A Dark Fantasy Spy

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“…So to sum it up. Lucia hasn’t come out of her room since meeting the Pope.”

“Yup.”

“In order to find out what happened, we need to meet Lucia, but the security around her is intense, and Lucia is refusing visitors.”

“Correct.”

“Clearly, it’s going to be hard to meet her through official channels, so we have to find an unofficial way in. So, you’re planning to sneak into Lucia’s room?”

“Exactly.”

“….”

Having finished breakfast, Camila, who had been sleeping in our hotel room, looked at me with a bewildered expression as if she had just heard the strangest thing. It was the same look a citizen would have if they encountered an escaped zebra on their way to a convenience store.

After talking with Veronica and returning to the hotel, I found myself facing Camila with just a door between us.

“Uh, what was the name of that spy movie with the Top Gun actor?”

“Mission Impossible.”

“Oh right. In that movie, the protagonist sneaks into the Vatican. So, is it going to be easy?”

“Not even close.”

Camila, with a bump on her head, opened her mouth in disbelief.

Muttering in a dissatisfied tone, she crossed her arms with a suspicious look.

“So, you want me to help you sneak into Lucia’s room?”

No matter how skilled someone is, it’d be hard to infiltrate a heavily guarded area alone.

But if there were two of us, sneaking in wouldn’t be as difficult as it seems.

I nodded.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I’ve got blueprints, outfits, and all the documents ready. And, most importantly, the method of infiltration.”

“That’s some determination. But besides that, we’re guests here. Moreover, you’re a diplomat. You haven’t forgotten, right? If we get caught, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs won’t let it slide.”

“If we don’t get caught, it’s not a crime.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

As Camila muttered that, she nodded her head in agreement.

“Let’s get on with it.”

—

Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

In a region where religion holds immense power, the clergy occupy a status that is on a different level from common believers.

This applies to even the most minor of religions.

The clergy’s status comes from the authority based on their faith and the respect that arises from it.

Unless you’re a fervent extremist obsessed with religion, no one would dare look down on a clergy member just because they belong to a different faith.

However, here.

There was a clergy member who was even harder to approach.

“Knock! Could you open the door, please?”

“Um….”

The clergy member of the holy Lateran diocese was sweating profusely, which was unusual for the chilly season.

Since he took up his position to oversee the holy site, he rarely felt flustered, even when facing high-ranking individuals.

However, the woman standing before him now was someone entirely different from a cardinal or an ambassador.

“Um… may I ask your name?”

“Camila. Camila Lowell.”

The woman with hair as red as a blazing sun smiled brightly. It was an innocent smile.

But the expression of the clergyman holding the visitor’s list was anything but cheerful.

“You are indeed the Hero. May I ask what brings you here…?”

“I came to see Lucia!”

Camila straightforwardly declared her purpose for visiting.

If she were a regular believer, or even a layperson, addressing a saint by name without any honorifics would be a grave disrespect.

However, without any hint of hesitation, Camila casually referred to the saint by her name as if she were accustomed to it.

“Could you take me to Lucia?”

—

At the heavily guarded front gates where the knights were on high alert.

The clergyman who greeted Camila adjusted his crooked glasses that were askew from sweating and finally spoke carefully.

“I’m very sorry, but Saint Lucia is currently not welcoming any outsiders.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Camila tilted her head with an innocent expression.

“I’m one of Lucia’s companions! Is it that non-believers or non-clergy can’t enter?”

“No… that’s not what I mean…”

Worried about hurting Camila’s feelings, the clergyman began to explain gently.

“The canonization ceremony preparations are in full swing… Since Saint Lucia is the star of the ceremony, there’s a lot to prepare, Hero. It’s a bit tough for her to find time.”

Of course, that explanation fell on deaf ears.

With her bright eyes blinking, Camila wore a face that said, “I don’t really care about that.” She was acting like a notoriously troublesome civilian taking petty grievances to the local community center.

“I’ll just pop in for a quick visit.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I was asked by Saint Veronica to deliver this. I just need to hand it over.”

Camila patted the leather bag she was carrying.

It was a rather luxurious bag, but in a community filled with luxury goods, it was just another common sight.

Luxury items served as a discreet virtue for maintaining the dignity of the clergy.

Besides, pretending to be modest by day and then switching to casual clothes in the evening to shop for luxury items for the government was also a virtue for well-off clergy members.

Of course, this conduct raised significant ethical concerns, but no clergy members from any faction would openly address such scandals.

The denomination’s bank had no worries about running out of money.

Decorating the residences of bishops with marble and art, or covering cardinals’ offices with enormous paintings did not diminish their wealth.

After all, most bishops and cardinals had amassed far more wealth than that, living in luxury, while the priests of poorer dioceses were the only ones sighing over their ledgers.

And the Lateran was the wealthiest diocese in the denomination.

Naturally, luxury items were as common as pebbles among the clergy there.

The problem was.

“Um….”

The bag bore the seal of Saint Veronica.

The clergyman briefly examined the bag with permission and felt the pure divine energy flowing from the seal. This was undoubtedly the saint’s aura.

“…….”

As he gazed blankly at the seal, he suddenly snapped back to reality at the sound of a cough.

Acknowledging the signal from the knight guarding the front, the clergyman respectfully bowed his head and replied.

“I understand. You must be busy as well, so I’ll be responsible for…”

“But I promised the saint that I would deliver it myself.”

“That is true, but….”

As the standoff wore on, the expressions of both the clergyman and the knights grew increasingly tense.

The seal of a high-ranking clergyman was akin to a secret mandate of a royal envoy. So how could they not be on edge, knowing that someone who bears a saint’s seal appeared before them?

As the bright midday sun shone, a bead of sweat rolled down the clergyman’s cheek.

He didn’t show it, but inwardly, he was falling apart.

The knights felt the same pressure.

“Ugh….”

If they let Camila in, they’d be directly disobeying the saint’s orders.

But sending her away would mean going against another saint’s command.

“Should I ask the commander…?”

“…Wouldn’t it be more accurate to check with the guards considering they are the ones responsible for security?”

“It might be better to speak directly to the saint….”

“But she hasn’t come out of her room….”

Camila, watching the fidgeting clergyman and the panicking knights, suddenly raised a finger and offered a brilliant solution that could put Solomon to shame.

“Then could you go and ask Lucia to come out for a moment? I just need to hand over this item personally.”

“…….”

“…….”

It was a futile suggestion.

—

The ongoing squabble finally came to an end when a high-ranking clergy member showed up.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, yes. Father, um….”

The clergyman, who had been pacing back and forth by the front, hurriedly recounted everything that had transpired to the senior officer.

After patiently listening to the lengthy explanation, the senior clergy member shot a disappointed glare at the clergyman.

“Hey, are you an idiot?”

“No, I’m not!”

“Saint Veronica’s seal was brought here. Of course you should let her in. It’s not just anyone; it’s a Hero!”

“But is that okay…? Didn’t we receive specific orders to not let anyone in…?”

“This makes it what, the third time you’ve rejected someone? Saint Veronica sends people here almost every day, and if we keep turning them away, how will we face her? Especially right now when the two of them are already sensitive over last week’s bishop election!”

“That’s true….”

“Just let her in.”

With a sigh, the senior clergy member gave the order.

“Take the Hero to the reception room and ask her to wait for a moment.”

“And what about the saint…?”

“I’ll speak with her directly. You just go and guide the Hero. We can’t leave a guest waiting outside.”

The clergyman rushed inside and hurriedly led Camila in.

After passing through a corridor flooded with sunlight, they arrived at the grand reception room, where Camila plopped down on a plush sofa and began to bounce her legs.

“Ugh….”

“Thank you for your patience! I apologize for the delay. Saint Lucia will be here shortly.”

“Tell them it’s okay to take their time. Oh, but are there any refreshments here?”

“Yes, I will prepare them right away!”

With that, the clergyman hurriedly left the reception room.

After rubbing her tired legs, Camila sprang up to check her surroundings as soon as the door closed.

Bathroom. Behind the curtains. Under the sofa, and so on.

Having thoroughly searched the reception room and even the hallway, Camila quickly locked the door and opened the bag bearing Veronica’s seal.

And then.

“You can come out now.”

“…Are you sure?”

“I checked the hallway, okay? No one’s around.”

I grabbed both ends of the bag and lifted my body up.

Like a hero from mythology rising from the jaws of a monster, I pulled my upper body out of the bag.

“Damn it…. This is a magical tool, and yet it’s less spacious than a drum barrel….”

Finally managing to get both legs out, I successfully escaped the cramped bag.

“Phew….”

As I kicked off the annoying straps caught around my ankles, I locked eyes with the sparkling Camila.

“Success!”

We excitedly high-fived each other.