Fortunately, these papers were indeed reports regarding the magical beasts.
On one side of the parchment, there were drawings of hideous monsters that had allegedly plagued the fiefs—a bizarre creature with the head of a lion, snakes writhing in its mane, and legs covered in reptile scales.
Wait, hold on a second.
Isn’t this exact monster identical to the gate monster from the data sheet the Gate Management Team gave me just the other day?
It looked precisely like the one classified as No. 382, a Fire-Resistant Type.
Were the magical beasts in ‘The Emperor’s Cage’ actually the same as our gate monsters?
My mind raced through the implications, but the immediate conclusion was singular: brute force reigns supreme in this world as well.
Monsters emerging from a Gate Break had once caused hundreds of casualties back home.
372 dead and 721 injured.
That was the devastating toll inflicted by just three monsters in a mere single hour in downtown Seoul, which had been completely unprepared for a gate.
South Korea only managed to keep the casualties of the world’s first Gate Break relatively low because its defense infrastructure and emergency shelters were well-established for wartime readiness.
‘Back at the Bureau, I made sure to establish connections with high-ranking hunters for a reason!’
Sticking close to the powerful was the best way for an ordinary citizen like me to boost their survival rate.
You couldn’t defeat a gate monster just by being fit, after all.
And in the novel, Emperor Leonel, who wiped out hordes of magical beasts single-handedly, possessed an overwhelmingly lethal level of power.
Yes, he was a man of sheer martial force and solid muscle, the absolute apex predator whom a fragile man like Lucian couldn’t possibly escape.
‘Step one: identify the strong and make friends.’
Putting that plan on the back burner for now, I needed to focus on organizing this data.
If I did an exceptional job and earned the recognition of the strongest man in this universe, my chances of survival would skyrocket.
I desperately craved my laptop and Excel, but obviously, no such things existed here.
Left with no choice, I had to build an analog spreadsheet from scratch.
I began rummaging through the mountains of paperwork in search of blank parchment.
Fortunately, I managed to find some clean sheets in a drawer on one side of the office.
‘Suitable size paper acquired.’
From this moment on, this paper was going to be my spreadsheet.
Sorting through data manually was bound to be a monumental task.
I slowly began to feel a surge of irritation toward my past self for eagerly volunteering to do work back in the council chamber just to stay alive.
I began sketching out data tables onto the paper.
The real work was only just beginning, though I hadn’t realized back then exactly how backbreaking a hand-drawn, analog spreadsheet could be.
‘…It’s finally over!’
By the time I finished sorting, classifying, and grouping the mountains of documents by category, the sun had completely set.
Aside from the magical beast subjugation files, I had consolidated scattered records of merchant entry logs, regional tax payments, and more.
I arranged them chronologically and by fief name, presenting the data cleanly with compiled tables and graphs.
Through this, I also discovered that the fiefs had been completely miscalculating their damage costs.
‘Well, three years of corporate experience isn’t just for show.’
What truly amazed me was that the Emperor hadn’t shifted from his seat even once while I was working.
Aside from occasionally summoning an attendant to issue brief orders, he never left the office for a single moment.
What gives?
The novel called him a ruthless tyrant who practically emptied the imperial treasury for Lucian.
Was he actually a perfectly normal, diligent worker when not blinded by a world-shattering beauty?
At any rate, I gathered the neatly organized stacks of documents and set them down on his desk.
His eyes, which had been fixed solely on his own paperwork, finally lifted toward me.
“I have completed all the requested tasks. The first page of each stack contains a summary of the respective documents. Shall I briefly walk you through the compiled data?”
“……”
“Um, Your Majesty…?”
“A moment.”
The Emperor picked up one of the bundles.
[Magical Beast Appearance Report by Fief]
My throat suddenly went dry.
I felt a familiar phantom anxiety creeping back, reminding me of my rookie days presenting a report to my team leader for the very first time.
Flip, flip.
The pages turned one after the other.
The only sound in the suffocating silence was the crisp rustling of parchment.
“What is the meaning of this content on the first page?”
The Emperor pointed directly at my hand-drawn spreadsheet table.
He was undoubtedly testing me to see if I actually understood the data I had written down!
“Ah, what you see there is a table summarizing the details of the reports. In the case of the Vielba Fief, they have three years of historical records for magical beast appearances, so I plotted the annual trend. However, as you can see, while the frequency of appearances steadily increased over the three years, the actual material damage calculated by the dispatched imperial officials consistently decreased over the same period.”
I spoke clearly, emphasizing every single word as I pointed my finger at the hand-drawn grid.
“The appearances occurred primarily in the outer forests rather than the heart of the fief, and the damage scale was minimized thanks to the swift deployment of the Imperial Subjugation Squad and the magic tools provided. Yet, as you can see right here, the financial compensation claimed from the Imperial Court continuously increased.”
“Is that so.”
The Emperor took the document closer and began reviewing the table meticulously.
It seemed he intended to cross-reference my summary with the original reports.
Once again, only the sound of turning pages filled the quiet room.
I knew I had verified everything accurately while writing, but a part of me still felt incredibly anxious that I might have made a careless typo.
Thud!
The sharp sound of the document bundle hitting the desk preceded the Emperor’s voice.
If there was a flaw or an error in the data, my head was as good as gone.
I bowed my head slightly, waiting for the verdict.
“You may leave.”
“Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. It was an honor to assist with your work.”
The crushing tension dissolved in an instant.
Whew, hopefully, he wouldn’t change his mind later.
Letting out a silent sigh of relief, I turned to exit the office.
“Ian Luces.”
“Yes?”
“I shall ask you once more. Do you truly have no intention of becoming an official of the Imperial Court?”
“…May I have some time to consider it before giving you my answer?”
“Very well, do so. I expect to hear your response in the near future.”
With the Emperor’s final words, the heavy office doors closed behind me.
Those piercing golden eyes remained fixed intently on me until the very last split second before the wood blocked his view.
Thud.
The closing of the door allowed me to finally pat my chest and catch my breath.
I had managed to leave a positive impression… right?
I desperately hoped my grueling labor wouldn’t go to waste.
‘Ugh, my eyes are so dry.’
I highly doubted a place like this had artificial teardrops.
What I wouldn’t give for some digestive medicine, vitamins, and regular pharmaceuticals right now.
No, actually, I don’t need them.
I am a young master of a ducal house; there is no way in hell I am ever going to work here again.
“Young Master Ian Luces, let me escort you back to your carriage.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
The attendant who had previously guided me to the waiting room and the office spoke to me again.
He had brown hair and bright, expressive hazel eyes.
He looked like an incredibly amiable person.
People with that kind of look were usually charmingly clever and exceptionally talented at sales.
“You must be terribly exhausted, aren’t you?”
“Ah, I’m quite alright.”
“Alright? You were inside that room for over eight hours…”
Had that much time really passed?
