A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Everyone faces trials at least once in their lives.

Like when you oversleep because you stayed up all night preparing for a test you’ve been studying for all year, or when the deadline for a group project is approaching and you can’t reach any of your teammates.

Some trials may be entirely your fault, while others might arise from external factors like other people or sheer luck.

However, one thing must always be kept in mind.

Whether the cause of the trial is external or internal, the one who must shoulder the responsibility is none other than yourself.

“…….”

I grasped my throbbing head and got up to look around.

The blanket, wrinkled and bunched to one side, and the stale taste lingering in my mouth. The bedroom scene, which had remained until the break of dawn, had changed dramatically.

“…Ahem.”

Lucia, perched at the edge, awkwardly avoiding my gaze.

“Um….”

Veronica, usually so eloquent, couldn’t find the words today.

And then there’s Francesca, crossing her arms as she looks out the window.

I had just woken up, but it didn’t take long for me to grasp the situation.

Thus, I was able to acknowledge reality with a nonchalant demeanor.

In a calm tone, I began,

“Please, spare my life.”

—

Episode 19 – HELLDIVERS

—

The morning that four of us faced was nothing short of a vibrant hell.

Beside the woman who had just awakened lay two mysterious thugs. Simply viewing this setup could easily be thought of as a scene from a crime thriller or a horror flick, but if the woman had been involved with a man until the dawn before, and these two strange people were close friends of hers—

Then rather than a cheap horror film where a killer in a plastic mask stabs a victim with a knife, the mere outline of the story would make one dizzy with laughter.

And that was precisely the case.

“…?”

Francesca, just waking up, couldn’t grasp her surroundings as she glanced at the two women lying beside her. It was bizarre. She had been enjoying herself thoroughly before falling asleep, yet here were two naked women sprawled on her bed.

The shock felt akin to being struck on the head with a hammer. No wonder she could only sit in bed, covered in blankets, bewildered.

But this was just the beginning.

No sooner had Francesca awoken than the two saints’ eyes fluttered open.

“…Huh?”

Veronica, completely unaware of the world, felt a dizzying sensation as soon as she woke up.

She had certainly returned to her own bedroom, but how was it that her half-sister was right in front of her now?

For the record, she was a person (criminal) who had committed both trespassing and adultery. Lucia was implicated too.

The two of them, now fully awake, remained frozen in place, having no intention to make excuses or flee, nor even to cover themselves.

“Why is my sister and the saint… in my bedroom…?”

Veronica and Lucia stared blankly at Francesca, while Francesca returned the vacant stare with disbelief.

It was a three-way dilemma of discomfort and absurdity.

How much time passed? As Veronica finally regained her wits and tried to shake off the awkwardness with a stammer of, ‘S-sister…?’ her mind, unaccepting of the situation, pitched in a convincing hypothesis: infidelity.

Of course, the truth always exceeded her expectations.

The ideal was high, but reality was a cesspool.

“So, what you’re saying is that my sister was caught peeping into my bedroom and, to top it off, she ended up sharing a bed with you, Colonel? And you even dragged in Saint Lucia?”

“…Yes.”

With each layer of truth revealed, her blood grew colder. Frederick nodded, rubbing his cold palm on his trousers.

After posing her question, Francesca immediately turned her gaze to Veronica and Lucia, as if asking whether this was true, albeit her expression was slightly vacant.

The two were reluctant to meet her eyes.

Watching this unfold, Francesca’s expression was one of utter shock—or perhaps horror.

In any case, she looked as though her mind was reeling.

Yet, ironically, the one who truly felt lost was Frederick.

“Wait, but why were you and my sister…?”

Everything evil was on the verge of being laid bare (though the fault was his). For Frederick, this was a worse scenario than ‘a joint introduction to three daughters-in-law (not)’.

“…When did you three become involved?”

At the question from the Archmage’s descendant, the spy plunged into deep contemplation. How could he possibly escape this predicament?

His voice was calm, acting as if he were composed, but he felt like he had to answer quickly to avert disaster.

Naturally, careful wording was necessary. It was a mountain of problems upon problems.

He pondered and pondered, yet no good response came to mind.

In the end, Frederick had no choice but to open his mouth and let out a weary sigh.

“Before and after meeting you.”

“…?”

At the response, Francesca blinked in confusion, her brain struggling to process the information.

In that moment, her sharp mind seemed to lag, buffering. Then belatedly, as if to clarify her doubts, Frederick added a slow explanation.

“I met Lucia before meeting you… and after I met you, I ran into Veronica.”

The moment those words escaped his lips, the scene in the room felt as though…

It was in a vacuum.

—

Whether it was due to providence or something discarded, luckily, the anticipated bloody and tragic accident did not occur.

There was no severed head of Frederick floating away on a raft, nor anyone wielding a knife ready to slice open bellies, or participants throwing their gloves down for a battle royale to declare a single victor, etc.

In short, the time for everyone—except Frederick—to face their karmic retribution did not arrive.

The reason was simple.

The noble Francesca didn’t indulge in such uncivilized, hedonistic acts (known in professional terms as “personal retribution”).

“Please leave.”

Frederick, having admitted to his affair with an air of “So what if I’m guilty?” (though he never actually stated that), was met only with her polite request to leave.

In choosing not to act impulsively out of emotion, Francesca’s request for him to exit was indeed very noble.

Alternatively, perhaps it was that the shocking truths had rattled her to the point where she could no longer think straight.

In blunt terms, her decision was far removed from the dignity of nobility. She was simply in a dazed state, unable to determine what to do.

(If Francesca had awoken to find her half-sister and colleague sprawled naked beside her and instantly realized she had been the mistress in a relationship lasting months, she might have immediately plunged a knife into the man’s belly, without a hint of hesitation. Then the Magic Tower’s judiciary might have recommended psychological counseling for her.)

Anyway.

Regardless of feelings, what was abundantly clear was that she was experiencing a colossal confusion.

Accordingly, the saint, who was also a behavioral therapist and current perpetrator of adultery, Saint Veronica, suggested, “S-sister? Should we have a quick chat…?” However, unfortunately, the Archmage’s descendant firmly declined the offer.

Not stopping there, she sent the two saints away.

This was precisely why the three instigators of infidelity were kicked out into the hallway in unison.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The sight of the three individuals being expelled together was nothing short of ludicrous.

From afar, it was a comedy, and up close, it was an even funnier spectacle.

“What should we do now…?”

Staring blankly, Veronica casually posed the question, her gaze fixed on Frederick.

Lucia, who had been beside her, began to direct her gaze there too. While the attention of the two saints seemed enviable, if the true nature of their situation were known, people might have rather responded with, “Ugh— Those trashy bastards!” and hurled stones at them.

Faced with the collective gaze, Frederick felt compelled to muster an excuse from his lips.

Of course, no amount of mumbled excuses would redeem the situation. With a heavy sigh, he finally spoke.

“…First, I suppose I need to find a lawyer.”

“You afraid you’ll get sued?”

“No.”

With both pairs of eyes brimming with confusion, Frederick added hastily.

“I just want to get a will notarized in advance.”