One by one, the officials of Ephor arrived at the estate.
None of them came willingly.
They had been brought under strict watch—escorted by knights whose hands never strayed far from their weapons. Every movement was observed. Every hesitation noted.
The order had been clear.
There would be no refusal.
Those who resisted would be killed on the spot.
That alone was enough.
The ones who arrived earlier were made to wait in the main hallway of the estate.
No one offered them seats.
No one spoke to them.
They simply stood there, surrounded by silence and the faint, suffocating pressure of armed knights stationed at every corner.
Time passed slowly.
More officials arrived.
Faces tense.
Eyes restless.
Some wiped the sweat from their foreheads. Others kept glancing at the knights, as if expecting blades to be drawn at any moment.
No one dared to speak.
When at last all had gathered—
A figure appeared at the top of the stairs.
Issac.
He descended calmly, his steps measured, his expression unchanged.
Stopping before them, he gave a slight nod.
"Welcome to the estate."
His voice was steady.
"The Young Master is waiting in the office. Please follow me."
Those words alone were enough to send a chill through them.
They all knew what this meant.
There was no escape now.
No excuses.
No delay.
Just one path forward.
Gathering what little courage they had, the officials began to move.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
They followed Issac up the staircase, their footsteps echoing faintly in the silent hall.
Moments later, they arrived before a large door.
Roman's office.
Issac stepped forward and knocked.
"Young master, they have arrived."
From inside came a calm response.
"Come in."
Issac opened the door and stepped aside.
The officials followed behind him.
Inside, a large round table was arranged neatly at the center of the room.
Each seat had a name placed before it, written clearly on a small piece of paper.
The arrangement was precise.
Ordered.
From the financial sector…
To water…
To infrastructure…
To agriculture…
Every position had been decided.
And at the head of the table—
Roman sat.
He was already looking at them.
Not blinking.
Not moving.
Just watching.
The moment their eyes met his—
They froze.
It was not anger.
Not even hostility.
But something far worse.
A calm that carried weight.
A gaze that felt like it saw through everything.
For a brief moment, no one moved forward.
No one dared.
Then Roman's eyes shifted slightly.
Toward Allen.
Allen understood instantly.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pushed the financial official into his seat.
The man stumbled, barely managing to sit.
That single action broke whatever restraint remained.
The others hurried.
Some rushed to the wrong seats in their panic before correcting themselves.
Within moments, all were seated—though none were at ease.
"Close the door."
Roman's voice was calm.
Issac stepped back and shut the door behind them.
Then he took his place to Roman's right, standing quietly.
The room fell into complete silence.
Roman leaned slightly back in his chair, his fingers resting lightly on the armrest.
Then he spoke.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice."
His tone was polite.
Almost gentle.
"I appreciate your cooperation."
The financial official forced a smile, though his face was pale.
"It is nothing, young master. Even if you had called us at midnight, we would have come running."
Several others nodded quickly in agreement.
Roman looked at them for a moment.
Then he spoke again.
"Is that so?"
A faint pause followed.
"Loyal. Hardworking."
His eyes sharpened just slightly.
"…Good."
The atmosphere shifted.
"I reviewed your reports."
His voice remained calm.
"They are not satisfactory."
No one spoke.
No one dared interrupt.
Roman continued.
"Let us proceed simply."
He glanced across the table.
"Who would like me to begin with their report?"
Silence.
Not a single hand moved.
Roman nodded once.
"Then I will choose."
His gaze settled on the financial official.
"The financial sector."
The man stiffened.
Roman spoke slowly.
"Taxation policies have not been updated."
"My father, Duke Jacob Crowell, revised them."
"After Ephor merged with Presia, those policies became applicable here."
A brief pause.
"So tell me…"
"Why have they not been implemented?"
The official's lips trembled.
"I-it was… difficult to adjust immediately—"
Roman did not interrupt.
He simply looked at him.
That was enough.
"I will implement them today," the man quickly added.
"…Good."
Roman leaned back slightly.
"But that is not your only issue."
His voice remained calm.
"Misuse of authority."
"Favoring specific merchants."
"Personal connections."
"Hidden profits."
The official's face drained of color.
"This is your first and last warning," Roman said.
"If it happens again…"
A brief pause.
"…you will regret it."
The man swallowed hard.
"It will not happen again, young master."
Roman shifted his gaze.
"To the water sector."
The official flinched.
Roman asked calmly,
"How much tax is imposed on clean water?"
"There… there is no tax on water," the man replied, his voice shaking.
"Then why are people paying for it?"
Silence.
"They are illegal sellers… not from our department—"
Roman interrupted quietly.
"Then why do I have reports that you are receiving commission from them?"
The man froze completely.
"I… I am sorry, young master."
"It will stop immediately."
"Ensure it does," Roman replied.
"You know the consequences."
"Yes… young master…"
Roman continued, moving from one official to the next.
The roads and infrastructure official was called out for unused funds and abandoned development.
The food and market official was exposed for manipulating prices and creating artificial shortages.
The gold reserve official was questioned on missing funds and unrecorded transactions.
The agriculture official was confronted about neglected fields and suffering villages.
Each one tried to speak.
Each one failed.
Every excuse collapsed under Roman's gaze.
For each sector, Roman gave clear orders.
Fix it.
Immediately.
Deadlines would be given.
Reports would be checked.
There would be no tolerance for failure.
Finally, Roman looked across all of them.
"Perform your duties properly…"
"You will keep your positions."
A pause.
"If not…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…you will not remain here."
No one asked what that meant.
They understood.
Roman stood.
"You may leave."
The officials rose quickly.
Chairs scraped.
Bodies moved stiffly.
One by one, they bowed deeply before leaving the room.
The door closed behind them.
Silence returned.
Roman remained standing for a moment.
Then slowly sat back down.