Ch.622Episode 23 – The Spy Who Returned from the Cold Country

My head feels heavy.

In contrast to my feverish forehead, my body shivers with chills.

I reached for the kettle to moisten my parched throat, but no water came out. Eventually, I rummaged through the bedside drawer for tobacco, lit it, and only after taking a couple of drags could I somewhat quench my thirst.

The brief, dry noise of the telegraph printer echoed through the room.

I quietly opened the duty room door and pulled my hand out of my gray jumper pocket. Then I tore off the thin paper that had just been printed and slowly unfolded it.

The message wasn’t long. After skimming it once, I quietly walked into the office with the paper still in my pocket.

Early dawn. The view outside the window revealed a silent city not yet awake.

Fog was falling.

Like snow, very slowly.

And gently too.

Episode 23 – The Spy Who Returned from a Cold Country

Being a soldier is, honestly speaking, a profession difficult to recommend.

And military intelligence officer is a job that should be discouraged at least once on humanitarian grounds, even if an enemy’s offspring were to apply.

Why?

Because a military intelligence officer combines all the disadvantages of both soldier and intelligence agent.

This was no small issue even from my perspective, having earned my living in military intelligence for over a decade.

Whether it’s the Republic of Korea’s Defense Ministry intelligence agencies or the Abas Military Intelligence Bureau, somehow when soldiers set up an organization together, they manage to cherry-pick only the worst aspects of both groups.

Like unit commanders who order department heads to come in early every morning claiming there’s a backlog of work.

Or department chiefs who don’t provide adequate budget or personnel but draw tight deadlines saying “you’ll figure it out somehow,” gleefully extracting wails of agony from their staff.

Or entry-level employees who keep banging their heads against brick walls saying “let’s just try it” even when something clearly won’t work.

What a supremely military-like and peaceful organizational culture it was.

All of this stemmed from the military culture’s pathology of trying to squeeze maximum efficiency from limited resources.

They know that pressuring people at least makes things appear to be working, so whenever something needs to be done, they immediately start squeezing blood from their people to force things to move.

Even the notoriously demanding National Intelligence Service would grimace and say, “The Defense Ministry’s work style seems a bit… much.”

No matter how much time passes, I suppose this is exactly why we use the term “military-like.”

“Why the grim face, sir?”

“I was on duty today.”

“Ah.”

Early morning commute time.

Though I didn’t want to become a cog in society’s machine, I once again failed to achieve that wish as I mumbled in response to my subordinate’s question upon entering the office.

“I wish a meteor would fall on the office. Damn it, why won’t the world just end…”

I was tapping away at my terminal with dark circles hanging under my eyes. I looked like a ghoul that had just crawled out of a grave.

The reason for my wrecked appearance was, naturally, being on duty.

More precisely, it was the result of clocking in at 06:00 as usual, working normally, and then suddenly being put on emergency standby, which meant I couldn’t go home for four straight days and had to wait in the duty room. Anyway.

I was in the middle of finishing paperwork while cursing this damnable workplace that ran on squeezing the lifeblood from people.

That’s when Jake, who had just entered the office and was taking off his coat, said:

“Pippin will be here soon. Charnoi is scheduled to arrive this evening, and he’ll join us normally starting tomorrow.”

Pippin, Jake, and Charnoi. These three had been dispatched to the Zamria Federation as resident officers.

They were the ones who had completed various projects assigned to the department in my place after I was dismissed from my position as resident officer. Operations that I had originally been handling alone were divided among the three of them during my absence.

Now the projects were finished, and they had more or less completed their appointed terms.

The company decided to pull the three of them out of the Zamria Federation and have them rejoin me.

“I already know the kids’ return schedule. I received a telegram this morning.”

Looking at Jake whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, I leaned back in my chair and gave him a slight smile.

“Did you enjoy your vacation?”

“I rested veeeery comfortably.”

“Well, isn’t that nice. Some of us are slaving away in the office, I swear to…”

“Well, who was it that threatened everyone with a knife demanding to be made department head— Ah, ow! Sir, what are you doing! I was just joking!”

*

The office, which had only four members including myself, was unusually lively for once.

The employees who had been dispatched overseas had each spent their vacations in their own way, and after regrouping, returned to the office as usual.

“The Moritani continent has gotten really strange lately. The weather changes drastically all of a sudden? It’s not even the rainy season, but it pours, and hailstones the size of fists fell and damaged the embassy’s outer walls. It was chaos.”

“Really?”

“Not just the Zamria Federation, but Ashtistan is in turmoil too! The climate issues on the Moritani continent have made the local public sentiment unstable!”

Pippin and Charnoi sat around the weekly meeting table, munching on snacks while exchanging stories they hadn’t been able to share before.

The gist was that the weather at their posts had suddenly gotten terribly cold and had changed quite erratically.

“Hasn’t climate change been talked about little by little for a long time?”

“Yes, but the situation seems to have become more serious than usual. The rainy season has become so severe that it’s disrupting the agricultural self-sufficiency plan announced by the Zamria Federation’s third new government.”

Jake explained that while the ivory tower academics might have discovered some new mystery, this was still at the stage of conjecture and not yet verified.

“How long has it been since the coup was suppressed, and they’re already facing food shortages? Things are getting complicated over there.”

“The problem is the warlords! The power struggle within the Zamria Federation, triggered by the Asen-Sanya civil war, was resolved through Hassan’s warlord intervention, but… local station officers believe that the remnant forces of Asen and Sanya might expand their influence again amid the food crisis caused by the sudden climate change!”

“Remnant forces? Weren’t all the tribes under Asen and Sanya absorbed under Hassan?”

“Not the minor tribes. The core combatants who served as Sanya’s royal guard and some tribes under Asen who are trying to protect their core interests in the poppy fields are still continuing their resistance in remote areas.”

“Clean it all up.”

After several months, these guys seemed to be running operations properly now.

Judging by how they were managing intelligence networks and directing operations, they were at least at a level where no one could complain they weren’t earning their keep.

I gave instructions to the three of them one by one.

Through them, I was able to hear new information I hadn’t received since leaving the Moritani continent, and at the same time, learn how the projects I hadn’t been able to finish had progressed.

After adjusting the details, I explained to them one by one how to handle the projects going forward.

In the midst of this, Pippin, who had been fiddling with some papers, suddenly spoke up as if something had just occurred to him.

“Oh, by the way, sir. I heard you went to support the Rushan Federation this time?”

“Yeah. Briefly, as an assistant to the Director of the First Department.”

“Ah! Charnoi heard too! The rumor that Fredriknoyi had his neck strangled by an angry silver-haired magician!”

Charnoi, who had been concentrating on the meeting while swinging his short legs, collapsed on the table and laughed playfully. I tapped his crown once with a folder before turning to Pippin.

“I went because of the four-party talks. But why do you ask?”

“According to what we’ve heard from the Bahar station, the Hero has established a foundation there. A relief foundation supporting non-human races… or something like that?”

“…”

“I was wondering if you knew about it too, sir.”

I shook my head silently, keeping my eyes fixed on the documents.

“First I’ve heard of it.”

“Should I include this in a memo report?”

He asked me casually while fiddling with the end of his pen.

After brief consideration, I closed the folder and answered.

“Leave it be.”

It’s not our jurisdiction anyway.

*

Daily life is a succession of unremarkable days.

Days with nothing special or unusual continued like an unstoppable flowing river.

Pippin and Jake, who had returned to headquarters, enjoyed their time together like couples engrossed in office romance always do. Apart from occasional minor incidents where I teased the two of them because they were getting on my nerves, there weren’t any particular issues there.

The same went for Charnoi. The vivacious nymph would often visit neighboring offices to get snacks, just as he had done at the embassy.

Despite the military doctor’s advice to cut down on sweets to prevent cavities, employees enchanted by the nymph’s appearance continued to donate all sorts of treats to his pockets daily.

At some point, confiscating snacks from Charnoi’s pockets became part of my daily routine.

Then one day.

A small change came to my otherwise ordinary life.

“Returning?”

Around lunchtime.

As I was heading to the smoking area after leaving the cafeteria, I adjusted the secure mobile phone around my neck.

“Has it already been that long?”

-‘Did you think I’d be here forever?’

“That would be my wish.”

From the other end of the line came an irritating voice. The source was my youngest sibling, Aila Nostrim, speaking with a hint of complaint.

Aila, who had joined the Royal Intelligence Service, was an intelligence officer who had just shed her rookie status. For reference, her post was in the Republic of Ashtistan. The kid was still grinding away overseas.

Hearing that my sister would soon be returning home.

As both family and a senior in the intelligence field, I couldn’t help but feel peculiar about it.

“Wow. How long has it been since you left, and you’re already coming back? In my day, once you were dispatched, it was a minimum of two years. You know?”

-‘…Shut up. Who do you think I’m suffering for?’

“If you’re so upset, you should have applied for domestic work.”

-‘Whatever. Are you in the home country now?’

“Of course I’ve returned. What about you? Are you eating properly?”

-‘I ate earlier. Say hello to Mom and Dad for me.’

“Why don’t you do that yourself? Why make a busy person do it?”

-‘What busy? It must be your lunch break right about now.’

“Anyway, let’s meet when you get back. And bring some tea leaves when you— Oh, she hung up.”

Looking at the disconnected phone, I let out an incredulous laugh.

Who did she take after to have such bad manners?

It was truly baffling.

“Sir? You should head to the conference room soon.”

“Oh, right.”

As I was looking up at the smoke dispersing against the early autumn sky, a soldier passing through the corridor addressed me.

I nodded, deposited my phone and terminal in the storage locker, and walked into the conference room.

And,

Several hours later.

While I was attending the overseas department heads’ meeting, an urgent telegram arrived for me.

“This is a request from the Kiyen Embassy in our country. Please wait at your residence in casual attire, ready to go out at any time until 19:00 today.”

“What’s this sudden request about?”

“The details haven’t been shared with our diplomatic authorities either, but…”

It was not at all welcome news.

“Word has it that you’re scheduled to meet with a member of the imperial family.”