A brief pause—when did the saga of the Phoenix Family begin...
This saga began with a silent scream during the reign of the Eleventh Emperor, when the family was expelled from the ranks of the nobility and unjustly exiled because they dared to say "no" to the Crown's policies. The carriage left the capital, and in its dark corners, the great-grandfather drove a single instruction into his grandson's heart (the current grandfather) like a nail: "Do not forget this moment."
The grandson grew up watching his father drown in alcohol and regret, weeping over the ruins of a "noble title" that had become nothing more than burnt paper. He watched him collapse through cracks in the door until he finally stood over his grave and, beneath the cold rain of the capital, swore to his grieving mother that he would restore noble blood to their veins no matter the cost.
He began working with terrifying patience; he built a city from nothing behind the border mountain ranges and amassed a fortune in pure gold at a time when the currency was debased. He spread his nine sons throughout the empire like strands of a spider's web; one in the Church, another deep within the army, a third in foreign trade, waiting for the day the wall the nobles had built against him would collapse.
But the wall stood taller than all his gold. The grandfather spent everything he owned to reclaim the title during the reign of the Thirteenth Emperor, yet the nobles took his money and left him, in the eyes of the law, "nothing more than a wealthy merchant." The grandfather fell ill from grief, but he refused to die; he imprisoned his spirit within a body sustained by magical machinery and mana tubes, determined not to close his eyes until he held a patent of nobility in his hands.
Marcus's father inherited the banner and continued pouring gold into the pockets of the corrupt to pave the way. However, the family suffered a devastating psychological defeat after the Fourteenth Emperor fled, causing the father's health to collapse. At that critical moment, the father was forced to relinquish the position of "Head of the Family" to his eldest son, who in turn chose to isolate himself in their border province to care for the wreckage of his father and grandfather, leaving the task of political confrontation in the capital entirely to Marcus and his siblings.
And now, in the heart of the imperial hall...
Marcus had barely returned to his place, with eyes following him like poisoned blades, when a silence heavier than before settled over the room. His appointment was not merely a selection; it was a clear message that Ray was not redistributing power to satisfy anyone. He was searching for specific people, sharp tools capable of cutting.
The attendees bitterly realized that Ray had used a legitimate maneuver. Certainly, had it not been for the position of "former minister" that Marcus once held, he would not even have been able to stand in this hall. Were intelligence and effort what brought him to his position? Who would believe such a joke! His family had burned itself for years, and in the end, the nobles agreed to help him sit in a "puppet seat"; merely a facade they could manipulate as they pleased and discard the moment it attempted to oppose them... just as the Duke of the North had done with Morgana's future without hesitation.
Yet this puppet they had underestimated possessed the "right to enter," and now it possessed "fangs to leave."
The Phoenix Family no longer needed to curry favor with anyone, and Marcus no longer needed to submit. Those who had exploited his family all these years and treated it like a cow to be milked whenever they wished had gone pale; those who knew their history began frantically reviewing their memories in search of any past hostility with them, while those who knew nothing about them wondered in astonishment about the secret behind this sudden rise.
And because the city ruled by this family lay in the far west, in a remote and forgotten corner, Marcus had been known all his life only as "the merchant's son"... but now, what would his title be?
Meanwhile, Sislin quietly moved to retrieve the second box, ignoring the chaos that had invaded their minds, while Rei stepped forward with measured steps and announced in a cold voice that shattered the hall's silence as he revealed the second name.
[Next, the Ministry of the Interior: responsible for local city administration, civil records, and organizing the lives of citizens within the provinces. The "Organizer of the Household" that manages cities, oversees the guards in the streets, and organizes the daily lives of the population.]
At that moment, Marcus vanished from their thoughts. What use was a "Minister of Defense" watching distant borders when a "monster" was preparing to take residence inside their bedrooms?
This ministry carried the description, "The organizer of the affairs of the subjects beneath the shadow of the throne." And that calm description concealed a dagger capable of severing the threads of control the lords held around the necks of their peasants.
Surely this ministry had to be placed in the hands of one of the dukes, right?
At that moment, Marcus vanished from their thoughts. What use was a "Minister of Defense" watching distant borders when a "monster" was preparing to take residence inside their bedrooms? This ministry carried the description, "The organizer of the affairs of the subjects beneath the shadow of the throne"; a calm description concealing a dagger that cut the threads of control the lords had held around the necks of their peasants for centuries. Yet amid that fear, a glimmer of false reassurance slipped into their minds...
Surely this ministry had to be placed in the hands of one of the dukes, right?
[Count Cedric Falcon, please step forward if you consider yourself worthy of the position.]
Behind the rows, Cedric trembled when he heard his name.
"Me?"
Far from the nobles' shock, which had transformed into silent horror, Cedric himself could hardly believe it. Like Marcus, Cedric was a name completely outside all expectations, but for an even more dangerous reason. While Marcus possessed a "financial background" supporting him, Cedric belonged to the class of "fallen noble families" they despised.
With hesitation that lasted only a second, Cedric stepped through the rows. Unlike the others, he wore no silk, only a simple black coat carrying the dignity of the old Falcon Family. He was still officially a "Count," but it was a hollow title; no land, no peasants, and no authority. Just a decaying mansion on the outskirts of the capital and an "almost nonexistent" authority that could not secure a luxurious dinner, yet was more than sufficient to grant him the right to stand inside this hall.
The nobles held their breath; the shock was twofold. This "bankrupt count" they used to mock had now become their administrative superior. Cedric was not like Marcus, who had built himself with gold. He was the "rebellious noble" who had spent years refusing to bow to the dukes, using his knowledge of the law to obstruct their interests. He was the aristocracy's "wayward son"; he knew their loopholes, their debts, and the suspicious deals they hid behind walls. He knew every loophole, every debt, and every shady transaction they concealed behind the walls of their mansions.
Even the Duke of the North had never been able to find a reason to get rid of him, and now, when Rei asked, "If you see yourself as worthy...", it was less a question of competence and more a declaration of war.
The whispers ceased and turned into hateful gazes, all their anger directed straight at Rei. Their eyes screamed:
"Why this name specifically?"
Rei looked at those gazes coldly, wondering what he had done to deserve such hatred... Was he not merely the Emperor's "voice"? He was not the one who appointed Cedric, was he?
Well, who would want to confront that imperial official who excelled at crafting poisonous words? It was far easier to throw their anger at Rei. Meanwhile, the Duke of the East smiled as he watched Cedric step forward until he reached the front of the platform and bowed respectfully with a hand over his chest.
"I greet the Sun and Moon of the Empire... and I accept the trust."
Morgana smiled in satisfaction, then looked toward the ceremonial box Sislin was carrying, where the ministry's new seal rested alongside a symbolic key bearing the title "Organizer of the Household" and a special pen bearing the title "Shield."
"Count Cedric... your family's name has long been associated with oversight and loyalty to the Crown, and today that legacy returns. Be careful not to lose it."
The words froze Cedric in place for a moment before he smiled calmly and took the pen. Then he bowed and said no more than a single word:
"As you command."
Behind Morgana, Ray smiled with a sigh; the Falcon had received the title "Shield," and the Phoenix had received the title "Falcon." What a coincidence. Cedric returned beneath everyone's gaze after taking the ceremonial box from Sislin, exchanging a brief greeting with him. The moment he turned around, an immense pressure descended upon him from the nobles' stares.
Everyone... without exception, was now looking at him cautiously rather than with their previous contempt. His blood boiled in his veins, and he gripped the pen tightly before heading toward his seat, prepared to bear the weight of that chair.
[Ministry of Finance (Finance Division): responsible for the "Core" system, tax collection, and the distribution of budgets to the other ministries.]
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End of Chapter
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[Side Information: The Falcon Records — The Remaining Thorn]
[The fall of Cedric's family was not caused by temporary poverty or a lack of cunning. It fell by the "pen" of the Duke of the North, the former Prime Minister, when Count Edmund Falcon served as Inspector of the Imperial Archives. Edmund discovered traces confirming the Duke of the North's plans for a silent rebellion against the throne, and as he dug deeper, the gates of a hell of secrets that no one was permitted to touch opened before him.]
[When the Count realized the siege around him was complete and that the Duke of the North had discovered him, he knew his death was inevitable. Yet, in order to protect what remained of his bloodline, he made a suicidal decision; he chose to turn his family into a "thorn" in the system's throat, a piece that could neither be swallowed nor removed without causing an uproar that would bring everyone down.]
[The Count paid for that decision with his life, and most of the family fell alongside him until only Cedric and his sister remained from that legacy. They remained as the sole witnesses to secrets buried within the archives, secrets whose dark half was revealed at the beginning of this meeting, transforming that "thorn" today into the official "Shield" protecting the Ministry of the Interior.]