Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

Right after Young Master left—I planned to start deciphering all the stone tablets in the mansion.I was confident.I had done it countless times in my past lives, and recently, I had even received top-tier education by learning from Young Master.But the process… was much harder than I expected.[ …What am I even looking at right now? ]The duke had warned me this would be difficult, but this was on another level.The inscriptions looked like some kind of joke—just random scribbles with no clear structure.Even when I managed to decipher a part, looking at it again made it seem like it had an entirely different meaning.The content itself was vague and deliberately obscured.‘Seriously, what kind of grudge did King William I and the first duke even have for this mess…?!’I wasn’t the only one struggling. The other archaeologists weren’t faring any better.And worse than the inscriptions themselves was the internal conflict.Since the texts were a disaster, even the most renowned scholars naturally had differing interpretations.But their egos were as big as their knowledge.Arguments broke out constantly, each insisting their theory was correct.[ Everyone, calm down!!! ]But no one listened to a newcomer like me.Watching them argue, my frustration grew.Young Master was out there, risking his life to fulfill the duke’s command.We didn’t have time for petty debates about who was right or wrong.[ If you all keep this up… ]Growing impatient, I abandoned my polite approach.[ I’ll report every single one of you to Duke Denkart. ]The duke’s power was truly terrifying.Just mentioning his name made the entire room fall silent.…Huh? This actually worked?Maybe it was because I had entered with the duke and even spoke with him that they saw me as someone trustworthy.…Well, I guess the duke could be useful sometimes.That was a new realization. Maybe I could use this more often.With things settled, I took my time listening to and organizing everyone’s opinions.Then, I grouped together those with similar ideas to work on the texts collaboratively and later merged their findings.Once they were put into teams with like-minded colleagues, no one objected anymore. The noise died down significantly.Before I knew it… I had somehow become the leader of this underground operation.[ Let’s have Lobel take charge. ][ I agree. ]

It happened on a night when I was receiving my usual last-place turn for food distribution.I turned around after hearing some strange murmuring behind me.A group of scholars, eating together in small clusters, were smiling at me with suspiciously satisfied expressions.[ Lobel, from now on, you’ll be the overall supervisor. ][ …Me? ][ Yes. You’ve been working the hardest. ]At that, everyone who had finished eating nodded in agreement.Sure, becoming the lead meant better pay, but I hated extra work.Brushing off the chalk dust from my bread, I tried to reject the offer.[ No, thanks. I’m not the only one working hard. You all practically live down here too. ]Yes, I had taken on more responsibilities after the previous supervisor collapsed from overwork, but technically, this wasn’t my job.When I politely declined, an elderly scholar with a long, graying beard looked at me with what I first mistook as trust—but no, it was an absolutely overwhelming burden of expectations.[ But you’ve been so dedicated, barely even taking bathroom breaks! The other day, you even wet your—!!! ][ Your eyesight must be going bad from being underground so long. I dropped my water bottle because my arm went numb! ]But no one, including that old man, listened to my explanation. They just chewed on their bread and my words at the same time.Why wouldn’t they believe me?!Then again, thinking about it, having an official title might not be a bad idea.Some people here still looked down on me because I was the youngest.[ Fine. ]By the time I finished my bread, I had accepted the role, and even the ones who had disregarded me earlier now followed my lead.Surprisingly, work went much more smoothly after that.And soon, we started seeing real progress.We managed to decipher over half the stone tablets.Through our findings, we identified the location where the curse could be broken and discovered some of the necessary materials.But Young Master was even faster than us.Amazingly, he deciphered all the stone tablets at his base within just a year.At the time, I felt unbearably guilty——but I was also excited, thinking he would return right away.I was so thrilled that I kept grinning in the middle of work, to the point where the other scholars whispered among themselves, wondering if I had finally lost my mind.But I didn’t care. I missed him. I wanted to see him.Yet, strangely, Young Master didn’t return like I had expected.I waited and waited, but when I couldn’t take it anymore, I stormed into the duke’s office and demanded answers.His response was unbearably cold.[ He won’t be coming back. ][ Why not?! I heard he already deciphered the tablets and secured the resources he originally went for… Did you threaten him into staying longer?! How could you do something so underhanded and dishonorable?! ]The more I spoke, the more suspicious I became, so I directly confronted him.The duke narrowed his elegant eyes in displeasure.And without bothering to explain, he kicked me out of his office.But I soon learned the reason from news spreading through the capital.Young Master, who had stayed behind, was making a remarkable impact, as if he had planned it all along.Perhaps he had fully awakened the power of the spirits—The polluted soil of the northern lands had healed, the dried-up forests had come back to life, and rich, mystical resources were flowing into the capital.Not only that, but Young Master had established a new trade route, making resource transportation to the capital twice as fast as before.Among those resources were rare spices and minerals that the imperial family and countless nobles had long desired but could never preserve properly—until now.His success was beyond anyone’s expectations.People who didn’t understand his bloodline’s unique traits praised him, calling it a divine miracle.And yet, Young Master didn’t stop there.He even aimed to resolve Terua’s long-standing barbarian problem once and for all.[ At first, the barbarians’ attacks put everyone in danger. But after just a few years, Lord Edric completely mapped out the region, and now the tides have fully turned in our favor! ][ That’s not the point right now! So—you’re saying he’s not hurt anywhere, right?! ]The knight, who had just returned from the north to report, looked utterly bewildered by my sudden outburst.His gaze flickered between my robe-clad self and the duke seated beside me before he hesitantly answered.[ …Of course. It won’t be long before we take their main stronghold. ][ Whew… That’s a relief. Denean, in that case, send more ships along the new trade route to provide additional support. Got it? ][ That is a decision for the Duke to— ][ Oh, come on. Look at the Duke’s face. That’s clearly an ‘I approve’ expression. ][ … ][ … ]Anyway, his unprecedented achievements became the talk of the capital for years.The people who once whispered about him being a bastard child? They all shut up.Even the emperor, who had been wary of Denkart, seemed to lower his suspicions slightly.In fact, in recognition of Young Master’s contributions, the emperor granted him a new territory and castle as a reward.At first, I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t returned yet, but then I realized—‘He was thinking far ahead… even more than me.’While I had been worrying, Young Master had grown into someone far more incredible than I could have imagined.So, I couldn’t just sit around.I had to match his efforts.Fueled by that thought, I threw myself into my work with renewed passion.And because of that—The task that once seemed impossible to complete in a lifetime was now nearing its end.And that time was now.“Cut it loose!”It was exactly one month before Young Master’s return.At my command, the scholars raised their daggers and approached the massive stone tablet.Their faces were filled with determination.With practiced hands, they sliced through the ropes that had held the stone tablet in place.By now, they had done this hundreds, if not thousands of times.There was even a hint of pent-up frustration in their movements.I made sure everyone had moved to a safe distance, then covered my mouth with my sleeve.Soon, the last rope was severed, and the stone tablet slowly began to tip over.THUD!The ground shook from the impact, sending up a cloud of dust.Coughing fits broke out, but they were quickly drowned out by booming laughter.“Finally, FINALLY!”“Hahaha! It’s really over! It’s OVER!”Some threw their parchments and daggers into the air in celebration.Others collapsed onto the ground, sobbing openly.I, too, felt overwhelmed.‘…We actually did it.’I took off my glasses and rubbed my stinging eyes.I couldn’t even put my emotions into words.More than anything, I realized just how much time had passed since Young Master had first helped me.‘But… at least I wasn’t too late.’