Ch.601Episode 22 – The Kazinsky Test

# My Head is Complicated

My head is complicated. I feel like it’s filled with thoughts.

I sat on the railing of the emergency staircase with a cigarette between my lips. I had even taken out my lighter, but my clenched fist refused to open.

Klevins watched me from a few steps away. A rather complex emotion briefly flashed behind his eyes.

“When did it happen?”

“The incident occurred early this morning. Police estimate the time of death between 3 AM and 4 AM.”

Between 3 AM and 4 AM.

That coincides exactly with the time Camilla and I were looking at the night sea.

Could it be a coincidence?

“……”

I remained silent, the unlit cigarette still between my lips. Klevins stepped up the stairs and tapped my shoulder.

A signal to follow him.

“Let’s move somewhere else first.”

## Episode 22 – The Kazinski Test

We headed to a conference room on the sixth floor of the embassy.

While the building was bustling with people preparing for the quadrilateral talks, the sixth-floor corridor seemed detached from the commotion, with not even an ant in sight.

As we opened the door and entered, all eyes in the room turned toward us. I quietly scanned the faces seated in the conference room while following Klevins.

The Ambassador to the Avas Kingdom of the Lushan Federation.

The Embassy Counselor.

The Third Secretary.

The Military Attaché.

The Information Management Director.

The Police Liaison Officer.

Klevins Hendrik, Director of the 1st Department of Military Intelligence.

And several men in suits.

“……”

Many of the formally dressed men and women, presumably officials, weren’t seated at the table.

Judging by their relatively young age and the fact that they were seated in specially arranged chairs near the wall, they appeared to be observers.

I vaguely remembered seeing some of them during the security inspection of the conference venue, so it was reasonable to assume they were lower-ranking members of the negotiation team.

But there was one exception.

The elderly gentleman.

“Welcome,” the Ambassador at the head of the table greeted solemnly. Seated directly behind the Ambassador, overlooking the conference room, was an elderly gentleman I knew well.

He was my sister Adela’s boss.

And also the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“……”

The Deputy Minister was silently watching me with his hands clasped under his chin. His gaze was more observant than accusatory.

I greeted the Ambassador and the Deputy Minister before heading to the empty seat next to the Third Secretary.

As I pulled out my chair, the Ambassador looked around the room with a gentle smile.

“It seems everyone is here. Shall we begin?”

*

The silence in a secure conference room coated with special paint made from sand and titanium dioxide is unique.

Vibrators emit special magical wavelengths that neutralize eavesdropping attempts, and conversations held in this windowless space are contained by the double-structured L-shaped entrance door, preventing any sound from leaking out.

A dry voice carefully spread through that silent air.

“At approximately 06:00 this morning, a beastkin milk deliveryman who first discovered the crime scene reported the incident to the local police.”

The Police Liaison Officer began his briefing in a matter-of-fact tone.

“There are a total of 9 victims. All human, a family residing at the address. The estimated time of the crime is between 03:00 and 04:00 in the morning, but the investigation is facing difficulties as there are no direct witnesses.”

The Counselor, with a troubled expression, tilted his head slightly and spoke.

“The killer was such a vicious type that there are no survivors at all. Even a 5-year-old child was brutally murdered… The beastkin who first discovered the scene is currently unable to speak properly.”

“After the discovery, before the police arrived, neighbors who heard the news rushed to the scene, contaminating much of the evidence. It will be difficult to conduct a proper investigation or clarification for the time being.”

The Ambassador, with his fingertip pressed to the corner of his lips, asked thoughtfully:

“Why did the neighbors enter the crime scene?”

The Ambassador’s gaze turned to the Police Liaison Officer. He pushed up his glasses and moistened his dry lips with his tongue.

“Considering the local sentiment and culture, it’s presumed they were trying to rescue the victims, with whom they had close relationships. But this isn’t the exact reason. The host country’s police are currently conducting inquiries.”

“A tragic incident indeed. So identifying the killer will be difficult?”

“For now, yes.”

“I understand.”

The Ambassador, who had briefly closed his eyes as if in silent prayer, nodded a couple of times.

It was like a gesture of reconfirmation, indicating he had received a definitive answer that left no room for doubt.

He was sparing with his words.

Although I hadn’t worked here long, the Ambassador I remembered was a very humorous person. Someone who would casually throw jokes with the typical diplomatic flair and was always full of laughter.

There was a reason for such an Ambassador to maintain silence.

I examined the case file passed around by the Police Liaison Officer.

The incident records, transferred from the local police, were horrific, just as the Counselor had described.

It was hard to tell if the subjects in the photos were human or freshly slaughtered animals.

The torn and mangled flesh was red and black.

“I see why they couldn’t determine the murder weapon. With this level of damage, I wonder if preserving the crime scene even matters…”

Klevins, seated near the head of the table, muttered as he looked down at the file. The assessment made by the counterintelligence investigator with decades of experience seemed quite appropriate, even to me as an intelligence officer.

He placed the file he was reading on the table and began scratching his eyebrow while looking at the Information Management Director.

“Let me ask directly. Is this a terrorist incident?”

The official in charge of the embassy’s Information Management shook his head.

“No. At least not according to what we’ve gathered.”

“Is that a speculation or a judgment?”

“It’s closer to a judgment.”

Officially, his position at the Lushan Avas Embassy was Information Management Director, but everyone in this room knew that title was just a facade.

After all, the Information Management Office was one of the positions where the Royal Intelligence Agency dispatched personnel to the embassy.

Naturally, Klevins, as the commander of Military Intelligence, was aware of this fact.

“Based on what we’ve gathered through our channels, this incident is highly likely to be a simple criminal case. We understand your concerns, General, but the movements of armed groups are not significantly different from previous years.”

The Royal Intelligence Agency branch chief explained the facts in a calm tone.

A murder had occurred near the lodging where Camilla and her party were staying, and it wouldn’t be strange to associate it with an assassination attempt or terrorism.

But there was also a lack of evidence to label it as terrorism.

In fact, surveillance of terrorist groups likely to be behind it revealed no notable movements, and considering various circumstances, it was highly likely to be a simple murder case. That was the Royal Intelligence Agency’s analysis.

The Military Intelligence shared the same opinion.

“The Military Attaché’s Office holds the same view. Federation intelligence and military authorities have dismissed the possibility that this incident is linked to terrorist groups.”

The Military Attaché, who also served as the Military Intelligence branch chief, stepped forward to report. The official documents he brought supported his report.

When both departments agreed, Klevins seemed to accept it without doubt.

Since even the Lushan Federation dismissed the possibility of terrorism, there was really no need to doubt or question.

Despite being the head of a counterintelligence agency, he was still a foreigner.

He couldn’t be more knowledgeable about local affairs than the Lushan Federation Intelligence.

“Whether it’s murder or terrorism, it would be best to conclude this at the embassy level by expressing condolences to the bereaved families…”

“That’s the correct stance from the Foreign Ministry’s perspective. It’s a bit concerning given the timing of the talks, but…”

Various concerns were raised by the participants. I continued to examine the investigation materials distributed.

The victims’ personal information, the testimony of the beastkin milk deliveryman, the identity of the officer in charge, the forensic team’s report, and so on.

As I carefully turned the pages, something odd caught my eye.

There was no number.

Page 11, which should connect pages 10 and 12, was missing from the materials handed to me. According to the table of contents, it was the page recording the inquiries made to neighboring residents. Was it a mistake?

The Counselor had given me a separate copy earlier. There seemed to have been some printing error.

As I was flipping back and forth between the pages, the Third Secretary suddenly addressed me.

“Excuse me…”

When I looked up, everyone’s attention was directed at me.

I seemed to have missed something.

When asked if I had found something, the Information Management Director hesitated briefly, glanced at me, and then began to speak.

“I heard the incident occurred near the lodging.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You called the duty officer, right? Early this morning.”

I nodded, putting down the materials I was reading.

The Information Management Director asked if there had been anything unusual. I replied that there wasn’t and briefly explained the circumstances at the time.

“I kept hearing what sounded like animal howls, so I called the duty officer to check. Sometimes monsters can form colonies in the wide gaps between cities.”

“So that’s why you asked if a state of alert had been declared. It’s an accident that happens occasionally in Avas too. I understand now.”

“But, in my opinion, this seems like a political terrorism.”

The Information Management Director, who was reaching for his coffee cup, began to stare at me intently. The Military Attaché next to him also paused his conversation with the Counselor.

“Why do you think it’s terrorism?”

“Three of the victims were adult women, all sharing the physical characteristic of red hair and blue eyes. Given that the incident occurred near the resort, leaving the scene in such a state seems like a deliberate implication…”

“Was any message suggesting terrorism found at the scene? I mean, something conveying political or religious intent, or aimed at causing social unrest?”

There wasn’t.

“……”

The Information Management Director, who had been staring at me, turned his gaze toward the Police Liaison Officer.

“Was there?”

“No. Even the traffic control crystal in the resort area didn’t catch anything…”

“Then, Counselor. From the time of the incident until now, has any statement arrived at the embassy, media, host country government agencies, or elsewhere from any group or individual claiming responsibility?”

“I’ve checked around, and no such statement has been received.”

“I see, that’s how it is.”

The embassy says it’s not terrorism. The intelligence agency says it’s not terrorism.

Even the local government with investigative authority has dismissed the possibility of terrorism.

As if questioning what confidence I had to claim terrorism in this situation, the Information Management Director gave me a somewhat out-of-place look.

“Do you have any other evidence? Perhaps something you didn’t mention earlier, or some peculiarity you didn’t find suspicious at the time but now do?”

“……”

“For example… suspicious groups loitering near the resort during the time of the incident, or intruders attempting to break in.”

Not that I could remember.

“Not to my recollection. Even if there were any, they would have been blocked by the barrier the Archmage had set up in advance.”

Having answered that, I calmly acknowledged that my logic was flawed.

The Information Management Director exhaled softly and nodded, and the Ambassador smiled gently, offering to mediate.

“If there’s nothing, let’s move on. But let’s keep the opinions in mind.”

“Just a moment.”

It was then.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had been sitting behind the Ambassador observing the conference room, suddenly interjected. He raised his hand to stop the Ambassador, then adjusted his posture and directed a question at me.

“You mentioned earlier that the Archmage had set up a barrier. What exactly is that?”

“It’s an anti-infiltration protection spell, Deputy Minister.”

“Anti-infiltration?”

Military security and counterintelligence are Klevins’ areas of expertise.

Without even looking up from his documents, he provided an answer to the Deputy Minister.

“It’s a general term for magic specialized in preventing intrusions from outside. The alarm magic common in government offices is a typical example. The Imperial Palace in Petrograd is known as a place protected by a guardian barrier, which hasn’t allowed a single intrusion in the past 50 years. The person who devised it was Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna.”

“……”

The Deputy Minister cupped his chin thoughtfully, casting his gaze downward. After a brief moment, his expression changed subtly as his lips parted.

“So if one stays inside the resort, absolute safety is guaranteed. From any threat. Is that correct?”

“That would be a fair assessment.”

“Good.”

The Deputy Minister leaned toward the Ambassador and whispered something in a voice too low for others to hear.

After nodding briefly, the Ambassador looked around the room with a bright smile.

“Let’s do this. Isn’t this incident a matter for the Lushan Federation, which has investigative authority? Let’s let them handle it.”

He was suggesting that since it was under the host country’s jurisdiction, we shouldn’t escalate the matter by appearing to interfere in their internal affairs.

“Of course, we should keep open the possibility that it might be a terrorist incident, but let’s leave that as a hypothesis for now. Let’s not move hastily and wait for the Federation’s investigative agencies to make their announcement. We’re in the middle of quadrilateral talks, aren’t we? Haha.”

I understood his meaning: neither we nor they could afford to have the talks collapse, so we shouldn’t provoke the Lushan Federation. They had set the stage for these talks, and it would be problematic to embarrass our ally.

It was a reasonable decision.

Caution always gets you halfway there. There’s nothing wrong with being cautious.

“Yes, Ambassador.”

“And Secretary, a little later, about the materials I mentioned earlier. Make sure to inquire with the relevant Federation department today. If possible. Yes.”

“Understood. How should I report…”

“Since today is the second day of the talks and we’re busy, let’s meet tomorrow. I don’t think you’ll be able to find out everything today anyway.”

“Yes…”

After the swift coordination, the Deputy Minister rose from his seat. He shook hands with people along with the Ambassador and then left the secure conference room.

“The Minister was wondering if you’d like to have dinner after today’s talks. He has some important matters to discuss.”

“Ah, that sounds good. I’ll see you after work, sir.”

The Foreign Ministry officials disappeared down the left side of the corridor, laughing and chatting.

The Information Management Director and the Military Attaché also began to leave the conference room, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“How is Director Lishakh doing? I owe him a lot from his time at the National Operations Bureau.”

“Senior Leoni is always doing well.”

“Please convey my regards to the Director. Well then, I’ll be going.”

The intelligence branch chiefs left with their mugs and meeting materials, followed by the Counselor and the Police Liaison Officer.

Amidst the bustling conference room, I stared out into the corridor through the open door.

I gazed for a long time.

“……”

As I sat motionless in my seat staring at the corridor, Klevins, who was passing by, silently placed his hand on my shoulder. He met my gaze, patted my shoulder a couple of times, then gathered his coat and left the embassy.

I remained in my seat for a long time.

“Excuse me, aren’t you leaving…?”

“……”

“I’ll go ahead then…?”

After even the Third Secretary, who had been at the back of the room, slipped out of the conference room.

I finally rose from my seat, turned off the lights, and walked out into the corridor.

I headed right, toward the elevator.

*

Something’s off.

Something feels strange.

After returning to my office, I was gripped by an indescribable uneasy feeling that I had sensed since the conference room. It made it hard to focus on my work.

“Tsk…”

Sitting at my terminal, I glance over the partition.

Empty.

The Military Attaché’s office, with one wall made entirely of glass, had been vacant since my return to the office.

Why wasn’t he at his desk?

Especially since he had left the conference room long before me.

Since I hadn’t left my seat in the meantime, this most likely meant he still hadn’t returned from wherever he went.

-Tap, tap.

The Military Attaché’s absence wasn’t the only strange thing.

Even the meeting earlier had several suspicious aspects.

It’s just common sense, isn’t it?

If they had judged it to be a simple criminal case, why would the Police Liaison Officer, Information Management Director, Military Attaché, Counselor, and Third Secretary all gather in a secure conference room?

No matter how much civil servants are said to create work when they have nothing to do, the embassy was far from such a leisurely workplace.

Besides, wasn’t today the second day of the quadrilateral talks?

So what leisure did they have to sit there for over an hour? With the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Director of Military Intelligence present, no less.

Honestly, determining whether it was a murder case or a terrorist incident didn’t even require a meeting.

The Information Management Office could have completed the analysis first, submitted a written report, and if a briefing was needed, the Director could have scheduled a direct appointment with the Ambassador.

There was no need for everyone to gather and discuss like a group project.

This was strange.

I could sense it intuitively.

-Tap, tap.

As I tapped the documents requiring approval with my fingernail, I looked at my wristwatch and immediately left the office.

My destination was the Information Management Office.

The Bahar Royal Intelligence Agency branch.

“Oh my- I’m here to watch the entertainment.”

“Here to watch the news again, I see?”

“Yes. Oh, I wonder when they’ll give us a TV. It would be more convenient if they hung one on the wall like in the management office.”

There was no need to burst through the door; I leaned against the doorframe, which was already wide open, and exchanged greetings with the office staff.

The employees, with whom I had become familiar after several visits, waved their hands with expressions that seemed to say ‘this guy’s here again’ and returned to their work.

I secretly helped myself to some instant coffee provided there and began scanning the interior of the management office while putting on headphones.

“The Prime Minister of Avas has declared his intention to normalize diplomatic relations with the Ashtistan Federation. He expressed willingness to lift sanctions if certain conditions are met. However, an anonymous source criticized the Prime Minister’s plan as ‘impossible and absurd,’ raising the level of criticism…”

Slurp.

The tasteless tower-made coffee was so bad that even Camilla would be disgusted.

I disposed of the evidence by pouring the coffee into a plant pot that one of the employees was growing, then quickly slipped away when no one was looking.

“…Not here either.”

The Information Management Director was absent. I definitely saw him leaving with the Military Attaché earlier.

Strange.

Actually, I had a rough idea of where the two branch chiefs might have gone. They had disappeared down the left side of the corridor as soon as they left the conference room.

If our paths hadn’t crossed, they would have headed to the same place.

If it’s the room at the left end of the sixth-floor corridor…

“That’s the Ambassador’s office.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

Why would they go there, when the only place to go was the Ambassador’s office?

Of course, it’s not strange to think about it. What’s the big deal about branch chiefs visiting the Ambassador’s office? Even the CIA conducted intelligence briefings in the Ambassador’s office during the Cold War.

Yes, there was nothing strange about it.

Under normal circumstances, that is.

The problem is that the current situation is slightly different from usual.

And there’s more than one strange aspect.

“……”

Why did the Deputy Minister come to the embassy while the quadrilateral talks were in progress?

Why did Klevins give me such a meaningful gesture?

What was the Deputy Minister’s intention in asking about the anti-infiltration barrier at the end?

Why haven’t the Military Attaché and Information Management Director returned even after two hours?

And who, why, how?

How could someone brutally murder a family of nine and escape without being caught?

If even one person had screamed, the neighbors would have reacted.

These were people who rushed to the murder scene to help when they heard the victims were injured; if they had heard screams in the quiet dawn, they would surely have called the police or gone to help themselves.

But no one reacted.

No one noticed anything unusual until the milk deliveryman reported it.

Could an ordinary killer realistically murder nine people simultaneously without being discovered by anyone?

“…This doesn’t make sense.”

It was a strange feeling, like things seemed to fit together yet didn’t add up. I paced the corridor, fidgeting with my mobile phone.

Should I contact the others? Tell them to be careful for a while.

This isn’t easy either. As I scratched my head in contemplation, an idea suddenly struck me like a light bulb turning on in pitch darkness.

I emptied my pockets to find a few coins, then approached the vending machine in front of me.

*

With a drink from the vending machine in hand, I went looking for someone.

Specifically, I sought out the Third Secretary’s office.

I didn’t approach with any grand reason; I just casually entered, saying I had something to ask. It was a busy time for everyone, after all.

When I handed over the drink, suggesting he take it easy, his face immediately brightened.

“Thank you!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. By the way, Secretary, what were you working on?”

“Ah, this?”

The Third Secretary paused opening the cap and pointed to the documents on his desk.

With a bright smile, he unleashed a torrent of diplomatic issues. It happened in an instant.

Honestly, I couldn’t understand any of it. Something about SWIFT, which seemed related to international money transfers. If I had known it would be like this, I would have applied to the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy like my sister Adela, rather than majoring in Military History.

“Ah~ I understand perfectly.”

“Right. Where’s my mind? What brings you here again?”

“Actually, it’s about the materials the Ambassador mentioned earlier.”

“Ah, about that incident! Just a moment. They said they’d call back soon, so please wait a bit.”

The Secretary, who had taken a sip of his drink, hurriedly tapped on his phone.

Seeing this, I casually dropped a question.

It was truly an insignificant question. I just asked who he was calling.

I grumbled that I had been rushing back and forth so much due to the meeting preparations that I hadn’t even properly heard the counterpart’s name.

The Secretary, as if understanding, gave me the answer I wanted with a somewhat exasperated smile.

“The Anomalous Response Department of the Ministry of Land Management. Quite a unique name, isn’t it?”

“Now that you mention it, it is quite distinctive.”

“The Counselor said it’s a department that captures and confines strange animals… The Ambassador told me to forward their response as soon as it arrives.”

Strange animals, huh.

“What kind of animals? Do they catch unicorns or something?”

“I haven’t been posted here long… They didn’t tell me that much, but from what I’ve heard…”

The Secretary, who had been staring intently at the screen, tilted his head with the receiver in his hand.

“…something about catching werewolves?”