A Dark Fantasy Spy

---

“Older Brother Jerry.”

“Uh… why are you suddenly calling me?”

I glanced at the living room and asked Older Brother Jerry.

“Why is Mother here?”

There stood Grace Nostrim, the head of the Nostrim Family.

Older Brother Jerry replied nonchalantly.

“Why? Parents don’t need a special reason to visit their kids. Stop frowning so much.”

He elbowed me in the side and laughed, while I shot him a look of disgust.

Then Older Brother Jerry suddenly asked me.

“Are you still awkward around them? Seeing your parents, I mean.”

“It’s not like that….”

“Then what is it?”

“…….”

I fumbled for an answer, wasting time until I sighed lightly and spoke.

“Yeah.”

—

Episode 15 – Life is Beautiful

Unhappy families are unhappy for different reasons, but happy families tend to be happy for similar reasons.

They have no worries, are healthy, and are harmonious. If this is the definition of a happy family, then the Nostrim family could indeed be labeled as such.

But if there was one thing lacking in such families, it would probably be the cold relationship between parents and children.

“…It’s true that we have a decent household. No one’s sick. I didn’t grow up troublesome under rigid parents. We all grew up nicely and studied well at the Academy, so we never troubled our parents.”

The Nostrim family was quite decent.

Being a family of civil servants, they didn’t face the troubles of business failures or bad investments, and having high-ranking officials as parents meant they wouldn’t be looked down upon anywhere.

The healthy children often listened well. There were times when we quarreled over trivial matters, but at least we never bothered our parents.

In a way, it was an enviable family without any real concerns.

But even in a happy family, there’s bound to be at least one minor issue.

“…But honestly, even I can tell our parents aren’t saints. Don’t you think so?”

“They do come home a lot less than they should.”

I nodded at Older Brother Jerry’s half-smile question.

In my childhood memories, the Nostrim family had always been the four of us: the eldest son, Older Brother Jerry; Older Sister Adela; me; and the youngest, Ayla.

I had no memory of our parents.

Well, I understood. High-ranking officials must have found it hard to carve out time just to see their children. Even if they found the time, commuting between the family home in the province and their job in the capital must have been a burden for adults.

However, a child’s heart is pure, innocent, simplistic, and straightforward.

The relationship between parents and children in the Nostrim household was always lukewarm.

“That’s why the four of us always stuck together, remember? That time when Ayla called our mother ‘Mom’ at seven years old and the nanny freaked out?”

“When she was told not to call her that, she cried so much.”

“You remember? That was really awkward.”

The eldest son chuckled at the younger sibling’s past embarrassing moment.

Though it was over twenty years ago, mentioning that memory made Ayla’s face redden with embarrassment, and she would always demand that I stop teasing her. I knew this because I often used it to poke fun at her.

Suddenly remembering that past, I gazed up at the night sky.

“Ayla threw a fit, pleading to call her ‘Mom.'”

Ayla particularly liked the nanny, who treated her like a beloved daughter. The frail youngest sibling received devoted care from the nanny.

As seen from the youngest’s case, the children of the Nostrim family often liked the servants more than their parents.

Perhaps for this reason, the relationship between parents and children in the Nostrim family felt not only cold but also awkward.

While things had improved over time, I remembered that it had been quite a trial at first. Over the years, parents failed to keep up with their growing children, and the kids rarely understood their mom and dad. It wasn’t a pleasant time for me either.

The mind of an adult was trapped in the body of a child. Though I wasn’t exactly a mature adult, dealing with three siblings who whined about wanting to see our parents was mentally exhausting; it was something I could never do again, like serving two families.

“Still, isn’t it good that you don’t call her ‘Mom’ now? Your relationship with Mother and Ayla has gotten much closer, of course, with Father too.”

“Yeah.”

“Your mother and father have made great efforts to connect with their children. That time they gifted you a toy when you entered the junior section of the academy was a bit…. uh.”

“When was that? When you were twelve?”

“Thirteen. I was in the second year of junior high.”

“Goodness….”

“But we made it through your thirteenth birthday safely. People can make mistakes.”

In the end, time resolved the issues. If it hadn’t, our household might have descended into chaos.

Love transcends time and space and pulls people closer, and the parents’ efforts to get closer to their children bore fruit after a long wait.

Except for one single exception.

I kept silent for a while. This part felt a bit too embarrassing to address soberly. Such cluttered thoughts continued, while Older Brother Jerry remained at my side.

“Are you still having a tough time with Mother?”

“Hm, maybe a little…? It’s a bit awkward, I guess.”

“I know, you’ve always felt that way towards your parents since you were young.”

I didn’t expect that it would still feel the same way.

Older Brother Jerry added.

“Don’t hate them too much. I’m not saying prioritizing work over family was the right choice, but you should start to relax. You can’t remain all awkward forever, can you?”

“I should, yeah.”

One day.

I swallowed the trailing words.

“Right. Just do well going forward. Your mother finally took a vacation just to see you back home. Spend some time with her.”

“…….”

“Even if your parents don’t say anything, they’ve been quietly waiting for your return. So go talk to her first.”

I could imagine they would appreciate it.

I listened to Older Brother Jerry’s words with an indifferent expression.

“Anyway, let’s stop with these gloomy talks. It’s time to go inside. Father and Ayla will be here soon, so wash up and get ready. By the way, just in case….”

“What now?”

“Don’t fight with the youngest today since your mother is here.”

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at Older Brother Jerry’s warning. Did he think I always fought with Ayla when we met?

Of course, he was just joking.

“Be nice to our parents, okay? As the eldest son, you should be looking after them, not dumping it on your siblings.”

“You’re their son too, aren’t you? Right, Ayla is off on a business trip, isn’t she?”

“Business trip? Her?”

Older Brother Jerry nodded as he brought up Ayla.

“The youngest is working for a trading company now. She said she has some dealings with foreign companies regarding imports. She’ll be living abroad for a few months.”

“What? Ayla still hasn’t paid back the money she borrowed from me.”

“Didn’t she already pay you back for that suit you lent her?”

“No, not that. I’m talking about the money she took during that ‘incident’ I needed for my car.”

“Uh…? You still haven’t received that? She got a job and is earning quite a bit now. She’s not the type to just ignore her debts, you know…. You know that.”

“…….”

The rest of his words didn’t follow.

“Hey, hey, Adela! Adela!”

“What?!”

“Grab her, quick!”

As I bolted out of the townhouse, my brother and sister rushed out to tackle the youngest, while Mother summoned the youngest daughter to establish order in the household.

That day, Ayla received three playful whacks on the head.

—

As with all advice, hearing it doesn’t change life dramatically.

No matter how great the words of wisdom are, they are useless if not acted upon. This had truly been a lesson demonstrated by the new Pope, who emphasized love and peace over the past five months.

Older Brother Jerry’s words proved not to be empty. Grace Nostrim, the head of the Nostrim family, alongside the head family member, Charles Nostrim, and the youngest daughter of a civil servant, Ayla, arrived one after another at the townhouse.

Since their son returned from abroad after four years (to be exact, very few times had he returned home), everyone gathered eagerly.

Of course,

“Our daughter? She borrowed money from her brother? What could that possibly mean?”

“Uh, Mom….”

“Come here, you little brat!”

“Ah, no! Mom! I’ll explain everything! Mom—!”

Despite the small commotion of Mother grabbing the youngest daughter by the ear and dragging her into the basement (which was the storage space in the townhouse), I knew nothing about this.

At least, probably.

Anyway, with the whole family gathered, some commotion was expected. Only after Mother delivered her verdict to the youngest and Ayla, who looked like a ghost, could we finally sit down for dinner together.

Perhaps because the weather was so nice for the first time in a while, the night sky was remarkably clear.

The gentle breeze was refreshing, and the faint laughter of the neighborhood kids could be heard.

In the backyard of the townhouse, a lively barbecue party was taking place.

“Long time no see, Fred!”

As I excused myself under the pretense of going to the restroom to check if there were any work messages, I heard my father’s strong voice call out to me.

The high-ranking official from the Treasury Department was grilling meat. Fresh red meat was being massaged with salt and pepper, and the charred inside looked like a wild beast behind bars licking its chops.

Charles Nostrim, the head of the Nostrim family, held a pair of tongs, grinning widely as he looked at me.

“It’s been five months. Have you been well?”

“Yes, how about you, Father?”

“I’ve been just fine! But personally, I worry more about your mom than about me. The royal court is such a rough place, right?”

Charles lowered his voice discreetly, as though asking if I felt the same way, and subtly requesting my support.

Fortunately, the bribery-offering Treasury official received a blow.

A royal court maid, who had been laughing and joking with a diplomat, rushed over and punched the Chest Commissioner right in the chest.

Bang! With a thud, a horrified scream echoed in the backyard. Shuddering from the visceral impact of the blow, Charles Nostrim shook his body in despair, trying to gather himself.

“What were you saying to the kid?”

“U-uh, Grace…still as strong as ever….”

“Jerry. Your father seems to have hit the bottle. Escort him somewhere.”

“No, I haven’t cracked open a bottle yet—wait, yeah. Alright, Mom.”

Mother quickly handled the situation, taking the tongs from my father. As she transferred meat to my plate, she began to chat.

“I heard a lot about you from Abas. You were up in the northern regions of the Kien Empire.”

“Yeah.”

“What brought you to such a place?”

The odor of meat, which usually felt fine to me, seemed particularly unpleasant now. I raised my hand dismissively as Lady Grace offered me the meat.

“It was an agreed-upon decision to head north.”

I replied in a careless tone.

“You mean from the start?”

“Yes.”

After the coronation ceremony ended, the cult officially announced that demons had appeared in the northern territories of the Empire.

Though the announcement had been delayed due to the unresolved northern conflicts, it was only two months ago that Commander Mikhail successfully led the spring offensive, allowing the Imperial Army to reclaim the northern lands.

Driving the demon away and reclaiming the territory seemed to have eased things for the Imperial Government.

The cult declared that demons had been lurking in the north, and the government officially acknowledged this with more precise evidence.

Thus, the existence of demons made its appearance before the public again. It was a sight that hadn’t been seen for several centuries.

Now all citizens worldwide knew what had transpired in the northern regions of the Kien Empire. The classified information was buried deep in storage, but it was a common fact that a demon who burned several cities was mostly eradicated by us.

The real problem was,

“…You were in such a dangerous place?”

My parents had found out.

“Are you alright, Fred? I heard that’s where the demons appeared.”

“If I weren’t okay, I wouldn’t have come back. There’s no need to worry.”

“Were you really fine?”

I casually sliced the meat while answering.

“The city where the demon appeared was further north. I was in Novo Nikolayevsk, which is a bit lower down.”

“Novo Nikolayevsk is the capital of the north. I’ve heard the Duke lives there. But I also know there were disturbances there….”

“Yes, the Duke showed up and burned the demon to a crisp.”

I still remembered it clearly.

The blue flame pouring down like a waterfall. The fire cascaded down, engulfing the demon.

As the demon struggled like it was trying to escape a swamp, the blue flame devoured it.

The heat felt like the scalding tar that clung to my skin, the vapor rising from it reminiscent of smoke swirling from dry ice. The intensity was enough to melt the metal of crumbled ruins, yet our surroundings remained unharmed.

To be more precise, only the area where the blue butterfly had settled around us was spared.

Though we were furious that the Duke took credit for all the monsters we had fought, that day, Alexandra Petrovna, the Duke, was indeed the one who claimed the demon’s life.

Of course, I hadn’t received any money, jewelry, or antiques from the Duke as a reward for fighting the demon. I just name-dropped the Duke to spare my parents any undue anxiety since they were worried.

I worked hard to gloss over things.

“The one who was hit right in the heart by the silver bullets was engulfed by blue flames, and when the night sky turned azure, the demon fell.”

“Is that really how it ended? With the Duke having caught the demon.”

“Absolutely.”

Fortunately, Lady Grace Nostrim looked as if she believed my words. It seemed she felt relieved that her child was not dead or injured.

“That’s a relief. But Fred, why are you at the townhouse today?”

“Oh, I’ve been living in the townhouse lately.”

“You?”

“Yeah.”

Ever since the news of the demon’s eradication spread, the Military Intelligence Agency had begun pondering what to do about my safety.

Having already gained some fame as Camila’s colleague and diplomat, I was now well-known as one of the six captors of the demon’s head… Even as a reluctant official, I had gotten too famous, leaving the higher-ups at a loss regarding how to handle me.

At that moment, the head of the domestic department of the Military Intelligence Agency, Colonel Clevenz, suggested relocating me from the more vulnerable official residence to an embassy.

Honestly, I doubted whether it was possible to assign a young kid who hadn’t hit puberty yet to an embassy, but surprisingly, just two days after the proposal was made, I received a prompt order from Leoni to vacate my official residence.

Clevenz made the proposal, and Leoni approved it. With two of just three generals in the Military Intelligence Agency in agreement, it only took moments for it to be approved by the director and then by the head and the minister.

Of course, they had only promised to give me an embassy, not established a timetable.

Like military evaluations worldwide, they planned before assessing whether the conditions were suitable.

Anyway, the National Defense Ministry assured me they would do their best to inform me of any vacancies in the embassy, but evading my questions, they never provided any timelines. What could I do? I just had to wait.

So here I was, eating and sleeping at the townhouse, waiting for my future relocation orders.

I even found myself wishing for the unknown general who would vacate a room for my sake.

Mother fidgeted with her hands and, putting on a somewhat sad face, cast her gaze down.

“We were completely unaware.”

It seemed my brother and sister hadn’t told her anything. I had assumed she’d know.

As I sat at the dining table with Mother, asking her if there were no special events in the Empire or the cult, I savored the juice bursting from the sausages whenever I bit into them.

“Hmm, Grace?”

“Yes, dear?”

“That’s good, but could I ask you something first?”

My father, who had been quietly observing, inserted himself into the conversation.

Wait, where did he come from? I didn’t notice him entering.

“About the sauce.”

“…….”

I had my little sister fetch the sauce. The special sauce made by Older Sister Adela, which combined various cheeses, pepper, finely chopped vegetables, cream, and other ingredients, had a taste so mysterious I had never encountered it anywhere.

Having returned from being chastised by Mother, Ayla obediently brought over the sauce. With ample sauce on my meat, as I bit in, I raised my finger towards Ayla, while my father, who had been whispering with Mother, cleared his throat.

“Uh, Fred? Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yeah. What is it?”

“Your father has something to ask you.”

“Ah, yes….”

Mother chimed in to support her husband.

From the strangely synchronized expressions on the two of them, I started feeling an indescribable sense of unease. You know that feeling when you can sense something’s about to happen just from a mere glance?

“…Go ahead. Speak freely.”

I sensed the unease palpable in the air, while I sipped sparkling water to compose myself.

“So when are you getting married to the Saint?”

Pfft!

As I was drinking, I sprayed sparkling water all over the dining table. The torrent erupted more fiercely than when soaking the front yard of a CIA friend’s house.

I coughed uncontrollably as the water sprayed, shaking my body intensely. Adela, who was eating next to me, patted my back with her fist. For reference, as I turned my head, Ayla, who had been eating quietly, fled like a cat struck by water.

Yet, the one truly drenched wasn’t me.

“…….”

“…….”

My parents, now soaked in sparkling water, were completely speechless.

A tailored expensive suit that had become fashionable among high-ranking officials and the dress Father had made for Mother last anniversary were drenched through. They looked just like a pair of frightened wet mice.

Amidst this chaos, the sparkling bubbles continued to bubble up in the puddle that formed on the dining table.

“…….”

An oppressive silence fell over the barbecue party.

The only sounds that broke through were the occasional car engine or the footsteps of neighboring residents.

Just then, Jerry, who had gone out to fetch charcoal to avoid any awkwardness, blurted out as he returned to the backyard.

“Why is everyone so quiet?”

“…Older Brother.”

“Oh, Fred.”

Please, just stop talking.