A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The popular means of public transportation for long distances in this town are trains and ships.

There are regularly operating airships as well, but those are more like exotic travel methods for nobles or the wealthy, similar to cruises.

I asked Sophia, “How long does it take to get to the capital if I catch the train that’s leaving now?”

“At least five hours. That’s based on the express service.”

Five hours is too long. I need to get there faster.

“Can’t we go by ship?”

“Unless you plan to disembark halfway and drag the ship over the mountains.”

If it were the Ottoman Navy that ran the Constantinople raid, maybe it would be possible.

I glanced at the watch on my wrist. I’d be late regardless of whether I took a ship or a train. There was no way around it. Just then, a thought suddenly popped into my head.

I lightly tapped Sophia’s shoulder as she called our team members. She turned towards me, her dull blonde hair slightly tousled.

“Hey, Sophia.”

“What’s up?”

“Where’s the Warp Gate around here?”

—

Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Magicians

As soon as I heard that Francesca had arrived, the first place I headed to was the Warp Gate station.

“What’s going on here?”

“I don’t know. But do you have the funds to use the gate? It’s a bit pricey.”

“It’s fine.”

After all, it’s not my money.

All the expenses for this trip were covered by the company. They also booked the Warp Gate and hotel, and Clevenz happily handed me 5,000 ducats to spend on having fun.

Considering the prices at tourist spots, 5,000 ducats could last for a month comfortably. That’s almost 7 million won! And, as always, domestic flights are cheaper than international ones. Relative, but still.

I quickly grabbed a taxi and sped towards the Galbria Warp Gate.

When I told the taxi driver to step on it, he really floored it, making me feel like I was in a busan taxi for a moment.

However, despite the taxi driver’s efforts, I wouldn’t be using the Warp Gate.

To be precise, it had become unnecessary.

“Colonel?”

Just as I was about to buy a ticket for the Warp Gate heading to the capital, I heard a voice calling my name.

It was a familiar voice.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Francesca had just come out of the Warp Gate.

As our eyes met, she greeted me with a smile.

“It’s been a while.”

Her attitude was quite cheerful.

*

Meeting up with a woman after escaping a crowd of men in the military? That’s something any soldier would envy.

But if that woman is an informant, the story changes a bit.

“….”

After a moment of silence from our unexpected reunion, Francesca’s expression subtly changed. Her mouth smiled, but she seemed slightly disappointed.

She set down the suitcase she was dragging and spoke without losing her smile.

“You don’t seem very happy to see me? I thought you’d at least ask how I’ve been, out of courtesy.”

“…I’m sorry. I’m not really in my right mind right now.”

“Hmm….”

Her violet-like eyes began to scan me from top to bottom.

Having quickly appraised me, Francesca broke the silence.

“Well, considering you’ve been drinking, I suppose that’s understandable.”

“How did you know?”

“The smell of alcohol is quite strong. Isn’t it more strange if you didn’t notice?”

I finally realized that the smell of alcohol was radiating from my body. In my hurry, I completely forgot to get rid of the scent.

As I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck, Francesca chuckled. Her beautifully arched eyes, softly folded eyelids, and slowly fluttering eyelashes made it feel like I didn’t need to worry about the smell of alcohol.

“Compared to the chemicals in my workshop, the scent of alcohol is nothing. When I used to work in a poorly ventilated shop, I wore a gas mask and worked for hours.”

Imagining Francesca wearing a new gas mask while stirring a cauldron just didn’t fit.

Regardless, what I was really curious about was why she had come to Patalia. It was obvious the National Security Agency would be keeping an eye on her, so why return to her home country?

Definitely not just to visit her hometown. The Ranieri family’s ancestral home is in the east, and her family’s villa is in the north. From my research, that villa was a significant place where Francesca spent her childhood with her mother. Despite being sold to another wealthy family over ten years ago.

So why had she come to the south without any connections? That’s what I was most curious about.

But it seemed I wasn’t the only one with questions. Francesca asked me, “By the way, Colonel, what brings you to Patalia?”

“I’m on vacation. What about you, Francesca? Shouldn’t you be recovering at the Magic Tower by now?”

“I already finished my treatment. I brewed a potion with the Hero.”

“…Potion?”

“It was a gift from the alchemists of the Ivory Tower. It’s honey that’s 180 years old, collected from the Parangasan region. I received it a few years ago and had been pondering how to use it, and recently the Ivory Tower published study results suggesting it could be used for healing, so I decided to give it a try.”

As luck would have it, the person from the Ivory Tower who gifted the potion was currently staying in Patalia.

Francesca continued, “He’s a highly regarded professor, travelling around Patalia’s universities giving special lectures. I had heard he was in Galbria, so I came to visit and express my gratitude.”

Of course.

“I also have something I’d like to share with you, Colonel.”

“Something to share?”

“It’s related to business.”

She had information to provide. I nodded in agreement.

“I see. We can discuss that later, but about that potion – did it work?”

“They said I could leave the hospital right after taking it.”

Francesca claimed she took the potion on the third day of her stay in the hospital and promptly left with Camila. The doctors who witnessed it thought the two had risen from the undead and cursed them out.

“I can understand. Honestly, I would’ve cursed as well. A patient who was groaning in bed suddenly leaps up and dashes to the cafeteria. Who would think they were fine?”

“…You’re talking about Camila, right?”

“Yeah. I took it first, but the Hero recovered even faster. While I finished recovering, he enjoyed snacks and drinks.”

“…In the Intensive Care Unit?”

Francesca nodded nonchalantly, and I held my forehead in despair.

After going through that ordeal, he dashed to the cafeteria. Should I scold him or commend his mental fortitude?

Whatever the case, I decided I needed to craft a sturdy ironwood club as soon as I return. The last one I made mysteriously disappeared, as if Camila had hidden it away. I needed to make a few extra just in case that sort of mishap happened again.

While I sighed deeply, Francesca grabbed the handle of her suitcase and prepared to move.

“So you’re on vacation? Are you staying at a hotel?”

“Yes.”

Francesca smiled at me. “I need a place to stay until tomorrow morning. Would you mind showing me around, Colonel?”

It was an unexpected proposal. How should I take this?

Going out with Francesca after a long time on vacation? The National Security Agency would likely be watching.

It felt reminiscent of when I heard the news of Kim Jong Il’s demise while on leave; I stared blankly at Francesca’s face, blinking.

After a moment of silence, I finally responded, “Me? Why?”

“…….”

Francesca’s violet-like eyes blinked for a moment.

Her beautiful face suddenly twisted with displeasure.

*

“We’ve arrived.”

“…….”

Even though the taxi had stopped in front of the hotel, Francesca didn’t say anything.

She opened her wallet, paid the taxi driver with a few bills, and left without waiting for change.

The driver, suddenly given a windfall, smiled broadly as he picked up the bills. Then he turned to me, who was still sitting in the taxi, and offered a word of comfort.

“Hey… I don’t know what happened between you and your girlfriend, but don’t take it so hard. No matter how awkward it is, isn’t it too harsh to just leave her to herself? You should hurry and apologize.”

“…….”

Sitting there awkwardly, I eventually got out of the taxi.

I could see Francesca’s figure dragging her suitcase into the Meraviglia hotel in the distance. After exchanging a few words with the front desk staff, she completed her check-in and immediately pressed the elevator button.

And then,

“…….”

“…….”

Silence fell in the elevator.

January in Patalia boasted particularly chilly weather, but the air inside the elevator was so cold it could slap the northern regions of the Kien Empire.

I stared blankly at the rising numbers and Francesca maintained a stoic expression, saying nothing.

Fidgeting like I was sitting on a bed of nails, I glanced at her profile, then quietly opened my mouth.

“Uh, Francesca, I’m sorry about earlier…”

“Please be quiet.”

I closed my mouth, and Francesca stayed silent.

We maintained our silence, avoiding each other’s gazes.

In the meantime, the elevator crawled painfully slow towards our destination.

*

Drops of water dripped against the surface of the sink.

Inside the house with drawn curtains, not even the light from street lamps could penetrate the dark interior. The dim, quiet room held only the sounds of typing and creaking floorboards.

“We’ve arrived.”

The information officer sitting in front of the security terminal announced.

The blue light from the screen reflected in his eyes, shimmering in the darkness.

A male figure turned his head towards the report with the subject omitted.

“Has he entered the arrival area?”

“He just passed through the customs checkpoint.”

The man, who was tidying up his darkened beard grown from time, peered at the screen of the security terminal.

On the screen, a short note of about 500 characters was displayed. It was a report sent by an information officer on the scene through an encrypted radio.

Having quickly scanned the document, the man asked, “What’s the target’s location?”

The screen changed and a new report appeared. The sender was an information officer dispatched to the north.

The information officer receiving the report began reciting the lines he had drafted from his memory.

“He plans to use the Warp Gate that operates at 0630 tomorrow. The destination is Patalia.”

“Good.”

The man set down the razor and looked around the room. Information officers buried in piles of papers gazed at their team leader.

The team leader spoke. “The operation will be conducted in Patalia. We’ll wait for the moment the target meets with his contact. If the operation is successful, all personnel will move to another workshop. The vehicle team will pick up the external team and move, and the standby team will clean up this workshop and proceed to the meet-up point. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Everyone stay alert. The target and his contact are highly trained magicians. If the vehicle and external teams can’t synchronize, a confrontation may occur on the scene.”

The team leader turned to stare at the board.

A whiteboard plastered with photos and memos of individuals. Three photos stood out.

Among them was a woman with purple hair and a man with black hair. The capes and uniforms they wore suggested they were a magician and a soldier.

“Everyone pay attention.”

The team leader clapped his hands to grab his team’s focus.

“Begin the abduction preparation now.”