A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The massive barrier that stretches across the northern and central regions has protected the Empire from the threat of the frozen lands for over five years.

Demonkind and monsters, chaos and disorder.

By isolating the north, the military has safeguarded the peace and stability of the Empire, while the proudly proclaiming media presented the Emperor’s reign with great pomp.

Cities on lockdown and isolated refugees.

In that place where everyone struggles to reach the lights of the glorious cities.

I take a step into the filth.

—

Episode 13 – A Land Without Wizards

Finding anything that has changed in the north upon my return was exceedingly difficult.

Heavily armed soldiers controlling the roads and armored vehicles stationed at intersections still held their ground, and the shabby refugees waiting for rations in the biting cold were still there.

The crumbling buildings and frozen roads needed no further mention.

The cracked and decades-old apartments with peeling green paint and the damaged roads symbolically represented the true plight of the north, echoed by every citizen and military officer.

Though less than two weeks had passed, the north remained the same.

And so did the people.

“Welcome back. It’s been a while, Colonel.”

“Ah, Senior Lyudmila. Have you been well in the meantime?”

The Imperial Army officer, Senior Lyudmila, in charge of translation and guidance, welcomed us with a bright smile.

I stepped out of the backseat of the vehicle and exchanged greetings with her.

“You still look the same. It’s only been two weeks since I returned, but somehow it feels like I haven’t been here in years. Nothing seems to have changed.”

Pausing for a moment, I tilted my head slightly.

“Or have I? Perhaps it seems a tad different.”

“Things are a bit chaotic because of preparations for the offensive, but rest assured, we will revert to our original state soon. I hope you’ll understand the current hustle and bustle.”

I wondered if that original state referred to the peaceful days of five years ago, or the chaos that had erupted just two weeks prior.

No matter what I imagined, the situation in the north henceforth would not concern me.

Whether circumstances worsened or improved, any changes would occur after I had pulled myself out of this filth.

I carefully closed the car door and walked towards my accommodations.

—

We used the same lodging that had been previously provided.

The hotel arranged by the military government in Novo Nikolayevsk, the northern capital, was still the best hotel, just as it had been five years ago, so there was no need to change our accommodation.

“Frederick?”

“Huh?”

The hotel was bustling with dispatched personnel from various countries.

As I barely navigated through the lobby with no standing room left, a familiar voice called out to me.

I found myself facing Lucia, who was carrying a home visit bag with a modest demeanor.

“Saint Lucia. It’s been a while. Good to see you.”

“Good to see you too.”

A joyful light appeared on her face.

Though two weeks was a short time for me, it seemed to have been quite lengthy for Lucia. She couldn’t suppress her delighted smile as she took my hand and slowly shook it.

Lucia’s golden hair shimmered as if it had been melted from pure gold, and her blue eyes sparkled with a deep light resembling the vast ocean.

The awkwardness she’d previously displayed in the confessional was nowhere to be seen, and she graciously accepted my handshake.

“You brought the home visit bag, didn’t you? You must be tired, so please take a moment to rest. Are you going to provide medical assistance right after your arrival?”

“I don’t have much time. I have to make the most of the time I’ve been given.”

That was undoubtedly the attitude of a saint.

Unlike Veronica, who would think only of indulgence, Lucia was already ready to dash to where the patients were.

Holding the home visit bag, Lucia seemed to be gathering her thoughts, appearing as if she had something to say. Unlike before, she began to hesitate, twisting her body shyly as she opened her mouth.

“Um… when we’re just the two of us, you can speak comfortably with me. By the way, it’s been a while since we met, so if you don’t mind, today…”

“Colonel!”

At that moment, a woman suddenly appeared, interrupting between Lucia and me.

With her luscious purple hair and violet eyes resembling violets, she wore a luxurious outfit that accentuated her figure, her gaze gleaming in a royal hue.

It was Francesca.

Francesca had suddenly emerged without any hesitation, intruding into our ongoing conversation.

“I have something to discuss briefly; do you have time?”

“Uh…”

Francesca’s attention turned towards the small sigh that escaped nearby. Lucia stood there, her blue eyes blinking in surprise.

As if she hadn’t realized, Francesca offered an apology to Lucia.

“Oh, so there’s a guest here. I apologize, Saint. I didn’t know you were here. Have I interrupted your conversation?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine…”

Lucia hurriedly waved her hands.

She quickly informed Francesca that she could talk freely and asked to excuse herself, intending to leave first.

“I’ll take my leave now. See you next time, Frederick.”

“Take care, Lucia.”

I waved goodbye to Lucia as she hurried away, looking as if she had just witnessed something untoward.

As I watched Lucia’s retreating figure with crossed arms, Francesca suddenly narrowed her eyes slightly, showing signs of displeasure.

“Hmm…”

Francesca let out a slightly nasal sound, her tone carrying a touch of prickliness.

“You seem to be quite close to Saint Lucia. I see you casually calling each other by name.”

“…….”

Hearing Francesca’s unusual remark, I put my hands into my pockets and responded.

“You sound like someone who witnessed a cheating partner scene.”

“If a fake partner counts as a partner, then they are indeed a partner.”

Francesca chuckled lightly at that. Sure, a fake partner is still a partner after all.

I stepped away from the crowded lobby with Francesca and quietly engaged in conversation. Maybe she had left her luggage with the bellboy as her hands were empty.

Pulling a hemp pipe from her coat pocket, she packed magic herbs tightly with a stamper, flicked her fingers to light it, and took a puff as she exhaled.

“I’ve completed all the vehicle transport requests you asked for. The papers are neatly stored in the garage. Of course, the same goes for the other equipment.”

“Thank you as always, Francesca.”

“You don’t need to be too grateful. I’m not doing it for free, you know.”

I had slightly helped Francesca’s business to transport the vehicles and equipment.

Although I provided more resources than expected, the backing of the Military Intelligence Agency made it an easy burden.

Isn’t it always the most fun to use someone else’s money, whether it’s in gambling or business?

However, with a look of dissatisfaction on her face, Francesca added somewhat coldly.

“By the way, Colonel, you need to sort out your relationships with women.”

“Relationships with women?”

“There are rumors going around among the diplomats. They say your romantic escapades are quite something.”

“No….”

What have I done to deserve such gossip? Is there anyone as clean as I am when it comes to women?

Just as I was about to protest in indignation, Francesca interjected firmly.

“Think about it. Look at how many women are around you. Including Saint Lucia and her sister, that’s two saints. Not to mention me and the hero. How many women have you crossed paths with while working in the Cult, the Empire, and the Magic Tower?”

“They’re all just for work; what does that even mean?”

“According to the clergy of the Cult, you’ve met the mint-haired priest often, and you’ve been in private meetings with both Saint Lucia and Saint Veronica. You’ve even done volunteer work together. And your sister didn’t you invite into your office for hours on end?”

“And so?”

“Please stop seeing women. Just try not to get caught. Aren’t you worried about how people see you?”

“That’s all a blatant lie.”

Priest Rebecca was an official relationship born from cooperation with the Inquisition, just like Lucia and Francesca.

Of course, Lucia and I were a little bit closer in a way, but… I hadn’t been overtly affectionate in public; why were these strangers gossiping behind my back?

To make matters worse, I had no ulterior motives in meeting Lucia or Veronica. If it weren’t for the oracle, I would have just been hanging around and playing the assistant role in the back.

The fact that women were drawn to me was purely due to that damn oracle’s meddling.

I expressed this nuance in my defense.

“I’ve lived 28, no, 29 years without ever dating anyone. I’m a clean person and you’re saying that just because I met a few people for work?”

“Huh? There you are!”

“Oh, Camila!”

“Long time no see!”

Camila entered the hotel lobby, catching my gaze and waving cheerfully as she approached.

I waved back as I raised a hand to greet her amidst the crowd, casually asking as she bounced through the sea of people.

“Wow. You’re looking fabulous. Seems like you’ve been doing well?”

“Of course! My wounds have all healed!”

“You do look well. Seems you’ve put on a bit of weight.”

“Hey, where do you see extra weight? I spent two weeks just in the hospital. Do you even know how horrible the hospital food is?”

“I heard you were discharged after just three days thanks to some elixir.”

“Ah, you found out! Who squealed on me!?”

“Hey, don’t run away! Stand at attention right now! If you come over, I’ll give you five light slaps as a discount.”

As I was about to chase after the fleeing Camila, Francesca’s voice rang in my ear.

Letting out a deep sigh, she touched her forehead and muttered something incomprehensible.

“How did I end up meeting such a man…”

—

It was only the first day of my return, but tasks were piled up like a mountain.

This was because the Imperial Army had advanced the offensive date.

The military’s goal was to reclaim the northern territories taken by the demonkind. To drive the demons descending from the frozen lands back, the Imperial Ministry of Defense had sent orders for all troops stationed in the Naroda mountains to prepare for the offensive.

And as anyone with a little experience knows, preparing for an offensive operation is no ordinary matter.

Getting the entire regiment to work overtime just to conduct a single training exercise is the norm in the ROK military; how much effort would it take to prepare for a real operation? The Imperial Army’s situation wasn’t much different.

In the north, which had been battered by the demons’ chaos, the military government mobilized almost all available units to the frontline for the success of the offensive.

Thanks to that, the rear region had relatively emptied out.

“Manager.”

Pippin, who had been diligently watching over the security terminal, opened her mouth.

“I’ve just received contact from Jake out in the military government. Troops from five key cities, including Novo Nikolayevsk, have just boarded the transport train heading towards the frontline.”

“What’s left in the cities, the military police?”

“Yes. Military police and a mixed unit of internal security forces. Their level of armament has been slightly upgraded, but it seems their numbers have decreased.”

Due to the demons’ rampage, a significant part of the military government’s forces defending the rear had sustained considerable damage.

Major Mikhail had done a stellar job minimizing losses by deploying reserves, but that alone wasn’t enough.

He attempted to allocate troops diverted to reserves for maintaining order, but military generals prevented him from doing so. The logic being that for the offensive to succeed, as many troops as possible needed to be allocated to the front lines.

As a result of this directive, all armored units and artillery brigades, along with mechanized infantry, were dispatched to the Naroda mountain defense. With these major units that possessed overwhelming firepower gone, the remnants left to secure the rear consisted only of hastily gathered military police and internal security soldiers.

It was evident that the military’s confidence in driving the demons back before stabilizing the rear was showing, but this presented us with an opportunity.

Resoni was deploying all available resources operated by the Abas Information Agency to the north for successful mission execution.

“Relay that we’re starting aerial reconnaissance.”

“Yes.”

Once Pippin signaled, Charnoy dashed over and opened the window.

With fingers as delicate as ferns, Nymph opened the window wide and placed an object taken from her travel bag on the sill.

It was a small cage filled with several pigeons.

“We’re sending them out…!”

As the door to the cage opened, the pigeons took to the sky with eager flaps of their wings. A magically reinforced rune crystal was securely fitted to their small bodies, pointed towards the ground.

It was a version of a drone that monitors the ground with aerial footage.

I had heard stories of how the CIA sent camera-laden pigeons to scout Soviet military bases back in the sixties, but I never imagined we would be using pigeons instead of drones to gather video information!

Flap! As the last pigeon soared toward the sunset, images began to appear on the security terminal’s screen. After checking the video, Charnoy donned a headset and gave a thumbs-up.

“Done.”

After wrapping up the video check, I contacted Francesca for a final confirmation of all arrangements.

If the troops advancing to the front had to retreat, the operation would be canceled immediately.

Fortunately, there were no unforeseen issues to derail our plans.

-‘The last train carrying tanks has safely passed through the station. According to the railway staff, the tracks are closed, so there’s no chance of the units turning back until they reach near the Naroda mountains.’

All primary troops defending the rear had set off towards the Naroda mountains. It meant they had crossed the river of no return.

“What about the Secretariat personnel?”

-‘Count Karim hasn’t returned yet. Count Ahmad’s still at the hotel. Count Martinez just finished reporting to me and has headed to his accommodations a little while ago.’

“Have they said anything about Jean Marbo or Gabi Schneider?”

-‘No.’

“…Understood.”

I ended the security call and surveyed the hotel room.

Both Jake, who had just returned, and even Pippin and Charnoy were silently watching me.

Under the attention of my subordinates fiddling with my mobile phone, I put a cigarette between my lips, pressing the buttons to connect to someone.

An eternal-feeling moment dragged on slowly.

The ringing on the phone echoed in my ears.

Then, the person on the other end began to speak.

-‘Yes, this is Juan Pablo Martinez from the Magic Tower Secretariat.’

“Mr. Martinez. This is Colonel Frederick from the Abas Embassy.”

-‘Ah, it’s you, Colonel. What can I do for you?’

“I urgently need to discuss something. Can we meet briefly?”