Ch.559Episode 20 – Who Threatened You with a Knife?

# The Grandfather Clock Strikes Eighteen

The grandfather clock in the lobby struck eighteen times, announcing the evening.

The wide corridor leading to the elevator narrowed endlessly along doors that hung like shadows on either side. The firmly closed door had three latches and its lips drew a straight line, as if representing stubbornness.

Sigmund leaned against the wall, looking around the room.

The neatly arranged suite was so clean that the floor’s housekeeper would have commented, “They must have been on a family trip, but they cleaned up well before leaving.”

Of course, he wasn’t so concerned with appearances and dignity that he would care about a hotel cleaner’s assessment, but considering both his profession and the situation, cleaning up was a very important matter.

“Have my family arrived?”

-“No, Mr. Dreiman.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience. I’m just too worried.”

-“Haha. I understand. I’ll let you know as soon as your wife and daughters enter the lobby.”

“…Thank you.”

The caution that had persisted since wartime remained even after decades had passed.

After the desk hung up first.

Sigmund carefully placed the room phone down and touched his fingertip to the corner of his lips.

“……”

Helen and his two daughters had disappeared. It happened while he briefly stepped away to meet with the Imperial Guard, and the cause was a shootout in the park.

When the first gunshot rang out, Sigmund was wary of assassination.

The contact person designated by the Guard had been arrested a week ago. Seven days might be slightly insufficient time for the intelligence department to determine his location and movements, but it was more than enough for the contact to open his mouth.

If the captured diplomat had revealed information earlier than expected, the gunshots should rightfully have been aimed at Sigmund.

But he was still alive, without even a small hair harmed, despite the Imperial Guard intelligence agents hidden throughout the park gathering at the bench.

Was it an accident? Or terrorism?

Perhaps someone following him had made an unintentional mistake. But he knew better than anyone that such hypotheticals were meaningless.

After organizing his increasingly complicated thoughts, Sigmund began to recall his instructions to Helen.

‘Listen carefully. We’re leaving Abas tomorrow. Pack everything you can.’

‘What are you saying all of a sudden?’

‘I’ll explain later. Just know that it’s asylum, and memorize what’s written in this notebook. I’ve written down things you’ll need. Don’t show it to anyone, and if someone tries to take it by force, throw it into a fountain or water bottle or anywhere. The paper is designed to dissolve when it touches water.’

‘…This is related to that work you do, isn’t it?’

‘Helen.’

‘……’

‘Don’t worry. Even if we get separated, I’ll find you and the kids. I promise.’

He had told her everything he could.

How to act when being followed, how to send messages when communication is cut off, how to carefully obtain necessities and manage meals.

And now, hours later.

There was still no word from Helen.

“Hmm….”

Could she have forgotten?

Probably not. Helen was wiser than anyone, and she hadn’t taken her eyes off the notebook the entire way to Shizya. She wouldn’t have forgotten the content he had emphasized as important multiple times.

-Ding-dong!

The doorbell abruptly broke the silence.

## Episode 20 – Who Threatened You with a Knife

The orange sunset settling over the lake tickles the back of my hand.

A city withering like a flower petal that once gave rise to civilization and held deep history. Autumn fades brilliantly into the hills that collapsed under the weight of glory and prosperity.

“Hello, Aunt.”

The woman leaning against the window began with a languid tone. Her voice was incredibly soft, immersed in the warm atmosphere.

-‘It’s good to hear your voice. How’s the weather today?’

“Clear.”

-‘Is that so? That’s good.’

Like the rich aroma permeating the kitchen, her aunt’s voice seemed to contain generosity and kindness.

“Is Uncle there?”

-‘Yes. Should I put him on?’

“Yes.”

-‘Just a moment.’

At the response from the other end of the receiver, the woman moved away from the window.

A faint sigh escaped her, and her drowsy eyes suddenly became clear with a single blink.

Returning to the center of the hotel room, the woman began counting silently. One, two, three.

-‘It’s time already.’

After a deep voice came through the receiver, at a precise and familiar timing confirming the connection, the woman responded as if she had been waiting.

“Good to see you, Uncle.”

-‘It’s been 12 hours, Section Chief Yekaterina Andreyevna. Let’s hear your overdue report first.’

“Yes.”

Imperial Guard 1st Department Investigation Section Chief Yekaterina reported the progress to the 1st Department Director, which she had organized in documents.

“The Domovoi recovery is proceeding as planned. First contact was completed at Timarshak Park at 1300 hours today, and operational funds were delivered. Since we haven’t secured the gift yet, the duration of stay is undetermined, but emergency contact networks, transportation, and disguised identification have all been handed over to Domovoi.”

About a week ago, Yekaterina was deployed to Ashtistan with a colleague on the 1st Department Director’s orders and made contact with Sigmund today.

At the meeting place, she roughly outlined with Sigmund the future schedule, emergency response plans, and post-asylum plans. Then, a few hours ago, she returned to the hotel and submitted a report to the Imperial Guard.

A base prepared in downtown Shizya with the help of 6th Department members.

The 1st Department Director, who reviewed the report, began asking detailed questions.

-‘It seems there was a disagreement between you and Domovoi. He refused to move his accommodation to our side?’

“I suggested it according to the pre-arranged plan, but Domovoi flatly refused. He remained stubborn despite my repeated attempts to persuade him.”

-‘Is he still staying at the same hotel?’

“Currently, Domovoi remains at the hotel he contracted, but he will move his residence today. I just confirmed that he checked out via internal phone.”

Director Ilya changed his question with a leisurely tone. At first glance, it seemed like a simple, insignificant question.

-‘Do you think this will be resolved easily?’

To this, Yekaterina shook her head immediately, as if there was no reason to even consider it.

“To be frank, not at all.”

Sigmund, a double agent for the Imperial Guard, is on the run because his identity has been exposed.

From the moment the contact person was arrested by the Royal Intelligence Department, the fact that he was a spy was a secret that would be revealed sooner or later, and perhaps Abas intelligence agents who already knew everything were already pursuing Sigmund.

The most rational choice for Sigmund here would be to entrust everything to the Imperial Guard.

After all, the Guard was the only company that could protect him from agents sent by the Royal Intelligence Department.

However, Sigmund adamantly refused Yekaterina’s offer. Instead of immediately entrusting his life and property to the Kiyen Empire, he was attempting to gamble everything until the blade of the Abas Kingdom reached his chin.

The reason was simple.

Lack of trust.

“Domovoi doesn’t trust us.”

-‘Spies are naturally suspicious of everything, and fugitives are wary of everyone who approaches them. So how much doubt must be bundled up in the stomach of a fleeing double agent?’

Moreover, since our designated contact had an accident, his suspicion was a natural progression.

Even the headquarters analysts suggested the possibility that Domovoi ‘might have concluded he was betrayed by the Imperial Guard.’ He might suspect that everything from the contact’s arrest to his flight to a third country was all intended by the Imperial Guard.

No intelligence department would discard a perfectly good double agent unless they were crazy. But when you look in a mirror, doesn’t the reflection also look back at its owner?

The Imperial Guard had turned many double agents from various countries over the past decades. They ranged from ordinary defectors to legendary figures.

But many of their identities were exposed. Because a Guard executive who defected to a foreign intelligence agency handed over the list, because a Guard intelligence officer who defected to an enemy country stole a double agent’s report.

This was the result of failing to maintain internal discipline and source protection, and as a consequence, the Imperial Guard lost numerous double agents. And Sigmund was both a double agent for the Imperial Guard and the head of counter-intelligence for the Royal Intelligence Department.

Sigmund knew better than anyone that the Royal Intelligence Department wouldn’t leave a traitor alone.

Similarly, he knew that when his identity was exposed, if the Imperial Guard made even a small mistake, a school of sharks would be drawn to the scent of blood.

Director Ilya said:

-‘Consider Domovoi’s unstable psychological state. Having worked as the head of counter-intelligence, he’s seen enough of how Abas deals with traitors. And bringing his family must add to his burden.’

“For now, I’ll just keep tabs on him and observe. Getting too close might actually strain the relationship.”

-‘When does he plan to start looking for the gift?’

“He seems to have already started. Five days ago, we confirmed that he withdrew deposits from an overseas account to use as information funds. The account is a regular savings account opened by the Finance Section eight years ago, and detailed information is attached to the report.”

-‘Good news. Were there any other requests?’

“He wants us to take his family first. Domovoi has a total of 3 relatives, and their details are…”

In the middle of her report, Director Ilya abruptly cut her off.

-‘Let’s discuss that later. Anything else?’

“……”

Yekaterina easily noticed the director’s intention. Director Ilya doesn’t care about Domovoi’s family. To be more direct, he doesn’t want to bring them to the Empire.

Of course, this could be an overinterpretation. For a high-ranking intelligence officer like the director, where every minute counts, it would be better to focus on the double agent rather than listening to reports about civilians.

But words ultimately come from people’s mouths, and intelligence agencies are organizations made up of people.

“Apart from requesting financial support at the initial meeting, there were no other demands.”

As she tactfully moved past the report, the conversation naturally shifted to the next topic.

-‘Let’s talk about the incident. There was a shootout, I hear.’

“About 13 gunshots were heard during the meeting at Timarshak Park. Local police suspect it was terrorism by extremists from another sect within Al-Yadv, or underground anti-republic party members.”

Yekaterina opened an intelligence document and added further explanation.

“According to intelligence gathered with 6th Department members, there were no casualties. Local security agencies strongly claim it was terrorism, but the Ashtistan Republic hasn’t found any clues to identify the perpetrators. It seems like a false press release issued to reverse the shaky political situation caused by recent domestic and international problems.”

-‘The thoughts of our Shizya friends are predictable. Tell me your opinion.’

The director asked.

-‘Do you think it was a coincidence?’

Yekaterina answered.

“It couldn’t be a coincidence.”

Whether terrorism or an accident, she strongly felt it wasn’t a coincidence.

The director also added weight to her view.

-‘You were the one who noticed the signs of the aide who defected to Abas last year, so I’ll trust you. But the key isn’t the answer, it’s the context.’

“……”

-‘The fact remains that you and Domovoi were at Timarshak Park. Our desert friends sometimes do absurd things due to their overly vivid imagination. So we must remember not to give Shizya any opportunity to interfere.’

He meant to prevent the Ashtistan Republic from noticing this operation. And by extension, to hide Domovoi’s existence itself.

It was natural. Operations conducted in third countries don’t receive approval from those countries. While allied nations tend to help each other, that help comes with a price tag.

If the Ashtistan Republic’s intelligence department noticed Domovoi’s existence, they would certainly demand information. They might ask for a chance to interrogate him themselves before he’s taken to the Empire, or request sharing of any useful information…

The moment the offer was refused, the Ashtistan intelligence would immediately transform into bandits and drive Yekaterina out.

And Sigmund would be dragged to the Law Guardian Corps’ interrogation room, not the Imperial Guard’s.

-‘If they see anything to exploit, they’ll pounce on it immediately… This time too, they’ll try to strip everything down to the underwear after just dipping in a pinky toe.’

A sigh was heard through the receiver. It was a tone suggesting weariness at stating the obvious.

The director repeatedly implored her not to give the Ashtistan Republic any opportunity to intervene. Yekaterina also couldn’t bear to see the meal she had carefully prepared go into someone else’s mouth, so she agreed.

*

The suite, divided into bedroom, bathroom, and living room, was a room prepared by an Imperial hotel for customers visiting Shizya for business purposes.

Considering the deeply rooted custom of hospitality in the local culture, the living room could also be used as a small reception room, and the horizontal table allowed for lengthy meetings.

After finishing her report, Yekaterina opened the door leading to the living room wide.

“Regular report complete.”

“Oh, good work, Yekaterina.”

A Kiyen person of Ashtistan descent greeted her casually. The two were colleagues who had shared 1st Department work and training camp life.

“The director says to bring him quietly. Kirill, stop what you’re doing and gather around.”

“Got it.”

Electronic and communication devices in the hardcase blink, and neatly arranged wires extend like stems.

Communication equipment occupying various parts of the living room stretched with wires to the horizontal table. While the terminal devices emitted blue lights, noise, and heat, the temperature control device was busy dealing with both people and heat generation.

But for Kiyen people who would walk around in short sleeves even at -30 degrees, saying the weather had warmed up, this could hardly be called cold.

“Everyone, focus.”

The staff who were typing on terminals around the horizontal table turned their attention to Yekaterina. There were five people in total, including her.

Herself from the 1st Department, Kirill specializing in foreign languages for interpretation and translation.

The remaining three were from the 6th Department, assigned to support tasks. Communication, security, supplies, finance, information, and so on. Incidentally, they were people who had been working overseas from the beginning.

“Let’s do a mid-point check. First, Domovoi’s status.”

Yekaterina, with her hand thrust into her pocket, made eye contact with the 6th Department support officer sitting in front of the communication equipment.

“He’s not moving from the hotel. The final signal was caught there.”

The 6th Department support officer rolled up his shirt sleeves to his wrists and pointed to the terminal screen.

“Fifteen minutes ago, he spoke with a desk clerk on the hotel phone, and about 9 minutes ago, he made a reservation at the spa.”

“Wasn’t he supposed to check out today? Why did he suddenly make a spa reservation?”

“His stay has been extended until tomorrow. It seems he’s not moving because the whereabouts of his family are still unclear.”

The 6th Department staff member responsible for information communication and security had been quite unique since their first meeting (he got heat stroke while riding a motorcycle alone), but despite his seemingly loose-screwed first impression, his skills were solid.

Since the day before the meeting, as soon as they found out the accommodation location, they installed a wiretap on the room phone with the hotel’s cooperation.

Having worked at the Royal Intelligence Department, Sigmund would be aware that he was under surveillance.

In fact, he hardly used the hotel phone. At most, he only used it to order necessities to his room.

But even if Sigmund was conscious of wiretapping and didn’t leak sensitive information, the fact remained that the 6th Department staff was eavesdropping on all his calls.

And while Sigmund himself might be careful about wiretapping, the hotel staff weren’t, were they?

“Among the communications via internal line, there are 51 instances confirming Domovoi’s entry and exit over the past week. The hotel doesn’t know his destinations, but there were several times when he verbally requested a taxi from staff. Same with the spa reservation.”

“And the staff would have discussed that over the internal phone.”

They had already investigated some of the places Sigmund had visited by taxi. Presumably, he went to meet his informants. Since he said he was looking for something called a gift.

Yekaterina slowly filled the situation board with the routes from the hotel to various corners of Shizya, traced by taxi drivers who had transported Sigmund during that time.

“No other communications besides the room phone, right?”

“That’s correct so far. As far as we know, Domovoi hasn’t used wireless communication. Because it’s easy to eavesdrop on.”

Wireless communication is inherently vulnerable in terms of security, but crucially, this is Ashtistan.

There are two telecommunications companies in the Ashtistan Republic. Both are state-operated and actively cooperate with various wiretapping and surveillance activities of local security agencies.

That’s why after arriving in Shizya, Sigmund borrowed landline phones when first setting up meeting places with the Imperial Guard.

Restaurants, vegetable stores, supermarkets, subways, public phone booths, etc.

“Well, public phones can be wiretapped if someone wants to. Even in our country, they open the back panels of public phones on University Street and install relay communication devices, but in Shizya, that’s a fairy tale. With manpower shortages and tight budgets for maintaining surveillance equipment… realistically, they can’t do constant monitoring.”

Even if it’s not a familiar face, people will lend a phone if you slip them some cash.

Especially in a country like Ashtistan where living conditions are tight, and even more so for an intelligence officer whose job is handling people.

And Sigmund exploited that loophole.

While typing indifferently and reciting the reality of Ashtistan security agencies, the 6th Department support officer made eye contact with Yekaterina, who continued the conversation.

“What’s the possibility of Domovoi using a mobile phone?”

“Well… it’s not completely impossible, but very unlikely. You can get burner phones or prepaid phones in the market under false names. But the problem is they don’t have encryption functions. The local police would catch those.”

“Then, if by any chance Domovoi starts using a mobile phone, is there a way for us to intercept without the help of local authorities?”

“There are many methods. The cleanest would be a clone phone?”

Yekaterina told him to make a clone phone. If Sigmund ever starts using a mobile phone, that is.

And the 6th Department staff said:

“Are you kidding…?”

Are you crazy, investigator?

“No, is Domovoi some Academy student? Does he treat his phone like a sacred object with rings and magical stickers that flash when charged? If he knows he’s being wiretapped, he’ll either get a new burner phone or prepare several in advance and rotate them.”

“Then we’ll make several too, right?”

“Besides, even if we extract the pension number and clone the phone, we have to answer calls simultaneously. Otherwise, records remain and he’ll notice. To do this without people, we’d need equipment from headquarters, but until then, we’d have to answer each call manually. And by hand at that.”

“We can do that, right?”

“Can I be excluded from this?”

“That’s impossible, right?”

“Ah.”

It was a suggestion to reconsider if effort was lacking when something seemed impossible. The secret of how ancient humans built pyramids was finally revealed.

As the soul ascended from the gaping mouth, Yekaterina’s colleague, Kirill, massaged the 6th Department support officer’s shoulders with an apologetic expression and joked:

“Oh my, that must be very difficult for you.”

Regardless of whether his colleague was losing his mind, the 6th Department staff members across from them suppressed their laughter and said:

“Shandor. Don’t you know a lot of people at the telecom company? You said you’re friends with the security manager.”

“Yeah, I am, but…”

“Then go quickly and ask for a favor. Consider it repayment for the money you lent last time.”

“Really, he’s someone I don’t want to see, but I have to see him again…”

The 6th Department support officer called Shandor left the room with a long sigh.

“I’ll be back.”

“After you’ve noted down the translations, upload them to headquarters. See you later, Kirill.”

Kirill, the 1st Department interpretation officer, departed for the field with Shandor from the 6th Department.

If Sigmund happens to call his family, informants, or foreigners, Shandor’s collaborator working at the Ashtistan national telecommunications company would be helpful.

And vice versa, of course.

“These are the areas Domovoi visited by taxi. Bookstores, libraries, teahouses, sports clubs, restaurants, and so on.”

The 6th Department support officer handed out a printed list that Shandor had typed up.

It was his colleague who had been teasing Shandor, who was thrown out into the scorching sun (it was so cold everyone wore coats).

Giorgi, was it?

“Investigate the people he met here first. Kirill and Shandor have gone to work on communications, so let’s start with other things.”

“It’s impossible for me to follow his tail unless I know shadow clone technique…”

Giorgi, with a pronounced southwestern accent, had nothing in common with his 6th Department colleague Shandor. Except for being in the same 6th Department, the two differed in everything from their majors to their areas of responsibility.

His job was information support.

“I’ll gather some errand boys. If we pay them a daily wage, they’ll come crawling out with flaring nostrils.”

If Shandor was responsible for supporting communication and security, Giorgi provided Yekaterina with the information she needed.

Considering that intelligence officers dispatched overseas from the 2nd Department also use the information network provided by 6th Department support officers, the information network prepared by Giorgi itself could be trusted, but.

He said he wasn’t sure how well his informants would fare against Sigmund.

Yekaterina contemplated the situation board for a while.

“We’ll have to monitor Domovoi directly. His family is another matter.”

“Ah. Speaking of relatives, I remembered something about that shootout. According to reports submitted to the Law Guardian Corps, guidance patrol officers spotted a suspect in the park. A white woman. Someone who speaks Kiyen?”

Yekaterina, turning her gaze from the situation board, asked a question.

“How many Imperial citizens are staying in Ashtistan?”

“1,900. That’s counting only medium to long-term residents, excluding travelers and tourists.”

“Mixed race?”

“Officially about 7,000? But statistics don’t mean much here. After the revolution, millions of Ashtistan people fled overseas, and Kiyen is the first foreign language here.”

It would be impossible to identify someone just by the Kiyen language.

Muttering to herself, she asked Giorgi to ‘dig a few more holes.’

It meant to expand the information network.

“If I may be bold, wouldn’t it be better to focus on Domovoi rather than the terrorism?”

“Orders have come from above. We need to prevent Shizya from getting involved.”

“Ah, if that’s the case, you should have said so earlier.”

Giorgi slapped his forehead and nodded emphatically.

“Whether it’s the military, police, or courts, it doesn’t matter. There must be a way, right?”

“Of course. I’m well-connected in Shizya, after all.”

“How much time do you need?”

“A day. Since our seniors have already worked on officials, I think we can find out quickly. We should start with the judiciary first.”

Seated at the terminal, Giorgi quickly began searching for officials who could be recruited as informants.

The list of contacts held by the 6th Department was very long and detailed. Credit delinquency history, credit rating, real estate and property ownership status. It contained information comparable to that of decent banks.

Watching this, Yekaterina asked what list he was looking at.

In response, the 6th Department support officer pointed to his colleague across from him without taking his eyes off the screen.

“She made it. Apparently, she’s got quite a straw stuck into financial institutions.”

“Banks?”

“Ahaha…”

As Yekaterina’s gaze fell on her, the 6th Department support officer began awkwardly scratching her cheek with a smile.

“Not just banks. There are differences by industry, but I know people in various sectors. Lending, insurance, securities…”

Looking at the awkwardly smiling 6th Department support officer, Yekaterina suddenly recalled information she had heard from a colleague.

There was a trainee who was assigned to the 6th Department when everyone thought they would go to the Economic Department.

With good grades and few women in the Economic Department, they said acceptance would be guaranteed if she applied. They had made a fuss about treating her well if she joined, as she was a junior from the same university’s economics department.

“Oksana.”

“Yes…?”

The 6th Department support officer named Oksana looked at her with an expression suggesting she was wondering if she was about to be given a task.

“Background checks on Ashtistan civil servants. How far can you go?”

“If it’s about looking into their wallets, local financial institutions would be sufficient, but… I can’t check their back pockets from here. Especially for high-ranking officials in the Law Guardian Corps and the military.”

It meant they would have to go overseas.

This was somewhat expected. Rumors about the Ashtistan Republic’s Law Guardian Corps and military engaging in money games domestically and internationally had been circulating for 30 years.

The problem was that whether they played money games abroad or domestically, they would eventually be caught by Ashtistan financial authorities’ investigations if they couldn’t launder the money cleanly.

That’s why all funds misappropriated by the Law Guardian Corps and the Republic Army were exported overseas. The destination: tax havens. It was there that these funds shed their dirt and became pristine, moving along the borderline between legal and illegal, before they could re-enter Ashtistan.

“Of course, the cost issue can’t be ignored either. You know. Even cash laundering isn’t free. It’s best to choose areas with lax tax laws. Even better if there are fewer delivery accidents.”

Yekaterina asked if those funds could be investigated too. And the answer was ‘possible.’

Connected to the company network, Oksana displayed the banks and companies mainly used by senior officials of the Ashtistan Republic Army and Law Guardian Corps.

“These are where foreign financial companies have identified the back pockets of local officials. Some were investigated by seniors from the 1st Department’s Economic Counterintelligence Room and 2nd Department’s Financial Intelligence, and there are also companies directly operated by headquarters.”

“Or operated by proxy through one or two intermediaries.”

“Oh? You knew?”

“I have an acquaintance in the Economics Department. I’ve also been dispatched there a few times for support.”

Moreover, even within the Empire, financial companies operated by foreign intelligence agencies were abundant. Companies established to provide illegal transactions or operational funds.

While examining the files Oksana showed, Yekaterina caught some interesting names.

“I see there are also Abas Kingdom banks here. And they’ve even set up companies in Abas territory?”

“Ah. That’s because their corporate tax is so low. It’s an area where many companies, from large corporations to small businesses, have expanded.”

“But they’re just companies that exist only on paper, right?”

“Well, many small amounts add up to a mountain…”

The implication was that paying less tax allows for more diligent saving.

It seemed absurd to pay taxes to an enemy country, but then again, gambling with national funds was crazy from the start.

Anyway.

Yekaterina didn’t need to care how much the generals of the Ashtistan Republic had embezzled. No, the more they embezzled, the better it was for her.

Slush funds always serve as good leverage.

Especially if their source touches the realm of illegality.

“But will officials yield to this level of blackmail?”

Oksana tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

In response, Yekaterina, looking at the list, answered:

“If they don’t yield, we’ll have to freeze their accounts. It’s clearly illegal. And I see several countries that are sanctioning Ashtistan Republic.”

Governments sanctioning the Ashtistan Republic would immediately investigate banks if given a slight hint. Judicial authorities would stab them for directly violating government orders and obstructing economic sanctions.

Governments not participating in the sanctions might not want to dirty their hands directly, but when international organizations start applying pressure, they would freeze accounts, pretending they had no choice.

Indeed, that’s exactly what happened.

The sanctions imposed on the Ashtistan Republic so far have generally gone through this process.

How effective the method of drying up money lines is has been demonstrated by the Ashtistan Republic government over the past decades. When the Imperial Foreign Ministry stepped in to apply pressure, even generals had no other options.

“Yes! Just secured an appointment!”

Giorgi, rising from the table, stretched out long.

Along with reporting that he had set up meetings with Ashtistan judiciary officials.

He continued muttering while rotating his shoulders:

“If I’m going to meet them all today, I should leave soon.”

“Do you need anything?”

“Funds, right? The 6th Department Shizya branch budget isn’t enough to bribe them all…”

While budget requests would be approved and disbursed, the problem was that it would take ages.

Giorgi informed Yekaterina that the currently available budget was insufficient to recruit the individuals she required.

In response, Yekaterina handed a paper envelope from her bag to Oksana.

“Cover the costs with this. Take the disguised passport and show it to the Republic banks, they’ll give you the deposits.”

Inside the envelope were deposits at Ashtistan Republic commercial banks and disguised identification. Oksana examined the fake passport with her identity, then checked the locations of the banks and the deposited operational funds.

Zero, one, two, three, four, five…

“…Eek?”

Oksana’s eyes widened as she began to stammer.

It was a filthy large amount. As a 6th Department support officer in charge of financial affairs, she had provided countless operational funds for Imperial Guard employees, but there had never been such a budget for a short-term operation.

The problem was that she was the person responsible for managing all these funds, roughly over 10 accounts.

“Don’t tell me I have to…”

“Withdraw them.”

At the thought of dealing with Ashtistan banks, notorious for their snail-paced service, Oksana already felt her vision darkening.

When will I finish this? Just withdrawing will take ages, and then transferring to informants, moving here and there…

“…Am I doomed?”

“Yep.”

“…Shut up, Giorgi.”

While the 6th Department support officers were crying, laughing, and making noise, Yekaterina compiled the content and transmitted it to Imperial Guard headquarters.

Based on information obtained through taxi companies, she reported that they would wiretap Sigmund himself and foreign citizens who had contacted Sigmund during the past week. For this purpose, 1st Department’s Kirill and 6th Department’s Shandor had gone to meet the security manager of the national telecommunications company.

She also reported that they would recruit Ashtistan Republic government officials based on pre-prepared lists and information collected through financial institutions. 6th Department’s Giorgi would carry this out with support from Oksana.

The recruited government officials would monitor the movements of Ashtistan Republic security agencies.

Whether they had noticed Sigmund’s existence, and if so, which agency had noticed and how, etc.

With luck, news about Abas intelligence agents might also come in.

“……”

After putting down her water cup and transmitting the report, Yekaterina gathered her outer garments.

“When Kirill returns, please tell him to send the reply telegram.”

“Yes.”

Oksana wrote down the request in her notepad. And Giorgi tilted his head, watching Yekaterina putting on her lussari.

“Where are you going? It’s night now.”

“To Domovoi.”

As if to say, how could we leave him alone, even if he is a double agent?

“Keep surveillance on Domovoi for the time being. And if there’s even a slight suspicious sign…”

Yekaterina covered the rest of her face.

And quietly added:

“As per the director’s instructions, we’ll abort the operation and return with just him.”

*

Ding-dong! The doorbell abruptly broke the silence.

Sigmund, who had been moistening his burning throat with barley tea from a kettle, went into the corridor with one hand hidden behind his back.

“…Helen? Lucy? Is that you?”

The question thrown in a small voice echoed emptily as a soliloquy.

Sigmund looked around the empty space for a long time before discovering an ownerless object placed in front of the door.

A telephone.

And a small box.