Ch.197Episode 10 – Turn Your Course to the North-Northwest (End)

“…Hmm. So, about this asylum thing.”

“Yes.”

“Honestly, I got the call and moved right away, so I don’t really know the background. I’m a bit flustered, I guess. That’s why I’m asking.”

“Go ahead.”

“What exactly happened here?”

“Oh, that? Actually, it’s nothing special.”

I stuck my hands in my suit pockets and smirked.

“Where should I even begin…”

Episode 10 – Turn Your Course North-Northwest

It all started with the embassy.

As soon as we learned that the asylum attempt had failed and Ekaterina from the Imperial Guard was tracking the aide, the Military Intelligence Bureau demanded countermeasures.

I contemplated ways to smuggle the assistant, his wife, and daughter out of the country today, and found a clue in my conversation with the Second Secretary.

‘What about the vehicles at the embassy?’

‘Oh, that? It’s nothing special, but…’

The Abas Embassy in the Kiyen Empire, which once housed over a hundred staff members, was suffering from the recent diplomatic expulsion rush.

Diplomats, contract administrative staff, and even manual workers had returned to Abas, and the understaffed embassy was struggling to operate.

The embassy’s staff shortage affected various areas,

and one of them was vehicles.

‘Actually, there are many idle vehicles at the embassy now. With so many diplomats, administrative staff, and manual workers expelled, there are fewer people to use the vehicles…’

With fewer staff to use the official vehicles, the utilization rate had long dropped to less than half.

The important thing is that diplomatic vehicles are subject to immunity privileges.

Therefore, no matter what I did with an embassy vehicle, the empire’s security agencies, including the police, couldn’t take measures like seizure or towing.

Naturally, without a diplomat’s consent, they couldn’t even conduct inspections.

Once I realized this, I examined the remaining vehicles in the embassy and reported to the ambassador.

‘I’ll arrange asylum using the embassy vehicles.’

As soon as I submitted the report, the Military Intelligence Bureau coordinated with the Foreign Ministry to plan a new asylum route. Countless telegrams flew into the embassy, and I went to the anti-surveillance security room to instruct the aide to come to the embassy immediately.

Of course, it was impossible to transport the aide and his family to the border with just my vehicle.

Anyone with a brain could predict that asylum seekers visiting the embassy would move in diplomatic vehicles. The Imperial Guard, which had dealt with foreign intelligence agencies’ asylum operations for decades, would certainly know this.

Of course, I had a plan.

Gathering intelligence officers under the direction of the Minister, the head of the Royal Intelligence Department branch, and the Military Attaché, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau branch, I asked a few questions.

‘Could those confident in driving raise their hands?’

Official cover intelligence officers operating under diplomatic status.

Among them, I found officers whose driving skills were as good as those of the Imperial Guard.

Fortunately, there were intelligence officers at the embassy who had received driving training before coming abroad. I asked them to drive other vehicles.

‘If asylum seekers come to the embassy, they’ll certainly expect them to move by vehicle. Therefore, we need to mobilize several embassy cars.’

If the aide’s family came to the embassy and I boarded a vehicle with them, the vehicle itself would likely become a target.

So we needed to mobilize as many vehicles as possible to evade the Imperial Guard’s surveillance.

This was actually one of the methods to shake off vehicle surveillance by counterintelligence agencies, and the intelligence officers were well aware of it.

We planned to move the aide and his family to the border. I would take the three of them in my car, while the staff decided to act as decoys.

‘If the Imperial Guard is aware of the asylum, they’ll block the borders first.’

With the operation exposed, the Imperial Guard would block the borders first.

Border guard checkpoints would be strengthened, and identity checks for train and ship passengers would likely be intensified.

At that point, the route through the western port to the sea would be blocked. The southern route would be the same.

Considering it would take at least two to three days by train from Petrograd to Nastasiya with its magic tower, the aide and his family would likely fail to pass the police and railway bureau checkpoints stationed at each station.

In other words, the only remaining asylum route was the Kiyen-Latuan border to the east, separated by a river.

‘The only place to cross the border without inspection is in the east.’

‘Yes, there’s practically no other choice. We can’t go to the north under martial law or the uninhabited areas infested with monsters.’

‘But the Kiyen-Latuan border follows a river, doesn’t it? The river is wide and dozens of meters deep. If someone falls into the river while crossing the border in midwinter like now, they’ll die instantly.’

The intelligence officers’ concerns were valid.

Despite the cold wave dropping temperatures, it would be insane for a couple with an 18-year-old daughter to cross the border by walking on ice.

Moreover, the river at the Kiyen-Latuan border was known for rarely freezing even in winter. The moment you step on what looks like thick ice, you could be swept away by the current and drown.

Of course, I had anticipated this.

And naturally, I had prepared a solution.

‘There’s a way for asylum seekers to cross the border safely without inspection. We just need to get them out of Petrograd and to the border area.’

‘That’s the problem. As soon as they step outside the embassy, city-wide inspections will be strengthened. How will we get out of Petrograd?’

‘I don’t think we need to leave Petrograd at all. Why not escape by flying?’

‘You’re joking, right?’

I wasn’t.

I called someone in our group who could go as far as possible from the center of Petrograd.

-‘Is this the Military Attaché?’

‘Francesca. You said you were meeting someone in the outskirts of Petrograd this evening, right?’

-‘Yes. A professor I’m indebted to from my magic tower studies has been appointed to the Imperial University, so I was planning to visit.’

‘May I ask for the address there?’

Coincidentally, Francesca was scheduled to meet a professor living in the eastern outskirts today. I received the address of the professor’s apartment through her.

‘I know it’s rude, but could you wait a little longer at this apartment today?’

-‘Well, I had already cleared my schedule to meet the professor after many years, but I’d like to know the reason.’

‘For now, just know that I’m going to pick up an administrative officer.’

-‘Oh my. You’re coming for me, Attaché?’

‘Yes. I’ll explain the details when we meet.’

It might have been a rude request, but Francesca graciously agreed.

Fortunately, since it was a private engagement, no attendants would accompany her, and the professor lived alone without family, so there was no need to silence additional people.

With the address from Francesca, I contacted another acquaintance.

-‘Hello?’

‘Camilla. Can you talk now?’

-‘Of course!’

Camilla, who had gone to the library, answered the phone quickly.

As she was reading magic books and analyzing the northern conflict, I explained the situation to her as briefly and concisely as possible.

‘I need your help right now. Do you have any cash on hand?’

-‘I still have some money left from what I earned hunting monsters at the magic tower last time. I haven’t really had much use for it… But why?’

‘I’ll give you an address, please go there by 6 PM. I’ll explain the method.’

-‘Go to the address you tell me by 6 PM… Alright. But what’s going on so suddenly?’

‘Three people need asylum, and if they don’t succeed today, they’ll die. They’ve been discovered by counterintelligence.’

-‘Where should I go?’

Camilla immediately left the library and boarded a tram heading to the eastern outskirts of Petrograd.

When Imperial Foreign Ministry staff and police responsible for security and protocol asked about her destination, Camilla insisted she wanted to explore the capital alone, even if just for a moment.

Thus, Camilla maintained contact with me while using various public transportation to shake off any possible tails.

-‘I’ve arrived near the destination. What should I do now?’

‘If my memory serves me right, there should be an old magic tool shop nearby. Go in, show them you can use magic, and buy two brooms and a winter cape with warming magic. They should normally check identification, but it’s run by an elderly couple who don’t really care about such things.’

-‘Am I going to transport the people you mentioned to the border by broom?’

‘Yes. Fly straight east and you’ll find a large river dividing the city. Drop them off there. The company will handle the rest.’

-‘I’ve bought the brooms and cape. But where exactly in the east should I drop them off? This is my first time here, so I don’t know the geography.’

‘Wait at the address, and someone will come to guide you.’

-‘A guide?’

‘There’s no time to explain, just pull your hat down low and go to the apartment right now. Immediately.’

After purchasing the winter cape and brooms, Camilla went to the apartment and knocked on the door. There, Francesca was waiting, having received my contact.

As soon as she heard that I had sent Camilla there, Francesca introduced her to the professor as if it had been a planned meeting.

Fortunately, Camilla, sensing the situation, played along appropriately, and the professor invited her into his home without any suspicion. I later heard that he actually considered it an honor to meet a precious guest from another world.

Anyway, around the time Camilla arrived at the apartment,

news came that Assistant Vasily Vladimirovich and his family had entered the embassy.

After a brief conversation with Assistant Vasily, I quietly called his daughter outside and explained the situation.

‘I-I have to take my parents to the eastern border…?’

Assistant Vasily’s daughter was a third-year student in the Magic Department of the Imperial Academy.

Under the empire’s education law, the fourth year of the academy, known as “10th grade,” focuses on university admissions and social integration rather than academics.

The third year is essentially the last year of actual school life. That’s why when Vasily took leave under the pretext of “one last family trip before graduation,” no one was suspicious. Of course, they failed to leave the country due to lack of proper documentation.

Anyway, the aide’s daughter was one of the talents expected to advance to the academy’s graduating class.

And magic department students interested in university admissions often used field practice evaluations to accumulate points. The aide’s daughter, like such students, frequently participated in field practice.

For reference, the field practice she had frequently used over the past few years was the “Eastern Mountain Region Forest Disaster Prevention Monitoring Activity” organized by the Forestry Service.

In other words,

the aide’s daughter had experience flying over the eastern mountains several times. For forest fire monitoring.

‘The closest border is to the east. I heard you often went on field practice monitoring forest fires in the east, so you know where it is, right?’

‘Yes… it’s the border with Latuan. I’ve been there a few times. Sometimes when we fly far, the officials show us around…’

‘Right. If you can just get there, you can cross the border safely. We’ll move across the river to avoid border guard inspections. Of course, you don’t need to fly over the river. We’ve arranged a boat on our side.’

‘C-can I really take my parents to the border…? M-my heart isn’t very strong…’

‘That depends on you. But if you don’t cross the border today, there’s no other way.’

‘……’

‘Can you do it?’

Can you risk your life to fly to the border to save your parents’ lives?

It was a question difficult to answer even for an adult, but the aide’s daughter, clutching her skirt, managed to nod her trembling body.

And so, the daughter, along with Camilla who had covered her face, took the aide and his wife and flew into the sky. Towards the eastern sky, far away, where the border lay.

They succeeded in the end.

*

The aide and his family successfully reached the Kiyen-Latuan border. Flying through the snowy sky, they set foot on the riverbank that cut through the brilliant night scenery.

“Careful. Cross carefully so you don’t fall into the river.”

“Start the engine and bring three blankets. The ones with warming magic.”

“Go down to the cabin so the border guards don’t catch you. If by any chance there’s an inspection, say you’re travelers.”

The massive river that crosses the Kiyen-Latuan border.

The aide and his family boarded a vessel belonging to a private travel agency based at a Latuan region dock.

The ship, operated by a private travel agency that had been selling water and underwater leisure program packages for years, departed from a Kiyen Empire dock, passed a bridge where border guards conducted inspections, and arrived at a Latuan Principality dock.

The captain, with a cigarette butt in his mouth, pressed the radio button once and went out to the deck.

I received a 500-character telegram from the Royal Intelligence Department on the riverbank overlooking the night view of Petrograd, the empire’s capital.

“What does it say?”

“They’ve safely crossed the border and arrived in the Latuan Principality, all three in good health.”

“Wow!”

Camilla shouted and jumped up. Having dispelled even the slightest anxiety, she rejoiced with an unburdened face.

“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you see them cross the border?”

“I dropped them off near the border, but I didn’t actually see them cross.”

Camilla, who had jumped up and cheered, let out a sigh of relief. I got into the driver’s seat and turned on the heater, while Camilla, who had carefully put away the broom she had ridden, enjoyed the warm air with her whole body.

“The girl was so cute! She rode the broom well too. Her parents seemed to have acrophobia since they kept their eyes closed.”

“That’s good. Was the flight difficult?”

“Don’t even mention it… I thought I was going to freeze to death flying for over two hours. Oh, and this.”

Camilla rummaged through her clothes and handed me something. It was an envelope with the emblem of the Defense Committee clearly visible.

“They said you’d understand when I gave it to you?”

I checked the contents of the envelope. Confidential documents from the Defense Ministry were intact inside.

Having succeeded in asylum, the aide would provide the rest of the information to the Abas intelligence agency during his interrogation at the safe house. I carefully organized the aide’s final gift and put it in my bag.

“Warm yourself up. I’ve turned the heater up full blast.”

“Thanks.”

Camilla smiled brightly.

“Intelligence work is more thrilling than I thought. It’s like your heart gets all tense.”

“……”

“Will you let me help again next time?”

“I told you not to get interested in this line of work.”

“Come on, don’t be like that~”

After shaking off Camilla who was making terrible suggestions, I smiled as I shifted gears.

“Where shall we go?”

“Home!”

“Let’s do that.”

Camilla pointed in the direction of the hotel,

and I stepped on the accelerator.

In the imperial capital of Petrograd,

a black sedan cut through the brilliantly lit city.

Episode 10 – Turn Your Course North-Northwest – END –