A Dark Fantasy Spy

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If one were to name the armed groups representing the Church, certain organizations must be mentioned.

The Inquisition Office.

The Grand Exorcism Society.

And the Order of the Holy Knights.

One of the common misconceptions among people is that these groups are the ‘army’ that protects the Church.

Inquisition Officers and Exorcist Priests are not soldiers. This has been made clear by international law and the official stance of the Church. The same goes for the Holy Knights.

The Holy See has never once recognized the Order of the Holy Knights as an official army.

The Order of the Holy Knights was officially established as a security organization for domestic law enforcement, and their foreign activities are limited solely to anti-terrorism.

In other words, the foreign operations of the Order of the Holy Knights essentially mean a war on terror, much like how an FBI anti-terror unit would be deployed to Afghanistan.

Thus, the international legal status of the Order of the Holy Knights is that of a ‘paramilitary organization’ akin to a police SWAT team or anti-terror unit.

So then, we are left with a question.

Where is the army of the Church?

—

Episode 17 – The Tree that Drinks Blood

In the dimly lit basement of a foul-smelling hideout.

As the light from the faint magic projector crept between the blurry boundaries of day and night.

The limping man began to speak.

“The Order of Holy Knights… simply put, they are the army of the Church. If the Holy Knights are the battle police, then the Order of Holy Knights are the real deal.”

Amidst the sound of tapping staffs echoing in the basement, the senior analyst from the Royal Intelligence Department continued.

“If you took military history classes at the academy, you’d know well what kind of group these guys are.”

“They’re the elite unit that recorded the most achievements during the Magic Tower War.”

If the Holy Knights are a paramilitary organization resembling a police force, then the Order of Holy Knights is a pure military organization. They step into the front lines when war is declared. The name says it all, doesn’t it? ‘Holy War’ Knights.

I recited what I learned in my military history class.

“During the War with the Magic Tower, when the Combat Magicians began to overpower the Holy Knights, the Holy See declared war. The pope at the time categorized the Magic Tower as a heretical group. This served as legal grounds for declaring a holy war under church law.”

“Well learned. Let me add a bit more context.”

Larry provided some additional explanations.

In the early days of the war, when the Magic Tower was preparing for independence, the Holy See issued suppression orders upon hearing news of a rebellion by the magicians.

At that time, the Holy See denied the existence of magicians, thus treating the magician’s rebellion as a popular uprising.

The Holy Knights deployed to the battlefield attacked the Magic Tower. The Inquisition has always been a specialized expert group skilled in the Great Magic Wars, and since the Holy Knights are the Church’s premier anti-terror unit, the magicians had no recourse.

However, as the war progressed, the situation began to change.

The exhausted magicians counterattacked the Holy Knights. Years of war were enough time to transform a rabble into elite guerrillas.

As the Inquisition and Holy Knights began to falter, the desperate Holy See declared war. The magicians, previously denied existence, were labeled as heretics, and suppressing the people’s uprising was swiftly escalated to a holy war.

The unit deployed to the battlefield at that time was none other than the Order of Holy Knights.

The army of the Church that ventured across the seas to slay heretics.

“The Order of Holy Knights is a military organization that has existed for thousands of years. It is also an elite army that has been on expeditions to the Mauritania Continent and the Eastern Continent, participating in the First Continental Unification War and up to thirteen other expeditions.”

Larry walked over to the screen with a firm tap of his staff.

“Though their official activities have ceased now that religious wars have become a thing of the past, the Order of Holy Knights still endures. We can think of the change of times as having suppressed the madness of warmongers.”

“……”

“But while the madness has faded, the Holy Knights still exist and continue to operate unofficially. They have simply retreated into the shadows instead of disappearing from the battlefield.”

As a button was pressed, the screen changed. Countless photos appeared on the transparent display.

Larry poked his staff to point at the shadowy figure in blue.

“And at the forefront stands Unit 92541.”

Unit 92541. Its official designation is the Utrant Knights.

A senior analyst from the Royal Intelligence Department called it that.

A Special Operations Team.

“Unit 92541, Utrant Knights. The Church calls them by only two terms, but for convenience, we refer to them as Special Operations. The nature of the unit is indeed a perfect match with Special Forces.”

I observed the photographic data appearing on the screen. The photos depicted operations conducted by Unit 92541, collected over several decades by the Abas information authority.

Looking at the images, the first thought that came to my mind was how much trouble these guys had stirred up.

The backgrounds of the documents filled with deserts, jungles, and exotic urban settings. No matter how hard one looked, it was clear these were not taken in Lateran.

Among them were fully armed soldiers.

“They are a specialized unit trained for overseas special operations. Their primary duties involve assassinating cultists active abroad and securing relics and mysteries. Of course, these are operations that can never be made public, and most are unofficial.”

“Covert operations?”

“That’s right. In fact, the Utrant Knights often collaborate with the Inquisition. Well, it’s the same with Abas special forces collaborating with information agencies.”

The senior analyst explained, and the operations team leader added.

“They’re not a unit directly under the Inquisition’s control. So we classify Unit 92541 as a Special Operations unit rather than an intelligence unit.”

“It would be unfortunate to just call them Special Operations. Unless you’re sufficiently deranged about religion, no one would willingly join such a place, right?”

Listening to the exchange between Matt and Larry, I leaned back in my chair.

“So… you’re telling me these religious special ops agents worked alongside my teammates?”

“Yeah.”

I turned my head to look at Jake. He had been tucking his arms in and slowly opened his mouth.

“…We were deployed together for an operation. The area was Mandahar.”

“And the mission details?”

“We were tasked with assassinating a cult terrorist. They were quite notorious.”

Jake was an officer who served in a special operations unit and had been selected for overseas deployment due to his language skills.

“The mission was classified, and we couldn’t involve local collaborators. Therefore, the headquarters recruited people who could speak the local dialect…”

“So you were chosen for that?”

The former special operations operator nodded.

When the Abas Ministry of Defense received a proposal for a joint operation from the Church, they selected operators from the special operations unit stationed in the Mauritania Continent. Due to the nature of the mission, they wanted to eliminate risk of information leaks by drafting Jake, who was proficient in languages.

The assassination needed to be swift, so the main unit remained on standby at the base. Instead, a dasher team was dispatched to Mandahar to induce aerial teleportation and gather local intelligence.

“I was part of the dasher team. My job was to make contact with locals and gather intel on the target. That’s where I met Ibrahim.”

Jake, who infiltrated as part of the dasher team, had formed a bond with one soldier from the Utrant Knights, and that was Ibrahim.

Jake described Ibrahim as a devout believer, someone who was resolute in converting despite family objections and death threats. He praised him as lacking in nothing, both as a believer and a soldier.

The problem was,

“That he has now appeared here?”

The man had shown up at the refugee camp.

I inquired about why the Church’s special operations unit was at the refugee camp.

“Larry. Has the local government or the alliance requested the deployment of special operations forces from the Church?”

“No.”

“Then why is someone from Unit 92541 at the refugee camp?”

With a thud, the senior analyst dropped his staff and sat down, emitting a low sound as he speculated on the situation.

“I have no way of knowing what kind of conversation has occurred between the government and the Holy See behind the scenes, but the reasons for Unit 92541’s presence here appear to be threefold.

First, the protection of the Saint. It’s possible they attached a security team because there may be some threat in the refugee village.

Second, an official deployment. They might have been sent to eliminate someone who has infiltrated the refugee camp. If this hypothesis is true, the local government would have likely requested the dispatch first.”

“And the last?”

“An unofficial deployment.”

Larry continued.

“They sent forces from the Church to assassinate someone. No government would want foreign assassination squads running amok on their own soil, so it’s unlikely this was an agreed-upon military operation. Certainly, it would be an illegal operation, just like how we are here.”

That was a plausible hypothesis.

Receiving an urgent report from Matt, the Royal Intelligence Department dispatched an information officer to Jake’s accommodation.

Jake had claimed to have materials related to Ibrahim at his residence.

While Royal Intelligence employees were searching the accommodation, the team leaders gathered in the basement to discuss how to resolve the situation.

“Jake. Think calmly. Is it true that you made eye contact with Ibrahim?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think he recognized you?”

“I’m pretty sure he did. As soon as our eyes met, Ibrahim reacted.”

“……”

Larry argued that we should proceed with the operation since nothing was firmly decided yet, while Matt insisted we could not carry such risks.

I contacted the Military Intelligence Agency to check if the Inquisition might have conveyed any updates.

Just then, a call came through from the Royal Intelligence Department.

-‘Sorry for calling so late. We received an unusual contact through one of our team members.’

“What kind of call?”

-‘It’s a call from abroad.’

Upon hearing the words of the Royal Intelligence employee, I instinctively sensed who had contacted Jake.

I beckoned Matt and Larry with a gesture. The Royal Intelligence Department soon connected the call.

“…Hello?”

Jake, sitting in front of the communication equipment, began to speak.

The reply came back immediately.

-‘It’s me, Jake.’

“Ibrahim?”

-‘Yeah.’

The two soldiers conversed over the radio while keeping the transmitter between them.

“What’s going on all of a sudden? You called….”

Jake’s questions continued, but the other side did not respond.

Instead, he spoke in a flat voice.

-‘Let’s meet for a bit.’

—

Countries on the Mauritania Continent strictly prohibit alcohol.

According to Al-Yabd’s doctrine, alcohol is a corrupting object that clouds the mind, so governments that embrace Al-Yabd as their state religion have legally banned alcohol sales.

However, secular nations sold alcohol only to foreigners.

In a foreigner-exclusive tavern in a city famous for tourism.

A soldier of the Church called Jake there.

“Hello, Ibrahim.”

The man in civilian clothes, leaning against the bar, turned his head.

“You came.”

“You called me here.”

Jake seated himself in a long chair, taking a spot next to Ibrahim.

Sitting together felt completely natural. Even to me, it seemed flawless.

However, Jake’s expression was not bright. He opened with a tense face.

“Why did you call?”

“Just.”

Ibrahim replied.

The mixed-heritage priest, with a faint smile, turned his head toward the empty seat beside him.

“I saw you pass by.”

“……”

At that moment, a new customer arrived, and a waiter appeared with an order list.

“What can I get you?”

“…Beer.”

“The same as before.”

Ibrahim raised his glass. The waiter, having briefly stepped away, returned with chilled beer that fizzed and a swirling bottle of wine.

As the wine flowed into the glass, the two men lapsed into silence. Even after the waiter left with his tip, not a word was spoken.

Finally, just as the waiter’s figure completely disappeared, Jake’s lips parted. He took a sip of beer before placing his clasped hands on the bar.

“Why did you want to see me?”

Jake, turning his gaze to Ibrahim, asked. The priest paused, rolling the glass in his hand before eventually speaking.

“What were you doing there?”

“……”

It was a question that left Jake without an easy answer.

He brought the glass to his lips.

“It was for a mission.”

“Hmm. A mission, huh….”

The wine trickled slowly along the rim of the glass. The reddish liquid swept across, leaving a crimson trail in its wake.

Jake asked.

“Are you still with the unit?”

Ibrahim nodded.

“I’m still on duty. What about you?”

“I’m working at the embassy.”

Ibrahim tilted his glass back and drank the wine. Judging by his drinking posture, he appeared akin to a casual imbiber like Veronica, yet contrary to the large amount he tilted back, there was not much decrease in the wine left in the glass.

He was controlling how much he drank. Not wishing to get drunk.

Such habits often arise among information officers during drinking engagements. If they blurt out information while drunk, their careers could be ruined, prompting those working in intelligence agencies to practice methods not to get intoxicated.

Of course, not just intelligence agents should avoid drinking too much.

Many public servants handle sensitive classified information. For instance, someone who had been involved in a mission labeled as top secret like a special operations unit member.

“……”

I roughly gauged Ibrahim’s character through his drinking habits. He was someone who could control himself.

I had seen similar individuals in U.S. special operation units like Delta and SEALs. Special operations and paramilitary work share many commonalities, and special operations is one of the units frequently dealing with top secrets. My friends in the CIA have also benefited from cooperation with Defense Department special units.

“I’ve heard news.”

Ibrahim turned to Jake, breaking the silence.

“You were in Lateran, right? When the companion of the First Descendant visited Saint Lucia.”

The First Descendant. A term referring to heroes in the Church’s scriptures.

Jake nodded.

“Yeah.”

“When I saw you barging around kicking doors down, I wondered how you ended up moving to the embassy… but I won’t ask why you came here.”

“……”

“Instead, I just have one request for you.”

With a gentle smile, Ibrahim turned his gaze to Jake.

Jake looked contemplative.

Tap, tap. Fingers drumming on the bar. Quietly gazing into Ibrahim’s eyes, Jake cautiously broke the silence.

“Lay it on me.”

“I’d like you to introduce me to one person. Just a hint will do, no more, no less.”

“Who do you want to meet?”

“Your superior.”

Ibrahim shifted his gaze.

“Colonel Frederick Nostrim.”

The voice of Ibrahim, heard over the communicator, drew everyone’s attention.

From the technician to Larry, who was seated awkwardly, and even Matt, all turned their eyes.

“…What will you do now?”

Matt, lowering his headset, threw me a question. He gestured toward the van outside.

“The team members are ready.”

I turned my gaze to the surrounding buildings. Beyond the second-story windows, operatives armed with firearms had completed their preparations to spill out the doors. At any moment, they looked ready to storm the tavern.

“……”

Meeting Matt’s gaze, I stayed silent for a time.

With arms crossed, we silently exchanged glances with the operations team leader.

And after what felt like an eternity.

Breaking the silence, I rose from my seat.

“…Let’s go with this.”