Chapter 176: The Malicious Complainant

With a shout that seemed to invoke the Interest Method, all the passersby stopped in their tracks.

I also turned my gaze toward the entrance with a puzzled expression.

The commotion was taking place in the comprehensive civil complaints room.

“Hey, why isn’t such a simple task getting done? Don’t you people know who I am?”

A middle-aged man with a half-bald head and a face flushed bright red stood there.

From his slightly unfocused eyes, it was clear he had come straight from heavy drinking somewhere.

He was drunk, yet his demand was crystal clear.

He wanted his requested task processed immediately.

Typical lines from a malicious complainant.

This looks troublesome.

The young man sweating bullets in front of the complainant was a rookie official.

If he had been a Dapan Group employee, he would have kicked the man out without hesitation.

We do not care who the other party is. We simply do our work.

But the rookie official was in a difficult position.

He had no idea how high-ranking the man’s family might be.

He could not simply drag the man out for interfering with official business.

“I will summon a court knight to handle this.”

Vice President Xavier immediately tried to turn away.

In cases like this, simply deploying public authority was the cleanest solution.

However, I lightly raised my hand to stop him.

“Just a moment. Let’s hear what the matter is first.”

“Understood.”

As if he had already grasped my intention, Vice President Xavier nodded at once.

He then watched the situation in silence.

The rookie official tried to soothe the man, but the complainant continued fuming.

“It’s already been a week since I requested the permit. Yet only mine hasn’t been approved. The others are already constructing their buildings!”

“The related documents are missing, and even the plan is far too incomplete. How do you expect to build without showing design drawings? That is why it was not approved.”

“Then you should have told me in advance that it wouldn’t work!”

“I’ve already explained it to you several times.”

“You’re talking nonsense! I’ve never heard any of that!”

Crash!

The middle-aged man grabbed something and hurled it, sending the items on the desk tumbling down.

Even though the behavior was excessive, the rookie official still did not know what to do.

His colleagues nearby tried to restrain the complainant, but it had no effect whatsoever.

“Sir, please calm down for now……”

“Why the hell am I your sir?”

“No, it is merely a conventional expression. More importantly, that is not the issue. This is a matter the court cannot handle.”

“What nonsense! The city hall told me to come to the court!”

“So you should have brought the related documents from there. You also need to resubmit the plan.”

“I already brought everything! It’s right here!”

The civil complaints room staff sighed and pressed their foreheads.

No matter how much they explained, it did not get through. Their expressions were filled with frustration.

Watching the scene, I felt like I was about to explode as well.

Wow! To witness this kind of scene in the Enpher Empire feels really strange.

This was the sort of incident one only saw in Korean news.

Quite a few public officials quit their jobs after being tormented by malicious complainants.

Originally, something like this could never have happened at all.

The administration of the Enpher Empire was extremely authoritarian.

All officials were nobles. Who would dare speak to them so rudely?

Moreover, most of their work involved collection and enforcement, so they simply hoped never to run into such people.

But the situation had changed.

Civil complaints rooms have now been installed in every government office, and many officials from commoner backgrounds have joined the ranks.

As more people began earning decent money, the voices of the trash grew louder alongside them.

Perhaps it was because they realized officials could no longer treat them recklessly.

Anyway, there was no point in watching any longer.

If left alone, it would only escalate into violence.

“That’s enough.”

I stepped into the comprehensive civil complaints room and pushed through the crowd.

The officials retreated with surprised expressions.

The malicious complainant, however, did not seem to recognize me.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I am the person in charge of this court. From now on, speak to me. What is the problem?”

“Oh, perfect. So you’re the superior?”

“That is correct.”

“Take care of this right away. I brought everything just like I was told!”

I glanced down at the documents, but I had no interest in them.

I already knew there were far too many missing parts.

I only read the malicious complainant’s name and address.

“Surprisingly, you appear to be from quite a distinguished family. Is your name Mandif Kurso?”

“Not exactly.”

“You’re not even the person involved, yet you came to obtain the permit? Then the matter itself does not stand. Who exactly are you?”

“I am Sergio, the heir to the Kurso Count family.”

“But why did you attempt to obtain the permit under your father’s name?”

“Because it is the family business.”

“Truly?”

“Uh……”

Sergio let out a groan, his face filled with distress.

He seemed at a loss for words after the repeated questioning.

It was only natural.

If this were truly the family business of Count Kurso, the documents would never have been this sloppy.

This fellow had probably tried to handle it alone.

He must have wanted to achieve something by using his father’s name.

The answer was obvious without needing to investigate further.

At his age, he was still merely the heir.

He was clearly an unreliable son.

I looked at Sergio quietly and spoke.

“If it is the family business, I have no choice but to consult Count Kurso himself. I will resolve this directly, so let us go together.”

“Huh? No, that is…… Forget it. I will come back later.”

His face had turned far redder than before.

It was probably not due to the alcohol.

The blood had rushed to his head from sheer panic.

Sergio hurriedly gathered the documents and fled the court in a fluster.

I watched him go, then suddenly turned my head.

“C-Carius Your Highness!”

“Thank you so much for your help. Sniff!“

The officials in the comprehensive civil complaints room wore grim expressions.

Their reactions suggested this sort of incident had occurred frequently until now.

Instead, I bowed politely toward them.

“I am sorry. As your superior, I have no excuse for failing to recognize such a serious grievance.”

The officials’ expressions crumbled.

I had not done it to impress anyone.

I simply felt genuinely sorry.

“I will make certain this kind of thing does not happen again.”

“I will never forget today’s incident for as long as I live. Sob sob!“

The young official who had suffered the most from the malicious complainant burst into tears.

It must have been incredibly difficult.

Having to serve as an emotional trash bin for such deranged people.

I returned to my office at once and issued orders to every government office.

Arrest malicious complainants on the spot as they committed the offense and bring them to trial.

We need to set an example. Otherwise, they will keep pulling this kind of dog shit.

I truly hoped Sergio Kurso would return someday.

After handling the major task, I visited Vargas’s laboratory after a long time.

Boom! Bang!

Mornings here always began with explosions.

Crimson flames rose from the backyard.

It feels even stronger than before.

Somehow, it seemed connected to the idea that had occurred to me this time.

When I reached the outdoor testing ground behind the building, I found Vargas completely absorbed in his experiment.

He placed something inside a small wooden barrel, then hurled it far into the distance.

Whoosh! Kwaaang!

Flames and shockwaves instantly swallowed the surroundings.

As expected of a Nermeia sorcerer, his explosive potions were top-class.

“Hey!”

“Eek! C-Chairman?”

He had not noticed my arrival, so I called out lightly. Vargas jumped on the spot.

He looked quite startled.

“T-This is……”

“It’s fine. Experiments are allowed. That is how your level rises, is it not?”

“Haha! Exactly. It is the fate of our magic tower.”

“I wanted to discuss explosive potions with you anyway.”

“Ah, yes. It is not possible.”

“Huh?”

He rejected the idea before I had even reached the main point.

What kind of absurd situation was this?

When I stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, Vargas merely shrugged.

“You came to ask whether explosive potions can be used in war, did you not?”

“Wow! How did you know?”

“First, let me give you the conclusion. The potions used by Nermeia sorcerers cannot be mass-produced. They require mana to activate, and they explode within seconds.”

“So it is a potion that cannot be used unless one is a mage?”

“That is correct. A heavily degraded version does exist. It can be modified for ordinary people to use.”

“Oh, really?”

“But the power is far too weak. Spirit wood would be much more practical.”

“Hmm.”

It was disappointing news.

If explosive potions could be utilized, they would prove highly useful against the Mandus tribe.

We could easily conduct a defensive battle in the canyon of the Yates Marquisate.

Throwing just a few at the gathered enemy forces would inflict tremendous damage.

However, I could not dispatch Vargas to the front lines.

Mages were far too valuable. How could I mobilize one for something as trivial as war?

It would be far more productive to leave him here to continue his research.

Since he had refused, my disappointment was great.

Yet I could not give up.

It would be a waste to let this idea die here.

“How powerful is the degraded version?”

“Almost no flames occur. There is only some shockwave.”

“Really? Can you make it now?”

“Of course. The materials are somewhat expensive, but you are not the type to worry about money, Chairman.”

“I will provide the material costs, no matter the amount.”

“Yes. I will prepare it immediately.”

Vargas entered the laboratory and soon returned with something.

A wooden barrel the size of a fist and a blue marble the size of a fingernail.

“This looks similar to the one you threw earlier.”

“Yes. The wooden barrel is the degraded explosive potion.”

“But why this material? Are normal potions not stored in glass bottles?”

“Since it is going to explode anyway, what is the point of using something expensive?”

“Ah, I see. How is it activated?”

“Originally, you inject mana and throw it. Then it goes bang after a short while. It is much better than most magic, since no casting is required.”

“Can the detonation time be adjusted?”

“Yes. It changes depending on the amount of mana injected.”

“Then this marble must serve as the mana source.”

“You understood correctly.”

The activation method was simpler than expected.

Once the mana stored in the marble was absorbed into the wooden barrel, it would explode after a few seconds.

I gave Vargas several instructions.

Make the wooden barrel double-layered and fill it with numerous iron beads.

It was my first time attempting this, but it was not particularly difficult.

Vargas could perform precise smelting as a byproduct of his half-spirit nature.

Just like when making zipper components, he could simply stamp them out in an instant.

“What exactly are you planning to do with this?”

Even as he worked, Vargas kept asking questions, clearly having no idea of the purpose.

I shrugged lightly and picked up the prototype.

A wooden barrel the size of a fist with a metal bundle attached.

The same tension I used to feel standing on the parade ground.

It had been a very long time.

Ping!

I pulled the safety pin and firmly pressed the metal bundle.

This would cause the marble to drop down and meet the wooden barrel.

The pre-injected mana had been adjusted to activate after five seconds.

I immediately dropped flat to the floor and shouted.

“Grenade in the foxhole!”

Kwaaang!