Ch.591Episode 21 – Peace in Our Time (End)

The warm desert sunlight seeps into my skin.

Silence envelops the resort overlooking the valley.

Though the neighborhood is filled with unfamiliar cities and streets, the warm sunshine on the pillowcase makes me feel as cozy as if I were in my mother’s embrace.

Lucia and Francesca were sound asleep.

The two women, their bare white bodies wrapped in sheets, were as beautiful and lovely as figures in a portrait.

The reason they were sleeping like the dead was undoubtedly due to the intensity of last night’s activities. That’s why I carefully slipped out from under the covers.

Veronica, who had somehow conserved her energy until the end, seemed to have woken up early, but true to her willful nature, the saint was nowhere to be found.

Where did she go?

As I wandered around the room, I discovered traces the saint had left near my collarbone, reflected in the mirror.

“…What if someone sees this?”

Seriously.

She was a willful woman until the very end.

I went into the bathroom and quickly showered. Perhaps it was because the bedroom in the lodging arranged by the Grand Duke was unexpectedly comfortable, but I felt as if the fatigue accumulated from four straight months of overtime had completely disappeared.

It would be nice to just rest instead of going to work.

“Let’s see…”

While drying my wet hair with a towel, I check the communication PDA I kept in my bag, wondering if any messages had come in overnight.

Click, click.

No response. Had the magic battery already run out?

These Quartermaster folks never make anything properly. They’re always buying the cheapest equipment because of budget constraints. What tax thieves.

I grumbled internally about the pathetic capacity of the battery while searching for a spare.

“I’ll just replace it with this for now and charge the battery at the office,” I muttered.

And not long after,

I realized that the communication device had shut down because it had received too many encrypted messages.

I was late for work.

Episode 21 – Peace in Our Time

“You missed my calls because you overslept? Are you in your right mind!?”

A thunderous reprimand swept through the room. It was the senior officer on site laying down his verdict.

“I apologize. I came down with a cold.”

“A cold? What have you even done here to be complaining about a cold!”

The lieutenant colonel, who looked like he’d taken the full brunt of life’s hardships, raised his voice as soon as he saw me arriving late.

I tried to offer an explanation, though it was hardly worth calling an excuse. But before I could even open my mouth, he cut me off with nonsense.

There were good reasons why I considered his scolding to be nonsense.

First, he was the very person who hadn’t given me any substantial work to do here. Second, this gentleman was known as an incredibly massive asshole even within Military Intelligence.

The lieutenant colonel currently bulging the veins in his neck was the director of the military attaché office at the Jubahar Embassy, appointed by the Military Intelligence Director as the branch chief of the Rushan Federation.

I’d heard he was a former naval intelligence officer.

The navy, where only the tough survive. The fact that he had served on ships in the naval vessel division for over 11 years was proof enough of his terrible temperament.

According to my subordinate Pippin, also a naval analyst, the branch chief had quite a reputation within the navy. His identity was defined by his characteristic hot temper.

Apparently, he had been infamous for his fiery disposition since his cadet days, with countless episodes to prove it.

For instance, in the dead of winter when the heating system had exploded and no heat was being supplied, he visited shivering junior cadets in their quarters and demanded they raise the indoor temperature through “physical training.”

Or when he encountered a junior officer in the hallway carrying heavy loads in both hands, he stopped him for not saluting properly and stroked his “joints” for no reason, causing the junior officer to fall and lose his front teeth.

He had caused numerous disciplinary actions and even lawsuits, repeatedly blocking the promotions of ship captains.

There were reasons why he had missed promotion to major three times despite it being something almost everyone achieved in the notoriously closed navy, and why he was transferred to a land-based unit despite the severe shortage of personnel.

He had originally aimed to become the captain of a second-class ship as his life’s goal, but that dream evaporated when he failed to make major.

His terrible personality aside, he seemed to have enjoyed life at sea, but even that came to an end when he was kicked out to a land unit.

Still, he must have had some luck in his career as he eventually succeeded in being promoted to field grade.

His success in making major was solely due to his transfer to Military Intelligence, which reports directly to the Ministry of Defense.

His background was incredibly attractive—like Ashtistan, speakers of the Rushan Federation’s cultural languages were hard to find, and he had studied in the Rushan Federation as a child, following his parents who were stationed there as trading company representatives.

His long-term overseas experience opened another path for him as an intelligence officer, with the bonus of promotion to major.

The problem was that his infamous bad temper from the navy had survived intact here as well.

Just as a leaky bowl inside will leak outside, he continued to be surrounded by scandals after joining Military Intelligence.

To make matters worse, rumors circulated that he had “become even more vicious than before.” Naval intelligence officers speculated differently about the background of this asshole becoming an even bigger asshole.

Anyway.

“Well, you see… I’m still not fully acclimated to the local environment…”

“Does anyone think they were proficient from the start? I tried to trust you because the Director sent you, but you’re really too much.”

To be honest, I had a bad feeling from our first meeting.

I was ordered to go to the Rushan Federation without any prior briefing, and when I arrived in Bahar, he greeted me with “Oh, you’re here?” immediately speaking informally.

He didn’t properly explain what I was supposed to do and disappeared somewhere, only to return unexpectedly at sunset and complain, “Other staff are dying from overwork, what are you doing here?”

Thinking he was a strange branch chief, I heard he was from the navy and contacted Pippin, who responded to his name with “Ah… that person…?” followed by a long silence.

That’s when I figured it out.

Ah, this isn’t going to be easy.

“If you were going to sleep in, why did you come to work at all! A major, no less. Still can’t get up in the morning, huh!?”

“……”

Sure enough, the branch chief was making a scene as if I were someone who deserved to be killed for arriving late.

While being late without notice might be frowned upon even in an intelligence agency, the branch chief’s behavior—calling me into his office without closing the door and immediately raising his voice—seemed a bit, or rather, very excessive.

Perhaps because the shouting leaked through the unclosed door.

The expressions of the non-commissioned officers and officers working outside the office were not particularly bright.

According to the embassy staff, he used to berate his subordinates like this before, as if deliberately letting the diplomats hear.

They said he had received several verbal warnings from the ambassador and had changed his ways, but from what I could see, only his methods had changed, not his personality.

“Coming in late… When I was in the field, this would have been unimaginable. You know that?”

“……”

I kept my head down without saying anything. Rather than accidentally provoking a madman and getting a barrage of insults, it was better to just keep my mouth shut.

To be honest, it was a bit annoying.

While juniors were entering as lieutenants and captains and working in the field, he had been forced in as a major and had quickly moved to a desk position just because of his rank.

He called it “field work,” but it was just the training that everyone does as a newcomer. I had done it, Pippin and Jake had done it, and even Ayla, known as the youngest in the Royal Intelligence Service’s operations team, had done it countless times.

It was quite impressive how he boasted as if he were an expert in field experience after just doing it once or twice.

But what could I do? Rank was king.

So I just imagined deep-frying the branch chief’s face in a pot of boiling oil while letting his nonsense go in one ear and out the other.

Just as his finger was wagging dangerously close to my nose and his veiny neck was shouting at full volume:

“That’s enough now.”

“Director of the 1st Department?”

The branch chief’s head whipped around to see who dared to interrupt. He was checking who had spoken.

But as soon as he identified the owner of the voice, the branch chief began to smile awkwardly as if he were the kindest person in the world.

Beyond the branch chief’s figure, Clavins was casually walking into the office with his hands behind his back.

“Come on now. You should know better.”

“Director, but you see…”

The branch chief tried to speak with an embarrassed smile, but Clavins silenced him with a gesture.

“The meeting is tomorrow morning, and you’re already wasting energy? Just take it easy and go back to work. The attaché office must be busy with support duties too.”

“But unauthorized tardiness is not something that can be easily overlooked.”

“That goes without saying. But with our current shortage of personnel, how would it look if we excluded a major from duties because of disciplinary action? You’re not in a position to leisurely reprimand your subordinates either.”

“……”

“Let him receive discipline back at headquarters. According to regulations.”

The branch chief looked back and forth between the director and me.

It was completely different from his previous rage.

After briefly showing a dissatisfied expression, the branch chief said, “If that’s what you say, Director, I’ll just make a report,” and left.

I watched the branch chief stride away with his bow-legged gait and the captain who followed him out with a cautious salute, checking his surroundings.

“Is that fellow the assistant attaché? The one who just left.”

Clavins asked while watching the two.

I nodded, and he grinned while looking back at the door.

“He looks like he’s in for a rough time. I can tell without even looking.”

“Isn’t dealing with people always like that, sir?”

I answered with a shrug. Clavins laughed as if to say “that’s true,” then suddenly tapped my arm and gestured toward the exit.

“Let’s take a walk.”

*

Unlike others who never touched cigarettes, Clavins had loved taking walks since his days as the counterintelligence director.

He greatly enjoyed wandering aimlessly without a specific destination. For him, walking was a kind of routine to clear his head.

The walk was no different from usual.

It didn’t feel like some grand conversation was about to unfold. As always, we had just stepped outside for a change of mood in the middle of work.

“There are so many frustrating moments.”

“Pardon?”

In the courtyard of the Abas Kingdom Embassy in the Rushan Federation.

There’s a hillside path between the trees with a clear view of the founding memorial in the distance.

The embassy residence, built with a unique design that captures both practicality and architectural beauty, is situated on a gentle hill.

The embassy occupies quite a large area including the flat ground in front, and the path leads to the reception room and banquet hall on the first floor.

Beyond those public spaces, the first floor opens into a courtyard surrounded by concrete buildings, making the potentially austere embassy feel more open.

We walk slowly along the artificial pond in that space that feels both solid and soft.

“What’s difficult about the job? It’s not the work, it’s the people.”

Clavins muttered suddenly with his hands in his pockets. He began stroking a tree beside the pond while looking up at the open sky.

“Sometimes I think that this company’s personnel system is quite a mess.”

“……”

“Someone like him becomes a branch chief because he has some skills?”

He mentioned a well-known fact with a smirk.

Everyone knows that Military Intelligence’s personnel system is a complete mess.

Parachuted personnel suddenly take executive positions, and people who make you wonder how they survived get promoted.

It’s a problematic system that generates complaints among employees in many ways. Of course, no intelligence officer would openly mention it.

The important thing is that this came from the mouth of the Military Intelligence Department Director.

I couldn’t help but look at Clavins with a somewhat questioning expression. I wondered what was wrong with this old man suddenly.

“Have you been drinking during the day? Ow!”

I was hit.

As his hand dug into my side, I half-folded my waist and then bounced up like a spring. It didn’t particularly hurt, but I rubbed my side as if it did.

“Come on, man. With the four-party talks tomorrow, what drinking are you talking about? That’s a dangerous thing to say.”

“Well… you suddenly started talking about obvious things, so I thought…”

I grumbled, but all I got was ignorance in return.

Clavins just mumbled with a somewhat blank expression and protruding lips.

“Young man, you’ve become as temperamental as your superior.”

“I won’t specially report your recent comment to the Director of the 2nd Department.”

“Good. That’s how it should be.”

In the garden inside the embassy residence.

As we walked along the path, we engaged in casual conversation about the suddenly thrown topic.

It was a trivial subject.

The usual company complaints and gossip.

“That branch chief, I hear he was famous for incidents since his days at sea?”

“I understand he received several disciplinary actions. He kicked someone and sent them to the medical bay, and was even sued, I believe.”

“Impressive. I don’t know how a person can become so twisted.”

The Director of the 1st Department of Military Intelligence, who oversees domestic affairs, casually badmouthed the branch chief. It was possible because he was a senior who had been commissioned and joined the company earlier, despite being in a different department.

I responded calmly.

“Isn’t this a company that only attracts oddballs?”

“Whether we only recruit oddballs or people become oddballs after joining, I don’t know, but you’re right in the end.”

“I wish we could weed out such problematic individuals earlier. I don’t know what the personnel department is doing.”

The director sighed lightly as if lamenting and began to speak.

“In my day, there were many such superiors. A section chief who collected his subordinates’ salaries for gambling, a director who hit someone while driving drunk… Have I told you about the department head who used to take my car out every day for lunch?”

“I think you mentioned it a long time ago. You said he was obsessed with money.”

“He always pushed the lunch bill onto us. He was the type who only took and never gave, so I had a bad feeling he would cause a big incident over money someday. And sure enough, he got caught dipping into the unit’s funds.”

“He ended up being investigated and losing his position, I think.”

“……”

Clavins looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back, as if reminiscing about long-ago events.

“I hated him so much… but when I heard he died from illness later, I felt strange. That’s how people are. You feel oddly melancholic when someone you disliked dies. Well.”

“……”

“Don’t take it too much to heart. Those who are meant to leave will leave anyway.”

The Military Intelligence Department Director discussed the branch chief’s fate in a casual tone, saying he was scheduled to retire in the next personnel reshuffle.

“He was going to be cut eventually. I vaguely knew about this guy, and Leoni, being his superior, would certainly know. She’s someone who was a branch chief here long ago.”

It was all the same to me.

Whether the Rushan Federation branch chief retired after this term or not was honestly irrelevant to me. After all, once this project was over, I wouldn’t be coming back here.

The remaining branch staff would suffer because of their terrible superior, but that was beyond my control.

When I nodded indifferently, Clavins chuckled.

“Does it sound like someone else’s story?”

“Why are you saying that? What did I do wrong?”

“Do you think you haven’t caused any incidents?”

No, what incidents have I caused?

Feeling wronged, I started looking for counterarguments.

Let’s see.

How I’ve been a pure individual far removed from incidents and accidents.

When I was first dispatched as an attaché, I was hit by a bomb detonated by the Imperial Guard and even took a poisoned needle. This was during my time at the Church attaché office.

After moving to the Magic Tower delegation, I clashed with the Reconnaissance Command guys. A team of five raided my hotel room and engaged in a shootout, and I briefly quarreled with the National Security Bureau of our ally Fatalia over Ziada Bianchi’s disappearance.

The next place I went was the Kien Embassy, where I relatively quietly completed my term. I was rammed by an Imperial Guard surveillance team, engaged in a car chase at night to help a family escape across the border, and received help from an informant and Camilla.

Anyway, apart from that, there were no problems, so I consider my attaché life to have ended fairly well.

Recently, I was dispatched to the Zamria Federation Embassy.

I was kidnapped by the Grand Duke and thrown into a human modification furnace, was put on a wanted list by military bastards who took over the government in a coup within a week, and before being appointed as an attaché, I got involved with the Hasan warlord and caused all sorts of trouble.

The only thing I did wrong here was launching a counter-coup to overthrow the military government. But it can’t be entirely wrong, since those bastards put a bounty on my head first.

Fortunately, the democratic government that regained power through the counter-coup was now singing praises of Abas-Zamria Federation friendship. In a way, it was an achievement deserving of an award.

What I actually received was punishment: dismissal from my attaché position for omitting reports even while being kidnapped, violating sovereignty through illegal intervention in civil war, assault for hitting someone’s head with an iron pipe even though they pointed a gun at me first, and the imaginary crime of making high-ranking officials including the Abas Prime Minister nervous.

My goodness.

To receive punishment despite suppressing the coup forces.

Could there be a more terrible punishment?

I don’t know what kind of twisted reward system this is, but since the Abas court, the Ministry of Defense’s inspection team, the joint military-police investigation team, and the Military Intelligence inspection office all unanimously called for punishment, I had no choice but to accept it as a powerless individual.

If I had to find my crime, it would only be sleeping with foreign women without the company’s permission.

The fact that my repeated intimate relationships with Veronica, Lucia, and Francesca had not yet been punished meant that Military Intelligence’s inspection system was flawed.

In other words, it was the inspection team employees who collectively abandoned their duties who should be punished, not me.

“……”

Blinking, I rolled my eyes upward searching for excuses, then closed my mouth.

“Can’t deny it, I see.”

“That’s not it.”

I shook my head immediately, but I already looked half-resigned. Clavins merely clicked his tongue with an expression that said “I knew it.”

“With all the incidents and accidents you’ve been involved in, why would I be saying this? There’s even talk about you in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

“The diplomats?”

Why them too? I don’t understand.

I gave him a look asking for an explanation.

“Do you know how much talk there was about the command structure being broken while you wandered from the Laterano Embassy to the Ungsalga Embassy as an attaché?”

“Command structure?”

“Yes.”

The command structure of an embassy is simple.

All staff residing in a diplomatic mission follow the control of the head of mission.

This is a principle based on international diplomatic conventions, with staff referring to diplomatic officials and the head of mission referring to high-ranking diplomats such as ambassadors or consuls general.

This command structure also fully applies to intelligence officers—specifically, official cover intelligence officers acting as diplomats.

It’s nothing grand—just conducting intelligence work in a way that doesn’t inconvenience the ambassador or consul general (to avoid complaints from the host country’s foreign ministry). This includes giving advance notice when operations are planned so the ambassador can take a sedative.

If you don’t give notice, the ambassador will be caught off guard when the host country’s foreign ministry makes a fuss later. That’s why ambassadors generally approve operations in consultation with the senior intelligence officer.

The problem is,

“Did you ever get approval from ambassadors when you conducted operations?”

“Almost never.”

“Then what do you think the ambassadors thought, man?”

That’s right.

Although I had been appointed through formal personnel orders, from the embassy’s perspective, I was an unexpected outsider. They accepted me because I was still considered part of the family, but I prioritized communicating with the company and put the mission heads’ orders on the back burner…

From the ambassadors’ perspective, they must have wondered what the hell I was doing there.

This wasn’t much different from the attaché office’s perspective.

“When the military attaché deviated from the chain of command, the ambassadors needed to hold someone accountable. But you were essentially an outsider despite nominally being embassy staff, making it awkward to reprimand you. So who do you think the ambassadors criticized?”

“…The attaché office staff, I suppose?”

“And which organization do you think the attachés belong to?”

For reference, all defense attachés are managed by Military Intelligence. By law, Military Intelligence is responsible for dispatching attachés.

In other words, the attaché office staff are all Military Intelligence employees and my military seniors.

Like the branch chief who’s scheduled to be fired next quarter.

“…Um, well.”

As I just gaped, Clavins put his hands in his pockets with a look that said he was dealing with a frustrating person.

“They knew the situation there, so they never made an issue of you, but are people’s feelings like machines that fit together perfectly? They’re civil servants with pride too.”

It meant that there were quite a few diplomats who, while not raising objections, were implicitly uncomfortable.

Clavins added:

“Still, you kept within reasonable bounds, so things have been quiet until now. Given the situation, no one was in a position to blame anyone. At least until you fired a 125mm tank shell at the Ungsalga Presidential Palace.”

“……”

“Do you know how much the Ministry of Foreign Affairs berated the Ministry of Defense?”

“I’ve heard about it…”

“Don’t even mention it. The Director nearly headbutted the Vice Minister’s phone.”

Tsk. I smacked my lips with a bitter expression.

At this point, should I be grateful that I was only dismissed from my attaché position? Come to think of it, I admit it was a bit excessive then.

I should have let the Grand Duke destroy it himself instead of firing a high-explosive shell. Or maybe had Camilla, the British woman, do it.

I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.

“Sigh…”

Seeing me visibly deflated and gloomy, Clavins chuckled and began to speak.

“Dealing with people is like that. There are so many frustrating moments.”

“……”

“Sometimes people laugh and chat happily, but when their positions conflict, they bulge the veins in their temples. It takes 10 years to build trust, but only a day to hurt feelings, that’s what I mean.”

“……”

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He’s saying to take it easy. Easy.

Like water mixed with alcohol or alcohol mixed with water. Bending with the wind and flowing with the current.

Refrain from actions that might cause unnecessary conflict.

In a way, it’s a salaried civil servant mindset. Ironically, it’s also the mindset of people who survive long in intelligence agencies.

“…I understand.”

I nodded as if I got it.

Clavins’ eyebrow rose crookedly.

“You don’t seem to understand at all.”

“Oh, why do you say that?”

“I know your personality too well, so lying is… Never mind. If you say you understand, even if it’s just lip service, that’s fine.”

“I really do…”

I muttered in a dejected voice, but he just waved his hand dismissively.

*

The walk continued for quite a while.

It was Clavins’ habit to always shift toward work talk at the end, despite claiming to come out for a change of mood.

Today was no different.

“Tomorrow is already the meeting.”

He checked his wristwatch once, then slowly began walking along the stone wall.

“Are the preparations for the meeting going well?”

“The security check inside the meeting venue is complete, and the investigation of local intelligence agents you ordered has been finished.”

I took out a file from my commuter bag.

It contained information on the intelligence officers from various countries stationed in the Rushan Federation.

I began with a simple briefing while matching my pace with Clavins.

“As you know better than I do from your long service in counterintelligence, intelligence officers also participate in diplomatic events of significant scale. Official cover regional intelligence officers never miss these, and when support requests come in, unofficial cover agents dispatched from their home countries are also deployed.”

The former counterintelligence director and current domestic affairs director looked at the file and responded.

“With so much to discover at such gatherings, it’s inevitable. For investigators like us… it’s good because we can identify new intelligence agents.”

Generally, the first step in exposing an intelligence officer’s identity often happens at diplomatic events.

Suspicious individuals moving around inside and outside the meeting venue all fall under the surveillance net of counterintelligence agencies. Anyone slightly suspicious—whether civilian, journalist, or diplomat—is classified as a subject for investigation.

Based on this initially collected information, counterintelligence agencies gradually gather data on intelligence officers A, B, and C. Usually, if things go well, this takes months; if things get complicated, it can take years, but most profiles are eventually completed.

Of course, diplomatic events are also important occasions for intelligence agencies. Counterintelligence agencies aren’t the only ones monitoring the venues.

So intelligence officers whose identities have been unfortunately exposed end up being caught in counter-operations or arrested even years later, and if they’re even more unfortunate, they’re forced to turn into double agents and stab their agencies in the back.

This has been a long-standing culture since the Cold War era.

You could say it has history and tradition.

I leaned against a wall taller than my height and continued my explanation.

The security status of the meeting venue checked with security personnel dispatched from our country, intelligence on the movements of various embassies obtained with the cooperation of local attachés, numerous scenarios that could occur during the four-party talks, and countless potential threats.

“For now, the Rushan Federation’s intelligence department and security agencies have expressed their intention to cooperate with our government as much as possible. However, Director Leoni has already instructed the attaché office to ‘minimize cooperation with the local intelligence department.'”

“Does that mean she doesn’t trust them?”

“They’re a foreign government, even if they’re allies. She also mentioned that when you were branch chief, you were backstabbed several times here.”

“Backstabbing whenever they feel like it is our custom, I suppose.”

Clavins chuckled and added that we should follow the 2nd Department Director’s instructions.

Perhaps it was because he was an investigator who had beaten the backs of allied intelligence agencies conducting nonsense in Abas.

His thinking was similar to that of an intelligence officer who had been cheating allied countries abroad. I guess extremes do meet.

“Given the nature of the four-party talks, this event is likely to attract attention from other agencies. The key will be how the embassies in Bahar move.”

“With news agencies and civilian organizations… the area around the meeting venue will be crowded with people, making it difficult to track tails.”

“That’s why on the day of the meeting, we plan to monitor personnel leaving the embassies sequentially. We’ll follow them as soon as they leave the residence, and we’ve decided to requisition diplomatic vehicles in case of any situation.”

“What about security?”

“That’s under the jurisdiction of the local police. The local station, provincial police, federal police, and magicians belonging to the federal army will all be in charge of both internal and external security.”

“What about VIP protection?”

Protection is supposed to be handled by the Rushan Federation Royal Guard. Close protection will be handled by each country’s security personnel.

Since this is a large-scale event including not only the Foreign Minister but also working-level staff, quite a lot of security personnel have been assigned. Moreover, there are highlights like the Grand Duke and the High Priestess.

I wonder if the Grand Mages who fought with the Church, burned holy sites, and wiped out crusaders really need “protection.”

It makes a bit more sense if I think of them as having assigned a bunch of caregivers.

“The police sniper team is positioned here, here, and here, in these three locations…”

“…The anti-magic disruption device was moved from its original position to this location because it overlapped with the air conditioning system…”

We exchanged information about the meeting for quite a long time.

It was a natural progression given the gravity of the matter.

For reference, Clavins’ role here was to assist. He was the military and security representative dispatched by the Ministry of Defense to support the Minister of Foreign Affairs who would sit at the negotiation table tomorrow.

“To be precise, military counterintelligence and military intelligence. Apart from other areas, there are few people in the Ministry of Defense who can handle the issue of the Executor Order.”

Clavins responded as if it wasn’t a big deal. His tone suggested he was just filling in.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was actually someone who could be sent as a mere substitute.

I scratched my cheek and asked him a question.

“I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while…”

“Speak freely.”

“Why are you, the Director of the 1st Department, here instead of the Director of the 2nd Department? For counterintelligence and security I could understand, but military intelligence should be under the 2nd Department Director’s jurisdiction, right?”

Military Intelligence has various departments, but the two most core departments are:

The 1st Department, which oversees domestic affairs, commonly called the Domestic Department.

The 2nd Department, which oversees foreign affairs, commonly called the Foreign Department.

Usually, when disclosed externally, they’re called the 1st Department Director and 2nd Department Director, while internally they’re referred to by their formal titles: Domestic Department Director and Foreign Department Director.

But because we’re used to using code words, even within the company, they’re often called the 1st Department Director and 2nd Department Director. Just like how it feels more comfortable to refer to an intelligence agency as a “company.”

Anyway.

The issue is this:

Why specifically Clavins? When there’s clearly a suitable candidate in Leoni.

His answer to this was simple.

“Remember what I said earlier? That the branch chief here will be dismissed in the next quarter.”

“I remember. But has the next quarter’s personnel reorganization plan already been released? You shouldn’t be telling me that.”

“You’ll find out soon enough anyway, so why make a fuss? Someone who handles Level 1 information can’t be so petty about this.”

“Still, there’s a clear principle of compartmentalization…”

I spoke with a sulky expression but stopped.

Clavins cut me off.

“Even if I hadn’t told you, Leoni would have. She’s included in the next personnel reorganization plan too.”

His tone was casual. However, the content was anything but trivial.

I looked at the Domestic Department Director with wide eyes of surprise. It was a completely unexpected answer.

“…The Foreign Department Director is included in the personnel transfer? But there are no positions she can move up to except Chief of Staff or Director.”

This is strange.

Currently, Leoni has no position to be promoted to. The Military Intelligence Director position is for a major general, and the Chief of Staff position that assists the Director can be filled by a brigadier general.

Leoni is a brigadier general, but…

“Isn’t the Chief of Staff position only for brigadier generals who are about to be promoted to major general?”

That’s a position for senior brigadier generals, not one that other brigadier generals can aspire to.

Of course, I’m not saying Leoni isn’t qualified to be Chief of Staff. It’s a well-known secret within the company that apart from Clavins and Leoni, there’s no one who could take on the Chief of Staff role.

But that’s one thing, and this is another.

With clear regulations in place, her appointment as Chief of Staff, having just been promoted to brigadier general, is a different matter.

I asked if the Director had broken regulations to designate Leoni as Chief of Staff.

Clavins firmly shook his head.

“That’s right. Leoni cannot move up to Chief of Staff.”

“Then where is she going?”

“She’s scheduled to go to the Royal Intelligence Service. Consider it a secondment for now.”

“…A secondment?”

Secondment? Why is she going there again? She’s already been there once.

It was incomprehensible.

But through his subsequent answer, I was able to understand the whole situation.

“There’s no one left.”

Clavins stopped walking and turned to look at me.

“The entire Royal Intelligence Service has been devastated by the Siegmund case. The mid-level executives are all out being investigated, and reports and intelligence submitted by junior staff are just piling up…”

Reports keep coming from below, but there’s no one to approve them and provide feedback. What happens then?

What else? The entire department becomes paralyzed.

It’s a kind of arterial sclerosis.

“That’s the situation at the big house. It’s looking bleak.”

That’s why Leoni is being seconded. The Domestic Department Director who explained this let out a deep sigh.

“For now, the 2nd Department Director will go out temporarily to handle things. We can’t just let anyone fill the vacancy.”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re in a position to be filling in either?”

“Among the clean people right now, is there anyone more proficient in director-level work than her? What can we do when there’s no one? We have to chew with our gums…”

At this point, I sensed that a significant number of director-level intelligence officers in the Royal Intelligence Service had survived.

If all the directors had been purged, it wouldn’t be a problem that could be solved by sending just Leoni on secondment.

Also, saying she became proficient in director-level work while serving as the 2nd Director of the National Operations Bureau means she can clearly understand the 2nd Director’s work reports.

In other words, even if the National Operations Bureau Director has been removed, she could somehow fill the vacancy.

The problem is that Siegmund specifically worked as the Grand Intelligence Group Director…

Considering that the Director is a Level 3 intelligence officer, the superiors who might have been involved with him (or who are suspected of being involved and have been placed on the inspection list) would all be Level 2 Directors or Level 1 Bureau Directors.

Leoni herself had contact with Siegmund on official business when she was seconded as a Director, as he was the Grand Intelligence Group Director at the time.

Leoni probably wasn’t included in the investigation targets because she’s military personnel and has undergone several background checks recently, but there’s no guarantee that other directors escaped investigation like her.

Rather, considering the situation at the Royal Intelligence Service, which has been turned upside down by Siegmund’s espionage, it wouldn’t be strange at all to bring in all the directors for inspection.

Minimum director level. Maximum bureau director level collective inspection. What does this mean?

What else?

It means the entire Royal Intelligence Service has been decimated.

“They’re screwed.”

“That’s what happened.”

We exchanged our impressions in somewhat dejected voices.

That Siegmund guy, he really went out with a bang.

For reference, Leoni’s position is being temporarily filled by a subordinate executive. Apparently, they’ve urgently placed one of the Military Intelligence Group Directors, who’s more of an analyst than an intelligence officer and is supposedly excellent at paperwork.

But he’s apparently terrible at field operations. He’s an analyst, not an operations specialist.

The Royal Intelligence Service with all its mid-level executives purged, and the foreign division of Military Intelligence with its high-ranking commander absent. What a breathtaking competition.

We’re in no position to worry about others.

Clavins, who wiped his face showing fatigue, smiled as if to say “now do you understand?” He meant, do you understand why he came as a “substitute”?

I chuckled and asked him a question.

“Don’t tell me I’m also…?”

“Why else do you think the 2nd Department Director sent you?”

“Haha…”

So I was a substitute too.

I had to laugh.

It wasn’t really a laugh.

And so, as Substitute 1 and Substitute 2 thrown into the Rushan Federation, we cursed the fucking company that couldn’t prevent double agent espionage. Only internally, of course. We didn’t say it out loud for fear of getting caught by inspection and having our personnel evaluations cut.

“You must be very tired.”

“Not at all. I have you under me.”

“If you keep exploiting me, I’ll resign. And I’m not your counterintelligence director’s assistant anymore! I’m the operations division chief of the 2nd Department.”

I tried to escape from the evil clutches that were trying to squeeze me dry.

It’s already a vicious company that runs on grinding people, and now they want to grind twice as much.

If the Abas Labor Department saw how Military Intelligence operates, they would immediately issue a business suspension order.

Anyway.

As we were heating up with meeting preparations, evening was already approaching.

I left without even telling my colleagues I was going to work, I wonder if that’s okay.

What should I say when I go back? As I was muttering to myself and organizing the documents, it happened.

“I received word from the 2nd Department Director about what you experienced in Ashtistan. To be precise, I looked at the debriefing materials you wrote.”

Clavins suddenly threw out a new topic.

He was steadily walking along the stone wall, looking at the end of the path, without looking at me.

I thought for a moment and nodded.

“You mean the report. Yes, is there something going on?”

“The Ashtistan delegation is scheduled to arrive here in Bahar tomorrow.”

“I know. But…?”

“One of the delegates is a face I recognize.”

Stop.

He stopped walking, turned to look at me, and said:

“And it’s probably a face you know too.”

In the director’s hand was a brown envelope.

It was a sealed document envelope scheduled for incineration.

“Read it and dispose of it immediately. According to internal regulations.”

*

Morning breaks.

Under the fluttering colorful flags, black vehicles move in a line.

As black sedans cross the asphalt, police cars open the way for the escort, followed by several SUVs and vans with emergency lights.

Several guards who got out of the SUVs hurried along with their hands on the sedans.

Amid the chaotic cheers from the crowd echoing through the square, police snipers positioned high in the concrete jungle slowly surveyed the crowd. Below them, magic waves shot up from broadcast vehicles decorated the air, while electronic equipment in escort vehicles simultaneously interfered with those signals.

As the broadcast and closed-circuit signals were briefly interrupted,

A woman extended her long legs out of a sedan and grumbled with a dissatisfied tone.

“You’ve done something unnecessary.”

Grand Duke Alexandra Petrovna clicked her tongue briefly as if embarrassed.

“Did I not tell you to stop the magic wave disruption? Many people are inconvenienced when the cameras go off.”

“But Your Highness, if we turn that off, there will be gaps in the security…”

The Imperial Guard officer lowered his voice considerably, as if trying to persuade the Grand Duke.

But Alexandra Petrovna never gave the answer the guard wanted.

“You’re going to protect? Who? Surely not me?”

“……”

“How many times have I repeatedly told you? Please don’t interfere with others’ work unless absolutely necessary.”

It was already the umpteenth reprimand he had heard.

“No, Your Highness. If reporters make their living by running cameras, we make our living through security…”

The guard officer’s face seemed to turn green and showed a very sad expression, but the Grand Duke had been like this for a long time, so he should have gotten used to it by now.

Above all, a Grand Mage receiving protection from others.

It was something even a passing dog would laugh at.

“Sasha. Don’t be so hard on the children.”

Like sunshine warmly illuminating the remaining snow piles. A gentle, benevolent voice is heard.

The guard officer hurriedly moved aside to make way. The tall woman passed by him and smiled softly as if expressing gratitude.

“If you only scold them, it won’t work.”

The woman stopped in front of the Grand Mage with her mysterious silver hair.

The cloth covering her eyes proved she was blind, but she appeared before the Grand Mage as if she could see.

Alexandra Petrovna placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows.

A very welcoming smile was a bonus.

“Jeinab. Have you finally left the Azadi Palace?”

“Yes. I don’t know how many years it’s been since my last outing. Perhaps decades.”

“It’s been more than 15 years since you shut yourself in the palace. You’ve come quite far.”

The two women held hands. And the journalists didn’t miss that moment.

As if representing the media who had been eagerly waiting for this moment of reunion between the High Priestess and the Grand Duke, the loud sound of shutters filled the square.

But the two seemed unaffected by the flashing lights and continued their reunion.

“…I’m sorry that my first outing in a long time is for such an occasion.”

The Grand Duke’s voice, which had lowered considerably, revealed undisguisable regret.

“What can we do about the timing? As a leader, I couldn’t miss it.”

“Are you alright? If you were uncomfortable, you could have delegated the entire meeting to the Deputy Foreign Minister…”

“No. I’m fine. Sasha, you’re here, aren’t you?”

The High Priestess’s lips curved gently. It was both a response to the apology and gratitude for the concern.

Alexandra Petrovna offered one of her arms to her friend, and Jeinab Eskander gladly accepted the support as she entered the meeting venue.

“Has your disciple come?”

“Of course. All my colleagues have come.”

“Indeed. There will be another international conference here in a few days.”

The High Priestess, with one hand on the Grand Duke’s arm, smiled softly and asked a question.

“Then has that child come too?”

“Who?”

“You know. The boy Sasha brought.”

The Grand Duke nodded briefly. It was a nod that suggested it was obvious.

A smile appeared on the High Priestess’s lips. A hint of puzzlement briefly crossed the Grand Duke’s face.

As they entered the meeting venue, Jeinab Eskander raised her head to look up at the piercingly clear sky.

There was a small murmur, but the voice scattered by the wind wasn’t clearly audible. Instead of wondering about her friend’s soliloquy, Alexandra Petrovna expressed interest in something else.

“What are you looking at?”

A gently swaying gesture. A head fixed toward the sky where wisps of clouds float.

Like savoring the sounds, sensations, light, and colors conveyed by nature, Jeinab Eskander withheld her words for a while.

“…Well.”

Lowering her head, she answered with a bright smile.

“Shall I say it’s the honorable peace that will be in the new era we all will welcome?”

Episode 21 – Peace in Our Time – END –