Ch.191Episode 10 – Turn Your Course to the North-Northwest

I momentarily doubted my ears.

I thought my Kiyen language skills had deteriorated during my time at headquarters, causing me to misunderstand.

But that wasn’t it.

“Hey, did I hear that wrong? Didn’t they just say ‘conscription’?”

“No, you heard right. But I thought his daughter hadn’t graduated from the Academy yet.”

While the intelligence officers were murmuring among themselves, I found the documents and checked the informant’s family details.

Name: Vasily Vladimirovich Karatsev (Василий Владимирович Карацев)

Gender: Male

Family: 1 spouse (female, housewife), 1 child (female, currently attending the Imperial Academy’s Magic Department)

Residence: Petrograd (Петроград), Ulitsa Street 3-25 Apartment

Occupation: Policy Advisor to a Member of Parliament (Imperial Central Party, three-term congressman, secretary of the Defense Committee)

Classification: Local Agent

The military attaché, like the military officers observing the interrogation room, couldn’t hide his confusion.

-“I understand your child is currently attending the Academy. Is that correct, Mr. Vasily?”

-“Yes. She’s a third-year student in the Magic Department of the Imperial Academy.”

-“I’ve heard that sometimes magic manifests later in life, causing adults to enter the Academy. Is your daughter such a case?”

-“No. My daughter reached the age of majority under Imperial law this year.”

-“I see. But how could someone with a heart condition be subject to conscription? Does that make any sense?”

His speech was choppy, as if he himself couldn’t believe what he was saying. Unlike the military attaché who looked incredulous, the policy advisor nodded as if it were plausible.

Suddenly, he sighed and lowered his head.

-“I know it sounds absurd. But what can we do when this is our reality…?”

-“Would you mind telling us what happened?”

The informant recalled the past.

-“It wasn’t that long ago.”

Episode 10 – Change Course to North-Northwest

It was a humiliating time.

The conflict with the Magic Kingdom had passed its third year, entered its fourth, and was now approaching its fifth.

Under the martial law and the curfew that followed, along with information control, the general public had no idea what was happening in the north. Even soldiers only heard bits and pieces through colleagues and seniors who had been dispatched there.

Then an order came down from the Imperial Palace.

‘The military shall promptly devise countermeasures for the northern border situation.’

It was an order issued in the name of the Crown Prince.

Since military authority in the Kiyen Empire rests with the Emperor, it was clearly an overreach for the Crown Prince to issue orders to the military. But no one in the Empire was bold enough to openly discuss the internal affairs of the Imperial family.

Thus, the officials assumed that the Crown Prince was beginning the succession process to inherit military authority with the Emperor’s tacit approval.

The Crown Prince’s order was immediately conveyed to the military.

The military generals did their utmost to devise solutions to resolve the Empire-Magic Kingdom conflict.

“To gain the upper hand in the battles taking place in the north and stabilize the occupied areas, we need to deploy additional standing divisions from the southern, eastern, and western military districts.”

“We need to send equipment, materials, and workers to the north to repair the road networks destroyed by the actions of the magic folk and some reactionary elements.”

“Also, effective stabilization operations require a cooperative system between the military, government, and civilians.”

“But realistically, many voices suggest the need for a unified command and control system under a military government. With all due respect to His Highness the Grand Duke who has served the Empire and the north diligently for the past century…”

But as with all plans, problems arose from unexpected quarters.

The Imperial Treasury expressed opposition, warning that the national coffers might be depleted, and it was difficult to find companies and civilians willing to go north to repair roads and railways.

Above all, the units stationed in the south, east, and west needed to remain vigilant against foreign invasions, so there was significant opposition even within the military.

“What about large-scale recruitment? We could draft legislation through the standing committee to provide benefits to those who serve in the conflict zone for a certain period.”

“The Treasury would love that idea. How can we provide benefits when they’re already talking about reducing pensions?”

“Then what about additional conscription?”

“We’re already recruiting troops from ethnic minorities within the Empire. A nationwide conscription would likely cause backlash. I believe maintaining the current recruitment system is preferable.”

At that moment,

A general proposed an astounding idea.

“What about mobilizing magicians?”

“…Magicians? All military magicians have already been sent north. Only retired magicians remain, and why would they want to go north?”

“No, not those magicians. I mean magicians who haven’t enlisted yet.”

He was suggesting sending magicians from the Academy and universities to the north.

To put it more bluntly, he was proposing to send freshly adult college students and high school students to the battlefield.

Naturally, there was an outcry against such a crazy idea, but as the war situation began to deteriorate, the military became desperate.

The military compiled various proposals, including that nonsense, and submitted them to the Imperial Palace. The Palace then ordered the Defense Committee, the relevant standing committee, to review which laws could be applied.

After combing through the military service law provisions,

They successfully found a legal basis for mobilizing students from universities and the Academy’s Magic Department.

*

-“…Under the Imperial Military Service Law, magicians are subject to mobilization at any time. The laws of Abas and Fatalia also include magicians as targets for wartime mobilization.”

The policy advisor to the secretary of the Defense Committee explained.

-“Even the most hardline faction of the military cannot conscript minors by law, but those who are 18 or older—legally adults—meaning third-year Academy students and above, can be conscripted.”

-“Is that really feasible? There would be ethical controversies.”

-“I’ve been involved in defense policy for over a decade, since my time at the Ministry of Defense.”

The advisor explained the Empire’s military system.

-“Magicians are nationally precious human assets. Our military has been particularly attentive to the military applications of magic for the past century and has worked hard to train combat magicians for decades. One result of this is the field practice evaluation process at the Academy’s Magic Department.”

Field practice evaluation.

It’s one of the systems for evaluating magicians studying at the Academy.

Dealing with low-risk monsters, or preparing potions for patients in clinics and hospitals.

Students help where their abilities are needed, and the Academy evaluates them.

Through this process, students can earn points necessary for university admission, and those with outstanding performance may receive scholarships.

Students can also receive small payments from the requesting parties to use as pocket money, so magic students from financially struggling families or those aspiring to attend university often participate in field practice evaluations.

Of course, the requesting parties also benefit by being able to call upon magicians at a “reasonable price.”

Notably, the Ministry of Defense is the organization that uses field practice evaluations the most.

-“While there may be variations between countries, in the Empire, military training for underage magicians is clearly part of the educational curriculum. It’s common for the Academy to establish sister relationships with military units and regularly send students there.”

-“I’m aware of that. The situation is similar in Abas.”

The military attaché got to the point.

-“So the Imperial Ministry of Defense plans to contract with third-year magic students who have reached legal adulthood and dispatch them to the north. Is that correct?”

The advisor nodded with a bitter expression.

-“Military units are the easiest places to earn points in field practice evaluations. A few hours of education, a few training sessions, and points accumulate quickly. They pay the request fees on time and even award scholarships to high performers.”

-“Then what does ‘conscription target’ mean?”

-“The military plans to designate quotas proportional to the number of students. It means they could be forced to go even if they don’t want to.”

As mentioned earlier, students who desperately need field practice evaluations are those without money or those who want to go to university.

The Imperial Ministry of Defense could use the existing system to send students north, or they could make separate contracts with students to encourage military enlistment.

But saying they would forcibly draft students if numbers were insufficient sounded like complete nonsense even to me.

In response, the military attaché, an active-duty soldier, questioned the advisor.

-“But the north is a place where bullets fly, isn’t it? No matter if they’re legally adults and magicians, sending students to such a place…”

-“It’s clearly inefficient and morally problematic. I know that. The military knows it too.”

No matter how crazy the Imperial military might be, they’re not completely devoid of sane individuals.

And even the hardliners weren’t reckless enough to throw freshly adult students onto the frontlines just to drive out the magic folk.

-“Students sent north would serve in the rear, not on the frontlines. They would help engineers repair railways and roads, make potions in field hospitals, and occasionally deal with monsters that break through the defense lines and head south.”

-“…”

-“Think of them not as protagonists of the war, but as auxiliary roles supporting the military.”

What a pathetic excuse.

Pushing students who had just turned nineteen or twenty into a war zone and saying “it’s fine because they’ll be serving in the safe rear areas as support.”

Even I, who prided myself on having seen all sorts of shit in life, was left speechless.

The military attaché and other intelligence officers were no different.

“I know we also do military training for kids…”

“Hey, that’s not training. It’s just putting students to sleep in front of magic projectors. I know because I used to be in charge of education.”

“Fuck, now they’re even dragging kids into this. Pushing students to save the country…”

“Are they in their right minds talking about a spring offensive next year?”

While the intelligence officers’ voices wouldn’t reach the interrogation room, the advisor hung his head in shame.

He seemed to be experiencing a strong moment of post-nut clarity.

The advisor spoke in a weak voice. It was the confession of someone who felt disillusioned.

-“Nothing has been finalized yet. In fact, until a few months ago, there was significant opposition within the military. The opinion to entrust border defense to the border guards and leave only a small number of troops behind, concentrating all forces in the north, was gaining traction.”

-“Why wasn’t that proposal adopted? It seems more effective to send troops north or mobilize reserves, as you mentioned.”

-“We actually came close to mobilization. But as the threat of war increased, the mobilization order was canceled.”

The advisor brought up an incident from a few months ago.

-“When the military was considering mobilization in consultation with the Imperial Palace, wasn’t there an unfortunate incident in the Order?”

I knew it well.

It was something that happened to me.

-“After the bombing and assassination attempts, we received intelligence that the Order’s Holy Knights and the Abas Ministry of Defense had significantly increased their alert levels.”

-“…”

-“At that time, the moderates in the military judged that if troops were mobilized, the Abas military might interpret it as preparation for war. The Foreign Ministry also agreed with the moderates’ opinion that it could send the wrong signal despite our intentions. Eventually, the Imperial Palace rejected the mobilization order.”

The advisor laughed weakly.

-“To be honest, I didn’t expect to see that person here. It’s surprising enough that he survived two near-death experiences, but I never imagined he would come to the Empire.”

Noting that the conversation had digressed, the advisor cut himself off and returned to the main topic.

He began to share what he knew about the north.

-“If it were simply a shortage of troops, this wouldn’t be happening. What the north needs now isn’t soldiers with guns, but magicians.”

-“Are you referring to combat magicians?”

-“Any kind of magician is important. Whether they fight on the frontlines or repair damage in the rear, each one is desperately needed.”

The Imperial Ministry of Defense needs magicians to send north.

Whether they hunt monsters, kill magic folk, heal people, or repair buildings doesn’t matter.

-“From that perspective, the Hero’s party could be considered the best option. It includes a skilled magician, an alchemist, and a healing priest.”

The Ministry of Defense needed the help of Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca. Above all, if they could use the women’s social status and reputation to attract more personnel, that would be a clear advantage.

The advisor explained everything he knew about the situation in the north.

Much of it was gossip he had heard from acquaintances while frequenting the Ministry of Defense, but even that was valuable information for Abas.

Rumors that there were far more deaths and starvations than officially reported,

Rumors that protests over rationing issues were forcibly suppressed by internal troops and military police,

Rumors that command posts were attacked by magic folk who infiltrated the rear, resulting in the deaths of field-grade officers,

Rumors that civilians who tried to escape from the north without permission were either caught and sent back or shot,

Rumors that vigilante groups had formed around the Academy and university magic departments in the northern region, and so on.

-“For the last one, I believe the military intelligence department was keeping separate records. That information might have influenced the opinion to dispatch magic students from universities and academies to the north.”

-“Is that just a rumor?”

-“While it’s my personal opinion that the existence of northern vigilante groups influenced the military’s decision, it’s a fact that such organizations are active and that military intelligence is monitoring their movements. I remember glimpsing documents about it in passing.”

Ah. The advisor suddenly seemed to recall something.

-“And there’s talk that the situation at the Magic Tower influenced the military’s decision.”

-“…The situation at the Magic Tower? What do you mean by that?”

The advisor shared a story he had heard from a field-grade officer he was close with during his visit to the Ministry of Defense.

-“Hasn’t the political situation at the Magic Tower become quite unstable recently? There were anti-government protests, frequent looting, and several casualties.”

-“Yes, I’m aware.”

-“Before that happened, rumors emerged from intelligence units that political factions in the Magic Tower were plotting separatist schemes.”

In the Empire, “intelligence units” refer to the Reconnaissance Command. While Abas has consolidated its intelligence and counterintelligence units into the Military Intelligence Agency, the Empire separates its intelligence and counterintelligence units.

Among them, the Reconnaissance Command is responsible for collecting foreign intelligence.

Incidentally, when I made contact with Fabio Verati at the hotel, it was the Reconnaissance Command’s special operations unit that raided the place.

-“By separatist schemes, you mean independence. But what does that have to do with conscripting minors?”

-“While I don’t know the specific details of the northern war situation, I’ve heard that there have been significant casualties among both military and civilian magicians. Especially magicians responsible for reconstruction work in the rear areas.”

The advisor asked the military attaché almost rhetorically.

-“What would happen if the Magic Tower’s magic battalions dispatched to the north were to withdraw from the frontlines and return, citing the unstable situation at the Magic Tower?”

The result was obvious without saying.

If the situation had become so unstable that the Magic Tower police couldn’t handle it, the magic battalions would have packed up and returned to the Magic Tower. They might need to fill the gap if the police couldn’t maintain order.

At that time, the Magic Tower police were indeed in a dire situation.

They had pulled in police from various regions to suppress anti-government protests, causing law and order to collapse in other areas. Moreover, both protesters and criminals were magicians, making arrests difficult.

I felt a slight pang of conscience, considering that I was the one who had implemented this plan, designed by Leo who has now been promoted to brigadier general.

I should order a large platter of jokbal and bossam for dinner tonight. I’m feeling depressed.

-“Of course, as I mentioned earlier, the plan to send university and Academy magic students to the north hasn’t been finalized yet. There’s opposition from the public and within the military, and the Emperor’s approval is still pending.”

-“How has the Imperial Palace responded?”

-“I don’t know that much. In fact, I wonder how many people truly understand the Imperial family’s intentions.”

At that moment, the intelligence officer operating the recording and filming equipment signaled to the military attaché.

Looking at the watch on the inside of his wrist, there were only 30 minutes left.

Nevertheless, the military attaché steadfastly continued to listen to the advisor’s story.

-“I bear much guilt.”

The advisor confessed.

-“I knew the truth but was desperate to hide it. I stopped other advisors and soldiers who wanted to reveal this information. If the police, military police, or Guardian Office got wind of it, people around me could be harmed.”

-“…”

-“So I silenced those who wanted to speak the truth, and even though I could have reported it to the press directly, I didn’t.”

It was a common occurrence. Something that could happen to an ordinary person who is moderately capable, moderately conscientious, and living a moderate life.

That’s why most citizens in dictatorships pretend not to see, pretend not to know.

Because there are no eternal secrets in this world. Those people roughly know what’s going on.

They’re just afraid to talk about the secrets.

-“But I cannot raise my child in a country like this. At least my child is innocent. That’s why I chose to defect.”

Even as the advisor was concluding his statement, I was still operating the lie detector. There was always the possibility that the informant was attempting to defect under false pretenses, or in the worst case, the defection itself could be a counterintelligence operation.

But the lie detector confirmed he was telling the truth.

-“Have you discussed this with your wife?”

-“Yes.”

-“And your daughter?”

-“…She doesn’t know yet.”

When the advisor replied in a weak voice, the military attaché pressed his lips together.

He stared at the advisor in silence for a long time, and after the prolonged silence, he removed his glasses and placed them on the desk.

-“Mr. Vasily.”

-“Yes.”

-“To be frank, defection is likely to have a negative impact on your child’s life.”

The diplomat said.

-“I’ve worked as a diplomat for the past 20 years, traveling around the world and meeting many people who have chosen to defect. Among them were cases like yours, where entire families defected.”

-“…”

-“You, your wife, and your daughter have lived in the Kiyen Empire for 40 years at most and 18 years at least. And I want to make it clear to you that defection is not like immigration or foreign travel.”

The intelligence officer said.

-“Once you go abroad, maintaining your livelihood will immediately become difficult. If you come to Abas, we can take care of you and your family for a few years, but eventually, you and your daughter will have to leave the safe house and live in a new society.”

-“…”

-“Many defectors fail to adapt to their new society. They constantly think about the family, friends, and lovers they left behind. They miss their regular haunts, alma mater, and hometown. But once you defect, you can never return home. The moment you open the door to your hometown house, counterintelligence investigators, not your family, will be there to greet you.”

-“…”

-“Some people I know secretly visited their homeland despite their company’s dissuasion and were arrested. Most of them were executed sooner or later.”

-“…”

-“Of course, you and your wife might adapt to Abas society. It’s not uncommon for people to make new acquaintances at new workplaces and live a second life. But it’s different for your daughter.”

The father said.

-“As someone with children myself, I understand how sensitive an eighteen-year-old child can be. For children, school and university are closer communities than workplace or society. It’s natural since they’ve spent half their lives in school.”

-“…”

-“Your child is likely to struggle adapting to a second life. Living alone in an unfamiliar country, leaving behind friends and schoolmates, will be hard to endure. She might even resent you both, asking why you brought her to such a place.”

-“…”

-“Nevertheless, if you still wish to defect abroad for your child’s sake, I would advise you to discuss it with your child in advance. This is not advice from a foreign embassy diplomat, but from one father to another.”

The military attaché handed the advisor an envelope containing three warp gate tickets.

-“These are warp gate usage tickets. It’s a country where Kiyen Empire citizens can enter without a visa, and it’s one of the countries friendly to Abas. Upon arrival, someone from the embassy will safely escort you and your family.”

-“…”

-“Departure is at 03:40 tomorrow. If you don’t appear at the departure gate by then, we’ll assume you’ve abandoned your defection plans.”

I hope you make a wise decision.

*

Although we advised him to discuss it with his family, the outcome was predictable.

The advisor had already consulted with his wife, and his daughter wouldn’t stubbornly insist on staying in the Empire when her life was at stake.

The advisor secretly contacted us, saying the conversation with his daughter had gone well. He hung a purple towel on his apartment balcony as a signal, which was confirmed by an intelligence officer who reported it to the embassy.

The Military Intelligence Agency provided the advisor, who was committed to defection, with an emergency contact network. They instructed him to use this network if problems arose and emphasized that this was the only way to avoid detection by counterintelligence agencies.

I contacted the company and requested information about doctors and hospitals that could treat the heart condition the advisor’s child had. I also included in my recommendation that support be provided to help the daughter adapt to Abas society.

Whether this would be accepted or not depended on the Military Intelligence Agency’s judgment. They responded that they would consider it positively, but added that it might take some time.

Meanwhile, I diligently performed my duties as a defense attaché.

With the northern dispatch just two days away, a tsunami of work engulfed me.

The Imperial Ministry of Defense held last-minute meetings, constantly summoning me, and when the meetings ended, requests for official documents lined up. On top of that, there were events I had to attend until dawn due to my diplomatic status.

It’s fortunate that the defection operation was almost complete. If it had been delayed by even a day, I might have collapsed from overwork.

“Ugh…”

Returning to the diplomatic residence, I collapsed on the sofa. The high-end sofa provided by the Abas Ministry of Foreign Affairs was incredibly comfortable.

“I’m dying of exhaustion.”

“Are you very tired?”

Camilla, who was rolling up a blanket, poked her head out like a Kaonashi and looked at me.

I was too exhausted to speak, so I just managed to nod.

“It seems being a diplomat isn’t an easy job either. Working until dawn.”

“There’s no easy job in this world. Being a civil servant isn’t worth it—the only guarantee is job security until retirement.”

It’s been five days since we arrived in the Kiyen Empire. In just two more days, we’ll complete our preparations and head north sometime next week.

Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca have already finished their preparations. However, they’re going later because it takes time for the personnel accompanying Lucia and Francesca to move.

Incidentally, the Order’s accompanying personnel included Priestess Rebecca—the Military Intelligence Agency informant who had been recruited as a double agent and served as the secretary to Inquisition Chief Pedro.

It seems Rebecca has either stepped down from her secretarial position to focus on Lucia, or Pedro has reassigned her.

Pippin and Jake are scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

-Tap tap.

As I lay still with my eyes closed like a corpse, Camilla tapped my leg to wake me up.

“…What is it?”

“I finished the assignment you gave me.”

I took the papers Camilla handed me and read through them. They were the results of the intelligence collection and analysis training I had temporarily assigned.

Analysis of the northern war situation, analysis of the Kiyen Empire’s political and power structure and ideology, and the correlation between Moritani’s continental political/military elite and tribalism.

The last one was particularly interesting. The title itself had a certain appeal.

“What’s this? ‘Moritani Continent’s Political and Military Elite and Tribalism’?”

“It’s exactly what it says—a report investigating how deeply connected the political and military elite groups are with tribalism.”

Camilla’s report explained how deeply ingrained tribalism is in the minds of citizens living on the Moritani continent today.

It detailed the significance of tribes in the Moritani continent, where people have survived in tribal units for thousands of years, and how tribal elders and elites influence the government and military. She said she had conducted the research independently.

I flipped through the pages with interest, making an intrigued sound.

“Hmm… How did you find this out? It couldn’t have been easy to research.”

“I just asked the Imperial Foreign Ministry staff, and they lent me materials?”

“What?”

“When I explained that I majored in international politics at university, they asked me questions, then wondered if such a discipline existed on Earth, and just shared information with me.”

It was hard to believe. What had she been doing for five days to become friendly with Imperial diplomats?

Suspecting she might be exaggerating, I threw a few questions at her, but Camilla answered correctly without even appearing to think.

I’ve felt this for a while, but Camilla is no ordinary intelligent person.

After withstanding my barrage of questions, she smiled brightly and said,

“I memorized it well, didn’t I? I think I understood it pretty well for having studied intensively for just a few days.”

“That’s certainly true.”

Camilla, who had been smiling cheerfully, suddenly tilted her head while speaking.

“But you seem to know a lot about tribalism? Have you ever served on the Moritani continent?”

“I studied intensively when I worked in the Middle East and North Africa a long time ago.”

“Ah, the Middle East and North Africa… That makes sense. Those places are also known for strong tribalism.”

The common feature of Africa, the Middle East, and the Moritani continent is their tribalistic tendencies.

That’s why diplomats operating in those regions often communicate not only with local governments but also with regional tribes. This is even more true for intelligence officers.

I put down the papers and briefly reminisced about the old days.

“Compared to China or Russia, those times were really comfortable. It wasn’t cold, the food was more palatable than expected, there was no state-level surveillance… I could cross borders in a Bongo truck without getting caught because it was a desert.”

“…What exactly were you doing there?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Just company business, you know.”

I read through the rest of the reports, but there were no flaws to point out.

Normally, I would have had to visit her hotel for this kind of training, but…

“By the way, why did you ask me to come here today?”

“I was bugged the day I arrived here. I was also being followed.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“The residence is safe. At least safer than the hotel.”

The probability of being bugged is high. Hotels aren’t safe either.

Fortunately, thanks to the anti-bugging equipment in operation, we could talk comfortably.

Camilla showed me what she had been practicing, and I carefully examined the results of her training.

If nothing else, her analysis was as good as that of a new recruit who had undergone several months of training. It made me wonder if British intelligence agencies were pushing their interns this hard.

“You did really well. It would be even better if you reduced the annotations a bit.”

“Got it. But why aren’t you sleeping? Is it because of me?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m waiting for a phone call. It’s company-related, so I need to stay awake.”

“…Working until dawn?”

What can I do? When they say jump, I have to jump.

Fortunately, Camilla didn’t ask specifically what it was about. The defection operation would be a topic of interest to her, but I couldn’t tell anyone until the official announcement.

If the advisor and his family depart today and enter Abas, news about the defection might appear as early as next week. Or it might remain secret forever to protect the safety of family members left behind in the Empire.

Still, it would be fine to give her a hint after the operation is complete. Camilla isn’t the type to gossip about such matters.

Anyway.

As I was reviewing the analysis reports and identifying areas for improvement,

-♪

“What’s that sound?”

“Ah, sorry. It’s a call from the company.”

It was a secure phone. I excused myself and took the phone to the kitchen.

Looking at the number on the display, I saw it was a call from the Military Intelligence Agency, not the embassy. The clock showed exactly 4:10 AM. It was well past the time when the advisor’s family should have defected.

I checked the time and answered the incoming call.

“Communication security. Frederick Nostrum, Defense Attaché assigned to the Kiyen Empire.”

-“Attaché Nostrum, this is the situation room.”

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

-“We have a problem.”

“…What?”

-“The defection has failed.”