Ch.23Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent

Pippin thought it was quite a perplexing situation.

These days, she was living an impressively shitty life with an average rest time of just 6 hours.

Constantly overwhelmed by work and feeling like she was losing her mind, she eventually split her duties with a colleague from the Intelligence Bureau.

Lately, she had been handling only operation-focused tasks like wiretapping, surveillance, and background investigations.

Of course, analyzing intelligence reports from across the Order and writing reports wasn’t exactly easy work.

Still, it was bearable for now.

Her superior didn’t dump work on her, and her colleague was diligently handling their assigned tasks.

She thought they made a pretty good operations team, aside from being short-staffed.

Considering that the Intelligence Bureau itself suffered from chronic personnel shortages and that intelligence agents were high-value personnel and thus few in number, it wasn’t really a major issue.

Other operations teams were dealing with situations where someone was recruited by enemy countries and betrayed them, or dozens of people were wiped out due to poor judgment.

And in her opinion, the Major was competent enough that she didn’t expect any serious problems to arise.

He had received a medal and special promotion after a single battle, then was selected as an Intelligence Bureau operative. He had been rapidly promoted to Captain in the notorious Kiyen Empire department. He even earned the rank of Major at just 28 years old.

He was no longer just an operative but an operations officer in the Military Intelligence Bureau with authority over black operations.

Although Pippin was the junior member with the least experience, she knew well that authority over black operations wasn’t something one could receive through someone else’s protection alone.

In other words, her superior was an elite who had caught the attention of higher-ups.

Of course, he was playful, suspiciously concealed his past, and seemed slightly eccentric, considering how he had confronted the Inquisition Chief and broken free from his shackles.

Though she had gone into excessive detail, to summarize briefly: Pippin trusted the Major. She believed that whatever problem arose, the Major would handle it appropriately.

So after submitting her final report, she had barely fallen asleep when…

“…What is it?”

“Get dressed, kid.”

The Major had shown up unexpectedly, dressed in civilian clothes.

Glancing toward the door, she saw her colleague also in civilian clothes, yawning.

“It’s 2 AM right now…? What on earth is going on…?”

“That’s why we need to move now. We need to get to the safe house before dawn, so hurry up, wash your face, and come.”

“The safe house…?”

“Safe house number 5.”

Safe house number 05.

As soon as she recalled that an Imperial Guard counterintelligence agent was being detained there, Pippin snapped wide awake.

“Is, is he dead?!”

“No.”

The Major looked up at the clock on the wall and said:

“They said he woke up fifteen minutes ago.”

Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent

A hill far from the center of the Order. The three of us arrived at a villa halfway up the mountain.

The path leading to the villa was covered with gravel, and soft lighting illuminated the trail. It was quite a charming place.

An elderly woman sitting on a bench in front of the stairs greeted us with a gentle laugh.

“What brings young people like you here at this hour of dawn…?”

“It looks like it might rain, so we’re looking for shelter.”

The old woman began guiding us with a kind smile.

I followed behind the old woman with an expressionless face, while Pippin and Jake tilted their heads with puzzled expressions.

“Weren’t we going to the safe house?”

Pippin whispered to me quietly, but the old woman, apparently having sharp ears, answered:

“This is the safe house, dear.”

“Is that so?”

The two of them wore dumbfounded expressions. Like someone who opened a pizza box to find pineapple pizza.

The old woman, who had stopped walking as if we’d already arrived, moved a hidden door and said:

“Welcome to safe house number 5.”

*

Safe house number 5.

Safe house 05.

Commonly known as “the villa.”

One of several safe houses established by the Military Intelligence Bureau within the Order during the fierce era of espionage.

Its purpose: interrogation and questioning. Currently, as the heat of espionage has died down, they’re considering closing the facility.

To be precise, it’s because of complaints from the Finance and Economy Department about excessive maintenance costs, but anyway.

“I’ve been managing this place for 50 years. Never dreamed I’d open this door again.”

The old woman moved the heavy iron door with a kind smile.

Unlike the villa’s exterior, which exuded a serene aura from years gone by, opening the door to the underground revealed a stark concrete structure. It looked like a secret base straight out of a movie.

The old woman slowly began guiding us, leaning on her cane.

Despite her age and significant seniority, she treated us with consistent respect.

“This was the first safe house established within the Order 78 years ago.”

She shared stories about the facility for quite some time, and as her tale was coming to an end, Pippin asked a question.

“If it’s the first safe house, why is it called number 5?”

“For security reasons.”

I added an explanation.

“It’s counter-intelligence. If the official name is safe house number 5, when the Inquisition discovers this place, they’ll think there are five safe houses.”

“Ah…”

“They’ll go around searching for other safe houses, which is all a waste of time, money, and manpower.”

It’s about spreading false information to drain the counterintelligence agency’s resources.

Essentially, you use the safe house until it’s discovered, getting full value from it, while making fools of the security officials who are happy about duplicated achievements.

This is the role of counter-intelligence in most espionage wars.

That’s why analysts always first question whether intelligence is true or not when it comes in.

Of course, that’s not what’s important right now.

“Now there are more safe houses, but at that time, safe house number 5 was the only one.”

“So how many such facilities exist now?”

“That’s classified.”

The old woman deflected the question with a kind smile. In truth, even she probably doesn’t know how many safe houses exist in the Order. That’s normal, actually.

As we conversed, we had arrived at our destination.

“Well, here we are.”

*

Name – Yekaterina.

Gender – Female.

Age – 29.

Affiliation – Imperial Guard 1st Bureau, Counterintelligence Division, Domestic Intelligence Officer (I/O).

Family Relations – Father (doctor) / Mother (nurse) / Eldest son (deceased at age 7) / Eldest daughter (herself) / Second daughter (paraplegic/unemployed)

Special Notes – Unconscious when found. Despite belonging to Counterintelligence Division, performed intelligence missions in the Order. Former lieutenant from Kiyen Empire military intelligence unit. 4 minor disciplinary actions/1 major disciplinary action. Essentially dishonorably discharged.

Medical Records – Nutritional imbalance. Overwork. Multiple abrasions and contusions throughout body. 6cm laceration on right thigh. First-degree burns on both palms.

Overall Assessment – Immediate nutritional support and treatment urgently needed. Considering health condition, high-intensity investigation impossible. As an Imperial Guard Counterintelligence Division member, interrogation expected to be somewhat difficult. Accurate analysis by psychological warfare personnel needed through audio and video recordings.

To summarize the handwritten document by the agents: “This one’s in bad shape.”

I put down the file and looked at Yekaterina restrained across the desk.

“…”

Dry skin and hair.

A face and eyes worn with fatigue.

Cracked lips and dilated pupils.

She didn’t look human but more like a ghost from some movie.

According to what my grandfather told me while playing the trumpet with soju in a past life, this kind of appearance is most suitable for interrogation. Coming from someone who worked at the Central Intelligence Agency for 20 years, it’s credible.

“Haah…”

I put down the file with a thud and let out a deep sigh.

How did I end up here?

After living as a black agent in charge of the Kiyen Empire for several years, I finally got an internal position under a colonel, then suddenly got selected as a hero’s companion and became an operations officer.

A bomb exploded on my first day of arrival, and I spent a month performing all sorts of tricks between the Military Intelligence Bureau, Imperial Guard, and Inquisition trying to find the terrorist.

Along with supporting diplomatic work, engaging in politics that wasn’t my style, and even acting as a bodyguard for the hero, now I’m investigating a spy.

It’s complicated. It’s really fucking awful.

So I said:

“Ms. Yekaterina.”

“…”

“You know who I am, right?”

She nodded slightly.

It was an attitude that would get her slapped if counterintelligence people saw it, but I understood. I knew how terrible her physical condition was.

And I had to treat her humanely because the colonel ordered me to.

“The situation is quite bad right now. Although we’re detaining you, considering the current circumstances, this is closer to protective custody.”

I spouted shameless nonsense.

“I fully understand that this outdated facility makes your stay uncomfortable. If you cooperate with our investigation, we…”

“You’ll give me something in return for information?”

“…”

“Huh.”

The Imperial Guard counterintelligence agent snorted.

Despite the clearly confusing situation, she wasn’t flustered at all.

As a counterintelligence agent, the interrogation room was essentially her domain.

“I would appreciate your cooperation.”

Swallowing the curses that were about to burst out, I flipped through the file.

The Military Intelligence Bureau investigation form sent by the colonel appeared.

“Please state your name and affiliation.”

“…”

“It’s procedure.”

Yekaterina rattled her handcuffs and answered.

“Yekaterina. Imperial Guard.”

“Please state your position.”

“…”

There was no answer. I closed the file and stood up from the chair.

-Click.

When I activated the video recording device, a red light came on. It’s this world’s camcorder.

After checking that the camcorder was working properly, I began walking slowly with my hands behind my back.

The sound of military boots echoed in the interrogation room. Even the slightest sound was amplified in this perfectly soundproofed place.

“Investigator. Avas Kingdom Military Intelligence Bureau Operations Officer Major Frederick Nostrum.”

“…”

“Subject of interrogation. Kiyen Empire Imperial Guard 1st Bureau Counterintelligence Division member Yekaterina.”

“…”

“Beginning interrogation.”

*

“Hmm…”

“What do you think, Agent?”

“It’s intense…”

The psychological warfare agent who had examined the six-hour video sighed.

The intelligence analysis clerk standing behind him spoke up.

“She seems psychologically very intimidated.”

“That’s true, but she’s really bad at lying, this woman.”

“Lying?”

She couldn’t even open her mouth for six hours, resulting in a wasted effort. What on earth was he talking about?

The psychological warfare agent smiled tiredly.

“In interrogations, language actually accounts for a small proportion. Just by observing tone, pitch variations, and physical responses, psychology is revealed.”

This person majored in psychology at university and had spent several years handling spy investigations in the counterintelligence division.

In other words, he’s someone who uses attention-based methods based on analysis.

The psychological warfare agent rewound the video and tapped the screen with his finger.

“Look. She reacts when the Major shows her the photos.”

“…”

The video was rewound several times, but I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to see.

The intelligence analysis clerk sighed deeply and scolded the psychological warfare agent.

“Do people understand when you talk like that? Just tell us the results.”

“Yes, sir.”

The psychological warfare agent turned up the volume and played the video.

A low voice flowed through the speakers.

‘Do you know this person?’

‘…’

‘Don’t you know them? They were in the same counterintelligence division. Then what about this person?’

‘…’

“If you look at the subject’s physical reactions now, she knows who the people in the photos are.”

“…”

“Shall we look at something else?”

‘Your family seems quite harmonious. Don’t you want to see them?’

‘…’

‘Your younger brother died from illness at age 7, and your younger sister is paraplegic, right? Even though your parents work in healthcare, it must be hard for them to support grown children in today’s world?’

‘…Are you threatening me now?’

‘You enlisted to support your younger sister, didn’t you? You even received a scholarship at the military academy before being commissioned.’

‘…’

‘How did someone like you end up making a mistake and getting discharged? Oh, was it not a mistake? Did you do it to deceive fixed spies? Identity laundering.’

“As you can see, she reacted when family matters were mentioned and when identity laundering was brought up. The Major’s questions seem to be correct.”

“So you’re saying both are true—that she enlisted to support her family and that she laundered her identity to transfer to the Imperial Guard?”

“Yes!”

What a fascinating skill.

Indeed, people should study.

“There’s more, but I’ll organize it in a report and let you know.”

“Thank you, Agent. Good work.”

“Goodbye!”

I left the room, leaving the psychological warfare agent behind.

The bright red warning sign saying “Authorized Personnel Only” was striking.

Exchanging brief greetings with passing embassy staff, I tucked the piece of paper with the psychological warfare agent’s words into my inner pocket.

“…”

Since hearing the psychological warfare agent’s explanation, there’s been a question that won’t leave my mind.

I clearly showed Yekaterina four photographs.

And the psychological warfare agent said she recognized the people in the photos.

Yekaterina.

Imperial Guard 1st Bureau Counterintelligence Division agent.

…How did she recognize agents from the 2nd Bureau?