A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Francesca got into the passenger seat.

The official car owned by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Abas offered a pleasantly smooth ride.

This foreign luxury car far surpassed the salary of a wage slave, with a diplomat-exclusive license plate that devoured police checks like a hungry beast. There wasn’t a single aspect that displeased me.

Except for the fact that it wasn’t my car.

“Where to?”

Francesca in the passenger seat asked with tired eyes.

I placed my hands on the steering wheel and shot back at her.

“Just tell me where.”

—

Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Magicians

—

In the deep of the night.

I cut through the dazzling city of Petrogard and arrived at the location Francesca mentioned.

The place she wanted to go was by the riverside.

The dark brown river coursed through the city. The massive water, writhing like a serpent, embraced the brilliant city lights and scattered a dizzying array of colors.

The icy river flowing south drew a line between the old town and the new.

Arriving at the riverside at Francesca’s request, I recognized the place well. It was exactly where Camila and I had met a month ago during the exile operation.

“……”

The riverside felt unchanged after a long time.

The lights from vehicles speeding on the road, the brilliant lights sparkling from various locations.

Illuminating the darkness were the lives of countless individuals.

I perched on the hood and spat out a casual remark, looking at the night views of the two cities reflected in the river.

“It’s a completely different world. In the North, you can’t even light a candle. Here, you can’t even tell if it’s day or night.”

Francesca, who had her arms crossed beside me, picked up my thoughts.

“It’s the safest city in the Empire.”

“Yeah, having a bit of light in Petrogard won’t bring calamity.”

“There are no robbers looting rations, no soldiers barking at you to put the fire out. This is pretty much heaven.”

Francesca remained fixated on the river. Her demeanor was not much different from when she silently gazed out the window during our drive.

Staring at the reflections dancing on the river with a blank expression, she began to speak in a melodious voice.

“Have you accomplished what you wished?”

“……”

“I’m just asking since it seems there’s something left for me with you.”

With her nudging to get to the point, I replied immediately.

“Thank you for your hard work coordinating the operation, Francesca. Thanks to you, I managed to wrap up my business smoothly.”

The operation was a success.

Regardless of the path taken, that was the most important fact. I continued the conversation in a calm tone.

“I handled the aftermath cleanly, but how did people react?”

“Everyone seems to be oblivious.”

Francesca began reporting on the movements of foreign investigative agencies.

“The military government headquarters that received no reports is a wild card, but the Imperial Ministry of Magic and the Imperial Police seem completely in the dark.”

“How about the Inquisition?”

“They were just the same as usual. For them, attending to Saint Lucia’s side and dealing with the demonic incident is priority number one.”

“And what about the Magic Tower?”

“The Tower…”

Seemingly lost in thought, Francesca paused and took a light breath while gazing at the river.

“It doesn’t seem they have any idea either.”

The information I had received matched exactly with that.

The information officers stationed at the Magic Tower and the Kien Empire were conducting surveillance operations against various government agencies under Leoni’s direction. This included not just senior officials and employees of information agencies, but also families of civilian public servants, even those of commoners.

From surveillance activities, it was discovered that neither the Kien Empire, the Magic Tower, nor the Cult showed any movements yet. This indicated that my cleanup was in order and simultaneously confirmed that the operation had been ‘perfectly’ successful.

However, one issue remained.

“The people from the Tower are starting to prepare to return. How long do you think it will take for the Oracle to notice that five Secretariat employees have gone missing?”

“……”

This operation wasn’t an arrest mission; it was an assassination mission. A branch of clandestine operations known as quasi-military action. This was the most dangerous and challenging operation, especially since it involved armed forces.

In other words, the possibility of a plausible denial being effective was slim.

Although Jean Marbo’s death had already been reported to the Oracle, the deaths of Karim Boumediene, Gabi Schneider, Ahmad bin Rabani, and Juan Pablo Martinez had yet to be reported. All four had been eliminated by the Abas Information Agency. More precisely, excluding Gabi Schneider, whose head had literally exploded during an interrogation.

All five were employees of the Magic Tower’s secretariat operating in the North, and they were also dispatched personnel part of the Tower delegation.

And Francesca was a senior civil servant of the Magic Tower’s secretariat and the head of the Tower delegation.

So, it’s only natural that the Oracle would place the blame on Francesca. They would ask where, why, and how the five Secretariat employees went missing. At the same time, they would interrogate why no report was submitted.

While staring at the city’s night view, I took a brief pause and then spoke seriously.

“I’m looking for someone to take responsibility.”

“…Responsibility.”

“Yeah.”

Leoni entrusted me with the operation’s conclusion.

To prevent any backlash. To ensure the company doesn’t bear the responsibility.

On the surface, it might sound like self-preservation, but in reality, it was a directive to prevent the Abas government from being suspected of being behind the assassination operation. Despite the fact that the target was a necromancer, once firearms were discharged on foreign soil where martial law had been declared, the Empire’s government would inevitably demand accountability from the Abas government in one form or another.

The information agency existed to prevent such situations from happening.

It seemed she was not unaware of this.

“…You mean to pin the responsibility on me.”

“You were filmed while handling Martinez. Exactly why did you go that far?”

The answer did not come immediately.

After a moment’s hesitation, Francesca lifted her head slightly and spoke.

“I saw Ahmad hastily leave the hotel and followed him. I saw him join up with Martinez, witnessed the undead attacking people, and then Martinez fleeing alone. So, I pursued.”

“Were you trying to stop him?”

“Yes… maybe.”

That response lacked vigor. Francesca mumbled incomprehensible words with a weak voice, failing to adequately explain her reason for chasing Martinez.

Perhaps she herself did not know why she followed him.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Francesca spoke.

“But that can’t be the important part.”

Francesca, with her arms crossed, leaned against the car, gazing at the river. Despite the chaotic situation, she appeared calmly reflective.

Like a drained office worker, her eyes drooped, and her hair looked frazzled. Her tired gaze fixated on the night view, and her voice seemed somewhat lacking in energy.

“What can I do for you, Colonel?”

“Will that be alright?”

I quietly regarded her profile.

“This could be a situation where your life is at stake. Even if not, you could end up spending decades behind bars.”

“Prison. Prison….”

Repeating the word prison, Francesca lowered her gaze. As her stray hair fell over her face, suddenly, through the strands, her lips started to form a subtle curve.

“Isn’t it better to spend my life worrying about who’s watching me from where than to actually just be in prison?”

Francesca muttered that with a bittersweet smile. It felt like a dry remark. She continued.

“There’s a video left as evidence. Plus, I have several suspicious items that Martinez, Ahmad, and Karim kept in my room. Cursed books designated by the Oracle, illegal research notes, dark magic artifacts….”

“……”

“With this kind of evidence, I might not end up in prison. There’s a reward on that necromancer’s head. Still, I’ll have to go through months of interrogation, and I can’t ever set foot on Imperial soil again.”

Francesca spoke as if it were someone else’s business. Her mindset suggested that it didn’t truly matter how things turned out.

As I gazed at her, a question popped into my mind.

“Was it your first time killing someone?”

The smile evaporated from Francesca’s lips. The bittersweet expression that had graced her face noticeably darkened. The crafted smile was embraced by an unmistakable heaviness that filled the space in its place.

Now that I thought about it, I could faintly smell alcohol on her. Did she hit the bottle before meeting me? Her eyes looked oddly glazed.

“When I get back to my lodging, I’ll wash up, eat, and then drink until my head breaks the next morning. Sleeping pills are fine, but I find alcohol works better.”

“…Does that help you feel better?”

“No.”

How could she feel better after killing someone? It would just worsen the hangover.

“Then why drink?”

“It helps me get used to it.”

“……”

“I can’t forget the painful memories, but I can get used to them. I may not be able to endure it, but if I get used to it, eventually I’ll find a way to live with it.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked up at the night sky. The stars obscured by light pollution had long disappeared into the darkness.

But the brightest star.

That single star was shining in the dark night sky.

Gazing at the twinkling star, I spoke to Francesca.

“You might end up in custody during the investigation. Have you ever experienced jail life?”

“No. I’m actually more diligent than I look.”

“It’s not a nice place.”

“You speak as if you’ve been there.”

“I have.”

“When?”

“Just for work, briefly.”

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory. Nothing I’d boast about and share with others.

Snapping back to reality, I pulled my hand out of my pocket. In my grip was a smooth crystal ball.

I placed it on the hood and slid it toward Francesca.

She stared at it blankly.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the video I mentioned earlier.”

“…Huh?”

Her gaze, which had been enjoying the night view, suddenly turned to me. Francesca, who had not met my eyes since getting into the passenger seat, finally locked eyes with me.

“I’ll handle the omitted material on my end, so don’t worry about it. This is for you to keep. You can destroy it, use it however you like. Do as you wish.”

“Why are you giving this to me…?”

“Take it.”

I extended the crystal ball towards her, continuing in a nonchalant tone.

“There’s no need for it anymore, since the operation’s over, and all the clean-up is done. It’ll just rot in the archive room for fifty years before being destroyed anyway. Where would you ever use a video of a necromancer dying? Turns out there wasn’t much content. Just take it.”

Since the operation was finished, there was no point in nitpicking about accountability. Concerns over the possibility of an assassination operation being uncovered by the Imperial Intelligence Agency must have been present since the planning stages.

In fact, most intelligence operations were like that. Agencies desperate to catch spies are far from rare. A botched operation could lead to death, and that thought exists in the minds of all officers.

What would it matter if the Empire found out?

Both the Empire and Abas have had their fair share of assassinations in their territories. Adding another name to the list wouldn’t change anything.

Even if the Imperial Guard HQ or the Counterintelligence Command caught wind of it, the dead necromancer wouldn’t come back alive.

“Are you sure about this?”

Francesca, fidgeting with the crystal ball, threw me a question.

“If they find out, they’ll definitely hold you accountable, Colonel.”

“I’ll just take the punishment.”

If they’re that keen, then they can replace me with a new hire.

I leaned on the hood and gazed up at the night sky. The single bright star shimmered faintly, standing out against the darkness.

Francesca relaxed her shoulders and began to look at me with a strange expression. It was an unusual sight of her, devoid of vitality. This was markedly different from her usual demeanor.

She asked me.

“…Why are you doing this?”

Francesca spoke.

“Wouldn’t it have been fine to pretend this never happened? Didn’t we meet with the intention of using each other from the beginning?”

She smiled lightly. It was a derisive grin.

I couldn’t say for certain who she was mocking. I wasn’t sure if it was me or if she was reflecting on herself.

“I feel like I’d do exactly that.”

“……”

“It’s an opportunity, right?”

Yeah. It is an opportunity.

Death and accountability always present an opportunity for someone. Many people will find a way to squeeze into a vacant spot for the sake of climbing to higher ranks.

“Defying orders, taking risks, while steering away from an easier route. I don’t quite get that.”

At this, Francesca made a slight pout, urging me to respond.

“Do you have a reason for going this far, Colonel?”

Without hesitation, I replied.

“I told you last time. It’s my job to ensure your safety.”

“……”

“And no matter how much it’s an order, I can’t just live my life doing whatever they say, can I? I’m no mere lackey.”

Francesca gazed at me silently with a peculiar look in her eyes.

“Does that count as an answer?”

“I’m just a wage slave. The company is, in the end, just a workplace.”

So honestly, what special reason could there be?

“If you don’t like it, just quit and find another job.”

“……”

“Work life is just like this, after all.”

—

After a long stretch of silence, Francesca vanished into the bluish glow of Petrogard’s city as dawn broke.

That morning.

I heard from the Military Intelligence Agency’s Magic Tower branch that Francesca had gone to consult with the Tower’s authorities.

The crimes of the five who made a pact with the devil had been brought to light.

She turned herself in.

The charge was murder.

—

Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Magicians – END –