"Your Majesty, this is the report submitted by the Magic Industry Department today..." The palace attendant carefully placed the document on the desk before the Candel Emperor, then tiptoed backward.
With a dark expression, the Candel Emperor stared at the report before him for a full two minutes before reaching out to open it.
Yet less than a minute after he began reading, he flung it aside with a heavy snap.
The neatly stacked document immediately scattered into loose sheets, fluttering through the air. The sight had a certain beauty, but the fury of His Majesty the Emperor of the Candel Empire lent it a sinister edge.
"Go fetch Marquis Carmen!" Only after a while did the Candel Emperor issue the order in a low, restrained voice.
The attendant hurried out at a jog.
Before long, a middle-aged man who was not particularly tall but was powerfully built followed the attendant inside at a brisk pace.
"Your Majesty." Marquis Carmen, minister of the Candel Empire's Magic Industry Department, bowed solemnly to the Candel Emperor. "You summoned me?"
"I summoned you?" The Candel Emperor gave a derisive snort and pointed at the papers scattered across the floor. "Weren't you the one who submitted these reports?"
Marquis Carmen fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head slightly and answered gravely, "Since these events took place within the empire, I would not dare conceal them from Your Majesty. Naturally, I had to report them."
"If you report everything to me and leave me to handle it, what do I need ministers like you for?" The Candel Emperor's expression grew colder. "Or are you saying that the mighty Candel Empire's Magic Industry Department cannot even resolve such a minor problem?"
Marquis Carmen glanced at the sheets on the floor and could not help