A Dark Fantasy Spy

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“First, bring someone from the Empire.”

Leoni said.

“Is it a rescue operation?”

“Something like that.”

The Former Chief of the Military Intelligence Agency of the Kien Empire replied.

“A few months ago, one of the senior officials of the Empire sent a letter to the embassy. He wanted to hand over the information he had in exchange for payment.”

“What did you do?”

“What do you think? Of course, I received the goods and handed over the money. It was a very satisfactory transaction.”

The Former Director of the National Operations Bureau of the Royal Intelligence Department said.

“However, the staff assigned to that guy got exiled. The Empire’s counterintelligence activities were smashed, and he was expelled along with them. It was a valuable information network that we had just rebuilt…”

Leoni licked her lips with a bitter expression. She genuinely looked sorry.

“If the information officer was exiled, does that mean the informant was captured?”

“I don’t know. The local information network is paralyzed. In the chaos, who knows if they were caught or executed? Still, it seems they have a long life; fortunately, the lost contact person has approached again, much more cautiously than before.”

“They’re asking for asylum?”

“With their family.”

Including himself, one wife and one child. A total of three. The whole family wants to seek asylum.

“Anyway, there’s no reason to stop that guy, so why don’t you take charge of it? It seems he knows something interesting.”

“When can I expect the details of the operation?”

“Next week.”

They said the operation document would be dropped in a week. Once the details come out, I’ll have to prepare a few things, and that too would take about a week.

By the way, there’s still two weeks left of my vacation.

In other words, it means I have to head to the Empire right after my vacation ends.

—

Episode 10 – Turn Northwest

Having charged through the blizzard for over an hour, I had to take a car back. However, to avoid being followed, they took the car away, leaving me without any mode of transportation.

Of course, my sturdy legs were still intact.

But walking back on the very road I drove for an hour, especially through a December snowstorm, was unreasonable.

Fortunately, the company provided me with a vehicle.

To be precise, they gave me a ride.

“We have arrived.”

The information officer had somehow procured a decent vehicle and brought me to the townhouse.

This was the same guy who was patting me down in the safe house earlier. Judging by his appearance, he looked like a rookie. I didn’t know which company he belonged to; it could be either the Royal Intelligence Department or the Military Intelligence Agency.

He seemed unfamiliar with the vehicle, fumbling slightly as he pulled out the keys and handed them to me.

“The vehicle will be parked in front of your house; we will collect it later. Please use this vehicle during your vacation.”

“Oh, yes. But is this a company vehicle?”

“It’s a rental. If it breaks, you’ll have to pay, so handle it with care.”

I locked the door with the keys I received. The information officer trudged through the deep snow and disappeared somewhere.

I stuffed the keys into my pocket and headed home, fiddling with the unfamiliar pistol.

—

Though I’m on vacation, there’s not much to do. I don’t have any friends I can easily call for drinks, nor am I in a relationship.

Spending time with family is also awkward.

My father, mother, older brother, and sister are all civil servants. They can’t take time off easily. Though they say they’re on leave, I won’t see them until next week. My unemployed younger sister had it slightly easier, but now she’s said to have found a job, so I’m not sure when I’ll see her.

Of course, if I do see her, I plan to grill her half to death.

Anyway.

Even though I’m on vacation and lazing around, I still had things to do.

“Welcome.”

As inappropriate as it might feel to call it morning, I received a greeting from the hotel staff as I stepped into the lobby.

The employees wearing name tags bowed their heads in greeting, and the neatly suited plainclothes police glanced at me before turning away.

In this place, where everything proceeded in a strictly businesslike manner, there was only one person who greeted me warmly.

“Good to see you, Saint Lucia.”

“Oh, you’ve come.”

Lucia smiled gently. Even at this early hour, she was perfectly groomed from head to toe when she greeted me.

“What time did you wake up? Even though the sun rises late in winter, it’s still early. Did you have a bad sleep?”

“No, I slept well, but my sleep hours aren’t that long.”

“I see.”

She gestured for me to follow her to the bed. As always, the table was set with a silver tray filled with warm holy water and a white towel.

“Are we doing this again today? The treatment.”

“I told you it’s best to do it daily. Naturally, you must receive it today as well.”

Lucia answered firmly. If the saint insists, then that’s how it is.

I took off my jacket and lay down on the bed.

—

Since my thumb, bitten by a beastman terrorist, healed, Lucia has been in charge of all my treatments.

If I were to follow the FM guidelines, I would have to get treated at the designated military hospital, but the wounds requiring hospitalization have been healed for a long time.

Though technically I could be discharged, the doctor’s opinion stated that I needed periodic outpatient treatment. But in reality, that “treatment” was nearly akin to rehabilitation, so I didn’t really need to go to a hospital.

Thus, the Military Intelligence Agency allowed me to rehabilitate somewhere other than the military hospital if I wished. After all, it was Veronica who reattached my severed finger, so they figured her help would greatly aid my recovery.

And that judgment was accurate.

“Could you try moving your finger?”

I slowly moved my right thumb as instructed by Lucia. Unlike before, when it would twitch with just a little force, now I could bend it just as well as my left thumb.

The effort Lucia had put in over the past few weeks was beginning to show its fruits.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Um… yes.”

Lucia looked at me with a relieved expression.

Though her time as a healing priestess was short, her skill was exceptional, having traveled through conflict areas.

She pressed my finger gently with a warm towel and then began massaging around the thumb area with her fingers as she spoke.

“It’s definitely faster recovery considering you have no internal magic. I’ve always struggled treating with magic, so I’m not sure if I should be happy or not.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Magic and divine energy don’t easily harmonize, and they have a tendency to clash. So recovery tends to be slower. Unless it’s an external injury, internal injuries are even more so.”

That was irrelevant to me. My low magic affinity allows me to use no magic, and I couldn’t enhance my body with internal magic like a half-baked person. I never thought not being able to use magic would become an advantage.

“But how do you know about the clash between magic and divinity? Isn’t divine research forbidden…?”

“I’ve treated wizards before. In the Empire.”

“Oh.”

After all, she must have encountered a few injured wizards during her nearly three years of service in the northern conflict areas.

As I watched the flow of light around my fingertips, Lucia spoke.

“I heard you were going to the Empire soon.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“From the National Affairs Council. They said they encountered difficulties searching for the individuals designated by the oracle. So, I was told a trip to the troubled Empire might be necessary first. I heard it from the bishop while coordinating the date for the canonization ceremony.”

Lucia, having wrung out the towel, dipped her fingers into the holy water. As her delicate fingers touched, I answered in a calm voice, downplaying its importance.

“I’m not sure about my colleagues, but as you said, going to the Empire is a foregone conclusion. The rumors have spread widely in the diplomatic circles.”

“Is that so? It seems you have a good ear for the diplomat’s news.”

I nodded.

Although the human intelligence assets of the Abas Information Agency inside the Empire were shattered, an information agency is still an information agency.

Military Intelligence Agency eavesdrops on the communications of the Imperial Army centered on the Signal Intelligence Unit, performs public information collection, and activates the remaining intelligence assets (HUMINT) to have some understanding of the situation in the north.

Though the influx of intelligence from the Empire’s counterintelligence activities has decreased, it still means they have some grasp of how things are going in the north. At least, it’s not the worst situation where blind people are collectively encountering an elephant.

Of course, explaining that to Lucia was impossible, so I summarized the aspects reported by the diplomats and the media and shared it with her.

“The conflict between the Empire and the Magic Tower is escalating. If the existing conflict was at a similar level to previous years, this year has intensified beyond comparison to last year. The level of military provocations has increased further, and damage to infrastructure and industrial facilities is significant, with some regions occupied by the magical beings leading to more frequent military operations.”

“Mm….”

“Therefore, I can understand the Empire’s perspective. If the National Affairs Council mentioned it directly, discussions regarding the dispatch must have occurred between the cult and the empire. Furthermore, negotiations regarding funding might still be underway.”

That was a lie. In reality, practical negotiations have already concluded.

The Kien Empire-Abas-Cult Foreign Affairs had completed practical negotiations. They even dispatched special envoys and finalized coordination between embassies, so it was said that an official announcement would be made soon.

However, it seemed Lucia was unaware of that.

“Hmm….”

With her mind deep in thought, she absentmindedly let the divine energy slip through her fingers. While using the finger she healed to stroke her chin.

As she pondered, suddenly, she snapped back to reality, surprised.

“…Oh, I’m sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment.”

“What were you thinking so deeply about?”

“Uh, well….”

Lucia shyly smiled and began to speak.

“I felt a bit regretful.”

“Regretful? What are you regretting?”

“Just… various things.”

She offered a somewhat awkward smile. It looked slightly bitter.

“While the Empire indeed needs help, there are others who need assistance too. The Magic Tower is still in a state of chaos…”

“…Ah.”

“There are many who need help, but few who can provide it. I suddenly thought about that.”

“…….”

As silence returned in place of an answer, Lucia chuckled awkwardly.

“Was that a silly thought?”

“…….”

Lucia always asked kindly with a smile.

But in this moment, it was difficult for me to look directly at her face.

So I said nothing.

An awkward silence lingered.

—

Employees dispatched overseas as diplomats enjoy high regard as they step out into the world.

Once you become a diplomat, you gain the privilege of not facing criminal prosecution in the host country’s courts. It doesn’t matter if you drink and drive, get a speeding ticket, or engage in espionage; all you do is get expelled, and that’s it.

Excluding those lethal reasons, the status of being a diplomat is quite enviable, so there’s always fierce competition for official selections for information officers. Of course, the African and Middle Eastern regions are exceptions. Due to understaffing and underdeveloped infrastructure, they are often listed as places avoided even by the foreign ministry.

Nevertheless, there was indeed a reason to envy the employees dispatched as diplomats.

That reason is the opportunity to spend vacation back in the homeland.

“Huh?”

In front of the warp gate between Abas and the Magic Tower. The eyes of the guy dragging a suitcase through immigration widened.

“Manager?”

“What, Colonel, are you here?”

As I waved at the people who had just returned to the homeland, having ordered a cup of coffee and waited, they approached me with friendly faces.

“Wow! You’ve been on leave and then went silent, so how did you end up here?”

“When did you get here?”

“About 30 minutes ago. I heard the news that you guys were on leave, so I came to pick you up.”

I pulled out the keys handed to me by the company and pointed toward the exit of the immigration area.

“You’ve worked hard for months, so let’s grab something to eat.”

So, I led Pippin and Jake, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, to a restaurant.

And there, I came face to face with someone I never wanted to see again.