บท 3: 2. The Empire's First Rose
Kilmainham Prison was located in Marn District, separated by two large districts from Val de Vaz District.
The speed of the carriage was not fast, and Charles napped briefly on the carriage before he heard the coachman carefully remind him, "Mister, we have arrived at Kilmainham Prison."
Charles alighted from the carriage, his face lit with a smile as he bid farewell to the coachman and hurried towards Kilmainham Prison. He presented an introduction letter to the prison guard and smiled, "This is an identity verification issued by the Central Government Office. I am Charles Meklen, here to perform some assistance work."
The prison guard carefully examined the letter, returned it to Charles, and said with respect, "Mister Mecklen, please proceed straight to the first office building and inquire for Madame Pascal. She will take you to meet Miss Menilman."
Charles's smile stiffened a bit as he asked, "I am to assist Miss Menilman? Which miss is that?"
The prison guard revealed a proud smile, answering, "Indeed, it's the Empire's First Rose, Miss Menilman."
Charles did not dare to inquire further and rushed into Kilmainham Prison, easily locating the first office building, where under the guidance of Madame Pascal, he entered a separate office and met the legendary Empire's First Rose.
Menilman was a legend of the Empire.
She was unrivalled in beauty, but her status as the finest female representative of the Empire was not merely due to her looks; this miss was a High Order Transcendent, exceedingly rare throughout the entire Empire, her Fighting Spirit refined and profound.
The miss wore an Empire military uniform, blooming like a rose in full swing, her beautiful and watery eyes swirling with anger, her body's Fighting Spirit so intense it nearly ignited.
Several clerks within the room were all quivering with fear, and the office's floor was scattered with dozens of documents, making the room somewhat messy.
Charles could not afford to steal glances at the beauty of the Empire's First Rose, instead nodding slightly to his colleagues in the room and hurriedly picking up the documents from the floor to start his work.
Having experienced the allure of internet beauties in his past life, even though Miss Menilman's beauty was flawlessly perfect from every angle, it still wasn't enough to shake a man who had lived through two lifetimes at the Central Government Office.
On the way here, Charles had taken the time to read the content of the letters; besides proving his identity, it briefly described his task—to assist in organizing the case files at the Kilmainham Prison office.
As everyone knows, the best way to alleviate awkwardness in the office is to pretend to be very busy, or to actually be very busy.
Although Charles studied Mathematical Education at college and had only superficial knowledge of Statistics, Archival Science, and Library Science, he still managed to exhibit his talent in this ancient country, busying himself quickly with organizing all the documents from the floor and office desk.
Menilman had suppressed her anger since Charles entered and coldly observed this calm clerk.
Once Charles had organized the documents, she finally asked, "I need to know what happened on March 18th?"
Charles calmly responded, "There are twenty-eight documents related to March 18th, spread across four years. Does Miss Menilman need all the information, or just for a certain year?"
"Black Moon Era thirty-one."
"Twenty-one documents in total."
"Bring them all out."
Charles's expression remained unchanged, but he was nearly overwhelmed inside, having seen things in the documents that he should not have seen during his previous sorting.
When he fetched the twenty-one documents, Menilman snatched them with a burst of bright flames from her hands.
The flames of Fighting Spirit ignited, and in a moment, all the documents were reduced to ashes. She clapped her hands and said, "Now, find me the files related to the Night Window incident."
Without a word, Charles, following the miss's command, easily located seven documents.
Menilman glanced at the other clerks in the room and said, "You may leave now."
The clerks, as if granted amnesty, looked gratefully at Charles and filed out of the room one after the other.
Menilman said, "Organize all the documents in this room. I need all the files concerning Zimmerman Axel Robin."
Charles glanced at the several large filing cabinets in the office and replied lightly, "Alright."
At the same time, he mumbled to himself, "The documents from this era are indeed scarce." As a high school math teacher, he had gathered more papers in a semester than all the documents in this room.
Menilman incessantly issued commands.
Charles always completed them perfectly, and soon the documents in the room were reorganized. He also learned many secrets that were not meant for him, such as...
Well, better not to entertain such thoughts in front of Miss Menilman.
Too... sordid.
Menilman destroyed dozens of documents, glanced at the sunset outside, and asked, "Which agency sent you here as a clerk?"
Charles answered with neither humility nor arrogance, "Central Government Office."
"What is your name?"
"Charles Mecklen."
"Which college did you graduate from?"
Charles lifted his head, his tone light yet filled with undisguised pride, and answered, "Sheffield University!"
Menilman finally showed a slight emotion and asked, "Sheffield University?"
Charles briefly replied, "Yes."
The lady known as The Empire's First Rose showed the first smile since Charles entered the office, saying, "I am your senior."
Charles also returned the smile, saying, "Sheffield University, graduate of the year Black Moon thirty-three, Charles greets his senior."
The education of the Empire was divided into six levels: elementary, secondary, higher, public schools, National Academy, and Imperial Universities.
To complete higher education was already a rare accomplishment in society; a poor family that managed to educate a child to that level could proudly declare they had leaped social classes.
Public schools, typically funded by nobles, had graduates that were distinctly separate from commoners.
The National Academy was even acclaimed to serve the Royal Family and the Empire!
It mainly trained entry-level talents for various levels of government, with unimaginable benefits for graduates.
This was roughly akin to the treatment of university students in the five or six decades before Charles crossed over to this world.
As for the Imperial Universities, they were nothing like the universities on Earth.
There was a common saying in the educational field of the Empire: "The National Academy serves the Royal Family and the Empire, while the Imperial Universities serve the divine. Each university represents the care of a deity, making the graduates' status immensely prestigious."
That was also why Charles was able to work at the Central Government Office, earn a high salary in the Empire, and have annual leave.
Because he graduated from Sheffield University.
One of the mere four universities in the Fars Empire.
Menilman nodded and smiled, extending her right hand downwards.
Charles gently picked up the right hand with both of his and lightly touched her slender fingertips with his forehead.
In the Empire, this was an important ritual, signifying that from then on, the man and the woman had formed a pure friendship.
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