A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Dramatic and glorious deaths do not exist.

Even if one sacrifices their life for a noble cause or fights with all their might to uphold their beliefs at the brink of death, no one acknowledges it.

The death of others is not a subject of sorrow and mourning.

For some, it is merely an opportunity.

Empty spaces are filled, and the world flows as if nothing happened, like a dignified river.

On a chilly day in January, three magicians vanished from the North.

That was all there was to it.

—

Episode 13 – There Is No Kingdom for Wizards

Time passed swiftly after Martinez’s death was confirmed. For five days, I kept a pistol under my pillow and stayed awake through the nights.

A lot happened during that time.

In an effort to evade potential surveillance, the operations team was extracted from the North, and the corpulent senior analyst made contact with a briber at the port.

I darted around the Military Government Headquarters, running errands for the cleanup.

And just past midnight this morning, I finished the final report in the embassy building located in Petrogard, the capital of the Kien Empire.

“The operations team’s personnel met the contact vessel at sea. From monitoring the communications of the Western Fleet, we assess that the Empire’s Navy failed to detect the contact vessel’s movements.”

A communications room perfectly protected by our listening assets.

The green lights of our cipher equipment glimmered in the dawn’s darkness, spewing out the encrypted voice of Leoni.

—”Did you secure the data?”

“I have copies of the evidence obtained from the Magic Tower used by necromancers and from the accommodations, offices, and workplaces in the North.”

—”What about the Counterintelligence Department’s movements?”

“It seems they noticed something went awry, but they don’t know the details either. For now, I handled it on my end.”

Immediately following the assassination operation, police and the Counterintelligence Department were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of gunfire.

Before they could move, I collected all evidence left behind, like shell casings and bloodstains, while Pippin and Charnoy, who remained at the hotel, shredded all documents related to the operation.

Thanks to that, the Empire’s inspection agency found no evidence.

“I disposed of all evidence related to the company.”

—”Good. What did you do with the materials found at the terrorists’ accommodations and offices?”

“I sent it with the operations team returning home. Our team completed a preliminary analysis and delivered an informational memo to senior analyst Larry. He will compile it and report it to the Director.”

—”I heard it was a copy.”

“You heard correctly.”

—”Then where’s the original?”

“The informant is keeping it.”

—”Francesca?”

“Yes.”

A brief silence followed. I could hear the sound of paper rustling on the other end.

Leoni spoke.

—”According to the embassy staff, the Duke hasn’t moved this time either. Haven’t you heard anything?”

“Nothing.”

—”I see.”

Sighing as if deep in thought, Leoni abruptly said.

—”There’s not much time until you return, so don’t draw too much attention and stay quiet. We’ll discuss the details once you’re back home.”

“Understood.”

—”You’ll take responsibility until the end.”

The head of the Military Intelligence Agency’s Overseas Division ordered.

—”Keep a lid on things with the informants. Ensure there’s no backlash on the company, understood?”

If something goes wrong, it was a way to create a scapegoat for responsibility.

—”Given what’s happened, the Empire won’t react too strongly just because they shot up their own backyard, but let’s play it safe. Safely…”

Diplomatic relations with the Empire, condemnation from the international community, low-intensity conflicts in border areas, the safety of overseas branches, the threat of full-scale war, and so forth.

There were plenty of rational reasons, but Leoni kept it brief.

—”Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I nodded.

—”See you at the company.”

—

“…Manager.”

On my way out of the embassy, Jake stopped me while I was gathering my things.

“What’s up?”

“I heard from the naval attaché that the contact vessel just docked. Do you remember the naval accommodations we stayed in last time?”

“Yeah.”

“They’ll be waiting there before heading to headquarters for debriefing.”

The Empire’s preparations for an offensive were also entering their final stages. The Imperial Ministry of Defense was boasting about its greatest mechanized, armored, and artillery forces, with combat magicians also deployed to the frontlines.

Both the cult and Magic Tower sides were preparing to return home, so I should probably get ready to return too.

“Got it, nothing else noteworthy?”

“Charnoy’s throwing a fit. Just bored with nothing to do.”

We all exited the North.

Thanks to the embassy providing a plausible distraction under Leoni’s orders.

It was no vacation, but it mainly consisted of meeting with third-country diplomats stationed in the Kien Empire, so I was somewhat treating it like a break while killing time.

“What’s her deal now?”

“That was Kair, right? It’s because of the beastman who was part of the operations team. He’s been sulking ever since learning that she got into the Royal Intelligence Department without telling him, having been friends for twenty years. He’s all geared up to pluck every last hair from her if they run into each other.”

I crossed through the embassy corridor and exited into the courtyard. The staff said there was a smoking area outside.

Even on the way to the smoking area, Jake wouldn’t stop talking.

He mentioned how Pippin was stressing over her weight, how Charnoy’s teeth were decaying from the honey candy, and that the next duty station might be the Mauritania Continent, among other things.

Until the moment I lit the cigarette, the blonde tanned punk never shut up.

But as the flame sparked at the end of the cigarette and I exhaled a puff of smoke, he unexpectedly began to fall silent.

While glancing at him, I spoke through the cloud of smoke.

“Got anything else to say?”

“How did you know? Your intuition is…”

“Intuition, my foot… You’re stuttering like a needy puppy, who’d fall for that?”

I flicked the ash from the cigarette into the smoking area’s ashtray with a dismissive tone.

“Spit it out if you have something to say. I gotta get off work.”

Only then, as if he decided to muster courage, Jake started to speak. He discreetly checked his surroundings and pulled out a crystal from his pocket.

“This is the recording crystal that Pippin and Charnoy were keeping. It contains footage captured by the third pigeon.”

I raised an unimpressed eyebrow while holding the cigarette.

“Why do you still have that? When was the order to hand it over to the operations team? Did you lose your touch since you left Special Forces, or what? That’s classified, you know. Did you forget about the time you got investigated by the Inspection Office for throwing classified documents into the shredder after just joining?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“What’s the deal with bringing this to me?”

“The third pigeon was the only one that captured footage of Martinez’s death.”

“….”

Jake continued with an uncharacteristically serious tone.

“The fifth pigeon did record that scene from a distance, but it was too far for us to identify Martinez from the footage alone. Without this crystal, we wouldn’t have even known that Martinez was dead.”

“I’m more curious about why that important material is in your hands than what footage is on it.”

“…The person who killed Martinez is also recorded on it. Including the killing scene.”

There was no need for interpretation.

So I didn’t bother asking further.

“Hand it over.”

Jake passed the crystal without any further remarks.

“It’s the original, right?”

“Yes.”

“You snuck that crystal out. Who else knows about it besides you?”

“Pippin and Charnoy know too. I discussed it with them.”

So it was a collaborative effort from those under me.

These guys.

“I’m impressed. You guys must think security regulations are a joke, huh?”

“Joke? That’s too small. More like a horse joke… Ah, Manager! Please don’t pull my hair!”

As I yanked on his blonde bangs, Jake screamed.

While he wiped his flushed copper skin and teared up, I took a deep drag on the cigarette, exhaling the smoke with a sense of anxiety.

“What about the copies?”

“Copying company materials without permission is against the regulations, you know.”

I snorted with a smile and replied.

“Is there a rule that says you can ignore commands and sneak out materials without reporting?”

“Ah, Manager, come on.”

“Fine, I won’t report it.”

“I love you!”

“Get lost, you disgusting punk.”

“Deaf foot!”

Bowing at a 90-degree angle, Jake said he’d head home and left the smoking area. I watched his retreating figure, exasperated.

“…Haa.”

The crystal Jake handed over lay in my palm.

I figured Pippin wouldn’t mess things up, so whatever report was filed would probably reflect that no materials were missing. They likely edited the footage or substituted it with other materials.

These morons.

“Kids these days are trouble…”

Stuffing the crystal into my pocket, I flicked the half-finished cigarette into the ashtray, hastily gathered my belongings, and left the smoking area.

—

The dawn in the capital of the Kien Empire, Petrogard, was dazzling.

The towering skyscrapers and archaic stone buildings held centuries of the Empire’s history and future within them.

Amidst the colors of mosiac lanterns and the golden glimmers of magic lights, it was hard to find any trace of worry or anxiety on the faces of the people.

Office workers finally catching the last bus after a night shift, couples sitting in trams whispering sweet nothings, a police officer looking disdainfully at citizens frying pancakes under a streetlight, and people huddled around a stall munching on steamy pilogs.

Petrogard was alive with the festive atmosphere of one of the Empire’s biggest national holidays, the Day of Military Formation.

There were no lengthy ration lines or armed troops guarding intersections, and makeshift tents occupied by refugees were entirely absent.

Unlike the North, the citizens of the capital seemed to ponder how to spend their New Year holidays coinciding with the national holiday.

The streets sparkled with brilliant lights reminiscent of neon signs.

Suddenly catching sight of a familiar silhouette, I honked my horn while cruising down the street.

“Ah! You scared me!”

I heard startled voices from passing citizens, but I didn’t care much.

I turned the wheel and pulled over to the side of the road. Rolling down the passenger window, I delivered a clichéd line.

“I didn’t know you’d be here. What a coincidence running into you on my way home.”

“…….”

“Need a lift?”

The woman strolling down the street turned her gaze towards me. She stared for a moment before breaking into a smile and greeting me as if nothing was amiss.

“Good to see you, Colonel.”

An official from the Magic Tower Secretariat and Camila’s colleague.

Also, an informant.

Francesca, who wore her usual subtle smile, asked in a teasing tone.

“You weren’t just asking me out on a date, were you?”

I grinned widely and replied.

“What if I was?”