Chapter Index





    # The Dictator’s Playbook

    While dictators generally preserve power in similar ways, their preferred methods varied by country.

    This was entirely because each dictator and their regional situation differed from others.

    Nicolai VI, ruler of the Kien Empire, used secret police.

    As the legitimate heir to the previous emperor, he had firm legitimacy and staged his own coup to oust the regent who had usurped the throne.

    The young emperor who reclaimed imperial power wanted to cut out the empire’s rot, especially those who had served during the regency.

    But even a massive empire would be shaken by purging tens of thousands of officials.

    The iron-blooded monarch needed a surgical scalpel, not a butcher’s knife.

    So the young emperor mobilized the special forces responsible for imperial army security and counterintelligence, along with the internal censorship agency that inspected mail.

    These would later be promoted to the Imperial Army Counterintelligence Command and the Imperial Protection Bureau, a direct imperial institution.

    The military junta that once ruled Fatalia utilized propaganda.

    The coup leaders, who had barely made it into the class-based society, were Fatalia’s elites but lacked the unique legitimacy or charisma of Nicolai VI.

    Revolutionary forces who had seized the throne from a tyrant who had lost public support.

    That was both the essence and limitation of Fatalia’s military government, and these limitations gradually emerged as revolutionary fervor subsided.

    International pressure to transfer power to civilians grew stronger each year, and suspicion that a new dictator might emerge spread among citizens.

    Feeling threatened, the military government sought a patron to fill their legitimacy gap, and chose the Ranieri family as their partner.

    A righteous person who wouldn’t stand for injustice,

    A free spirit who dreamed of freedom from oppression,

    A revolutionary seeking equality against persecution, and so on.

    Even now, but especially then, the authority of Grand Mages was beyond imagination.

    This was particularly true in that romantic era when hearts were stirred by heroic tales, as revolutionary winds swept the world during the Tower-Church War.

    Grand Mages who had won victory against the Church were treated as national heroes, and their descendants enjoyed tremendous fame.

    Therefore, the “Declaration of Support for the Revolutionary Government” officially issued by the Ranieri family, borrowing the authority of Grand Mages, brought tremendous upheaval.

    This fateful event changed Fatalia’s destiny.

    Just as two nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima determined the outcome of the World War, the Ranieri family’s declaration of support created the military government’s victory.

    The provisional government established by the coup forces was finally recognized as a “legitimate government supported by national heroes.”

    Of course, in the process, Fatalia’s politics regressed by 30 years.

    And later, the civilian government that took over power confiscated the Ranieri family’s assets for the crime of colluding with the dictatorial government.

    But no one could dispute the fact that the Fatalia military government’s propaganda was extremely effective.

    In contrast, the Ashtistan Republic’s method of maintaining power had some unique aspects.

    This country’s dictatorial government used neither secret police nor propaganda. Though now secret police and religious police operate in the city, and propaganda is scattered throughout the streets.

    At least when the revolution occurred, there were no secret police or propaganda to speak of.

    Or more precisely, there was no need for such things from the beginning.

    What the Ashtistan Republic needed wasn’t monitors or banners.

    But private soldiers to protect themselves from rebel forces.

    ## Episode 20 – Who Threatened You With a Knife

    Clank-!

    As I put down the cup irritably, lukewarm tea soaked the carpet. The woman’s eyes widened in surprise.

    “Oh, damn it…”

    Camilla, who had been rolling around on the silk bed like a cat bored with everything, tilted her head back, drowsy with post-meal fatigue.

    “Why the sudden outburst?”

    “It’s because of the High Priest. That damned old man.”

    Asking me to deal with the Law Enforcement Corps commander. Does that even make sense?

    As I muttered in an irritated voice, Camilla looked at me with a puzzled expression.

    “Did you have a disagreement with the High Priest? He seemed like a very nice person to me. He gave us lots of delicious food, and the conversation was fun.”

    “Well, the food was fine, but… what kind of conversation did you have that left such a good impression?”

    “Hmm, we started with joke exchanges and ended with well-wishes?”

    Damn it.

    Apparently, I was the only one who discussed strange topics. Why would he talk normally with Camilla but act crazy with me? Disgusting magic cartel (no such thing exists).

    Taking a sip of the half-finished tea, I explained my conversation with the High Priest.

    “He asked me to deal with Dariush Ismaelzahi, but I have no idea what he wants me to do.”

    “Deal with? Surely he doesn’t mean assassination?”

    “That’s exactly my point.”

    I’m saying it’s ambiguous too.

    “He told me to deal with the head of the Law Enforcement Corps, but he didn’t say why or how.”

    Nothing was clearly defined.

    Deal with Dariush Ismaelzahi. Only the target was specified.

    No other information was provided.

    “Deal with. Deal with…”

    Camilla pondered deeply before tilting her head.

    “No matter how I think about it, this sounds like soliciting an assassination. But why would he ask you of all people?”

    “I don’t know. That’s the bigger problem.”

    If, as she suggested, the High Priest’s “dealing with” meant assassination, it would need to be backed by other information.

    “Dealing with the Law Enforcement Corps commander? Fine. It’s not an impossible operation. If I contact headquarters, they’ll provide information, resources, personnel, everything. The problem isn’t ‘how?’ but ‘why?'”

    Why must Dariush Ismaelzahi die?

    What problems would arise if Dariush doesn’t die?

    And therefore, how should Dariush be eliminated?

    “I need to know these things to make a plan and get company approval for an assassination operation…”

    Yet the High Priest provided none of this information.

    Moreover.

    “No. Even setting aside the details, if he wants me to deal with someone, he should provide clear conditions. What does he mean by saying I can do it or not do it?”

    When the High Priest first mentioned “dealing with Dariush Ismaelzahi,” I asked for “clear conditions.”

    Specifically, I asked whether he wanted temporary neutralization or permanent neutralization.

    If he chose the former, it would mean the High Priest wanted to temporarily halt the commander’s activities.

    This could be interpreted as an attempt to check the Law Enforcement Corps, which had recently gained significant political influence, so discrediting Dariush through psychological or public opinion warfare would suffice.

    Conversely, if he chose the latter, the calculation becomes more complex. Permanent neutralization meant death or equivalent serious injury.

    This would mean the High Priest wanted the Law Enforcement Corps commander dead.

    In this case, Military Intelligence would analyze Ashtistan’s political situation with the Royal Intelligence Service and Foreign Ministry before deciding whether to proceed with an assassination operation. In the process, analysts would create dozens of scenarios about what benefits the High Priest would gain from Dariush’s death and what would happen in the Ashtistan Republic after the Law Enforcement Corps commander’s death.

    But surprisingly, the High Priest of Al-Yabd wanted neither activity suspension nor assassination.

    More precisely—

    ‘Do as you see fit.’

    He just told me to do whatever I wanted.

    I thought it was nonsense and asked again, but his answer made me even more frustrated.

    ‘You can do it or not do it. Whether it results in Dariush’s death or his resignation.’

    Damn it.

    At this point, I couldn’t help but seriously worry about the future of the Ashtistan Republic. And the High Priest’s mental health as well.

    “I guarantee that man is suffering from dementia or bipolar disorder.”

    “Emotional instability and extreme changes in thinking are typical symptoms of bipolar disorder. You have a point. There’s no evidence besides Frederick’s testimony yet, but still.”

    Camilla nodded while resting her head on her hand. It looked like a scene from Tom and Jerry.

    After agreeing with me, she rolled over once and began analyzing with a serious expression.

    “Well… before judging the High Priest’s intentions, I need to ask something first.”

    “Go ahead.”

    “What is the Law Enforcement Corps?”

    “…”

    I closed my trembling eyes tightly and prayed inwardly.

    Jesus, Buddha, Allah.

    Please allow me to be a righteous and kind assailant today as well.

    *

    Anyone interested in the political situation of the Moritani continent would know about the Law Enforcement Corps.

    The Ashtistan Republic Law Enforcement Corps (پاسداران قانون جمهوری آشتیستان)

    Commonly known as the Guardian Corps. In local terms, the Guardians of Order.

    When I first encountered this unfamiliar organization, I had a very familiar impression. Even if I had no connection with the Law Enforcement Corps, I had experience dealing with similar organizations.

    “Camilla. Have you heard of the IRGC?”

    “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?”

    “So you know.”

    Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was the protagonist.

    “The Law Enforcement Corps is similar to the IRGC you know about.”

    “You mean they have many similarities?”

    “Not just similar—they’re practically identical.”

    I poured from the teapot as I began my explanation.

    “When a new government was established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution led by Khomeini, a huge game was played in Iran. It was a game of cat and mouse between the new government and intelligence agencies.”

    There was a company called SAVAK (سازمان اطلاعات و امنیت کشور, National Intelligence and Security Organization).

    SAVAK, one of many intelligence agencies in imperial Iran, was once so prestigious that it represented the Iranian Empire’s intelligence department.

    The important thing is that SAVAK operated as a secret police under the Pahlavi dynasty.

    “During Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s rule, Iran’s intelligence agencies essentially doubled as secret police. Their main mission was suppressing dissidents.”

    Operation Ajax, jointly conducted by British SIS and CIA. The coup requested by Britain ousted Prime Minister Mosaddegh, and the Pahlavi dynasty, successful in preventing oil nationalization, began the full-fledged curtain of dictatorship by aligning with Britain.

    Numerous Iranian intelligence agencies established starting with SAVAK. Their top priority was suppressing those who opposed the monarchy.

    “The first to be suppressed were leftist parties. Communist-socialist political organizations and armed groups were all targets of suppression, followed by students and intellectuals, and later even Shiite jurists were arrested. Ayatollah Khomeini was also arrested once during that period.”

    “It makes sense. With radical Westernization, alliance with Western countries, and suppression of dissidents, he was widely condemned. Even Khomeini was imprisoned for about a year and had to exile abroad for nearly 15 years.”

    The problem was the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    Anti-monarchy protests spread like wildfire. The Iranian military and police resorted to bloody suppression, but the accumulated anger of citizens exploded, and protests evolved into revolution.

    “Iran in ’79 was literally chaos itself.”

    The king fled to Egypt on his private jet with his family and close associates. The military defected to the protesters and turned their guns toward the government.

    The most desperate person was the Prime Minister of the Iranian Empire at the time.

    “What was his name again… you know, the one who took over as Prime Minister in January after his predecessor collapsed from a heart attack.”

    “Shapour Bakhtiar. That was probably his name.”

    “Ah, right. The man who served as Prime Minister for just over a month.”

    The last Prime Minister of the Iranian Empire.

    Left in Iran with a handful of government troops in place of the Shah (شاه) who had fled in the night, he was, ironically, a figure who had been critical of the Pahlavi monarchy within the cabinet.

    I mentioned the decision made by the last Prime Minister of the Iranian Empire at that time.

    “If I remember correctly, it was February 12th. The day SAVAK was disbanded by Prime Minister Shapour’s order.”

    “Since he remained Prime Minister until the 11th, it was essentially his final order?”

    “That’s right.”

    Shapour Bakhtiar disbanded all Iranian imperial intelligence agencies, including SAVAK.

    Most government troops had already shifted to neutral by then, and the Prime Minister himself had to flee to France to preserve his life.

    The secret police also had to flee desperately before it was too late.

    If they didn’t want to die.

    “Most high-ranking SAVAK officials fled. America, France, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia… They were the ones who had arrested and tortured dissidents. How terrified must they have been when the people they had beaten were now chasing them with guns? So they all fled desperately. Well, some were caught and killed.”

    I took a sip of tea, recalling documents recording the situation at that time.

    “Iran’s new regime wanted to eliminate all dangerous elements loyal to the Pahlavi dynasty. Especially the Iranian military and intelligence agencies. So right after the ’79 revolution, 12 new intelligence agencies emerged in Iran.”

    But there’s an interesting fact.

    A significant number of personnel in the newly launched intelligence agencies were people who had served in intelligence agencies since the Iranian Empire era.

    In other words, the Islamic Republic of Iran employed intelligence officers from the Pahlavi monarchy era.

    “They probably wanted to round up everyone from SAVAK or whatever in a stadium and kill them all. But those guys, especially the foreign operations personnel, were too valuable to kill. Why?”

    “…Because they were veterans?”

    I nodded.

    “They were active agents who had been dealing with Mossad since the Middle East wars.”

    That’s why Iran’s 12 intelligence agencies, represented by VAJA (وزارت اطّلاعات جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Ministry of Intelligence), were able to operate consistently from the Iranian Revolution to the 2020s. They hired experienced personnel and absorbed their information networks and know-how.

    “Their skills were guaranteed, and they had sworn loyalty, which was okay. With Western aid cut off and Iraqi forces declaring war, they hired them. But there was a problem.”

    “They couldn’t be trusted because they had worked under Pahlavi?”

    The veterans in the intelligence agencies were truly troublesome from the Iranian government’s perspective.

    Too suspicious to trust completely. Too valuable as experienced aces to dismiss. And if they were recruited by “Zionists,” Iran’s secrets would be compromised.

    There was no time to build trust. The year 1980, just one year after the revolution ended, was when the Iran-Iraq War broke out.

    Camilla nodded in agreement with this troublesome situation.

    “Indeed… they would be difficult to trust completely. So that’s why the IRGC emerged.”

    “Exactly.”

    Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی)

    A military organization established in Iran in 1979, and a powerful paramilitary organization that checks the Iranian military.

    The IRGC is a massive organization loyal to the “Rahbar.”

    Created to prevent military rebellion, it has over 200,000 troops and possesses army, navy, air force, and even Quds Force (نیروی قدس, IRGC special operations unit), essentially making it a second Iranian military.

    Of course, since the U.S. government has designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, most countries don’t recognize them as a regular military.

    The IRGC’s scale, equipment, and training were powerful enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with any decent army.

    “The IRGC’s original mission is to check the Iranian military, and that’s how it’s known in the media and internet, but in reality, the IRGC checks both the Iranian military and Iranian intelligence agencies.”

    “Is that even possible? Checking both the military and intelligence agencies simultaneously.”

    “Usually not anyone can do it. But they can. Because they were created for that purpose.”

    The Law Enforcement Corps is the same in this context.

    Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Ashtistan’s Law Enforcement Corps are private military organizations that protect the leadership and monitor/check the regular military and intelligence agencies that are likely to rebel.

    The important thing is that intelligence agencies are included among the groups they check.

    I pointed out that aspect.

    “Whether in dictatorships or authoritarian states, the role of checking intelligence agencies is assigned to other intelligence agencies. This is the same in democratic countries. Security screening or inspection is done internally, but often comes from other companies or superior agencies.”

    Usually, sectoral intelligence agencies are frequently inspected by superior agencies (Ministry of Defense and Interior) or national intelligence agencies.

    However, “inspection” in democratic countries and “checking” in dictatorships were somewhat different in nature.

    “Intelligence agencies in dictatorships focus on loyalty competition and preventing internal rebellion. They naturally engage in mutual checking among intelligence agencies as they need to uncover secrets hidden by other intelligence agencies. The IRGC and Law Enforcement Corps have similar missions.”

    This is precisely why the IRGC essentially doubles as an intelligence agency.

    “The Revolutionary Guards have intelligence and investigation-related organizations within their organizational structure. They have arrested foreign intelligence agents who infiltrated Iran and have sent their own intelligence officers abroad on numerous occasions. I’ve seen it myself a few times.”

    “Where?”

    “When I was in Tehran, they executed an Israeli intelligence agent. I watched the public execution video while eating, and coincidentally, it was someone my acquaintance was handling.”

    “That Mossad friend you mentioned before?!”

    Camilla shouted in surprise, thrusting her face forward. I was equally startled and pushed her face away.

    “No, he wasn’t Mossad but Aman. The one in Israel’s Ministry of Defense. My Mossad acquaintance was deployed to Iraq or somewhere, so he wasn’t in Iran.”

    “Why did you go to meet them?”

    “The Beirut branch asked me to look into something…”

    “If it was Lebanon, it must have been about Hezbollah. It’s well known that the IRGC supports Hezbollah. Same with pro-Iranian rebel groups in Syria or the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The IRGC, Hezbollah, and Houthi rebels are all hostile to Israel… Am I right?”

    “Yes, you’re right. Now please move your face back…!”

    “Aaack…”

    Anyway.

    Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, boasting a long tradition and history (about 40 years), was an organization with the deformed form of being both a military organization and an intelligence agency.

    As Camilla said, they support armed groups in various Middle Eastern countries through their special operations unit, the Quds Force, and the U.S. government has sanctioned the IRGC leadership over this issue.

    “In that same vein, the Law Enforcement Corps isn’t much different. They also smuggle weapons to foreign countries and dispatch intelligence officers.”

    But do they only smuggle and spy?

    That wasn’t the case either.

    “You know the IRGC reports directly to the Rahbar, right? The Law Enforcement Corps is similar. They follow the Prime Minister’s orders, but the Ashtistan Prime Minister is essentially a puppet controlled by the High Priest.”

    “A rubber stamp?”

    “To explain precisely, he’s a proxy. A proxy who handles external activities and overall state affairs on behalf of the High Priest. But proxy is just a nice word—he was the leader who led the revolution when the High Priest overthrew the old dynasty.”

    “Ah! It’s similar to the relationship between the Professor and the Emperor.”

    Camilla nodded vigorously as she answered. I looked at her with fresh eyes.

    So she’s finally capable of making judgments! After living in the Empire for a while, she’s even figured out that the Grand Duke and Emperor are one and the same.

    This proves that the DNA of British Empire colonial rulers, who analyzed the racial composition of colonies to stir up trouble, remains in the 21st century.

    It was indeed a characteristic befitting an intellectual (though not at all proud) from a prestigious British university.

    “Anyway, they’re not easy opponents. To think we have to deal with the commander of such a Law Enforcement Corps… Ahoo, it hurts…”

    “That’s true.”

    Ashtistan’s intelligence department might be a pushover at the company level.

    But for a spy like me with no information network, I could be caught at the police level if I’m unlucky.

    Yet the mentally unstable High Priest of Al-Yabd made a baseless request to deal with the Law Enforcement Corps commander.

    “…Sigh.”

    I emptied the rest of my teacup with a deep sigh.

    “So, I’ve explained everything as you wanted. What do you think?”

    “Huh? About what?”

    “I’m asking if you have any good ideas.”

    After hearing the explanation, we should now look for solutions.

    Wasn’t that why she asked what the Law Enforcement Corps was in the first place?

    So, I asked Camilla for her opinion.

    And she…

    “Um…”

    Caught off guard by the sudden request, Camilla scratched her head and began trailing off in an ambiguous voice.

    “Do we really have to do it?”

    “?”

    “I’m not making excuses because I can’t think of anything. I’m just genuinely curious… In a situation where even the High Priest said we can do it or not do it, is there really a need to take on such a dangerous task… That’s what I’m wondering.”

    Suddenly, with a shock like someone hitting my head, my eyes snapped open!

    That’s right. I had no need whatsoever to grant the High Priest’s request.

    Because the High Priest himself said I could do it or not do it.

    And besides, I’m an intelligence officer, aren’t I?

    “Camilla.”

    “Yes?”

    “You truly are a genius.”

    The first characteristic common to all intelligence agencies worldwide.

    That would be cutting and running.

    *

    There’s a commonality between a British person who dumped their conscience in the Thames estuary and an intelligence officer who boiled and ate their conscience.

    That is, they have no conscience.

    For intelligence agencies that frequently engage in pantsing and reverse charges, cutting and running is an everyday technique that doesn’t even scratch one’s conscience. Isn’t Cut-Out, where an intelligence agency abandons an agent deemed useless, a type of cutting and running?

    That’s right!

    Government agencies worldwide actively encourage their civil servants to exploit foreigners if necessary!

    Of course, if intelligence officers heard this, they would all display question marks above their heads, but that didn’t matter.

    Intelligence agencies are government departments where national-level gaslighting and defamation are everyday occurrences.

    When you’re habitually defamed, you can laugh off this level of accusation like the Cyborg-Senator!

    Or you might get so angry that you fold the spine of the defamer in half.

    Anyway!

    Camilla’s insight, having dumped her conscience in the Thames, opened Frederick’s eyes, who had eaten his conscience for dinner. The spy & spy-in-training duo decided to completely ignore the last wish of a 120-year-old man (who still has many years to live).

    Of course, it wasn’t just because they had thrown away their conscience that they refused the High Priest’s request.

    First, the High Priest himself left ambiguous room by saying “you can do it or not do it,” and above all, this wasn’t an official mission assigned by the company, was it?

    You might think my tongue is excessively long, but that’s just an illusion. Anyway, that’s how it was.

    “That’s right. It’s not even my job, so there’s no need to do it.”

    Frederick kept nodding. It was a scene of self-justification spinning faster than a centrifuge.

    “What’s the worst that could happen if we refuse? The High Priest might expel us at most. Surely he wouldn’t come after us?”

    “That’s true too.”

    With Camilla even encouraging the self-justification from the side, it was natural instigation that would impress even her ancestors who divided colonial tribes.

    Did Mother Earth become angry at these despicable foreigners’ desertion?

    To punish these wretched creatures (visiting as foreign guests) who dared to insult the godlike High Priest, the civil servants of the Ashtistan Republic moved!

    -Screeeech!

    “?”

    “?”

    The moment they faced the suited man who emerged from a vehicle that left intense skid marks.

    Frederick couldn’t help but doubt his eyesight.

    “…No way. Is that guy out of money? Why is he here again?”

    It was “that bastard” from the Security Committee, Ashtistan Republic’s finest loan shark!


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