A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Riding the train is never boring, as always.

As we pass through the city and countryside, with mountains and rice fields in view, I find the panorama outside the train flowing endlessly, leaving no room for boredom.

In the dining car, we settled down for a meal, sipping coffee made with hot water available in the aisle, and I also bought some snacks like lunch boxes, sunflower seeds, and nuts from the stewardess’s small cart.

Chatting with my older brother and sister, when we got bored, I would step out into the aisle and smoke while gazing out the window.

Thus, I spent a whole day on the rickety train, arriving in the West.

Unlike the dusty old city, the clean air of the West, which still retains some nature, welcomed me as I got off the train, and I took a deep breath of the air.

“Behold, I descend.”

Suddenly, I felt a sharp smack on the back of my head! It was so fierce that I thought my eyeballs might pop out.

“Why the hell are you hitting me?”

“Who wakes up from a slumber and starts spouting nonsense?”

“Don’t fight now. Should you really be squabbling after coming all the way to the family home?”

“Does this look like a fight to you?”

As I rubbed the back of my head, I shifted my luggage, letting the bickering between Adela and Jerry fade into the background.

—

Episode 10 – Change Course to Northwest

—

The western part of the Kingdom of Abas is a land steeped in a history of twists and hardships.

It borders a strait, recognized since ancient times as a strategic point where many fishers lived, but unlike the South, which amassed great wealth through trade between the East and West due to its proximity to the Mauritania Continent, the West was relatively underdeveloped.

However, as Eastern elves, nomadic tribes, and various races progressively expanded westward, the West began to gain military significance.

At that time, the queen ruling Abas built a port in the West and improved the road networks, and thanks to the royal insight, the West effectively served as a bulwark against invasions that had lasted for centuries.

Yet lengthy cycles of invasions and wars had left the West ravaged. With the influences of the elves and nomads washed away by the tides of history, the West lost its military value and was left to stagnate.

But even when the heavens collapse, a hole remains.

There was a man who undertook the royal decree to restore the ravaged West — he is the widely recognized ancestor of the Nostrim family, known as an administrator and architect.

—

We arrived at the ancestral home of the Nostrim family, rich with history, after a full day of traveling by train.

“Ah.”

On the path leading to the entrance of the mansion, we spotted someone familiar.

“Mom!”

“Oh, you’re back.”

Adela, my older sister, rushed forward with her arms full of luggage and enveloped a middle-aged woman in a hug. Such a scene would have made an ancient elder of the prestigious family click their tongue in disapproval, but the middle-aged woman did not scold her.

Because she was our mother.

The middle-aged woman, wearing a wide-brimmed hat adorned with decorations, affectionately patted the head of her neatly dressed daughter. The eyes, which had maintained a stoic expression, now glinted shyly, and the subtly folded wrinkles were clear traces of time, but they instead evoked a peaceful atmosphere.

“Have you been well, my daughter?”

“Yes!”

Adela chirped, offering a cute smile and some nauseatingly sweet words.

I pointed at her with trembling fingers.

“What did she just spout?”

“Hey, Fred. What do you mean by ‘what did she spout’? Just that!”

“Hah… Has doom finally fallen upon Abas? The upcoming elections will be a victory for the republicans, damn it.”

“Employees must refrain from political remarks.”

The picky Treasury Department official reminded me to maintain a civil servant’s political neutrality. Of course, I knew it was a joke, and so did he, so the atmosphere remained light.

Jerry patted my shoulder and jumped into the conversation between mother and daughter.

“I’m home, Mom.”

“Jerry! Our son. How’s life in the capital? They say the Treasury Department has been busy lately, so it must be hard for you.”

“Well, the Treasury is always busy. But is it any different for the royal family? How are His Majesty and Her Majesty doing?”

“They’re both well. By the way, all of you look a bit worn out.”

As the Treasury official shrugged, the foreign affairs official pouted.

“What’s hard for the Treasury? They’re nitpicking on everything and refusing to process the budget properly.”

“If the diplomats didn’t misuse public funds for their personal affairs, wouldn’t we also be able to approve requests more easily? I wish they’d stop spending public funds on unnecessary expenses while golfing and socializing on weekends.”

“That’s just the norm. And do you think we’re out enjoying ourselves? We often meet with foreign diplomats on weekends, and how can we cover that with our own money?”

“Well, I believe it’s not a norm but corruption.”

“It’s just survival.”

They kept bickering.

It seemed like they all had some kind of disease that made their mouths itch if they didn’t babble nonsense for even a second, as Jerry and Adela began to roast each other unexpectedly. This is why I don’t visit the family home. When relatives gather during holidays, they pry into everything, making it exhausting. What on earth could they possibly be so curious about?

Tsk! I clicked my tongue softly and slipped past the two of them.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mother.”

“Fred. You’re here too.”

“Yes.”

I politely bowed my head to my mother, whom I hadn’t seen in several years. She welcomed me warmly, and that was the end of our conversation.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence fell. About two seconds worth.

My mother smiled at her long-absent son, and I stood still, staring at her.

What should I say?

“Are you doing well these days?”

“Of course. Just fine. Did you get a new suit tailored?”

“You noticed.”

I nodded while looking down at the suit I was wearing. The suit I usually wore had been discarded after the terrorist incident, and the ready-made one I had didn’t fit, so I had it altered.

Having lost a bit of weight over the past few months, the suit felt loose. So, I sent it to the tailor to have it fitted.

By the way, the suit I was currently wearing fit perfectly. Francesca had ordered it based on estimates she took with her keen eye. Who knew a mage would have such precise measurement skills?

I couldn’t accept such an expensive gift, intending to offer money in return, but Francesca happily gifted me the suit as a reward for her hard work.

I didn’t realize it back then, but later, seeing the price tag, I was astounded. This wasn’t some Huntsman suit; it was enough to cover several months of a major’s salary for just one outfit!

No matter how I looked at it, it was clear this was not just a simple gift, but a debt cleverly concealed for future use, yet I didn’t refuse Francesca’s ‘kindness’.

Lost in memories while gazing at the suit, my mother suddenly asked me a question.

“Oh, right, Fred. How have you been?”

I paused and recalled my thoughts.

Working in an information agency made it difficult to disclose my identity to anyone outside of my parents. Even when meeting friends or relatives, I couldn’t say I worked for an information agency.

To ease the burden of that situation, the agency would provide scenarios to navigate such encounters. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t memorize them, but if I slipped up by claiming, ‘I’m an information officer,’ and got caught, I would be immediately dismissed for violating security protocols.

“Oh, I’m currently working at a seafood company related to China. It’s a small one in Dalian that imports fish caught off the coast of China.”

“I’m in research. Just a marine-related research institute, uh, what was it? It’s located in the provinces, by the coast.”

“I’m an international reporter at a media company, so I travel abroad often. Here’s a photo with a war correspondent I worked with the other day. This is my business card.”

“I’m working at a startup in India thanks to a friend I met when I was an exchange student in college.”

“I’m just a career soldier.”

A myriad of memories flickered through my mind like a panorama.

The scenarios I shared with friends back in college, those I told my high school teachers after graduation, answers I gave my grandmother during the holidays, made-up business cards handed to friends’ moms, and lies told to my mother.

There’s really not much difference between Earth and here.

In fact, the recent scenarios have become more nuanced and intricate. Having been known as a defense attaché now, I could answer detailed questions without the persistent inquiries about what I’ve been up to like before.

But even so, it was a tiresome task, and I sighed internally as I decided to spill the truth to her.

“I’m doing alright. Recently, I’ve been working as an attaché at the embassy.”

“…Is that so?”

“Military life is pretty much the same.”

With that brief conclusion, the middle-aged woman nodded. I thought I had smoothly navigated the conversation until I noticed her hands.

She was gently scraping her neatly trimmed nails with her other thumb. I knew this was a habit of hers whenever something was weighing on her mind. A nervous reaction akin to nail-biting.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue softly and called out to my squabbling brother and sister.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Would you stop fighting in front of Mom? What are you, adults doing? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“You’re the one who hasn’t shown your face for three years—wait. Hey, Fredrick! Where are you going?!”

“I’m leaving first. Please escort Mother inside.”

And just like that, I tossed them aside and slipped away from the scene.

—

The mansion of the Nostrim family in the West is vast.

Originally, this mansion belonged to a prominent local figure, but during the war, the whole family was completely wiped out.

Although the mansion itself remained somewhat intact, the relatives of the figure had no intention of moving to the continually invaded West.

They renounced their inheritance, and consequently, the mansion was seized by the government to be auctioned off in order to raise funds for the reconstruction of the West.

The man who purchased the mansion was none other than the ancestor of the Nostrim family.

This small, old mansion built in the 1700s had survived the war, but once it fell into the hands of the somewhat hipster-spirited ancestor, it was completely rebuilt.

As an architect, he demolished the structure and erected a modern mansion according to the standards of that time.

Spacious, grand, and magnificent.

The mansion built in 18th-century style was indeed large and imposing. Just looking at it made the chest swell with pride.

My room was the second one from the left on the second floor. Since the rooms were assigned in the order of birth, Adela’s room and ‘that guy’s’ room were right next door.

I sat at the edge of the bed, surveying the room I hadn’t visited in a long time.

“…….”

Strangely enough, after years away, I felt no nostalgia upon returning to this room. Seeing the furniture marked by childhood memories didn’t trigger any recollections; it felt strangely unfamiliar instead.

I lay down on the bed, tired from the long train journey, but of course, I felt strangely uneasy.

Just as I was staring blankly at the ceiling, I suddenly heard a knock on the door.

“Who’s there?”

“I’m your brother.”

It was Jerry.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Jerry entered. True to being noble, he was dressed in a suit even at home. Well, he left off the stuffy jacket but wore the vest instead.

“Why are you in a suit at home?”

“It’s comfortable. I wear it all day, so now I wear it even at home.”

“Gee….”

The Treasury official on leave smiled brightly. Jerry brought in a chair and sat down comfortably next to the bed.

“So, how do you feel being back home after a long time?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean how it feels. It’s been almost five years since you came back, right?”

Hmm…

I pondered for a moment.

“Honestly, I don’t feel much. It’s nice not to have to think about work since I’m on leave.”

“Is that so?”

“Why are you suddenly asking such things out of the blue?”

Jerry let out a light sigh.

“Your expression doesn’t look too bright, so I just wondered if you had any problems.”

“Oh.”

So that’s what it was.

I tossed and turned before breaking into a grin.

“I thought you were prying into my business. That’s just unnecessary meddling, okay?”

“Why is it meddling? I’m your brother.”

“Isn’t it the same as your relatives prying during holidays? Honestly, you do seem a bit old-fashioned every time you do that; don’t you know?”

“I’m not the one watching over you. I wasn’t about to let Adela take care of you.”

Jerry laughed lightly and shook his head. For a while, it was hard to find a caretaker to watch over us, and to relieve our busy parents, Adela took it upon herself to get pocket money to watch over me and my sister.

Of course, at that time, Adela was a minor and had barely any skills in looking after kids.

“Do you remember? When Ayla got really sick, and we couldn’t have the staff come over, our parents and I stepped out for a moment. She watched over you guys for days.”

“Oh, I remember. We only ate pancakes for days.”

“The moment we came back, Ayla cried, saying to ditch all the pancakes.”

She was a kid that claimed the pancakes the chef made were the best in the world.

I chuckled as I answered.

“That kid probably can’t eat that anymore. Even when we were at the academy, she used to run away every time friends suggested pancakes.”

“Oh really?”

“Technically, those weren’t pancakes. They were burnt on the outside and half-raw on the inside.”

“I see.”

We reminisced about Adela’s shameful past. If she’d been there listening, she might have clamped her hands over her mouth saying, ‘Please hush up.’

As the captivating old memories flowed, I and Jerry continued chatting. Eventually, Jerry, who had been quietly listening, suddenly brought up something.

“Hey, Fred. Why didn’t you mention it to Mom earlier?”

“Which thing?”

“The Oracle.”

The Oracle. The divine revelation given by the cult.

That was the message stating that I had been chosen as a companion to Camila.

Jerry spoke again.

“You being a hero’s companion. It was featured in newspapers and news channels; the rumor has spread far and wide already.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“But I was curious why you hadn’t told Mom and Dad.”

I gave him a short answer.

“Do you really think they don’t know? Just flipping on the TV would show it.”

His somewhat offbeat answer drew a mix of teasing and reprimanding from Jerry.

“But you should have directly told them. Though time has passed, it’s the right thing to do.”

“…….”

“Your parents would feel much better hearing it directly from you rather than seeing it on the news.”

Of course, we felt the same way.

Even though Jerry said that, I didn’t show much reaction.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t tell them I became Camila’s companion whenever I wanted. But the moments that led up to it would make it awkward for more than a few people involved.

For example, Cardinal Raphael who rose to become the Pope, Director Petrus from the Inquisition, Priest Rebecca, Veronica and Lucia, the Imperial Guard HQ, Francesca, and Sofia from the National Security Agency, Leoni, and Clevenz…

So many people were intertwined with it. I wasn’t sure how one careless slip could ripple out into the world.

That’s why I didn’t want to bring it up first.

“But if it’s about your situation, it’s not entirely impossible to do something.”

“What do you mean?”

“You could fabricate something or just not mention it at all.”

As if it were easy.

While I was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, considering it all, I sighed deeply after a long period of thought.

“Honestly, you’re doing this because of Mom’s reaction earlier, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“…Alright. I’ll take care of that.”

“Right. Your parents want to hear your story.”

Jerry smiled warmly and poked me gently. Since I hadn’t had a proper meal during the train ride, the implication was for us to eat something and head off to bed.

Feeling somewhat hungry, I got up from the bed without giving it much thought and left the room with Jerry.

And then,

“Huh?”

I ran into someone.