Ch.170Episode 10 – Turn Your Course to the North-Northwest

After searching all the parking lots near the townhouse, I found an old car that matched the key in a deserted alley.

I checked that no one was inside the vehicle, looked around, and quickly climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Ughh…”

It was freezing. The weather was miserable due to the unusual cold wave, and the vehicle buried under heavy snow was completely frozen. I used the delivered key to start the engine and turned the heater up full blast.

The warm air thawed my body. I might actually survive this.

I cupped my hands together and blew hot breath into them. For several minutes, I remained motionless, rubbing my body to maintain some warmth.

By the time my frozen limbs began to thaw, I pulled out a plastic-wrapped notebook from inside my coat.

“Let’s see…”

As I removed the plastic, the cold notebook dropped into my palm. The small notebook, just big enough to fit in one hand, was filled with indecipherable numbers.

With practiced movements, I found a piece of paper and a pencil tucked into the sun visor. It was a random number card.

It took less than five minutes to decode the cipher by comparing the random number card with the notebook. The back of the number-filled front page contained an address, code words, and several short sentences.

[Must determine surveillance status before arrival.]

[Communication equipment without encryption function prohibited. In case of emergency, contact the designated number.]

[Check the leather case delivered before departure.]

Standard stuff. I memorized the address and number, pushed the snow off the windshield with the wipers, and opened the leather case.

Clunk. The familiar feel of metal touched my palm. I placed the object from the leather case on my palm, stared at it for a while, then tucked it into my waistband while muttering.

“…A Christmas present?”

It was a new pistol.

Episode 10 – Turn to the North-Northwest

Despite its appearance, the old car was a quality vehicle. The tank was also completely full.

I drove toward the designated address. Even as I traveled down roads devoid of other vehicles after leaving the capital, I constantly checked to make sure no one was following me.

After an hour of driving through the raging snowstorm, I arrived at a residential complex on the outskirts of the Abas capital.

After circling through deserted streets, I stopped in front of a man walking his dog with a cigarette in his mouth.

“……”

Though a stranger had just stepped out of a car, the man didn’t even glance my way.

He lit his cigarette, stroked his dog a few times, then tossed his barely-smoked cigarette into the alley and quietly entered his house.

After checking my surroundings one last time, I followed him through the door he had left open.

“How have you been?”

As I spoke while removing my coat, the man opened his mouth. My coat was taken by a woman, though they didn’t appear to be family.

“I was disappointed by the lack of contact, but I’m glad you came, even if late.”

“Shall we check the goods first? I need something to give as a gift.”

“Let’s do that.”

At the man’s gesture, people sitting around the kitchen table gathered. The woman who had taken my coat used electronic detection equipment to check for bugs, while others approached with similar devices to scan my body. The man observed this while pulling out a new cigarette.

Finally, after a thorough body search, the people nodded to signal the all-clear, and the smoking man gestured for them to step back.

The woman returned my coat and held out her hand.

“Car keys, please.”

She took the keys and passed them to a man who had emerged from the kitchen. He was similar to me in build, and his black hair meant he could be mistaken for me from a distance, especially in this blizzard.

He gave me a small nod of greeting before leaving through the door I had entered.

The sound of a powerful engine roared. Through the curtains, I could see my car driving away.

The woman checked outside and locked the entrance door, and everyone returned to gather around the kitchen table. Despite the old stove with its cast iron pan and teapot, the table was stacked with audio detection equipment and radios that would never be found in an ordinary home.

While intelligence officers wearing headsets scanned for eavesdropping devices, the man who had finished his cigarette rose and tapped my forearm.

“Follow me.”

He opened a door leading to another alley.

We emerged into an alley surrounded by narrow, high walls and building exteriors. The scene was dramatically different from what I’d just witnessed, as if the previous scenes had been an illusion. The atmosphere had completely changed just by stepping through a single door.

We walked silently through the alley.

The red bricks made me realize how old the buildings in this street were. The windows had bars rarely seen outside slums, and overgrown fence plants rose high as if trying to escape the alley. A cat rummaging through black garbage bags sensed our presence and retreated to a corner with a mournful cry. Though it hissed fiercely at the man, he continued walking with his hands in his pockets, not even glancing at it.

I noticed his left coat was hanging slightly lower. Perhaps he had a pistol.

I walked quietly through the alley, lost in random thoughts.

As the maze-like alleys began to end, the man leading the way slowed down, looked around, and pointed to a door beside us. No explanation was given, but I understood.

I opened the back door of a house and entered. There was no knock, so naturally no one came to greet me. I wasn’t even sure who lived here.

“Is anyone here?”

There was no answer. I brushed the snow off my shoulders and waited a moment, but there was still no guide.

The living room door was slightly ajar. I gently pushed it open with my finger.

The living room was dark. Despite the cloudy weather, it was even darker due to white curtains meticulously covering the windows. Only a small stove in the corner provided the room’s sole light source with its burning logs.

Opposite the stove, where the warmth reached best, was a sofa.

A head protruded from that sofa.

I quietly approached and greeted the person sitting there.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Why so late?”

“The heavy snow made driving difficult.”

“…Tsk.”

The seasoned intelligence officer sitting languidly on the sofa pointed to a recliner.

“Sit.”

It was Leoni.

*

I was enjoying my vacation when the company contacted me. I found the car using the key left in my mailbox and decoded the cipher using the notebook and the disposable random number card in the vehicle. That’s how I confirmed the orders from the Military Intelligence Bureau.

We call this method of finding and using items left at predetermined locations a “dead drop.”

Mailboxes, storage units, subway lockers, inside trash cans, under rocks, on building exteriors, in sewers, under park benches, and so on. Broadly speaking, even the “dead box” made famous by communist spies falls under the category of dead drops.

I threw the notebook and random number card into the metal stove. They immediately caught fire and burned to black. Must be made of highly flammable ink.

“I haven’t been able to contact you since you were dispatched to the Royal Intelligence Department. How have you been?”

Leoni replied in a gruff voice.

“What, are you annoyed that this old woman returned without dying?”

It was the tone of an ill-tempered old woman, but I was so used to it that I just smiled in response.

“Such disrespect… Getting that major’s insignia must have gone to your head. In my day, we trembled at the sight of seniors with the same rank, let alone colonels. You’ve got some nerve.”

“I was on vacation when the company contacted me. Why did you summon me?”

The elderly intelligence officer leaned back on the sofa and answered.

“Weren’t you the type to come when called by the company without reason? I remember you had that strange disposition.”

“Me? When was that?”

Despite working for intelligence agencies for over ten years, I couldn’t recall ever doing such a thing. Who would come to work without reason? That’s crazy.

“Right. Come to think of it, you didn’t come without reason. Your brain was so sharp that while your peers were struggling with their assignments, you’d finish everything and clock out early.”

“Haha…”

“When others couldn’t recruit informants or write reports and got chewed out, you were the only one building your network, right? If I remember correctly, you got rid of your assistant tag in less than a year. Seems like you’ve gotten soft after rolling around at headquarters for a few years.”

Leoni cackled, spewing what might have been curses or compliments. Due to her age, it wasn’t the same laugh as before, just the sound of air escaping her lungs.

Nevertheless, her laughter still carried that unique aura. A kind of inexplicable pressure.

If she had retired and I had gained more experience, I wouldn’t have felt this pressure, but unfortunately, I was a newly promoted major of less than a year, and her peers still wielded influence in the military with stars on their shoulders.

So instead of rushing her, I quietly smiled and maintained silence. Rank really is everything.

“How is it, returning to fieldwork? Is it tough?”

“……”

When I kept my mouth shut, perhaps bored with talking alone, Leoni groaned and sat up.

I wasn’t sure why Leoni had summoned me, but calling someone on vacation to a safe house suggested it wasn’t an ordinary matter.

…Actually, I had some idea, but I deliberately avoided voicing it.

But Leoni was one step ahead. The veteran intelligence officer’s piercing eyes glinted faintly in the darkness.

“Yes. I think what you’re guessing is probably right.”

“……”

“I called you about the work you’ll be handling from now on.”

*

The topic Leoni brought up was something I already knew about. More precisely, I had heard about it.

After being discharged from the hospital following the terrorist incident, I attended a “committee” meeting on Klevins’ orders. There, the committee members “suggested” (forced) that I join a “newly established organization,” and I naturally expected to take on new duties after my vacation ended.

There were a few other things mentioned at that “committee” meeting. One was the reorganization of intelligence agencies.

All of Abas’s intelligence agencies would be reorganized to match the changing security environment. I didn’t know when or to what extent, but the Military Intelligence Bureau was certainly included.

Since it’s a military intelligence agency.

I’m not sure how it will change. However, one thing is certain.

“I’ll be overseeing the foreign intelligence operations of the Military Intelligence Bureau.”

Leoni had returned.

She had returned to the Military Intelligence Bureau after being dispatched to the Royal Intelligence Department. She didn’t say it directly, but the last time I saw Leoni, she was a colonel, so she might be a brigadier general now.

To achieve such a difficult promotion to general officer rank. Truly remarkable ability.

Leoni leaned back on the sofa, resting her arm on the backrest. Rather than appearing dignified, she looked limp and exhausted, without any trace of arrogance. She continued speaking slowly, looking tired.

“When a major incident happened during my time as the Lushan station chief and I was exiled to the Royal Intelligence Department, I thought my promotion path was blocked. Life is full of surprises.”

“Ah, yes. Congratulations. What should I call you now?”

“Let’s skip trivial things like titles. They’re not important.”

So she says. I thought she might have softened after transferring to the Royal Intelligence Department, but seeing how she still bluntly says whatever she wants, she seems as vigorous as ever.

While congratulating Leoni on her promotion, I thought for a moment.

Right. I understand that Leoni has returned and is taking charge of foreign operations. However it happened, that’s what was decided from above, so it’s not for me to question.

But.

What happens to Klevins now? Wasn’t he supposed to be the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau?

It’s funny to say this now, but things seem to have gotten quite tangled. The storyline, specifically.

I wanted to ask what had happened to him, but considering the peculiar relationship between her and Klevins, I couldn’t easily bring it up.

The Military Intelligence Bureau has fierce competition between domestic and foreign departments. While promotion competition exists in any intelligence agency, this was on another level.

I carefully asked:

“So what happens to the Military Intelligence Bureau now?”

But it wasn’t Leoni who answered.

“It’s changing completely.”

Klevins appeared, opening the living room door. A cold draft entered with him, suggesting he had just arrived.

Though his appearance was sudden, I understood the situation and stood to greet him.

“You’re here.”

“Ah, it’s been a while. Did you get home safely yesterday?”

“Yes, I did.”

Klevins strode into the living room. He shook off the snow from his coat and removed his leather gloves, smiling good-naturedly.

Then he addressed Leoni sitting on the sofa:

“Did you get home safely? I was concerned about keeping you out so late at your age.”

“I wish that concern would continue to trouble you.”

“Haha, what a joke…”

It was hard to believe this was a conversation between two brigadier generals (provisional).

I had heard rumors that they didn’t get along well, and I had some idea from Klevins’ previous reactions, but this was something else.

Klevins greeted her first as his senior, which suggested they might be close, but her age-related jab suggested otherwise. Yet he didn’t ignore her and responded, indicating their relationship wasn’t entirely bad, but Leoni’s reaction suggested otherwise.

Anyway, not knowing what might happen if I left things as they were, I decided to take the initiative and change the flow.

“What do you mean the company is changing?”

“Exactly what I said—it’s being reorganized. Didn’t you get an explanation? Since you arrived first, I assumed you had.”

“……”

Having entered the living room and claimed a seat, he raised two fingers and began explaining.

As mentioned by the committee, Abas’s intelligence agencies had begun a major reorganization.

The Military Intelligence Bureau, which had started the reorganization, was actively discussing two options. I was somewhat puzzled that they hadn’t finalized a plan yet, but after hearing Klevins’ explanation, I understood.

“The Prime Minister’s will is firm.”

“Ah.”

“It’s sudden, but he’s so stubborn that we have no choice. On the Minister’s orders, we’ve established a task force.”

When the VIP says jump, what can you do but ask how high? In a democratic country, elected officials are invincible and godlike.

The Military Intelligence Bureau reorganization task force was considering two options. One was to expand the Military Intelligence Bureau into the “Military Intelligence General Bureau,” and the other was to change the internal organization of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

“If it changes to a General Bureau system, the existing departments, offices, and rooms will be promoted to bureaus. It’s easier to understand if you think of it as maintaining the original form of existing departments while increasing their size.”

“Then what about the other method?”

“Consolidation.”

“Ah.”

The first option is a relatively moderate approach.

For now, it just increases the size of the major departments under the Military Intelligence Bureau chief.

Since the departments remain, the personnel working there will naturally be maintained, and the work won’t be significantly different from before, he says.

If this method is adopted, the Military Intelligence Bureau chief will become the “Military Intelligence General Bureau chief,” and all department heads, deputy heads, and office heads will become “bureau chiefs.”

General Bureau chief. Somehow it reminds me of the Reconnaissance General Bureau and Intelligence General Bureau—slightly communist-sounding.

Conversely, the second option was quite radical, and the reason I thought so was simple.

It involved consolidating departments under the Military Intelligence Bureau chief and establishing new departments. This is a highly problematic approach.

An office that was functioning perfectly fine yesterday might disappear when you arrive at work, or intelligence officers handling different tasks might be crammed into one office and bundled as a team.

Of course, given that this is a reorganization that the VIP is paying attention to, such haphazard administration is unlikely to occur, but the word “consolidation” carries enough weight to make intelligence officers shudder.

Creating new departments is also problematic.

It’s obvious that the practitioners gathered to create new departments will argue and fight over which department’s personnel to take and which backgrounds to primarily include.

It may seem petty, but when livelihoods are at stake, it’s unavoidable.

When someone takes a position, someone else must vacate one. Therefore, if the second option is adopted, a large-scale purge would certainly occur.

Since the purge would be aimed at strengthening the intelligence agency’s functions, intelligence officers who lag even slightly behind others would be the first to go.

“Whew…”

I can almost hear the wails of employees who have already submitted their resignations. I dug my finger in my ear to shake off the auditory hallucination.

“Of course, you won’t be purged. You’ll be working in an entirely different environment.”

Klevins added what wasn’t quite a joke.

“Just in case, I’m asking—have you changed your mind? If you’ve had a change of heart, you could still work comfortably at the embassy.”

“It’s fine. My thoughts remain exactly the same.”

Klevins nodded once and began explaining about the department where I would work.

“From now on, you’ll work in a newly established organization. It’s an organization with participants who have gained experience in various organizations, including intelligence departments. You can consider it a kind of secondment.”

My responsibilities there would be intelligence collection and information analysis.

Of course, that wouldn’t be all I’d do (the committee clearly described it as quasi-military operations), but since the basic duties of an intelligence officer are intelligence collection and analysis, I accepted it. Besides, assassination operations don’t happen every day.

I nodded and asked about Pippin and Jake’s whereabouts.

“What about my subordinates?”

“Those friends will naturally follow you.”

“Oh, have you already asked for their opinions? I haven’t received any contact.”

“Do we really need to ask about that?”

They just told them to do it without asking. Why do we never have choices? Is this really a democratic country?

I felt a surge of resentment. Should I really form a union?

“Your duties won’t be limited to that. If necessary, you may be deployed in various black operations, including quasi-military operations.”

“Will I be going as support, or will I be directly involved?”

“That can’t be determined now. It will depend on the field situation.”

That meant I might end up in the field if I’m unlucky.

I wonder if I’ll really end up on another assassination mission here. I’ve already done it once, though.

“The person who makes that judgment and gives you orders won’t be me. Although I may participate in the decision-making, I won’t be directly in your chain of command. Your superior will be someone else.”

Klevins pointed at Leoni. It seemed like a moment that called for a solemn atmosphere, but she just sat there with an indifferent expression, looking as if she found everything in the world bothersome.

“Annoyed?”

“Not at all. Ahaha…”

“Despite what I said, there aren’t that many quasi-military operations. You won’t be cutting off someone’s head right away.”

Leoni added briefly:

“There are other tasks for you.”

She bounced up from the sofa and began explaining the operations I would be handling.

“You’ll need to resolve a few matters in the Empire for us. As quietly as possible.”

Her orders were numerous, but can be summarized as follows:

1. Collect information on the “merchant” who sold black magic devices to terrorists being investigated by the Joint Investigation Team.

2. Monitor the movements of Mage Tower Oracle Committee members staying in or planning to visit the Empire. Focus especially on committee members approaching Francesca.

3. Contact Imperial royal family members and government officials to establish relationships.

4. Collect all information regarding the war situation in the northern conflict zone.

Plus minor tasks like attending defense industry exhibitions, events hosted by the Ministry of Defense and Foreign Affairs, photographing military parades, and recruiting low-level informants.

Since my next assignment was the Empire, all operations were premised on being conducted there.

“The whole country is already unsettled with talk of demons and whatnot, so there’s no need to act out and irritate people. The north is off-limits even to citizens, foreigners are being criticized for excessive espionage, and the Emperor is nowhere to be seen… Whoever did this, they’re quite something. Innocent branch office employees have suffered greatly as a result.”

“Haha…”

“Still, someone has to fill the gap, right?”

Since intelligence officers were all expelled after the last incident and the Empire branch was destroyed, she was telling me, as the instigator of the incident, to pick up the slack.

Although it hadn’t been officially announced that Camilla and her party were going to the Empire, it was already half-officially accepted in diplomatic circles. More precisely, the Empire’s Foreign Ministry was leaking it everywhere. They need to put out their own fires first, so they’re telling others not to interfere.

Speaking of Camilla, I wonder what happened with her physical condition—the fainting when using magic.

The Advanced Military Magic Research Institute has been normalized, and we’ve sent some filtered data to the Mage Tower researchers, so maybe something has come up. I just hope there’s no serious problem.

Amidst these various thoughts swirling in my head, Leoni’s voice brought me back from my reverie.

“Of course, I’m not saying you have to do all that alone, but there’s something you need to do right now.”

“What is that?”

“The orders are being drafted downstairs right now, so you’ll check the details before departure. But to summarize…”

Leoni paused, as if contemplating something.

Finally, the experienced intelligence officer summarized the complex operation in one word.

“Defection.”

We need you to bring someone out of the Empire.