A Dark Fantasy Spy

---

The faint rays of sunlight seeped through the dusty window. It was a morning in the central region of the Kien Empire, beset by blizzards. The sun was up, yet the world felt utterly chaotic as if out of a space drama.

As I opened my groggy eyes and sat up, an unfamiliar sight greeted me.

Despite being in a house I definitely didn’t know, the situation felt all too familiar, leaving no room for discomfort.

Mornings spent abroad always began this way.

-Clank! Clank!

The sound of clattering dishes filled the otherwise quiet place with a rare vitality.

As I made my way downstairs and surveyed my surroundings, I caught sight of Francesca’s back, standing with her back to the living room as she appeared to be busy in the kitchen. She seemingly didn’t hear my steps on the stairs.

I approached the concentrating Francesca and softly called her name.

“Francesca?”

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician Ever

—

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Francesca turned her head to look at me.

Only then did I notice the coffee cup in her hand.

“You’ve already been drinking coffee since morning? Very much like someone from Patalia.”

“Actually, I wasn’t drinking it; I was making it.”

While saying this, Francesca was brewing coffee with a machine I had no idea where she got it from. I pulled out a chair from the kitchen and sat in front of her.

“There should be coffee mix in the cupboard… Would you like that?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s something made at the Magic Tower.”

“Oh… that. I don’t understand why people drink that tasteless ash water.”

I couldn’t help but agree wholeheartedly with that statement.

The senior executive from the Magic Tower Secretariat, who had dismissed the Magic Tower coffee, was making a cup of her own while casually asking, “Would you like a cup as well, Colonel?”

Coffee is great. I nodded eagerly in acceptance.

As she carefully stirred the coffee with sugar, I raised my cup and inhaled its aromatic scent. The coffee was rich, and the taste was impeccably excellent.

To awaken my hazy mind, nothing beats caffeine. With a heart full of gratitude, I turned to Francesca and said, “Can you bring me some water? This espresso is too bitter; I need to dilute it.”

“If that’s the case, you should just drink iced water. Don’t waste the expensive coffee.”

—

Two weeks after returning to the diplomatic lodging, it was cleaner than I expected.

There was no dust, no burst pipes, and no intruders.

I didn’t hire a housekeeper, so I thought I’d be the only one here since I had been staying in the north, but it seemed my judgment was wrong. The Embassy of Abas had sent someone to manage and inspect the accommodations even while I was absent.

Thanks to the embassy’s consideration, we were able to rest well after returning from the Magic Tower.

In fact, we rested too well, which was a problem.

“I sure slept deeply.”

“Thanks to that, we missed the first train.”

My plan to sleep just for three hours and take the first train to the north was completely derailed.

But it was no problem. There was no urgent need to head back right away. Besides, I had brought plenty of income with me.

I set down my cup and broke the news.

“I’m going to be busy for a while. I assure you, there won’t be time to be leisurely like today.”

“Of course you will, Colonel. It won’t be easy either.”

The plan to pressure Hormoz for information had only just begun.

I decided to utilize the culture and customs of the Dark Elves for the success of this operation.

“Dark Elves are averse to losing. Be it investment or business, their reputation takes a substantial hit the moment they fail.”

“They prioritize value judgement more than any other tribe.”

“Thus, if they go bankrupt in the northern black market, it won’t bode well for them.”

I honestly didn’t care how long Hormoz had been trading in the north or how large his earnings had been. Was that any of my concern?

What was important was that his business failed. Efforts made for the commerce? The achievements thus far? They held no meaning. People judge only by outcomes.

The Dark Elves would not be an exception either.

“We will target that very point.”

To make Hormoz’s business go under, we had two options.

First, reduce the revenue of the Palm Tree Trade Guild operating in the black market to tighten their funding.

Second, sabotage the trading partners connected to either the Palm Tree Trade Guild or Hormoz so that they encounter hurdles in their business.

“Of course there are naive options beyond these….”

“What methods?”

“Bribing the military police or orchestrating an arrest operation, hiring thugs, disguising as a competitor to wreck his dealings, threatening, bribing, or assassinating executives, inciting his underlings to slack off, or simply sabotaging the warehouses.”

These were the standard maneuvers used at the information agency. Nothing novel. I had done it several times in the Third World.

But now, I couldn’t use any of those methods.

This was Kien Empire, not the Middle East or Africa where control was loose and tribal units governed. If the Imperial Guard HQ or the Counter Intelligence Office caught wind of it, my head would be on the chopping block.

Moreover, there was someone of high status supporting Hormoz, though I didn’t know who that was. Anyone willing to provide cover for Hormoz in the northern regions, where martial law had been declared, must be no ordinary figure.

“Regardless, we need to deliberate on these two options. If all goes well, we will find it easy to negotiate with Hormoz, and even if it doesn’t, we can glean information by infiltrating his network. Whatever it is, we only need the intelligence, right?”

“I also want to make money.”

“Well, you seem to be quite affluent but have an insatiable greed….”

“What did you just say…?”

“Oh, nothing important.”

As Francesca’s voice turned ice-cold, I quickly averted my gaze.

“Anyways, what I mean is, from now on, it’ll be crucial. You won’t have time to rest anymore.”

Even though I had come to an agreement with Victor regarding the business, it was only just the beginning.

We had to bring the goods that Victor had imported into the Empire to the north, carve out a route to distribute them in the northern black market, and secure dominance in the underground economy against the Palm Tree Trade Guild and the scavengers. And all this needed to happen in a region under martial law.

None of it was easy. Why on earth had I decided to do this?

Suddenly, regrets surfaced, but it was too late. The die had been cast.

As I sipped the coffee that Francesca had made, I calmly gathered my thoughts. Sitting at the table filled with the rich scent of coffee, we slowly retraced our business plan.

“Food, pharmaceuticals, winter supplies… Are these really viable businesses, Colonel?”

“Food and medicine are the most demanded yet least supplied items in conflict areas. There are many starving and injured people, yet supply is drastically lacking. That’s why a can of peaches sold for three Tacrons in the capital goes for sixty Tacrons in the northern black market.”

“Among the reconstruction areas the officials from the Magic Department had asked me about, there were industrial complexes and greenhouse zones for food production. Since no independent food production can take place in the north, it’s highly likely that the black market merchants are connected to external suppliers.”

“However, it probably won’t be on the scale of the Palm Tree Trade Guild. While those ruffians are retailers, Hormoz operates on a wholesale level. The only direct competition we face will be the Palm Tree Trade Guild.”

“What’s our sales strategy?”

“We can’t expect laws or ethics in the black market. Only those capable of protecting themselves should go. We need to select a number that is just right—not too few, not too many.”

“From what you’re saying, aside from mages, it seems we have no options.”

“Then how many can we select? Or do we have none?”

“Let’s go for it. I know some tight-lipped folks among those dispatched to the north.”

“Alright.”

Clap! Clap! I clapped my hands to lighten the mood.

“Let’s wash up and get ready to go. We need to make some money now.”

—

I gathered the disposable necessities provided by embassy staff and headed to the shower room.

Since it was a diplomat’s residence, I was pleasantly surprised that hot water was available even in the chilly weather. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but after having no access to hot water during the past two weeks in the north, it was a noticeable contrast.

Currently in the north, even warm water couldn’t be freely accessed. Heating water for washing using magic? That would be excessive luxury. Refugees didn’t even have water to bathe.

Having seen the conditions in many conflict zones, I understood it, but the trouble was that it was the same in the accommodations provided to my party. Specifically, hot water was only supplied during controlled time slots decided by the military government.

If one didn’t get in quickly to wash, they could end up experiencing the unpleasantness of ice-cold water pouring down on them during the shower. If the hotel designated for foreign dignitaries looked like this, one could only imagine the dire conditions in shelters packed with refugees. Lucia hadn’t been able to rest, continuously working instead.

“…Ah, this feels warm.”

After finishing my shower with warm water for the first time in a while, I toweled off.

It felt a bit wrong to head back empty-handed, so I considered getting a present. A gift for Camila and Lucia, or maybe something for Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy.

“But I need to know what they like….”

Drying off, I checked my watch while putting on my suit. It was getting close to noon.

As I slipped into my trousers and carelessly threw on a shirt, I took off the bloodstained bandage and wrapped a clean one around my forearm at that moment.

“Need any help?”

Francesca appeared at the open door. She seemed to have finished getting ready, dressed in the splendid suit I had seen her in yesterday at the Magic Tower, leaning against the doorframe.

I pointed to the suit she wore while tying my tie.

“That suit looks great. The vest suits you.”

“Thank you for the compliment. You look good in it too, Colonel. However, it seems that the suit I gifted you didn’t catch your fancy; I rarely see you wear it.”

“People like me usually don’t wear tailored suits.”

“Because it’s expensive?”

“No, if I frequently interact with tailors, my identity can be pinpointed.”

Francesca seemed to find my abrupt reply quite amusing.

“You lead a truly difficult lifestyle.”

I struggled to tie my tie while checking my reflection in the mirror. However, since my arms were injured, it didn’t come out nicely at all.

It seemed the bandages were tied way too tightly.

I set the tie aside to fix the bandage. At that moment, while I was distracted, Francesca suddenly appeared right in front of me.

“Just stay still.”

Francesca swiftly untied the loosely tied tie.

Then, while gripping the ends of the tie, she asked me a question.

“What kind of knot do you prefer, Colonel?”

I gazed at Francesca with a slightly dazed expression before looking away to fasten my cufflinks.

“Anything you tie is fine with me.”

“That’s the most difficult answer in the world.”

She jokingly warned that she would tie it in the usual manner, so I shouldn’t complain, and with expert hands, she started to tie the knot.

Watching her skill, it seemed like she had done it many times before. While tying one’s own tie is easy, helping someone else tie it is quite a task.

When I asked how she learned, Francesca replied simply.

“My brother.”

“…….”

I paused momentarily as I buttoned my shirt.

Francesca’s brother had died a long time ago. No one knew how; his body had simply floated in the river, discovered by a passerby who reported it to the police.

Leonii, the head of the Royal Intelligence Department, who had uncovered her as an informant, didn’t know the details either, nor did Clevenz, who would’ve reviewed any secrets pertaining to me.

Not even I knew.

A heavy atmosphere hung in the air due to the sudden mention of such a serious topic, but Francesca simply continued arranging her clothes without any further comments.

“I’d like to ask you one thing.”

Francesca finally broke her silence while finishing up the tie knot.

“Go ahead.”

“About pretending to be your girlfriend.”

“Oh… yes.”

“How long are you supposed to do that? Just in front of your friend? I’m asking since there weren’t clear instructions.”

Pretending to be a fake girlfriend, huh?

As I tidied up my clothes, I fell into thought for a moment.

“…Well, it seems I will have to act in front of Victor.”

“What about others?”

“That probably depends on the situation and can change, can’t it? After all, you can never tell how things will go.”

Francesca’s hands tying my tie paused abruptly.

“…So are you saying I should act like that in front of others, just like yesterday?”

“If necessary, yes? Come to think of it, we might need a good story in place.”

Francesca lifted her gaze from the tie to meet mine. Her icy stare struck me like a dagger.

“Oh.”

Though she was an informant, Francesca was still a noblewoman, and maybe I had pushed it too far?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Francesca suddenly tightened the tie around my neck.

“…Gah!”

“…….”

“What are you doing… I almost died…!”

“Why don’t you just drop dead then? People say things they shouldn’t say all the time, huh?”

With a feigned cold demeanor, she hurled that curse and turned, exiting the room.

I stood there in a daze for a moment before coming to my senses and hurriedly followed her.

“…Administrator. Are you upset?”

“…….”

Francesca didn’t respond at all and turned away. Clearly miffed.

“…I mean, you should at least say something if I need to apologize.”

What a ridiculous situation.

I watched Francesca act petulantly as I gathered my things and left the room.

Even after getting off at the northern gate, I would still need to take at least two hours by train. What was I to do? Should I try to get a seat in the far back?

I hurried my steps to catch up with Francesca, who was walking briskly.

—

With my luggage packed, I made my way down to the first floor. I quickly took the stairs down, concerned that Francesca might act independently.

Upon reaching the first floor, fortunately, Francesca was still in the accommodation.

She had already stepped out and stood right by the entrance. Seeing her waiting for me, I hurried my steps to catch up.

At that moment, something odd caught my eye.

“…?”

Francesca was standing still at the entrance. Her posture seemed a bit strange.

Her hand rested on the doorknob, and the door was wide open. It looked as if she had just opened it to leave and then stopped.

A cold winter breeze swept in, chilling the room. Even though the wind was brisk, Francesca neither closed the door nor stepped outside.

Noticing her awkward stance, I discreetly reached for my hip. As usual, a pistol issued by the Military Intelligence Agency was holstered there.

“Administrator, is something wrong?”

“…….”

“Francesca…?”

I wondered what was going on with her. Did some kind of problem arise?

I was about to ask that when I found I didn’t even need to.

Before the Embassy of Abas’ diplomatic residence, a crowd had gathered.

A line of luxury sedans parked along the alley, with several suit-clad men now guarding the door. Among them, some noticeable foreigners with exotic looks stood out.

All of them were stationed in front of the diplomatic lodging.

As if guarding the door, waiting for someone to exit.

And among them, a few wore particularly distinctive attire.

Wrinkled black cloth, a small white square placed before their throats, and a sash wrapped around their waists.

They were clerics of the Cult.