NOVEL WEB Chapter 175
“Camila, do you know what one of the virtues the Information Agency requires from its employees is?”
In response to my question, Camila hummed briefly and then blurted out an answer.
“…Doltiness?”
“…….”
“Just kidding. It’s patriotism, right?”
Camila laughed cheekily. It was the answer I had expected.
Of course, her answer wasn’t entirely wrong. But it wasn’t the answer I was hoping for either.
Wrapped in a blanket and sipping tea, I explained to Camila what one of the most important virtues was.
“Patriotism is correct, but the right answer is abstinence.”
“Abstinence? Like, moderation stuff?”
I nodded.
“In this line of work, you often have to do things you don’t want to do, and you frequently can’t do what you really want.”
“For example?”
“If you’re sent to a Middle Eastern country where alcohol is forbidden, you can’t even touch a drink, and if you were a smoker who liked local cigarettes, you’d have to smoke the local brands abroad. You also have to adapt to food you don’t like, can’t date, can’t see your family during holidays, and if there’s a video conference, you have to wake up at dawn….”
“Ugh, that sounds awful.”
“Can you live your life only doing what you want? I mean, you can’t just lounge around at work and get paid for it. It’s pretty much the same.”
I kindly sat Camila down for tea time and explained the 101 violations of labor laws she might experience when entering the Information Agency.
But Camila was only half-listening as she fiddled with her steel teacup.
After a long silence, she abruptly spoke in a blunt tone.
“So, is that why you woke me up at dawn? Abstinence?”
“Yep.”
“…….”
Just then, a strong wind shook the window, and the blizzard raged outside. The frozen landscape of the farm made my teeth chatter just from looking at it.
Perfect weather for training.
“Let’s go.”
—
Episode 10 – Turn the course to the Northwest
—
The shooting training began in the same manner as before. Having become accustomed to the pistol and rifle, we skipped the precision shooting and moved on to combat shooting.
There were training supplies in the premises, so there was no need to request more. By the way, there were new bulletproof vests available for both men and women.
“When the buzzer sounds, you may start. Put on your hearing protection.”
“Okay. I’m ready.”
“Well then, here we go.”
-Beeep!
As the signal sounded, Camila fired rounds at various targets. She alternately shot at targets on her left and right, hit moving targets, and sometimes faced sudden appearances of targets.
Her skills were precise.
But of course, Camila didn’t just shoot.
“Malfunction!”
Camila also underwent training in emergency measures. This was a scenario training for when a firearm malfunctions during shooting.
When I signaled her, she quickly slapped the magazine over her shoulder, pulled the trigger, and fired.
Having obtained her firearm license for more than just show, she exhibited proper form. Camila demonstrated good adaptability while handling the rifles adopted by the Abas Military.
“Why are you struggling so much just to pull a trigger?”
“Uh….”
“Don’t hesitate! Pull it quickly. Tilt the pistol grip inward and pull the magazine straight out, just like that.”
“L-like this?”
“Right! Why are you hesitating when you’re doing well?”
The Kien Empire’s rifle was slightly awkward, but she seemed to be getting the hang of it with continuous practice.
-Bang! Bang!
In the blizzard-stricken farm, Camila continuously trained, letting out puffs of white breath. She hit several targets standing and swiftly removed jams or changed empty magazines between shots.
As Camila slowly became accustomed to the training, I shovelled snow alone and brought the car parked outside the farm for the next session.
“You need to know how to shoot while hiding behind a vehicle. You’ve seen movies where they use vehicles as cover, right?”
“Yes.”
“If there’s no cover nearby, a vehicle can be a good option. But even if a vehicle looks sturdy, not every part will stop bullets. If you don’t want to end up like a sieve, make sure to position yourself well.”
I demonstrated.
First, I showed a scenario of facing enemies in front, hiding behind the front end of the vehicle.
“When an enemy appears up ahead, come behind the vehicle to hide. Never hide behind things like windows, but going behind the tires will give you decent cover, as long as bullets don’t penetrate the entire vehicle.”
“What if enemies come out from the left or right?”
“You’d hide near the engine room. That’s actually the strongest point.”
I demonstrated the position of leaning the gun against the engine room and shooting from the rear of the vehicle.
“This way, you expose less of yourself than if you were resting your gun on the engine room. You can get a lot more cover this way.”
“If you’re lying down to shoot, be careful not to let any debris get into the muzzle. Keep a good distance between the muzzle and the ground, even if it’s a bit uncomfortable. Otherwise, you might obstruct the firearm or be affected by flying sand or snow.”
The training continued without pause.
Camila rolled around in the snow until lunch, then climbed in and out of the vehicle repeatedly after the meal. She was so dedicated that even in such cold weather, she was sweating buckets.
As time passed, sweat soaked through her clothes and bulletproof vest, and the moment she paused even a little from moving, Camila would start shivering in the December cold.
“I, I, I’m too cold…! I feel like I’m going to die from hypothermia….”
“It’s okay. You’re not going to die.”
“How can you be so sure…?”
“Because I’ve been through it.”
Taking off the whistle I had, I chuckled, and Camila looked as if she had seen a demon.
After a while of training, the moment I suggested stopping, she collapsed in exhaustion. Hugging the rifle tightly, she sprawled out on the ground.
“Whew…!”
“Tough, huh?”
She nodded. Camila’s weak head bobbing was accompanied by snow on her red hair.
I detached the magazine from her rifle, pulled the trigger several times, and then fired into the air. After conducting a safety check, that was finally the end of the shooting training.
“Good job. Now let’s go in, wash up, and warm ourselves.”
Breathless, Camila asked in a weak voice.
“Is that all for today’s shooting…?”
“Why would we skip nighttime shooting? It’s not like there won’t be any combat at night.”
“Oh.”
A brief gasp emerged with her white breath. Her gaze lost focus.
I helped the disheveled Camila to her feet and dusted off her clothes while giving her some advice.
“Quitting is easy.”
—
After the shooting training, we organized the yard and went inside for a bit of a break.
While I was setting up military intelligence equipment and cables, Camila lay on the bed, trying to nap like a dead mouse.
I connected the power to find the terminals, attached the cables, caught the signal, and after running the security program, I accessed the network to download the updated data from the day.
As a safe house, the speed was excellent, but due to the massive data size, it took quite a while.
Downloading the data and sorting through documents took a little over two hours.
Just as the sun was beginning to set, all the preparations were finally finished.
Entering the room, I heard Camila’s colorful breathing. She was cocooned in the blanket, wriggling like a caterpillar and wandering in dreamland.
“Camila.”
“…Mmm.”
“Camila, wake up.”
“…Just ten more minutes.”
I shook Camila, who was sound asleep.
But the tired Camila insisted on not waking up, and it wasn’t until I forcefully sat her upright that she finally opened her eyes.
“Get organized and come out. Everything is ready.”
“Ha… I’ll just wash my face before coming out.”
It took Camila five minutes to wash her face before she emerged from the bathroom.
As soon as she wobbled to the table, a new training began.
—
“…What was the training we were doing today again?”
“Intelligence collection and analysis.”
“Well, just hearing it gives me a headache….”
Camila pressed her temples and mumbled.
“Do you need headache medicine?”
“Do you have any? If you do, can I have some?”
I retrieved some headache medicine from the fridge and handed it to Camila. She swallowed two tablets without water.
“Haah….”
Maybe the headache had subsided, as Camila sighed and spoke to me.
“I think I’m feeling better now. Let’s start.”
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Since I was about to teach her the knowledge needed to become an Information Officer, I didn’t intend to take it easy on her.
Though Camila had a major in national intelligence and had interned with the SIS, it was still lacking.
Thus, until she compensated for her weaknesses, I needed to hide them as much as possible and highlight her strengths.
And the thing she was best at was information analysis.
I operated the device to display the data and flipped the screen over to show Camila.
“What’s this?”
“This is data prepared by the Abas Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The countries listed here are locations we may be going to in the future.”
As Camila took a sip from her drink, she slightly furrowed her brow, trying to see the words on the screen clearly.
“Umm, some of these names sound familiar. I think I’ve seen them a lot in newspapers and news reports.”
“Which countries stand out to you?”
“Latwan, Kirkevorn, Edhelond, Brudi, Slagna, Al-Rabiya, Tarkhan….”
She skillfully recited the names.
“…Donorias, Suriyati, and Kien. That’s quite a lot—I think it exceeds fifteen.”
“Why did you stop counting in the middle?”
“Because there are too many.”
That was an impressively straightforward answer. Well, there are a lot of countries in this region.
I continued my explanation while tapping at the keyboard with my left hand and rummaging through a pile of documents with my right.
“The countries mentioned in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs report are exactly 37. All of them are suffering from wars, civil wars, epidemics, natural disasters, mysteries, demons, demonic races, or monsters. At the same time, they’re all places we might need to go.”
“Oh wow, when are we going to visit all these countries?”
Camila, who had laid her head on the desk, murmured while cradling her head. Her expression was so funny that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Don’t worry. That doesn’t mean we’ll visit all of them; it just means we might have the chance to go one day.”
In other words, it was a prediction.
The Abas Ministry of Foreign Affairs collected data from diplomats deployed worldwide and diplomats residing in Abas, creating a list of countries that we might have to visit in the future. So this data is effectively an analytical report.
Hearing that, Camila asked a question.
“Aren’t there any international organizations here? Like the UN Security Council or a Peacekeeping Force…?”
“Of course, there are.”
Countries are fundamentally interest groups. A massive community that maintains government and promotes national interests.
And as human history has shown, every country has its own circumstances, and rarely do their interests align. Take a look at trade disputes and blockades; that’s the answer.
Between countries that are historically, religiously, politically, or economically opposed to each other, conflicts are bound to arise. And since these issues usually encompass complex underlying circumstances, it has been difficult to find fundamentally effective resolutions.
Thus, the UN came into being.
An international organization established for cooperation and world peace after World War II. There are similar organizations around this area too.
The problem is,
“But right now, it isn’t functioning properly.”
It’s turned into a mess.
“Why not?”
“Recently, a group of spies got caught, leading to the expulsion of all diplomats and the closure of embassies. Even with the division between democratic states, monarchies, and dictatorial states that are at each other’s throats, due to diplomatic issues, it has gone slightly downhill.”
“Oh, I saw that in the news. They chased away ambassadors, right?”
Of course, the cause for the diplomatic purge was because of us. But that’s not my concern.
What matters is that the international organization has turned into a mess.
“Originally, you were meant to be assigned to an international organization, Camila. When the international organization was first created, there was an agreement to include heroes, guardians of the doctrine, and deities.”
“Really? But I don’t think I’ve ever seen such news.”
“Well, that’s because you’re the first person summoned to the international organization, and not from this region. You’re the first person to get into an international organization while being from elsewhere.”
“Wow!”
Camila smiled brightly and marveled.
“Don’t get too excited; you’re not entering that right now.”
The Government of Abas wants to maximize support and manage Camila. To be precise, they want to place her under their influence.
Thus, they’re working hard to stir trouble with countries friendly to Abas (democratic countries and authoritarian states that lean towards democracy) to keep the international organization just the way it is.
Of course, the reason the international organization has fallen to such a state is due to the complex backstories involving powerful nations such as Abas, Kien, and Patalia, but that’s not something that needs to be known right now. Moreover, sending Camila into a dysfunctional international organization doesn’t seem right either….
Anyway.
“Anyway, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, there’s one country likely to be our next destination. Compared to other nations, it seems to be in relatively better shape, but it exerts strong influence on the international stage, so it’s almost a certainty for the next destination.”
“Where is that?”
As I typed, the screen shifted to show the country’s flag.
“The Kien Empire.”
I continued to flip slides and explain. The screen filled with content about the Kien Empire’s politics, society, economy, culture, industry, defense, and diplomacy.
Over 200 ethnic groups, vast territories that rival entire continents, three major religions, nine legislative party systems, abundant natural resources, a massive rural workforce, low food production rates, key industries including steel, chemicals, heavy industries and electronics, a monarchic-dictatorial state at the helm, and a massive standing army, etc.
Just looking at it was enough to make my eyes bulge, yet surprisingly, Camila exhibited strong focus.
She swiftly scanned the text and charts displayed on the screen while listening to my explanation.
“This is baseline information about the Kien Empire provided by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. By the way, this is also what the Abas Information Agency receives, so make sure to read it thoroughly.”
“Does the Information Agency also receive documents from the Foreign Affairs Ministry?”
“Since ancient times, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has played the role of the Information Agency. Modern intelligence agencies emerged after World War I and World War II.”
Even in the 21st century, with intelligence agencies like the CIA, SIS, and Mossad, the Foreign Affairs Ministry still demonstrates foreign intelligence collection capabilities akin to that of intelligence agencies.
“The Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Intelligence Agency are like two sides of the same coin. That’s why the U.S. State Department hires intelligence officers who analyze intelligence as information managers, and the British Intelligence Department scouts long-serving diplomats as regional intelligence officers. If you ever change your mind, consider going to the Foreign Affairs Ministry rather than the SIS. Taking your time to build a career there to explore your options isn’t a bad idea either.”
“I hadn’t really thought about being a diplomat, but that’s good advice. Thank you.”
What’s there to thank for about that?
Continuing to flip through the data, I found a document.
“Anyway, back to the main point. The Kien Empire has recently been engaged in conflicts with demon races along its borders. It’s not an all-out war, but a local skirmish that’s been going on for about four years. To be honest, at first, we thought we’d win easily as the Kien Empire was pushing forward with great momentum….”
“And then?”
“It turns out pushing back the demon races isn’t so easy. They’ve recently started receiving support from the Magic Tower, cults, and allied nations.”
The word “support” seemed to spark Camila’s Cambridge brain.
“Support is, well, nothing special, right? The Soviets received support from East Germany during the Afghan War. Similarly, when their ally nations in the Middle East went to war, the Soviets sent aid.”
“…….”
“I think there might be some other reason behind it, though?”
Camila asked with a bright smile, subtly probing. I returned her smile.
“We don’t know either.”
“…Huh?”
I flipped through the slides.
“Four years ago, when military provocations were ongoing, the Imperial Government declared a restriction of movement in the border areas. Civilian movement was entirely controlled, and, aside from authorized military, police, and civil servants, no one could go up there.”
“…….”
“The restriction in the border area was at some point transformed into a state of emergency, which then expanded to the relatively rear northern regions. Now, a state of emergency has been declared over the entire northern region, effectively locking everyone inside and outside. Naturally, intelligence collection is impossible. The informants we sent in could not make their way back.”
“…Wait, are they captured?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know that either. Due to a lack of contact, they’ve been treated as missing; but, given the years that have passed, it’s safe to assume that all assets like that are dead. Whether they were caught by counterintelligence or unlucky enough to get caught up in a fight.”
Given that counterintelligence activities of the Imperial Guard HQ and other Imperial information agencies ramped up two years post-conflict breakout, some of them were probably caught. They would have interrogated the informants to glean their personal information, collecting it bit by bit until… boom—fired on them.
After that, the Imperial Guard HQ, counter-intelligence headquarters, and police forces had their intelligence networks burst out like a bursting dam. And the operations to infiltrate informants and operatives into the northern region were all halted. At least as far as I know.
As Camila’s expression grew serious, I found a report buried under a mountain of papers.
“This is the Ministry’s report which condenses the data I showed you earlier. It has a bit more detailed information and contains intelligence you need to be familiar with in the future.”
Upon receiving the document, a look of bewilderment flickered across Camila’s face.
And it’s no wonder, considering it was hundreds of pages thick. It was practically a thick encyclopedia.
“Wow, how thick could this possibly be? I could probably use it to cover my face. Look at this.”
Camila held the bound report up to her face. It completely obscured her features. Was it that her head was small, or was the document unusually large? Probably both.
As I neatly organized the papers, I instructed Camila.
“Make sure you read that by tomorrow.”
“…Huh?”
“By tomorrow, I said.”
“All of it?”
“Yes, all of it.”
“…….”
Camila glared at me with a vicious eye, as if to say, “Are you crazy?”
“Why’s that?”
“I said the analyst’s report needs general knowledge about the area to have reliability. You need to understand the political, economic, social, cultural, philosophical, and historical aspects, or you won’t be able to analyze it. So take note of that.”
“…Surely.”
Camila, who wore a face expressing that “you can’t be serious,” blurted out.
“You’re not asking me to analyze what’s happening in the north, are you?”
“Wow. You catch on pretty quickly, huh? That’s impressive…”
“…….”
The vibrancy drained from her blue eyes. It felt like her soul had departed.
While Camila wore a lost expression as if she’d lost her country, even as she hugged the document tightly and stared blankly, I continued pulling out and sorting the documents, explaining along the way.
“I’m not asking you to analyze something monumental. Just pick a topic of your choosing and analyze it freely to the best of your ability. If you want, I can assign you a simple topic to tackle.”
“…Can I just analyze Islamic terrorist groups like last time?”
“Nope, not allowed.”
“…….”
“Here.”
I placed a sheet of paper listing analysis techniques I remembered and handed over the device to Camila.
“Bring your plan by dinner today.”
“…….”
“As a side note, if you bring a half-baked plan, dinner will be boiled potatoes.”
With an encyclopedia-like document tucked under her arm, Camila’s expression, sitting amidst countless papers and equipment, was quite the sight to behold.
—
To note.
That evening, Camila received three potatoes for dinner.