Ch.396Episode 16 – The Six Million Dollar Man

As the sun began to set, the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky howled and rattled the windows all through the night, screaming with unbridled fury.

Not satisfied with that alone, they began to pour down torrential rain.

What started as a few heavy droplets disturbing the quiet darkness of the desert soon transformed into a downpour, mercilessly beating down without restraint.

[Twenty casualties reported from a curse incident in the streets of Begram, capital of the Aracosian Toho State…]

[Approximately 80 casualties from warlord clashes in Oea (Ὀία), capital of the Libyan Republic on the Mauritanian continent. Port and warp gates closed as of the 17th.]

[Tisphon Republic military considering martial law declaration. Opposition figures unanimously issue statements of protest. Mayor Hussein bin Abdullah Suleiman’s associates reportedly in contact with some opposition figures.]

While checking intelligence reports that had come in from various branches throughout the night, I suddenly sensed a presence and turned my gaze.

“Mmm…”

Camilla, wrapped tightly in blankets, was squirming on the bed.

Even as heavy raindrops drummed against the metal slates and palm-sized insects occasionally hit the window, drawn to the faint light from the terminal and fireplace, she remained sound asleep, oblivious to the world.

While the timekeeper of Al-Yabd called for prayer time, awakening my consciousness…

A small alarm sound indicated that departure time was approaching, but its owner was still in dreamland.

“……”

I turned off the alarm before she could wake up.

Then I straightened her disheveled pillow and laid her head down properly.

Episode 16 – The Six Million Dollar Man

As dawn was nearly over and daylight approached.

We packed our belongings and left the lodging.

“I’m sorry for oversleeping. I meant to wake up on time…”

“It’s fine.”

Camilla apologized while rubbing her sleepy eyes. She said she had set her alarm to match Al-Yabd’s dawn prayer but still couldn’t get up. I accepted her apology as if it were nothing and loaded our luggage into the trunk.

I pulled out my watch from under my sleeve to check the time. The tiny mana stones attached to the tips of the hour and minute hands emitted a faint light, indicating 5:36.

I opened the car door and helped Camilla in first. Since the back seat was occupied by Abbas and equipment from the black market, she had to sit in the passenger seat.

Struggling to squeeze herself into the passenger seat, Camilla poked her head out before closing the door and looked up at me.

“…By the way, when did you get the car?”

“I received it from a friend.”

The vehicle was a gift from Viktor.

I heard it was the beloved car of a wealthy local landowner who lived in a magnificent mansion with a garden. Apparently, when goblins carrying crimson flags invaded, he hurriedly fled abroad and sold it to Viktor. Along with some land and buildings too.

Camilla nodded as if she understood the gist of it.

“Whoever they are, they must be quite capable.”

The heavy rain that had poured all night had long since transformed into fine droplets. The storm-like wind that had been raging also retreated by daybreak, leaving only dark clouds behind without making a sound.

I gripped the steering wheel, hunched slightly, and started the engine.

“Our goal is to reach our destination before midday prayer begins. It should take roughly 2 to 2.5 hours on the highway. As for explanations… I’ll tell you as we go.”

“Alright.”

“If you’re ready, fasten your seatbelt.”

The vehicle kicked up a clump of mud as it began to move forward.

*

Images of Africa and the Middle East are generally not favorable.

Some imagine vast deserts and wastelands, while others think of regions with poor security and infrastructure.

But the moment one sets foot in Africa or the Middle East, the misconceptions about these regions instantly vanish upon seeing the metropolitan cityscape reminiscent of 1970s Korea.

“It’s my first time wandering around here at dawn.”

Camilla sat by the window, craning her neck curiously.

“I suppose you only went out during the day?”

“It’s dangerous after sunset. Especially for foreigners.”

In truth, she had been quite curious about what the city looked like after dark, but Camilla never left her lodging after nightfall. She had been instructed to stay as safe as possible.

“What do you think now that you’re seeing it firsthand?”

“Hmm…”

Gently lowering the window and resting her chin on the windowsill, Camilla took in the bluish urban landscape.

The city at dawn was remarkably quiet. Though not comparable to Seoul or London, the roads were quite wide, and surprisingly tall buildings stood shoulder to shoulder with lower ones.

Small shrubs and palm trees planted in flowerbeds served as dividers between the lanes, while peculiar script-like Arabic or Persian writing passed by on signs between the foliage.

Though I had never specifically studied the common language of the Mauritanian continent, I had no difficulty reading and understanding the text. Camilla read the passing signs with her eyes: pharmacy, teahouse, restaurant, mana charging station, butcher shop, mart… Names that exuded the warmth of human life.

“…Not bad at all.”

I gently turned the steering wheel and took the outer road of the new city district.

The fastest route to the highway would be through the old city, but with no team members to support me and Camilla in the passenger seat, heading into the old city would be too risky. It was better to take the longer, safer route.

After circling around the capital via the outer road, the vehicle passed through the eastern interchange.

The buildings gradually became shorter, their gleaming exteriors faded away, and soon flat plains filled our view. A long stretch of road and bumpy unpaved paths. Scattered trees and hills. It was a highway that felt familiar despite being my first visit.

Perhaps because it was dawn, there were hardly any vehicles on the highway. Just a few old white trucks loaded far beyond their capacity limits and some vans and buses diligently transporting people.

I alternately checked the rearview and side mirrors to confirm we weren’t being followed, then pointed to the glove compartment in the passenger seat.

“Camilla, could you take out the documents in there?”

“Which ones are you… Oh, here they are.”

Fumbling inside the glove compartment in the darkness, Camilla found the documents.

They were part of a briefing produced by the Military Intelligence Agency.

I turned the steering wheel to avoid a puddle and began my introduction.

“There are three types of warlords operating in the region where we are now.”

Warlords who maintain neutrality, advocating self-sufficiency or Mauritanian centrism.

Warlords with close ties to dictatorial states, including the Kiyen Empire.

And warlords who maintain decent relations with democratic nations, including the Abbas Kingdom.

Assuming we classify them as Groups 1, 2, and 3 for convenience.

My plan is to instigate armed conflict between Group 1 (centrist warlords) and Group 2 (pro-Kiyen Empire warlords).

“…Armed conflict?”

Camilla tilted her head in confusion, then suddenly seemed to understand something.

“Oh, I remember you mentioned this is one of the candidate regions where we might be deployed in the future, right?”

“Yes.”

The country we’re currently in is one of the candidate locations where we might be deployed after northern Kiyen Empire. To be precise, many countries in the Mauritanian continent have been selected as candidate regions.

Countries experiencing civil war or being ravaged by monsters. The nations on the candidate list were generally suffering from at least one of these two problems. Or sometimes both simultaneously.

My mission was to observe all situations in these candidate regions and eliminate elements that could pose a danger to Camilla and her companions. Rebels, terrorist organizations, criminal groups, warlords, armed factions, and so on.

Of course, Camilla was aware of this.

“I thought you came here to find new colleagues…”

She looked out the window and asked with a concerned voice.

“This isn’t dangerous, is it?”

“It’s not as dangerous as you might think. I’ve done this a few times before, so we’ll get through it safely this time too. And yes, I did hear there might be a potential new colleague here, so I’m killing two birds with one stone.”

“Is that all?”

Of course not. There was also a mission to investigate the black magic terror attack at the Abbas Department Store last year and the demon that ran rampant in northern Kiyen.

But that work was being handled by the counter-terrorism department led by Clavins and the Inquisition. It was unrelated to this operation.

“Yes.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Anyway, the objective of this operation is to weaken the warlord forces.

To be precise, the targets are the “pro-Kiyen Empire warlords (Group 2)” and “centrist warlords (Group 1)” who could pose a threat to the Abbas government and our companions. While taking down the pro-Kiyen Empire warlords is a direct order from the Military Intelligence Agency, I strongly advocated to the higher-ups that the centrist warlords must also be dealt with before Camilla is deployed.

The self-sufficient, Mauritanian-centrist warlords reject outside intervention. From their perspective, Camilla is just as much an outsider as Abbas or Kiyen.

Even if they were to accept Camilla, they would inevitably target Francesca, a mage from the Tower, or Lucia, a cleric from the Order. And neither Abbas, Kiyen, nor the Order wants any harm to come to the group.

Of course, neither do I.

“Actually, besides the three types of warlords, there are various minor warlords and tribes in this area, but we don’t need to factor them into our calculations.”

“Why not?”

“Minor tribes tend to follow the inclinations of the major warlords. They listen to the most powerful person in the neighborhood.”

In other words, targeting the major warlords is the key to this operation.

“My goal is to weaken Groups 1 and 2. To do that, we need to support ‘Group 3,’ which has maintained relatively friendly relations with democratic nations.”

We use Group 3 to strike at Groups 1 and 2. If weakening Groups 1 and 2 is the primary objective, then increasing Group 3’s influence is the secondary goal.

If “friendly warlords” control areas beyond the government’s reach, at least we won’t get shot while traveling. Lucia will undoubtedly want to provide medical services in rural areas when she comes here, and having good relations with the warlords controlling those regions would make it easier to receive assistance.

Camilla quickly understood the explanation. She had experienced similar situations in Africa and the Middle East before.

“When I worked with Doctors Without Borders, we sought cooperation from warlords to ensure the safety of volunteers entering dangerous areas. Of course, we almost all died when some idiot shot at a bus full of doctors and nurses… But anyway, you’re saying you want to prevent such situations?”

“Exactly. And if we’re lucky, we might also find a new colleague.”

Warlords with a certain scale are adept at gathering information, so they might help in finding a new colleague.

Incidentally, that Group 3 warlord was behind the propaganda that Camilla saw in the alley.

Camilla asked:

“How?”

“Currently, a leader of the Hassan tribe named ‘Sheikh Nasir al-Hassan’ leads the Group 3 warlords. He has several tribes under his command and has occupied a considerable amount of territory. First, we need to make contact with him.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing my response, Camilla made an enigmatic expression. Though she didn’t say anything specific, a serious aura emanated from her eyes.

“To my ears, it sounds like a nation secretly supporting a foreign warlord. Is this… really a problem-free operation?”

“Support? We’re just going to negotiate.”

“What could this warlord possibly have to offer the Abbas government in negotiations?”

Let me see. I slowly went through the main commodities traded by the tribes in this area.

Poppies, opium, illegal weapons, ammunition, precious metals, underground resources… The ammunition is produced by processing phosphorus and nitric acid mined from mines in tribal territories, and metals like steel, copper, or precious metals like silver and gold are also sold from mines owned by the tribes. The same goes for drug cultivation and production facilities.

All items produced there cannot be distributed through legal channels. They’re products illegally produced in areas occupied by armed groups. Naturally, the Abbas government cannot demand them as compensation for negotiations.

The Military Intelligence Agency isn’t the CIA; we don’t deal with drugs.

“Hmm…”

No matter how I thought about it, the local warlords weren’t suitable for open trade negotiations. Maintaining a moderate relationship would be more beneficial.

“I think even I can see they’re not suitable for negotiations. In that case, we’ll use the British folk game, ‘Divide and Conquer.'”

“What kind of bull-“

“Bull? Ask the blood flowing in your veins about your heritage.”

“Stop saying weird things and finish your explanation!”

Anyway, the content of the operation was simple.

The ultimate goal is to weaken the influence of Groups 1 and 2. To achieve this, we sow discord between the two warlords to create chaos. Here, we receive cooperation from the local armed force, Group 3, in exchange for promising support.

To receive that cooperation, we make contact with the leader of the Hassan tribe, ‘Sheikh Nasir al-Hassan.’ That’s the intermediate goal of the operation.

“First, we’ll contact a minor tribe under the control of the Hassan tribe. I know a leader who has connections with the Hassan tribe.”

“So we’re working our way up from the bottom rather than directly contacting the top?”

“You understand perfectly.”

If we try to contact Sheikh Nasir al-Hassan directly, we’re likely to be intercepted. A warlord leader wouldn’t meet with foreign strangers. But approaching through “connections” shouldn’t be a problem.

As the saying goes, to capture the enemy general, shoot the horse he’s riding.

“This afternoon, we’ll enter the territory controlled by that minor tribe and begin the operation. We’ll survey the overall situation in the tribal territory to draw a blueprint and establish a basic information network.”

“Do you know the way?”

“Of course. I know exactly which checkpoints are on which routes in their territory, and what facilities are in which areas.”

I received sufficient information from Viktor.

With regular updates from headquarters, approaching Sheikh Nasir al-Hassan shouldn’t be a problem.

“After contacting the leader of the minor tribe, we’ll build trust and approach our target. I’ll tell you the specific methods when we reach the safe house. And your cover identity too.”

“Alright. By the way, what’s the collection deadline? The operation’s deadline, I mean.”

“Until July, when you, Lucia, and Francesca are officially deployed to the Mauritanian continent.”

“July means…”

Counting the days on her fingers, Camilla exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s less than 60 days from now! You’re saying we need to finish the operation in two months?!”

“That’s plenty of time. The problem is you.”

“Me?”

“You can’t stay here for two months.”

Camilla has secretly entered the Mauritanian continent. With the Imperial Intelligence Unit actively searching for her, dragging out time while accompanying her would be dangerous.

“The Reconnaissance Command is tracking us, so it’s risky to exceed a month. They’re definitely not to be underestimated.”

“…What should we do?”

“Two weeks.”

Index and middle finger. I showed her two fingers.

“I’ll try to complete this operation within two weeks. Depending on the situation, it might take longer, but no matter what happens, you must return to the Empire in two weeks. Understood?”

Camilla nodded with an uncomfortable expression. She seemed to worry that I might be in danger because of her.

I comforted her, saying it wasn’t a problem at all.

However, if there was a minor issue, it was the shortage of personnel to convert intelligence into information…

Fortunately, I had a decent analyst by my side.

I assigned Camilla to be my proxy analyst. Her analytical skills, honed during her internship at a British intelligence agency, were far superior to those of most rookie intelligence officers.

Retrieving a terminal from the back seat, Camilla curled up in the passenger seat and read me the data sent by the Military Intelligence Agency. It was a daily report distributed to all field staff by the department responsible for the Mauritanian continent.

“May 9th daily report. It contains news reported from across the continent. Civil wars, terrorism, accidents… In a country called Arachosia, a sorcerer cast curses indiscriminately, resulting in 27 casualties, and in the Libyan Republic, warlords engaged in a shootout in the capital.”

“Ah, those places…”

Arachosia and Libya were among the four regions where traces of a potential new colleague had been confirmed. The Inquisition had dispatched an investigator two months ago, but they hadn’t found anything yet.

Most of the intelligence collected by the Military Intelligence Agency’s Mauritanian continent department consisted of brief reports like “an incident occurred in a specific country.” After the embassy withdrew due to civil war, OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) filled the gap left by the human intelligence network.

Of course, there were intelligence officers operating in the Mauritanian continent, but chronic staff shortages were a common characteristic of third-world branches.

I opened my mouth with a slight sigh.

“It’s a bustling neighborhood. Judging by the poor quality of the data, we’ll need to update it promptly when useful information comes in.”

“Even as a civilian, I can see that… Oh, there’s an interesting piece of intelligence here.”

“What is it?”

“The Engwela Immigration Office in the Ugaristan Federation was closed for about three hours. The reason given was ‘false terror report.'”

A warp gate was blocked because of a prank call? That’s maddening.

By the way, where is Ugaristan located? Just hearing the name gave me an ominous feeling, suggesting it wasn’t a normal country.

As I was exiting the highway, I jokingly blurted out:

“Let’s absolutely avoid going to such a place.”

“Of course we should.”

*

We left the quiet highway and entered the city center. Despite the dawning day, the city was impressively deserted. After driving through those empty streets for a while, yellowish walls typical of the Middle East and North Africa appeared beyond the window.

Keeping a slight distance from the walls, I slowly reduced speed to get a better look at the entire building. I wanted to confirm if this was the house Viktor had introduced.

“…Oh, it is.”

After confirming the address and characteristics of the building, I parked the car close to the wall and got out first.

I picked the steel lock on the gate, swung open the heavy iron door, drove the car into the yard, and then locked the gate again.

At that moment, Camilla, who had been looking at the terminal, leaned her upper body out of the passenger seat.

Despite having lowered all the windows, her body got stuck, and after struggling for a while, she eventually opened the car door and stepped outside.

“Where are we?”

“This is the house where we’ll be staying.”

Camilla looked around the house with excitement and asked:

“Don’t tell me you bought this place?!”

“No, I’ve rented it long-term. We’ll have to leave in two months. If we change the interior or damage any furniture, we’ll need to restore it before returning.”

“I see…”

“I originally planned to stay at a hotel or motel, but there weren’t any suitable accommodations… Still, this is a good property that was hard to find.”

To be precise, it was a property that a wealthy person had sold cheaply to Viktor along with the vehicle just before fleeing abroad to escape communist rebels, but anyway.

I picked the lock on the front door and went inside.

Camilla stood at a distance, looking up at the building. The magnificent three-story building was clearly a well-built, excellent house by anyone’s standards.

“…Hmm. I’ve never lived with someone before.”

Well, she could think of it as a guesthouse.

Without much deliberation, she gathered her belongings and entered the lodging with quick steps.

“There’s no more data from the company.”

“Understood. Please burn those documents for me.”

“How should we prepare the equipment?”

“Wear local attire over appropriate casual clothes. No need to dress too elaborately. And bring me two guns.”

The preparations were complete.

It was time to start the business.