur Dorgon, who was the sole survivor among the Eight War Machines, and his remnant forces.

The Special Service Agency was still scouring the North because of that man, who managed to survive the final battle and escape. It was hard to imagine that someone who fought so hard to stay alive would give up on revenge and go into hiding.

“I will return! On the day the warriors of the plains break free from the leash of deceit you have placed on them and roar toward the heavens, and on the day we transform from dogs into wolves, I will return!”

He vanished after leaving those grand words behind, so it was almost laughable to think he would just disappear. He left behind a mystery worthy of legend and then vanished. In many ways, he had already become a myth.

“He’s got tribes working with him, that’s for sure. And it’s not just one or two.”

“That’s horrifying.”

If he wasn’t hiding, then the absence of traces meant that there were forces meticulously covering them up. Evading the empire’s pursuit wasn’t something an individual could do alone.

I expected this from the moment the 2nd Manager encountered the Chauzid tribe, but it seemed that it involved more than just a few tribes, just as the Minister suggested.

They’re more persistent than a leech.

I rubbed my face in frustration.

The fierce anti-imperial tribes had already taken a one-way trip to the afterlife with Kagan. And yet there were still people willing to cooperate with Kagan’s son? Where were these bastards respawning from?

“But nothing will happen right away. Northern winters are harsh even for the natives. The Special Service Agency believes that it would take until summer at the earliest for any unusual activity to appear.”

I nodded at this somewhat positive news.

Even during the Great War, winter was an unofficial ceasefire period. Kagan himself stayed holed up in his base during the winter. Anyone foolish enough to wander around would only be torn to shreds by the North’s razor-sharp winds.

“Well, I just wanted to let you know.”

“Thank you.”

“And this is important—”

Following that, the Minister pulled something out from his inner pocket.

Important?

I felt a sudden stiffness while watching him. Something more important than Dorgon’s whereabouts? Did some crazed necrophile manage to revive Kagan?

No, Kagan’s body was burned to ashes; there should be nothing left to revive.

“It’s a wedding invitation.”

“…I see.”

The delicate object emerging from the Minister’s pocket was so unexpected that I felt all the tension drain from me.

Damn it. Stop messing with my head.

“You don’t have to attend, but send a generous gift.”

“Don’t you usually tell people to show up?”

“Wouldn’t it bring bad luck if a guy with five rings showed up at a newlywed’s wedding?”

The Minister’s words made me unconsciously look at my left hand.

There, were five brightly shining rings. It looked as if I were promoting polygamy.

Damn this.

Indeed, showing up at the 2nd Manager’s wedding who was once famous as the playboy of the capital in this state wouldn’t be appropriate. I’d have nothing to argue with if he became inspired to bring in a second wife before he even enjoyed his honeymoon.

If I do attend the wedding, maybe I should wear gloves over these rings…