A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The girl stopped in her tracks at the sudden loud noise. Without needing anyone to tell her to do so, she instinctively raised her head and glanced around, checking her surroundings multiple times.

“…Gunshots?”

The noise that drowned out the gentle breeze of the park and the flapping of birds’ wings was undoubtedly the sound of gunfire, and it seemed to be fired indiscriminately.

Amidst the scattered citizens’ screams, the sounds of brakes being slammed down, honking horns, and the friction of tires filled the road.

Fleeing citizens and police rushing somewhere—while observing the movements of those fleeing and those responding, the girl soon heard a few more gunshots and let out a faint sigh.

“…Bloody hell.”

Tightening her ponytail, she began to move, rotating her sneakers to loosen her joints.

“What on earth is happening…?”

With a bewildered expression, the British girl, Camila, calmly started to run towards the direction of the gunfire.

—

Episode 20 – Who was threatening with a knife?

If you asked Camila what her favorite movie was, she would undoubtedly say the ‘007 series.’

On the third day of its release, while attending a screening with her family, she was inspired by Daniel Craig’s performance and decided on the spot to become a pirate. No, she was determined to become a spy, and such extraordinary resolve was evident in her demeanor.

After going through the Cambridge Conflict Studies program, she undertook an intern program at SIS, and even did summer internships at private intelligence advisory firms.

She had a short but reputable experience in the information industry.

Thus, despite the sudden gunfire, she kept her composure and began to assess the situation.

“…….”

In acts of terrorism targeting ‘soft targets’ like public places, civilians are the first to recognize what’s happening.

Usually, it’s the ordinary people who come face to face with the terrorists right at the moment the attack starts who identify and respond first.

But unless it’s right after the attack occurs, the civilians’ ability to respond declines significantly as time passes.

People who flee without fully understanding the situation, or all the attention-seeking individuals obsessed with likes and retweets who constantly exacerbate rumors, among other issues.

As time goes by, it becomes increasingly difficult to ascertain the identity of the attackers and the precise nature of the damages merely through open-source information or materials accessible in the civilian domain, which was well evidenced by the narratives of the 2015 Paris Charlie Hebdo shooting’s ‘hero tales’ and the 2024 Moscow theater attack’s ‘Tajik citizen involvement theory.’

In that sense, the ones to observe now are not the civilians but the agencies tasked with counter-terrorism, like the military and police.

“Gunfire reported from the direction of the fountain! All personnel, move towards the fountain!”

“The Guardian forces are on their way to provide support!”

“Block the roads! We need to prevent anyone from leaving the park!”

Voices calling for support and reports echo resoundingly from all directions.

It was the moral police checkpointing people starting from the park’s entrance.

Camila glanced at the fleeing citizens and the moral police trying to halt them, then followed the police running towards the fountain.

If Alexandra Petrovna, the Duke, had seen this scene, she might have clucked her tongue, thinking, ‘This is what happens when a magician doesn’t do her job.’ But Camila wasn’t losing her mind; rather, she was moving with logical judgment.

“…Whoa!”

Camila jumped over the collapsing crowd in a dazzling display! She flailed her arms, desperately regaining her balance.

“What trouble have they gotten into this time to deserve gunfire…?!”

As a budding spy and information officer, she deemed that Frederick was certainly at the location where the gunshots were heard.

An information agency employee had encountered a suspicious woman. The setting was right in the heart of the hostile nation’s capital.

She hadn’t heard the specific background, but she roughly understood why he had come here today. It was likely due to a letter that the professor had passed on to him. And Camila guessed that the person who sent Frederick that letter was highly likely a priest.

Why was a political-religious leader of a hostile nation contacting an information agency officer? Camila couldn’t explain that part confidently, but one fact she could respond to with certainty was that the gunfire just discharged was definitely connected to Frederick and the suspicious woman he had encountered.

-There!

In the midst of weaving through the park, a sudden shout grabbed her attention, and soon she spotted an adult woman and two children.

The three women, presumably a mother and her daughters, were panting heavily as they rushed off somewhere. Just as she felt that they seemed to be fleeing from a chase, moral police in gray armbands appeared, shouting, “Stop!”

“Waaah…!”

Camila hastily halted and began to chase after the mother and daughters. There wasn’t a specific reason; it was purely instinct guiding her.

The moral police asked the unknown woman who suddenly appeared, “Who are you?!”

But Camila didn’t even turn her head and boldly retorted, “You should be chasing them!”

That brazen reply seemingly came off as a high-handed reprimand.

The moral police no longer questioned Camila’s identity and instead replied loudly, “Ah, understood-!”

The chase continued for a long while.

Leaping over bushes, scaling low inclines, and racing down winding paths, the three daughters evaded capture just narrowly, while Camila and the police doggedly pursued them.

The sight of people racing through the vast park was nothing short of spectacular—comparable to thrilling chase scenes from movies; it was indeed an extraordinary scene.

However, as robust as their stamina was, it couldn’t endure like the enthusiastic performances of extras from the films.

“Hah… huff….”

Barely gasping for breath, Camila glanced sideways to gauge the position of the moral police.

Shouting aggressively and marching in an intimidating manner, the officers were one by one falling behind. Initially, the moral police who had rushed ahead to snatch the three daughters had been occasionally visible, but now there wasn’t even anyone following her.

There was a worry that perhaps they had formed a perimeter outside the park, but as Camila furtively examined the scenery around her, she realized that she had long since exited the park.

That was precisely why a feeling of injustice bubbled up within her.

“No, I called them here, so where did they go…! Who on earth are those women?!”

While running down some alley, frustrated thoughts spilled from her mouth.

She had been enjoying her time! Yet Frederick was nowhere to be found, and she was merely chasing after the tails of some weird women!

What if chasing the women led her to run into Frederick? With such hopeful thoughts, she dashed on desperately, but her frustrating colleague hadn’t even sent her a message about where he was.

“Gyaaah….”

Seeing the woman’s back as she fled with kids—perhaps an athlete—made Camila start to consider if it was okay to use magic.

Of course, if she were charged with espionage for using magic, it would undoubtedly violate the Nastasia Treaty. But surely, in an alleyway where no one was watching, it wouldn’t matter, right?

Just as the woman in front was about to reach the light of the alley, flames began to flicker from Camila’s alabaster hands, starting to envelop her upper body.

“Boo-peek-a-boo-!”

The stillness of the air began to ripple, and Camila emerged, weaving through the swirling embers.

“…Huh?!”

The woman fleeing with a child opened her eyes wide like a startled rabbit and let out a scream close to a shriek.

As the woman clutched the child tightly, she turned around. Camila, as if tackling them like a football player, made a sound of confusion, “Huh?”

Just as she planted a firm kiss on the ground, the woman, narrowly dodging the encroaching magician, froze momentarily before bending down.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t dodge on purpose; I was just too startled…!”

“…….”

The mother, repeatedly bowing her head, trembled her hands on either side. It was a gesture to indicate not to worry.

If she felt sorry, it would be better if she would just be caught. Alas, it appeared the mother and daughters had no intention of surrendering peacefully.

While the mother continued bowing and wringing her hands, she, along with the children, walked outside the alley as if no one was watching. Camila pleaded, “Please don’t go…,” but her voice fell on deaf ears.

Of course, Camila wasn’t at fault. The ones who failed to hear her plea were the three women.

Similarly, the three women weren’t at fault either.

The mere whispering voice never reached their ears in the first place.

– Vwoooom!

The powerful sound of a heavy engine, clearly audible even from the end of the alley, collided sharply with the sudden braking noise.

As the doors of a van swung open noisily, people who had been crouched on one knee sprang towards the curb in a flash.

“Wh-who are you?!”

“…Kyaah!”

“Mom! Let go of our mom!”

“Stop it! Help, someone help…. Ugh…!”

The mysterious thugs, seizing the mother’s wrist and the daughters’ shoulders, forcibly separated the three. They yanked them by their wrists, restraining them, and covered their heads with earmuffs and hoods.

On the ground, sprawled out, Camila watched this all unfold.

Not knowing what the situation was, she felt an urge to intervene.

“…Ugh!”

Wobbling as she stood up, she quickly prepared her magic.

And then—

-Slam!

A thug who had stepped out of the van grabbed Camila’s wrist and slammed her against the wall.

At the same time, the magic that was turning into flames suddenly fell apart.

Camila swung her fist toward the thug’s face, but her blow was easily blocked.

“…….”

At that moment, their eyes locked.

With her restrained fist straining against the thug’s, Camila glared and demanded, “…Who are you?”

-Whooooom…!

The golden-tinted barrier resonated harmoniously with the blue magic.