A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Snow is falling.

It’s black snow.

The cold wind blowing from the frozen ground causes the earth to freeze solid, while the ash swirling high in the sky scatters on the breeze.

Standing in the center of the black snowstorm, I look around.

“Bring the fire extinguisher!”

“Fire! Fire! Get back! The oil is ignited! Move before it explodes!”

“Where’s the healing priest?!”

“……”

The dead pioneer’s head is smashed against the windshield. A soldier lies sprawled in a ditch with a rifle clutched in hand. Disordered shell casings. The shoulders of the corpse gripping the machine gun are eerily desolate.

Late to the scene, the imperial soldiers struggled to find survivors among the burning vehicles, but there was no one alive here.

Only soldiers, magic department investigators, and the burning vehicles had turned into icy corpses.

“……”

In the midst of it all, I clearly see the truck engulfed in flames.

With powerful preservation and security magic, it is a vehicle that no one can open without permission. The safest means of transporting the corpses of the imperial army magicians.

The truck, containing crucial evidence that could unveil the whole extent of the incident, was blackening in the furious flames.

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician in History

The empire has turned upside down.

A unprecedented murder case in the north. Evidence that could reveal the truth behind this incident, entangled with the interests of the empire itself and the cult and magic tower, has vanished.

Magic department investigators transporting corpses and corpse spider samples were massacred. The mechanized infantry units guarding them also all died on site.

Witnesses and evidence evaporated in an instant.

No one knows who did it. It’s impossible to tell.

But humans are creatures capable of imagination, and the more chaotic the world becomes, the richer that imagination turns out to be.

In no time, various rumors surrounding this incident spread like mushroom spores.

“Manager, it’s all kinds of nonsense out there.”

Jake spoke up with a frown.

“It seems that neither the cult, nor the magic tower, nor the empire have made any official statements regarding this incident. It’s clear they haven’t received any news from the embassy either. However…”

“…What is it?”

“Rumors are circulating among the northern knights and the magic battalion.”

A memo appeared on the table. A brief report that grasped the movements of cult and magic tower groups operating in the north.

Since it was a daily memo, it seems it was collected today and sent right away. For reference, the intelligence collectors were Jake and Charnoy.

Jake, dispatched to Francesca, the contact, recited the intel he collected.

“Rumors are coming from laborers, administrative staff, and the magic battalion active in the north that the knights’ order might be behind this incident. There’s also rumor that they’ll use this incident to launch a massive inquisition in the north… Although it’s all mere hearsay, the atmosphere feels quite tense.”

“What about the cult?”

“According to Charnoy, who’s moving with Saint Lucia, the situation is not much different for them. Many are saying it was the work of a dark magician who tampered with the magic, or a corrupted magician who colluded with demons.”

“……”

There were many rumors bouncing around between the clergy and the magicians active in the north.

Unchecked, unfounded rumors were being endlessly reproduced as they passed from mouth to mouth.

Demons. Inquisition. Dark magic.

Good excuses. One wonders if they are filled with imagination or simply have warped thoughts. It’s remarkable how they live so comfortably in their own minds.

Sitting on the sofa with a report in hand, I absentmindedly tapped the cigarette case with my fingers. The sound of the remaining tobacco rattling around pierced the stillness.

“So, any countermeasures proposed?”

With a light sigh, Jake shook his head.

“Everyone’s in a frenzy. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military and the ministry are temporarily forming a task force to respond, but since the magic department investigators were attacked, it’s not running smoothly. The military government headquarters is facing similar issues.”

“And the Knights and magic battalion?”

“Not much different there either. Overall, the north is in a state of disarray…”

Well, four days ago the rift was attacked, and today the magic department investigators faced an assault. It’s not surprising.

As I finished reading the reports, a wave of mixed emotions hit me.

Just as I was about to light the crumpled cigarette I had taken from my pocket, Pippin came in.

“Manager.”

“Ah, Pippin. What’s up?”

“I just received word from the embassy. They want to meet with you in person at ‘headquarters.'”

“……”

At Pippin’s report, I closed my eyes for a moment, lost in thought.

After a brief silence, I rubbed the crushed cigarette against the ashtray and stood up.

“Bring me my passport.”

—

“What a sight it is.”

I hopped onto a warp gate right after receiving the embassy notification.

And rushed directly to the Military Intelligence Agency Headquarters.

To give a report.

“Monsters barging into the rift, a billowing spider popping out to smash tanks, a holy response coming from the slain combat magicians…. and now the mages transporting the bodies have also been killed, huh.”

Leoni tossed the papers she had been reading aside.

The office, now more organized than before, finally looked like an office. It still felt a bit musty due to ongoing renovations and lacked a nameplate. Work on the reorganization seems to be lagging.

“It can’t all just be coincidence… Doesn’t it feel a bit too perfectly timed? Is it just me?”

“……”

“Let’s get started.”

I reported all the intel and information gathered from the north to Leoni, the head of overseas intelligence operations at the Military Intelligence Agency, my superior.

Basic information such as the situation in the north and internal affairs within the empire.

“The Kien Empire forces are currently forming defensive lines centered around the Naroda Mountain Range. They are clearing the coniferous forest to prepare for an offensive operation scheduled for next spring. Camila Lowell’s ability to deal effective damage to the coniferous forest, which has been eroded by the rift, is being utilized in this operation.”

“Through multiple sources including military government officials and Kien’s Ministry of Defense, it is presumed that the upcoming offensive planned for spring will coincide with a declaration of victory to coincide with Army Day on March. Army Day is a significant event in the empire, second to the founding day and the emperor’s birthday, which holds political significance…”

Information regarding the empire, the cult, and the magic tower operating in the north.

“All forces in the north are under the control of the military government headquarters, akin to a state of emergency command. We have a device here that has intercepted communications between the military government and the various units deployed at the frontlines.”

“The Knights and magic battalion operate in their designated areas. They perform a wide range of duties, from combat missions to civilian support and relief efforts, although their scopes of responsibility differ somewhat. The magic battalion is guided by local informant Francesca Ranieri and Juan Pablo Martinez, an executive from the Secretariat, as they work on restoring the road networks…”

Reports on secrets the empire wanted to keep hidden.

“This is a film taken of military facilities installed at the rift. Those units are elite forces with no shortcomings in armament levels, training, and discipline…”

“The military government has requisitioned all road networks in the north, but there are separate military-purpose roads that are primarily used. Currently, the western railroad is operational, but the eastern railroad is damaged due to the aftermath of fighting. Local informants are escorting mages from the magic tower to reconstruct that railroad, but obtaining the blueprints and specific data may require about a week.”

“According to the analyzed data assisted by a defector last time, it is anticipated that the Crown Prince will receive military authority from the emperor, but it is currently impossible to assess the emperor’s health and safety…”

“These are self-defense organizations formed mainly by the northern academies and university magic departments…”

Finally, what’s currently happening in the north.

“The magic tower is expected to propose a joint investigation to the empire. The cult seems to be demanding a strict investigation, but based on reports from our informants within the cult, there’s a high likelihood that they will adjust their diplomatic strategies according to the magic tower’s response.”

“The ins and outs of the corpse spider and massive spider attacks, as well as the murder of combat magicians and magic department investigators remain to be concretely unveiled. The on-site investigation team is currently probing into that.”

Despite being a brief report, there was an awful lot to talk about. It was hardly surprising given I hadn’t been able to leave the north for nearly two weeks.

As the report concluded, Leoni summoned in some staff to open the duffel bag I had brought back from the north.

Upon opening the bag marked “diplomatic pouch,” a plethora of storage devices tumbled out. These were manually collected and preserved communications from the military government during my two-week stay.

As the staff cautiously took batches of the storage devices out of the office, Leoni adjusted her glasses and straightened her posture.

“It’s good that the operation is going smoothly. This is a decent achievement for an initial stage.”

“Thank you.”

“Is Charnoy doing well? I’ve heard he can manage his own share of work, but since he joined late, he probably didn’t have time to sync with everyone.”

“He’s a competent employee.”

Charnoy is adapting quite well to the fieldwork. To be honest, he’s adapted too well.

The completely enigmatic nymph is getting coddled by the cult members (and by honey candy), bringing in all sorts of intel from everywhere.

Without the need to navigate complexities, just letting Lucia pamper him while he enjoys honey candy brings around high-ranking clergy eager to gossip.

Charnoy gathers the intel he “happened to overhear” and produces information.

With a slightly exasperated tone, I added, “I can’t understand why the nymph can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“The religious folk are digging their own graves; do we really need to give them a hand? It’s enough to pour concrete over their coffins to keep them from crawling out. Anyway, let’s move on from that.”

With that cue to get back to the point, I shuffled through the copied information documents and laid them on Leoni’s desk.

As Leoni picked up the documents and started reading, I supplemented the written content with verbal reports.

Skipping through relatively less important documents, Leoni unfolded a file that dealt with current ongoing incidents in the north. Clearing all other papers off her desk, she turned it to face her.

Leoni’s lips parted just as the cover was about to turn over.

“Who do you think killed the imperial magicians?”

I answered the question.

“I still don’t know.”

“I heard the holy response was detected at the murder scene and on the corpses.”

Leoni spoke up. I nodded in affirmation.

“The cult denies it, but the initial witnesses were clergy from the cult who were present, and there were many knights active in the rift at that time, making them the most likely suspects.”

“I’ve heard they conducted a preliminary examination; did they narrow down the time of death?”

“No. There were no forensic experts on-site, so no specialized examination could be performed.”

“Then what about any other peculiarities?”

“None.”

A short click of the tongue followed.

As she took off her glasses, her fierce gaze emerged. Leoni, whose age showed in the slight gray in her hair, tapped the desk nervously.

“Is there a possibility that it was an assassination operation by an intelligence agency or an attack from demons?”

“That’s implausible.”

I sharply refuted Leoni’s hypothesis.

“Conducting an operation of force at a critical national facility like the rift would require at least three years of preparation. But the conflict has been ongoing for over five years; I cannot conclude that other competitors managed to succeed where the Abas Company failed.”

The rift is comparable to a global resource, nuclear power plant, or nuclear facility.

Considering Israel’s case of demolishing the nuclear facilities in Iran and Syria, striking such facilities puts a significant burden on intelligence agencies. They have to prepare for full-scale war with that country should things go south.

Even now, Israel’s Mossad has gathered intel, yet they have had to work for years coordinating with the US and surrounding countries.

The problem is that unlike nuclear facilities, mining magic stones from the rift is not a violation of international law, and the empire is currently at war with the demons.

Would humans stab each other in the back while fighting against a common enemy? Unless there’s a deranged dictator deciding to take himself out like Hitler or hang from a gas station like Mussolini, it’s impossible.

Realizing she might have gone too far, Leoni calmly admitted her mistake.

“Indeed, there isn’t a reliable force in the north. So what about the demons?”

“That’s not easy to determine either.”

“Why? Couldn’t the demons have killed the magicians and then made it look like the clergy did it?”

Batman and Superman might share a common theme of having their mothers named “Martha,” but there’s no overlap between clergy and demons. I’ve never heard of demons imitating the holiness of clergymen to commit a crime.

Moreover, even setting that aside, that’s a ridiculous hypothesis.

“Then the priests and knights who were the first to witness it must have detected something. There were inquisitors present as well.”

The first to find the scene were the clergy of the cult. Priests, knights, inquisitors, among others.

No matter how capable an exorcist may be, inquisitors and knights are also individuals of remarkable aptitude. Even the remaining demons might be able to sense their presence.

Yet, they couldn’t detect any demonic presence? That would spell disaster for humanity. If the Inquisition operates in such a manner, it might as well call it quits for the cult.

In any case, unless new evidence emerges, it’s too early to claim demon involvement or interference from foreign intelligence agencies in this situation.

And Leoni knew what I knew.

“I just threw that out there.”

Leoni flipped through the documents with a nonchalant expression.

Leaning back in her chair, she tossed me a few questions.

“Who witnessed the examination?”

“Three from the magic tower, three from the cult, and seven senior officers from the troops responsible for the rift were present.”

“Names?”

“I’ve organized the less significant important figures in the documents you’re holding. Noteworthy individuals include Pereyti, the chief of the Order of Saint Andrew, my informant Francesca Ranieri, and Juan Pablo Martinez, who is commanding the Secretariat personnel.”

“……”

Leoni paused in her movements, staring intently at the document. Did she find a typo? As I tensed up, she suddenly reached across the desk and picked up her fountain pen.

With natural dexterity, she took out her pen and scribbled her signature on the document. After the ink had dried sufficiently, she tossed the confidential report into her desk drawer.

“Uh, will you be keeping it there?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Not at all, but I remember you usually don’t keep papers in your desk drawer.”

“……”

“…I must have been mistaken.”

Seeing her stare blankly with those intense eyes made me hurriedly correct myself.

After a long silence, Leoni took a new document and began signing it. This time it was tossed onto the corner of the desk instead of into the drawer.

She continued writing with a deadpan expression, wrapping up the dialogue.

“This incident is something the empire, magic tower, and cult are informally resolving through diplomatic channels, so Abas won’t be intervening actively.”

“……”

“However, that doesn’t mean we can afford to just sit back and do nothing as they plot something. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I understand.”

“When I report to the Prime Minister, don’t screw anything up.”

Leoni instructed.

“The empire’s nerves are likely frayed, so don’t act carelessly and stay low for the time being. Avoid any disruptive actions that could draw attention. Likewise, ensure the staff below are in order, and find a way to send a few personnel in the empire to the north.”

“Understood.”

“And be on standby to receive any communications. Whether it’s from me or Clevenz. You’re likely to have separate assignments soon.”

—

Stay on standby for any communications at any moment.

While it sounded like an important directive, unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury to focus on that.

I had become conditioned to jumping at the sound of the phone like Pavlov’s dog. I would automatically react even without conscious attention.

Thus, all my nerves weren’t aimed at the potential phone call but rather somewhere else entirely.

Working as an intelligence officer and diplomat in a hostile nation’s conflict zone is not much different from crawling into a trap.

My daily life every single day felt like a war.

“Manager, apparently knights and mages got into a fistfight today?”

“Why?”

“They bumped shoulders while walking and didn’t apologize.”

“Sometimes I think I’m lucky there are no press outlets in the north to document this. How is that a matter for international shame… Are there no other issues? What about the group?”

“Saint Lucia has been doing her usual morning mass and refugee relief efforts, along with medical services at the shelters, so no major issues there. Administrative officer Ranieri went to fix the railways while also helping with the collapsed houses in the residential area… The hero has been reprimanded by the military police for flying in the no-fly zones without prior permission.”

“Pippin, ask the military government to bring a vehicle.”

Lucia, who manages herself well without any hassle; Francesca, who sometimes engages in odd behavior for reasons unknown; and finally, Camila, whose days are never peaceful.

I poured all my energy into caring for those three.

To be honest, managing Camila alone was the toughest task.

Most of my work was dedicated to observing the evolving situation in the north and the subtle relationship changes between the empire, cult, and magic tower. Although the higher-ups (elected officials) decided to take a back seat for now, I couldn’t ignore a great plot twist. I needed to relay the information.

Of course, the incident involving the empire, cult, and magic tower was by no means a light matter.

For over a century, the leadership of the cult and magic tower has not been able to lift their suspicions about each other, demonstrating that even the basements have a floor in terms of depth.

Whenever the magic tower proposes a joint investigation, the cult stirs trouble, and when the cult suggests an investigation, the magic tower escalates it further. Moreover, maybe on some group directive, the personnel isolated in the north often found themselves in collisions whenever their eyes met.

In contrast, the empire’s response has surprisingly been quite calm. In fact, it was so calm that I began to suspect if they were being sluggish.

The military has started patrolling the rear areas with additional troops, and the military government issued pamphlets instructing citizens to report any rogue handlers.

Furthermore, I heard that Martinez plans to reveal the results of the preliminary examinations of the imperial combat magicians and the autopsies of the magic department investigators and soldiers. They are set to determine if it was a solitary case or not and validate whether the clergy was indeed the perpetrator. As soon as the results are out, they plan to notify the cult and magic tower through unofficial routes. It seems both institutions have tentatively shifted their positions to support the empire’s unilateral investigation.

Just for reference, the intel was gleaned and reviewed simultaneously from Francesca and Veronica, indicative of its credibility.

So to summarize,

“Nothing has been resolved immediately. Who knows when the autopsy results will come out? And there’s also the possibility that the cult or magic tower may not accept the results.”

“At least you seem to have a rather pessimistic outlook… Truly a detestable, nymph-hating character…”

“Shut it unless you want me to send Francesca a mean message.”

“Yikes…!”

In any case, the cult and magic tower decided to trust the empire and await the examination results. Frankly, given that they have no prosecutorial power at this stage, they have no choice other than to wait.

It was on one of those days, as I was completing the task assigned by Leoni while spending my time as a diplomat.

-“Hello? You’re through to the Sunset Marine LLC customer service. The items you ordered from the Mauritania Continent have arrived at the port today, and we have some details to inform you. Do you have a moment?”

“Yes.”

The anticipated call had come.