A Dark Fantasy Spy

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A mysterious vehicle is parked right in the middle of the road. A four-seater car. It’s parked under a streetlamp but is obscured by a tree, so the inside is unseeable. It’s just too dark.

I pulled out a knife I found in the pile of luggage and hid it in my left sleeve before peeking out the window again.

For now, there are no traffic lights on the road. Judging by the headlights being off, it might just be a car that’s stopped for a while, but that place isn’t somewhere you’d park.

Moreover, this is a residential area where diplomats stay. Every official residence has a garage, so who would illegally park their vehicle there?

As I slightly parted the curtain to observe the vehicle closely, I noticed something wriggling in the passenger seat.

“……”

It’s hard to tell in the dark, but whatever the person in the passenger seat is holding, it definitely looks like binoculars.

Episode 10 – Steer Northwest

In the dark diplomatic housing area of the Kien Empire, suspicious individuals are watching the lodging where I’m staying. And they even have binoculars.

They could be journalists looking for a story. Or maybe they’re perverts peeking into someone’s window through a hole.

But if I were to think about it emotionally, it clearly looked like agents from the counterintelligence department. I can’t be sure, but I have a feeling that if they were from the empire, they would probably start tailing me from day one.

What to do?

For now, I decided to go outside and check it out myself.

“…Ah, those scoundrels with no sense of morality.”

I threw on a winter coat I had carelessly shed and fiddled with the knife hidden in my sleeve as I stepped out the front door. Luckily, I had to leave for the embassy after just four hours of sleep, so I didn’t need to change from the suit I had worn to bed.

Thanks to my tightly tied shoelaces, my shoes weren’t flopping around, and the belt I had instinctively used kept my pants from sliding down.

As I stepped out and quickly rounded the corner, I came upon the street with the bright yellow streetlamp. The very street I had seen from the window.

Just around that corner, the vehicle with the handler will be right—

Brrrroooom!

Suddenly, the sound of a car engine revs.

Just as I paused for a moment, surprised by the rough engine noise, the car hurriedly took off, and the headlights illuminated the outer wall of the lodging.

And maybe about two seconds passed.

The vehicle, scraping against the asphalt, started to turn left and rush toward me.

“Uh, huh…?”

As the incredibly bright headlights shone directly at me, my vision narrowed for a brief second.

Like a deer caught in headlights, I stood frozen in place, unable to move in front of the car.

One second,

Two seconds,

Three seconds.

I thought, “This is bad.” Just as that realization hit me, an immense shock enveloped my body, and everything went dark.

The car had hit me.

Miraculously, I survived the impact with several tons of metal. I avoided being pulled under and splattered like a pancake. Instead, I found myself lying softly on the hood, directly facing the winter’s biting wind.

At that moment, the vehicle suddenly lurched to the left.

I slid off the hood and barely managed to grab on to a part of the car. The illegally parked vehicle’s side mirror brushed past me just inches away from my face. I pressed my upper body against the hood, but my legs were flung out onto the road.

Amid the howling wind and the roar of the engine, I heard something scraping against the asphalt. My leg, no—my shoe’s sole was being ground against the asphalt. Clarity hit me.

“Shit!”

I clung to the vehicle for dear life. I had no idea where these madmen were taking me, but they were speeding down the road with me hanging onto their car.

Since I was one step away from dying, my vision diminished to a single point. I couldn’t see anything around me, just my hand holding tightly to the vehicle.

Even while awkwardly kicking my legs, I thought to myself, “So this is how a person can die.” If those guys decide to plow into something or make a sharp turn, that’s it for me.

The national cemetery loomed before me,

When suddenly, my body felt weightless—

“…Huh?”

I was enveloped in an unexpected sensation of floating.

The world began to move in slow motion. Whether it was due to adrenaline or the light playing tricks on me, everything started to feel sluggish, as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button. My vision expanded to reveal more than just my hand.

I could see the body rising into the air.

The taut grip on the steering wheel, even the veins bulging from it.

The person who was pressing down on the seat, gripping the assist grip tightly.

The binoculars, radio, and bag of bread bouncing against the windshield.

The yellow streetlamp illuminating the road,

The wide-eyed homeless person covering their mouth in shock from the sudden events,

And the vehicles parked along the roadside.

And behind it all, the steep decline of the road.

It felt almost like a scene frozen in time, reminiscent of a cheap B-grade action movie. I wished desperately for it to be a dream rather than this surreal reality unfolding before my eyes.

So, I closed my eyes.

Wishing, when I opened them again, that I would find myself back in bed.

But the world always betrays your expectations.

-──!

The sensation of floating dissipated, and a burning feeling crashed down on my body.

And that was how I was thrust harshly back into cold reality.

*

Ultimately, I got my wish. I woke up not on the asphalt but in a bed.

The only difference was that it wasn’t in my accommodation, but in a hospital.

I heard that a citizen living near the site of the collision witnessed the accident and called for an ambulance. They added that miraculously, despite losing consciousness after colliding with the vehicle, I had no major injuries.

“What a stroke of luck. God must have been watching over you.”

“……”

“But what are you going to do now?”

I went to work.

If I didn’t show up at work after being hit by a vehicle and walked away unscathed, I would be in serious trouble.

As I entered the building of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Abas in the Kien Empire, the staff greeted me warmly.

The regulations stated that I only had to arrive at the embassy by 9 A.M., but due to a significant diplomatic event on the horizon, many employees were already at work early.

Since the Military Intelligence Agency had kept my identity secret in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the staff just assumed a new attaché had arrived and congratulated me.

I had plenty of time before the military meeting scheduled for three hours later. So, after a brief meeting with the ambassador, I began my work in my assigned office.

The terminal’s screen lit up in shades of blue, and upon entering my allocated security code, the Military Intelligence Agency’s intranet opened up.

Soon, I found the awaited materials in the internal network.

[83-5.7, Analysis Material.]

– Sender, Technical Information Division 4, Military Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Abas.

– Recipient, Defense Attaché Office, Embassy of the Kingdom of Abas.

– This is the analysis of the signal intercepted at around 2 A.M. today.

“Ah, it’s already here.”

I had delegated the analysis of the communications intercepted during dawn, and it had already been completed.

Quickly glancing at the screen, I noticed that it was already past 8 A.M. Since the Military Intelligence Agency’s work hours begin at 9 A.M., it seemed the early morning shift workers had taken care of it.

I slowly read through the fruits of the labor the science-minded staff had painstakingly produced.

– This wireless communication is determined to be in code rather than plain text.

– It is presumed that a encrypted radio was used to prevent wiretapping and eavesdropping, and decryption attempts were made using the existing cryptography databases.

– As a result, we successfully decrypted parts of the conversation. However, complete decryption is expected to take some time.

– All three speakers used Kienan, so the original text, translations, and audio files have been attached. We will contact you when after further decryption work is completed. End.

“……”

-A (name and age unknown, presumed female): Uh, senior. I’m waiting in front of the lodging right now. Decryption failed It seems they’ve gone to bed.

-B (name and age unknown, presumed female): Did anyone enter the lodging?

-A: The one I saw off earlier Decryption failed isn’t here.

-B: Can you see inside right now?

-A: No. Yawn Even from the binoculars, nothing’s visible, huh?

-B: Decryption failed What’s going on?

-A: No, Decryption failed I think I just saw something move. I might have been mistaken. Decryption failed

-B: Decryption failed

-C (name and age unknown, presumed male): Team Leader, it seems we’ve been spotted. We’ll Decryption failed later.

End communication.

*

I arrived at the Kien Empire’s Ministry of Defense building.

The gathering of officials from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Abas and the Ministry of Defense was for a meeting concerning the northern conflict. Consider it a sort of practical negotiation.

“……”

Realizing that the guys who had just tried to crush me with their car were now employees of the empire’s intelligence agency made me feel quite uneasy, but I couldn’t show it.

After all, I was a diplomat.

“Glad to meet you, Colonel Nostrim. You’re visiting Kien for the first time, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Welcome to the Empire.”

The employees of the Ministry of Defense greeted us with unexpectedly gentlemanly manners. Most, if not all, seemed to hail from noble families.

Unlike Abas, where discussions of abolishing the class system are taking place even in established institutions, the Kien Empire maintains a very rigid class structure. It means their hierarchy is more stringent than Abas’.

Their class structure is so strict that moving between tiers and relationships or marriages with individuals from different classes is prohibited. Countless people have been chastised by their relatives for dating someone of a lower status.

However, many nobles keep commoners as partners and see it as completely normal, making the imperial nobility an oddly dualistic assembly of humanity.

Anyway.

The Kien Empire, which has strained relations with the Kingdom of Abas, is notorious for having many hardliners among its Ministry of Defense workers, yet they were smiling warmly at the Abas soldiers before them. They seemed much more adept at wearing masks than I expected.

Of course, the reason they were so eager to greet us and shake hands was not just due to our status as diplomats, but because there was another guest present in the meeting room.

Shiny silver armor glimmered even under the overcast weather. The intricate patterns exuded a subtle holiness.

A cloak wrapped in magic that bounced away even the smallest fly. The magical energy composed of beautiful lettering.

The leaders of the military organizations from the cult and the magic tower attended the meeting.

I put on a welcoming smile and exchanged greetings with them.

“Ah, nice to meet you. I am Frederick Nostrim. And you must be Sir Matteo Pereyti of the Order of Saint Andrew?”

A knight with a strikingly sharp chin, looking like he just had a fresh shave. He was the same knight I exchanged pleasantries with yesterday about Saint Lucia.

The leader of the Order of Saint Andrew, Sir Matteo Pereyti.

He was the one directing the holy knights dispatched to the northern regions.

He nodded with a hearty laugh.

“That’s right! I am indeed Matteo Pereyti. You can call me either Matteo or Pereyti, whichever you prefer. By the way, your name rings a bell. Perhaps…?”

“You might be thinking correctly. I am affiliated with Saint Lucia.”

“Oh! So you are that person!”

The knight clasped my shoulder and beamed a smile. Despite wearing armor, it surprisingly felt lightweight on his frame.

“The one who survived the bombing attack. Right?”

“……”

I stiffened slightly at his abrupt question, but I didn’t let it show. The word “attack” had caught the attention of a few Ministry of Defense employees.

I forced a smile and nodded in response, trying to keep things light.

“I’ve heard the stories from my juniors. They say you bravely attempted to run out to rescue a hero in the midst of chaos. Truly commendable courage!”

“Haha….”

I had nothing in particular to say. So, I just laughed.

But why is he still in armor here? Is he really that much of a concept geek?

Pereyti seemed eager to converse further with me, but it was interrupted as a general from the Empire side initiated a conversation, leading him away.

Since I also needed to greet the next person, I attempted to move toward another corner, but—

“Is that you, Sir Frederick Nostrim?”

The other party was a step ahead of me.

A man dressed in a cape, showing that he was a magician, approached me with a smile. His somewhat pale face made him look quite sickly.

Recognizing the magician, I greeted him with a light smile.

“It’s an honor to meet a seeker of knowledge and truth. You must be Sir Evangelos of the Risidike family?”

“Oh, you recognize me?”

“I saw you passing by at the banquet the other day.”

“Ah! I should have introduced myself back then. I’m sorry.”

Sir Evangelos placed his hand on his chest, apologizing sincerely.

If Sir Matteo Pereyti commands the holy knights in the north, then Sir Evangelos leads the battle magicians from the north. They both command semi-military organizations from the cult and the magic tower.

Of course, while there are also inquisition officers and exorcists in the north, they operate under different orders, so they are exceptions.

After I managed to exchange greetings with other knights and magicians, I took some time to have simple conversations with them before the meeting started, as I had a bit of leeway.

“I’ve heard the news. It seems you’ve achieved remarkable feats in the north over the last year. The blood of the Risidike family certainly doesn’t go to waste.”

“Thank you. I’ve heard of your accomplishments as well. I hear you’re headed north soon?”

“While nothing is confirmed, it can be assumed so.”

“Have you encountered any monsters?”

“I dealt with quite a few during my time as a squad leader at the front lines. I saw them during missions in uninhabited zones.”

“The monsters in the north are on a different level. The climate and scarcity of food make them much tougher.”

“While the monsters are formidable, the demon kind….”

“Demons!?”

Someone shouted from behind. I turned in shock, surprised to see Sir Pereyti striding over from a discussion he was having with the Empire’s officers.

“Who just mentioned demons?”

“Uh… that would be me.”

“Ha! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”

The knight patted my shoulder and spoke cheerfully. It was as if he was saying that demons were nothing serious, and you’d separate their upper and lower halves with a single cut.

Of course, while it might be easy for a holy knight to gather power from holiness to cleave a demon in half, I certainly couldn’t do so.

Nor could I wield magic, for that matter.

Ignoring that, Sir Pereyti suddenly began questioning me.

“Attaché! Do you happen to have any religion?”

“…Religion? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“Do you have none?”

Sir Pereyti squinted at me as if he was testing me. He took a moment to scrutinize me up and down and then broke into a hearty laugh.

“Don’t worry! Whether you believe in a god or have another religion, I couldn’t care less! It’s not like we’re waging a holy war, am I really going to behead a nonbeliever?”

“……”

Is he just threatening me that if I don’t believe in their religion, he’ll kill me? I can’t believe someone would say that to a diplomat. I’d wager the Crusaders would seem more reasonable than him.

As I looked at Sir Pereyti with a perplexed expression, someone approached to inform me that the meeting was about to begin. It was an officer who doubled as an interpreter and guide, whose name I believe was Lyudmila.

In any case, to avoid getting involved with that exuberant holy knight, I chose a seat as far away as possible. I pray I don’t run into him when I go north.

“Ahem.”

A Ministry of Defense employee cleared his throat and spoke to everyone.

“Now that all attendees are seated, let’s commence the meeting.”

*

The meeting lasted for about two hours and ended successfully. Today was primarily a session for exchanging opinions, so there weren’t any loud arguments.

The opinions conveyed today would be thoroughly reviewed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense.

Those that were acceptable would be accepted, while those that weren’t would be rejected. They planned to inform us of these outcomes during the meeting tomorrow before submitting revisions on any issues.

That meant I had to attend meetings nearly every day for a week leading up to my trip north.

“Ha….”

As I exited the Ministry of Defense building, I let out a sigh I had been holding in. It wouldn’t look very gentlemanly if others heard it, but I didn’t care since I was alone.

Who was it that said it’s best to remain ignorant of how diplomacy and sausages are made? Thinking back, I believe that’s quite accurate. I would much prefer a comfortable job in the headquarters instead of in the diplomatic corps.

Of course, that would never happen, so all I could do was sigh and quietly curse my workplace without anyone hearing.

“Um, uh, Lady Lyudmila? Let’s head to the place I mentioned earlier.”

“Yes, Attaché.”

Lieutenant Lyudmila, who was serving as both an interpreter and guide, led me to the back of the building. After quite a detour, we arrived at a secluded smoking area behind the Ministry of Defense building.

Even though this was a town known for being lenient with smoking, smoking itself doesn’t translate well to aesthetics, so the smoking area was located outside the walls. Beyond the fence, tall trees encircled the building, creating a rather unusual sight.

I remember that back in the day, the view could be obstructed by those, making it hard to see inside the building.

As I recalled the times I’d spent disguising myself, I licked my lips.

“Are you smoking?”

“No, I don’t smoke.”

Lyudmila, a non-smoker, rejected the offer.

She was standing at a distance, pinching her nose, when she suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and rushed back inside the building to fetch something she had forgotten.

I started to wander around, searching for a quiet spot. A place as low-profile as possible.

But then—

“What are you doing?”

“…Why are you here?”

Camila suddenly jumped out from behind a bush.

She was covered in snow, holding a broom in both hands.

I was taken aback and almost pulled out a cigarette when I turned to look at Camila.

She sheepishly pointed upwards with her finger.

“I was just passing by, and I saw a cat in a tree…”

Looking up, I indeed saw a cat sitting on a tree. The trees sprawled around the Ministry of Defense building like a fence and were tall enough to seem quite hazardous.

“I thought it might get hurt if it fell, so I was going to help it down.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

Camila began tapping on the snow piled on the ground with her broomstick.

“…By flying?”

At that, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Who flies in the middle of the city without permission? Didn’t I tell you before? You can’t use flying magic without a permit.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

In her defense, she argued that she was doing it for the sake of the cat. I pointed to the direction I had come from.

“This is the Ministry of Defense building of the Kien Empire. What would happen if you used flying magic near a national security facility without permission?”

“……”

“Considering you’ve already probably used magic, consider yourself fortunate. If the guards had caught you, you’d be in a body bag by now.”

Of course, Camila’s actions wouldn’t warrant her getting shot.

It is indeed illegal to fly near military bases, but unless they’re spies or terrorists, you’d usually just end up being questioned by the police or counterintelligence agents. Occasionally, reckless academy magic students or misdirected wizards would get caught flying over the Ministry of Defense or military bases.

Still, that didn’t mean this was the right thing to do, and I had to reprimand her.

After scolding Camila, I took out a cigarette and approached her.

“Are you hurt?”

“No. Thankfully not.”

“Then why were you rolling around in the snow?”

“My broom got caught on the branches.”

“Geez, you airhead…”

I handed over a handkerchief to help her wipe the snow off her clothes and hair. While Camila was shaking off the snow she had rolled in, the cat that had been watching from the tree had finally jumped down.

“Wow~ a cat.”

Camila scooped the cat into her arms. I hadn’t noticed from far away, but observing closely, the cat’s appearance was noticeably striking.

Its shining white fur, the sapphire-like blue irises. I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but it certainly looked rather large.

Camila, skillfully cradling the cat, started to sway her arms as her eyes sparkled.

“It’s so calm! It looks like a stray cat, but it must not be afraid of people.”

“Is it a cat without an owner? There’s something hanging from its neck.”

“Isn’t that so?”

The cat wore a necklace. It shimmered like a jewel.

Just as I was about to check whether a contact number was written on the back of the necklace, the cat evaded Camila’s grasp and plopped itself down on a nearby rock.

“Meow… It seems it doesn’t like me.”

“Just get rid of the fur on your clothes right now. I have a fur allergy.”

Camila, who had turned glum, nodded her head.

After removing the cat hair stuck on her attire, she seemed to start shivering from the cold. When I looked closely, her clothes did appear to be quite thin for the temperature.

“It’s so cold. What should I do?”

“Tough it out.”

I replied, tightening my coat.

While someone else might have offered to lend their coat, I also dislike the cold. I would rather endure the heat.

As I secured my coat, Camila looked at me in disbelief, her face showing exasperation.

“What? If it’s really cold, just make a fire or something.”

“…Seriously?”

As Camila shook her head, she conjured up a flame.

Closing my eyes and concentrating, a warm flame began to flicker from her fingertips. A warm glow that was abundant and not easily extinguished by the wind.

Since she had started using magic, I thought about using some too, but Camila refused.

“Why? I just want to warm my hands.”

“You have gloves on.”

“Wearing those won’t wear them out…”

Just as I was about to bring my hand closer, Camila pulled hers back swiftly. It was as if she were a child guarding her toy, whining and throwing a fit over every little thing.

While I tussled with Camila over borrowing her flame, a woman’s voice suddenly piped in.

“That’s not how you handle fire.”

“……”

“You could hurt yourself.”

Camila’s eyes widened as they shifted towards me.

Blink.

Blink. Blink.

“Are you talking to me just now?”

“I… wasn’t.”

Both of us looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

Camila began to scan her surroundings, wondering if someone else was nearby, while I looked around to see if Lieutenant Lyudmila was calling me.

Just then,

A voice rang from behind us.

“This way.”

“……”

“Over here.”

Nobody was around.

Only one thing remained.

The cat that sat on the rock.

“What.”

“……”

“Is this the first time you’ve seen a talking cat, you little squirt?”