Ch.314Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

When dawn breaks across the dark sky, eyelids naturally lift to greet it.

Click. Click.

Sitting on the outdoor terrace, I drop sugar cubes into the coffee provided by the hotel. The brown-tinged sky has its own charm.

Whoosh. The seawater rushes toward the shore. The waves, bubbling with white foam, carry away all traces left on the sand during the night, disappearing into the depths.

The bitterness of the coffee couldn’t be masked even by the sweet sugar. After a warm sip passed through my mouth, only a dry aftertaste lingered.

Setting down the coffee cup, I place a cigarette between my fingers. That’s when I hear a familiar voice.

“You’re up early.”

It was Francesca. She appeared on the adjacent terrace wrapped in a white robe.

She must have just finished bathing—water still clung to the ends of her hair, and her snow-white skin stood out against the dim sky.

While adjusting her robe and looking around at the scenery, she suddenly remarked in her usual tone.

“You could have slept longer.”

I glanced at her once, then pulled out my lighter.

“Are you still upset?”

“Of course not.”

I smile slightly as I light the cigarette.

The spark from the flint striking ignites the wick soaked in oil, transforming into a small flame. After drawing in air to light it, I pocket the still-warm lighter and exhale a cloud of smoke with its dry aftertaste.

“I’ve slept enough. What time do we leave?”

“The professor has a lecture in the afternoon, so we should visit him sometime in the morning. I contacted the Mage Tower yesterday saying we’d visit.”

I see.

I nodded and said I understood.

“I’ll call for a car at the appropriate time.”

Francesca turned and headed back to her room.

Silence returned to the space she had left. With few passing vehicles, the street was filled only with the sound of waves rushing in.

I take another sip of the now lukewarm coffee and admire the ocean view the staff had boasted about.

The waves breaking into pieces and the white foam rising.

The beautiful white beach without even footprints.

Looking at the scene like a masterpiece painting, I set down my coffee and placed the cigarette between my lips.

“…Phew.”

It was a beautiful view worth the expensive accommodation.

It was twice as beautiful because it was free.

Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

My forced overseas trip had reached its second day. I only learned about my visa approval on the day of my vacation, so this was essentially an unplanned journey.

But now I had a plan.

“What’s on the agenda today?”

“We’ll meet with the professor, have a simple meal, and pay our respects. He’s a busy person, so he can’t spare much time. Since he sent me an invitation, I plan to attend his lecture after our meal, then return to the hotel.”

As I was taking out my suit, I asked Francesca.

“Who will be attending this special lecture?”

“The university president, professors who don’t have classes, officials from Fatalia’s Magic Department, and academic society representatives. He’s quite famous. There might be others too.”

“Let’s go with that plan, then.”

We went downstairs and boarded the taxi we had reserved through the hotel.

“Signore e signori, where may I take you?”

“Galbria City University.”

Our destination was Galbria City University, where the professor who had gifted Francesca the elixir would be giving a special lecture.

It took about 20 minutes by car from Hotel Meraviglia to the university. The driver skillfully navigated Galbria’s roads, crossed the bridge spanning the sea, and dropped us off near the university.

There, we met an elderly professor known as a distinguished scholar of the Ivory Tower.

“How have you been, Professor?”

“Ah, who do we have here? Miss Ranieri.”

Francesca and the elderly professor exchanged greetings without hesitation.

Wearing a cape, the symbol of a wizard, after a long time, she bowed to the professor, who placed his right hand near his heart and lowered his head.

“May peace be upon the descendants of the great prophet and his companions.”

After the formal greeting, the elderly professor smiled kindly and said.

“I am Niazi of the Ivory Tower. I’ve been waiting for you.”

*

Niazi bin Mukhtar Al-Kamara. That was the full name of the elderly professor who introduced himself as “Niazi.”

As this game borrowed elements from reality, and the professor’s birthplace was a nation in the Moritani continent modeled after the Middle East, he was essentially a professor teaching at a prestigious Middle Eastern university in Earth terms.

I recalled what I had learned during my time working in the Middle East.

Typically, Arab names carry multiple meanings. “Bin Mukhtar” means “son of Mukhtar,” so the professor’s father’s name was Mukhtar.

Given the Middle Eastern motif, in “Al-Kamara,” the “Al” represents the Arabic definite article “ال,” and since family names typically follow the father’s name in Arabic naming conventions, it naturally concluded that he was a child of the Kamar family.

In other words, Professor Niazi was a member of the Kamar family, with Mukhtar as his father.

The professor, who had exchanged greetings with Francesca, maintained his kind smile and gestured politely toward me, asking:

“And who might this gentleman be?”

I greeted him according to the customs of the Moritani continent.

“Peace be upon the student from the Prophet’s Temple. I am Frederick Nostrum, Miss Francesca’s colleague.”

The Prophet’s Temple is what the alchemists of the Red Desert call the Ivory Tower. This is because the Ivory Tower was founded by Sulaiman, a great wizard from the Moritani continent who played a significant role in the war against the religious order.

While the seventeen wizards who made significant contributions during that period are generally called great wizards across the continent, people from the Moritani continent don’t refer to Sulaiman as a great wizard. Instead, they often use titles like “Prophet Sulaiman” or “Seer Sulaiman.”

The reason is simple.

Sulaiman himself was a devout cleric of “Al-Yabd.”

Born into a clerical family in the Moritani continent, Sulaiman possessed both great magical talent and deep faith, and he was known as a cleric who received divine revelations in the region his family governed.

Upon hearing this news, the Inquisition dispatched an expedition to wage war against Sulaiman’s family, resulting in numerous casualties.

This war is known as the “Sarakhs War,” which is considered the prelude to the later Mage Tower Independence War.

Enraged by the sight of his burned family, Sulaiman sought out “The Priest,” a great religious figure and one of the seventeen great wizards, and this war became the catalyst for magic to unveil its mysteries and reveal itself to the world.

The events that followed are well-known historical facts.

The rebelling wizards waged war against the religious order, and after a long conflict, they established the Mage Tower.

Sulaiman, who survived the war, built a tower on his burned territory and named it the “Ivory Tower.” The nations of the Moritani continent, which had been in political and religious opposition to the religious order for thousands of years, hailed Sulaiman as a great prophet who had returned victorious from the war against the infidels.

In other words, the Ivory Tower is not simply a tower where wizards from the Moritani continent gather, but a massive temple where religion and magic are intertwined.

That’s why another name for the Ivory Tower is the “Prophet’s Temple.”

If you were a history major or had thoroughly studied world history, you might have heard of this history in passing. But regardless of the Moritani people’s pride in the Ivory Tower, most people from other continents don’t care about such things.

Perhaps because of this, Professor Niazi seemed quite impressed. He displayed a bright smile and extended his hand to request a handshake.

“Oh… Not many people know that expression. But you do.”

“It’s not particularly impressive knowledge.”

“Frederick Nostrum. I thought I’d heard that name somewhere before, but I didn’t realize you were such a kind person. Heh heh.”

Intelligence agencies always teach newcomers how to gain favor with others, but in reality, gaining favor isn’t that complicated.

Show some respect according to the culture and know the local language, and you’re halfway there. Regardless of race, nationality, or religion, everyone dislikes rude and ignorant people.

It’s the same principle as how elderly Koreans appreciate foreigners who speak Korean fluently and bow respectfully.

“I heard that Miss Francesca would be having a conversation with you, Professor. Should I give you some privacy?”

“I appreciate the thought, but stories from young people about the world always bring great joy to an old man. As the days go by, it becomes increasingly difficult to drag my aging body around the world, and I spend most of my time researching alone in my laboratory. If you don’t mind, I’d like to join you.”

“Whatever works for you.”

*

The meal with the professor wasn’t bad at all.

The fact that he didn’t interrogate me for information like some foreign diplomat, intelligence officer, or journalist already made me like him.

True to his innocent scholarly nature, Professor Niazi began an in-depth conversation about alchemy with Francesca. As someone with a humanities background, I couldn’t follow such a topic, so I just mentally turned on a recorder and mindlessly chewed my meat.

He seemed to like the restaurant recommended by the staff of the Abbas Embassy in Fatalia.

After finishing an early lunch at that restaurant, we headed to the university where the special lecture would be held.

As Francesca had predicted, the building where the special lecture was to be held was already crowded before it even began. Judging by the black sedans flying both the flag of the Republic of Fatalia and their own national flags, foreign ambassadors had also come to the lecture.

I looked around the exterior of the lecture hall and muttered.

“Diplomats, civil servants, scholars, students… Professor Niazi’s reputation must be truly remarkable.”

“The Kamar family is one of the forces leading the Ivory Tower. Didn’t you know?”

“I know almost nothing about the Moritani continent. I’ve never been stationed there.”

Since the Moritani region wasn’t my responsibility, I had no information about that area. Compared to Francesca, who had been invited to the Ivory Tower and traveled to the Moritani continent, or Veronica, who had gone there for missionary and diplomatic activities in her childhood, my knowledge was embarrassingly limited.

The interior of the building was packed with magic students eager to hear the lecture, as well as people from various academic societies, organizations, agencies, companies, and research institutes.

“…Isn’t that the chairman of Recormati? That famous pharmaceutical company.”

“Yes, it is. And the person next to him is the CEO of Clercopse. They developed a potion named after ‘Elixir,’ a medicinal potion from the Independence War era. They’re one of the leaders in Fatalia’s magical pharmaceutical field.”

“I know. They supply potions to the Fatalian military.”

It seemed like everyone in Fatalia connected to “alchemy” had gathered in one place. Pharmaceutical company chairmen, defense industry CEOs, foreign ambassadors with 20 years of experience, distinguished academic professors…

Francesca, a high-ranking official of the Mage Tower Secretariat, calmly assessed the lecture attendees.

“It’s not surprising. Someone of Professor Niazi’s caliber would attract visitors from other countries. Who wouldn’t want to attend a meeting with a master of alchemy and a power player in the Ivory Tower?”

“…I suppose so. Anyone would want to come.”

And I bet spies would be drooling over this too. There’s information gold dust scattered everywhere.

Sure enough, there were people in military uniforms walking around inside the lecture hall. Not only were there officer-level personnel from Fatalia’s Ministry of Defense, but also foreign military attachés dressed in formal aguilettes. While the Fatalian side was ambiguous, some of the attending attachés were clearly intelligence officers dispatched from intelligence units.

While I was scanning the attendees, they recognized me and started whispering among themselves. Their attitude suggested they were wondering why I was there.

As the military attachés with stiffened expressions began to look at me, I instinctively sensed trouble and grabbed some refreshments from the lecture hall.

Regardless, Francesca approached the group of attendees and greeted them.

“It’s been a while. How have you been, Chairman?”

“Ah, Ms. Francesca. It’s so good to see you! I think the last time we met was at the international conference held at the Mage Tower, and so much time has passed since then.”

“I’m glad to see you too. I came to greet Professor Niazi, but I didn’t expect to meet you here, Chairman.”

“Are you acquainted with Professor Niazi?”

“I met him a few times when I visited the Ivory Tower. I was able to come here thanks to his invitation.”

She only greeted one person directly. Attendees who recognized Francesca approached her first and greeted her, and she welcomed them with a smile.

Even excluding her credentials as a civil servant of the Mage Tower Secretariat, a descendant of a great wizard, and a companion of the hero, she was naturally a social insider in the magical community. Of course, not everyone was pleased by her appearance.

A few men in suits at the back, who were engaged in conversation, recognized Francesca and began to whisper among themselves.

“Is that person… could it be Francesca Ranieri?”

“Yes, it is. It’s Francesca Ranieri. Why is she here? Wasn’t she in the Empire?”

“It seems she received an invitation from Professor Niazi. Call the international cooperation officer over here for a moment.”

The men in suits appeared to be civil servants, specifically from Fatalia’s Magic Department. Since the special lecture itself was held in Fatalia, it wasn’t unusual for Fatalian Magic Department officials to attend.

The problem was that they weren’t the only ones there.

A Fatalian Defense Ministry official, who had been conversing with a military attaché inside the lecture hall, turned his head to look at Francesca. A suspiciously well-dressed civil servant, who had been laughing and chatting with a foreign journalist nearby, also looked at her.

I realized these individuals belonged to Fatalian intelligence. Unlike other officials who were looking at her as if witnessing something unusual, their expressions had subtly hardened.

Coincidentally, there was a similar individual right next to me.

“Merlo.”

“Sophia.”

Sophia, an intelligence officer from the National Security Agency, had somehow appeared inside the lecture hall and quietly stood next to me with a coffee in hand.

Perhaps conscious of the gazes around us, she was looking elsewhere while drinking her coffee. I also looked at other attendees in the lecture hall, out of consideration for her.

Sophia spoke.

“I heard through the branch that Francesca had appeared in Galbria. But I didn’t expect her to be moving with you.”

“It just turned out that way.”

It seems her company’s assessment that Francesca posed a threat wasn’t a lie. Sophia was hovering around Francesca in less than half a day. Or perhaps she had never left her vicinity to begin with.

I took out my phone from my pocket and pretended to type a message, pressing the keys.

“Just asking, but did you also monitor the hotel?”

The answer came immediately.

“Yes.”

“……”

Saying they monitored the hotel meant they had monitored Francesca’s room. They had probably bugged it.

However, whether the National Security Agency had only monitored Francesca’s room or also monitored my room next to hers was anyone’s guess. Only Sophia would know.

Sensing my thoughts, Sophia smiled slightly and spoke in a tone suggesting there was nothing to worry about.

“I only marked Francesca. I swear.”

“Right. And my room right next to hers wasn’t even on your radar.”

“You didn’t make any calls yesterday anyway, did you?”

“I had no need to.”

Why would I make calls when the National Security Agency was fully aware of my entry into the country? Making calls to one’s company or family in an unsecured situation is something an intelligence officer abroad should never do.

Although I wasn’t in Fatalia for work, my purpose for visiting wasn’t important to the National Security Agency. What mattered was the fact that I was a foreign intelligence officer. That was all.

I realized I was being monitored by an allied intelligence agency, but I wasn’t particularly angry about it. It wasn’t the first time Abbas had eavesdropped on allied government officials. It’s similar to how the United States eavesdrops on allied governments.

Sophia watched Francesca, who was mingling with the crowd, while drinking her coffee.

After silently observing Francesca for a while, she quietly put down her disposable cup, stood up, and briefly met my gaze.

“Stay as far away as possible.”

“……”

“She’s not someone you want to keep close. You know what I mean?”

I nodded and replied.

“I’ll take your advice to heart.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Same difference.”

Sophia smiled slightly and passed by me, heading out of the lecture hall. An earpiece was inserted in her ear as she walked by.

If one were to follow the wire hidden under her clothes, there would likely be a radio connected to it somewhere. She was probably using that radio to give instructions to other National Security Agency intelligence officers.

I stood still for a while, looking in the direction she had disappeared.

People presumed to be National Security Agency intelligence officers left the lecture hall at intervals, and among them was a somewhat awkward rookie intelligence officer. It was the same immigration officer who had been at the immigration checkpoint earlier.

“…Sigh.”

I sighed deeply and threw the disposable cup Sophia had left behind into the trash.

With my hands in my pockets, I trudged toward Francesca, and the voice of a Galbria City University staff member reached my ears.

“Now, Professor Niazi’s lecture will begin shortly. Please take your seats!”

Shortly thereafter, Professor Niazi’s special lecture began.

And it concluded successfully.

*

On the way back to the hotel. The randomly chosen taxi was quiet.

The taxi driver focused on the road ahead with a businesslike attitude, and since the radio was turned off, the sound of the vehicle speeding along the dark road was clearly audible.

Looking out the window, I turned my head to look at Francesca.

“Do you want to change hotels?”

Francesca replied.

“Are you not satisfied with the hotel?”

“Hmm, that’s not it.”

“Then why do you ask?”

I looked at the back of the driver who was driving the taxi. The driver was looking straight ahead, driving as if he couldn’t hear our conversation.

Looking at his back, I was lost in thought for a moment, then carefully tapped my ear with my finger.

Seeing this signal, Francesca stared at my profile for a moment, then turned her gaze to look at the scenery outside the window.

“……”

Francesca’s reflection in the window looked somewhat tired.

The reason she appeared exhausted wasn’t just because she had met and conversed with many people at the lecture hall today.

“Do as you wish. I was only planning to stay for one day anyway.”

“Ah, right. You were a walk-in guest?”

“Yes.”

She had come over as soon as she heard about the professor, so she hadn’t made any preparations. She hadn’t even properly reserved a hotel, which was why she had asked me to guide her to one.

Of course, whether she would have been able to rest comfortably there even if she had properly reserved a hotel is anyone’s guess. The National Security Agency people might know.

Francesca maintained her silence and looked out the window, and I looked out the opposite window and spoke to her.

“Do you have a place to stay?”

“I do have one.”

“Where?”

“My villa.”

Villa?

“You have a villa too?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Wait, she has a villa in a resort town?

“A villa in the Galbria region must be extremely expensive.”

“I’m not short on money.”

“Aren’t you a civil servant?”

“What are you saying? You should know better, Attaché.”

Wondering what she meant, I thought about it carefully and belatedly realized that Francesca wasn’t just an ordinary civil servant.

She was in charge of managing the Mage Tower Oracle’s slush funds in the Economic Management Department of the Secretariat, and she had pocketed a significant amount in the process. Not only that, but she also earned additional income through “side jobs,” so Francesca was definitely not a salaried employee like me who just lived off what was given.

As this thought occurred to me, Francesca’s expressionless face, looking out the window, began to overlap with that of a mafia character from a movie. Like The Godfather series or Scarface. A bourgeois who eats well by earning money illegally.

Then why did she ask me to find her a hotel? She could have just gone to her villa.

Feeling incredulous, I casually threw a question at her.

“If you have a villa, why did you stay at the hotel?”

“It’s been empty for a long time. Cleaning it up would naturally take time.”

“Ah…”

After hearing her answer, I nodded in understanding. Well, if she doesn’t come to Fatalia often, there’s no need to keep the villa clean every day.

Honestly, I was curious about why she had bought a villa she wouldn’t use often, but I didn’t want to dig deeper. I had a feeling the answer wouldn’t be entirely positive.

So I changed the subject.

This time, it was about work.

“You said you had something to tell me. May I ask what it is?”

“Not now. I’ll tell you later.”

There was no need to ask why. We were currently in a taxi, and there was someone listening right in front of us.

“Then I’ll arrange a place.”

The yellow taxi sped through the midday city. After crossing the bridge standing tall over the sea, the taxi quickly entered the maze-like city and dropped us off in front of the hotel.

I pulled her luggage out of the trunk. Meanwhile, Francesca, who had paid and gotten out of the taxi, was asked a question.

“So you’ll have to stay at the hotel for a while longer.”

“I suppose so. I need to think more about changing accommodations.”

“That’s fine. By the way, do you have any remaining schedule?”

“Well…”

Francesca trailed off while pulling her carrier.

After securing a hotel room at the front desk, and while the bellboy was moving her luggage, Francesca pondered her future schedule. Her contemplation continued even as we boarded the elevator and headed to the room.

Finally, as the elevator doors opened and we stepped onto the carpeted corridor, Francesca’s tightly closed lips began to open.

“I have no work to handle and no appointments scheduled. It would be nice to return to the Mage Tower and be with the hero, but…”

After briefly trailing off, Francesca added.

“For the time being, with you, Attaché…”

That’s when it happened. The sound of a bell rang.

The bell sound filled the quiet corridor in an instant. Interrupting her words, Francesca reached into her pocket and took out her mobile phone.

“What call is it?”

“It’s an unknown number. Not a saved contact.”

“Then don’t answer it. Nothing good comes from answering unknown numbers.”

“But this is a call from the Secretariat.”

Francesca was certain that the number displayed on the screen was from the Secretariat. When asked how she was so sure, she replied:

“All official phones from the Secretariat have the same ending digits. This one has the same ending digits as my work phone.”

“Then it might be an important call. You should answer it.”

While she was answering the call, I used the key I had received from the front desk to open the room. I first opened Francesca’s room and turned on the lights. Then I went into my room and took out equipment from my luggage that could detect bugging devices and cameras.

With equipment in both hands, I came out into the corridor and saw Francesca talking on the phone. She had a somewhat peculiar expression on her face.

“…Yes. I understand. Don’t cry. I’ll be there soon.”

-‘……’

“Can you give me the address? I’ll go there right now. Yes. Wait for me first.”

I approached her after she finished the call.

“What was the call about?”

“It was from a Secretariat employee.”

“It didn’t sound like a routine call. Is there a problem?”

Francesca shook her head with a subtle expression. It meant there was a problem.

I went back to my room, carefully hid the equipment, locked the door, and came back out into the corridor.

“I don’t know where it is, but let’s go check it out. On the way, please tell me what happened.”

“I’m not exactly sure either. The person was sobbing throughout the call, so it was hard to understand. But…”

“But?”

“The person who called. You know them too.”

I know them? A Secretariat employee?

I tilted my head in confusion. I only know two more employees besides Francesca.

“Is it Martinez?”

“No. Not Officer Martinez, but Miss Gabi Schneider.”

“Gabi Schneider? Hmm… I don’t recognize that name.”

“You should know her.”

Francesca, who had pressed the button to call the elevator, added with a somewhat uncertain expression.

“She’s the person you asked me to investigate. Remember? That Secretariat employee list.”

At the mention of the Secretariat employee list, a scene flashed through my mind.

The list of Secretariat employees I had investigated under the direction of the Military Intelligence Agency, specifically Leoni, during my northern deployment.

As that memory suddenly came to mind, I turned to look at Francesca.

“Is that person in Fatalia now?”

“Yes.”

Francesca nodded.

“I don’t know the exact details, but there’s something Gabi Schneider asked me while crying.”

“What is it?”

“Jean Marbo.”

The Mage Tower Secretariat civil servant added.

“She wants us to find a missing Secretariat employee.”