Ch.298Episode 12 – The Strongest Mage in History

“Patients have started appearing from the military stationed at the collapse site.”

Francesca said.

“The situation is spreading uncontrollably. The military and firefighting personnel who were at the forefront controlling the scene are now vomiting blood and complaining of migraines.”

Symptoms have appeared among the personnel who were containing the collapse site and managing the situation.

“How serious is it?”

“Vomiting, hematemesis, coughing, diarrhea, chest pain, migraines, sore throat, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, and so on. The symptoms are becoming more diverse. Neither the medical support personnel nor the clergy and mages understand what’s happening.”

The situation has become very serious.

Perhaps it’s even more serious than I anticipated.

“Does the Empire know?”

“I just heard this from the Imperial Magic Department, so by now, reports should have reached the Military Government Command. The Church has probably received the news as well.”

This means they’re still assessing the situation.

I put on my winter coat and said,

“Where is Veronica now?”

Episode 12 – The Most Powerful Mage in History

The North has been turned upside down.

The ominous news that arrived with the biting wind struck all groups operating in the northern Empire.

“Section Chief, the Military Government Intelligence Section Chief is asking if you’re available for a call.”

“That foreign military officer we met last time keeps calling. What should we do?”

“Shit…”

The clamorous ringing of phones fills the air around us.

The impact of the major incident at the collapse site was tremendous. Since the early dawn of the year-end, just before the new year, phones have been ringing non-stop.

After finishing a call with a major from the Military Government Command, I let out a deep sigh and spoke gravely.

“I just compiled the reports from the scene and estimated the casualties—an entire company has been wiped out.”

Jake raised his eyebrows and questioned me.

“Really…?”

“Would I lie about this?”

Given how rapidly the situation was unfolding, the Military Government Command might not have fully assessed the situation yet, but even considering that, the news that an entire company had been lost was not something to be taken lightly.

“I say ‘company-sized,’ but how can we tell in this situation whether it’s a company or a battalion that’s been wiped out?”

I carelessly tapped my cigarette into an ashtray. The ashtray, large enough for several adults to use, was piled high with cigarette butts.

“Where were the troops deployed to the scene drawn from?”

“Medical units requisitioned from corps and divisions in the rear, sir!”

“Oh my… They’re in big trouble. If the medical units are gone, where will the injured get treatment?”

“What should we report to the company?”

“Just relay what we know, and don’t compile the incoming data—send it up immediately. The embassy will organize it.”

We were just as confused by this unexpected situation.

“What should I write as the cause in the report?”

“How would I know that, you café latte bastard!”

“What? Section Chief! Why am I a café latte?”

“You’re black, aren’t you? What should I call you then, cocoa?”

“Fuck…”

Thoroughly frightened, we extracted whatever useful intelligence we could from the people calling us.

“Yes, this is me. I heard something happened at the scene—are the people dispatched from the fire department and hospital safe? Oh, patients have emerged from there too? Well, what about the people who were working far from the scene? They’re fine? What about the Church and the Magic Tower? I heard Ranieri’s administrative staff were there. They’re safe? I understand. Yes. Instructions from the Military Government Command will be issued soon, so please ask them to wait a moment. And if possible, please evacuate the unaffected people to a location as far from the scene as possible. I appreciate your help.”

I ran around with the phone in my hand until dawn, sweating profusely.

I was trying to prevent any fallout from this damned situation from reaching us and to gather even the tiniest bit of useful information.

But the Military Government Command was one step ahead.

The Imperial Military Government Command mobilized troops to block all routes leading to the city.

On a winter day with howling cold winds.

That’s how the northern metropolis was sealed off.

*

Over the past month, the situation in the North had been developing very rapidly.

Murders, monster attacks, missing residents, the appearance of undead, the emergence of necromancers and demons, unexplained anomalies, and more.

It was a succession of days that could hardly be described as merely “urgent.”

But the Military Government Command’s decision to completely seal off an entire metropolis was too sudden.

“All roads into the city have been blocked.”

All routes leading into the metropolis were cut off by military forces.

Temporary checkpoints were set up at every entrance, and heavily armed military police began stopping vehicles heading toward the city.

While checkpoints could be seen in any city in the North due to martial law, the ones established this time were on a different level.

“Barricades with spikes, concrete blocks instead of sandbags. And as if that wasn’t enough, they’ve set up armored vehicles with surveillance equipment, turning it into a veritable fortress.”

“Hmm…”

Veronica, with a subtle expression, leaned back in her office chair.

“The Military Government Command is taking this more seriously than I imagined.”

The sounds of busy clergy could be heard through the window of the office.

Clergy and monks, with civilian trucks loaded with medical supplies and sacred objects, were ready to rush to the scene as soon as the Saint gave the order.

However, Veronica, who held the command, merely pressed her temples with a complicated expression.

“It seems like this is caused by a demon…”

“Has the Inquisition found out anything?”

“Not yet. We need to find something in the Inquisition’s archives to properly identify the cause. Or hope that the Magic Tower figures it out first. They have some information about necromancers and demons too.”

Veronica added that she had already asked Francesca to investigate. Currently, she was mobilizing all her contacts from her time at the Secretariat to collect information.

“Anyway, if there’s a demon buried under that pile of rubble, we need to find and kill it. Or order the mages to move the rubble and grind it alive. By the way, what’s the situation inside the city?”

“I don’t know that either. We can’t even get information, let alone enter.”

The Imperial Army, which had sealed off the metropolis, was not allowing any organization to enter the city.

Not the Church, the Magic Tower, or foreign military—not even Imperial Army troops were entering the city, only stationed around its perimeter.

Judging by the busy work being done by troops deployed along the perimeter, it seemed unlikely that the Imperial Army would enter the city anytime soon. Since the Imperial Army couldn’t enter, naturally, the Church’s clergy couldn’t enter either.

“It seems the Military Government Command has blocked all access. The entire city is effectively isolated.”

“That’s how it looks to me too.”

Veronica sighed deeply and continued in a tired voice.

“The military generals must be terrified. They won’t let in Church clergy or Magic Tower mages. They’re being completely unreasonable.”

“That’s the central government, but what about the Military Government Command?”

“They’re treating it as if an epidemic has broken out in the city.”

“An epidemic?”

The reason people were showing symptoms was due to the malevolent energy rising from underground. It’s a somewhat hard-to-believe fact, but that was the reality.

We confirmed with Lucia’s cross that the site was contaminated.

Upon receiving the news, the Inquisition and the Imperial Magic Department mobilized equipment to collect numerous samples from the site and, with support from the Magic Tower, were investigating the causality between the malevolent energy contaminating the area and people’s abnormal symptoms.

In fact, the first person to confirm the contamination was an Imperial soldier who entered the scene in place of Lucia.

While the exact causality and solution would only be known after the tests were completed, those in the know clearly understood why the scene had become such a mess.

But an epidemic? What nonsense is that?

I placed my hands on my hips with an incredulous expression.

“I don’t understand. The Imperial Magic Department must have sent a report to the Ministry of Defense, so where did this epidemic story come from?”

But it seems they’re just as frustrated.

“I wonder about that too, Major. Even if Lucia and Francesca tried to explain it themselves, they wouldn’t listen…”

“Explain? To whom?”

“Who else?”

Veronica sighed and replied curtly.

“Is there anyone else in the North who can seal off a city with just a point of their finger?”

*

The Military Government Command is based on the Kiyen Empire’s martial law.

As is often the case with dictatorships where the military holds strong power, the Military Government Command possesses extralegal authority.

Listing what those extralegal powers are would just be a waste of breath. Just looking at the numerous journalists who died mysterious deaths while traveling in and out of areas under martial law, investigating the dictator’s background, gives you a rough idea of what those powers entail.

For this reason, crossing the threshold of the Military Government Command has always been a burden for me.

It’s completely different from moving through anarchic third-world regions or areas with lax national surveillance.

The Kiyen Empire is not like an African or Middle Eastern dictatorship, but closer to China or Russia. The trauma of having my personal information exposed the moment I applied for a visa, and being followed as soon as I landed at the airport, still remains with me even after 28 years.

But the reason my steps falter today is not merely due to the Empire’s intelligence agencies’ fierce counterintelligence activities.

“The Commander is waiting for you. Please come in, Military Attaché.”

“…”

Under the cloudy gray sky, I boarded an elevator with sliding iron gates, guided by a pistol-wearing Military Government Command officer.

*

I arrived at the highest point of the Military Government Command, General Mikhail’s office.

The commander’s office, which I was visiting after a very long time, remained unchanged. The monotonous design with little character and modest furniture was the same as ever.

The person was also the same.

General Mikhail, who commands the Military Government Command, was sitting at his desk attending to his duties.

Always in the same place, in the same posture, his appearance had a rigid quality that hardly conveyed any humanity.

He kept his gaze fixed on his papers despite having a visitor, and only after scribbling his name in the signature field did he finally speak.

“It’s been a while, Military Attaché.”

Addressing me in Abassian, I offered a light greeting to the commander.

“It has been a while, Commander. Have you been well?”

General Mikhail nodded slightly. It was an extremely businesslike and monotonous response.

Normally, I might have tried to make small talk, but as the atmosphere wasn’t conducive to friendly greetings, I went straight to the point.

“The situation that has occurred in the North is regrettable.”

Considering my position as a diplomat, I added no further commentary.

However, General Mikhail, who had risen to the rank of general in the military, easily caught the meaning behind my words.

“You’ve come about the blockade issue.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The northern metropolis was sealed off by order of the Military Government Command. It was General Mikhail who had issued the order.

“I understand it was by your command, sir.”

In the current situation, the sealing of the metropolis is not simply an Imperial matter.

The Church wants to exterminate the demon. The Magic Tower’s situation is similar. The same goes for Abass.

The Imperial military’s decision to seal off the city is somewhat puzzling, but ultimately, to achieve what the Imperial military wants, the blockade must be lifted.

The demon running rampant in the North will be the biggest variable and obstacle to the offensive operation in spring.

To push forward with the offensive operation, they need to cut off the demon believed to be buried underground. Beyond that, there’s also a need to purify the site that has been contaminated by malevolent energy.

That’s why I came to ask General Mikhail to lift the blockade.

“Please lift the blockade.”

I continued carefully with a respectful attitude.

“While I fully understand the position of the Imperial Ministry of Defense in making this cautious decision given the seriousness of the situation, the Church and Magic Tower believe they need to take more active measures to address the root cause of this incident. The Imperial Magic Department also agrees with this view, so if it’s acceptable to you, Commander, perhaps Saint Lucia and Administrator Francesca could persuade the military generals to—”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, so let me clarify one thing.”

General Mikhail cut me off and interjected abruptly.

“The decision to impose the blockade was made by the Military Government Command that oversees the martial law area, not the Ministry of Defense.”

“What?”

“I am the one who ordered the city to be sealed off. Not the Minister of Defense.”

General Mikhail, who bluntly stated the truth in a rigid tone, stared at me with an expressionless gaze.

“I ordered the blockade based on valid reasons. So as the commander who used his authority to issue the directive, I will answer.”

“…”

“The blockade cannot be lifted. Under no circumstances.”