A Dark Fantasy Spy

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“Major, no. Manager.”

Pippin, unfamiliar with the title, stumbled over the words as she addressed me. It seemed that after constantly calling me Major, she hadn’t quite registered the term “Manager” yet.

“What is it, Pippin?”

“A notice has come from above.”

I quickly took the paper Pippin handed me and started to read.

“Hmm. They want us to proceed without any changes to the plan. They’re instructing us to send a vanguard under false identities.”

Even amidst the world’s chaos, surprisingly, there weren’t too many things on my plate to handle.

I handed Pippin a prepared cooperation document and issued my command.

“Send this to the Trade Promotion Agency.”

“The Trade Promotion Agency? Isn’t that a public enterprise?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded as I rose from my chair in response to Pippin’s question.

“The folks over there have collaborated a lot with the Information Department, so if we request cooperation, they should be able to provide some identities. I’ve already spoken to the other officers, so just send it out.”

The personnel being dispatched for this operation would be divided between those with official disguises and those with unofficial ones.

The Special Activities Department, the Counterintelligence Department. People from the Technical Information Office and the Overseas Information Office would infiltrate the Magic Tower disguised as private-sector employees.

Conversely, a few individuals, including Pippin and Jake, would pose as Defense Attachés, infiltrating as staff of the primary Magic Tower representative, Abas, supporting the operation from behind.

As the operative, my identity had become tenuous due to my agile maneuvering, yet since the other personnel had no issues, the Military Intelligence Agency decided to proceed with the operation as planned. My identity and infiltration method? Well, I’d figure that out as I went along.

“Send out the notice and text the officers.”

“Yes. What about you, Manager?”

“I’m heading off to the No Man’s Land operation. With Camila.”

With a salute, Pippin grabbed the documents and left the office.

I stretched and stood in front of the bulletin board plastered with various pins. Then, I fixed my gaze on the photograph of a man.

“…….”

Fabio Verati, an employee of the Magic Tower representative office.

The primary target of this operation.

—

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

—

While the cult and the Magic Tower continued their heated wrestling match, I managed to tune out the noise. To be more precise, I was diligently executing the Information Agency’s orders to focus on my business.

Creating conditions for operations, managing information agents, negotiations with the Inquisition, reporting on Lucia’s movements, and keeping tabs on Camila, among others.

That was about all I was handling. I was focused on the three most critical missions, and relatively less critical updates on Lucia and Camila weren’t being conducted. The Information Agency also seemingly didn’t need such information, as they hadn’t rushed me to report back.

Still, the issue regarding the approval was something directly tied to my personal interest, so it was strange that I wasn’t paying attention to it.

Since Clevenz directly stated that he would “do whatever it takes to obtain consent,” I was attempting to push it out of my mind for the time being. Whether his words meant he’d handle it through negotiation or apply coercive measures to resolve it, I couldn’t be sure. At any rate, hoping for the best would be wise, I figured.

Anyway, I was solely focused on the operational tasks.

“…But, am I not on vacation right now?”

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

“Oh, no. Never mind.”

Camila’s question broke my train of thought.

No matter how I looked at it, it felt like my vacation had been cut short… Well, they’d probably provide some compensation for the vacation days. Surely they wouldn’t pull a fast one on me and claim I voluntarily worked during my break, right?

An ominous thought sent shivers down my spine. As I trembled, Camila, who had been setting fire in the woods, tilted her head curiously.

“Are you cold? Should I add more fire?”

“…No, this isn’t heating. We’re burning down the forest, what would you add?”

With a bright smile, Camila began to set the trees on fire again.

Seeing her act, I could only shake my head in disbelief, unable to muster a single word.

“Seriously…”

It seemed she wasn’t your average person, that’s for sure.

Probably.

—

Camila and I participated in the No Man’s Land operation again today without fail.

The No Man’s Land operation could be considered a military effort to eliminate pests.

Rather than a hunting operation, it was closer to actual military operations.

Typically, as autumn rolls in, the military in this world sets fire to the No Man’s Land bordering the front within sector units, and in winter, they conduct military operations to wipe out monsters that hibernate without leaving (living) plants behind.

However, instead of licensed hunters capturing destructive species like boars, deer, or nutria, it’s the military, armed with heavy weapons and equipment, that tracks down the monsters residing on land, underground, at sea, or in the air.

Of course, licensed adventurers also roam the No Man’s Land hunting monsters. While some enter with formal contracts commissioned by the state or private companies, that’s something only famous firms can manage. Most adventurers are essentially solo entrepreneurs or small businesses aiming for the precious by-products obtainable from monsters.

It may sound as though humans could wipe out monsters easily, but sadly, due to the tenacity and reproductive capability of the monsters, extermination was unfeasible. Wiping out a species isn’t as simple as one might think.

If it were possible, the military would have cleared out the monsters long ago.

And unless this region had nuclear weapons, what the military could muster would only be chemical weapons or scatterable mine munitions.

Suggestions often arose to saturate the No Man’s Land with biochemical weapons and mines, but the headquarters and Congress refused to allow it. Not for humanitarian or environmental reasons, but simply the costs were too great for the national defense budget to bear.

After all, if it costs money for soldiers to eat, sleep, and move, wouldn’t it cost as well for them to fire munitions?

Thinking of costs outside of shells, factors like transport, maintenance, morale upkeep, and barrel replacements would only lead to even higher expenses.

So, what’s to be done?

People had to be fed into the fray.

It’s a world where labor is cheap, and due to a lack of jobs causing negative economic growth, pouring troops and adventurers into the No Man’s Land operation served as a unique means to create jobs and stimulate the local economy.

In short, this was a New Deal policy for this world.

If Roosevelt could witness this debacle, he would have smashed up the Oval Office and howled towards the four corners of the earth.

—

Regardless.

The No Man’s Land operation was crucial enough to gain the attention of both the executive and legislative branches (failure would lead to urban warfare with monsters in the middle of winter). Thus, it was essential to burn as much land as quickly as possible before the frigid winter bore down.

As the temperatures dropped, non-combat losses began to occur.

That was the crux of the matter.

“Alright, look here! A bit to the right of the Battalion Commander! Just a little tuck of the Division Commander’s chin! Now, we’re taking the photo. One, two!”

Click! With the sound of the shutter, a quick flash erupted. The public relations soldier revealed his white teeth while showing the photo to the officers, who nodded approvingly to sign off.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

At that signal, applause erupted. Numerous officers and soldiers exchanged compliments, congratulating each other on their efforts today.

It was natural, given that a sector that would take a regular battalion several days to finish had been engulfed in flames in less than a day.

For that very reason, the Defense Ministry officials crowded around to look over each photo, praising how well they turned out, the sector officers toasted the successful operation without casualties, and the soldiers cheered, relieved to finally be able to rest.

“Is everything over?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

So it seemed.

“Yes, good work, everyone.”

I offered a listless greeting and weaved through the crowd to move forward.

I approached the day’s main character, who was gazing at the smoking bald hill.

“Thank you for your hard work, Camila.”

“Oh, Frederick.”

“It seems your condition is alright today. Haha…”

I stood beside Camila, rambling on with pointless chatter. It truly was a senseless remark, but Camila responded with a smile.

“Well, I suppose today is fine.”

“…….”

The No Man’s Land operation had concluded successfully without casualties.

However, if asked if there had been no accidents, that wasn’t entirely true.

“How’s your body?”

“I’m perfectly fine! Nothing hurts!”

Today, Camila fainted again. The cause remains a mystery to all.

Based on the test results, the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute was facing an unprecedented leak of military secrets. Firearms were used to apprehend a shaman spy, witnessed by countless civilians.

The shock stemmed from the realization that a person I thought was a colleague turned out to be a spy, and not even a shaman whose identity I could ascertain.

The Military Intelligence Agency did not disclose any of this to the outside world. To maintain security. They hadn’t even notified the Magic Tower.

To prevent information leaks and to identify any remaining spies, the Military Intelligence Agency took control of the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute and controlled the information.

Rumors said a high-intensity investigation was currently underway.

As expected, there was no way proper analytical results could emerge from such a situation.

Thus, Camila continued experiencing fainting symptoms until now. Without knowing the cause.

Even the Counterintelligence Investigators involved in capturing the spy felt lost as to when the research institute would normalize, merely letting time drift by.

“…….”

“Um, Frederick?”

“…Yes?”

Pondering quietly, I was roused by Camila, inquiring softly.

And, as always, she smiled at me.

“I’m fine, really.”

“…….”

There wasn’t a trace of worry in her almost serene demeanor.

“Don’t fret too much.”

“…….”

I replied in turn.

“Just wipe off the chocolate on your face and then talk.”

“…Ah!”

Camila hastily scrubbed her mouth with her sleeve, wiping off the chocolate smudge.

“Honestly…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

“Now that you’re all cleaned up, let’s go grab a meal.”

I took her and walked toward the food truck.