Ch.140Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

# Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

After staying out overnight for the first time in a while, people came to visit me. They were my colleagues.

Though flustered by their sudden visit, I couldn’t leave guests standing outside as that would be impolite, so I invited my colleagues in.

“Please come in.”

Through my dazed mind, I heard the sound of luggage being wheeled in.

Countless handshake requests followed.

Starting with Camilla, then Lucia, and Francesca. The guests who had come to Abas greeted me warmly, and I stood at the entrance, shaking hands with them in a bewildered state.

“It’s been a while. We were worried since there was no contact for a week, but you seem to be doing well.”

“Official duties kept me busy… I apologize, Saint Lucia.”

“Are you feeling alright, Officer?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Administrator.”

My colleagues, whom I was meeting after a week, welcomed me with genuinely happy expressions. Lucia and Francesca briefly exchanged greetings and presented gifts.

“I apologize for visiting without an invitation. This is tea made from herbs grown at the Cataline Monastery.”

“Oh my, you shouldn’t have…”

Herbal tea directly cultivated and blessed by monks from the famous monastery, wine from the southern region of Fatalia known for its unique color and high sugar content, a tea set crafted by an artisan, Bishikir honey rumored to be more expensive than its weight in gold, and more.

Finding myself laden with gift packages from this sudden visit, I guided the guests to the reception room, promising to bring tea, and quickly headed to the kitchen.

“…”

What on earth is going on here?

When people are too shocked, they momentarily become speechless and their minds go blank. That was my situation right now.

I woke up to find people who should be at the Magic Tower suddenly visiting Abas. Moreover, they didn’t just visit randomly—they found exactly where I was staying. There had been no prior notice, and I hadn’t received any information from the company.

I put water in the kettle and picked up the kitchen telephone, falling into contemplation. I didn’t know who to contact.

I didn’t know who to call, and I had no idea how to explain this situation.

“Are you alright?”

“…Camilla?”

*

“I came to see if I could help. Do you need anything?”

Camilla asked, blinking her bright blue eyes. I shook my head lightly and took out tea leaves from the cupboard.

As the properly preheated kettle began to whistle and emit steam, I finished gathering my thoughts and spoke while adding the tea leaves.

“No, but why are you suddenly here? Weren’t you supposed to be at the Magic Tower? I didn’t hear anything about you coming.”

“I came because I was worried. Someone who supposedly returned home hasn’t sent any word that they arrived safely for over a week.”

Camilla retorted as if asking why I would question something so obvious.

Wondering what she meant, I thought for a moment and suddenly realized that I hadn’t contacted anyone since returning home. More precisely, according to Military Intelligence regulations, those under internal investigation couldn’t contact anyone, which was why I couldn’t send any news.

So that’s why they came all the way to Abas.

I sighed in relief and took out four teacups.

“Ah, I thought something had happened. I had some urgent matters to attend to, so I couldn’t contact anyone. It was a situation where I wasn’t allowed to communicate with the outside.”

“Oh, this is just like a movie scenario. Can you tell me what it was about?”

“It’s classified.”

“Tch.”

Camilla clicked her tongue briefly. Her attitude suggested she’d heard an unfunny joke.

“As I’ve repeatedly told you, don’t take an interest in this line of work. Do you know how many people have ruined their lives by getting tangled up in this…?”

“It seems too late for that kind of warning.”

“You’re acting like a full-time employee when you were just an intern. Enough joking around—since you’re here, help me out.”

I prepared refreshments for the guests with Camilla’s help in the kitchen. True to her British nature, Camilla immediately found desserts that would complement the tea after opening the refrigerator and cupboard.

“Oh, these biscuits are similar to digestives? They’re my favorite.”

“Camilla, is there any cookie you don’t like? You eat them almost every day.”

“It’s not every day!”

“Ah, yes…”

If that’s what she says, I’ll take her word for it.

I shook my head and brought out milk to make milk tea, while Camilla, with a slightly sulky face, grumbled and took out a cookie from the cupboard.

“I’ll have this one.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a snack I haven’t seen before, but it looks like a Scotch Finger. Do you know what Scotch Fingers are? They were what I ate most when I went to Australia…”

“Australia? Camilla, have you been to Australia?”

“Yes.”

“Did you go there to make it a colony again?”

-Whack!

The girl from the no-longer-so-great British Empire kicked my shin. I rubbed my slightly stinging shin, while Camilla fumed like someone whose trigger had been pressed.

“What colony! I went there for an exchange with Australians during my internship. What era are you talking about!”

“Well, coming from the country that created the most independence days…”

“Oh, really! Will you be quiet?!”

Perhaps embarrassed by the legacy of the British Empire, Camilla covered my mouth with her face turning bright red. Maybe it’s because she’s white, but her face was quite flushed.

Come to think of it, she visited Australia for an exchange during her SIS internship. I know that Commonwealth intelligence agencies maintain active exchanges, so Camilla probably went there for that reason.

Leaving behind Camilla, who threatened to punish me if I made one more strange comment about colonies, I finished preparing the tea and got ready to take it to the reception room.

Even during all this, Camilla couldn’t suppress her talkative nature and stuck by my side, continuously chattering about various things.

“The Magic Tower was quite different from what I imagined.”

“What did you expect?”

“Since it’s called a ‘tower,’ I thought it would look like Isengard. Have you seen The Lord of the Rings?”

“It’s a masterpiece of the century. One of the movies I watched a lot when I had nothing to do overseas.”

“Actually, I imagined Hogwarts more than Isengard… Well, there wasn’t anything particularly special about it. Not many elves either.”

There seems to be quite a difference between the fantasy world Camilla imagined and the world she’s currently in. She began endlessly comparing this place with the fantasy worlds from movies she had seen.

The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Thor, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Witcher, Bright, and so on. Looking at it now, there were TV shows mixed in with the movies.

“Oh, by the way, on the way here, I saw someone who looked like Thanos.”

“Thanos…? That purple alien?”

“Hmm. His skin wasn’t purple, but he looked similar to the actor.”

“That person. Where did you meet him?”

“At the airport? No, did I see him again just now…?”

Camilla tilted her head, saying she might have seen someone similar nearby.

I quietly put down the kettle and approached the window to check the surroundings of the townhouse.

It was well past the weekday commuting hours. Being a residential area with no shops or offices, there weren’t many vehicles or pedestrians on the street, which made it easy for me to distinguish between civilians going about their business and surveillance operatives loitering around.

There were three of them. One in the driver’s seat of a car, another next to a public phone booth, and the last one standing on the sidewalk behind a parked vehicle on the roadside.

As I examined the surveillance operatives, I realized why Camilla had specifically described one as “someone who looked like Thanos” when I saw the face of the last operative.

He had abundant hair but a face that looked exactly the same.

“…Camilla. The tea and snacks are on the tray, so please take them first. I need to go upstairs briefly to take care of something.”

I discreetly sent Camilla to the living room, drew the curtains, and went upstairs.

*

Coming back downstairs, the fragrant aroma of black tea filled the air.

I buttoned up my outer garment and made my way to the living room.

“Sorry for the delay. Something urgent came to mind.”

“No, it’s fine. We should be the ones apologizing for visiting without notice.”

Lucia gently waved her hand with a smile that appeared benevolent at first glance.

“I believe this is the first time we’re meeting outside the Magic Tower. Is this your first visit to Abas?”

“Yes, it is. It feels like we’ve been apart for a long time, even though it’s only been a week, Officer.”

Francesca also responded with a light smile.

I greeted both of them, quietly drew the curtains, and took a seat.

The first thing I noticed was their attire.

Lucia, who usually adhered to plain clothes similar to priestly garments at the Magic Tower to avoid political controversy, was rarely wearing what could truly be called casual clothes—a turtleneck shirt that covered her neck.

Francesca, who always wore a cape befitting a mage, had today removed her cape and was only wearing a cardigan over a white shirt.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen both of you in casual clothes.”

“I like these clothes, but they were gifts, so it’s a shame I can’t wear them often.”

“They must be gifts from someone special. They suit you, Saint.”

They must be gifts from Veronica.

Lucia smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Francesca, who was also close to Veronica, nodded with a smile, and Camilla…

“Munch munch.”

She was preoccupied with the tea and cookies.

I was about to say something about when she would ever start watching her weight, but seeing the others present, I refrained from scolding her. Today, I’ll just let her enjoy herself.

“It’s good to see you in Abas. I heard from Camilla. You came because you couldn’t reach me?”

“Yes.”

“I was too busy with official duties to contact you. If you had sent word through the representative office, I could have at least gone to meet you. It’s a shame.”

I picked up my teacup with a light smile.

The three seemed to have entered the country without visas. Someone of a Saint’s stature could usually enter without a visa, and Fatalia was an allied country that didn’t require separate visas. As for Camilla, she was someone who could go anywhere in the world, with or without money.

“…”

I took a sip of black tea and thought.

By now, the Foreign Ministry must be in a state of emergency. It would be strange if there wasn’t a commotion when a Saint and a Hero entered the country without prior notice. The same goes for the intelligence department. Since Francesca is a person of interest to the National Security Bureau, the NSB intelligence officers at the Fatalia Embassy, who would have been contacted by their home country’s foreign ministry or Magic Tower branch, would have started moving, and naturally, the Abas intelligence agencies would also be on high alert.

This is why high-ranking individuals should always inform those around them before going anywhere. It seemed that Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca hadn’t thought that far ahead.

They’re such troublemakers.

By now, I could roughly picture the situation at the company. It’s predictable without even seeing it.

Everyone who could go out on field duty would be rushing out, team leaders would be pressuring their subordinates to quickly assess the situation, and office workers would be busy on the phone trying to figure out what was happening.

Of course, it’s not my business.

“I apologize for causing you concern unintentionally. By the way, where is Saint Veronica now…?”

“Ah, of course, she came too.”

The 59th Saint of the Order, Lucia, discussed the whereabouts of the 58th Saint, Veronica. Perhaps out of habit from attending to Veronica, Lucia naturally used honorifics even in private.

“She had some business at the embassy, so she couldn’t come. She’ll be here soon.”

I nodded with a brief sigh.

Given that she went to the embassy, it seems Veronica went to handle the entry issues for these three.

Coming in a group just because I didn’t contact them for a few days. We’re not the Umigwan gang or something, what’s this all about?

“Anyway, I’m glad that contrary to our concerns, there doesn’t seem to be any major problem. It was just a needless worry.”

“Haha. Well, it was my oversight for not contacting you. By the way… what are your plans now?”

I carefully asked while glancing at the suitcases and travel bags neatly placed in the corner of the living room.

Setting aside the fact that they came looking for me because they couldn’t reach me, I couldn’t understand why they brought so much luggage. It made me uneasy.

As I was cautiously observing with that uneasy feeling, sure enough, a thunderbolt-like statement came from Francesca’s mouth.

“We’re here on vacation. None of us have had a break for months.”

“Excuse me?”

“We heard that you were on leave, so we thought it would be nice to rest together… Have you not started your vacation yet…?”

“No, that’s not it. Who told you I was on leave?”

“Well, of course, Saint Veronica…”

“…”

“Is there a problem?”

“…No problem.”

Probably.

“…”

Day 1 of my vacation after several months.

And that’s how an unplanned travel itinerary was set.