A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Sophia’s words exceeded my expectations by a long shot.

Fabio Verati.

The mastermind behind infiltrating a Shaman Spy into the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute. And the missing Giada Bianchi. A figure presumed to be connected to both.

For quite some time, I had considered Fabio Verati to be an information man and handler affiliated with the Magic Tower’s delegation.

So, he was the first target of this operation.

And then,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Fabio Verati, he’s one of our retirees, so don’t bother him.”

The National Security Agency claimed that our target was one of theirs.

—

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

—

To summarize Sophia’s claims:

1. Fabio Verati, affiliated with the Magic Tower’s delegation, is actually from the National Security Agency of Patalia.

2. He is a retired agent from a few years ago and currently works as a diplomat at the Magic Tower.

3. Although he’s a retiree, he possesses classified information that could pose a threat to Patalia’s security.

Conclusion: If he falls into the hands of the Military Intelligence Agency and the Royal Intelligence Department, it could lead to a major crisis for Patalia.

So then,

“Shouldn’t we take care of this ourselves?”

Sophia neatly laid out her argument once again.

“I don’t know why the Military Intelligence Agency and the Royal Intelligence Department are after Fabio, but the fact is, he’s one of our employees. So whether it’s a success or a failure, isn’t it our duty to take responsibility? He’s a colleague.”

At this point, I couldn’t help but chuckle and joke around.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who is Fabio Verati? Why are the Military Intelligence Agency and the Royal Intelligence Department involved?”

Sophia tilted her head in exasperation.

“…You don’t know?”

I returned her gesture, tilting my head just as she had.

“Why should I know?”

The reason I played the fool was simple: I had to conceal the fact that I was tracking Fabio Verati.

In operations, security is key. Nobody should know that other Military Intelligence Agency personnel, including myself, were hunting after Fabio Verati, especially not the National Security Agency that barged in pretending to protect him.

How the National Security Agency came to realize that we were on Fabio Verati’s tail was irrelevant.

Jake had reported to me that “Our allies and the allied information agencies have refused to share intelligence requests.”

Fabio Verati is from Patalia, meaning that to track his past, I would need the help of Patalia’s intelligence agencies. Naturally, it’s highly likely that, during the process of sending official documents, someone tipped off what investigation was being conducted. The Royal Intelligence Department probably linked up with the National Security Agency to take over our business.

Anyway.

The National Security Agency was aware that the Military Intelligence Agency and the Royal Intelligence Department were digging up details on Fabio Verati.

What was important was that they still did not know I was the one doing the digging.

So I plastered a poker face on.

“Okay then. I don’t know what this is about, but are you saying we’re pursuing one of your retirees?”

“…Yeah.”

“What was this guy up to? What did he do here that made both agencies chase after him?”

“I can’t say.”

It’s classified.

“Then I can’t help you either.”

“…What?”

“Look, listen.”

I tried to wrap my nonsense in as plausible a manner as possible.

“The Military Intelligence Agency and the Royal Intelligence Department are tracking this Fabio guy, right? And you want me to stop them? By reporting to higher-ups?”

“Exactly.”

“Then at least you should have some explanation, right? Hmm? Do I just say something and the Director listens? As if I’m just a Major?”

“But you’re a companion of a Hero.”

“So am I now a Hero?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Officially, I was a Defense Attaché and a companion of a Hero. I was also an acquaintance of Sophia, an information agent, to boot.

In essence, the National Security Agency wanted to smooth things over indirectly via connections instead of engaging in wild confrontations with official documents. That was my guess.

Why would the National Security Agency rush to protect Fabio Verati?

“Let’s at least hear the reason. Why are the Intelligence Agency and the Intelligence Department chasing him? I don’t know, so explain it to me.”

“The official document mentioned something about leaking military secrets.”

“What? But he’s an employee of the Magic Tower delegation, right?”

“Ah, I don’t know. They said someone on your end leaked military secrets. We’re still figuring it out since we don’t have full details in the official document.”

Whether they were still figuring it out or trying to cover things up, I didn’t know.

One thing was certain: the National Security Agency knew that the retiree was involved in a major incident.

So, there were two possibilities.

One, “We don’t know what kind of incident it is, but if it becomes public, it’ll be noisy, so we’ll take responsibility and handle it ourselves.” The other, “Let’s hurry and catch this guy before he causes more trouble.”

It may seem the same, but the nuances are different.

For now, it didn’t seem like Sophia was hiding information from me. At the very least, she seemed to know that Fabio Verati had caused a problem, but did not know exactly what it was or how serious it was.

I stroked my chin, musing.

“Hmm….”

Nothing was certain.

I couldn’t draw any conclusions.

I needed information.

As that thought crossed my mind, a smile unconsciously spread across my face.

Right now, the only thing I was sure of was this.

“Alright, I got it. I’ll report back and we’ll talk.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“But for now, I need to understand the situation a bit more. So….”

Before these guys,

“Tell me everything you know.”

I needed to catch Fabio Verati.

—

Sophia hesitated for a moment before consulting who I assumed was her superior. After a brief back-and-forth, she returned to her seat and showed me a document.

“Here.”

“What is this?”

“That thing you mentioned.”

Sophia pushed the device towards my face.

Squinting slightly, I finally grasped the information on the screen.

“Is this a personnel report?”

Most of it was blacked out with marks, leaving precious little valuable data, but it was still important information given that it was internal data from the national intelligence agency.

I slowly read the visible information displayed on the screen.

“National Security Agency Overseas Counter-Intelligence Division’s Magic Tower Information Officer. Final rank: 4th-grade manager. One spouse. Four children. Retired nine years ago… But there’s no reason for retirement?”

The reason for retirement was blank.

It wasn’t blacked out during the security review process; it was genuinely empty.

Sophia plopped herself down in the chair and said, “No one knows why. Not the superior, subordinates, colleagues, or even the Inspection Office or Audit Office. He left without saying a word.”

“How does that even make sense? You retire from an intelligence agency and no one knows why?”

“He just said he wanted to live comfortably. Well, you can’t pry too much into that, right? It’s personal.”

I scoffed at that statement.

“When they can follow you around, wiretap you, and interrogate new hires, now they want to protect privacy? Give me a break.”

Internal surveillance in intelligence agencies is severe.

Implemented to prevent leaks and catch wrongdoing, but from the perspective of the target, it’s some of the most invasive tracking imaginable.

“They can catch you gambling, having affairs, or even working part-time. And they can’t discover the reason for your retirement?”

“How would I know? The Inspection or Audit division would know, I suppose.”

“Could it have been a relationship issue? Like he had a hidden lover at the Magic Tower and changed jobs for that reason? Something like that?”

“No, he’s clean on that front. Though it seems like a financial issue….”

Sophia tapped her finger on the family section displayed on the screen.

A wife and four kids. The names were blacked out, rendering them unrecognizable.

“No matter how generous the pay, at the end of the day, he’s still a civil servant. He must have had an unstable life since he couldn’t even go home.”

“…So he moved jobs to support his family better?”

“I’m not sure how well diplomats get paid, but looking at how his family spends these days, it seems like he’s doing well enough. The youngest is even studying abroad at the Magic Tower. Can we afford such things? We can barely get a loan to buy a house.”

“The youngest is here? So the family is all….”

“In Patalia.”

That meant they’d been monitoring his family.

Well, it was too obvious to be shocked by that.

“A financial issue….”

“They must have been living on savings and insurance but found themselves cash-strapped with four kids. It seems he wasn’t involved in gambling or any crimes.”

I spat out, “What about the possibility of being co-opted by the Magic Tower? Plenty of people turn to crime for money.”

“I don’t think he’s selling secrets for cash.”

“Is he not a traitor, then?”

“That’s what we’re assuming.”

They claimed he isn’t a double agent.

From the perspective of the National Security Agency, it seems he just moved for financial reasons. Yet, Fabio Verati was certainly engaged in intelligence work.

His former partner, Giada Bianchi, went missing, and a Shaman Spy infiltrated the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute using her identity.

Had the spy not been caught communicating carelessly, we would have been completely oblivious. That means Fabio Verati is a seasoned handler with significant knowledge and experience in intelligence and operations.

Whether it’s seen as good luck or bad luck, I couldn’t quite decide. I shouldn’t be talking about job transitions anyway, given I didn’t change jobs but moved positions.

Anyway.

“Have you checked what he does at the Magic Tower’s delegation? If he holds an important position, we might be able to maneuver, considering the diplomatic relations with the Magic Tower. After all, he is still a Magic Tower employee.”

“Right. He’s probably with the Human Resources Development Agency or something like that.”

“…The Human Resources Development Agency?”

“Oh, you know. That’s where Magic Tower diplomats hand out scholarships to create scholarships.”

“Ah.”

Hearing the explanation, it sounded similar to large corporations lobbying through scholarship foundations.

I cut my thoughts short and replied with an awkward smile.

“Well, I’m not that interested in the Magic Tower, so I don’t know much. Anyway, is there no other information?”

“I have some bits and pieces….”

Sophia showed me various pieces of information, but most of it had been blacked out during the security review process, leaving little we could extract.

But that wasn’t a huge problem.

In a dim alley, I sat with Sophia while reviewing the information she was providing alongside what was transmitted through the secure line. After a long conversation, we finally reached a conclusion.

“…Yeah. This should be enough.”

“Is that it?”

“Yep.”

Sophia shut off the secure device and tucked it back into her pocket. She stretched and yawned widely.

“Yawn…. Ugh, I’m dying.”

“Take better care of your retirees. What kind of mess did he get himself into?”

“Shut up. Anyway, we’ll handle it properly on our side. Okay? You should report up the chain without causing any unnecessary conflict between allies.”

“Geez….”

I got up and checked my comms. A message had already arrived 17 minutes ago saying my ride was here.

Turning off the communication device and slipping it into my pocket, I patted Sophia on the shoulder.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“That’s nothing. If anything comes up, contact me. I’m heading in now.”

“Got it. I’ll give you my contact info, so head on out first.”

“Uh, yeah. I’ll see you soon.”

Sophia tossed a partially burned magic cigar onto the ground and called out to her subordinates.

“Let’s go.”

—

Sophia climbed into the vehicle with her subordinates.

The black van smoothly took off and sped down the straight road.

I waved them off until they were out of my sight.

And after a while, I quietly leaned against a streetlight glowing with warm light and kept watch over the darkness.

“…….”

Just then, the long-awaited vehicle glided up to me and came to a stop.

Dark tinted windows, protruding antennas, additional rear mirrors, etc.

It was a very familiar, but inconspicuous, van.

The window rolled down.

“…….”

“…Is it ready?”

The staff member wearing sunglasses glanced at the techie in the passenger seat, who wore a checkered shirt. The techie, staring at a rugged-looking laptop, finally lifted his head, beaming.

“I got it. If it’s a password in the database, I should be able to crack it by tomorrow.”

“Good.”

I opened the vehicle door. Inside the spacious van was packed with all sorts of eavesdropping equipment.

I squeezed into the cramped seat, forcing my weary eyelids open and muttered.

“Let’s go.”

The van, eavesdropping on communications from the National Security Agency, quickly moved away from the streetlight and disappeared into the darkness.