Even though it's called a palace, my workplace has none of the characteristics of one.

The building itself is functional with little decoration, and the people working here wear suits. I thought they'd be wearing attire more fitting for a palace, but outside of ceremonies, it's just regular suits.

The palace houses numerous departments.

Is there anyone who actually understands all of them? That's what people say, and in reality, many don't even understand what kind of work they're doing.

I was at my desk, slowly processing today's work, adjusting my pace so I could leave on time.

Working seriously seems foolish, and I'm not even sure what my own job entails.

It feels like I'm being shown one small part of the whole and told to process it.

I can't even imagine the full picture.

It's called an elite department, but in reality, it's just a gathering of people who don't even know what they're doing.

"It's a department that's all for show, nothing more."

There's a story that goes like this.

A serious and brilliant man worked at the palace until his retirement. The day he was to retire finally came.

Summoned by his superior and praised for his service, the man said there was just one thing he wanted to ask.

What do you think he asked? "What exactly was the work I've been doing all this time?"

He had done the work assigned to him, but he had no understanding of what it was for.

Even being serious and brilliant, he couldn't grasp the whole picture. And the funny part is his superior's reply. The superior said, "I don't know either."

Is this a comedy sketch?!

"An AI would definitely be more efficient."

It feels like they're just making people do pointless work.

It feels like such a waste of talented people that I can't help but think about what I would do with those resources.

Anyone serving at the palace is, by definition, talented.

It means they possess something—ability, connections, power, wealth.

Some people look down on connections, but that's a mistake.

Connections are power.

I wouldn't hesitate to use them, but unfortunately, the Banfield family had no connections thanks to what my parents and grandparents did.

As a result, I'm in the middle of building my own network from scratch.

They're a truly infuriating bunch.

As I was leisurely working, Marion came over with a drink.

"You're so diligent, Liam-senpai."

I returned his sarcastic remark with a joke.

"I know, right? It's just that everyone else is so lazy that I look diligent by comparison."

The nobles around us were lazing about without doing any work. The proper civil servants were processing massive amounts of work, but right next to them, others had been discussing where to go have fun since the morning.

I took the drink from Marion.

"What about your work?"

"I've finished it."

"If you finish too quickly, the boss will just bring you more work."

Or maybe others would ask for help—no, that won't happen. No one here would ask a noble for help.

It might happen if there's a huge gap in ability, but they'd sooner use the people who were hired for their skills.

I plan to use them myself.

"The boss is too scared of you, Liam-senpai, to even come out of his room. I heard about it. You wiped out your superior and his superior during your training, didn't you?"

"It was their fault for trying to work me like a dog."

"—Are you planning to do the same thing here? The boss is connected to His Highness Calvin's faction, and everyone thinks you're going to do something."

There's a reason my assigned department is full of people from Calvin's faction.

Cleo's faction has many members from the provinces, so they have few civil servants within the palace.

Because of that, I couldn't get into a department controlled by Cleo's faction.

I wanted to be in a department with my own faction members to make my life easier, but Cleo's faction is so short on civil servants that it wasn't possible.

I needed to take action to expand our influence within the palace as well.

"If they defy me, I'll crush them. If they obey, I'll dote on them."

"I'm not so sure about that statement. It sounds rather suggestive."

My boss is a middle-aged man with a potbelly.

He could easily get slim using an education capsule or various other technologies, but he doesn't. There are quite a few people who find even that to be too much of a hassle.

You know how some people don't care about their appearance? In the same vein, some people don't bother altering their looks.

My boss is that type.

Saying I'd dote on a boss like that was indeed a slip of the tongue.

"If they obey, I'll work them to the bone."

When I rephrased it, Marion smiled.

"That's better. Anyway, you have to come out with me tonight. Won't you go for a drink?"

Rather than inviting his peers, he probably thinks he should just leech off his superiors and seniors.

Well, in his case, getting close to someone with the power to save his family is his top priority, more so than work relationships, so it can't be helped.

As we were talking, Randy's voice echoed through the room.

"Are you saying you have a problem with my work?!"

"M-My sincerest apologies! B-But, if you do not correct this, Lord Randy, the application will not be approved. Please, I beg of you!"

"Hmph, how irritating."

It seemed Randy had made a mistake on some paperwork.

However, the one apologizing profusely was Randy's senior mentor.

He'd worked in this department for decades and achieved results, but his luck ran out when he was chosen to be Randy's mentor.

Randy, the newcomer, acts all high and mighty, while his seniors are forced to walk on eggshells.

The reason talented people don't flee a workplace like this is because being an official on the capital planet is a status symbol.

People around them praise them as 'Mr. Official.' Many don't want to let go of that position, so they cling to a workplace like this.

Marion shrugged his shoulders.

"Randy-san is in a bad mood again today."

Shouldn't nobles be segregated? No, wait, maybe—maybe this place is the segregation zone?

◇

Near the building where Liam worked, there was another building where officials worked.

Different departments were housed in different buildings.

Even within the same department, different sections got new buildings.

An interstellar nation is so vast that it tends to become sloppy.

Rosetta was working in such a place.

The difference between her and Liam was that she was firmly surrounded by her entourage.

After Rosetta finished her morning work, two of her female followers approached her.

"Lady Rosetta, it is time for lunch. We have a reservation at a nearby restaurant today."

"Oh, is that so? Did you invite my darling as well?"

"It seems Lord Liam is unable to come."

"I see. That's a shame, but it can't be helped."

As Rosetta stood up from her seat, a senior colleague chose that exact moment to call out to her. The woman, dressed in a flashy suit, was accompanied by six followers of her own.

The gaze she directed at Rosetta was not a friendly one.

"My, my, a newcomer rushing off to break first. It seems you have no manners."

The woman, hiding her mouth with a decorated fan, was the daughter of a noble belonging to Calvin's faction.

Even after her training period ended, she remained at the workplace and continued to serve.

The serious bureaucrats around them looked annoyed, but Rosetta's department was predominantly female.

Because there were many women of high standing, a workplace was prepared that excluded men as much as possible.

In fact, Rosetta's floor was off-limits to men.

If one were to try to enter without permission, they would be cut down by the knights guarding the elevator.

It was a workplace with a reputation for being a safe place to entrust one's daughters—but it was controlled by Calvin's faction.

For Rosetta, it was like being sent into enemy territory.

"This is the first I've heard of such a rule of etiquette. Perhaps you should refrain from imposing your own personal rules on others?"

However, Rosetta replied with a smile.

If she were to be discouraged by this kind of bullying, the road ahead would be difficult.

"—Oh, listen to you. Are you feeling secure because your precious fiancé is nearby? You have few allies here, you know."

The other woman folded her fan and pointed it at Rosetta's chest.

The reactions of those around them varied.

Some averted their eyes.

Some watched the exchange with smirks on their faces.

Others observed them carefully.

The old Rosetta might have faltered, but things were different now.

"That is a shame. Come, you two, let's go for lunch."

Taking her two followers with her, Rosetta left the workplace.

The other woman glared at her retreating back.

Once Rosetta was out of sight, she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"What is with that attitude! Who does she think I am!"

She yelled loud enough for Rosetta to hear.

Out in the hallway, Rosetta's followers asked her with concern.

"Lady Rosetta, was it wise to provoke her?"

"That was hardly a provocation. Her boiling point is just too low. More importantly, shall we contact Lady Eulisia?"

On the surface, Rosetta had only two allies, but Eulisia had also been called in to provide support.

◇

Around that time.

Eulisia was in a hotel room, busily working at a desk.

Numerous screens were projected in the air, each displaying different information.

One was for the document screening of Rosetta's Royal Guard selection.

Another was a screen for ordering equipment for the fleet.

It wasn't a workload one person could normally handle, but Eulisia—was competent.

She's usually forgotten, but she's a capable woman.

She was handling various other tasks by herself, and one of the screens displayed internal information about Rosetta's workplace.

She was investigating various things on the side.

"Ah, a workplace full of troublesome women is a problem in itself."

A workplace where noblewomen gathered was fraught with trouble due to their special positions.

Feuds between families, their own personal standings.

For various reasons, conflicts and alliances were formed, and they shifted daily.

Rosetta's position, as the fiancée of Liam, the head of the Cleo faction, was quite precarious.

"Lady Rosetta's workload is quite large. The amount of pointless work is increasing in a very deliberate way."

While checking the workplace information, Eulisia sorted through the tasks.

Mixed in with the necessary work was simple harassment.

"This and this are unnecessary, and this is necessary. Ah, this document has been tampered with, so I should probably contact them to have it corrected."

Six screens were being processed at a tremendous speed.

Coming to Eulisia's room was Ciel, Rosetta's personal attendant.

It seemed she had brought a meal.

"Lady Eulisia, I've brought you a meal."

"Ah, just put it over there. I'll eat it when I'm done."

She replied to Ciel with her eyes fixed on the screens.

Ciel posed a question to Eulisia.

"So you were competent after all, Lady Eulisia."

Eulisia's hands stopped, but several of the screens, controlled by her thoughts, continued to process information.

Turning around, Eulisia looked at Ciel's face.

"Huh? What do you mean by that? I was personally scouted by Lord Liam, you know. Being competent is a prerequisite."

In the first place, being chosen as the adjutant to a noble heir was a privilege granted only to those who had won a fierce competition.

An incompetent person would never become an adjutant unless they were exceptionally favored.

"I only had the impression that you were always living extravagantly."

"Th-That's because I never have any orders."

It seemed her usual lifestyle was so bad that Ciel had thought her incompetent.

Ciel's gaze turned to the screen Eulisia was checking, the one for Rosetta's knight selection.

"Um! For Lady Rosetta's knights, I believe diligence is more important than ability! I think it would be better to gather people who are serious and will not tolerate injustice!"

Eulisia reached for the meal Ciel had brought.

As she ate a sandwich, various thoughts ran through her mind.

(This girl is quite vocal about the formation. Is it because her family is from a line of military officers? Well, I do agree with prioritizing character over ability.)

In the first place, Eulisia wasn't looking for ability in Rosetta's Royal Guard.

Rosetta's goal was to rescue impoverished knightly houses.

Because she had suffered herself, her primary desire was to save knights who were also struggling.

"I don't mind, but if you interfere too much, it will become a problem."

If Liam were to think that Ciel was using Rosetta to acquire her own private forces, she couldn't complain even if she were executed.

Even at this important time, causing trouble with Ciel's family, the Barony of Exner, would be of no consequence to Liam.

After all, the Exner Barony was a house under Liam's protection.

Cutting them off would just be one less problem to deal with.

"The knights of the Banfield family are too strong-willed. We should gather knights who are ordinary but serious."

Eulisia agreed with those words.

Unlike Tia, Marie, and the other talented but problematic knights, knights who were ordinary in ability but serious were easier to handle.

"I agree with that opinion, but the selection process was already focused on character over ability, so you don't need to worry."

Rosetta's goal was also rescue, so she hadn't placed any importance on ability.

Ciel showed a look of relief upon hearing this.

Eulisia saw that expression and understood.

(She must have known Lady Rosetta's policy, so she came to check if I was doing anything unnecessary, I suppose? —This girl is more trouble than I thought. I should probably report this to Lord Liam.)

Feeling that Ciel was a danger, Eulisia decided to report this fact to Liam.

Brian (｀・ω・´)ゞ "This Brian will also do his best to promote it! Tomorrow is the release of 'I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 01', which chronicles Lord Liam's great achievements!"

Brian (´；ω；｀) "We started by promoting other works, and now we've reached the point where we can promote our own. This is all thanks to you, our readers. I am truly grateful."

Wakagi-chan (#・言・) "...I will be resurrected as many times as it takes."