A Dark Fantasy Spy

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In the suburbs where the subway of Abbas barely reaches, there lies a dilapidated industrial complex that has completely fallen apart.

The poor living conditions in the metropolitan area have sparked ongoing protests from development associations wanting to demolish the abandoned factory site and build houses in its place. Construction companies are lobbying tirelessly as well, but the Ministry of Land and local authorities are responding tepidly, leading to the factories being left abandoned for several years now.

An eerie atmosphere surrounds the hideous abandoned factories.

It was here that I met with my staff.

“I’m late.”

“Sorry, Matt. The traffic was bad.”

The middle-aged information officer who resembled Thanos welcomed me as I entered the factory.

“When you’re called, you need to jump right over! You’re not getting paid for nothing, you know?”

“I know. Have my kids arrived?”

“Not yet. I haven’t heard from them either.”

“What about their team members?”

Thanos nodded and pointed to the inside of the factory, indicating that everyone was inside.

“Come in. We’ll talk inside.”

—

Episode 15 – Life is Beautiful

I stepped into the office set up inside the factory alongside him. As I did, I came face to face with a familiar face.

A middle-aged man dressed in a sharp tailored suit, sporting horn-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He was the Sub Team Leader, fitting the image of a quintessential British gentleman.

As he traversed between desks with an espresso cup in hand, he noticed me.

“Oh, you’re here.”

The sub team leader greeted me warmly.

I bowed my head slightly in response.

“Long time no see, Steven. Or should I call you Bill?”

The sub team leader grinned.

“Call me what you’re comfortable with.”

Thinking back, my first encounter with the Royal Intelligence Department’s Operations Team was before the department store terror incident when their associates came to Abbas.

At that time, I brushed it off as a fleeting connection, thinking they had deployed surveillance on me for safety reasons.

However, my bond with the middle-aged officer resembling Thanos didn’t end there. After getting involved in a kidnapping operation conducted by the Royal Intelligence Department in Patalia, we found ourselves intertwined again, eliminating several dark magicians during the imperial northern operations after that.

And throughout this process, I discovered an amusing fact.

The names introduced by the Operations Team members so far were all aliases, not their real names.

“Couldn’t you come up with a more sophisticated alias, Bill? What’s with ‘Steven’?”

Alias Steven. Real name Bill.

The sub team leader of the Royal Intelligence Department chuckled lightly and jested.

“I didn’t make that name. It was Matt who came up with it. Right, Matt?”

“Why? You said it was fine. If you have a problem, just change it to another name.”

“Everyone knows your naming skills are terrible. You wouldn’t get a better name even if you thought about it more.”

The Operations Team Leader, Matt, shrugged nonchalantly as if to say, “So what?”

For reference, Matt is his real name resembling Thanos, while the alias Matthew was something he made up himself. Apparently, the other team members’ aliases were also concocted by him.

Sub Team Leader Bill smirked and pointed his espresso cup at Matt.

“See? Our team leader’s naming sense is as disastrous as the culinary practices of the Cult. Plus, his stubbornness is so strong that it rivals that of Kien Empire folks. Even the famously prideful dwarves would bow down to him on that front.”

That was a joke comparing the miserable food the clerics of the Cult ate and the stubbornness of the Kien Empire’s men.

The target of the joke, Matt, claimed it was malicious slander.

“Cut the nonsense, Bill. What’s wrong with ‘Steven’? It suits you, looking all nerdy.”

“If Steve heard that, he would probably curse you out first.”

“Tell him to. I’ll see him on-site soon enough.”

“How about a bet?”

“Bring it on.”

Sub Team Leader Bill swiped his card against the factory’s iron door.

Bang. There was a heavy thud as the metal door stirred, the sound of collision following. I waited in front of it, contemplating what awaited inside, and turned to Matt and Bill with a question.

“So, where’s the new colleague? Any news?”

Matt replied, “You’ll have to see for yourself.”

—

As I waited briefly in the office, the paperwork arrived.

The person delivering the documents was Larry, the Senior Analyst from the Royal Intelligence Department. He had been providing information to the field teams in all the previous operations.

“Long time no see. Here’s the data you requested.”

“Thanks.”

“Listen while you look. I’ll explain it for you. Ahem….”

The pages flipped smoothly.

Confirming that the team leader Matt, Sub Team Leader Bill, and I were gathered, Larry tapped his staff and began the briefing.

“Five months ago, an Inquisition agent contacted one of our executives.”

This was regarding a request for assistance in locating the companions of the Hero as designated by the Oracle.

The region was the Mauritania Continent.

“It was a massive operation to search the entire continent, and it was too much for the Inquisition to handle alone. So, the friends of the Cult solicited cooperation from companies worldwide, ranging from the Royal Intelligence Department, the National Security Agency, the Imperial Guard HQ, to intelligence agencies from the Lushan Federation and the East….”

Larry from the Royal Intelligence Department continued.

“Of course, each company’s stance was different, and not everyone cooperated.”

“The focus of different issues varies.”

“It’s hard to pour energy into monitoring a continent far away when a battle is raging right at the border. Especially for those from the East who are dealing with the elves of Daesurim; they would find it even harder to help.”

In any case, let’s not dwell on this unimportant matter.

With that, Larry prompted us to turn pages by calling specific numbers. Then, with a rather serious expression, he began explaining.

“About three weeks ago, the Total Intelligence Department obtained crucial intelligence that could help locate your companion.”

“From the Lushan Federation?”

“That’s right. You see the man in this photo? He was an agent from the Total Intelligence Department who contacted the Inquisition three weeks ago. He’s the one who shared the intel with them.”

He tapped the man in the photo with an unkempt fingernail. In front of the brown-skinned man occupying a corner of a café stood a woman in a nun’s outfit.

While I scrutinized the photograph, Matt and Bill casually lifted their heads to look at Larry.

“Larry.”

“What is it, Matt?”

“If you just needed a photographic record, why not just attach a headshot? Why include a scene of them meeting? The face isn’t even clearly visible.”

“Haha, you really don’t understand, do you?”

Larry chuckled as he adjusted his glasses.

“That’s because this is the best composed photo material!”

“What composition?”

Bill exclaimed as he examined the photo from various angles.

“All I see is the nun’s backside.”

“Exactly, that’s the point, Bill.”

“This is insane.”

Sub Team Leader Bill covered his face with his palm, making a gesture as if he could not bear to see the sight. Team Leader Matt even muttered a little curse under his breath.

“If the nun’s outfit is the perfect creation of religion, then the garter belt is a great invention of science. Look! Here, the thighs are slightly squeezed….”

“Oh my god. Larry! That’s blasphemy.”

“But it’s beautiful.”

Matt pointed accusingly at Larry, who was bickering with Bill.

“I’m really glad you don’t attend church.”

“It must be a heartbreaking reality.”

Watching the scene, I shook my head in disbelief. And I thought to myself: There are plenty of crazy people in intelligence agencies, just like here.

Surely they must have gone through personality assessments to choose candidates, yet why do oddballs keep popping up? Has working there driven them crazy?

Considering they’d joined with specs suitable for big corporations, it’s clear they weren’t normal to start with.

“Anyway!”

As Larry extolled the greatness of the garter belt, he returned to the main topic.

“Our analysis team has selected search areas based on that intel. And in the past three weeks, we’ve identified four promising regions where your companion might be located. Do you have any idea?”

“I do.”

“Good. Looks like you studied hard.”

With a few taps of his staff, Larry approached and handed me a sheet of paper. Summarizing the basic information about the countries and regions, he quickly delved into the main point.

“The Total Intelligence Department shared data on the ‘mysteries’ occurring in the Mauritania Continent with the Inquisition. Things like a shepherd witnessing a pillar of cloud, a river splitting in two, and a bird made of mud flying through the air….”

“Did those mysteries assist in locating my companion?”

“Somewhat. It’s better than having nothing at all.”

Larry was gazing at a map that adorned one of the pages of the document.

“There are countless dots on this map indicating where the mysteries occurred, with some areas having just a few dots or none at all, while others are dotted like a galaxy.”

Larry ran his hand over the map.

“This shows the locations where mysteries occurred in the Mauritania Continent.”

The duration of data collection spanned about a year.

Since Camila came here last summer, it seems that they’ve gathered only the mysteries reported from that time onwards.

“Rare phenomena that are hard to see in a lifetime have appeared clustered in specific areas, so we can suspect that your companion likely resides nearby.”

“In other words, you’re saying we still haven’t pinpointed their location?”

“Technically, that’s so, but since the mysteries started occurring after the Oracle’s decree, it’s worth investigating. Key things like these are not areas where science or magic can explain. Unless it’s theology, perhaps.”

Larry, having pulled out a chair, struggled a bit to sit down using his staff for support.

Finding the seat uncomfortable, he wriggled in his chair before glancing at the box of donuts on the desk, exclaiming in awe before eagerly pulling one out and taking a bite.

Having devoured half the sugar-coated donut, he used the thick cream-laden donut to point at the documents.

“Anyway, these locations are the primary candidates for now. The Total Intelligence Department suspects your companion is somewhere in these regions. The Inquisition feels the same.”

While Larry gorged on his donut, Bill, who had put down his espresso cup, paused as he began reaching for a donut from the box and suddenly asked.

“What do you think, Larry? Do you really think it’s worth searching?”

“There’s nothing bad about searching those areas. Compared to just sitting in the office reading reports sent from the embassy and coloring in maps, it’s definitely better to look with your own eyes, right?”

“Do you have any other information? While it’s good that you narrowed it down to four search areas, searching based on only the intel given by the Inquisition seems unrealistic.”

“Oh, if that’s your concern, I have more good data.”

With a donut still in his mouth, Larry began listing numbers again. Page 481. As he flipped through the papers, a composite sketch appeared.

It showcased a uniquely shaped tattoo, stretching from wrist to shoulder.

“…A tattoo?”

It was indeed a tattoo.

As I muttered while sliding the paper between my fingers, Larry nodded affirmatively.

“That’s right. It’s a composite sketch obtained by the Total Intelligence Department. It seems they suspect the man with that tattoo is your companion.”

“Why would a tattoo matter? I mean, if you flex your muscles, do the tattoos glow or something?”

“I wouldn’t know about that. They do say the tattoo has shone before.”

“…Huh?”

The tattoo glows?

“What do you mean by that? A tattoo shining?”

“Just what I said. It reportedly shines. An agent from the Total Intelligence Department who was investigating the area with the mysteries testified that it gleamed and then something powerful shook the ground.”

“Was there any other information, besides the glowing tattoo?”

“They said he punched a monster to death with his bare hands. That detail was missing from the materials sent by the Inquisition describing your companion’s traits, but other features seemed to match up quite well.”

“Just one thing isn’t enough to confirm he’s a teammate….”

“Then what should we do? How many ‘well-built men’ are there across the entirety of the Mauritania Continent? How long could it take to search them all?”

Still, this person might not even be my companion. When I expressed that question, the senior analyst looked at me as if astonished.

“What are the odds that your new companion, whose residence you don’t even know, is merely an ordinary healthy man? What percentage do you think? Look at this guy. He’s huge, a man, and he lives in the Mauritania Continent. He has unusual abilities as well.”

“Hmm….”

“Let’s turn the tables for a moment. What are the odds that this kind of guy is not your companion?”

Thinking about it, he had a point.

Camila’s companions were all formidable fighters. Lucia, for instance, is an outstanding cleric who can treat hundreds of patients in a day, while Francesca is a magician with no equals in the Magic Tower.

Even when purely considering their combat abilities, both would hold their own against anyone. They were capable enough to take down demons.

From that perspective, a muscular man with a shining tattoo using some unique power has a very high likelihood of being a teammate.

It wouldn’t be unusual if a flashy tattoo-wielding monster entered, while a complete loser spy is chosen as a companion.

“…….”

As I propped my chin and contemplated for a moment, Bill presented a donut he pulled from the box right in front of me.

“Here, have a donut.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I accepted the donut from Bill, and Matt separated the one he had into two halves.

Then, while putting the delicious-looking donut in his mouth, he turned his gaze toward Larry.

“So, that means the big guy with the tattoo has appeared in the areas marked on the map, right? In places where the mysteries have occurred?”

“Yes. While we can’t discern an exact correlation, it’s true that a man with abnormal powers has appeared in the locations where the mysteries occurred. He meets the criteria presented by the Inquisition, after all.”

“And if we searched all four sites and found no target? What if this man turns out not to be a teammate at all?”

That was a reasonable question.

Larry, with his greasy hands adjusting his glasses, grinned broadmindedly.

“In that case, we return to square one and start over. But the point isn’t that.”

Larry abruptly stood up and began rummaging through his desk. He grumbled as he shoved aside pens and documents strewn about chaotically.

“The Mauritania Continent has always been notorious for its conflicts. The battles between warlords, clashes among tribes, the civil wars between the government forces and rebels, and so on. Yet, particularly fierce fighting is rumored to occur in certain regions.”

“That’s true.”

“However, it’s no coincidence that the four regions where your new companion is suspected to live are all hotspots of heavy conflict.”

Larry’s explanation did not stop there. Summarizing a plethora of information he had laid out, it boiled down to this:

All four regions currently presumed to be the new companion’s residence were embroiled in disputes.

One of those areas is in a state of non-recognition, lacking an embassy there.

Instead, operations are being carried out from an embassy located in a neighboring country across the border.

And most importantly,

“Someone has to go there to gather the information firsthand.”

Eventually, returning with a hefty binder boasting hundreds of pages, Larry slammed it down with a thud.

With his arms resting on the binder, Larry stood crookedly.

I tossed the papers onto the desk and spoke up.

“That’s not such a hard task.”

“Not hard? How many lives do you think this takes? Those areas are far too dangerous.”

If this continued, I’d be wedged between the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense. Each morning, I’d see a four-star general finishing his morning rituals and leisurely stepping out, and in the evening, I’d encounter the Minister of Defense taking a stroll near his residence surrounded by countless bodyguards.

Why would I want to live view such a stifling spectacle when I could just escape to another country?

“I could just sneak in and out on my own.”

“Going solo? The company wouldn’t make it easy for you to get approval for that… Why not go with your teammates?”

I shook my head vehemently.

I can’t bring kids like that to such a place.

“Why the heck are you trying to go to such a neighborhood?”

“Well, I’ll have to go there eventually anyway.”

What difference would it make if I went a few months earlier than planned?

What I really needed was an excuse to avoid Abbas at the moment.

“And there’s a saying: ‘What drives people to act is a crisis and an opportunity.’”

Matt questioned me.

“That’s a clever saying. Who said that?”

“I’m not sure.”

I dodged the question vaguely.

“I can’t remember who I heard it from.”

—

In any case, since the candidates have been narrowed down, all that’s left is mere grunt work.

The work in intelligence agencies appears classy, sitting in a fancy office sipping tea while chatting, but in reality, it’s a tedious and monotonous grind, both in the office and out in the field.

In this sense, monitoring the four regions where Camila’s companion is presumed to be located is some hefty grunt work.

Honestly, it really is.

Establishing a mere intelligence network is difficult enough; doing that in a civil war zone? Just to find an individual whose face and name I don’t even know?

It’s practically like searching for Mr. Kim in Seoul.

Yet, I have a plan.

-‘Nice to meet you, Colonel. It’s been a while. What brings you to contact me today?’

“Oh, Francesca. You’re still awake, I see.”

-‘It’s daytime in Patalia. It’s been long past your bedtime.’

“Ah, my bad… Please disregard that.”

-‘Should I? By the way, is there a reason you’re contacting me suddenly, Colonel?’

“I was wondering if you could pass a message to Victor for me.”

Jammer-Victor.

Former sergeant of the Kien Empire’s Ministry of Defense. Currently an illegal weapons dealer.

And also, my informant.

“Tell him to meet me in our homeland soon.”

-‘Is that all that needs to be passed on?’

“Yep. He’ll understand what I mean.”

I decided to jump into this gritty work myself.

The goal was to establish a local intelligence network and gain specifics about the man suspected to be my companion.

Just checking how he looks, what his name is, how many family members he has, where his house is, and then simply slip away. Along with catching any baddies that the company had pointed out.

It was a perfect plan.

“Not happening.”

“…Huh?”

In the office of the overseas manager where I brought the documents, I blinked in confusion.

“I just said no…?”

“Didn’t you hear? I’ll gladly repeat myself.”

The plan was downright flawless.

But hasn’t Tyson mentioned something before?

Everyone has a seemingly perfect plan.

“I said I can’t grant you the business trip approval.”

Before I even got hit.