Ch.536Side Episode – Normalization

# First Experience

First experiences are accompanied by tension and excitement.

What if I mess things up? What if I become a burden to the team?

Various worries cross my mind, but the moment I remember the achievements, results, and the proper mission I’ve been entrusted with.

My heart flutters like applying lubricant to a rusty, creaking machine.

[Ladies and gentlemen… We would like to inform you that our aircraft has now entered… airspace.]

The brief announcement awakened my mind, which had been drowning in sleep.

Rolling my bleary eyes open, I see colorful fabrics fluttering in the hazy world around me.

An Arab woman who had been immersed in watching movies for six hours with her AirPods in stares at me momentarily when our eyes meet, then calmly wraps her hijab around herself.

Looking at that scene, both exotic and familiar, it finally sinks in.

I’ve finally arrived.

Before dawn, the Emirates Airlines passenger plane landed on the runway.

“……”

A modest carry-on, sleeping airport staff. A one-month tourist visa kindly provided by a friendly employee, which I hadn’t even thought to obtain in my rush to depart.

After carefully putting away my passport with its clear entry stamp, I swap out my SIM card and rapidly dial a number.

-“Hello?”

“I’ve arrived. I’m at Khomeini International Airport now.”

Already?

Sounding slightly surprised, my colleague at the Tehran branch returned the question.

“I left from Abu Dhabi. Had some business there briefly.”

I put a cigarette in my mouth to ease my tension.

On the street where whitish smoke rises faintly. This unfamiliar world in the quiet early morning hours was Iran—a land shrouded in vague fear and terror due to nuclear development and isolation from the international community.

Of course, that’s just the image. It wasn’t as underdeveloped as I had thought.

After calling an Uber on the company-issued smartphone and searching for the subway leading to the branch office, I asked my colleague:

“Looks like it’ll take about two hours to get to the address. How are things these days?”

-“Don’t even ask…”

With a snicker and a hollow laugh, my colleague answered in a bitter voice.

-“Do you know how many people have left the branch? Everyone from the senior staff down to the assistant managers has been completely replaced.”

“That’s why I’m here. To fill the vacancy.”

-“I appreciate the sentiment, but… No matter how I look at it, it’s like pouring water into a bottomless jar. I don’t think adding a few more teams will solve the problem.”

Tap. With that crisp sound, the spark spreads.

After crushing the cigarette butt on the ground, I shoved my hands into my pockets and muttered a question.

Asking what we needed to do.

“So what’s the bottom line?”

## Side Episode – Normalization

Though I’m living my second life as a state-certified first-class troublemaker (officially called an intelligence officer, agent, spy, or whatever), even I thought this was too much.

Even as a civil servant, I’m still human. I have hobbies and preferences, so naturally, I have concepts of likes and dislikes.

But this is just wrong.

“Why are you making such a sullen face?”

“Why do I have to go there…?”

As I was loitering with a sour expression, Camilla passed by and gave me a puzzled look.

Camilla, whose cheeks had grown plump (honestly, closer to chubby, but if I were to say this aloud, not even the Grand Duke could guarantee my life) from apparently hoarding every dessert from the hotel provided by the Grand Duke, pouted with an incredulous expression.

“My goodness. Is someone who works for an intelligence agency now whining about not wanting to go abroad?”

Whining? What a hurtful way to put it.

“No, the place we’re supposed to go isn’t just any ordinary place.”

“That’s true. If you think about it, Iran? It’s comparable to those strict Middle Eastern countries, isn’t it?”

“Exactly!”

Groaning in frustration, I raised my voice in agreement.

“What kind of senility has your teacher developed in her old age to casually suggest going to such a place? This is driving me crazy.”

After the train journey fell through, the Grand Duke, who had been helping maintain security in the Zamria Federation and neighboring countries, came rushing when she heard news of Camilla.

Using expensive long-distance teleportation magic that even the Kiyen Imperial Army only deploys during major training exercises, gulping it down like a hungry hippo.

Normally, long-distance teleportation magic is only used in wartime situations; considering that armies that deploy it for training can be counted on ten fingers, including the Imperial Army, it shows just how devoted Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrova is to her disciple.

Of course, the Grand Duchess had previously used the Imperial Navy’s pride, the “airship,” as a “flying cruise ship” under the pretext of entertaining descendants of great mages like Francesca.

So for such a person to overuse long-distance teleportation magic to meet Camilla… it wasn’t particularly strange.

Probably.

(???: No! Our fleet’s flagship…! / ???: That was magic we were supposed to use for next year’s training, and now it’s gone;;)

Anyway, Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrova’s affection for Camilla runs deep.

The problem is the country she explained we would be visiting together.

“It’s a region famous for strictly following religious law, where even foreign tourists are regulated by religious police. Besides, it’s the suzerain state of Al-Yabd. Does it make any sense to take Lucia there?”

The country the Grand Duchess planned to take us to was this world’s version of Iran.

The problem was that it wasn’t a watered-down version of Iran, but an upgraded one.

In other words:

The 2020s Iran that showers bullets on anti-government protesters,

The 1980s Iran that fought head-to-head with Iraq,

The 2000s Iran that exchanged insults like “Axis of Evil” and “Great Satan” with the United States when suspicions arose about their nuclear development after uranium enrichment facilities were exposed—

It was even worse than all of these combined. It was the “real deal.”

Because of these issues, I strongly opposed going, but the senile Grand Duchess maintained that there would be no problems whatsoever.

“The professor says she’ll guarantee our safety. It’s possible because it’s a country with good diplomatic relations with the Kiyen Empire.”

“Ugh, you do know that countries on good terms with their local government can be counted on one hand, right?”

“Well… I know that.”

Camilla twirled her hair with her fingers and lowered her gaze.

“I’m concerned too, but at least it’s not a closed country like North Korea or Eritrea. There shouldn’t be much to worry about. Above all, the professor will be accompanying us. You know our professor’s abilities, right?”

“Can the Grand Duchess really guarantee our safety?”

“Yes. That’s what I think, and experts agree.”

“What experts?”

“Diplomats. I inquired at various embassies, and they all said it should be fine. They were a bit worried about Lucia, but said there wouldn’t be any problems if the professor vouches for her identity. The common opinion among diplomats was that there wouldn’t be any incidents for short-term stays as long as you’re not from an enemy country.”

That was reassuring news. At least the others would be safe.

However,

“But I am a citizen and civil servant of that enemy country.”

“…Oh.”

Suddenly, Camilla’s expression darkened as she realized the problem.

Troubled, she agonized for a while, wondering what to do. After some time had passed…

As if a good idea had suddenly occurred to her, her blue eyes brightened. Camilla raised her finger with a clear gaze.

Then, in a bright voice, she began to present her solution.

“Let’s think positively about this! You were already a spy who would go to prison if caught, so what’s the big deal about visiting an enemy country?”

“……”

“Let’s just think of it as your work being normalized. The important thing is that your career is getting healthier, right?”

As soon as she finished speaking, I straightened my stiff shoulders and adjusted my posture.

A moment later.

“…AAAAARGH! Help! Is anyone there?! Help!”

The scene the great mage witnessed when she came running at her disciple’s scream was her student lying face down on the floor while a civil servant twisted her legs behind her back.

It was the sight of a loose screw of a mind becoming healthier.

*

I twisted my body with all my might to avoid going to a country harsh enough to slap Iran across the face.

Of course, as Camilla said, I wasn’t opposing it simply out of fear; there was a rational background to my concerns.

Setting aside security issues related to enemy countries, aren’t I rather unlucky?

As if possessed by a ghost, incidents and accidents had been occurring everywhere I went lately. If I were to go to an enemy country where the probability of incidents skyrocketed through the roof all the way to Mars, no one could predict what kind of storm I might get caught in.

So, with the sole determination to spend my vacation safely, I struggled desperately. Specifically, I requested support from Military Intelligence.

The response was extremely simple.

[Normal approval.]

“Ah…”

I collapsed on the desk in the embassy’s communications room in despair.

The crumpled telegram was torn to shreds and thrown in the trash without even needing to be put through the shredder.

A transparent liquid—sweat or tears, I couldn’t tell—trickled down my cheeks. After tearing up a resignation letter with phrases like “Let me quit, you bastards,” I secretly blew on a bottle of bootleg liquor.

“Normal my ass…”

## Side Episode – Normalization – END –