I've been summoned by the Crown Prince twice this semester alone. Was there any other civil servant like me in the world?

The Crown Prince kindly sent a teleportation magician to make my journey comfortable again. As expected of His Highness. He was always thoughtfully sparing his officials any inconvenience. Truly, he was a sage ruler.

I sincerely wish that even a fraction of this consideration would be applied when he would be deciding my punishments.

"His Highness the Crown Prince awaits your presence."

The knight guarding the Crown Prince's palace said. His tone was strict and serious as usual, but I caught the fleeting emotion on his face.

His expression seemed to ask, What the hell did you do to be summoned again? Of course, it could just be my paranoia, but the confusion was definitely there.

I understand. For most civil servants who weren't at the level of ministers, the Crown Prince was just like a neighbor whom they saw once a year, if they did at all.

'I'm going to lose my mind.'

In my paranoid state, every glance felt scorching. It seemed like every passing servant, maid, and guard was laughing at me, saying, There goes the future leader of the Red Wave. How ridiculous!

It felt disorienting that I wished I could just bang my head against a wall and pass out.

"Youve arrived."

"Yes."

And so, I finally reached the Crown Prince's office.

I felt even more bitter at the way the guard greeted me without asking what my business was as soon as he saw me. I guess my frequent summons were no longer surprising.

Knock knock

"Your Highness, the Executive Manager is here."

"Let him in."

Was it just my imagination, or did the Crown Prince's voice seem unusually tired?

The guard nodded to me and stepped back, making way for me once the prince gave his permission.

The last time I was here, I ended up being put on probation.

What would it be this time? Its making me really curious...

***

Silence filled the office. The Crown Prince, who was busy with paperwork, only instructed me to sit and continued sifting through the documents.

He didnt become angry, nor did he show his usual mocking smile. He simply kept working silently.

'Thats even scarier.'

Id rather that he just cursed out loud so I could brace myself for the worst. This unexpected silence made me wonder what he was gathering his energy for.

I even considered proactively kneeling first just to break the tension.

"I've kept you waiting."

As I was about to stand up, the Crown Prince looked up at me.

"Not at all, Your Highness. I understand that you are very busy; how could I say otherwise?"

Words I wouldnt normally say came out. My groveling might seem disgraceful to onlookers, but I had no choice.

It was a matter of imprisonment, after all. In this situation, even groveling to the prince for disturbing him during his busy moments wasnt enough. Id have to apologize even if the prince punched me, saying, 'Sorry for being in your way!'

"Your devotion is really outstanding, Executive Manager. It's even more admirable because it's shown through actions and not just words."

= Did you really have to cause more trouble despite knowing that Im busy?

I quietly lowered my gaze at the Crown Prince's subtle anger. I mean, did he expect me to reply to the leader of the Red Wave with something like 'Yeah, Im a republican'?

Seeing me like that, the Crown Prince leaned back in his seat and sighed.

"The Red Wave consists of rebels who seek to overthrow heavens mandate. His Majesty is also pleased with their eradication."

"I am honored."

They were nice words, but that was exactly the reason why they made me tense up. Kind words at the start usually meant that bad news would follow.

"But along the way, there were some puzzling things that happened," he added.

Just like now.

The Crown Prince frowned slightly as if troubled and stroked his chin.

"From what I understood, you captured the leader of the Red Wave alive. According to the testimony of the Masked Unit members involved in the operation and the other prisoners, as well as investigating the leader's corpse, there were signs of being bound."

Yes, those signs of being bound were the issue. I wouldnt have confessed so easily if it werent for that. After all, Ive been caught because of it before.

The marks of being gagged would be gone with the head, but the signs of his body being tied with ropes or being forced to kneel usually remained on the clothes. Trying to erase those marks only made them more conspicuous. These facts were something I didnt know in the past.

"Yes, Your Highness. We did capture the leader, but he was killed during the interrogation."

The Crown Prince's frown deepened at my straightforward acknowledgment, but he offered no further comment.

He already knew that I had turned the prisoner into a corpse. This process was just to formalize my accountability.

"I don't believe you acted without reason. There must have been a cause."

After a brief silence, the Crown Prince continued in a positive tone. However, I couldnt let my guard down yet. Based on my past experiences, his mood could shift unexpectedly.

"Werent all the key officers captured? While losing the leader is regrettable, he wasnt crucial to our efforts."

I almost nodded in agreement. It was indeed true. With the entire leadership in custody, the downfall of the Red Wave was certain. And since there were other high-ranking members available, there were plenty of sources for information.

"Considering the Executive Managers achievements, this incident cant exactly be called a mistake."

Hearing these positive signals, I started hoping. Could it be that he was actually forgiving me? This didnt seem like a setup for a plot twist but genuine leniency.

Mirroring my expectations, the Crown Prince didn't say a negative word throughout his speech. If he had done this with a smile, I would have been more anxious. But his face, tired and annoyed, made his words more convincing.

It was true that I trolled, but his expression suggested that he'd overlook it in consideration of my loyal service. It seemed like a one-time pass.

"Still, try to restrain yourself in the future. Killing in combat is one thing, but executing prisoners without proper procedure is problematic."

"Yes, Your Highness. I will bear that in mind."

I bowed deeply to the Crown Prince, who sighed again.

'I made it.'

Fortunately, it ended with a verbal warning. Since there was no need to write a report, I wouldnt be facing imprisonment.

Besides, whats so wrong about killing a traitorous bastard when hes going to be killed later anyway?

Indeed. His Highness is great, wise, and merciful. He handled the matter with an open mind and didnt get caught up in the details.

'I made the right choice in coming here.'

I only told the academy I'd be away, just in case. It would be awkward and embarrassing to simply return after I'd announced possible imprisonment.

It was a sound decision. I trusted in the Crown Prince's mercy and made a smart choice

"Youll be imprisoned for just five days."

What...?

"Pardon?"

Did I hear that wrong?

***

My head throbbed. The slight headache that had been lingering since yesterday became even more intense.

"Pardon?"

And it became even worse because the cause of that headache was standing right in front of me.

'To mess up this quickly.'

How could he land himself in this situation not long after being disciplined? At this rate, it was almost impressive. Perhaps the Executive Manager was a civil servant who loved being penalized more than anyone else?

I knew it was unlikely, but that thought crossed my mind because this situation wouldnt make sense if not for that. Even the Minister of Finance, who set a record in disciplinary history, wasnt this notorious.

'Imprisoned at 21.'

It was almost laughable. Which would be more surprising? Becoming an Executive Manager at 19 or being imprisoned at 21? It was so close that it was rather hard to choose.

"Your Highness, when you said five days, you meant...?"

"Imprisonment."

I spoke firmly to the Executive Manager, who spoke tentatively.

The situation itself was minor. As I had mentioned before, the other officers were captured. And considering the merit of subduing the Red Wave, killing the leader was not a big deal. It wasnt as if he was released intentionally.

The only reason why he was given disciplinary action was because he executed a prisoner without authorization. And that could have been resolved with just a report

'But theres a buildup.'

The case itself warranted just a report. However, the Executive Manager had written too many reports already, and this new one was the final piece that led to his imprisonment.

It was inevitable. As long as a report was the minimum disciplinary action, imprisonment couldn't be avoided. Besides, excusing even the writing of a report would give the impression that the empire took the killing of prisoners lightly.

"Your Highness, what about the academy during these five days?"

"What can we do about it? Well have to trust and leave it to the principal."

Seeing the Executive Managers trembling eyes nearly me laugh again. I also found it uncomfortable to send the Executive Manager out of the academy.

That was why I previously allowed him to stay at the academy while he was on probation. However, imprisonment allowed no such leniency.

"Civil servants who have sinned should be confined underground for self-reflection."

The system established by the previous emperor was hard to tamper with. This was especially true regarding the laws about imprisonment, which were laid down by the first emperor, Amanca the Great.

He specifically decreed confinement 'underground,' making alternatives like 'academy imprisonment' unfeasible.

'Theres no way around it.'

Unless we moved the capital to the academy or created an underground prison underneath the academy, which would be absurd, there was no alternative.

The only solution was to put the Executive Manager in jail.

"Still, dont worry too much. I know that the Executive Managers crime is minor."

That was why I had specially arranged for him to be in the largest single cell.

I even ordered an upgrade of the furniture to ensure his comfort.

Of course, my attempts at consolation didnt improve the Executive Managers expression.

In the first place, why did you have to kill a prisoner and cause this mess?

***

Flashbacks raced through my mind.

How did you manage to get imprisoned? I thought you needed to write about forty reports.

That was my genuine reaction when the Minister was imprisoned in the past.

This was definitely my accumulated karma.

'Im going mad.'

No matter how much karma there was, facing it head-on made acceptance difficult. And so, I tried to argue as much as possible.

"Your Highness, isnt imprisonment too harsh?"

"The punishment for this incident shouldve been a report."

But his retort that I was the one who piled up all those reports left me speechless.

Right. I brought this on myself...

'What now?'

Now that my imprisonment was certain, the concerns I tried to avoid came flooding in.

The academy, which would be left without me for five days? The managers, whod be dying of laughter upon hearing the news? Or the Minister, who would be coming to gloat over my downfall?

There was something more serious than all that.

Carl. No matter what happens, Im on your side.

I was more worried about the moment when Marghetta heard about my imprisonment.

'Shit.'

The thought of her tearful face filled me with guilt.

I think Im going crazy. What the fuck should I do?