The Tyrant Empress is Obsessed with Me

Chapter 24

24 – Sabrin Cathedral

“Head of the Evaluation Department, Imperial Governor Aescal Napshio!”

Conrad swallowed hard.

How could he not recognize that man?

A man with unyielding determination to complete any task assigned to him. A man who can find satisfaction only after seeing things reached completion with his own eyes.

This man is truly the symbol of an Imperial Governor.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Lord Aescal.”

That proud head of the Golden Hammer Guild, Roebenharph, bowed his head.

Dwarves are a stubborn bunch. No matter who holds their leash, they won’t bow unless they truly acknowledge the person in their hearts.

After the Hoe incident, Aescal’s reputation had spread quietly among the dwarves.

“Would you like to see the village hall we built first?”

“No, first visit our granary, please.”

The head of the Azure Flame Guild, Seven Ter, interjected.

“Well, there is a hierarchy. You’re at least ten years older than me. Step aside.”

“What does a ten-year gap have to do with age? If you did a modest job, you should know when to give way. No wonder your belly never goes away.”

The quarrel between the two showed no sign of ending.

“Stop.”

Aescal raised his hand to stop them.

The two dwarves quieted down instantly.

“First, we will check the Golden Hammer Guild’s village hall.”

Roebenharph swallowed his saliva and guided Aescal. No matter how long a craftsman had been hammering away, one could not help but feel nervous when being evaluated by others.

Roebenharph began explaining as they arrived at the newly built village hall.

“Look at the beautiful luster reflected on this marble! It is marble we mined ourselves from our mines. We hand-selected only the ones with matching color and patterns. If you entrust us with building the cathedral, we will create something spectacular.”

Seven Ter watched in frustration, feeling like the initiative had been stolen from him. It seems that there is a significant difference in capital between the Golden Hammer and the Azure Flame.

Seeing the expensive marble decorating the building, it was inevitable for a person unfamiliar with architecture to feel overwhelmed.

Robenharff smiled triumphantly, as if he had already won.

“Why on earth did you use marble?”

“…!”

However, contrary to their expectations, the imperial administrator, Ascal, clicked his tongue as he entered the village hall.

“First of all, the arch is too high. In the village hall, people should be able to talk to each other, but with this, their voices will echo too much. Also, while it may be cool in the summer, what will you do in the winter? Even if you use a fireplace, it’ll be a waste.”

“That… that’s…”

Robenharff tried to argue, but he couldn’t. It was a reasonable argument.

In fact, rather than truly building a “village hall,” Robenharff’s construction was more like a demonstration of their architectural prowess.

Having been pointed out that flaw, he had nothing to say.

“Also.”

Ascal went further inside the village hall and pointed to one side.

“The finishing on this side is terrible.”

The marble was warped.

“How… how could this…”

Robenharff was shocked.

In truth, there had been a tiny gap due to the rush of time. However, even though Ascal was a competent imperial administrator, he was still human. Robenharff never thought he’d notice it.

Chills ran down his spine.

Ascal’s keen observations were as if he himself had participated in the construction.

“I… I admit it. Our village hall was lacking.”

The proud dwarf admitted there were shortcomings in his work.

Seventer knew very well how significant this was in dwarf society.

A single tear fell from the corner of Robenharff’s eye.

Seventer felt that his heart ached deeply.

‘This man is terrifying.’

And next, it was his turn.

Seventer noticed beads of sweat forming on his forehead. This was no longer a competition, but more like being evaluated by an old master.

“Then, next is our turn with the grain storage…”

Seventer led Ascal to the grain storage.

“Unlike the Golden Hammer, we built practical buildings. With proper ventilation, the interior is divided into several compartments that can store different grains. The floor is covered with charcoal so the grains can be kept dry.”

As he spoke, Sebenter’s confidence grew, and he puffed out his chest.

“Unlike that foolish Golden Hammer, we’ve built a proper building! Then, our Blue Flame must be the one to create the cathedral!”

Ascal entered the grain warehouse. Sebenter looked around the warehouse, feeling as if he had come back to his hometown, then pointed at a part of the pillar with his finger.

“This pillar. There are traces of bugs eating it.”

Ascal ran his fingers along the wooden pillar, and a thin powder fell to the floor. It was a sign of insect activity within the small holes.

“Didn’t you know that Severin is particularly infested with wood-eating bugs? At this rate, the grain warehouse won’t last a year before collapsing.”

“What, how could that be!?”

Sebenter hadn’t even considered it.

In their competition with the Golden Hammer, they had not been thorough in their preliminary investigations of Severin.

It was arrogance.

A true architect should not only care about what they were building, but also have a clear understanding of where they were building it.

Sebenter fell to his knees.

Thump.

“I admit that our Blue Flame… was insufficient.”

It was an unexpected turn of events.

Both guild masters had become as dispirited as if they were glued to the ground like bugs.

‘What am I seeing now?’

Conrad, who had thick bones as a laborer, couldn’t understand the situation.

No matter how capable Ascal was, he could not be ahead of the dwarves in construction.

But what were the results he was seeing now?

Both guild masters had accepted the shortcomings in their construction due to the words of a human named Ascal.

What was even more surprising was,

‘He hid his identity for this work and even worked as a laborer?’

What on earth kind of empire official would do that?

Conrad stared at Ascal with eyes that couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing.

“Then… what about the cathedral construction?”

In the silence, one laborer spoke.

Originally, they were supposed to choose one of the two guilds. However, both guilds had now admitted their inadequacy.

Everyone waited for Ascal to open his mouth.

And then.

“Consider this cathedral construction project nonexistent.”

Cold, harsh words.

But no one could raise an objection to those words.

Ascal left those words behind and headed back to his carriage.

Leaving behind the two devastated guild masters.

“Wait a moment. Young man.”

It was an old dwarf.

Ascal’s escort tried to drive away the dwarf blocking their path, but Ascal raised his hand to stop them.

“What is it, elder?”

Ascal remembered the old dwarf.

They had worked together at the construction site and shared snacks together.

The old dwarf’s eyes shone behind his shaggy hair.

“My name is Jeph. I am the teacher of those two inexperienced disciples.”

Jeph.

The moment his name was mentioned, the village became noisy.

“M, Master! When did you arrive?”

From No ble mt L dot c om

Robenharf and Seventer ran to their master’s side in surprise.

The most shocked of all was Conrad.

‘The former chief of Stonehead, one of the most outstanding architects on the continent, and even called the teacher of all architects by that title – Jeph was here!?’

Moreover, they had eaten together and swung hammers together as well.

“I came here in retirement, to see how my disciples were doing with some trivial work, but I am greatly disappointed with what I see. However, young man, will you not give us one more chance?”

Jeph stroked his beard.

“Of course, this cathedral construction will not receive any compensation. I, Jeph, will stake my name and create the best cathedral ever. It is a matter of a dwarf’s pride. Will you grant us permission?”

“Y, you mean, Master will personally?”

Until now, Jeph had built numerous structures. The Hundred-Year Fortress of Medes Kingdom, the Seven Mines, Deltreed Bridge… Each one of them was legendary enough to stay in history.

The fact that Jeph himself would take charge of the cathedral construction held tremendous significance.

“Yes, I will. After all, I did have a delicious stew from the village elder. It was really tasty.”

“Ha ha, you remember that?”

On the first day, Jeph was the one who handed a steaming bowl of stew to Ascal, who was not yet familiar with work.

It was a warm and delicious stew.

Jeff’s eyes transformed from those of a hazy old man to an architect’s in an instant, and he shouted.

“What are you fools doing! Get the materials flying right now!”

As soon as Jeff’s command came, the two guild leaders hurriedly moved.

Conrad watched the scene and bit his lip as if feeling something.

It was going to be a long day.

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