A Dark Fantasy Spy

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[Saint Lucia’s official canonization ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow. The canonization of a saint is drawing global attention after a decade-long hiatus. Officially, there will be around 100 heads of state participating in the event.]

[The Lateran is alive with a festive atmosphere. People are expressing their excitement about the canonization ceremony. What differences can we expect between Saint Lucia’s canonization and that of Saint Veronica? Let’s go to our correspondent on site….]

[As the voices of citizens wishing for a warm welcome and congratulations echo in the holy land, concerns are also arising ahead of the ceremony.]

[Er… currently, the issues facing the cult are quite significant. The corruption of priests, the controversy over religious taxes and the church’s illegal tax evasion, foreign political interference, disputes with the Magic Tower, and friction with other religions…. Certainly, from a religious perspective, the birth of a new saint is commendable, but it’s necessary to ponder whether spending excessive money on a grand festival during such times is really appropriate….]

[As Cardinal Raphael’s coronation approaches in just four days, controversies are arising regarding his past comments labeling Al-Yabd as the enemy of the cult. An clergy member from the Melam Kingdom, part of the elder council, has condemned Cardinal Raphael’s remarks, and multiple clergy members are also strongly reacting, urging an apology.]

[Meanwhile, the Oracle of the Magic Tower maintains silence regarding the movements of Alexandra Petrovna, the Duchess attending the canonization….]

Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

The long-awaited canonization ceremony is just one day away.

With 100 heads of state and government officials participating officially, including the representatives sent to honor the event, the total is well over 200.

This indicates just how high the interest in the ceremony is.

When the pilgrims, tourists visiting, and journalists dispatched by various media converge, the Lateran begins to overflow with guests attending the canonization and the coronation.

When the atmosphere heats up, incidents are bound to occur.

Diplomats from various countries stationed at the cult are busy moving today to ensure the safe conclusion of the event.

I am no exception.

*

“I’ve completed the inspection of the Prime Minister’s accommodations. I’ve also identified all risk factors along the movements of the Prime Minister and his entourage for tomorrow.”

“The security at the event venue has been finalized in collaboration with the Inquisition, and I’ve just submitted the report for your review.”

“Yes, communication security. This is Colonel Frederick Nostrim.”

As the officials from the Government of Abas are attending the canonization, I naturally found myself helping with embassy affairs.

Of course, since the diplomats and information officers responsible for the region were adequately numerous, there wasn’t much for me to do. Thanks to that, I was able to leisurely handle matters while enjoying my time out with Camila until the day before the event.

Then, around lunchtime today.

I shared some important news with Camila while we were dining together at the hotel restaurant.

“The Duke from the North wants to meet me?”

Upon mentioning the meeting with the Duke, Camila’s eyes widened as she looked at me.

“Yes. Do you know who the Duke is?”

“Of course! I researched the North before being dispatched.”

Camila began to mumble information about the Duke as she spooned ice cream into her mouth.

“The power holder of the North, the archmage who established the Magic Tower, and the first dean of the elemental school. He’s a warrior who has lived for a hundred years and has fought in wars with the cult, not to mention being the Emperor’s uncle. And he wants to meet me?”

I nodded.

“Then why are you only saying this now?”

“Right? Why did I hear this important news yesterday?”

“Wasn’t it something you already knew?”

“If I had known, I would have said it sooner.”

Meeting isn’t like a gathering of a club. It’s extremely rude to suddenly seek a conversation with someone you don’t know.

However, if the individual is a person of such immense power that they find it hard to spare time, the story changes. And the Duke is among the power players even in the gathering of heads of state and government in the Lateran.

Camila, who had been enjoying her vanilla ice cream with a spoon, let out a soft sigh.

“It’s sudden.”

“If you feel uncomfortable, then don’t meet. I can cover for you.”

“No, I still want to meet him. I’m curious, you know? He’s someone who has lived nearly as long as Dumbledore.”

“Ah, that gay….”

“Just stop! Don’t even say those words in front of me!”

Being a Harry Potter fanatic and a current magician, Camila reacted like a person whose button was pressed.

As I hurriedly brought her some sweet treats to calm her down, Camila, who was munched on her cookie to suppress her anger, crossed her arms and said this.

“But I am a little taken aback.”

“What’s so surprising?”

“I’ve never met him before.”

Strictly speaking, the two have met before, but Camila has no memory of the Duke. In a way, this is a natural phenomenon.

Camila tends to faint when she uses more than a certain level of power. The specifics are unclear, but once she faints, she hardly regains consciousness, and on top of that, she experiences symptoms of losing memories right before fainting.

Thus, I told her the truth she didn’t know or had overlooked. The day she faced the demon in the North, the Duke, who had burned the demon that no one could finish off.

“No, you mean the Duke was there that day?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, damn it!”

Upon learning the truth, Camila jumped up.

“Then it means he cast magic! I completely missed that!?”

“Is seeing the Duke’s magic really that important?”

“I’m curious! The only magic I’ve seen is in theaters!”

“No, but you’re a magician….”

“Wait…? Now that I think about it, that’s true…?”

“…….”

Camila, who usually showed a sharp and competent demeanor, had a tendency to say something offbeat at odd moments.

But what can you do? If that’s Camila’s charm, then so be it.

With a sigh, I shook my head and shared information about the Duke that she was unaware of or had overlooked.

The war mages who could transform into animals, the Duke who prowled around as a cat, and the conversation I shared with Francesca regarding the Duke’s intentions when he requested to meet.

As the story unfolded bit by bit, Camila fidgeted, unable to handle her excitement. Perhaps it was because she had a natural inclination toward fantasy films and novels, but whenever magic came into play, she would become completely enthralled.

“A mage who can transform into a cat…? This is totally Harry Potter… Did you see him transform with your own eyes?”

“No.”

“Then you should have asked him to show you! Pack your things! Let’s go see it right now!”

“No, are you serious? Do you think the Duke has nothing on his schedule? We will meet soon, so why go now?”

“But doesn’t seeing him beforehand make a difference?! Let go! I want to see him now!”

“Let’s just meet tomorrow, okay?!”

I had to exert considerable effort to dissuade Camila, who was eager to meet the Duke immediately. Even when the paladins who rushed in due to the commotion joined, she still couldn’t settle her excitement.

Eventually, it took about 15 minutes to calm her down by brushing all the desserts into a single plate.

*

“… That’s how it happened.”

-‘So, she ate all the dessert prepared by the hotel?’

“That was all Camila. I didn’t get a bite.”

-‘…….’

The top official of the domestic division of the only military intelligence agency in Abas, Colonel Clevenz, fell silent.

-‘… Is that really possible to go into a person’s stomach?’

“I’m curious about that as well.”

-‘Remarkable.’

The chaos that unfolded at the hotel quickly hit the news, making headlines around the world.

The magnitude of the repercussions was such that even Colonel Clevenz, who is used to working overtime, called me first. By the way, Leonie is reportedly still in a meeting at the intelligence agency today due to the rapidly worsening situation in the Mauritania continent.

Initially, we attempted to keep the information from leaking, but it didn’t take long before we realized how futile that effort was.

How many security personnel and staff are stationed at the hotel? How many broadcasting vehicles lurk around the hotel? Journalists sometimes advance even more quickly than intelligence agencies, making it virtually impossible to control information.

However, we did manage to ensure that the fact that Camila would meet with the Duke remained concealed. If that much succeeded, we’d be halfway toward success.

-‘It seems the hero is doomed to great embarrassment. It appears he wishes to meet with the Duke, but what do you think about that?’

“Is there really any need to stop it?”

No matter what, they will inevitably face each other someday. Words spoken by a powerful person carry weight, and a magician finds fulfillment only when their wishes are realized.

The Duke can meet Camila in some form or another, and Camila also wanted to meet him. So, if we can’t block the flow of water, we at least need to redirect it in our favor.

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll focus on controlling the situation.”

-‘Hmm…’

“Why do you sound troubled?”

The voice of Colonel Clevenz, who has grown anxious over the communication device, comes through. It seems he has his own concerns.

When I asked what was bothering him, he replied:

-‘I can’t help but worry this might be too dangerous.’

“Dangerous?”

-‘I know your nature well, but stepping into the limelight too much may not be good.’

Colonel Clevenz said.

-‘The longer the tail, the easier it gets caught.’

“…….”

-‘You’ve lived abroad for a bit, so you must understand that, right?’

“True.”

But.

“However, isn’t it a bit off to withdraw out of fear of failure?”

Recruitment failures, counter-operations, civil war, conflict, terrorism, arrest, torture, diseases, and assassination. It’s not just intelligence agencies that carry potential risks.

When intelligence officers go abroad, they’re thrown into dangerous regions with a small group and limited resources.

Thus, what’s most essential for an intelligence officer is courage. Confidence that they can achieve their goals and return alive, swallowing the risks they undertake.

While that confidence may not fill their stomach, at the very least, it prevents blunders caused by hesitating and missing the timing.

“So what if the tail is long? It’s either that or nothing!”

-‘With that tone of yours… yeah, but that kind of guts is good. Very well, you should keep that determination.’

“Then I’ll proceed with this matter without any delays.”

-‘Do as you wish.’

*

Since the gods worshiped in various religions created the universe, the fact that the sun sets and the moon rises has become an unchanging truth.

Night has come once more today.

Vampires that suck human blood, ghouls that rise from graves to consume grave robbers, and mummies that pull travelers across the desert into the sand.

In a religious and realistic sense, the night has always been the dominion of things that are not human.

But now, with the blessings of civilization reaching even remote mountainous areas and the mysteries represented by magic and divinity shedding their veils, the darkness can no longer instill fear in people, and the night has come under humanity’s control.

In the deep of night, I visited a small church located in the Lateran.

Although the scale is small, given the Lateran is the holy site of the cult, even a tiny church holds a living history. The bricks, the worn chairs, and the dust on the altar breathe the faith that has persisted through centuries.

I moved toward the confession booth located within the confined church. Dressed in casual clothes that a tourist might wear at this late hour.

I came to this deserted church, not wearing formal attire, but my casual outfit, because I was called.

In the narrow confession booth, I leaned against the stiff wooden seat and softly called out to the person who had set this up.

“Lucia.”

At that quiet call, I could sense a presence from beyond the thin wooden panel.

Through the gridded wooden window, a veiled priest sat in the confessor’s seat.

Though I couldn’t see her face, I instinctively recognized that the priest was a woman.

The voice of Lucia came cautiously through the wooden panel.

“… You’ve come.”

“You called me, right?”

“Yes.”

Lucia’s voice echoed softly across the thin barrier.

She had secretly summoned me to the empty church, whispering in a diminutive voice.

“Have you brought anyone…?”

“No, I have not. How about you, Lucia?”

“… I haven’t either.”

The veiled Lucia was speaking in a tiny voice. Her tone was so soft that I almost questioned whether it was her voice, but those two eyes glimmering in the darkness certainly shone a clear blue.

She spoke.

“Tonight… do you have any idea why I called you here…?”

The veiled priest whispered in a gentle tone. It seemed as if she was checking whether her guess was correct.

“Isn’t it the same as last time? Do you have more to say about the canonization ceremony?”

“… No.”

Lucia leaned her blue eyes towards the wooden panel, looking thoughtfully troubled.

After a silence as if she were deep in thought, she turned to me again in a calm voice.

“… The night is getting late.”

“It was the same last time. So why did you want to see me today?”

“… Well.”

Lucia’s voice took on a hazy tone. She hesitated, tightly shutting her lips and began sifting through her garments.

Toward her, I suddenly recalled a question.

“Ah, right. What did you say to Veronica before you came out?”

“… What?”

“Your older sister. Sure, back then, you were too busy and were in the North, so that didn’t matter, but now the canonization ceremony is right around the corner. No matter how clueless Veronica is and runs away from the priests, she will get suspicious if we keep meeting like this.”

“…….”

“If Veronica catches on, she’ll probably want to kill me first.”

I worriedly asked Lucia if it was alright to visit like this, considering Veronica might become suspicious.

At that moment.

“Hey.”

The atmosphere in the confessional booth shifted.

“What did you just say?”

“Uh?”

At the same moment, I felt as if Lucia’s voice had slightly changed.

It wasn’t a mere illusion.

As she raised her voice from her previous whisper, it transformed completely. Though her soft demeanor was a characteristic of Lucia, despite that, her voice went up quite a bit. The tone was noticeably different too.

It was as if…

-Krak!

A rather ominous thought crossed my mind.

The thin wooden panel of the confession booth shattered as her hand shot out. The outstretched hand immediately grabbed my collar, and with considerable strength, began to pull me closer.

“Oh no!”

Caught off guard while seated comfortably, I was helplessly pulled and smashed my face against the wooden panel. And through the half-destroyed wooden barrier, I locked gazes with her piercing blue eyes.

With a grip tightening on my collar, the priestess growled in a fierce voice.

Finally, her low voice followed.

“Colonel.”

The voice that shouldn’t be heard here, the one that shouldn’t reach my ears rattled my eardrums.

“What did you do to my sister?”