A Dark Fantasy Spy

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My romantic rumor with Lucia is information that I spread.

This means it was a propaganda campaign officially planned with the support of the Military Intelligence Agency.

As far as I remember, a Military Intelligence Agency officer took a picture of Lucia when she was smiling slightly while we were walking and chatting, and reported it to the press.

Some media outlets are suspicious that some exchange occurred between Lucia and me, but the truth is that Lucia and I are merely acquaintances—it’s awkward to even call us friends. We just talk for a moment when we happen to run into each other.

Lucia grew up in a monastery and was ordained as a priestess, while I am an information officer who absolutely shouldn’t be dating a foreigner; thus, there was no possibility for romantic feelings to sprout.

Of course, I feel bad for stirring up a rumor about a romance that I don’t even feel. However, back then, I had no choice.

Lucia’s status as a saint and my life, along with Camila’s, were hanging by a thread.

It’s a pathetic excuse, but that’s the reality.

Fortunately, Lucia hasn’t been swayed by the rumors, and I also don’t see her as a romantic interest, so nothing of that sort happened between us. Besides, isn’t it a specialty of yellow journalism to arbitrarily link celebrities for sensational stories?

So, the Military Intelligence Agency’s command made the decision to quietly bury this issue. Even though the false information originated from the agency itself, even if the romance rumor had been true, they likely wouldn’t have made a big deal out of it.

Thus, I lived forgetting about this issue.

That was until Charnoy brought it back up.

“Admit it, Information Officer…!”

“…….”

“You had a romantic relationship with the saint…!”

Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

After a series of ups and downs, the inspection by the Inspection Office wrapped up. I admitted to two of the three charges presented against me.

The Inspection Office concluded that my last charge (the romance with Lucia) would be dismissed due to a severe lack of evidence and the low reliability of the intelligence, meaning no criminal facts were established.

I had no intent to violate regulations in the first place.

“Good work…! Detailed procedures, including the date of the Disciplinary Committee meeting, will be conveyed to you later in writing, so please wait quietly at the official residence…!”

Anyway, the inspection ended well.

Now, all I have to do is wait for the Disciplinary Committee.

*

On the day the inspection was over, I returned to the official residence with a cheap military supply beer.

Upon opening the front door, I was greeted by a staircase. The Ministry of Defense had smothered its old, peeling paint with shiny mint-colored paint, yet it couldn’t hide the gold engraved on the wall.

Clutching a brown paper bag, I ascended the cramped, low stairs.

Finding the key I could barely remember where I had put it, I turned it in the narrow keyhole to open the door, reaching out with the key-bearing hand to turn on the light.

-Click.

With the sharp illumination, I found myself in a small room of about 10 pyeong. A cramped, smelly one-room apartment. The walls looked yellowed since something had dripped down, and I could see a cockroach, which had been hiding like a little rat, scuttle into the furniture.

“…Yeah. This is how an official residence should be.”

I sighed as I set the brown bag down. No matter how many times I look at it, this official residence really sucks.

I pulled out a bottle of beer from the crumpled bag. As I slammed the bottle down onto the corner of the table, a dull thud was accompanied by the faint sound of fizz, and I lifted the bottle to take a big gulp.

A faint sloshing sound accompanied the beer going down. The cheap lager was still bland, and that damned official residence was still damned. I wonder how many people have passed through this shitty place.

I put the beer bottle down and took a moment to look around the official residence. It remained just as it had been when I first moved in. The stains on the wallpaper, the peeling paint, and even the creaky door. Of course, the cockroaches that had been with me for several years were also the same. The years had not changed the official residence; it was still old, cramped, and empty. To say it was empty might be an understatement—it could be described as desolate.

A lot has happened in the past few months, but it appears nothing has changed around me. Perhaps I haven’t changed much either.

So, I begrudgingly leaned against the sink and drank the beer.

“…….”

As the alcohol hit, my body began to warm up. As the blood started flowing through my clogged vessels, the things I had forgotten began to come back into view.

The first thing that caught my eye was the mail. There were deliveries piled haphazardly in front of the door while I had been away.

Utility bills, tax notices, overdue insurance payments, publisher invoices, a letter from a friend, a letter from some media outlet, and advertisements from a newly opened bar nearby. The last one seemed to have been left by a hustler. How on earth did they get past the front door?

“Let’s see… What do I need to pay this time….”

I squatted in front of the door and started checking the mail. In a neighborhood without automatic payment systems, the first thing I always did upon returning from an assignment was to settle any overdue payments, so this was already too familiar.

Looking over the letters, I found many overdue payments piled up during the months I’d been away. Magazines, academic conferences, newspapers, publishers…. Just glancing at the envelopes, I could envision the cries of those pen-pushers demanding subscription fees.

Determined to pay all of them, I was checking through the notices when suddenly I thought of my bank balance. My salary had been deducted to cover activity expenses for the cult and research institute. Now that I think about it, that could add up to quite a bit.

Although my salary had increased upon my promotion to Major, and I had accumulated various allowances during assignments, bonuses were not paid immediately. The same went for salaries.

I sat at the table sipping beer while I contemplated when the next payday would be.

All things considered, given my current financial situation, it seemed impossible to pay a large amount at once. I would have to cancel all my magazine subscriptions. After all, I probably wouldn’t need them. The same goes for newspapers. I might need to think about the conferences…

While I was examining the letters one by one, someone knocked on my official residence door.

-Knock, knock!

Silence fell over the paper-rustling house. Who could it be? I wasn’t expecting anyone today.

I set the letters down and walked to the bed. I pulled out the gun I had hidden between the frame and the mattress and pressed my body against the wall by the entrance. I carefully checked who the visitor was before opening the door.

An old man with a head full of white hair stood at the door, cheerfully greeting me while holding several boxes.

“Oh, you’ve returned to your official residence? You got here before me, huh!”

“…No, what brings you here, Colonel?”

“I just stopped by on my way home. Come in. Put the gun away.”

It was Clevenz.

*

Alcohol consumes people, and cigarettes burn lives.

Both alcohol and cigarettes are truly harmful. Cigarettes destroy the lungs, and alcohol impairs judgment. Because both have a certain level of addictive properties, they are even classified as drugs, with many people ruining their lives due to addiction to them.

Yet, everyone can relate to the difficulty in quitting alcohol and cigarettes, despite being aware of their dangers. People in distress tend to rely on something to cope, and the easiest things to reach for are usually alcohol or cigarettes.

This also applies to information officers. Though I have worked in the Information Agency for over ten years, I have seen people quit gambling, but I have never seen anyone successfully give up smoking or drinking.

Of course, I’m no exception.

“Were you drinking? I must have interrupted a good time.”

“No, I was just drinking alone.”

I cleared the beer bottles strewn across the table.

“There’s no shame in having a drink, so why worry? I’m right here anyway.”

Clevenz smiled pleasantly and placed a box on the table. It was liquor.

More precisely, whiskey. A military supply brand one would commonly find in stores. There was a wide variety available.

“A gift.”

“Thank you. Would you like some tea?”

“No thanks. It’s a bit lonely, so let’s have a drink together.”

Since he was on his way home, Clevenz was dressed not in military uniform but in a suit. I set two glasses on the table, and while I prepared snacks, Clevenz poured the drinks himself. Soon, we began sipping alcohol together.

“You must have had a hard time coming back from your assignment and then undergoing an inspection. Have you adjusted to the time difference now?”

“The time difference? Well, a day is enough.”

Clevenz nodded while raising his glass. In a flash, he emptied it and, now looking more relaxed, poured himself another drink, reclining against the back of the chair.

“Quite some time has passed, but it seems nothing has changed here. The front door still creaks, and the paint is still a mess. It’s been a long time, but nothing’s different.”

Clevenz surveyed the inside of the official residence, smacking his lips.

“Did you live in an official residence too, Colonel?”

“I did during my junior officer days. Now, I commute from my own home.”

“I used to drive you all the time, didn’t I?”

“Oh, right. I had forgotten since the advisor changed. You used to drive the official vehicle.”

Clevenz had bought a house in a nearby suburb. While he had a townhouse in the capital, considering his ancient noble lineage, I heard he purchased a house in a comparatively close area that was in the opposite direction from the Military Intelligence Agency building.

He grinned as he looked around the Ministry of Defense’s official residence after such a long time.

“Soundproofing is terrible, so it was chaos at night. Is the soundproofing still bad here?”

“Yes. So, sometimes officers who secretly bring women over get caught.”

“Really…? There are still people who do that? It’s frustrating.”

While the Ministry of Defense had built apartments for soldiers working in the capital, given the state of the world, those buildings weren’t in very good condition. They were drafty, didn’t maintain temperature well—hot in summer and cold in winter.

Of course, as Clevenz mentioned, soundproofing was dreadful, leading to officers getting caught in the act when they’d secretly bring someone into their rooms. If they wanted to be caught, it wouldn’t take long.

Thus, most officers couldn’t endure the official residences and ended up taking out loans to buy their own houses. Especially when they started families or had romantic partners, it became difficult to live here.

“I’ve heard the newly built ones are okay, but it seems there’s no plan to demolish this place and rebuild it.”

“Reconstruction is a costly business. The disposal fees must be considerable as well.”

“Are you not interested in moving to a newly built official residence? I could bump you up on the priority list.”

“There’s no point in moving since I’m often overseas and won’t be staying here.”

“True, that’s a good point.”

He broke a piece off the chocolate that was served as a snack.

“But I’ve rambled on for too long; you’ve done well, Frederick. The Disciplinary Committee should be convened soon. There’s no need to prolong it.”

It seems they plan to wrap things up swiftly since Clevenz was just passing along what was decided from above.

“What will the punishment be?”

“Since you admitted to two charges—embezzlement and violation of security regulations—according to regulations, you’ll face two disciplinary actions. The embezzlement charge will be deemed a mistake for not being familiar with the rules and will result in a reprimand, while the violation of security regulations will likely lead to a three-month pay cut.”

“The security violation is quite serious.”

“Well, it’s not a big deal for our company. You opened materials from another company without permission, so it’s unavoidable.”

Two minor disciplinary actions. It will end with a written explanation and one-third of my salary being deducted.

In reality, I shouldn’t face any repercussions given the informal inspection, but if this were genuine, it would significantly impact me. My already meager salary would be slashed, making promotions a challenge.

As I contemplated whether this punishment was sufficient, Clevenz suddenly smiled and spoke.

“It’s a formality, so there won’t be any impact on your career. Of course, you’ll have to endure the three-month salary cut and submit your written explanation, but there are ways around that, so don’t worry.”

“Well, that’s a relief. But what’s up with the last charge? Alleging that I’m dating a foreigner, no less. With Saint Lucia, of all people.”

“It seems the investigating officer went a bit overboard. Still, it’s not entirely incorrect, is it?”

“Will I be going to a religious trial…?”

“With four women around, it’s easy to suspect something may arise. If you were just a civilian, no one would care, but no one can say anything about an information officer dating someone; some are doing it, after all.”

“That’s a violation of the ethical code and grounds for discipline, you know?”

“Do you not understand a joke?”

“…….”

I turned away, exasperated. That wicked mindset certainly didn’t diminish even when tipsy.

Anyway, that Nymph is a problem. I hope I never see her again.

“Oh, by the way, have you had your injured area checked? It wouldn’t be a good wound to leave untreated for long.”

“As I’ve removed the shrapnel, there shouldn’t be any issues. I’ve also been steadily taking antibiotics.”

Clevenz nodded while loosening his tie. As he began bringing up another topic, it seemed he intended to wrap up the disciplinary matter here.

“I’ve mentioned to the finance department to issue the medical payment, but if any issues arise, make sure to consult a priest. I had a serious injury in the past and also received treatment from one.”

“An injury? What kind of injury was it…?”

“Oh, did I not mention this? It wasn’t a serious injury; I was once stabbed with a knife.”

“A knife? How did that happen?”

“Well, being an investigator usually leads to such situations, doesn’t it?”

He mentioned getting stabbed while apprehending a spy. I’ve been hit by cars, stabbed, and shot, but strangely, Clevenz seemed surprisingly calm about it.

He poured himself a fresh drink and stared out at the small glass window of the official residence. It was a small window with the night view of the capital of Abas faintly glowing.

“Director of Counterintelligence, huh? I never expected to reach this position back when I was an investigator. You’ve certainly made it big!”

“Indeed. Has anything improved since you became a director?”

“A lot has changed, but nothing has particularly improved. I can’t seem to recall anything.”

“Oh right, how did your promotion go? The announcement should be coming soon.”

“I was promoted.”

Clevenz set his empty glass down with a loud thud. I responded with a cheer while politely refilling his glass. Now that he bore marks of a star, it could be said that the position of the Military Intelligence Agency chief was his.

Though we’ve strayed from the game’s narrative…. Well, nothing significant should happen. There’s no one else in charge other than Clevenz.

While Clevenz was observing me, he threw me a question.

“I heard you received a job offer from the Royal Intelligence Department?”

“Eh? Ah…. That’s right. Yes.”

I leaned back and tilted my head, momentarily puzzled.

“But how do you know about that?”

“The section chief of the Information Agency mentioned it. His junior works at the Royal Intelligence Department, and apparently, Leoni went to see you during the denuded operation. Just pieced the details together.”

“I see.”

It’s not unusual for an information officer to hear news about the Royal Intelligence Department from a junior.

The National Intelligence Service connects to the Information Agency, the Information Agency connects back to the National Intelligence Service, the Defense Intelligence Command connects to the police, and the police link back to the National Intelligence Service.

The Military Intelligence Agency connects to the Royal Intelligence Department, the Royal Intelligence Department connects back to the Military Intelligence Agency, the Cabinet Security Office connects to the Special Investigation Bureau, and the Special Investigation Bureau connects back to the Royal Intelligence Department.

Due to the severe manpower shortage, such personnel transfers were commonplace in the industry, so I simply nodded.

“Why didn’t you go to the Royal Intelligence Department instead of staying at the Military Intelligence Agency? They offer much better conditions and benefits.”

“As for me…. It’s simply more comfortable in the Military Intelligence Agency.”

“Then what was your reason for joining the Military Intelligence Agency?”

“…….”

I emptied my glass and pondered. Why did I join the Military Intelligence Agency?

After a long while of deliberation, a rather meaningless answer escaped my lips.

“I just thought it would be easier to be here.”

“Easier in the Information Agency? You must be quite the weirdo.”

“Well, for me, the work in the Information Agency is pretty easy…. Plus, I could work in the capital.”

“If that’s the case, why not transfer to the Capital Defense Force? Why are you struggling in the Information Agency? Living your life and saying the work in the Information Agency is easy—you’re the first person I’ve met to say that. You should stop by a hospital on your way to seeking help. Also, quit alcohol.”

“What kind of joke are you making? Wasn’t it you who brought me into the Information Agency in the first place?”

“That’s right. I heard someone killed three armed spies and figured you were a bright kid, but now it seems….”

Clevenz sucked his teeth in amusement. We emptied our glasses, and I refilled them once more.

Suddenly, a question popped into my mind. I set my glass down and asked Clevenz.

“By the way, are you close with Director Leoni?”

“We know each other. He was my senior since our academy days… Let’s see.”

“Why do you pause to calculate that?”

“Just hold on a sec. I joined the Military Intelligence Agency over 20 years ago, so I’ve been living with him for nearly 25 years.”

For having spent around 25 years together, they certainly seemed quite distant. They might even have a poor relationship. If Leoni had been a department chief or head in the overseas branch of the Military Intelligence Agency, they might have been arguing all the time.

It’s hard to imagine Clevenz and Leoni fighting, but I just smiled subtly and continued drinking.

“Anyhow, you’ve worked hard. Take about a month to rest before returning to work. You’ll need to prepare for your next assignment and might need to contact you soon.”

Looks like he has some new tasks for me. I’m lucky to have a bit of extra vacation.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Clevenz pulled something out from beneath his jacket. It was a letter.

“This arrived for you; it was held by the Inspection Office. Since the inspection is over, take it with you.”

“Eh? A letter? Why was it held by the Inspection Office?”

“I’m not sure about the contents, but it was retained as evidence for the embezzlement investigation.”

I received the letter Clevenz handed me.

After confirming I could safely open it, I tore it open to see what was inside.

“What does it say? It says it’s from a suit shop on the outside.”

“It looks like a receipt. I’ve never seen this store before.”

That’s strange. Putting aside the unfamiliar store, I didn’t order any new suits last year.

The letterhead was elegant, and the handwriting was meticulous and antique. I struggled to read the barely legible writing due to the effects of alcohol.

I stared at the letter for quite a while. After reading through it, I finally figured out what it was.

“…….”

“What’s the matter?”

“…It’s a bill for a new suit.”

Seeing the name written in the letter and checking the amount, I gulped down the beer. The letter stated an amount equivalent to around one million Korean Won, accompanied by the name of a family member.

It was a name I recognized well.

I took a deep breath to calm my boiling temper and managed to sputter out a response.

“It seems my younger sister ordered a new suit without my knowledge.”