Faintly, Suddenly (6)

The mornings at Dowon were always noisy.

This was because it's the time when the work that had accumulated overnight began to be distributed to each branch, making it busier.

"Is this enough for the order of goods from outside?"

"Yes, please go ahead with this."

They regulated the volume of goods coming in from outside, managed everything from taxes to land and labor, and even addressed complaints from various martial arts sects.

From the office window, observing the wrinkled faces of the tree people heading to work, one could glean something.

That the work here was uniquely complicated and demanding.

This was because the building where the work needed to be done was located at the very top of Dowon, forcing one to climb the mountain right after waking up early in the morning, which was also a common complaint.

"...Sigh."

And all the work happening in Dowon.

A woman named Hongyeon had been the sole person in charge, bearing it all alone until now.

-Thud.

The door closed, and Hongyeon leaned over her desk.

On her desk, there was a nameplate that read 'Sect Leader'.

"Sect Leader my ass…"

The leader of the demon sect, only flashy on the outside.

In the past, being a Sect Leader was said to be a position where one could live loudly and comfortably, but at least in Dowon, that saying didn't apply.

Even Hongyeon was so overworked that she didn't have a moment to spare.

'…It's hard.'

Honestly, she's tired now.

It seemed like she felt this way more these days because of her injury.

'That insolent guy... It would be nice if he was alright since he started working anyway.'

The second successor.

A man known both as a Blood Demon and a Young Demon.

Rubbing her once broken nose, Hongyeon frowned.

The more she thought about that man, the angrier she got, but honestly, she's desperate enough to even want to borrow his help right now.

'After all, there's too much to handle here.'

There were various reasons for the overwhelming workload, but fundamentally, it stemmed from Dowon being excessively conservative.

A society that still couldn't embrace something as commonplace as a smartphone.

In such an anachronistic setting, maintaining exchanges with the outside world was challenging, not to mention the excessive consumption of valuable manpower in the process.

Moreover, most residents of Dowon lacked basic education, rendering them incapable of properly handling tasks even after being briefed.

'Why can't they even memorize a small book, really?'

This issue existed elsewhere, but how much more so in Dowon, which prided itself on its ancient traditions?

The world was evolving over time, yet not everyone was on board with such radical changes.

Efforts to economize by purchasing factory-made swords were met with resistance because, traditionally, training swords had to be handcrafted by artisans.

Attempts to introduce magical construction tools were rebuffed with the declaration that sorcery-like magic was absolutely forbidden.

It's questionable whether the elders realized the amount of money spent on restoring the buildings their disciples destroyed.

'Is there no one capable of working efficiently, speaking foreign languages, teaching the subjects of other families internally, and being trusted with external tasks?'

Hongyeon was in search of such an ideal individual.

However, it seemed unlikely.

-Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

-Creeak.

The door opened, and a man stepped inside.

He had distinctive features and hair that appeared stylish despite its disarray.

Upon seeing him, Hongyeon thought, as she did upon their first meeting, that he was naturally suited for business.

"Have you memorized everything I told you yesterday?"

Upon seeing the man, Hongyeon immediately inquired about the assignment she had given him the day before.

In reality, memorizing all that information in just one day was nearly impossible.

Normally, it would take about a week of intensive instruction for the average person to be capable of performing their job.

Still, assigning him the task was partly to test his diligence.

"I memorized it."

The words tumbled from the man's mouth.

"Of course, it would be… Wait, what?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected reply, Hongyeon couldn't hide her astonishment.

"I memorized it. It's not perfect, though."

"Are you bluffing right now?"

Seeing his serious demeanor, she believed he wasn't lying, but it hardly mattered.

After all, truly understanding something requires firsthand experience and practice.

"Do you think I'd bluff about running a country? I stayed up all night memorizing it."

Hongyeon sighed and placed the pen she was holding back into its holder.

"It's good that you know. I just hope it doesn't all fall apart in three days."

"What should I start with?"

"We'll begin with an inspection of Dowon's lower district. Just follow me and observe from behind for now."

"That sounds easy."

His demeanor always seemed so carefree it bordered on unsettling.

It was a stark contrast to the intense fervor he displayed in battle.

Suppressing the unease that lingered from their sparring sessions, Hongyeon stood up and took the lead.

"Follow me. Oh, but before that."

Pausing in front of the door, Hongyeon offered a piece of advice just before opening it.

"…Use honorifics outside."

"Yeah."

Such a carefree individual to the very end.

No matter how she thought about it, he was a man she found difficult to warm up to.

I followed the Sect Leader and underwent training for the tasks I would be overseeing.

Managing a city, no matter its size, came with its unique challenges.

At first glance, Dowon was riddled with issues.

The directives from the top failed to trickle down effectively, creating numerous gaps in the established regulations.

Despite these gaps, it was overwhelming to address multiple issues simultaneously without a proper audit system.

'Of course, if the area being managed is small, there's no need for separate institutions.'

The central administration, namely the large building in Dowon.

In the old days, managing things through just that was enough.

Though Dowon spanned an entire mountain range, it essentially operates like a giant village.

'But this is the modern era.'

Just estimating and saying, 'You earned this much, so we'll take about this much in taxes.'

Dowon wasn't chaotic, but there's no specific law that's applied differently to each class for tax imposition and exemption.

The procurement of materials for the system Dowon operated varied with each person in charge.

The statistics used as data honestly couldn't be considered as prepared by an expert.

'Education, labor, transportation, etc… It's hard to tell if I'm living in the medieval times or the modern era.'

I didn't know what the old martial world was like.

But from what I've seen, the past martial world wasn't as disorganized as this.

"Do you roughly understand?"

After looking around everything and then turning to look at me standing behind her, Hongyeon asked.

I roughly understand the level here.

There were still many parts I haven't grasped, so it's hard to rashly interfere.

I honestly asked Hongyeon.

"I did some personal investigation, but isn't this too much of a mess?"

I know it's rude for an outsider to say, but why would I care?

After all, I was someone who's been called the Young Demon, and my people lived in this village.

"As soon as we're alone, you're back to informal speech… Anyway, why do you think that?"

I told her about what I had personally investigated about Dowon and the loopholes in the management system of Dowon that she mentioned, including what could be improved.

Of course, I couldn't point out everything perfectly.

I, too, was still learning. I quit halfway through university after all.

Though he wasn't much like a father, I learned by watching over his shoulder.

He definitely had the skills, and since he wanted me to follow in his footsteps, he passed down all kinds of know-how to me.

…I was so sick of management and politics that I just closed my ears to it.

I had no idea it would turn out like this.

"What I know is theoretical, but I'm not a novice."

It's just the basics.

This was something anyone can think of, and it's a level that could be judged with what's taught in high school.

Institutions were created to operate within the framework of a nation.

Even something small to replace them was different from having nothing at all.

So, I made sure to emphasize the necessity.

"Your words are correct. I'm aware of that."

Hongyeon, her eyes wide in surprise at my unexpected knowledge, agreed with my opinion.

"…So you weren't just going around beating people up."

"I'm not an expert, so filter it yourself. It's up to you as the leader to decide."

"Right, the problems are recognized but not fixed. Do you know why?"

"How would I know?"

"…"

"I've only been here less than a month. I guess I'll learn by doing."

Knowing the basics was one thing, but having and lacking that knowledge are qualitatively different.

The reason he had me learn these things wasn't to work in this field but as a kind of training to broaden my perspective.

[That's right.]

Suddenly, the World Tree of Time spoke to me.

'You're here now?'

[It does take some time, and it uses a lot of magic. Seeing the connection break every time I train… It seems I need to take in a lot more magic.]

'Go ahead. My magic has been increasing lately, so it should be okay.'

[Thank you. But, did you also know about such fields of knowledge?]

I didn't know in detail.

What's important for a politician was not handling taxes but mastering the art of survival in the political arena.

Yet, knowledge always becomes a person's strength.

Indeed, the way Hongyeon looked at me had changed significantly from before.

"Right… It seems there's a mountain of things to fix here, just as you said. But there are too many problems. The elders interfere with everything and only say no… The Heavenly Demon is… not trying to get involved in this issue. That's why it's harder."

Without the Heavenly Demon, who was virtually an absolute monarch, moving, how could reforming the system be easy?

Hongyeon sighed as she recalled the reality, then suddenly looked at me curiously.

"But why are you suddenly trying to help us?"

Hongyeon's tone, which had initially warned me not to interfere, had changed.

"You're called the Young Demon, but you're not the first successor. Were you trying to win my favor?"

"If that were the case, would I have beaten you up so badly?"

Startled, Hongyeon bit her lip and was at a loss for words.

"I'm curious about Dowon, and well, if things go well, it'd be good for Baekdo and Hwangdo."

"Are you talking about the children of the Heavenly Demon?"

"Yeah."

I left out Cheondo's story. It seemed to be a secret from her that Cheondo was the actual Young Demon.

"Why those kids?"

"Why so many questions?"

"…Sorry."

"It's nothing big. I just happened to meet them and thought it'd be nice if they grew up well."

It's a place I would be leaving.

Even if my traces might faintly remain, I wanted to thoroughly handle everything my hands passed over. Who knows, maybe my actions could prevent Dowon's future downfall.

[That won't happen.]

The World Tree chimed in on my thoughts.

'Just in case. Just in case.'

[Hope knows but…]

How long could I actually stay in this world?

[In terms of real-world time, not long, but in this world's terms, about three months.]

Three months. It's both long and short.

But it's enough time to leave my mark.

"Do you hope they grow up well? Is that all?"

"Then what, you want me to smash everything?"

"No, um, sorry. I must have misunderstood you."

If she misunderstood, that means she had been thinking that way before. This woman.

Hongyeon awkwardly glanced at me then bowed her head.

It was a markedly different demeanor from when we first met.

"Anyway, now that I've taught you everything. If you have questions later, answer them well. I'm curious about a lot of things."

"If it's about management, I'll help as much as I can."

For the first time since meeting me, Hongyeon showed a satisfied expression.

Win-win. Would that be the appropriate term?

Now that I knew the past wouldn't change, there's nothing to hide or worry about.

Whether I made enemies or increased allies, I just needed to do what benefits me.

But for this place where Cheondo, Baekdo, and Hwangdo were, I hoped it would fare a little better.

Even if Dowon disappeared in the future, I hoped it would remain in their memories as a happy homeland over time.

This was their cradle.

I hoped it's a place that would bring a smile to their faces whenever they think of it.

If the three of them are happy, I am too.

'So.'

I planned to do everything I could.