Ch.63Episode 4 – Why Are You Only Picking On Me (End)

“Well, since it’s getting late, let’s save the reminiscing for later. Let’s finish the meeting first.”

While I sat there in a daze, receiving the gaze of my former superior whom I had thought retired long ago, the Director of the Royal Intelligence Agency exercised his authority to refocus the atmosphere.

“Let’s do that.”

“Thank you, Director.”

Once the leaders of the two intelligence agencies reached an agreement, the meeting resumed. The Royal Intelligence Agency was the first to take the microphone.

“The reason we’ve gathered our foreign guests and the Major here is none other than…”

The Director of the Royal Intelligence Agency cleared his throat and smiled gently.

Then he took out a bat and swung it at the Military Intelligence Bureau.

“We would like to request that the overseas operation the Military Intelligence Bureau is planning to conduct at the Magic Tower be transferred to the Royal Intelligence Agency.”

Episode 4 – Why Are They Only Picking On Me

The relationship between the Royal Intelligence Agency and the Military Intelligence Bureau is more complex than one might think.

In some ways, it might be even more complicated than the relationship between the National Intelligence Service and the Defense Security Command, or the National Intelligence Service and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

On the surface, both the Royal Intelligence Agency and the Military Intelligence Bureau maintain the position of “safeguarding national security through mutual cooperation,” but in reality, they harbor the intention of “somehow suppressing the other to step on them and rise above.”

Why do these two intelligence agencies maintain a relationship of competition and confrontation rather than cooperation?

The answer to this question is simple.

It’s because of “the attention of the head of government.”

Intelligence agencies in dictatorships compete and confront each other to gain the dictator’s favor, while those in democracies do so to receive the president’s attention.

That favor and attention manifest in various forms. And the most direct indicator of a leader’s attention is “budget.”

Intelligence agencies are state institutions belonging to the country, and all funds they use come from officially allocated budgets. Naturally, to receive a budget, they must go through the National Assembly’s standing committee’s audit and budget review.

Like any government department or national institution, without “results,” it’s difficult to secure a generous budget for the following year. That’s why countless intelligence agencies around the world twist and turn, straining themselves to secure even a speck of budget.

And this fact, quite naturally, applied to this neighborhood as well.

“Overseas operation? Are you saying we should hand over the mission of tracking down those behind the spy to the Royal Intelligence Agency?”

“Yes.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

It was a question that wasn’t really a question.

It didn’t matter “how” the Royal Intelligence Agency had become aware of the Military Intelligence Bureau’s operation.

They were an intelligence agency, after all.

In response to the Military Intelligence Bureau Director’s question, a policy maker from the Royal Intelligence Agency pushed up his glasses and took the microphone.

“I am the Chief of Staff of the Royal Intelligence Agency.”

Chief of Staff. The second-in-command of the intelligence agency who oversees the general affairs department consisting of budget, personnel, and inspection. He answered the question on behalf of the Director.

“Director, what kind of agency is the Military Intelligence Bureau? Military intelligence. It’s an agency that collects information related to foreign militaries. Wouldn’t it be natural for matters involving spies to be handled by the Royal Intelligence Agency rather than the Military Intelligence Bureau?”

He was saying that since they were military, they should only deal with foreign armies.

In response, the second-in-command of the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Chief of Staff, expressed his discomfort.

“The leak of confidential information from the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute is currently under investigation by the military. It was the Military Intelligence Bureau that detected it, the Military Intelligence Bureau that initiated the internal investigation, and the Military Intelligence Bureau’s investigators who arrested the spy. By what authority does the Royal Intelligence Agency demand that a matter being handled by the Military Intelligence Bureau be transferred?”

We’ve already put our mark on this, so stop trying to butt in and back off.

That’s what the Chief of Staff elegantly packaged. The microphone was passed back to the Royal Intelligence Agency. A plump man who introduced himself as the Chief Secretary waved a paper with his thick hand.

“The information about Giada Bianchi. Where did that come from? Wasn’t it from our Royal Intelligence Agency? This wasn’t an arrest solely accomplished by the Military Intelligence Bureau.”

So…

To summarize the current situation:

The Military Intelligence Bureau detected unauthorized communication from the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute.

As soon as they recognized that the unauthorized communication was encrypted (it was communication using random number encryption), they requested cooperation from relevant agencies.

The Royal Intelligence Agency accepted the Military Intelligence Bureau’s request for cooperation (sharing information about Giada Bianchi) and delivered the information.

The Military Intelligence Bureau used that information to secure evidence and successfully arrested Giada Bianchi (or rather, an unknown sorcerer disguised as her).

Therefore, the Royal Intelligence Agency’s claim was that “since the Royal Intelligence Agency was involved to some extent in the spy arrest operation, we will take over the follow-up operation (tracking down those behind it).”

The Military Intelligence Bureau’s response to the Royal Intelligence Agency’s demand was simple.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We cannot transfer this.”

Fuck off.

*

The atmosphere in the meeting room deteriorated in an instant.

The atmosphere was so hostile that it could only be described as completely fucked. It was so intense that everyone watching could feel the tension.

“Ridiculous? Does this look like a joke to you? Is intelligence work a joke to soldiers?”

“I can’t help but laugh when you try to hijack an operation that’s proceeding smoothly. Why can’t you understand…”

“Those overseas operations you claim are proceeding smoothly. What’s happened to all of them?”

“Hey.”

Some picked at words and persisted tenaciously.

“Regardless of whether this is the appropriate place or not, I can’t help but question the capabilities of the Military Intelligence Bureau. The number of failed operations by the Military Intelligence Bureau against the Empire and the Magic Tower in the last three years compared to before…”

“How is that our fault? Internal audits and debriefings should have already cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.”

“But the fact remains that they failed.”

“Wait a moment. Let’s speak clearly. Was the collapse of our operation due to the carelessness of our officers? Wasn’t it because a double agent who infiltrated the Cabinet Security Office leaked information, causing everything to unravel?”

“Our employees at the Royal Intelligence Agency were also hurt because of that fallout. Not to mention the loss of our intelligence network.”

“Excuse me for interrupting, but it was our employees who were captured and rotting in prison, and it was our employees who died. Compared to the damage suffered by the Military Intelligence Bureau, the damage to the Royal Intelligence Agency…”

Some presented figures and achievements as evidence.

“Could the Royal Intelligence Agency, which isn’t even half the size of the Military Intelligence Bureau, succeed if they took over the operation?”

“Then how about a joint operation?”

“Forcing people who don’t get along to work together only leads to headaches. And we’ve already completed preparations and started setting the conditions. Introducing outsiders at this point? If that happens, the ship will sink before it even sets sail. Then who takes responsibility?”

Some brought up the issue of accountability.

“If you’re talking about the number of available human resources, we have more. Isn’t the Military Intelligence Bureau a massive agency combining domestic and overseas departments? Besides, you know better than anyone that having more people doesn’t guarantee success.”

“So you’re questioning the Royal Intelligence Agency’s command capabilities? This is essentially a quasi-military operation that anticipates potential armed conflict. Entrusting such a task to people who haven’t even served in the military…”

“…What?”

“Did I say something wrong?”

Some belittled the other side based on the size and nature of their organization.

Reason and emotion, rationality and contradiction intertwined to create dissonance. Fact-bombing and personal attacks were rampant, and raised voices and pointing fingers crossed the table. The Chief of Staff and the Chief of Staff, who should have mediated this situation, only glared at each other, and the Director of the Royal Intelligence Agency and the Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, who should have given orders to their second-in-commands, didn’t budge either.

While all the working-level officials raised their voices as if they were about to flip the table.

In this pandemonium, only two people remained calm.

One was Clebins, the Director of the Counterintelligence Department of the Military Intelligence Bureau, who sighed and massaged the back of his neck, and the other was my former superior, Director Leoni of the Royal Intelligence Agency, who was resting her chin on her hand and examining documents on the opposite side.

“……”

I quietly closed my eyes and fell into thought.

The Royal Intelligence Agency trying to hijack the Military Intelligence Bureau’s operation.

The Military Intelligence Bureau struggling to create results at any cost.

A sorcerer of unknown identity who penetrated surveillance equipment.

The organization behind the infiltration of the spy.

Information I don’t know, entangled in the spy case.

The confrontation between the Royal Intelligence Agency and the Military Intelligence Bureau.

The whereabouts of the real Giada Bianchi.

The independence of the Magic Tower.

The division of the Empire.

Two saints.

International society.

Complexly intertwined interests.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that all these incidents were connected in some way. Something. I had the lingering thought that something was happening.

Suddenly, I remembered what Clebins had said to me.

Gain trust, there’s no one else, so you have to do it.

You must become an irreplaceable person.

Without fail.

“……”

Thinking about it carefully.

What he said wasn’t necessarily limited to the Military Intelligence Bureau.

As I was pondering his words, I happened to meet his gaze.

“……”

“……”

After a brief moment, he quietly turned his head forward, and I lowered my gaze to fix it on the floor.

No conversation was necessary.

That was enough.

*

The meeting ended without producing any meaningful results. This was because there was an agreement that time was needed to cool down overheated heads and have more practical discussions.

It’s simply astonishing that a meeting lasting over two hours was just a battle of nerves between the two organizations. It’s fortunate that at least no one grabbed each other by the collar.

After the meeting, the Director of the Royal Intelligence Agency called me in for tea time. The nominal reason was to calm my mind after what must have been a shock, but in reality, it was clear that he was trying to gauge my worth.

By the way, Clebins waited for me to come out. He drove me away from the Royal Intelligence Agency building. The atmosphere wasn’t very good, so we didn’t have much conversation until we reached the capital, but just before getting out of the car, I was reminded not to forget what he had told me.

And so, it was almost midnight when I was finally able to leave work.

“…Major, no. Frederick?”

“Yes, nice to see you, Camilla.”

“Why are you here?”

Camilla Rowell, no, Camilla, whom I met in the hotel corridor, tilted her head.

“I just got off work. I wanted to see your face before going home.”

“You’re getting off work now? It’s dawn.”

“Overtime.”

I didn’t have the energy to explain.

I had experienced too much in a short time. The past two months buried in paperwork now seemed like a fairy tale in comparison.

Anyway, I was in a state where I could collapse at any moment. I wanted to lie down on a bed and sleep right now, but I couldn’t use my old lodging anymore. Because the Inquisition had found out.

And I didn’t feel right sleeping in the Military Intelligence Bureau’s duty room or official residence. After all, that was more of a workplace than a home.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes. But is something wrong? You don’t look well.”

“……”

I didn’t answer.

I had experienced too much in a short time. It was a series of events that even I couldn’t understand. The complexly intertwined interests and power struggles between intelligence agencies, the spy case, the Magic Tower’s violation of the treaty and declaration of independence…

Even if I explained all this to her, I doubted she would understand. And I couldn’t talk about it anyway. It was all classified.

So, as always, I awkwardly smiled and brushed it off. Thankfully, Camilla didn’t ask any further about what had happened and led me into the room.

I was curious why she was awake when it was almost dawn, so I asked if she couldn’t sleep. She said she was awake because she was talking with Lucia.

And so, I greeted Lucia who was with Camilla, and went into an empty room to lie down on the bed.

“……”

Current time: 01:07 AM.

Looking at the clock glowing green, I thought desperately.

I don’t want to go to work.

*

I feel something shaking. Red light seeps through the dark eyelids. Something like a human figure swims through the red sea, approaching me.

With the now familiar, yet never comfortable headache, I slowly opened my eyes. The world is blurry.

“…What.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, and the hazy vision gradually became clear. The person in front of me had black hair…

Wait.

Black hair?

“…!”

In an instant, I became fully alert. I gathered my senses and examined the person in front of me. It was indeed the person I knew.

“Ve, Veronica?”

“Wake up. Hurry…!”

“W-why are you here? You shouldn’t be here…”

“It’s over, it’s all over now…!”

Veronica muttered incoherently as she pulled me, who had been lying on the bed, into the living room. The urgency in her every action suggested something was seriously wrong. The fact that someone who had remained calm even when the Imperial Guard was on her tail was acting like this meant that things had gone terribly wrong.

In the living room we arrived at, Camilla and Lucia were gathered.

They couldn’t take their eyes off the news flowing from the TV.

-‘…the Magic Tower delegation has just issued a statement, yes, a statement. Let’s show the footage for a moment.’

The anchor I had often seen on the TV in the intelligence agency’s cafeteria made repeated mistakes as he gestured into the air. The screen changed. In a press room with sporadic shutter sounds, a man climbed onto the podium and took the microphone.

The text “Magic Tower Delegation Spokesperson” was scrolling at the bottom of the screen.

-‘…The Chief Spokesperson of the Magic Tower Delegation’s Secretariat announced through an emergency press briefing that they will deny entry to the 59th Saint of the Order, Saint Lucia.’

“……”

-‘The Chief Spokesperson expressed strong regret over the recent series of inquisitions by the Inquisition, and stated that the Order, which had proposed the Nastasiya Treaty decades ago, is not properly implementing the treaty at present…’

“……”

-‘They stated that they would not give up fighting against unjust foreign oppression, just as they did a hundred years ago…’

“……”

-‘When asked about the reason for denying entry to Saint Lucia and whether the Nastasiya Treaty would be nullified, the Chief Spokesperson avoided answering…’

“……”

-‘At the same time, they rejected the agrément for Major Frederick Nostrum, who was scheduled to be appointed as the assistant to the defense attaché at the Magic Tower. The Chief Spokesperson stated that they would not prevent him from entering as an individual, not as a diplomat.’

“…Ah, really.”

Episode 4 – Why Are They Only Picking On Me – END –