A Dark Fantasy Spy

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There are techniques used by spies.

These are tactics to bypass surveillance from information agencies and counter-espionage agencies, enabling smooth and safe operations.

The skills of spies are so intricate that even trained individuals can be deceived.

They set up bases next to slaughterhouses, hide directives inside trash cans, stash cameras in cigarette packs, and even bury listening devices beneath any inconvenient rock.

Spies would do anything if it meant achieving deception. Regardless of success or failure, the nature of this field meant that failure could cost them their lives.

That’s why I always store my belongings in specific locations and angles, leaving strands of hair atop my clothes.

So I could notice if someone searched my room.

But that has changed.

In other words,

someone rummaged through my room.

—

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

The fact that someone unknown searched my room was shocking, but I wasn’t particularly flustered.

I had anticipated this to some degree and had mentally prepared myself.

I am not just a simple soldier; I hold the position of Defense Attaché and am connected to some of the hottest potatoes on the continent. Naturally, the scrutiny of various information agencies follows.

Above all, I am an active soldier.

That is to say, I can access military secrets at any time.

As a hero colleague who manages military and diplomatic confidential information, anyone who doesn’t acknowledge this is a fool. Even if you can’t get a taste, it’s common courtesy to at least ask. If it results in a recruitment success, various secrets could be acquired.

The issue is, who searched my room?

“…Who could it be?”

Only a month ago, I had torn apart the royal guard scumbags from the Military Intelligence Agency who had been trying to take my head off. The Inquisition had officially intervened in this matter (it was published as an official operation of the Inquisition), and the Imperial Guard HQ had, unofficially, turned a blind eye to the assassination operations of the Military Intelligence Agency.

The two leading information agencies on the continent had stepped back and made concessions, and all the while, the continent’s intelligence agencies had been watching.

Of course, no intelligence agency concluded that I was a military intelligence officer based on that incident. Since all defense attaches are monitored by military intelligence agencies regardless of their original affiliation, most believed that they had acted decisively for the sake of national dignity.

Thus, most information agencies decided to keep a watchful eye on me without making contact for the time being.

This isn’t mere speculation; it’s official. Specifically, it’s a product derived from the analysis of intelligence obtained by the overseas department of the Military Intelligence Agency.

There’s no room for doubt.

The capabilities of the Military Intelligence Agency should not be underestimated, and the judgments of the analysts in the upper echelon are generally accurate.

Thus, the intelligence that most agencies would refrain from touching me is essentially a fact.

Yet, what kind of lunatic would rummage through my accommodation now?

Even in the lawless realm of intelligence agencies, this wasn’t a rational decision. Given the circumstances, they should have waited and taken their time; it was absurd to act while the blood on the knife was still fresh.

“…….”

I sat on the hotel bed, reflecting carefully.

Who searched my room? Who could have searched my room?

After pondering for a while, I couldn’t conclude anything.

This is Hong Kong, a magic tower where espionage is most lively, just like Berlin, Istanbul, or Vienna.

There were far too many suspects.

“…Did someone clean up?”

Amidst my deep contemplation, suddenly the thought crossed my mind that maybe the hotel cleaner had entered my room to tidy up.

So I headed to the front desk.

“Yes, how may I help you?”

“Can you tell me who has been in my room today?”

“Ah, have you lost something?”

The hotel staff asked me with a bright smile, and I spun a lie.

“Yes.”

“Then we can compensate according to our policies—”

“No, it’s not that important, so there’s no need for compensation. Just let me know who entered.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

I quietly waited in the hotel lobby, where not a single rat could be seen.

Then shortly after, I received the results.

“Um, sir? Since you checked in, there have been no entries into your hotel room.”

“Was there no cleaner or anyone with a room key?”

“For security, the cleaners have not been allowed in due to government requests. Also, to ensure guest safety, hotel keys are not provided to anyone.”

“…”

It was certain that someone had intruded into my room.

—

In the end, I couldn’t find the culprit.

At least it was fortunate that only my room had been searched.

“You all didn’t notice any changes?”

“No.”

Pippin and Jake, who had gathered in my room, nodded. They seemed to be ready for bed, dressed in casual attire.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, we checked several times.”

Pippin and Jake’s rooms showed no signs of having been searched. I sat on the hotel bed, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay, sir?”

“Yeah.”

“What exactly is going on….”

“I don’t know either.”

There were too many suspects for me to pinpoint the culprit.

To put it bluntly, it could have been the internal espionage agency of the magic tower that searched the room, or perhaps an intelligence agency from a third country that breached the accommodation. Ransacking hotel rooms isn’t that difficult, after all.

But there was something odd.

“Why my room, of all places…? You all are perfectly fine.”

“That’s something we don’t know either.”

First, why did the intruder only search my room?

“Did you check for listening devices?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you find?”

“No, there were none.”

Second, if they had the leisure to search through my belongings, why didn’t they install eavesdropping equipment?

“…I have no idea how they managed to bypass. The magic reaction should differ depending on the key card.”

Third, how did they open a room that functions solely via the magic of the key card without having a physical key?

“…….”

For now, the most likely suspect is the Public Order Protection Agency of the magic tower. The counterintelligence agency of the magic tower that survived the Nastasia Treaty’s clashes.

Because this is the magic tower, the hotel operating here, whether they like it or not, would have to cooperate if the Public Order Protection Agency strongly requests it. Naturally, keeping the lid on would also be easy.

However, the likelihood that the Public Order Protection Agency searched my room seems low.

“Pippin, when is the meeting with the Public Order Protection Agency scheduled?”

“In two days.”

The counterintelligence agency of the magic tower was about to meet with me. Although it’s called a meeting, in reality, it would be an unofficial conference with the Military Intelligence Agency.

If the Public Order Protection Agency had searched the room, it must have been for the sake of intelligence theft.

Stealing information to gain an upper hand in meetings is a common tactic employed by any intelligence agency. Even the National Intelligence Service had been caught breaking into hotel rooms to steal secrets before.

The issue is that there is nothing missing from my room.

“Why did they search when nothing was gone?”

“Perhaps they stole underwear?”

“Crazy person.”

There was the possibility of them hacking into terminals like the FBI did when catching double agents, but most sensitive work equipment had already been moved to the representative office, and items I couldn’t move were hidden in a secret compartment inside my bag.

There were no signs they had touched that area. My bag was a military-grade bag developed by the Military Intelligence Agency, loaded with budgetary resources. Since it was a recently released item, there was no reason for it to be looted.

“Jake. Can you find out if anyone’s staying on this floor? They might have booked under an alias….”

“The entire hotel is booked by the magic tower, so no one else is staying except for us.”

“What? Then that means it’s not any other company.”

Not the magic tower. Not another intelligence agency.

Then what audacious fools dared to rummage through my room?

Tormented by unsolvable questions, Pippin, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

“Sir.”

“Yeah, what?”

“Aren’t there other people here besides us?”

—

“Are you suspecting us?”

“Yes.”

“That’s hard to hear.”

In response to my accusation, Rebecca, a priestess and secretary of the Inquisition Director, dismissed my claim as nonsense.

With mint-colored hair and an air of aloofness, the Inquisition agent sat on the hotel sofa, staring at me.

“Do we have any reason to search the Colonel’s room?”

“Surprised to be suddenly labeled as an intruder, right? I was shocked to find my room rummaged through after coming back from my work too.”

“Oh dear, that must have hurt your feelings. Would you like some tea?”

“Water would be preferable instead of tea.”

As soon as I heard Pippin’s hypothesis, I rushed into the hotel room with my subordinates.

Apart from the Military Intelligence Agency, the only intelligence agency freely entering and leaving the hotel was the Inquisition, disguised as attendants, which made them the obvious prime suspects.

“Looks like everyone’s gathered here. What’s the good occasion?”

“We were in a meeting regarding the aid schedule.”

“Oh dear. You must be tired at this late hour.”

“If you know, I would prefer you to leave.”

The hotel room I barged into was filled with over a dozen agents from the Inquisition.

My room had just been searched, yet the Inquisition agents were gathered for a meeting? From any angle, it looked suspicious.

I casually took a seat on the sofa, propping my feet up.

“The head of the medical mission is Lucia, yet why are you all gathered here whispering? It’s raising suspicions for no reason.”

“Mind your language.”

Rebecca and I sat facing each other, engaging in a silent power struggle. Behind us stood agents from both the Military Intelligence Agency and the Inquisition.

Having a dozen spies gathered in this cramped hotel room would surely have bloodshot eyes rolling if the counterintelligence agency found out.

Rebecca placed her teacup on the armrest and began to spread cream on a bisquit.

“As you might know, Colonel, we’re staying on a lower floor. Your room is upstairs. Is there any particular reason for us to come?”

“It only takes ten seconds to come up the stairs, so why wouldn’t you?”

“Why do you suspect us? We are honest and clean individuals.”

“…”

I pondered how clean of a group the Inquisition really was.

First, it was the Inquisition who summoned me to probe me right after the bombing terror incident.

Second, they called me to a secluded spot, promising information on the culprit but then subjected me to an unwanted search and intimidation. The Imperial Guard HQ had tried to deceive me, but at least they attempted dialogue in a relaxed atmosphere during an embassy party.

Third, the Inquisition was the group who branded everyone associated with Raul as dark magicians. While the Military Intelligence Agency merely requested the deaths of Raul alone and addressed the remaining associates as deserving of imprisonment for various wrongdoings, the Inquisition took the lead in orchestrating executions of their fellow citizens as dark magicians.

On top of that, they provided the cement to concrete Cardinal Raul, instigated the saint to squeeze juices in front of the camera to make the magic tower look foolish, acted as the hype men while the Imperial Police launched preemptive arrests to slaughter magicians, and even sent spies while the saint provided medical assistance…

“…”

In hindsight, I realized the Inquisition is the craziest religious group I’ve encountered. I never imagined there could be crazier people than Islamic terror groups.

It’s a relief that the Inquisition Director is a spy for the Military Intelligence Agency.

“Anyway, so you didn’t enter the hotel room?”

“I neither entered nor searched it. There’s no benefit for us to search your room.”

“…Hmm.”

I trust Petrus.

He’s an elite who infiltrated foreign intelligence agencies and operated for decades, and there’s no doubt about his loyalty to the state.

However, Petrus’s identity is as the Director of the Inquisition, and he might have issued orders to search my lodging for a more effective guise.

He wouldn’t give dangerous orders to me, but given what people driven by religion could do, it’s hard to let my guard down.

Because loyalty to the Military Intelligence Agency lies with Petrus, not with other agents from the Inquisition.

So I stared at Rebecca with a suspicious gaze, yet she didn’t flinch.

Meanwhile, there was a commotion from the back.

“Look over here!”

Jake, who had been rummaging through the wardrobe, suddenly raised something high and shouted.

All attention shifted to Jake, and I turned my gaze to the item he was holding up.

It was a gun.

Jake was holding a very small, cute submachine gun, and the same type of submachine gun and bulletproof vest were carelessly littered on the floor of the wardrobe.

As if they had been hastily stuffed away.

“……”

“……”

“What the hell is that doing in a hotel room?”

Rebecca, who had maintained her neutral expression throughout our conversation, turned away, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“How on earth did that get in here…?”

“…Why would you ask that, of all people?”

“…For relief supplies?”

“……”

There was no response.

Silence was an affirmation.

“…Let’s go outside and talk.”

“Ah, yes. Let’s…”