Ch.563Episode 20 – Who Threatened You with a Knife?

When the edge of the horizon sparkled with three colors, the thin light cascading from the ancient trees swayed gently like waves.

On the shadow cast across the road, Camilla was stomping her feet like a child. Like a child who couldn’t wait even for a brief traffic signal and wanted to leap across the crosswalk immediately.

“Um, I’m curious about something. Can I ask you?”

When her innocent voice sparked curiosity, the eyes that had been scanning the surroundings turned to her.

“What are you curious about now?”

I asked while adjusting my tie and appearance.

“You said earlier we were coming to see a new house. But I’m pretty observant, you know? From the atmosphere, it seems like something’s gone wrong.”

“…”

“The professor came to Ashtistan for recuperation, and both I and Frederick came along as his companions. But that Thanos-looking guy isn’t here for sightseeing, right? And neither is Ms. Aila.”

Her introduction is long-winded.

I know she’s naturally talkative, but her extended preamble isn’t just to engage in pointless philosophical questions.

I asked her to tell me about recent events. And Camilla, with a questioning look, presented me with her main point.

“Tell me the reason. The real reason. What you’re planning to do at the hotel, and why you, Frederick, brought me here.”

We’re colleagues, right? In the same boat.

When Camilla added that with a bright smile, I looked toward the crosswalk, lowering my hand that had been caressing my watch chain.

“…”

The sensation of the buckle on the back of my hand feels somewhat unfamiliar. Like a knight reviving the sensation by handling long-abandoned Go stones, I slipped the SIM—no, the alchemy record card between my fingers and slowly rolled it.

Camilla didn’t rush for an answer.

She was just staring intently at my profile from beside me.

Silence continued, and we stopped walking for a while. Even as the green light blinked and everyone else moved forward, we remained in the same place.

“…”

After silently staring at the blinking green light, I finally broke the heavy silence and turned to her.

“Camilla.”

“Yes.”

“If I ask you to do just one thing, will you come with me?”

Episode 20 – Who Threatened You With a Knife?

Frederick’s visit to Ashtistan is an officially documented fact. He crossed the border proudly holding an Abas passport in front of the international press.

This sparked countless speculations.

Some focused on the fact that he was involved in the counter-coup in the Zamria Federation and that he was a military attaché from a well-known bureaucratic upper-class family.

Given that the Abas Kingdom shows great interest in Moritani continental politics…

The speculation was that, as the second son of the Nostrum family, which could be considered a vassal, he entered Shizya as a secret envoy.

This interesting hypothesis gained flesh with abundant evidence and speculation.

For a hundred years, the Grand Magician who maintained the unwritten rule of “not taking disciples” finally bestowed teachings in his later years. What melted the heart of the Grand Magician, as cold as the frost of the frozen land, was a lovely young girl.

It was widely known that the attaché was the girl’s colleague and had received the Imperial Medal for his achievements in the north.

It was also a fact acknowledged even by the prideful imperial officials that the Kiyen-Ma tribe conflict, which had dragged on for five years, was resolved through direct and indirect support from the Abas Kingdom.

So perhaps the master of the northern region, the main stage of the conflict, to express gratitude, not only recommended the attaché for decoration…

But personally led his aged body to put an end to the cold relationship between the Abas Kingdom and the Ashtistan Republic?

Perhaps the Empire and the Kingdom, tired of endless arms races, would use Shizya, once an ally of both nations, as a stepping stone toward “détente” after clearing old grudges through the Kiyen-Ma tribe conflict.

While the truth remained unclear, one thing was certain.

More people than expected were weary of the system competition between the Kiyen Empire and the Abas Kingdom. The expectation of détente that they had kept in their hearts was now being expressed through the media.

That was the judgment of both governments.

In fact, even a fool with no sense of awareness would quickly notice that the atmosphere was unusual. To exaggerate slightly, voices were calling for explicit relationship improvements like “Kiss!” between the Chancellor of Kiyen and the Prime Minister of Abas.

Especially the third-world allies who had been milking both countries were grinning from ear to ear.

This was why telegrams were busily exchanged among foreign ministry officials, and why the eldest daughter of the Nostrum family, overwhelmed with overtime work, remotely scolded her younger brother who had become the talk of the town, saying, “Sister is struggling…”

Of course, there were many people in both countries who didn’t care about such warm winds. Yekaterina was one of them.

The Imperial Guard always existed for the protection and glory of the imperial family, the stability and prosperity of the empire, and she was the vanguard of the imperial family and empire.

Like other swords and shields, her eyes were always filled with suspicion at the news coming from Shizya.

“…”

In that sense, the scene unfolding before her was not just absurd but somewhat disappointing.

Yekaterina, with a pale face, silently watched the owners of the buzzing voices.

“The atmosphere isn’t bad.”

“Right? See, I told you! There’s no better place to relax than here. They even sell swimsuits, unlike what we worried about.”

“I was concerned about not being prepared, so that’s a relief. Though it’s a bit odd that they gave change in Ashtistan currency after taking foreign money… And the high prices… I didn’t expect that.”

“Oh, come on! It looks good on you, so it’s fine!”

The appearance of Frederick Nostrum and Camilla Rowell at the Mandala Spa was an element Yekaterina hadn’t anticipated.

No. Strictly speaking, she had considered it.

Until she had just settled in Ashtistan and was drafting her operation, she had suspected that the attaché who had outmaneuvered her in Petrograd might intervene in some way.

The operation to arrest the aide’s family attempting to defect to Abas. Her operation had failed precisely because that attaché had moved.

Although she had given up due to the skeptical gaze of the six-nation support staff and Kirill’s dissuasion, Yekaterina had been unconsciously monitoring the attaché’s movements.

It might be somewhat paranoid suspicion. Even her superior, Director Ilya, had criticized her about it.

Specifically, around the end of last year, he said, “Our foreign ministry should rather reprimand the Abas foreign ministry, so I won’t hold you accountable, but even I think this was too much.”

She was temporarily relegated to a provincial department with the words “Go cool your head for a while,” but the First Bureau Director called her back as the investigation chief of the capital department and pushed the military generals, who had become arrogant due to the conflict with the Ma tribe, into the back room.

In Yekaterina’s opinion, this was a warning. An implicit warning to ignore the no-longer-threatening military attaché and deal with the “real threat.” Although there was no explicit message from the director’s character, she knew.

After all, the timing of her reinstatement from censoring mail in the provinces was after the northern conflict had ended.

The meaning of approving her reinstatement only after the military attaché had left Kiyen was clear. If she didn’t understand this, the director wouldn’t have sent her to the capital in the first place.

No, she wouldn’t have even been allowed to enter the Imperial Guard from the military counterintelligence unit. The person who wrote her recommendation letter was Director Ilya himself.

Yekaterina looked at the person she had momentarily forgotten, or rather, tried to forget.

“How about this? I was hesitating because I couldn’t find anything I liked. Does it suit me?”

The woman, whose vibrant hair reminded one of a blooming rose or a passionately burning flame, twirled around in place.

As if showing off her flawless figure, even in Yekaterina’s eyes, she twirled again. Her brilliant smile, perhaps due to the lighting, shone, and from the abundantly rising waves came exclamations.

“Ah, uh, oh…”

The attaché, with a slight smile, couldn’t take his eyes off the woman showing off her swimsuit. The foolish voice was a bonus.

From the sight of him staring so blatantly at her curves, Yekaterina couldn’t help but wonder if this was really the same person who had maintained a threatening escape through the old district of the imperial capital.

No. What kind of diplomat acts like that?

“Uh, umm… It, it looks good…?”

“Really? That’s a relief. Hehehe.”

Yekaterina was astonished at the man who was scratching the back of his head, appreciating the hero’s figure. His foolish smile was also completely different from the image she knew.

The subtle game of chase that began at the sanctuary of the Order in Laterano continued like a shadow to Shizya, the sanctuary of Al-Yabd.

Whether it was a coincidence or inevitability, in Yekaterina’s memory, Frederick always existed in only two forms.

And no matter how much she recalled her memories, she couldn’t find an image of him being completely smitten with a woman in a swimsuit (incidentally, Yekaterina was reminded of some idiot from mythology who fell into water after falling in love with his own reflection in a spring) and giggling like that.

“Frederick, have you ever used a banya?”

At Camilla’s question, Frederick shook his head in denial.

“I’ve seen it in foreign culture classes at the academy… but I’ve never experienced it. The professor was from the Empire, and he was good.”

“I’ll show you! I’ve tried it a few times when I visited Russia!”

Unlike when she boldly entered as if it were her own home, she seemed to be making excuses to hide her embarrassment.

This matched the data. He had never been to the Empire, and his first and last visit was to participate in the northern conflict, so his attitude wasn’t particularly strange.

On the other hand, the hero confidently exclaimed while pulling the awkwardly acting attaché’s arm.

Yekaterina didn’t know what Russia was, but it was a scene that momentarily allowed her to infer the relationship between the two people that the Imperial Guard didn’t know.

“This way.”

The hero was almost embracing the attaché’s arm. Like a mother holding a baby wrapped in a bundle, she captured his arm in her embrace.

And they even exchanged whispers.

By this point, it was a fresh relationship that couldn’t help but consider a romantic connection.

Are they lovers? I don’t remember having such information. Although there was information that they were more intimate than other colleagues.

Yekaterina continued to watch the attaché and the hero entering the sauna.

The two were talking about something before entering the sauna, and even after entering.

*

“Relax and act natural.”

Camilla, who was embracing his arm, lowered her voice.

With a transparent smile on her lips, she scanned the surroundings with her eyes.

“Can you tell who the dangerous individuals are?”

“…Somewhat.”

Frederick answered with a stiff expression. On the surface, it was hard to find any difference from his usual face, but Camilla quickly found subtle differences in that face.

With his arm entrusted to her embrace, Frederick opened his mouth in a voice no different from usual.

“A man of Ashtistan descent holding a lighter at 3 o’clock. He’s been watching us since we came in.”

“And?”

“9 o’clock, now moving to 8 o’clock. A group with lecherous eyes.”

“Also?”

“A woman leaning against the pool. I’m not certain… but position-wise, she’s occupying a spot where the entire place is visible. It’s an appropriate position for monitoring others.”

Camilla smiled softly.

Pretending to tie her hair, she naturally turned her head and glanced at 3 o’clock, 8 o’clock, and the pool. The group presumed to be locals seemed like immature college students who loved exercise and drinking to death.

The man at 3 o’clock was somewhat unique. Although only his back view suggested he was shaving, the subject reflected in the mirror captured the entire spa scene behind the man.

She wasn’t sure about the woman at the pool. It was suspicious that she occupied a position suitable for surveillance, but if she chose that spot to enjoy the pool leisurely, it would be wrongly suspecting an innocent person. And she might have just come out of the sauna and was taking a breather.

Camilla, while rolling up her string, asked quietly.

“Are you certain about any of them?”

Frederick shook his head. It was a gesture indicating it was hard to definitively say they were monitors.

“And the person we’re looking for?”

“In room 3 at 5 o’clock. I saw them hiding there.”

Frederick, who had quietly replied, turned his gaze elsewhere, and Camilla, frowning as if her hair tie wasn’t tying properly, looked at 5 o’clock.

At that moment, someone’s figure flashed past the window of the banya marked with the Persian numeral “3.”

“…Confirmed.”

Camilla turned her head back to Frederick and linked arms with him, smiling brightly.

There was a sudden squirming, whether from embarrassment or bewilderment, but when she firmly gripped his arm, the commotion quickly subsided.

The two naturally entered the room.

Through the window, black hair and a moving back figure could be seen. When the man who had been standing awkwardly moved aside, Camilla’s face, who had already taken her seat, was visible.

She tapped the seat beside her as if telling him to sit down, and also said something. Although only the back view was visible, the scene of Frederick shaking his head while waving his hands could be clearly seen.

“…”

The man in room 3. Zigmund, who had been observing the opposite room from the corner of his eye, raised his body that had been leaning against the window frame.

“He’ll be tied down if he marries.”

He doesn’t have a hobby of peeping at others.

But speak of the devil. The person he had been wary of appeared in the same space.

Zigmund muttered a somewhat flat impression.

“Why is the hero here… Did he bring her in for cover? Or for relaxation?”

Although he suspected the man was an intelligence officer, this appearance was too sudden.

To be frank, it was out of the blue.

Hasn’t the contact point changed? The note left by the Royal Intelligence Bureau clearly indicated a changed meeting point.

What’s the purpose of the military intelligence bureau executive coming here? Could it be that, contrary to expectations, the military is moving separately? Or are they supporting the Royal Intelligence Bureau?

“Uhehehe-“

“Hehehe!”

The laughter of Frederick and Camilla coming out of the banya caught Zigmund’s attention.

The sight of him laughing non-stop with his arm around the woman’s neck and shoulder, finding something amusing. However, it was noticeable that his hand was touching a subtly inappropriate place.

Zigmund frowned intensely, as if he had seen something unseemly, and shifted his gaze.

What are they doing in a public place?

“Even debauchery has its limits.”

Of course, there were occasionally such individuals among intelligence officers.

Those who deliberately display their debauchery, promiscuity, and lack of self-control.

Most were the disgraceful acts of inherently corrupt individuals, but occasionally there were fakes.

People who act as unrestrained human figures for months or years for the sake of deception.

Frederick Nostrum was likely the latter.

Although he had served as an attaché in various regions, there were no reports of him being involved in drinking or gambling issues.

Occasionally, reports came in suggesting he might have had a drink, but that was it.

Unlike other attachés, he didn’t frequent social clubs.

News of some attaché losing his salary in betting games and borrowing money circulated countless times a year, but Frederick Nostrum’s name was never mentioned even once.

Is he of good conduct?

Zigmund didn’t agree with that view.

He doesn’t go to bars.

He has no debts to others.

He might have games or hobbies he enjoys.

But whether it’s drinking or games, he didn’t engage in social activities to find people to accompany him.

He didn’t even have any romantic interests.

Even the noble priests of the Order occasionally get entangled in affairs and make fools of themselves, but what he had been doing alone while his subordinates were busy with romance was a mystery even to himself.

Of course, Frederick Nostrum, who was now stirring up the Mandala Spa, seemed to have no reservations in dealing with the opposite sex, at least to anyone watching.

That made him more suspicious.

“Strange. Really strange.”

According to Zigmund’s observations, Frederick Nostrum was not the kind of extraordinary person who would walk around with a woman in public places.

If such debauchery was his true nature, then Zigmund’s judgment would be wrong.

But if that was an act, Zigmund couldn’t help but admire the natural shamelessness that seemed ingrained in him.

“…”

He couldn’t take his eyes off the two for a while. The woman gently grabbed the fingers draped over her shoulder and began to lean her center of gravity more toward the other person.

The man naturally pulled her closer as she subtly nestled into his arms.

Zigmund confirmed that the two were leaving the spa. And before the door closed, he clearly remembered the brown eyes that precisely met his gaze through the gap.

It was hard to describe the impression, but now he seemed to understand.

My prediction was right.

It’s him.

*

“Domovoi.”

Yekaterina approached. When the unexpected variable momentarily disappeared, she too didn’t miss this moment.

“If what I’m thinking and what you called a ‘gift’ align, I would advise you to fold and leave Shizya now.”

While Kirill watched the back.

She found Zigmund and strongly recommended immediate departure, adding:

“You won’t be able to handle it alone. Even if it’s you.”

“Why do you think so?”

Yekaterina, with her arm on the doorframe, made a somewhat irritated expression. Nodding in the direction the two had just passed.

“Domovoi, it means that people you absolutely don’t want to encounter have entered Shizya. Whether it’s a kidnapping team or whatever. The fact that he has appeared here is not at all beneficial news for you.”

Of course, not for me either.

It seemed so to think about it. Whenever that guy moved, someone invisible always followed as support.

Like the aide’s family who disappeared, whether they soared into the sky or sank into the ground.

Such an unfortunate incident shouldn’t happen again. At the very least, Yekaterina wanted to avoid the operation going awry because of that one person.

“I know very well who Frederick Nostrum is. I also know more clearly than anyone that my position is precarious.”

“And yet you persist?”

“The evidence is weak, isn’t it? Evidence that he poses a threat to me.”

Zigmund pointed to the empty space as if pinpointing Frederick who wasn’t in this space.

“The Royal Intelligence Bureau is probably after me. If they didn’t know there was a traitor, it would be fine, but now that they know, they won’t sit still. Maybe even the military is investigating me.”

“…”

“But you don’t think I came here without considering that level of risk, do you?”

He made it clear that he wouldn’t leave Ashtistan without solid evidence, and if there was solid evidence, to convince him with it.

Zigmund seemed to have something he believed in, but Yekaterina didn’t jump to conclusions.

After all, he was someone who had already deceived the Imperial Guard.

So she warned:

“Abandon any foolish thoughts and refrain from reckless gambling. This is my last advice.”

“You’re quite cold.”

“Don’t forget to come for tea.”

“What time?”

“Tonight at midnight. Exactly 12 o’clock.”

For a moment, his complexion darkened.

Yekaterina coldly reminded:

“You might need laundering, so keep that in mind.”

“…Understood. I’ll remember your advice.”

Zigmund, smiling as if it was ridiculous, passed by and left room 3. Although there were about 15 minutes left in the usage time, no one would find it suspicious if he left now.

She didn’t like it.

The attitude of being unnecessarily wary and arrogant, the condescending tone. The arrogance of trying to make a final gamble in this situation where he couldn’t even distinguish if it was a place to die. She didn’t like any of it.

“Yekaterina. Domovoi is…?”

“He just left.”

Kirill, who had returned to the spa, looked around and informed her of the outside situation.

“For now, the two seem to be returning here soon. I checked what they were doing, and they were ordering food. They ordered a lot, though I’m not sure who’s going to eat it all.”

“…”

“Should we leave soon? If we want to monitor Domovoi, I think we need to help the six-nation members.”

Yekaterina was lost in thought for a moment.

“…Kirill, call in the operation teams waiting at the border.”

“By when?”

“Right now. Without delay.”

It takes at least 20 hours from the nearest border to Shizya. That’s assuming driving non-stop by land.

It seemed like the words “impossible” were rising up her throat.

“I have an ominous feeling that Domovoi might cause trouble. If there’s a traffic accident, we might have to forcibly pull out.”

Seeing Yekaterina muttering with a heavy expression, Kirill let out a short sigh.

Just then, a decent route came to mind.

“I’ll try by today. I’ll try to reduce it to within 5 hours at least.”

He’d have to go out and put in the legwork again, but if the timing is right, it shouldn’t be too late.

That’s if the force team arrives on time.

*

The monitors attached by the Imperial Guard followed Zigmund like shadows.

From the moment he secretly exited through the back alley door where laundry was discharged, after giving a small gift to a hotel employee.

Although the secret police from the monarchy era might have lost their edge through long retirement, they hadn’t lost their know-how from that era.

The alleys of Shizya, where development had stagnated, remained unchanged, just as they were when they were active.

Zigmund had to endure some trouble to shake them off.

“…3, 6.”

Two monitors were attached on the walkway covered in darkness.

One man walking briskly on the opposite side of the road to the right.

One man casually strolling 20 meters directly behind.

The basic 2-person formation of surveillance. One matches the target’s speed from the side, and one follows from behind, muffling footsteps.

People generally first suspect the first monitor pursuing them from directly behind. That’s the orthodox method and common sense of tailing.

Even if the presence of monitor 1 is detected, people don’t notice monitor 2 who is watching them from across the street.

Because from the moment they sense they’re being followed, their mind is entirely focused on what’s behind them.

That’s why they can’t see monitor 2 slipping into an alley, and they can’t see monitor 3 naturally taking over by walking out from behind monitor 1 as if on urgent business.

Zigmund confirmed the appearance of monitor 3 from the corner of his eye, reflected in a store window.

‘After crossing 2 blocks, monitor 1 switched with a colleague and moved to the rear. Monitor 3, who was on the opposite side, has disappeared.’

Monitors switching every 2 blocks. This is the standard from the surveillance manual used by the Ashtistan Kingdom’s secret police. If the opponent moves only according to the manual, it’s easy to handle when you’ve memorized that manual.

Zigmund began to recall the rules of the secret police that he had preciously buried in his memory. The consistent sounds of footsteps on the pavement blocks were gradually approaching him.

Seeing that the 2-person team had grown to 3, it seemed that scattered surveillance personnel were joining.

Considering the distance from the hotel, the vehicle surveillance team would have arrived too.

The secret police’s methods are predictable.

‘The vehicle surveillance team switches with detected personnel. The disembarked monitor fills the vacancy in the foot surveillance team, and the embarked personnel, after leaving foot surveillance, takes the wheel and is redeployed… Monitor 3, who disappeared from the opposite side… I need to see if they reappear from the front first.’

Zigmund maintained a pace that was slow but just enough not to be caught up to.

The monitor who had been following seemed to feel burdened in the environment of a straight walkway without even pedestrians. He had barely passed 1.5 blocks but unhesitatingly slipped into a side street.

After walking another half block.

Zigmund, standing in front of a crosswalk, naturally turned his gaze. While taking a deep breath and wiping his face with a handkerchief.

‘…Monitor 3 is gone.’

He looked at alleys and building entrances where the monitor should have appeared, but the disappeared monitor 3 never showed up.

Zigmund crossed the crosswalk after a leisurely wait. While identifying the new figure that appeared in place of the monitor who had been following him on the straight walkway.

It was surveillance that was impeccably timed, without a trace of surprise, like a textbook.

In other words, it was a transparent maneuver.

‘Where could the disappeared monitor 3 be? A high-rise building? Since there’s no elevated road in this area, are they occupying a high-rise and monitoring?’

According to Zigmund’s inference, the likely current position of monitor 3 was probably the 8-story apartment complex to the south.

High ground, surrounding buildings relatively lower at under 5 floors, an unnecessarily open downtown, and so on.

If he were a monitor, there would be no more appropriate high ground than the southern apartment complex. But Zigmund considered other possibilities as well.

‘In a situation where you don’t know the target’s destination, blindly occupying high ground is a risky decision. If I were a novice who only sticks to the rules, I might have headed to the apartment complex without thinking, but if I notice the surveillance and flee, it would be impossible to regroup with colleagues…’

Zigmund took out a notebook from his bosom and unfolded the map he had preciously kept inside. When the light from the magic lamp touched the map made of waterproof material, the scaled view of Shizya began to shimmer.

After quickly glancing at the map, he swiftly organized his belongings.

Where monitor 3 might be now, if there’s a place to shake off the Imperial Guard’s monitors who are following.

He already figured it out.

-Kugggggggg…!

Descending the stairs from the main road to the underground and passing through the turnstile, an island-style platform with fierce winds appeared.

Zigmund boarded the subway during the nighttime hours. Information like whether it was upbound or downbound, or where it stopped, wasn’t important at all.

Boarding any car of the first arriving subway. Zigmund identified the Imperial Guard monitors who had followed him into the car.

“…”

In the subway filled with noise and silence, Zigmund closely observed the passengers’ movements. Directionally, the opportunity given to him would be just once.

As soon as the arrival announcement came on, people rushed out of the car without exception. Zigmund also blended into the crowd and went with the flow.

The monitors were approaching him bit by bit, cutting through the bustling crowd. It was to penetrate within 10 meters according to the secret police’s rules.

Zigmund knows too. The reason they narrowed the distance.

20 meters is the minimum maintenance interval where footsteps aren’t heard by the other party, and 10 meters is the interval to not lose the other party in a bustling area where presence is dimmed by the crowd.

The secret police would have certainly been taught that.

Because Zigmund had taught their instructors.

“Oops, excuse me.”

“…!”

Zigmund knocked down one of the monitors who approached first. At the moment when the head turned due to being pushed by the elbow of the person next to him, he thrust his fist into the exposed jaw joint.

He thought about taking out a knife, but if a fatality occurred, it would be troublesome for both him and the Imperial Guard. There was a need to just knock them out.

Thud, the fallen monitor knocked down people with his body. The fallen pedestrian inadvertently grabbed the person in front, and tripped the person behind who couldn’t stop in time.

Roughly seven or eight pedestrians fell like that. The platform quickly became chaotic due to the collision accident that occurred unexpectedly.

From people helping others up asking if they’re okay to people scolding others for stumbling there. In the momentary instant when three or four people blocked the way and clamored, pedestrians were trapped in the crowd, unable to move forward or backward.

“What? Where did that guy go?”

“Check the bathroom! You and I will go to the underground shopping mall. The rest will sweep the platform and outside!”

“Damn… Find him quickly. Check if there are any missing personnel.”

The monitors who received instructions from the Imperial Guard’s 6th Bureau quickly scattered everywhere.

From the chaotic crowd, they calmly searched for Zigmund.

-Chik…

Smoke rose from beyond the iron door leading to the ground floor shopping mall.

*

The journey over the past 3 hours was not easy even in Zigmund’s opinion.

He scoured everywhere like a child looking for the last missing puzzle piece.

Shaking off the monitors attached by the Imperial Guard, sending secret contacts to informants, and emptying all his retirement funds to neatly pack them in boxes.

No one knew whether today would be the end of a long journey or the moment a new act would rise, but it was clear that he had to discard many things during the not-short process of personal clearance.

The folding knife was also part of what he discarded.

The comrade that had been so reliable when working in the field was now worn and stained, leading a difficult life.

The relationship that began in the Ashtistan Kingdom went around the Moritani continent and the world, and finally ended in the Ashtistan Republic.

Zigmund enjoyed a last cup and a few cigarettes at the tea specialty shop he had visited long ago.

All that remained were the notebook and map he had kept for a lifetime, and an outdated phone purchased from a peddler.

He packed all of that.

When the time finally came.

Zigmund appeared at the subway station designated by the Royal Intelligence Bureau. The platform where the end-of-line route operated was, as expected, deserted.

There, he encountered the contact sent by the Royal Intelligence Bureau.

“Cough… Cough, cough…”

The contact, who appeared with a dry cough, was a local commonly seen in Ashtistan.

The contact sat on a bench as soon as he got off the subway he had ridden, and after being lost in thought for a while, he got up from his seat.

Zigmund picked up a magazine from the place the contact had left. He flipped through the magazine as if looking for something interesting like a word puzzle.

There was an address.

It was a new meeting place.

The handwriting, which seemed to have been scribbled with a pencil, indicated a road near the terminal station and a specific date. Zigmund could immediately tell that the date was his wedding anniversary.

He put on the ring he took out from his bosom. He disposed of the magazine so that no one could find it.

The last subway arrived.

Zigmund boarded it.

*

At the time when Giorgi of the 6th Bureau was sighing at the stupid informants’ report that they had lost the surveillance target.

Yekaterina was still at the Mandala Spa.

“…Let’s go.”

Kirill tried to take her, his colleague from the 1st Bureau.

“We need to find Domovoi. The 6th Bureau members alone can’t do it. It’s impossible for them to find Domovoi by themselves. At least we need to help until the operation team arrives.”

“…”

“The director also wants your explanation.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t just an explanation. What Director Ilya needed was a solution.

A way to bring back Zigmund who had knocked down a monitor and disappeared. Now that approval had come from above that “some force can be used,” Zigmund had become a person who didn’t need to be politely escorted.

Kirill said:

“As you said, the operation teams will arrive soon. They’ll be deployed to the field as soon as they arrive, and while the 6th Bureau is preparing, we need to find Domovoi.”

Yekaterina didn’t answer. It was complete silence.

“…Are you listening?”

Kirill’s palm waved in front of her eyes, but she didn’t even move. What is this? Did she die standing?

Finding it strange, he poked her a few times, but there was no response. She was someone who disliked others touching her body unless it was her closest colleague from the economic counterintelligence department.

She must have really lost her mind. As Kirill was muttering to himself, it happened.

“Kirill, you monitor them from here. I’ll chase Domovoi.”

“Them? Who? Don’t tell me the hero and the attaché over there?”

The 1st Bureau language officer pointed with her chin. At the end were Frederick and Camilla, laughing and chatting.

Whether they were lovers or just close friends. They were constantly playing around while sticking close to each other, which was clearly unusual. Kirill thought so too.

What kind of man acts so effeminately clingy?

He’s not even gay.

The hero’s colleague being gay? Although Kirill wasn’t religious, if this were true, it would be very blasphemous. He had never imagined such a horrible thing and didn’t want to.

“Why those people? They clearly look like they’re just here for fun.”

When Kirill asked nonchalantly, Yekaterina immediately retorted.

“There’s a banya at their hotel too. There’s no need to come all the way here in the first place.”

“Hmm… That’s certainly strange, but I don’t think they’re here because of Domovoi.”

Seeing her colleague muttering to herself, Yekaterina asked what he meant.

Then Kirill opened his mouth as if it were obvious.

“I mean, they’ve recently experienced a wiretapping incident, and the Grand Duke is at their place. Maybe they wanted to be alone and avoided the banya at their hotel.”

“…You’re saying they met secretly to avoid the Grand Duke’s eyes? Is that what you’re trying to say now?”

“In my opinion, if someone showed such playful behavior in front of him, someone’s spine might fold in half. Or they might turn into a frog.”

It was at that moment.

Yekaterina, who had lowered her gaze as if measuring something, suddenly rose from the pool with a splash!

“Follow me. Tell the 6th Bureau to contact Domovoi by any means necessary.”

“Why so suddenly?”

Yekaterina, who was striding out of the spa, narrowed her brow and replied with a complex voice.

“I just have a bad feeling.”

*

The monitors attached by the Imperial Guard followed Zigmund like shadows.

From the moment he secretly exited through the back alley door where laundry was discharged, after giving a small gift to a hotel employee.

Although the secret police from the monarchy era might have lost their edge through long retirement, they hadn’t lost their know-how from that era.

The alleys of Shizya, where development had stagnated, remained unchanged, just as they were when they were active.

Zigmund had to endure some trouble to shake them off.

“…3, 6.”

Two monitors were attached on the walkway covered in darkness.

One man walking briskly on the opposite side of the road to the right.

One man casually strolling 20 meters directly behind.

The basic 2-person formation of surveillance. One matches the target’s speed from the side, and one follows from behind, muffling footsteps.

People generally first suspect the first monitor pursuing them from directly behind. That’s the orthodox method and common sense of tailing.

Even if the presence of monitor 1 is detected, people don’t notice monitor 2 who is watching them from across the street.

Because from the moment they sense they’re being followed, their mind is entirely focused on what’s behind them.

That’s why they can’t see monitor 2 slipping into an alley, and they can’t see monitor 3 naturally taking over by walking out from behind monitor 1 as if on urgent business.

Zigmund confirmed the appearance of monitor 3 from the corner of his eye, reflected in a store window.

‘After crossing 2 blocks, monitor 1 switched with a colleague and moved to the rear. Monitor 3, who was on the opposite side, has disappeared.’

Monitors switching every 2 blocks. This is the standard from the surveillance manual used by the Ashtistan Kingdom’s secret police. If the opponent moves only according to the manual, it’s easy to handle when you’ve memorized that manual.

Zigmund began to recall the rules of the secret police that he had preciously buried in his memory. The consistent sounds of footsteps on the pavement blocks were gradually approaching him.

Seeing that the 2-person team had grown to 3, it seemed that scattered surveillance personnel were joining.

Considering the distance from the hotel, the vehicle surveillance team would have arrived too.

The secret police’s methods are predictable.

‘The vehicle surveillance team switches with detected personnel. The disembarked monitor fills the vacancy in the foot surveillance team, and the embarked personnel, after leaving foot surveillance, takes the wheel and is redeployed… Monitor 3, who disappeared from the opposite side… I need to see if they reappear from the front first.’

Zigmund maintained a pace that was slow but just enough not to be caught up to.

The monitor who had been following seemed to feel burdened in the environment of a straight walkway without even pedestrians. He had barely passed 1.5 blocks but unhesitatingly slipped into a side street.

After walking another half block.

Zigmund, standing in front of a crosswalk, naturally turned his gaze. While taking a deep breath and wiping his face with a handkerchief.

‘…Monitor 3 is gone.’

He looked at alleys and building entrances where the monitor should have appeared, but the disappeared monitor 3 never showed up.

Zigmund crossed the crosswalk after a leisurely wait. While identifying the new figure that appeared in place of the monitor who had been following him on the straight walkway.

It was surveillance that was impeccably timed, without a trace of surprise, like a textbook.

In other words, it was a transparent maneuver.

‘Where could the disappeared monitor 3 be? A high-rise building? Since there’s no elevated road in this area, are they occupying a high-rise and monitoring?’

According to Zigmund’s inference, the likely current position of monitor 3 was probably the 8-story apartment complex to the south.

High ground, surrounding buildings relatively lower at under 5 floors, an unnecessarily open downtown, and so on.

If he were a monitor, there would be no more appropriate high ground than the southern apartment complex. But Zigmund considered other possibilities as well.

‘In a situation where you don’t know the target’s destination, blindly occupying high ground is a risky decision. If I were a novice who only sticks to the rules, I might have headed to the apartment complex without thinking, but if I notice the surveillance and flee, it would be impossible to regroup with colleagues…’

Zigmund took out a notebook from his bosom and unfolded the map he had preciously kept inside. When the light from the magic lamp touched the map made of waterproof material, the scaled view of Shizya began to shimmer.

After quickly glancing at the map, he swiftly organized his belongings.

Where monitor 3 might be now, if there’s a place to shake off the Imperial Guard’s monitors who are following.

He already figured it out.

-Kugggggggg…!

Descending the stairs from the main road to the underground and passing through the turnstile, an island-style platform with fierce winds appeared.

Zigmund boarded the subway during the nighttime hours. Information like whether it was upbound or downbound, or where it stopped, wasn’t important at all.

Boarding any car of the first arriving subway. Zigmund identified the Imperial Guard monitors who had followed him into the car.

“…”

In the subway filled with noise and silence, Zigmund closely observed the passengers’ movements. Directionally, the opportunity given to him would be just once.

As soon as the arrival announcement came on, people rushed out of the car without exception. Zigmund also blended into the crowd and went with the flow.

The monitors were approaching him bit by bit, cutting through the bustling crowd. It was to penetrate within 10 meters according to the secret police’s rules.

Zigmund knows too. The reason they narrowed the distance.

20 meters is the minimum maintenance interval where footsteps aren’t heard by the other party, and 10 meters is the interval to not lose the other party in a bustling area where presence is dimmed by the crowd.

The secret police would have certainly been taught that.

Because Zigmund had taught their instructors.

“Oops, excuse me.”

“…!”

Zigmund knocked down one of the monitors who approached first. At the moment when the head turned due to being pushed by the elbow of the person next to him, he thrust his fist into the exposed jaw joint.

He thought about taking out a knife, but if a fatality occurred, it would be troublesome for both him and the Imperial Guard. There was a need to just knock them out.

Thud, the fallen monitor knocked down people with his body. The fallen pedestrian inadvertently grabbed the person in front, and tripped the person behind who couldn’t stop in time.

Roughly seven or eight pedestrians fell like that. The platform quickly became chaotic due to the collision accident that occurred unexpectedly.

From people helping others up asking if they’re okay to people scolding others for stumbling there. In the momentary instant when three or four people blocked the way and clamored, pedestrians were trapped in the crowd, unable to move forward or backward.

“What? Where did that guy go?”

“Check the bathroom! You and I will go to the underground shopping mall. The rest will sweep the platform and outside!”

“Damn… Find him quickly. Check if there are any missing personnel.”

The monitors who received instructions from the Imperial Guard’s 6th Bureau quickly scattered everywhere.

From the chaotic crowd, they calmly searched for Zigmund.

-Chik…

Smoke rose from beyond the iron door leading to the ground floor shopping mall.

*

The journey over the past 3 hours was not easy even in Zigmund’s opinion.

He scoured everywhere like a child looking for the last missing puzzle piece.

Shaking off the monitors attached by the Imperial Guard, sending secret contacts to informants, and emptying all his retirement funds to neatly pack them in boxes.

No one knew whether today would be the end of a long journey or the moment a new act would rise, but it was clear that he had to discard many things during the not-short process of personal clearance.

The folding knife was also part of what he discarded.

The comrade that had been so reliable when working in the field was now worn and stained, leading a difficult life.

The relationship that began in the Ashtistan Kingdom went around the Moritani continent and the world, and finally ended in the Ashtistan Republic.

Zigmund enjoyed a last cup and a few cigarettes at the tea specialty shop he had visited long ago.

All that remained were the notebook and map he had kept for a lifetime, and an outdated phone purchased from a peddler.

He packed all of that.

When the time finally came.

Zigmund appeared at the subway station designated by the Royal Intelligence Bureau. The platform where the end-of-line route operated was, as expected, deserted.

There, he encountered the contact sent by the Royal Intelligence Bureau.

“Cough… Cough, cough…”

The contact, who appeared with a dry cough, was a local commonly seen in Ashtistan.

The contact sat on a bench as soon as he got off the subway he had ridden, and after being lost in thought for a while, he got up from his seat.

Zigmund picked up a magazine from the place the contact had left. He flipped through the magazine as if looking for something interesting like a word puzzle.

There was an address.

It was a new meeting place.

The handwriting, which seemed to have been scribbled with a pencil, indicated a road near the terminal station and a specific date. Zigmund could immediately tell that the date was his wedding anniversary.

He put on the ring he took out from his bosom. He disposed of the magazine so that no one could find it.

The last subway arrived.

Zigmund boarded it.

*

At the time when Giorgi of the 6th Bureau was sighing at the stupid informants’ report that they had lost the surveillance target.

Yekaterina was still at the Mandala Spa.

“…Let’s go.”

Kirill tried to take her, his colleague from the 1st Bureau.

“We need to find Domovoi. The 6th Bureau members alone can’t do it. It’s impossible for them to find Domovoi by themselves. At least we need to help until the operation team arrives.”

“…”

“The director also wants your explanation.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t just an explanation. What Director Ilya needed was a solution.

A way to bring back Zigmund who had knocked down a monitor and disappeared. Now that approval had come from above that “some force can be used,” Zigmund had become a person who didn’t need to be politely escorted.

Kirill said:

“As you said, the operation teams will arrive soon. They’ll be deployed to the field as soon as they arrive, and while the 6th Bureau is preparing, we need to find Domovoi.”

Yekaterina didn’t answer. It was complete silence.

“…Are you listening?”

Kirill’s palm waved in front of her eyes, but she didn’t even move. What is this? Did she die standing?

Finding it strange, he poked her a few times, but there was no response. She was someone who disliked others touching her body unless it was her closest colleague from the economic counterintelligence department.

She must have really lost her mind. As Kirill was muttering to himself, it happened.

“Kirill, you monitor them from here. I’ll chase Domovoi.”

“Them? Who? Don’t tell me the hero and the attaché over there?”

The 1st Bureau language officer pointed with her chin. At the end were Frederick and Camilla, laughing and chatting.

Whether they were lovers or just close friends. They were constantly playing around while sticking close to each other, which was clearly unusual. Kirill thought so too.

What kind of man acts so effeminately clingy?

He’s not even gay.

The hero’s colleague being gay? Although Kirill wasn’t religious, if this were true, it would be very blasphemous. He had never imagined such a horrible thing and didn’t want to.

“Why those people? They clearly look like they’re just here for fun.”

When Kirill asked nonchalantly, Yekaterina immediately retorted.

“There’s a banya at their hotel too. There’s no need to come all the way here in the first place.”

“Hmm… That’s certainly strange, but I don’t think they’re here because of Domovoi.”

Seeing her colleague muttering to herself, Yekaterina asked what he meant.

Then Kirill opened his mouth as if it were obvious.

“I mean, they’ve recently experienced a wiretapping incident, and the Grand Duke is at their place. Maybe they wanted to be alone and avoided the banya at their hotel.”

“…You’re saying they met secretly to avoid the Grand Duke’s eyes? Is that what you’re trying to say now?”

“In my opinion, if someone showed such playful behavior in front of him, someone’s spine might fold in half. Or they might turn into a frog.”

It was at that moment.

Yekaterina, who had lowered her gaze as if measuring something, suddenly rose from the pool with a splash!

“Follow me. Tell the 6th Bureau to contact Domovoi by any means necessary.”

“Why so suddenly?”

Yekaterina, who was striding out of the spa, narrowed her brow and replied with a complex voice.

“I just have a bad feeling.”

*

Zigmund slowly climbed the stairs.

Perhaps because he had roamed the streets for hours, his knees ached. The cold wind coming through the open door of the first-floor common entrance seemed to add to his suffering. After closing the door and stepping on the fallen leaves that had somehow flowed in with a rustling sound, he took steps on the dim staircase, leaning on the railing.

Is the paint peeling off? The handrail felt particularly rough. Even this would be a blessing in the slums, known for being backward even within Shizya.

Breaking through the quiet stillness, Zigmund looked out the window. The monitors watching him were no longer visible.

Like the mansions in southern Fatalia, the building painted in pure white was noticeable even in the dark gloom. Unlike its magnificent exterior, what welcomed those who entered was only gloomy darkness.

Slanted stairs.

Steep and narrow stairs like a valley surrounded by sheer cliffs.

Zigmund, who had been climbing calmly one by one, finally reached his destination.

“Hello?”

No answer came. Zigmund tried turning the doorknob without a second greeting.

-Click, creak…

The worn-out entrance opened with a deflating sound. Not even locked.

While entering, he briefly looked at the number hung at the entrance. The number exactly matched his wedding anniversary.

The inside was eerily quiet.

Zigmund, after closing the door, looked around the desolate interior without a single light, and suddenly stood by the window, holding his breath.

“…”

In the dead of night.

The street is as quiet as a mouse.

No cars, no neighbors, not even the sound of insects, making it feel quiet and abandoned.

The eyes that were looking around the area while standing by the window lingered for a while at the corner of the glass.

Turning around with a slow movement, he tilted his head slightly to look at the corner space.

There was a chair there.

And a person too.

“…”

Thanks to the moonlight that had now filled in, Zigmund could roughly infer what kind of person the chair’s owner was.

It was a man. The shape of the hands was clearly that of a male.

The skin with vivid elasticity suggested that he was young. The suit was the same. While the old-fashioned style suit he wore was suitable for middle-aged people, the other’s suit was more suitable for younger people.

Judging by the watch chain filled in the direction of the back of the hand, he seemed to be a person familiar with the field.

At least he didn’t seem to be a desk-bound person who handled documents a lot.

If not, then it must be a habit that had solidified and couldn’t be corrected.

Looking at the way he held the pistol, it seemed to be the latter.

“Your hospitality is lacking.”

Zigmund, after adjusting his appearance, smiled slightly while raising his empty hands to show that he wasn’t carrying any weapons.

A seemingly relaxed attitude.

An attitude that seemed to show confidence.

“I didn’t come expecting tea, but shouldn’t you at least show your face?”

The other remained silent.

As the clouds that covered the sky briefly moved away, the hidden moon raised its head.

The moonlight of dawn crossed the window.

And carefully illuminated the corner seat.

When the objects in the house finally regained their appearance due to the moonlight that had been hidden.

Zigmund’s expression hardened.

“I heard you’ve been looking for me.”

The chair creaked, leaning backward with a painful sound.

“I wonder if you’ve collected your retirement money well.”

Frederick said with a slight smile while holding a pistol.

*

Matt.

You said you’d use the family as bait to catch this Zigmund or whatever, right?

I have a better idea.

Aila. Since we’ve brought her…

…

…How about it, are you a bit interested?