A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The goal of this operation is to identify the shaman spy disguised as Giada Bianchi who infiltrated the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute.

We suspect that the mastermind behind this is the Magic Tower.

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

In a dim hotel room, I stand restlessly with a communication device pressed to my ear. The only light comes from the faint blue glow of the security terminal.

I perched on a chair and asked the operative, “I heard you searched the office.”

– “Yes, I’ve set one up with the help of the representative office.”

The unofficial disguised individuals involved in the operation posed as a private sector market research team. Initially, they planned to masquerade as NGOs or humanitarian organizations for extended stays and to travel to various regions, but…

– “If you stay over 30 days, you have to register your identity within 14 days. Fingerprints, faces—everything gets recorded in the Magic Tower, so that just won’t do.”

“Haha…”

To avoid foreigner registration issues, individuals needed to enter under the guise of one of three purposes: diplomacy, defense, or industry. So, a few of us, including me, posed as diplomats stationed at the embassy, while other staff claimed to be businesspeople conducting evaluations.

I scanned through various materials sent over the secure line by the team leader.

“You haven’t started your activities yet, right?”

– “We’re in the preparatory phase. We’ve rented one sedan and one van. Currently, we’re conducting a reconnaissance with the sedan, and the van will be deployed as soon as the equipment arrives.”

They’re tailing Fabio Verati. For now, they’re watching him visually, but once the eavesdropping equipment is ready, they plan to intercept communications. Then we’ll know who’s involved in the leak of the institute’s secrets and who sent the spy along with the true location of Giada Bianchi.

With all the team members’ military experience combined, they could easily surpass a hundred years; I smiled and nodded.

“Okay, understood. Let’s meet later for a situation report. Can you set a time and place?”

– “Of course, I’ll contact you once all the scattered staff have gathered.”

“Great. I have to go to a briefing, so I’ll take my leave.”

– “Ah, yes. Good luck.”

Beep.

To be honest, I knew nothing about the Magic Tower.

Well, nothing beyond what appears in the games.

I’m not a gaming enthusiast, and I’m not good at it, and most importantly, I’ve never had a leisurely life to invest time in games.

Maybe it’s because of my disposition. I’m the type to skim the community guides hastily and toss it aside, and if that didn’t work out, I’d just put on a YouTube guide while I played. If it weren’t for my colleague from training pushing me hard, I might not have even glanced at such games.

Most importantly, I never managed to complete any of the games. So I have no real clue about the story that will unfold.

However, I wouldn’t call myself completely uninformed about the Magic Tower.

In my 28 years of life, I’ve picked up quite a bit here and there, and some of the colleagues in Military Intelligence had even been dispatched to the Magic Tower, so I have a general idea of what that place feels like. If I were to compare it to Earth, Hong Kong seems appropriate.

El Dorado, where all the talents and gold of the continent gather.

A city of prophets leading a civilization society through the fusion of magic and technology.

A dreamlike city where cultures from the cold Northern Regions to the dry southern winds of the continent blend together.

A mysterious city with the wisdom of great magicians that modern magic and science cannot explain. Looking at the enormous tower crossing the horizon beyond the vast expanse, one can’t help but feel awe for magic.

Listening to my military intelligence colleague passionately praising the Magic Tower until his lips were dry was like being reminded of an old comrade who returned from a business trip to Hong Kong, his eyes completely glazed over. At that time, I thought he was just intoxicated by the atmosphere of his post, but seeing it for myself now, everything he said was true.

A dazzling city boasting a magnificent night view of civilization.

An environment where various cultures converge, creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere.

A flourishing epicenter of international finance and a gateway connecting the north, central, and south regions, indeed, the Magic Tower shares similarities with Hong Kong.

Even the fact that it’s a neighborhood where fierce espionage battles take place is oddly similar—I’m not sure if that’s coincidence or the intent of the developers.

“……”

Of course, what’s really important isn’t my impressions of the Magic Tower.

A gigantic screen completely covers one wall. As the beam projector casts magic-powered light upon it, one document for the presentation floats into view. I gestured for the analyst, who rolled up his sleeves, to pick up the microphone.

“I’ll start the briefing.”

Pippin’s cheerful voice echoed, emanating from the magical instrument, captivating the audience.

“The Magic Tower is a state located in the city of Nastasia in the southern part of the empire. It first acknowledged the existence of magicians in 1889, opposing the Inquisition’s ‘Alhambra Decree’, initiating the ‘Liberation War’ in 1892, and established itself as a nation in 1903 after the end of hostilities.”

What came first was a brief introduction about the Magic Tower. Basic information, if you will.

As the screen changed, information regarding politics, society, economy, culture, defense, foreign relations, geography, demographics, tribal distributions, transportation, and environment concerning the Magic Tower appeared. Just skimming through it feels overwhelming. There’s too much information.

However, given the circumstances, I maintained my focus. Pippin continued her briefing.

“Currently, the political system of the Magic Tower is officially designated as a ‘democratic republic.’ However, in practice, it takes the form of an oligarchy led by nine Oracles. The ruling body of the Oracles consists of three members elected from each of the three major parties, rotating as per their terms while managing national affairs.”

Three symbols floated on the screen.

Elemental Magic, Sorcery, and Astrology.

The large emblem prominently displaying the three ruling parties of the Magic Tower demonstrated its unique political culture, formed not by ideology or philosophy like other nations’ parties but by magical schools.

The smaller ones gathered below like scattered debris represented fringe parties in the Magic Tower.

Pippin continued with her presentation.

“Due to the impacts of recent economic sanctions, the Magic Tower faced significant crises. However, as the Magic Tower itself is a center of logistics and finance…”

“Initially prohibiting foreign investors from selling stocks, they utilized the sovereign wealth fund to buy stocks, defending against…”

Although the economy shattered, they managed to avert a collapse in the stock market by shuttering it and buying up shares.

“Since the Liberation War, the Republic of Patalia that has consistently allied with the Magic Tower, Abas, who shares the consciousness of a democratic state, and the Lushan Federal Kingdom, an absolute monarchy that implements a presidential system, all maintain close diplomatic relations with the Magic Tower…”

Although the Magic Tower isn’t a complete democratic republic, it coordinates diplomatically with countries like the Republic of Patalia, as well as those that viewed the Inquisition and the Empire unfavorably.

Thanks to the influx of people from all over the continent, regional cultures are amalgamated, yet, paradoxically, clashes and discrimination sparked by the diversity persist.

While there is no regular army, irregular forces such as militias, volunteer brigades, and PMCs actively cooperate with the government of the Magic Tower to maintain public safety.

This makes it a place where every race gathers to create both big and small problems, where the odd insane magician occasionally causes accidents, and though there are issues with smuggling and drugs, order is maintained quite well.

Moreover, with the advanced infrastructure thanks to magical engineering, facilities are top-notch. However, the government disregards the public announcements and disposes of experimental waste recklessly, causing significant environmental issues both within and outside the Magic Tower.

The interminable briefing wrapped up after an hour and fifty-one minutes.

“…and that concludes the briefing on basic information. Next—”

“Let’s wrap it up here for today. We can discuss the rest when everyone gathers for the situation report later.”

“Ah, yes, Manager.”

As Pippin set down the microphone, the analysts gathered in the office (including colleagues and junior analysts brought by Pippin) summarized her briefing, and Jake transmitted the condensed report to each officer via the secure line.

As this unfolded, I lay back in my chair, pondering deeply.

“…Ugh.”

It’s a mess.

*

All operations are influenced by external factors.

There’s no need to overthink it.

If the security in the operational area is good, dirty work like assassination, kidnapping, threats, confinement, and torture becomes troublesome, causing a delay in achieving the goals. Conversely, the worse the security is, the more one can employ any imagination to get things done quickly— that’s the gist of it.

In that sense, this operation seems like it will require a considerable amount of time. At least, that’s how I see it.

Aside from the irregular forces cooperating with the Magic Tower, there are skillful police and intelligence agencies firmly entrenched. Furthermore, the first target, ‘Fabio Verati,’ is a public official. Asking for torture is out of the question, and kidnapping would be just as hard. As soon as a missing persons report is filed, the pursuit would start immediately.

“…How much intel do we have on Fabio Verati?”

“We have information about his workplace, residence, routes, and interpersonal relationships. But…”

Jake trailed off mid-sentence.

“Go on. It’s alright.”

“His past activities are… Too elusive. We inquired with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to his Patalia nationality, but there’s no information. The headquarters is the same.”

The lack of information from the Ministry of Justice means he has never entered Abas.

As for no information from the Foreign Ministry, well, that could happen.

Military Intelligence? If Fabio Verati hasn’t served in the military in Patalia, it naturally follows that there would be no information.

I calmly nodded in understanding and spoke to Jake.

“Hmm… What about competitors or partners?”

“The Royal Intelligence Department refused to share information, and our partners didn’t reply to our inquiries either.”

“Ah— Those jerks are at it again.”

Allies who won’t share information, and the Royal Intelligence Department, our own family, acting like they were snubbed because they didn’t get cake.

No information.

What can we do? We’ll have to head out blindly.

Ultimately, this operation has morphed into a race against time. I can’t get a feel for how much time and budget the intelligence gathering will consume.

If only we had friends like the CIA or DIA right about now.

Sighing heavily due to the frustrating situation, a woman in a white coat suddenly approached me.

“…Why do you keep sighing? Are you unwell?”

It’s Lucia.

She stood in the hotel hallway wearing a white gown instead of the pure white priest’s robe typical for adults. They say clothes make the man, and in that gown, she looked more like a doctor than a priest. If she had a stethoscope draped around her neck, it wouldn’t feel odd at all.

As Jake skillfully took his leave upon seeing the sudden appearance of the Saint, I turned to Lucia and drew her attention.

“Have you changed jobs? Why are you wearing clothes typically for doctors?”

“Since someone associated with the Magic Tower told me it would be hard to guard if I walked around in priest robes…”

“Ah.”

“I borrowed this.”

Thinking about it, this is the Magic Tower. Wearing priest or nun robes around here could easily lead to getting lynched on the street.

Especially robes with red elements, as they resemble those worn by Inquisition Officers. News about zealous groups of magicians attacking priests wearing red in the past pops up every so often in this place.

I had been sticking only around the hotel, so it hadn’t hit me like this before.

Lucia smiled sheepishly.

“Well, I understand. Even if I have permission, if the police were to guard someone in priest robes, rumors would undoubtedly spread.”

“Geez… That puts you in a tough spot. By the way, where are you going dressed like that?”

“Oh, I’m heading out for medical volunteer work today.”

Lucia lifted the leather bag she was holding. It looked like a doctor’s bag.

I alternated glancing between the bag and Lucia, feeling compelled to ask, “Are you joking?”

“…? Why is that a joke?”

Lucia’s expression was very, very earnest.

Her unyielding attitude left me utterly bewildered. Wait, so her words in front of the journalists weren’t just lip service? I had assumed it was merely a perfunctory gesture.

While I stood there dumbfounded, a throng of attendants, all in casual outfits rather than nun’s robes, charged out into the hotel hallway, carrying large bags. They were agents of the Inquisition.

“…….”

I stood there for a while in sheer dumbfoundedness. It was all so absurd.

Meanwhile,

“…Ah. Speaking of which, you are a soldier, right? Do you happen to have any plans for today?”

“Uh…? Why do you ask…?”

“Perfect timing! Would you like to join us?”

“Join you where?”

“Medical volunteer work!”

Lucia beamed benevolently as she requested my company for the medical volunteer trip.

“Oh, um, since I’m the Defense Attaché, I have to get approval first…”

Given that this could involve diplomatic issues, I initially expected a denial, but when I called the representative office, I was told that ‘it doesn’t seem to be a lengthy matter, so just go and take a look around comfortably.’

“…….”

“Are you going then?”

Lucia smiled brightly, while I averted my gaze.

Thus, I ended up with an unplanned appointment for medical volunteer work.