Ch.312Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

# “Kill Francesca?”

Sofia, an intelligence officer from the National Security Agency, said.

“‘Physical expulsion’ isn’t a decided matter. Just consider it one of the options.”

All intelligence agencies use jargon, but the forms vary by nationality. Even America and Britain, where intelligence studies first emerged, use different terminology.

Take euphemisms for assassination operations, for instance. CIA friends call assassination “special activity abroad” or “terminate with extreme prejudice.” Conversely, SIS friends refer to the assassination operation itself as “Special political action.”

Sofia’s “physical expulsion” is similar. It’s one of the euphemisms the Fatalian intelligence agency uses for assassination operations.

So,

“You’re saying you don’t intend to kill her.”

Sofia tilted her wine glass and answered.

“That’s right.”

Then she sipped the blood-red wine and added:

“At least not now.”

Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

A heavy silence descended upon the table.

The silence was awkward and uncomfortable.

“……”

I leaned back against the chair and silently looked at Sofia.

Despite the rising intoxication, my sharpened nerves whipped my thoughts into action.

My thinking was swift.

The blood pumping from my pounding heart supplied oxygen to my brain more actively than ever.

My mind combined the changes in Francesca’s situation with Fatalia’s internal affairs. Like fitting puzzle pieces into place, a picture formed in my head.

After gazing at the sea for a moment to organize my thoughts, I slowly leaned forward to close the distance with my friend. Then, placing my interlocked fingers at the edge of my lips, I spoke in a low voice.

“Is it because of the Magic Tower?”

“…Whoa.”

Sofia opened her eyes wide in feigned surprise. As if to say, how did you know?

With a wine glass in one hand, she brushed back her blonde hair. Unlike Lucia’s fine golden hair that seemed spun from molten gold, Sofia’s hair was a dull yellow with other colors mixed in.

After briefly grooming herself, she smiled lightly and nodded. A silent affirmation.

“Well, with the Magic Tower in that state, something was bound to happen. I’m sure they’re worried.”

Whether it’s the Nastasiya Treaty or preventive detention, no matter how much the Magic Tower gets beaten like a punching bag, it’s still the Magic Tower.

A leading institution in the magical society alongside the Ivory Tower built by the alchemists of the Red Desert. A paradise and the only sanctuary for wizards. Due to the Ivory Tower’s characteristic insularity and its focus solely on alchemy, most wizards hope to live in the Magic Tower rather than the Ivory Tower.

The problem is that the current situation at the Magic Tower is dire.

First, all the high-ranking officials at the ministerial level who formed the cabinet were replaced before completing their terms.

The reasons varied: embezzlement, tax evasion, abuse of authority, defeat in political struggles, health issues, and so on.

Second, large-scale protests amounting to riots broke out.

Protests organized by three allied forces tormented the Magic Tower for a long time, and the Magic Tower government mobilized every available police force to suppress them.

This created security gaps in other areas, leading to looting, arson, robbery, and assault incidents.

The economic crisis and the Empire’s show of force that coincided with this drove the Magic Tower into fear. Wizards panicked, gathered in squares to burn mountains of magic books, showing strong distrust toward the government. They also expressed their dissatisfaction with the Oracle.

Fortunately, the protests ended well as the economic crisis was resolved, but the political landscape of the Magic Tower had turned into chaos.

This is essentially the biggest problem.

“Schools and wizards who hadn’t expressed dissatisfaction for a hundred years have begun to openly distrust the three major schools and the Oracle.”

Suddenly, Sofia, sipping her wine, smiled and scratched her cheek with her pinky finger.

“I don’t know which country caused the incident, but it’s heartbreaking.”

“……”

Honestly, as someone involved, I had nothing to say.

The one who wreaked havoc on the Magic Tower was Leoni, the director of the Royal Intelligence Service, and I assisted her operation under her orders. This means I bear some responsibility for the Magic Tower’s damage.

But the same was true for Sofia sitting in front of me. The subversion operation against Abas’s intelligence agency couldn’t have proceeded so smoothly without the cooperation of Fatalia’s intelligence agency.

Perhaps knowing this herself, Sofia spoke as if to suggest we should stop this unfunny joke.

“Anyway, let’s leave the past in the past. I’d like you to tell me now how Ranieri has been doing in the north.”

“What do I get in return if I tell you?”

“Hmm…”

Sofia rolled her eyes to the left and hummed.

After pondering for a while, nodding her head slightly, she finally opened her mouth to give an answer. With a somewhat playful voice.

“Friendship?”

“Bullshit.”

“Why are you like this, Merlo? You know, right? Friendship is repaid with friendship.”

“Does that friendship include loan guarantees by any chance?”

A long middle finger spread out on the table. A gesture telling me to go eat shit.

Even a seasoned intelligence officer apparently didn’t want to be a guarantor. I shrugged and backed off, and Sofia apologized before covering her mouth and yawning slightly. That ended our frivolous banter.

“So, what will make you talk?”

Sofia, with tears at the corners of her eyes, asked bluntly.

I just wanted to go straight to the point without going around in circles, but she started acting like a robber. As if she would keep pestering me until I gave her information.

Feeling disgusted, I shuddered while drinking my cocktail.

“You’re such a pain…”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. So, your answer?”

“As I said earlier, I’d like to hear the reason first.”

“In detail?”

“In detail.”

“Hmm… Alright. I’ll tell you. At least the parts I can talk about.”

*

The Magic Tower is a small nation established after a war 100 years ago.

Officially, the international community doesn’t recognize the Magic Tower as a “formal state,” but they don’t deny that the Magic Tower possesses all three elements of a state: territory, people, and sovereignty.

However, the Kiyen Empire has a different opinion from the international community.

“Geographically, the Magic Tower is located in Nastasiya City in the southern part of the Empire. Nastasiya City is a metropolitan area and a major city in the south, along the Borysthenes River.”

That’s where the problem arose.

“Coincidentally, the Borysthenes River that passes through Nastasiya City crosses numerous cities in the east and south. Since it runs through both the east with its abundant farmlands and the south where magical engineering has developed under the influence of the Magic Tower, the Borysthenes River is essentially the lifeline of the Empire.”

A river called “Borysthenes” flows through Nastasiya where the Magic Tower is located. This river is the link connecting the rich granary and the birthplace of magical engineering.

Coincidentally, the Magic Tower is located right in the middle of the Borysthenes River. Nastasiya was the first city the river reached after winding through the eastern mountains and entering the south.

Sofia nodded and added.

“So it’s understandable that the Emperor would be annoyed. It’s as if the east, which produces enough grain to feed the entire Empire and more, and the birthplace of magical engineering have fallen within the Magic Tower’s range.”

A hundred years ago, Nastasiya City was just a barren plain, but after the magical revolution, the imperial court developed the entire area. Thanks to this, the east and south have consistently become valuable lands that feed the Empire.

The problem is that wizards with rebellion in their DNA live there.

“You can fly over a mountain or two with some effort. The magic from the independence war era guarantees firepower no less than military magic. A skilled combat wizard could attack major cities in the east and south within three days.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why they oppressed them. Afraid those reactionaries might try to cut off the Emperor’s head from behind.”

“Exactly. That’s why the Empire has been keeping the Magic Tower in check for the past hundred years.”

Of course, the Empire wasn’t the only one checking them. The Church did too.

From what I know, after the treaty was signed, the Magic Tower sought help from “revolutionary comrades” including Abas and Fatalia, but nothing really changed.

The situation of the Magic Tower, living as tenants in the south and constantly watching the Emperor’s mood, had continued for over a hundred years. But recently, that situation began to change slightly.

The demon race began invading the Empire.

The intelligence officer from the National Security Agency continued.

“From the Empire’s perspective, they need someone to shed blood and fight instead of the imperial army, and the Magic Tower felt the need to break free from the Empire’s influence. So when the Magic Tower Lord dispatched the Magic Corps under the pretext of protecting northern wizards and academies, the Magic Tower commanders welcomed it. After all, places to test new weapons and gain combat experience are rare.”

At that time, the National Security Agency tapped into conversations between government officials and Magic Corps commanders to identify the fact of the dispatch. They also thoroughly investigated and classified who supported the war and who opposed it.

I said.

“Did they enjoy it as expected?”

“For the first year or two, the Magic Tower was full of enthusiasm. Testing new weapons, experimenting with new magic, revising tactics.”

However, from the moment the conflict entered its third year, complaints began to emerge from within the Magic Tower.

Legally, the Magic Corps is not an army, so they essentially have no regular troops, and they had almost no combat experience.

Although their individual combat abilities were quite excellent due to their experience hunting monsters, they didn’t have the capability to break through defense lines and expand their achievements like the imperial army.

At this point, the Combat Intelligence Analysis Unit of the Integrated Intelligence Department, Fatalia’s military intelligence agency, concluded that the dispatch of the Magic Corps itself had failed. When I asked how she knew this, Sofia said she had a junior colleague there.

Anyway.

“With the situation deteriorating, the Magic Tower Lord and Oracle also started feeling the pressure. So they created a temporary organization to dispatch to the north to support the Magic Corps. You know about it, right?”

“I know well.”

I nodded and smiled slightly.

“Francesca is the chief executive officer there.”

The official title of Francesca, who stepped down from her position as an administrative officer in the Economic Management Department of the Secretariat, is “Magic Tower Delegation Leader.” As the name suggests, the delegation is a government body, not a military one.

“From the middle of the conflict, the delegation took charge of follow-up support for the Magic Corps, and after we joined the conflict, they took on other tasks as well. Expanding medical facilities, guarding rifts, checking transportation networks… even sewer maintenance.”

“Really? Who was in charge of that?”

“Probably Martinez from the Secretariat. Juan Pablo Martinez.”

Although the delegation itself is a temporarily formed task force, the position of delegation leader is as important as that of the Magic Corps commander.

Therefore, considering Francesca’s abilities and symbolism, the Oracle appointed her as the delegation leader. Her experience in the Secretariat proved valuable as she handled murderous paperwork and fieldwork daily while also running a side job (smuggling).

I greeted her in the evening and visited her again the next morning, only to find her sitting in the same place wearing the same clothes, still working. I thought I was going crazy.

At that moment, Sofia crossed her arms and slightly lowered her body. Her voice also dropped a bit.

“You know what, Merlo?”

“What?”

“That position was originally meant for the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Magic Tower.”

Sofia said.

“But Ranieri’s last position was just an administrative officer. It was a position she could never reach or aspire to. In fact, Ranieri didn’t mention the delegation leader at all during the preparation for the northern dispatch. Not until the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs suddenly withdrew, saying he couldn’t take on a major role.”

“……”

She lowered her voice and looked into my eyes.

“Of course, he might have been reluctant to go to a battlefield. And it might be a coincidence that Ranieri was appointed as the leader afterward.”

“…But?”

“And it might also be a coincidence that you, Merlo, were active in the Magic Tower during that period.”

I smiled and looked straight into Sofia’s eyes.

“Are you suggesting I pulled some strings?”

“Well, not necessarily. I believe you’ll keep your promise. Even if she got the delegation leader position for your company’s business, I can understand and overlook that much. I’m not sure what the higher-ups think, though.”

Sofia put down her glass with a thud.

Then, crossing her legs, she began to admonish me as if warning me.

“But know this one thing, Merlo. It’s not entirely a good thing that Ranieri is sitting in that delegation leader position.”

What does that mean?

I was about to ask, but Sofia spoke first.

She began slowly with a rather solemn voice.

“All political turmoil occurs because the existing system fails to satisfy people. In that sense, the political turmoil the Magic Tower is experiencing now is very meaningful.”

The intelligence officer from the National Security Agency said.

“For the past hundred years, there has been no significant change in the Magic Tower’s system. The Magic Tower Lord has changed, Oracle committee members have been replaced, but the Magic Tower has revolved strictly around the three major schools.”

Most of the past Magic Tower Lords and Oracle committee members came from the Elemental, Sorcery, and Astrology schools. Sofia pointed out exactly that.

“All the wizards from the Magic Tower I met during my journalist life, albeit fake, felt jaded about the system. This tendency was stronger among those belonging to non-mainstream schools.”

The social affairs reporter said.

“What would happen if the number of people who feel jaded about the system centered around the three major schools exceeds 30%?”

“……”

“According to my data, those dissatisfied with the current system of the Magic Tower are mostly highly educated and younger age groups. The majority are between 20 and 29 years old, followed by teenagers under 20.”

“Does your company know this too?”

“Of course. It was my report, and the higher-ups found it interesting. That’s why I was called around for debriefings for a while after returning home.”

“……”

“Merlo.”

Sofia called my name. Although it was an alias, it was still the name I had used.

An intelligence officer from the National Security Agency, a former social affairs reporter, and Francesca’s monitor.

She looked straight into my eyes and quietly moved her lips.

“What wizards want is change. It might be impossible right now, but in a few years, those children will grow up and enter society. Then, will children who grew up seeing this mess accept and embrace the system of the Magic Tower centered around the three major schools?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“It’s simple, isn’t it? People want change. But there’s no one to bring about that change.”

The three forces that led the protests collapsed. Protests without support lost their driving force, and extremist ideologies ultimately couldn’t embrace everyone.

Suddenly, I remembered Pippin’s briefing when I first arrived at the Magic Tower. An oligarchy bordering on dictatorship. A paradise for wizards maintained by the interests of the three major schools.

The rock that had stood firm for a hundred years had unknowingly developed cracks.

And the person who drove a wedge into those cracks to split the rock…

“……”

I fell silent as I continued my thoughts.

I couldn’t tell how Sofia interpreted that silence, but her face was utterly calm.

She merely spoke with a voice as calm as her expression.

“Wizards will need someone to bring about change. Someone to drive out the revolutionary who has become a dictator and start a new revolution. Although there are two archmages who could stop the dominance of the three major schools…”

“The Grand Duke and the High Priest don’t interfere in the Magic Tower’s affairs. If they had intended to, they would have intervened somehow when the Nastasiya Treaty was signed.”

“Yes, that’s true too. In a way, people might be looking for a political alternative.”

A revolutionary, a political alternative…

There’s no need to ask who she’s referring to. If we consider where this conversation started, the answer is already clear.

“You’re concerned about Francesca becoming the new focal point of the Magic Tower?”

Sofia answered.

“Yes.”

It was a calm affirmation. It even seemed somewhat detached. And that made it a bit frightening.

I quietly looked around, suppressing some anxiety. I thought looking at the people laughing and chatting at the next table might make me feel better.

But even looking around, my sunken heart showed no signs of rising.

In the end, I could only sigh lightly and take out a cigarette.

Hiss…! The flaring flame. The scraped flint. The flame that surges fiercely once with each breath subsides, and whitish smoke flows out between my lips.

I smoked for a while, silently organizing my thoughts.

“…Sofia.”

“Speak.”

“From my perspective, it seems like you’re the one who needs a vacation, not me.”

I implied that she might have gone crazy from overworking, which made Sofia burst into laughter.

“Well… maybe you’re right.”

“Don’t work too hard. Just take your salary and that’s it, right?”

“But it’s my profession, I should work hard.”

I take a deep breath. Sofia inhaled air with a somewhat exaggerated gesture until her chest was fully inflated.

The salty air filled her lungs. And as her breath flowed out like water from a collapsed dam.

Sofia, having finally succeeded in changing her mood, began to speak to me.

“The higher-ups see Ranieri as a threat, but not everyone makes that judgment. There are many opinions that Ranieri, whose career consists solely of civil service, would find it difficult to enter politics, and there are analysts who predict she would be checked by descendants of other archmages and lose in the struggle. Of course, my superior thinks she should be dealt with immediately.”

“Is that so?”

“But one thing is certain: Ranieri is not an ‘imminent threat’.”

She was saying they would wait and see for now since Francesca didn’t seem to pose an immediate harm to the Fatalian government.

In other words, it also meant that when Francesca eventually becomes an “imminent threat,” the National Security Agency would step in to handle her.

I nodded.

“Well, being a politician isn’t easy.”

“Things might change if she achieves military merits in the north. People love war heroes. Especially if that person is a descendant of a great archmage, wizards would go crazy, right?”

“……”

I just nodded and smiled without responding to Sofia’s words.

She picked up her phone to check the time. Meanwhile, the desserts we ordered arrived. We decided to finish our conversation while enjoying the sweet desserts.

I asked her.

“Any news of Francesca coming to Fatalia?”

“No. She doesn’t come often. She came a few times for official reasons, but each time she just did her work and left.”

“If Francesca returns home, how should I help?”

“There’s nothing special you need to help with. Just make sure she doesn’t contact her family. For some reason, the Ranieri family has been trying to make contact lately. They manage to evade our eyes, but apart from that, our staff will handle the rest.”

“That’s a relief then.”

After finishing our desserts neatly, we had after-dinner drinks.

The brilliant night view was illuminating the city where darkness had already fallen.

Amidst the laughter and bustling noise of the city, I sat outdoors with a view of the sea, savoring brandy made from grape pomace.

“How do you like Fatalia so far?”

Sofia asked.

I answered.

“It’s nice.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ll pay for dinner today.”

“Oh, is that okay?”

“A friend came to visit, I should at least do this much. Next time when I travel to Abas, you can buy me a meal. That works, right? As a major, you must be getting a good salary?”

I shook my head slowly. Sofia tilted her head to one side.

“Why? Is the salary in Abas low?”

“That’s not it. After getting promoted to major, they told me the law had changed and cut all the performance bonuses I received as a captain in half.”

“Ah.”

*

Outdoors, with the sound of waves. I was in the middle of having a conversation with a friend while drinking beer.

A phone call came in.

“Hmm?”

Thinking it might be my phone, I fumbled through my inside pocket, but my phone was completely silent. It must have been Sofia’s call.

“Sofia, I think you have a phone call?”

“Huh…? Oh? You’re right!”

Sofia was startled and pulled out her phone from her pocket. It was a common, ordinary-looking phone with a 1990s-2000s vibe that you could see anywhere.

After putting down the beer bottle and checking the number on the screen, Sofia immediately frowned and sighed.

“What’s wrong? Whose call is it?”

“Work. My superior.”

“Ah.”

“Wait a moment.”

Sofia plugged one ear with her finger and held the phone to the other ear. She was trying her best to answer the call despite the dense noise around.

I sipped my beer while looking at the sea. I expected the call to be lengthy.

But.

Something.

Was strange.

“Ah, yes. I’m currently out on field work.”

-‘……’

“I plan to take the dawn train up. Departing at 02:40 and arriving around 12:10.”

-‘……’

“…What? Suddenly? No, that can’t be-“

As the conversation continued, Sofia’s expression changed diversely. From slight depression to confusion.

She was now answering the incoming call with a serious expression. Only the person from the National Security Agency on the other end of the phone was speaking.

“…Yes, I understand. I’ll go right away.”

Sofia ended the call just as the beer bottle was almost empty.

I threw the empty beer bottle into the trash bin and gestured toward the mobile phone with my chin.

“What kind of call was it that you answered so seriously? An emergency?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my…”

How pitiful.

She’s on vacation, but her friend happens to be caught in an emergency. This is deception at its finest.

For Sofia, who works at the National Security Agency headquarters, to go up to the capital, she needs to take a train for about 10 hours. If she leaves right now, she could blend in with the employees going to work after breakfast tomorrow morning.

I sincerely offered words of consolation to Sofia with a sense of condolence. Of course, the corners of my mouth were still turned up.

The person on the receiving end might feel offended, but is that my concern?

As long as it’s not me. As long as it’s not me.

“That’s really unfortunate. Contact me when the situation is resolved. Let’s have a meal together.”

Just as I was waving goodbye and about to enter the hotel to rest comfortably.

Sofia, who was cleaning up the leftover beer bottles and looking for a taxi, quickly ran up and whispered in my ear.

“She’s here.”

“What?”

“Ranieri.”

…Huh?

“What do you-“

I turned my head sharply to look at Sofia.

My friend said.

The intelligence officer from the National Security Agency said.

“Ranieri just appeared at the arrival hall.”