Chapter 21: New colleagues are always welcome (2)

“W-Why am I a Leon Kingdom spy?! I’m from the Empire!”

 

Violet vehemently denied her new identity.

“Would they use someone from the Empire as an Empire spy, or someone from Leon?”

You’re already a proud spy of Leon. Accept your destiny.

-“Indeed. So, my friend, what kind of codename would you like? Adam suggested ‘Purple,’ but that sounds a bit… underwhelming. We can’t give our new recruit such a plain codename.”

The Commander chuckled, suggesting a codename change. What was wrong with “Purple”? It suited her.

“Who’s a new recruit?!”

Violet blushed and shouted.

“You are.”

“-You are.”

“Argh!”

We’d already reached an agreement that day, sharing our secrets. This feigned ignorance! Admirable for a secret agent, but unnecessary between us.

“-Really? You’re serious? If the Leon Kingdom agrees, you’ll take responsibility?”

So, I presented the irrefutable evidence: the recording device containing our conversation from that day. I’d edited out a few parts, but it was all true, so it didn’t matter.

“What’s this?”

Violet’s eyes widened as she saw the evidence.

“A recording device.”

“W-Why do you even have that?!”

Why? To protect myself from false accusations, of course.

“-Adam insisted we needed it and pestered the mages until they made one. It’s surprisingly useful, so all field agents are equipped with one. Does our new recruit need one too?”

“Our royal mages have nothing better to do. They need to develop something useful.”

It wasn’t a new invention, so it wasn’t difficult to create.

“-Or are you unhappy with the salary? I apologize to our new recruit, but the guy next to you is draining our budget, so this is the best we can offer.”

The Commander was selling me out. Such a cheap tactic in front of a new recruit!

“You haven’t been doing much lately, Commander. We could deduct it from your salary.”

“-Don’t you dare. I’m already paying your salary with my own, you little…!”

“It’s rewarding to work hard.”

“…”

Violet just blinked, watching our exchange.

“W-What?”

It’s too late. If I hand this recording over to the Empire, you’re finished. I was about to threaten her, but it seemed unnecessary.

“There’s a salary?”

“-It’s the most important part! Didn’t he tell you?”

“I mentioned taking responsibility, but we haven’t discussed the specifics yet.”

I’d forgotten, actually.

“How much?”

“-A lot, for an elite agent. We’re not stingy like Dale.”

This was true, regardless of our rivalry with Dale. Unlike Dale, which needed magic stones and various magical materials, we could get by with just swords. So, our royal budget for personnel was more generous. Dale’s support in magical materials was probably comparable, but for a foreign spy, money was more appealing.

“-It’s around this much, with additional incentives based on performance. We can exchange it for Imperial gold coins if needed…”

The amount he wrote down was… paltry. They were really short on funds. That was what I was paid five years ago…

“…I pledge my loyalty!”

It wasn’t even a tenth of my current salary, but she seemed satisfied, so I decided to keep it a secret.

****

Later that day, after officially recruiting our new field agent and assigning her to the Flower Arranging Club, I arrived at a hidden room within the academy for another meeting. And then…

“S-So…”

I was greeted with a familiar pattern. Here we go again. Come at me, fire mage. I’ll torment you just like I did with Violet.

“I’m sorry…”

“…?”

But he threw me a curveball. What the…? This was unexpected. And incredibly disconcerting.

“And thank you. Thanks to you, my prince is safe.”

He bowed his head, tears welling up in his eyes. He looked like a perfectly normal, grateful person. This was how it should be, but it made me feel like a jerk. I’d been preparing for a WWE match and got a UFC apology instead.

“Thank you… so much…”

Was this the power of tears? His heartfelt apology left me speechless, and I shifted my attention to another target.

“You said you’d take care of everything.”

I glared at Aryn, trying to hide my embarrassment. Of course, he had an excuse. It was a major incident!

“Ahem.”

Fortunately, he didn’t start crying. If this guy, who looked fifteen years older than me, had started bawling like the fire mage, I would have run. Well, then I would have just kept hitting him until he cried.

“We were prepared! But, you see…”

Of course, they were prepared. They wouldn’t have intentionally allowed Silence to run amok. This incident had tarnished the Empire’s reputation. They would be sending apologies and compensation to the kingdoms whose students were involved.

“How were you prepared?”

I initiated the WWE match anyway.

“That’s classified information!”

I knew that. But I had to do this. And he knew it too.

Glance.

Glance.

“Waaaaah!”

I needed a punching bag until the newly christened Crybaby calmed down. Where was the prince from Dale? He should just give up on Daisy, who had a low chance of becoming the main heroine anyway, and take Crybaby away…

****

“Um… sorry.”

Prince Ellen hesitantly visited me and apologized.

“It’s nothing, Your Highness. You simply prioritized your precious crush over your loyal subordinate.”

I’d fully recovered, but I groaned and acted like a patient to fuel his guilt.

“…I’m really sorry.”

Sorry, he says. I remember. He’d checked on Daisy first, not me, his friend of ten years, who was lying unconscious. They say men forget even their families when they’re infatuated, but I’d expected a bit more consideration.

He’d completely abandoned me! After the ropan group left with Daisy and Violet, I was carried away by academy staff. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt. But I wasn’t going to be sentimental about it.

“I’m. Fine.”

“You don’t look fine!”

This was my chance to guilt-trip him. This incident had been a serious wake-up call. I’d thought he wouldn’t be completely blinded by a girl he’d only known for a few months, not yet enough time to develop a deep connection. But he’d abandoned his friend of ten years at the first sign of trouble.

And hadn’t Violet told me that Prince Ellen was barely involved in the academy arc in the original story? And yet, he was already this infatuated. I dreaded what would happen later.

“I’m truly fine. So, Your Highness, why don’t you visit Daisy…”

“I was just about to visit her…”

As I spoke, the door opened, and a familiar voice echoed.

“Aha.”

I narrowed my eyes at Daisy. So this was why she was here. At my accusing gaze, Prince Ellen shook his head in denial.

“I’m disappointed.”

My expression, filled with betrayed camaraderie at being used, was enough to bring even the strongest swordsman to his knees.

****

Code name: Purple. This girl was a goldmine.

“Lorelei. Daughter of Duke Jeyka, the most prominent noble family in the Empire.”

She seemed to have read the original novel diligently, providing high-quality information.

“She’s the main antagonist?”

“…Calling her a villain is a bit… inaccurate. But she plays that role.”

After receiving her signing bonus, she’d become incredibly disciplined. She was currently displaying unwavering loyalty to me, her superior. As expected, if money couldn’t solve a problem, you just needed more money.

“Inaccurate?”

“She was practically abandoned by her fiancé, Prince Esid, but she’s trying to win him back through honest competition, not underhanded tactics.”

“Maybe she felt threatened by Daisy, the Saint?”

“That’s possible, but considering Lorelei’s personality, she’s just… a good person.”

Apparently, she was the embodiment of noblesse oblige, treating commoners with respect, volunteering at the church on weekends, and secretly running three orphanages.

“What’s with this ‘good antagonist’?”

Prince Esid, who abandoned his fiancée for another girl, and Daisy, who unwittingly stole him, seemed like the real villains.

“After graduating from the academy, she accepts her defeat and initiates the breakup, preserving the prince’s political influence. And after the demon realm explodes, she dedicates herself to protecting the Empire…”

“Stop. Let’s skip this one.”

She was too good to be used.

So, we moved on to the next character.

“Marie Ekked, protector of the Dale royal family and childhood friend of Prince Arwen…”

“Pass.”

I wanted to skip Crybaby’s profile, but…

“She falls prey to dark magic and turns evil later on.”

“….”

I’d just heard something I shouldn’t have.

“Details.”

“Unlike Lorelei, who accepts defeat gracefully, Marie becomes obsessed with winning Arwen back and ends up resorting to forbidden methods.”

“And then what?”

“Well, it was mind control, so Arwen eventually frees her. But she loses her position as protector, becomes an outcast in her family, and then seeks redemption after the demon realm explodes.”

“Ugh…”

I would have ignored it if she’d been a crazy character from the beginning, but the only seemingly normal person turning evil felt… wrong.

“Let’s create a redemption arc for her.”

“Do you approve, senior?”

Violet muttered, and I casually flipped her off.

“Arwen will be her redeemer.”

“Aw…”

While there were stories where extras seduced heroines, I wasn’t interested in romance in this damned ropan world. Crybaby… you lived because you were kind. Since Santa didn’t exist in this world, I would protect his pure love as a gift.

Of course, I would only offer support, not a guaranteed happy ending. Work harder, Crybaby!

“Next…”

The following reports were surprising.

“There’s a girl for every male lead, huh?”

As expected of a ropan world, I thought, but…

“No, this is just the beginning of the first-year arc. We’ll get some senior characters later, and next year, more juniors will arrive.”

“…Report back at the end of the year.”

“Yes, sir!”

Violet saluted, and I felt a sense of impending doom.