A Dark Fantasy Spy

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“What? You really don’t get it? I’ve said it all already!?”

“Ah, no….”

“Hah! I never thought of you like that, Colonel. You’re really going too far!”

I was flustered as I held onto the hand gripping my collar. I was so embarrassed that the shirt tucked into my windbreaker was soaked with cold sweat.

Regardless of my state, Veronica continued to shake me back and forth by my collar, shouting.

“Are you not supposed to get caught? What did you do to my little brother for you to get all worked up like that?”

“L-Let’s just talk….”

“Crack! I’ll definitely—!”

With a half-broken wooden spear between us, we remained in a violent standoff. Whatever mess I had caused, Veronica—her eyes ablaze with blue—demanded an answer, her patience wearing thin.

“Spill it!”

As I attempted to push her arm away with my damp hand, I began to ponder how I ended up in this predicament.

—

Episode 14 – One Religion, One Faith, Two Saints

Seriousness is the most fundamental virtue of the clergy.

Though there is the Pope’s teaching to view the world from the perspective of the weak rather than with grave seriousness, the image of a monk devoted, both body and soul, to the purity and faith emphasized by religion possesses an aura that ordinary people find hard to approach.

Yet among the clerics of the Cult, there was one individual for whom ‘seriousness’ was the least fitting description.

She was none other than the 58th saint of the Cult, Veronica.

Among the clerics of the Cult, there are three keywords that symbolize Veronica.

Carelessness.

“Saint! How many times must I tell you not to smoke in front of others? How can you show up with a cigarette in your mouth when meeting the Pope!”

Indiscrimination.

“Show some face! Calling the Cardinal an old man! No matter how much of a saint he is, isn’t that a bit much!”

Trouble.

“Saint Veronica has disappeared!”

“What happened?!”

“Father! Saint Veronica has gone missing! What should we do?!”

“There’s nothing we can do. Just like last time, she’ll probably return with a hangover after taking a taxi in the early morning.”

“Don’t you feel any concern?”

“We can’t do anything but wait. Gather the people. Let’s all pray together that the saint doesn’t cause any trouble and returns safely.”

Though the world may not know it, she is notorious in Lateran.

Disregarding the esteemed Cardinals and Bishops like they’re neighborhood uncles, she frequently abandons her duties for a jaunt outside, only to be scolded by the Pope afterward.

Her antics, which have become a part of everyday life, are a public secret that Veronica boasts about, but which the clerics of the Cult are too embarrassed to gossip about.

Some say that the incident in which her whole family was massacred during her childhood twisted her personality, while others argue that the harsh rules of religion incited her deviance.

What is clear is that Veronica is the Cult’s supreme troublemaker and an unwanted nuisance.

That day was no exception.

“I have the honor to meet Saint Veronica….”

“My little brother!”

As the saint was about to undergo canonization and was residing in the Cathedral of Tranquille, upon seeing Lucia come to greet the guest, Veronica rushed forward to embrace her.

“Aw, how have you been? Didn’t you miss me?”

“…Could you please maintain some decorum?”

Despite Lucia’s gaze, which seemed to convey weariness, Veronica remained undeterred.

Veronica, holding Lucia close, brushed her soft blonde hair back and flashed a cheerful smile.

In response, Lucia, who was being hugged like a teddy bear, pushed Veronica’s hand away and bluntly remarked.

“What’s brought you here?”

“Of course, I came to see you!”

“Is this for work?”

“I mean, do we only see each other when there’s work?”

With a look that feigned hurt, Veronica wore a sorrowful smile, but Lucia merely squinted her eyes.

“You’ve run away again while working, haven’t you?”

“Ah, did it show that much?”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake….”

Upon hearing Veronica assertively toss aside her work to come out for leisure, Lucia let out a deep sigh. As much as she adored her sister, a wrong is still a wrong.

“Go back, Saint Veronica. The canonization and coronation are not far off. You need to prepare.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m all set.”

Veronica reassured Lucia that there were no pending tasks and that she had completed all her duties. Lucia repeatedly advised her to return, but—

“I’m fine, really.”

It was as if Veronica was ignoring the Pope’s admonishments when they fell on deaf ears.

In the end, Lucia got swept up in Veronica’s vibe and was led to the snack table. Furthermore, Veronica shooed away all the anxious priests and knight guards who could not leave their posts.

With just the two of them left in the garden, Veronica finally sighed in relief and lit up a mini cigar.

“I’m exhausted to death. What’s with all the fuss about work since this morning?”

“…It’s currently lunchtime.”

“When I open my eyes, whether it’s morning or afternoon, it’s morning! So, want to share a drink?”

Veronica offered a midday drink to her sister as they chatted away. The conversation may not have been particularly nutritious, but the atmosphere was pleasant.

“That old coot, Raphael, suddenly thinks of himself as the Pope just because the coronation is approaching.”

“I heard from the Cardinals that Cardinal Raphael is currently busy with handovers and is working late every day.”

“Exactly! Who even works overtime?”

“Typically, if important work is piling up, it’s normal to work at night….”

“I met with the priest from Al-Yabd who came from the Mauritania Continent.”

“I’ve heard the news. The situation isn’t looking good.”

“Yeah. I worry about whether you’ll be okay down there. It’s a rough area.”

“I’ll be fine. There’s no need for concern.”

“Good, good. That’s my little sister!”

“I heard there’s a new brand of smokes just released. Have you heard?”

“Yes. It was a new product from the brand you like.”

“Let’s go check it out together. I told the store owner to set aside some for you.”

“Isn’t it better to cut down on smoking? It’s a harmful thing for your health.”

“Then should I go alone?”

“…Let’s go together when there’s time after the canonization.”

In the midst of this, as Veronica filled her glass with ice, she suddenly tilted her head and asked,

“By the way, what did you and the Colonel talk about?”

“What?”

“I’m curious about what you talked about when the Colonel came here to see you after you locked yourself in your room.”

Though I already knew what they talked about, that didn’t matter to Veronica.

She was someone who enjoyed teasing more than anything. The fact that the two had exchanged words was far more important than the content of their conversation.

In concern for the sequestered saint, one peer had risked life and limb to sneak into her chamber. Though they hadn’t actually risked their lives, in Veronica’s playful mind, Frederick was already a person who had braved danger for Lucia.

Veronica was eager to play a prank using her own interpretations of the situation and to see Lucia’s flustered reactions.

But then—

This was something entirely unexpected.

“Uh, well, that is….”

“…?”

At the question regarding the circumstances at that time, Lucia displayed obvious panic. She set her teacup down and began fiddling with her hands while avoiding eye contact.

Caught off guard by her sister’s unexpected response, Veronica was taken aback. She blinked a few times as she tried to analyze Lucia’s reaction, just as her flustered sister suddenly leapt up.

“I just realized I have some overdue work. I’ll be back in a moment.”

“…O-Okay… do what you have to.”

Veronica gazed blankly after Lucia as she dashed away in a hurry.

Left alone in the garden, after a long silence, she murmured in a daze.

“What on earth was that?”

—

Shortly after Lucia hastily left, Veronica, who had been waiting for her sister, returned to the office following the desperate appeal from the searching Cardinal.

‘Why did Lucia act like that…?’

Back in the office, buried under a pile of documents, she tapped her fountain pen on the paper while lost in thought.

‘…Could it be that they are… in that kind of relationship?’

Her usually calm sister, who didn’t lose her composure regardless of the pranks she played, suddenly used a flimsy excuse to escape the room. Considering Lucia’s usual demeanor, this was undoubtedly a suspicious situation.

“…Hmph.”

Since there was no concrete evidence, merely conjecture, she couldn’t act hastily.

As she rolled the new fountain pen she’d purchased to replace the one she’d broken last time, Veronica called out to the person in the crystal ball on her desk.

“Yes, this is the Director of Security.”

“Uh, Director. Where are you right now?”

“I’m in the dining hall, Saint.”

“Could you come up here for a moment?”

In response to the saint’s call, the director of security, an information officer dispatched from the Inquisition, stared at the cold food in front of him with a bewildered expression.

“I just picked up my spoon….”

The dining hall was crowded with the many personnel stationed at the cathedral. The director of security had intended to eat last after finishing his pending work but was called out immediately after receiving his meal.

He had come to search for the missing saint.

Considering Veronica’s penchant for disappearing, he had skipped lunch this time to find her and just when he thought he was catching a break, she had unexpectedly reappeared in her office and was now looking for him.

He would prefer to finish his meal, but he couldn’t ignore the saint’s order.

In the end, the director of security, with a remaining lunch still left behind, hurriedly abandoned his meal, gathered his things, and headed to Veronica’s office.

“Did you call for me, Saint?”

“Welcome, Director.”

Veronica greeted the director cheerfully upon his entrance.

“What is it?”

“It’s not a big deal. I just need your help for a moment.”

“My help?”

“To be precise, I need the Inquisition’s help.”

What sort of matter required help from the Inquisition, the director wondered, his expression puzzled as Veronica’s voice spoke into his ear.

“They have that voice-modulating equipment, right? The Inquisition has one, yes?”

“Yes, there is such equipment.”

“Could you lend it to me?”

“What?”

The director wore a stupefied expression at the request for equipment.

“You mean you want to borrow the equipment?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“The equipment from the information agency cannot be taken outside.”

The Inquisition is an information agency, and the equipment of the information agency cannot simply be taken out. More precisely, it cannot be taken out by anyone who is not an employee.

How could they allow someone to use equipment meticulously developed by the information agency at their whim? The director calmly explained the reasons why the equipment could not be removed, citing the Inquisition’s regulations and laws.

Veronica listened to the director’s words with a composed expression.

“…Hmm.”

But who is she?

She treats bishops and cardinals like old men, openly disregards the Pope’s words, and repeatedly engages in mischief and troublemaking. A person who, if she were an ordinary clergy member, would have been excommunicated long ago.

Therefore, regulations that would make ordinary people quake in fear and the laws of the clergy do not restrain Veronica.

That was the problem.

“Ah, spare me the boring stuff! Just bring me the equipment already!”

—

The standoff between the director of security and the saint began.

The first to speak up was the director.

“I can’t! Even if I have to shove dirt in my eyes, I can’t give it to you!”

The director stood his ground firmly about the regulations and laws, refusing to let the equipment go.

However, Veronica wouldn’t back down under the pressure of the information officer.

“Brother, are you really going to wait until dirt gets in your eyes before you get serious?”

“Oh, I can’t! If I give that to you, my head’s gonna roll!”

“I can make sure you lose your head as well.”

Veronica boldly threatened the director while holding a cigarette in her mouth. Despite this, the director stood firm against the saint’s intimidation.

But that resolve wouldn’t last long.

“You keep talking big, huh? I guess words won’t work.”

“Huh, huh?”

With a dissatisfied frown, as Veronica pulled out a hammer and a wooden box from her drawer, the director’s eyes widened to the size of moons.

A luxurious box made from fine materials, containing a white bone.

It was an item one would know only if involved in the clergy.

“H-Holy relic….”

What Veronica had pulled out was the sacred relic of the Cult, the remains of Saint Balthazar. Why on earth was that relic here? Before the dazed mind could sort itself, Veronica moved first.

“I’d prepared for this day.”

Veronica held the box and the hammer threateningly, beginning to swing it in a menacing way.

“Keep talking if you dare.”

“N-NO?”

“If you want to see centuries-old remains smashed to bits, keep talking.”

It was a threat.

The saint was now using the saint’s remains as leverage against the Inquisition officer.

As the director felt dizzy from a situation he couldn’t even imagine in a criminal’s mind, Veronica who was holding the relic began to raise the hammer high.

“Uh, uhh!”

“Ah, just sit still.”

“Are you mad!?”

As the saint prepared to slam the hammer down on the remains, the director cursed. He forgot even his dignity and threw himself to grab onto the hem of Veronica’s dress.

“Please, Saint! If that breaks, we’ll really be in trouble!”

“Either way, people die, brother.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!”

Though it was a blasphemous act, there was no time to address such matters now.

The director, who lay prostrate before the saint, had no choice but to accept the grim reality. He hurriedly retrieved the equipment he had been keeping in the office and tossed it to Veronica, who accepted it with a satisfied smile, returning the relic to the director.

“…Uh.”

Having exchanged an artifact for the equipment, Veronica wore a more satisfied expression than ever before as she sat in front of her vanity. If the Pope were to see this, he might have muttered, “Oh, that brat is going to cause another incident.”

Sitting at the vanity, Veronica hummed happily as she opened the drawer. Preparing a lens that sparkled in a blue hue reminiscent of Lucia’s eyes, a veil, and casual clothing, she sent a message to Frederick.

Using Lucia’s mobile phone, which was registered in her name.

—

Veronica is renowned as the Cult’s troublemaker and burden. This reputation stems from her irresponsible work ethic and sharp tongue, but the biggest reason is her personality.

She loves to play more than anyone else.

People can’t be reformed. Even back when she was a noble of the Empire, Veronica loved playing and joking, and this continued even after she became a saint.

What kind of chaos would unfold when someone with a free spirit is subjected to constraints? Since becoming a saint, Veronica has pulled off outrageous pranks against the clerics and monks of the Cult.

This time was no different.

Veronica planned to impersonate Lucia to prank Frederick. Half of her motive was to figure out the relationship between her beloved little sister and him, and the other half was revenge for the time they’d sold her out to the clergy last time.

However, what she did not expect was—

“Is it really alright? If Veronica finds out, it’ll be a disaster.”

‘What?’

While posing as Lucia in the confessional, Veronica was startled by the voice coming from across the room.

As she listened closely, a foreboding feeling crept in, and a cold sweat started to form.

Then there came the low voice.

“If she finds out, she’ll probably kill me first.”

“…….”

That comment was the final straw.

Veronica, who had lost all sense of rationality, immediately smashed the wooden spear and grabbed the collar of the man sitting opposite her.