Ch.318Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

# A Street of Red Brick Houses and Tangled Vines

A narrow path between walls covered with haphazardly growing vines and red brick houses. Through the low walls, barely tall enough to reveal the top of someone’s head, the clear sky of Abas could be glimpsed.

A luxury sedan parked in the narrow space between the walls.

The man who lowered the heavily tinted window looked up at the clear sky, pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“The sky of Abas has become clear after such a long time. A good omen, don’t you think?”

The man sitting in the back seat of the sedan smiled brightly at the woman beside him. However, the woman merely waved her hand dismissively, as if tired.

The woman in the official vehicle of the “Embassy of the Republic of Fatalia to the Kingdom of Abas,” registered with the Abas Ministry of Foreign Affairs—Leoni, Director of Overseas Intelligence Operations at the Military Intelligence Agency—opened her mouth with a raspy voice.

“Let’s stop the jokes here, Consul.”

“Director, you don’t seem very pleased to meet with me. You always frown like this.”

“I didn’t sleep well last night.”

In truth, she hadn’t slept at all, not because she’d tossed and turned, but because she’d been hiding on a covert ship secretly entering Abas from Fatalia. However, Leoni chose not to mention this.

The man referred to as the consul, who had come from the Embassy of the Republic of Fatalia, smiled broadly and said:

“As I’ve said many times, overwork isn’t good. It’s especially poisonous for an aging intelligence officer like yourself. Well, I’ve heard rumors that even when you were at the Royal Intelligence Department, the lights in your office never went out until dawn.”

“It seems the National Security Bureau is now investigating intelligence officers from allied countries.”

The head of the Abas branch of the National Security Bureau spoke with a smile on his face.

“It’s just a rumor. We haven’t conducted any investigations.”

An obvious lie. If that were true, the Fatalia Embassy wouldn’t have been bugging the office of the Defense Minister of their “allied country” Abas.

When she pointed this out, the intelligence officer from the National Security Bureau, who until just a year ago had been leaking confidential information from the Ministry of Defense, responded calmly:

“That’s in the past, isn’t it? Our government received a protest from the Abas government and formally apologized. Our President personally conveyed his apologies to the Prime Minister.”

“Since we’re short on time, let’s get to the point.”

“Let’s do that.”

Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

“It’s been three months since our National Security Bureau shared information with the Royal Intelligence Department. It seems like just yesterday that you were there… How was it? Did you find anything useful?”

The consul, who had cleared his schedule for information sharing with an allied intelligence agency, opened the conversation while looking at the front seat of the sedan.

“Indeed we did.”

The Director of Overseas Operations at the Military Intelligence Agency responded.

“Using the information provided by the National Security Bureau, we investigated the terrorist and identified several more terrorists connected to him. We’re also uncovering the details and backers of the recent terrorist attack.”

“I’m glad you’ve identified them. This is something you’ve been working on for years, isn’t it?”

Indeed it was. From when she was appointed as the head of the Military Intelligence Agency branch and rose to become the director of the Royal Intelligence Department, until she was appointed as the director of the Military Intelligence Agency again.

She had been putting the puzzle together, and the National Security Bureau had provided the one missing piece needed to get approval for the operation.

“That’s right. Both as an intelligence officer of an allied country and personally, I’m grateful.”

“It seems you’ve located them. Where were they hiding?”

“They weren’t hiding. Not flaunting their presence either, but not hiding.”

The head of the National Security Bureau branch smiled. Unlike before, it was a somewhat stereotypical and businesslike smile.

“I didn’t come here to play twenty questions, Director.”

Looking at that slick face, Leoni thought to herself: These bastards are like robbers. They might not be holding knives, but they’re no different from bandits.

Coordination between intelligence agencies is similar to making sausages. Everyone wants the result, but nobody wants to know the process.

Worrying if these bastards are playing games, worrying if they’ll take the information and run after promising cooperation. It was always like this. Leoni didn’t trust the National Security Bureau intelligence officers or other intelligence agency personnel who showed up claiming to be from allied countries.

If the consul wasn’t an allied intelligence officer, and if this wasn’t an official procedure between the intelligence authorities of both countries, Leoni would have left immediately. However, instead of opening the car door, she answered the official question from the head of the National Security Bureau branch.

“They were in the northern part of the Kiyen Empire.”

“…The northern part of the Empire? That’s a conflict zone.”

To the consul who asked with a somewhat dubious expression, the director replied:

“I hope you’re not doubting the capabilities of the Royal Intelligence Department and the Military Intelligence Agency?”

You provided the information in the first place. If the information was wrong, it was your side that was wrong. With roughly that nuance in her words, the consul’s expression immediately twisted.

“The information we shared was thoroughly reviewed by our side. It was verified information collected through a human intelligence asset who had access to the most sensitive secrets at the Mage Tower’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 10 years. That intelligence officer was the best in the National Security Bureau.”

“The information I just mentioned was also discovered based on our years of careful investigation and intelligence assets. Of course, we also deployed the best employees of the Royal Intelligence Department to the field.”

Leoni briefly added:

“Currently, all suspects are under the company’s surveillance.”

“They’re not suspects, they’re terrorists.”

To the branch head’s attitude of correcting a significant mistake, Leoni responded without backing down:

“Even a murderer who has killed someone is a defendant until trial. The principle of presumption of innocence is written in the Fatalian Constitution. It’s problematic to label someone a terrorist before a verdict has been reached, Consul.”

“The Director of the Royal Intelligence Department and the Director of the Military Intelligence Agency seem to think differently. They judged them to be definite terrorists after seeing our materials.”

“I am the operation commander. The directors personally appointed me.”

“…So you don’t consider them terrorists?”

“I’ll leave that to your imagination. You do enjoy jokes.”

As always, the person tired of the circular conversation was the consul. The head of the National Security Bureau branch surrendered with both hands and feet up, returning to the starting point.

“Fine. Since you put it that way, I won’t question the source and reliability of the information separately. You’re known for handling matters thoroughly.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Instead, let me ask just one thing. This is a question not from a diplomat of the Republic of Fatalia, but from an intelligence officer of the National Security Bureau, and beyond that, on behalf of our employees who shed blood on the Moritani continent, as someone who was in charge of the Moritani continent.”

“…Go ahead and ask.”

The head of the National Security Bureau branch asked the director of the Military Intelligence Agency.

He looked at Leoni with a very serious attitude. And with a very firm tone, he opened his mouth.

“When are you going to kill the wizards who assassinated our employees on the Moritani continent?”

“……”

“It wasn’t just our company’s employees who died.”

*

-‘When did you go there?’

“The other day. About three days ago.”

Walking along a trail following the beautiful natural coastal cliffs, I heard Veronica’s voice as I made my way around the entire cliff from the villa.

It had been a very long time since I’d heard her voice.

-‘Three days? Wow, how could you go without telling me?’

“I don’t need to report to you.”

-‘You could at least have notified me. There’s so much to do in Fatalia. If you were going anyway, you could have taken me along!’

“Give me a break…”

Veronica, who I finally got in touch with after 9 days, was still the same. How could she ramble on with such nonsense, and without stopping? Unlike Lucia, who always spoke sparingly and gently, Veronica talked a lot.

-‘So, are you enjoying your vacation, Major?’

“It’s alright.”

I walked along the trail while conversing with Veronica. After opening the conversation by asking about my vacation on a secure line, she seemed to sense the atmosphere had softened and moved on to other topics.

The first topic that came up was, of course, the northern issue.

-‘The imperial government is busy dealing with the problems in the north. They’re treating patients exposed to malevolent energy with specialized medical equipment supported by the Order and the Mage Tower, and they’re rebuilding collapsed buildings and destroyed infrastructure in the aftermath of the battle.’

In place of us, who had all been moved to the rear after being injured, Veronica remained on site and continued her personal investigation at my request.

Conversations between the military government headquarters in charge of the north and the Ministry of Defense, statements from government officials involved in damage control, stories circulating within the Order, and so on. There was a lot of material.

There were some hopeful contents, such as progress in treating patients exposed to demonic energy or foreign aid supplies properly reaching residents.

But considering the reality of the north, there was several times more information with desperate content in the materials Veronica had collected.

“Have the casualty statistics been released?”

-‘Realistically, it’s difficult to compile statistics.’

Veronica said with a strangely tired voice.

-‘Seven major cities were damaged, but there are too many casualties, both civilians and military. There’s no capacity to recover the bodies, so even after a week, corpses are still frequently spotted on the streets.’

“The situation is much more serious than expected.”

-‘Yes. But if you ask if that’s the only problem….’

That meant there were various and colorful problems of all kinds. Though she left the rest unsaid, I understood roughly what she meant.

“Could you tell me a few of the most serious problems, Veronica?”

-‘It’s difficult to prioritize, but… the most urgent issue is housing. The shortage of medicine has been somewhat resolved because Lucia spoke with the bishops in advance, but it’s still serious.’

News also came that the military government headquarters was adjusting the timing of offensive operations for various reasons: low morale, confusion in the rear, and troop losses.

I stopped in my tracks while walking along the trail.

“What happens to us if they adjust the operation date? We were supposed to launch an offensive in spring, but all three of us have our own tasks.”

Burning the Naroda Mountains, reducing the number of patients to ease the burden on medical facilities, reorganizing the transportation network and guarding the rifts. The tasks assigned to Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca were all agreed to be completed before the imperial army launched its offensive operation.

It doesn’t matter if the operation is delayed, but if it’s moved up, there will inevitably be disruptions to the work.

“As far as I know, more than half of the mountains have been burned, and the monsters hiding in the mountains have been completely eradicated. But the transportation network reorganization and treatment of refugees haven’t been completed yet.”

-‘The military has expressed its intention to recapture the unrecovered territories as soon as possible, regardless of the damage. It seems they want to send troops beyond the mountains to attack the demon race first, whether or not the reconstruction of railways and roads is complete, or whether patients are overflowing in the rear.’

“Then what about us? After fighting so hard against demons, do we now have to go face the demon race?”

-‘The generals want to resolve this situation with just the imperial army. After all, on the day the demon died, the people who directly confronted the demon were you, the hero, and our siblings.’

So.

Originally, the imperial army planned to run straight down the roads we had paved, drive out the demon race, plant flags in the reclaimed territory, and advertise “We did it!”

But some corpse-smelling demon from the desert showed up and caused chaos, disrupting their plans.

If the imperial army had led the subjugation of that demon, they would have had some excuse, but the demon was caught by our hands while the imperial army just twiddled their thumbs. If this gets out, it’s obvious they’ll be criticized for what they were doing while foreigners were risking their lives.

So they want to recover their damaged pride by succeeding in the offensive operation with just the imperial army, without our help. Is that it?

“Did I understand correctly?”

-‘Precisely.’

“This is maddening…”

Feeling like I might go crazy and jump up and down, I sighed while looking at the sea, and Veronica’s languid voice came through the secure line.

She opened her mouth in a very calm tone, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

-‘Don’t think too negatively. There will be good news before spring passes and Lucia’s ordination ceremony.’

“…Good news?”

That good news was, literally, really good news.

Veronica told me that the imperial government plans to publicly award medals to us for our achievements in the north over the past month. More precisely, orders had come down from the imperial family.

Just as I was wondering who had given those orders, an unexpected name came from Veronica’s lips.

It was a familiar name.

At the same time, it was someone I knew well.

“Who ordered it…?”

-‘Alexandra Smirnov. The Grand Duchess of the North gave the order directly.’

Veronica added that, except for ambassadors who occasionally receive medals as a matter of custom in imperial history, there aren’t many cases where the imperial government has awarded medals to Abas diplomats. She spoke as if she was genuinely happy.

-‘Congratulations, Major. You might not get a pension as a foreigner, but it’s still an honor.’

“Oh, um. Thank you.”

-‘It seems the State Council is also preparing some kind of medal ceremony on the Pope’s orders, so be careful for a while. You need to leave a good impression in the photos, and it would be awkward to stand in front of the photographer with bruises on your face or a broken nose.’

The conversation that followed was nothing special. It was the usual repertoire spanning the Empire, the Order, and the Mage Tower.

Of course, today there was some unusual information mixed in.

-‘Oh, right. I got a call from the Inquisition saying they might have found traces of the remaining companions pointed to by the oracle.’

“Really? Where?”

-‘Well, one trace was found on the Moritani continent. The other was found on the eastern continent.’

The Moritani continent and the eastern continent. That must refer to the barbarian warrior and the elf.

Considering the precedents of Lucia and Francesca, these two companions would likely not be ordinary races either. They would have some loose screws or be involved in serious incidents. Especially the elf. Nine out of ten pale elves were eco-fascist forest guerrillas, so this one was also highly likely to be a weirdo.

As soon as I thought about the turbulent future ahead, I got a headache. I pressed my temples firmly while continuing the call.

“Please forward the specific data as soon as it comes out.”

-‘I will. By the way, Major, we’re talking after a long time, but are we just going to talk about work?’

“What else should we talk about?”

-‘Let’s start with you. You said you went to Fatalia for vacation, which city are you staying in?’

“A city called Galvria in the south.”

-‘Are you traveling alone?’

“No. I have company.”

An exclamation came from the other end of the phone. Wait, is it that surprising that I’m traveling with someone else?

I looked down at my phone in disbelief for a moment. Regardless, Veronica began to ask questions with an intrigued tone.

-‘Who is it? Who did you go with?’

“Francesca.”

-‘Our sister?’

Her voice showed signs of surprise at the unexpected answer. Having sold off her previous attitude somewhere, she stammered in shock.

-‘W-why is she there?’

I explained everything that had happened.

Meeting Francesca at the warp gate on the day of entry, having dinner with her and visiting a professor at the Ivory Tower, attending an invited lecture and then returning to the hotel, and finally staying at Francesca’s villa.

That was all I could tell her. Still, I didn’t omit the main points, so there was no reason for Veronica to feel awkward.

By the time I finished my story, another exclamation suddenly came from Veronica’s lips.

-‘Wow, you’re staying at our sister’s villa?’

“Yes. But why are you making such a fuss? What’s the big deal about being invited to a villa?”

When I asked with a puzzled tone, the answer came right away.

-‘I’ve never been allowed in there.’

Veronica, who had become noticeably depressed as if feeling left out, started whining about not being able to visit a villa that I had been to.

I was dumbfounded by the saint’s sudden complaining.

“Why haven’t you been there? Aren’t you two close?”

-‘My sister said that villa looks similar to the one where she used to live with her mother. So whenever she has to go to that villa, she always goes alone. Seeing that there are no caretakers, it seems she manages it herself.’

“……”

-‘A space of memories she wants to keep to herself, something like that, don’t you think?’

“…Maybe so.”

-‘You’re really lucky, Major. Anyway, is our sister doing well?’

I had been momentarily distracted by the story of Francesca’s past, but I finally came to my senses.

“Actually, I was going to contact you about an issue with Francesca.”

-‘Did something happen?’

“The Public Security has been monitoring Francesca.”

Whether she claims to be Francesca’s sister or godmother, that’s not important.

What’s really important is that the relationship between Veronica and Francesca is deeper than I thought, and that she has the power to help Francesca.

I spilled everything Francesca had been through.

Except for the story about Sofia. I told her that Francesca had been under surveillance by the National Security Bureau consistently since her time at the Mage Tower, and that she was followed and her communications were tapped every time she entered Fatalia.

If the Order, which has led the suppression of wizards, were to criticize Fatalia Republic’s information criminal management system, it would be no different from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs telling the South Korean government what to do.

But Francesca wasn’t just a relative of a public security criminal; she was Camilla’s colleague, so I thought there might be a way to help her.

However, the response wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped.

-‘Hmm….’

After hesitating for a while with an ambiguous attitude, Veronica finally spoke.

-‘Actually, I was aware of the issue between the National Security Bureau and the Ranieri family. I’ve known my sister for some time, and the National Security Bureau’s surveillance of the Ranieri family was such an open secret that I knew about it even before we became acquainted.’

“Yet you didn’t help.”

-‘Because she didn’t want it.’

The saint of the Order said with a noticeably bitter tone.

-‘The Republic of Fatalia is a secular state where the Order’s influence doesn’t have as much impact as you might think. Although there are many believers, a significant number of citizens consider religion as just a secondary aspect of their private lives.’

“But she was chosen by the oracle?”

-‘Even if religion performs miracles, believing or not believing is an individual’s freedom, right? Even if she was chosen by the oracle, if there’s talk of interfering in another country’s internal affairs, the Order loses face too.’

“……”

-‘Of course, apart from all that, there’s also the fact that she doesn’t want my help.’

Francesca didn’t want Veronica’s help? This is the first I’m hearing of this.

“If Francesca didn’t ask you for help, doesn’t that mean she wants to solve the problem herself?”

-‘That’s right.’

“Do you know why?”

Veronica continued.

I listened carefully to her answer.

The answer that came back was extremely simple. So simple that I understood it immediately without any further explanation.

-‘Revenge has no meaning unless you finish it with your own hands.’

*

After ending the call, I returned to the villa only as the sun was setting, having walked along the trail.

Although my wounds had healed with military potions, my body was tired and my mind was fatigued.

After walking for hours along the coastal cliff to clear my complicated thoughts, I finally crossed the threshold of the villa after much hesitation.

As soon as I entered, I saw a spacious living room. It was impressively grand and spacious, worthy of a villa that descendants of great wizards would have used for generations.

In that spacious and quiet living room, only one person was sitting.

With her silky hair swept back, sitting slightly sideways with her arm resting on the back of the sofa, she didn’t turn around despite sensing my presence.

I walked past the sofa and stood in front of Francesca.

“……”

She had been sitting with her eyes closed as if meditating, but now she opened them as if a drunk person was forcibly lifting their eyelids, and looked at me.

After waiting silently for her to speak for a moment.

Francesca’s lips slowly opened as our eyes met.

“…Let’s talk.”