A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The door opens.

A cold chill seeps through the iron gate.

Then comes a voice—it’s in Japanese.

‘Ah, you made it?’

An unfamiliar face in a suit greets me in a monotone voice.

‘You must have had a hard time coming straight from Incheon. Aren’t you tired? Would you like some tea?’

‘Where are you?’

‘…….’

The Japanese man stares at me without a word. His lips twitch as if he wants to say something, but he eventually leads me silently down the hall.

He walks deeper into the back, and it isn’t until we pass through several iron doors that the foul smell hits my nose, letting me know this is no ordinary room.

Two distinct odors permeate the air.

Formaldehyde and the stench of decay.

The Japanese man strides confidently through the corpses in the autopsy room.

He stops before one of the bodies.

‘Found yesterday near your house. Personally, I recommend not looking.’

‘…….’

I pull back the white cloth covering the corpse’s face. The trembling tips of my fingers can’t find any warmth on the skin.

While I stand there in shock, the expressionless voice invades my ears.

‘…Park Chung-won. Age 53. Second Generation Korean Resident. Executive of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, found murdered in front of his home in Ikuno Ward. Discovered by police responding to a resident report. When we arrived on the scene, he was already dead.’

A careful grip on the file. The Japanese man’s gaze turns to me.

‘And he was our informant. From your company and ours.’

‘…Who is it?’

‘……’

‘Which bastard killed him?’

As I pull away the white cloth from the corpse, I see a mutilated body beneath. Several long gashes mar the skin—this is a haletsujō (割切創).

The Japanese man responds to my question.

‘First of all… you can tell, but this isn’t just a regular weapon wound, is it? This is a hybrid wound, combining cutting and stabbing. And the only weapon that could inflict such damage in Japan is…’

‘A Japanese sword.’

‘…That’s right. There’s nothing else.’

The suit-clad Japanese man hands me a photo he pulled from the file. It’s a picture of a man in a suit.

‘This person had the most contact with Park Chung-won in recent years. He’s part of the Yakuza, and above all, a key suspect in this murder. I figured you might have seen this guy while investigating Park Chung-won.’

The sound of the file closing interrupts the conversation. The man places the documents coldly on the table and shoves his hands into his pockets.

The Japanese man, who had leaned against the table where the corpse lay, gazes into the distance before speaking again. This time, the words spill out in Korean.

‘In the last few months, Park Chung-won borrowed a lot of money from this guy.’

‘…For what reason?’

‘Pachinko. He borrowed money for entertainment, falling short on information costs. As far as our agency is concerned, we see this as a murder driven by financial issues.’

I turn my gaze. He’s sitting with his back to me, avoiding eye contact.

‘No matter how much he borrowed, do you really think it makes sense for a Yakuza to kill an executive from the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan?’

‘…Right now, it’s the most logical reason.’

‘It’s probably made to look that way.’

‘Who would?’

‘Who else besides the Reds capable of taking the head of a General Association executive in Japan?’

The Japanese, an Information Officer of the Public Security Investigation Agency, remains silent.

Maintaining his silence, he stares into the distance, shoulders drooping as he weakly opens his mouth.

‘That’s likely. He wasn’t just an executive; he was also an informant for both Korean and Japanese intelligence agencies.’

‘…Did the Ministry of State Security find out?’

‘It could be from their side or from Nampo-dong… There’s no certainty. However…’

The Information Officer lifts his heavy body.

‘I think we should get moving.’

‘What do you mean…’

‘The Security Bureau sniffed it out.’

The Information Officer speaks up.

‘As you know, in Japan, inter-company tensions run high. Especially the tensions at the section level. Not only is our Public Security Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Justice, but the direct oversight from the Prime Minister’s office and the aggressive conflicts between the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the Public Security Bureau are notoriously severe. They hassle you for everything…’

‘…….’

‘It’s unfortunate, but the agency decided to call off this operation. The people have been on edge ever since our informant was killed.’

The Information Officer, who added that he felt the same, trudges over to stand by my side.

He pats my shoulder a couple of times and says goodbye with a weary voice.

‘I can’t help you anymore. All I can do for you is ensure you return safely to Korea.’

‘…….’

‘I truly regret this. I sincerely feel that way.’

The Information Officer exits the autopsy room with heavy steps.

The faint rays of light spilling through the door slowly fade away.

Darkness tightens around us.

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician

In the middle of the night, Lucia leads me deep into the forest.

With a few knights in tow, she paves the way ahead, casting a somber look at the path before us.

“Miss Saint Lucia, what on earth is going on…?”

“…….”

Luicia doesn’t respond. Given her unusual demeanor, I can only speculate that something serious must have occurred.

We crossed the moonlit snowy mountains.

After a while of running, we finally reached our destination.

“Over there….”

“…We’ve arrived.”

Lucia steps forward slowly, as if forcing her reluctant feet to move.

The deep valley we arrived at is crowded with people. Lantern-bearing knights draw their weapons and keep a watchful eye, while priests, whether inquisitors or healing priests, huddle together whispering.

Following a strange sense of déjà vu, I entered the valley behind Lucia.

This is…

What can I say…

It feels like…

“…Is this a crime scene?”

“…….”

This time, Lucia doesn’t reply. She simply avoids my gaze, her face hardening.

Damn it. First, monsters pop out, and now there’s a crime? I have no idea what kind of catastrophe this is.

I cursed under my breath while marching forward.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to squeeze through the throng of priests. They parted ways for me upon recognizing who I was.

Thus, I arrived at the scene of the crime.

Here, I encountered the wizards dispatched by the Imperial Army.

“…….”

Wearing unique camouflage-patterned uniforms only worn by select special troops or units. A cape draped over their shoulders.

Among them were youthful faces that seemed barely adult, lying on the icy ground that flowed through the valley.

Abdomens torn and shredded as if eaten by insects.

Organs strewn across the blood-red ice.

Corpse spiders surrounding the bodies, likely handled by the knights.

The Imperial wizards who had been dispatched following a request from their unit were discovered as corpses in a valley rarely touched by human feet.

Each of their bodies had been mutilated.

“…Damn.”

The rift-laden snowy mountains of the Kien Empire’s northern regions.

I bore witness to a murder case there.

—

The corpses of presumed Imperial wizards were collected by the priests who had initially discovered them.

The priests wrapped the bodies in clean cloth, while the knights ensured the safety of both the bodies and priests as they walked through the night. The entire process was overseen by Pereyti, the commander, and Lucia, the saint.

While the bodies found in the valley wore Imperial Army uniforms, their identities hadn’t been confirmed yet, so premature conjectures were avoided. Pereyti and some priests strictly kept the cult members from talking carelessly.

However, it didn’t take long to realize that this was an utterly futile act.

“…That’s right.”

“Are you sure, Senior Lyudmila? This isn’t something to take lightly.”

“The personnel department of the division confirmed it multiple times. After several comparisons with photographs and dog tags, the deceased wizards indeed belong to the division.”

“…….”

The identities of the corpses discovered in the valley had been confirmed. They were combat magicians affiliated with the Imperial Guard Infantry Division.

The title of “Imperial Guard” is only bestowed upon the imperial guards who protect the emperor in the Kien Empire. However, there are more units than one might expect wearing the title, as the emperor sometimes grants the “Imperial Guard” title to honor units that have achieved notable feats.

In other words, if a unit bears the name “Imperial Guard,” it signifies that they are elite among elites.

Yet, here these elite soldiers were, found dead en masse in this valley.

Suddenly I had to assume responsibility for confirming the identities of the deceased and the subsequent procedures, collecting whatever useful information I could from the poor Imperial military unit. I needed to know how the wizards ended up here.

While I traversed through the bustling unit, familiar faces came into view.

“Camila, what are you doing here?”

A woman with red hair turned to look at me, startled. Beside her, another woman, slightly delayed, also began to turn her head.

“Camila, Administrator. What were you two doing here at dawn?”

“We woke up because the unit was in an uproar. But what happened?”

Camila rubbed her sleepy eyes while questioning. Francesca, who accompanied her, equally looked tired and yawned softly as she awaited a response.

From their state, it seemed the two were still unaware of the situation. I quietly led Camila and Francesca to a location away from prying eyes.

“Why do we need to talk so secretively?”

“There’s been a murder.”

“…Excuse me?!”

“Be quiet. Lower your voice. Is it the time to shout about this?”

I placed my hand over Camila’s mouth and calmly explained the situation.

As the priests returned from dispatching the remaining corpse spiders, they discovered fallen individuals in the valley. A healing priest attempted treatment, but the individuals had been dead for some time, wearing peculiar uniforms, leading the priests to suspect they were Imperial soldiers.

After hearing the report, Lucia woke me and led me to the crime scene. There, I identified the Imperial soldiers found as corpses, determining their unit and ranks, and returned with the individuals involved in recovering the bodies.

“For now, the deceased were indeed from the Imperial Army. The division just confirmed it.”

As I summarized the situation, Francesca, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.

The tired expression on her face turned serious as she listened intently.

“Are those wizards the ones who were supposed to be providing support earlier…?”

“From the circumstances, it seems so. It’s nearly certain.”

“Hmm….”

Francesca murmured that quietly, her gaze drifting momentarily to the空.

“An Imperial wizard, and if they are from a unit possessing the title of Imperial Guard, I’ve heard they are skilled individuals on par with the elite combat magicians. For such individuals to be murdered….”

A pair of violets floated toward me.

“Is that information reliable?”

“The specifics of the cause of death haven’t been confirmed yet… you ever seen a monster wielding a sword?”

“If they died from a sword wound, then it stands to reason it was from a person. We should meet with Martinez.”

Francesca excused herself in search of new intelligence. Did she trust my words? She seemed to shift her focus towards murder, leaving aside the thought of an accident or natural death.

As I watched the retreating figure of the informant, Camila, her sleepiness fading, fixed her gaze on me. Then, in a hushed tone, she began to question.

“But how do you know it was murder? While you could surmise a murder from the scene, identifying the weapon is quite hard, isn’t it?”

What the hell is she talking about?

I looked at Camila in disbelief and added a brief explanation.

“There were hybrid wounds on the bodies.”

In forensic terms, injuries by sharp instruments can be broadly categorized into three types.

Cutting injuries (切創) that result from being sliced or cut.

Stabbing injuries (刺創) that are from piercing or penetrating.

And crushing injuries (割創) that occur from being struck with a heavy weapon.

Typically, crushing injuries are more common when a heavy object is used to bludgeon someone to death. Items like handaxes, fire axes, sabers, military swords, machetes, or blade weapons.

Furthermore, among heavier weapons, if a long-edged weapon is used to kill someone, it leaves behind not just crushing wounds but also cutting wounds, creating hybrid injuries.

For instance, a Japanese sword.

“When you kill someone with a heavy weapon, it leaves a crushing wound, but if the weapon has a long edge, cutting wounds will also form. It’s entirely different from being bludgeoned to death with an axe.”

I formed a rectangle with my fingers.

“When you chop someone to death with an axe, it leaves a rectangular-shaped wound, right? Bones like around the skull can also be fractured. However, if you kill with a blade, such wounds will never occur. The same goes for the Imperial wizards. From the wounds, it was obvious they were killed by a blade.”

“Why on earth do you know things like that?”

“An informant I had in Japan was stabbed by a Yakuza and died. I saw it with my own eyes in the autopsy room. I’ve seen many papers sent from Japan after autopsy too.”

At any rate, the conversation had strayed but the important thing is this.

“The murderer is someone skilled in wielding a sword. They are adept enough to engage in close combat with combat magicians.”

For a moment, Camila wore a dazed expression, then snapped back to reality and nodded.

“So you mean a professional? Got it. If your speculation is correct, we can narrow down our suspects, which will help the investigation, right?”

“Probably not.”

“What do you mean?”

Camila looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“How do you intend to find the suspect in this vast mountain? Especially at such a late hour. Moreover, judging from the condition of the bodies, they were already dead a day ago.”

“Ah….”

“You won’t catch the murderer.”

Camila hesitantly started to speak. While she admitted it, she appeared unable to relinquish lingering hopes.

“Still….”

“Either way, we likely won’t be able to catch the murderer right now. No, I’m sure we won’t.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Blinking, she flickered her blue eyes like a fish out of water. Camila gazed at me in utter confusion.

Receiving her look, I sighed softly and pointed at the people moving around the base.

Just then, a group of knights dashed past.

“A swordsman who knows how to fight wizards and wields his sword skillfully. Someone like that is right over there.”

“…Uh. So, are you saying those knights are the suspects?”

“They probably aren’t. I doubt they are the real murderer.”

I sighed deeply and shifted my gaze.

My weary sight fell on the figures flocking toward the base.

“But those people might think so.”

They were the wizards from the Magic Tower.

“Theories don’t need evidence.”

—

In the throng of the tumultuous military base, all manner of people gathered.

The priests from the church sect who first discovered the murder scene and recovered the bodies.

The Imperial Army confirming the identities of the slain wizards.

The Magic Battalion returning from subduing monsters only to learn that a murder has occurred.

And us too.

“Troublesome….”

Having gathered detailed information from the Imperial Army officers about the deceased wizards, I pressed my throbbing temples as I returned to my quarters.

There’s no shortage of headaches.

First of all, the identities of these deceased individuals pose a problem.

The slain wizards are combat magicians affiliated with the Imperial Guard Infantry Division. Clarifying the cause of their deaths and revealing the truths surrounding it is the role of the Imperial Ministry of Defense.

Up to this point, it’s understandable.

It’s not unusual to investigate soldiers who died while executing an operation in times of war. After all, the dead were not just soldiers but citizens of the empire too.

The issue is that these individuals are wizards.

Setting aside the complexity of the relationship between the Empire and the Tower akin to the relations between mainland China and Taiwan, or between China and Hong Kong, an incident involving the death of wizards holds implications that transcend simple biological death.

Moreover, the wizards from the Magic Tower witnessed the slain Imperial wizards.

“I’m going nuts…”

“Would you like some herbal tea?”

“Sure, would you mind, Saint Lucia?”

As I rubbed my head, Lucia entered with a teapot.

“This is tea brewed from herbs grown in the monastery. It’s beneficial for alleviating fatigue and calming the mind.”

“Thank you very much.”

I took a sip of the tea she brewed. The fragrant herbal aroma and warmth enveloped my senses. Out of courtesy, having sipped past half the cup, I savored the taste and nodded my head.

“Delicious. So, have there been any developments?”

Lucia gave a hesitant smile in response to my inquiry about the murder case.

“It’s not something I can easily address… I’m sorry.”

“I understand.”

Lucia’s position is immensely delicate.

In a territory embroiled in conflict, an Imperial wizard has been discovered dead. Not just one but several.

Yet, the wizards were killed by a sword. Coincidentally, the first group to witness the scene was the priests. And now here at the base, the Magic Battalion is also stationed.

The only groups directly intertwined with the deaths of the wizards are the Empire, the Church, and the Tower. Including Abas, who has indirectly been involved due to his dispatch of a military officer to the north, there’s a total of four.

So how could anyone dare to speak lightly about it?

A priest’s words are never trivial, and the words of a saint like Lucia carry more weight than gold. As a saint of a religion, it’s a weight one must bear.

Thus, even with me before her, Lucia remained steadfast in her restraint. The same goes for me as a diplomat; I, too, can only stick to saying “I don’t know” when questioned about this incident.

Naturally, there are those who could care less about such matters.

“The knights don’t seem like the culprits to me.”

“…”

“Um, did I say something wrong?”

Seated at the table, Camila, nibbling on snacks, seemed startled by the gazes from Lucia and me.

In utter disbelief, I blurted out the first thought that came to mind.

“Is that what you think is appropriate right now?”

“I need to eat to survive.”

“You just ate breakfast.”

“Still hungry…”

After gulping down a piece of pastry, Camila pushed the plate away with a sulky expression, reminiscent of a child putting back a toy they wished to buy.

“Weren’t you saying something about going to the crime scene?”

“Yes, I was actually referring to the autopsy.”

The church and the Tower’s individuals were set to handle the autopsy of the fallen Imperial wizards. Before the imperial investigative personnel arrived, experts with related knowledge would conduct a preliminary examination at the scene and later present their findings to the specialized investigation unit upon their arrival.

It’s not that the Empire was nice enough to let the Church and Tower have authority over the investigation. Rather, the military government felt the urgency of quickly reporting to their superiors and accepted the offer from the Church and Tower.

I’ve heard that the dispatched investigative personnel will not only be handling the murder case but also the unexpected emergence of the monsters. They are probably investigators dispatched from the Ministry of Magic.

While talking with Camila, Lucia suddenly turned to me.

“Did you say Martinez suggested the autopsy? The magician from the Magic Tower?”

“Yes, he’s the dispatch head from the Magic Tower Secretariat.”

“I hope nothing goes wrong. It shouldn’t be a big deal…”

The palpable anxiety on her face showed her skin twitching fingers. Camila smiled to soothe her.

“Don’t worry too much. The priests and the wizards are examining the cause of death together, right? Francesca went to observe.”

“……”

“I’m sure nothing will happen.”

I silently gazed outside the tent.

Nothing should happen.

It would indeed be so nice if that were the case.

As I stared at the overcast northern sky peeking through the crack in the flap, a quiet sigh escaped me, feeling an inexplicable unease.

And my ominous premonition was not mistaken.

Francesca returned from observing the autopsy with these words.

“There was a divine reaction from the bodies.”

“……”

“It’s suspected that the Imperial wizards were killed by a priest.”

Thus, a new storm began.