A Dark Fantasy Spy

---

I woke up with my eyes opening to a damp sensation clinging to my skin.

Feeling groggy, I glanced around, but the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.

As soon as I touched the ground, the sound of splashing in a puddle echoed in my ears. It seemed like something was stinking, and my entire hand felt dirty in an instant.

Wet clumps of who-knows-what burrowed between my fingers, and while clutching the ground, I cautiously pushed myself up. At that moment, I grasped something warm and soft, but hard to hold with just one hand.

What is this, exactly?

“……”

The squishy, resilient sensation beneath my palm naturally led to a particular body part springing to mind, yet I felt no embarrassment.

That wasn’t what truly mattered right now.

I quickly yanked my hand away as if burnt and hastily rummaged through my pockets. I found a crumpled lighter next to a heavily crushed cigarette pack and illuminated the darkness.

-Swish!

The darkness receded, and my vision brightened.

The first thing that caught my eye was Lucia beside me. She lay unconscious on the ground.

I was in a small tunnel that reeked of filth and exuded a musty odor.

Holding the lighter, I gazed around in a dazed voice.

“…What the hell?”

Where on earth am I?

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician in History

—

A story my senior told me during my time in the Information Command resurfaced in my mind.

“Hey, do you know when the Information Officer is in the most dangerous situation?”

“I don’t know.”

“When you wake up with your hands and feet tied, and a plastic wrap surrounding you. You know that plastic used for making greenhouses, right? If you faint and then wake up with that stuff all around you, it means you’re seriously in trouble.”

Kill Room Deco.

One of the tricks used by Information Officers who want to leave no traces of murder. Whether a spy or a terrorist, it’s primarily used to tidy up the “evidence” generated during the process of torturing and killing someone.

My senior described it like this.

“It’s like covering a grill with foil when you’re cooking meat. Just like laying down foil to reduce the cleanup, you use plastic wrap to wrap up a body and dispose of it.”

“Is that so? Then what should I do if I wake up in a room wrapped in plastic?”

“What else is there to do? You’re screwed. You either fight to escape with your life or die right there. No other options.”

To be honest, it wasn’t very helpful advice, but there was certainly an interesting aspect to my senior’s story. It was a trick that I had not forgotten and still found handy, whether back then in the Information Command or now.

Is it truly just a coincidence that the old tale resurfaced?

This was my first visit to this place. After feeling the sensation of the ground sinking, I fainted in an alley and then woke up in this dark location.

I couldn’t even grasp the situation properly, but the thought of needing to get out flooded my mind.

“…Wake up, Saint.”

“……”

“Lucia…!”

I shook the unconscious Lucia to wake her.

Having rolled on the ground, the clothing meant solely for priests was now smeared with poop in various spots—on her legs, thighs, and arms. Even mud-like filth was stuck to her face and hair.

Suddenly, I noticed a hand-shaped smear of muck on her chest. A wave of dizziness washed over me as if I had been struck with a hammer, but I quickly snapped back to my senses and rubbed at the trace with my sleeve.

If it were the usual white fascia she wore, it would need to be tossed straight into the trash without even a wash, but thankfully, the fascia Lucia wore at the moment was black.

“Lucia. Open your eyes. Lucia!”

“Mmm….”

After quite some time of shaking her shoulders and gently slapping her face, a low moan escaped Lucia’s lips.

“Uhh… Where is this…?”

“Are you regaining your senses? Try to sit up. Quickly.”

“My head feels like it’s ringing… Can you keep it down a bit…?”

Though she had come to her senses, her condition was still not great.

I forced the dazed Lucia to sit up and helped her lean against the wall.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but please listen, Saint. We need to get out of here immediately.”

“Where is this place…? Is it underground…?”

I couldn’t respond. No, I couldn’t answer because I didn’t know.

“What exactly happened…?”

“I don’t know either.”

As I explained the situation, I checked on Lucia’s condition. I didn’t know why, but she had fainted, so she might have gotten hurt in the process.

With the lighter’s illumination, I saw that luckily Lucia appeared to be in nearly normal condition. No broken bones or visible wounds.

Considering she was groping my body without saying a word, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to raise her voice, but Lucia didn’t protest at all. Instead, she calmly assessed her situation despite the chaos.

“We both lost consciousness and fell somewhere, didn’t we? Are you hurt?”

“No. I have no idea where we are right now.”

“It must be underground. Perhaps… this place could be far from Novo Nikolayevsk.”

Regaining her composure, Lucia tried to shake off the dirt but stumbled as she struggled to find her balance.

I caught her with my body to prevent her from falling.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes. Just feeling a bit dizzy.”

By chance, I ended up in a position that seemed like I was holding her, but nobody among us cared about that. Lucia gripped my shoulder and slowly rose, and I assisted her while using the lighter to illuminate our surroundings.

With Lucia leaning towards me and limping, she opened her mouth.

“I think we might have fallen into a trap or met with some kind of accident.”

“……”

“I’m sorry. You got dragged into all this because of me…”

“Don’t say that. You came along knowing what was going on, didn’t you?”

Seeing Lucia smile faintly in response to my assurance not to feel guilty, I noticed her lips curve into a smile when the tiny light flickered and illuminated one side of her face.

I waited for Lucia to find her footing.

Having steadied herself, Lucia expressed her gratitude for my help and stood firmly on her own two feet.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”

“I’m glad.”

With Lucia in a better state, I asked her a question.

“What’s the plan, Saint?”

“First, we need to inform the priests coming to help. We have to find a way out of here….”

At that moment, a sound echoed through the air, cutting off our conversation.

-Clack.

A noise rang out like something hitting the solid ground.

Lucia paused, raising her gaze in the direction of the sound with an expression devoid of panic.

-Clack.

Her small lips parted slightly.

“…It’s coming from straight ahead.”

“It doesn’t seem far from here.”

I turned to observe Lucia scrutinizing the darkness. I asked her.

“What do you want to do?”

Instead of answering, Lucia showed her intention through her actions. She began searching the floor with the dim light of the lighter, uncovering her cloth bag, the saint’s remains, and a wooden box she had brought along.

Gathering the items she had prepared earlier, Lucia spoke with a serious expression.

“…Let’s head that way.”

—

“I’ll go first.”

“Is that alright?”

Lucia took the items she found on the floor and began to lead the way. With a purple silk sash draped around her neck and an olive wood rosary and a solid gold Roman cross worn on her wrist, I stayed close behind her.

“I’m responsible for sorting out this mess that happened because of my request. Stay behind me. Leave the front to me.”

“Are you protecting me?”

“More like leaving the rear to you. As good as I am, I don’t have eyes on the back of my head.”

Lucia carefully made her way across the dark tunnel, softly tapping the floor.

It would be possible to see at least some distance ahead if I turned on the lighter, but lighting up the darkness could be a death sentence since we had no idea what danger could be lurking. Thankfully, Lucia seemed to have a solid plan; she left the path to herself and urged me to conserve the light.

She reached out her hand towards me trailing closely behind.

“Hold my hand.”

“Wha? Is that really alright? Grabbing hands might get in the way…”

“Please hold my hand. If you let go, it will be even more dangerous.”

Before I could say anything else, Lucia firmly grasped my hand.

Caught a bit off guard by the sudden contact, I felt somewhat flustered, yet strangely enough, it brought me a sense of security. Lucia held my hand tightly in the darkness so that I wouldn’t lose my way, and I reciprocated her grip with determination.

Thus, we started to cautiously walk forward together.

As we moved, something unknown brushed against our feet, and an insect-like creature quickly scurried across my foot, but neither of us uttered a word. We merely squeezed each other’s hands more tightly, depending on one another to navigate deep into the dark.

“……”

“……”

The sound of our footsteps continued in silence.

While holding the remains of Saint Balthazar in one hand, Lucia exerted strength in the hand we held, carving a way through the shadows. The sound of her holy water bottle clinking against her waist broke the stillness.

Finally, when we reached the end of a cramped passage where we had to duck and squeeze our bodies through—

“…Wait a moment.”

Lucia, who had been silent, suddenly called out in a hushed yet urgent voice.

“What’s the matter…?”

“Please wait a moment. There’s something ahead.”

“……”

I held still as Lucia instructed me.

Blind in the surrounding darkness, we confirmed each other’s presence through the grasp of our hands, waiting for several minutes. The overwhelming stench dulled my senses, and a sticky fluid, I couldn’t determine whether it was sweat or something else, soaked through my palm, but neither of us complained.

While our interminable wait dragged on, I suddenly noticed something odd.

“…Saint, could this breeze we’re feeling be wind?”

Wind was blowing.

Very faintly, but I could feel the flow of air.

“That’s right. It’s wind.”

“Where’s it coming from?”

“It’s coming from further ahead. To be precise….”

Above.

The breeze blew from above.

I advanced forward without releasing Lucia’s hand. My sight had adjusted to the dark, allowing me to distinguish blurred outlines as we moved closer.

As we moved towards this incoming wind, I was able to finally grasp our situation.

“……”

An underground facility with a gaping ceiling.

A massive cavern loomed ahead of us.

As the breeze gently swayed, I looked up to see faint starlight trickling down from the ceiling. The stars lit up brightly due to the blackout, transmitting light through miles of darkness.

“…Look.”

Lucia whispered softly.

“Look over there.”

“Where?”

“Down there.”

I followed the direction Lucia pointed.

Amidst the subtle star light illuminating the chasm, I noticed a pile of dirt, part of which was something foul, that filled the bottom of the deep abyss.

Standing upright above that muck was an inquisitor, who—

-Clack.

Was prodding the ground with his staff.

“…That guy.”

“Yeah.”

I instinctively tightened my grip on Lucia’s hand as she peered down with me.

“That’s Inquisitor Agato.”

Her voice projected certainty.

—

His real name was Romain Cheire.

Baptismal name, Agato.

A former combat priest and monk of the Inquisition. He had gone missing on a mission in the Mauritania Continent two decades ago.

He had been tasked secretly by a bishop operating in a state where religious oppression was rampant in the Mauritania Continent. He had departed to meet the possessed person alongside an exorcist, and he had vanished there without a trace.

Now, after nearly twenty years, Inquisitor Agato had surfaced far from the Mauritania Continent, in the northern region of the Kien Empire.

Now, he was standing right before our eyes.

—

-Clack!

The sound of the staff hitting stone spread throughout.

The inquisitor tapped the ground with his staff repeatedly for some time.

“…What is he doing?”

“Who knows…”

The inquisitor wandered through the underground cavern, tapping the floor with his staff, taking a few steps, and then tapping again.

An incomprehensible action. I had no idea what he was doing, but it was as if he were a broken puppet repeating the same action.

After observing him, Lucia lowered her posture and let out a faint sigh.

“We’ve confirmed Agato’s location. We also just verified that there’s something wrong with him.”

Lucia glanced down at the holy relic she held.

The remains of Saint Balthazar, which reacts to unholy forces.

Like when searching for traces in the alley, the relic pointed directly downward with extended fingers. Specifically, towards the inquisitor below.

Lucia declared.

“Whether it’s a possessed person or a necromancer, we must prepare for the exorcism.”

The only way out of here was to flee upward. However, moving in that direction would likely alert the inquisitor below to our presence.

Finding another route was not an option. The path we had traversed was excruciatingly long and treacherous, and we had no idea how to find another passage here. If we got lost, this could very well become our grave.

There was no escaping.

As such thoughts crept in, Lucia suggested facing him instead of fleeing.

“If he’s a necromancer, he must have made a pact with a demon, so the exorcism would surely be effective. If he’s possessed, that’s a given.”

I, curled up behind the wall, asked her.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Dropping her cloth bag to the floor, Lucia began rummaging through it.

“If we commence the exorcism, the demon will undoubtedly resist fiercely. It’s within the body of a healthy adult male, so its power will be beyond imagination. To suppress that resistance, we need to bind him with the sash.”

“You’re asking me to restrain the inquisitor, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Lucia offered me the sash she had pulled from her bag. It was a sash adorned with religious patterns made with gold threads, identical to the one Lucia wore around her neck.

Lucia looked at me with concerned eyes as she handed over the sash.

“I know this is a difficult request. But I sincerely ask you to assist me just this once.”

“…Alright, let’s do it.”

I snatched the sash from her hand. There weren’t any specifics on how to tie it, but having bound people before, this should be child’s play.

In a hurry, Lucia explained her plan while hastily unpacking her items and shared some precautions with me.

“I recommend avoiding the use of firearms as much as possible. Under normal circumstances, bullets won’t penetrate.”

“What should I do if we get into a fight?”

“Leave the combat to me. I can protect you.”

I, hunkered behind the wall, listened closely to Lucia’s warnings.

“When we begin the Grand Exorcism, you must remain in the designated spot. If you step outside that area, things could get dangerous for you.”

“What kind of danger?”

“You might end up with a lifelong burden. You could find yourself needing indefinite care in a mental hospital. In the worst case, you might even lose your body to the demon.”

Lucia dipped her fingers in holy water, crossed herself, then drew a small cross on my palm and clasped her hands together, speaking softly.

“The priests will soon identify my position. As long as you can hold out until they arrive, you’ll be fine.”

“Understood. Is there anything else to be careful about?”

“For now, just keep this in mind.”

Having quickly finished preparing for the exorcism, Lucia knelt down and began to pray quietly. I listened silently to her prayer, keeping an eye on the inquisitor still wandering below.

After finishing her prayer, Lucia released her clasped hands and softly said.

“Please hold onto the holy relic during the exorcism. The navigator’s map and Saint Balthazar’s remains are not meant to be used in the ritual.”

“Hand them over.”

“Here….”

Lucia handed me the neatly folded parchment map and the saint’s remains. Yet her expression shifted dramatically for a fleeting moment.

There was no issue up to when she handed me the map. However, her face turned serious when she passed the remains. I didn’t understand why, but her expression was deeply troubled.

“What’s wrong?”

“…The remains. Why is it…”

“Pardon?”

“Why does the remains respond?”

I looked at the remains of Saint Balthazar that Lucia clutched. The remains’ finger was raised rigidly, pointing decisively at a particular spot.

At the tip of that finger was none other than me.

Lucia’s voice, now colored by confusion, continued.

“This shouldn’t be reacting now. Why…?”

“Saint? What does this mean…?”

“…The pendant.”

Lucia, who had been looking down at the remains, abruptly lifted her gaze.

“Where’s the pendant? The item that veils the aura?”

“That would obviously be….”

I felt around my neck, but the pendant was nowhere to be felt in my grasp.

Missing the pendant that should have been shielding me from the evil energy radiating from the inquisitor’s wounds. Had it fallen off? Was the string broken?

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through my head, but none of them mattered.

“It was definitely with me….”

At that moment, I suddenly sensed something odd.

The rhythmic sound of the staff striking the ground ceased. Abruptly.

Lucia and I locked eyes, and simultaneously, we slowly turned our heads to look down.

“……”

“……”

The dim starlight barely reached the massive abyss.

The inquisitor lurking deep within the darkness raised his head to look at us.

“……”

Lucia, who was staring at the same spot as me, suddenly gripped my hand tightly.

Then came Lucia’s voice.

“…Run!”

With those words as a signal, we sprang to our feet.

It marked the beginning of a long battle in the deep darkness.