Ch.329Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

The massive wall that stretches across the northern and central regions has protected the Empire from the threats of the frozen lands for over five years.

Demons, monsters, chaos, and disorder.

The military secured peace and stability for the Empire by isolating the north, while the media, acting as trumpeters, extensively promoted the Emperor’s reign.

Blockaded cities and isolated refugees.

A place where everyone struggles to reach the brilliant lights of the city.

I step into that cesspool.

Episode 13 – There Is No Country for Wizards

Finding anything different in the north since my last visit was incredibly difficult.

Heavily armed forces controlling the roads and armored vehicles stationed at intersections still remained in their places, as did the shabby refugees waiting in long lines for rations while enduring the biting wind.

Not to mention the collapsing buildings and completely frozen roads.

The decades-old apartments with cracked walls and peeling green paint, along with the utterly ruined roads, are the true symbols of the north that all citizens and military personnel self-deprecatingly acknowledge.

It had been just under two weeks, but the north was still the north.

And the same goes for the people.

“Welcome. It’s been a while, Officer.”

“Ah, Lieutenant Lyudmila. Have you been well?”

Lieutenant Lyudmila, the Imperial Army officer in charge of translation and guidance, greeted us with a warm smile.

I got out of the back seat of the vehicle and exchanged greetings with her.

“Same as always. I’ve returned after two weeks, but somehow it feels like I’m coming back after several years. Nothing has changed.”

Then she tilted her head slightly.

“Or has it? It does seem a little different.”

“It’s a bit busy because of the offensive preparations, isn’t it? But we’ll restore it to its original state soon, so please understand if things are a bit hectic.”

I wonder if that original state refers to the peaceful times of five years ago, or the chaos that unfolded just two weeks ago.

Whatever happens to the north from now on has nothing to do with me.

Whether the situation worsens or improves, any changes will occur after I’ve escaped this cesspool.

I carefully closed the car door and walked toward the lodging.

*

We continued to use the accommodations that had been provided to us previously.

The hotel arranged by the Military Government Command was the finest in Novo Nikolayevsk, the capital of the north, both five years ago and now, so there was no need to change our lodgings.

“Frederick?”

“Huh?”

The hotel was bustling with personnel dispatched from various countries.

As I was making my way through the crowded lobby toward the stairs, a familiar voice called out to me.

There I encountered Lucia, standing demurely with her medical bag.

“Saint Lucia. It’s been a while. Good to see you.”

“Good to see you too.”

A pleased expression appeared on her face.

Two weeks might have been a short time for me, but it seemed like quite a long time for Lucia. Unable to contain her joy, she took my hand and shook it gently.

Lucia smiled brightly as her golden hair, like molten pure gold, swayed. Her blue eyes, reminiscent of the deep sea, sparkled with a profound light.

Without a trace of the awkwardness she had shown in the confessional, she accepted my handshake.

“I see you’ve brought your medical bag. You must be tired; why not rest a bit? Are you going on a medical service right after arriving?”

“Time is limited, so I must do my best with what I have.”

Truly a saint-like attitude.

Unlike Veronica, who would think about putting on makeup first, Lucia was ready to rush to patients at a moment’s notice.

Lucia, laden with her medical bag, seemed to have something to say and carefully chose her words. Unlike moments before, she began to hesitate, twisting her body shyly as she spoke.

“Um… when it’s just the two of us, you can speak more casually. By the way, since we’ve met after so long, if you’re okay with it, today…”

“Officer.”

Just then, a woman appeared from somewhere and inserted herself between Lucia and me.

Luscious purple hair and eyes resembling violets. A woman in an elegant suit that accentuated her figure, with eyes gleaming in violet.

It was Francesca.

Appearing suddenly, Francesca inserted herself between us without the slightest hesitation as we were conversing.

“I have something to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?”

“Ah…”

A small sigh came from beside me, drawing Francesca’s attention. There stood Lucia, blinking her blue eyes with evident embarrassment.

As if she hadn’t noticed, Francesca apologized to Lucia.

“I see you were here first. I apologize, Saint. I didn’t realize you were here. Did I interrupt your conversation?”

“No, no. It’s fine…”

Lucia waved her hands frantically.

She told Francesca to speak freely, then asked for my understanding as she excused herself.

“I’ll be going now. See you next time, Frederick.”

“Take care, Lucia.”

I bid farewell to Lucia as she hurriedly fled as if she had witnessed something embarrassing.

Francesca, who had been watching Lucia’s retreating figure with her arms crossed, slightly narrowed her brow. It was an expression of displeasure.

“Hmm…”

With a slightly different nuance than usual, Francesca let out a nasal sigh and spoke in a somewhat thorny tone.

“You seem quite close with Saint Lucia. I can tell by how naturally you call each other by name.”

“…”

Hearing Francesca’s unusual remark, I put my hands in my pockets and retorted.

“You sound like someone who just caught their lover cheating.”

“If a fake lover counts as a lover, then I suppose so?”

Francesca, still with her arms crossed, chuckled and said as much. Yes, even a fake lover is still a lover, I suppose.

I left the bustling lobby with Francesca and conversed quietly. Her hands were empty, suggesting she had entrusted her luggage to a bellboy.

Taking out a meerschaum pipe from her coat pocket, she used a tamper to firmly pack magic tobacco, then snapped her fingers to light it. Puffing out smoke, she began the conversation.

“I’ve completed all the vehicle transportation you requested. Everything’s been neatly organized with proper documentation in the garage. The same goes for the other equipment.”

“Thank you as always, Francesca.”

“No need to be too grateful. I’m not doing this for free, after all.”

I had helped Francesca’s business a bit to transport the vehicles and equipment.

I provided considerably more supplies than initially planned, but it wasn’t too burdensome thanks to the backing of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Whether in gambling or business, it’s always most fun when you’re playing with someone else’s money, isn’t it?

However, Francesca, with a hint of dissatisfaction on her face, added in a slightly cold manner.

“By the way, you need to sort out your relationships with women.”

“Relationships with women?”

“There’s talk among the diplomats. They say your womanizing is quite extensive.”

“But…”

What have I done to deserve such rumors? Who could be more clean in their relationships with women than me?

Feeling wronged, I tried to protest, but Francesca continued in a firm tone.

“Think about it. How many women are around you? Saint Lucia and her sister—that’s two saints already. Then there’s me and the Hero. How many more women have you met while working at the Order, the Empire, or the Magic Tower?”

“Those are all professional relationships. What are you talking about?”

“According to the Order’s clergy, you frequently meet with a mint-haired priestess, and you often have private meetings with Saint Lucia and Saint Veronica. You even participate in volunteer activities together. Moreover, her sister called you to her office, and you didn’t come out for hours.”

“So?”

“Stop meeting so many women. Or at least don’t get caught. Aren’t you concerned about people’s perceptions?”

“That’s all a complete fabrication.”

Priestess Rebecca is a professional contact due to cooperation with the Inquisition, and the same applies to Lucia and Francesca.

Of course, Lucia and I have a somewhat special relationship… but we haven’t flaunted it in public, so why are complete strangers gossiping behind our backs?

Moreover, I never met Lucia or Veronica with ulterior motives. If it weren’t for the prophecy, I would have been comfortably serving as a staff officer in the rear. The women around me were solely due to that damned prophecy.

I conveyed this sentiment in my defense.

“I’ve never dated anyone in my 28—no, 29 years. I’m a clean person. Just because I meet people for work, why would they behind my back—”

“Oh! There you are!”

“Ah, Camilla!”

“It’s been a while!”

Camilla, entering the hotel, caught my eye and waved happily in greeting.

As I waved back enthusiastically, Camilla hopped through the crowd, and I casually asked about her well-being.

“Wow, you look radiant. You must be doing well?”

“Of course! My wounds have all healed.”

“I can see that. You seem to have gained some weight too.”

“Come on. How can you say I’ve gained weight? I’ve been in the hospital for two weeks. Do you know how tasteless hospital food is?”

“I heard you were discharged after three days thanks to the elixir.”

“Ah! I’ve been caught! Who told on me!?”

“You little liar. Come here. Stand at attention right now. If you come now, I’ll reduce it to just five flicks on the forehead.”

As I was about to chase after the quickly retreating Camilla, Francesca’s voice reached my ears.

Sighing deeply, she held her forehead and muttered something incomprehensible.

“How did I end up with a man like this…”

*

Though it had only been one day since my return, there was a mountain of work to be done.

This was because the Imperial Army had moved up the date of the offensive.

The military’s objective was to recapture the northern territories seized by the demons. The Imperial Defense Department had issued orders to all forces stationed in the Naroda Mountains to prepare for an offensive to drive out the demons descending from the frozen lands.

And as anyone with experience knows, preparing for an offensive operation is no small task.

In the Korean military, all battalion officers work overtime and night shifts just to conduct one training exercise. How much more effort would go into preparing for an actual operation? The Imperial Army’s situation wasn’t much different.

The north had already been through a storm of demonic mischief. The Military Government Command had deployed almost all available units to the front line to ensure the success of the offensive.

As a result, the rear areas were relatively empty.

“Chief.”

Pippin, who had been vigilantly watching the secure terminal, spoke up.

“We’ve received a message from Jake at the Military Government Command. Troops from five major cities, including Novo Nikolayevsk, have just boarded transport trains heading for the front line.”

“Are military police all that’s left in the city?”

“Yes. Military police and internal troops in mixed units. Their armament level is slightly enhanced compared to before, but their organization has been reduced.”

A significant number of the Military Government Command forces guarding the rear had suffered heavy casualties due to the demon’s rampage.

General Mikhail had minimized the damage through inspired command by deploying reserve forces, but it wasn’t enough.

He had intended to use the units diverted to reserves for maintaining public order, but the military generals blocked this. Their logic was that for the offensive to succeed, as many troops as possible needed to be deployed to the front line.

As a result, armored units, artillery units, and even mechanized infantry were all deployed to the defense line in the Naroda Mountains. Only military police and internal troops’ light infantry, scraped together from various places, remained in the rear.

This reflected the military’s confidence that they could drive out the demons before the rear was stabilized, but it presented an opportunity for us.

Lessoni had deployed all sorts of assets operated by the Abas intelligence agency to the north for successful mission completion.

“Tell them to start aerial reconnaissance.”

“Yes.”

Receiving Pippin’s signal, Charnoi quickly ran to open the window.

With her small hands, the nymph opened the window wide and placed an object from her bag on the windowsill.

It was a cage containing several small pigeons.

“Releasing them now…!”

As she opened the cage door, the pigeons began to soar with powerful wing beats. Small magic crystals engraved with rune characters were firmly attached to their bodies, facing the ground.

This was this world’s version of drones, transmitting video to monitor the ground from the air.

I’d heard that in the 1960s, the CIA sent pigeons with cameras to spy on Soviet military bases, but I never dreamed I’d be using pigeons rather than drones to gather video intelligence.

Flap! As the last pigeon soared toward the sunset, video began to appear on the secure terminal screen. Charnoi checked the status while looking at the split screen, then put on a headset and gave a thumbs up.

“It’s working.”

After checking the video, I contacted Francesca for a final check.

If by chance the troops moving to the front were to return to the rear, the operation would be canceled immediately.

Fortunately, no such mishap occurred.

-“The last train carrying tanks just passed through the station safely. According to the railway department staff, the tracks are closed, so the units won’t be returning until they reach the vicinity of the Naroda Mountains.”

All the main forces guarding the rear had departed for the Naroda Mountains. This meant they had crossed a river of no return.

“What about the Secretariat people?”

-“None of Lord Karim’s people have returned. Lord Ahmad is at the hotel, and Lord Martinez just finished reporting to me and left for his lodgings.”

“Did they mention Jean Marbona or Gabi Schneider?”

-“No.”

“…I understand.”

I hung up the secure phone and looked around the hotel room.

Jake, who had just returned, as well as Pippin and Charnoi, were silently watching me.

Under the gaze of my subordinates, I fiddled with my mobile phone, put a cigarette in my mouth, and pressed buttons to connect a call somewhere.

Time seemed to pass eternally slow.

As the ringing continued like a siren in my ears, the person on the other end of the line began to speak.

-“Hello, Juan Pablo Martinez of the Magic Tower Secretariat speaking.”

“Mr. Martinez. This is Frederick from the Abas Embassy.”

-“Ah, Officer. What brings you to call?”

“I have an urgent matter to discuss. Let’s meet briefly.”