Chapter 28 – Power Harassment in the Reference Room
Chapter 28 – Power Harassment in the Reference Room
Life at the church is surprisingly tough.
Especially mentally.
The plainclothes staff are ordinary citizens who come to assist the White Priests.
And when it comes to Black Priests, those plainclothes staff have the filthiest mouths imaginable.
I was told this was just organizing the reference room, but that’s not it at all…
Currently receiving my first taste of power harassment ever.
“Hey! Hurry the hell up!”
“I’m terribly sorry. I’ll bring it to you as soon as I find it, so please write your department and name here.”
“I’m telling you to get it now! Don’t you dare talk back to me, you little shrimp!”
Grr…
In this massive mountain of completely disorganized documents, how the hell am I supposed to find the budget proposal from three years ago right away?
And my height has nothing to do with it.
I started out organizing the documents by myself, but so many people kept coming to search for stuff that I ended up helping out of necessity, and now I’m basically the full-time reference room keeper.
Black Priests have zero human rights, apparently.
“Understood.”
If they’ve been stacking them up nonstop, then three years ago should be around here…
Maybe even further over?
Recent stuff is at least in boxes, but the old documents have been pulled out and shoved back so many times they’re a total disaster.
“What the hell’s taking so long?!”
Not yet.
Budget proposal. Budget proposal. Budget proposal. Budget proposal.
Budget proposal. Budget proposal. Budget proposal. Budget proposal.
Is this it?
For now, I grab everything from around here and bolt.
“Is this the one? Please check.”
“…”
The power harasser stared at it for a while, then demanded the two-year-old budget proposal too. I got pissed but ran off again.
That spot was three years ago, so around here is two years…
Ah! Up there, so high!
Laddder, ladder.
Budget proposal. Budget proposal.
Found it!
If the budget proposals have different colored paper on top, you could’ve said so sooner!
I leap off the ladder and sprint full tilt.
“Is this it? Please check.”
“O-Oh, yeah.”
I stagger forward, panting hard with hands on my knees as I hand over the budget proposal. The harasser backed away looking unnerved and left.
Hmph. Take that.
Clank.
“Last month’s monster damage report.”
“Yes.”
Last month? This one?
Last month’s documents are in just one box, but digging through it is going to take more time than I thought.
Darn. I lowballed the time estimate.
“Hey! I’m in a hurry here!”
“Yees! Just a moment~”
Not this one, not this…
No, no, not this. Not this either.
“Hey! Still?! If it’s gonna take time, say so up front!”
“Sorr~y! Just a bit longer~”
“Tch! Fucking Black Priests… Bring it later.”
“Which department should I deliv—”
Slam!
……
The door slammed shut, right?
Ahh… What do I do?
I should’ve asked for the department the moment I realized it’d take time.
I panicked so hard my brain just froze.
Aaaah, this is a total complaint magnet.
No, focus—report, report…
“The accounting reports for the First through Fifth Holy Knight Orders from the last two or three years. Make it nice.”
“…I’m sorry. I’ll bring them as soon as I find them, so please write your department and name here.”
“Make it nice” what…?
What even is a “nice” accounting report?
Day after day of unfamiliar work—scolded for mistakes, yelled at even when I don’t mess up.
Running around until my legs turn to lead.
I don’t get half the church jargon, and rushing cuts my hands on the paper. Worst.
Sob sob.
I wish the reference room would just burn down.
The guy with the monster damage report was furious, but he came back. Lucky break.
After dinner, free time until curfew.
I have fun at Grandfather’s house and, as usual, don’t want to head back to the church…
I want to live happily at Grandfather’s forever.
I want to escape reality. No, run away. Sprint off into the distance.
Kids my age are playing in the garden or going to classes, looking like they’re having a blast.
Sighhh…
“What’s up? Homesick or something? Hm?”
Heart-san picks me up and rocks me back and forth as I sigh, dreading the return trip.
Fufu. Heart-san is always so kind…
The townsfolk think Heart-san is an adventurer who’s always away and leaves his daughter at the church. I feel bad about the misunderstanding, but I’m grateful for it.
“I got assigned to the reference room, but I keep screwing up and getting yelled at. It was unmanned before, so don’t you think I’m pointless?”
I end up spoiling myself on Heart-san, venting with a bit of misplaced frustration.
“Hmm. How’d they handle it before? Did you ask someone?”
Before, everyone just did it themselves.
Now, even though they’re irritated, they’re holding back and leaving it to me.
That’s it—use your head, wield connections and info as weapons…
“Heart-san! Thank you! I can see a glimmer of hope now!”
“Hahaha. No clue what that means, but glad to hear it.”
Instead of freaking out alone, I should ask the experts for advice.
First up, let’s make shelves for the most requested stuff: minutes, budgets, accounting reports.
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thanks for the chapter