Ch.65Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

“Major, no. Department Head.”

Pippin called out to me, fumbling with his words as if unaccustomed to the title of Department Head. It was merely a cover designation rather than an official title, but after calling me Major for so long, it seemed the word “Department Head” hadn’t quite settled on his tongue yet.

“What is it, Pippin?”

“We’ve received an official document from above, sir.”

I quickly read the paper Pippin handed me.

“Hmm. It says to proceed as planned without modifications. Send in the advance team with disguised identities.”

Despite the world going mad around us, the tasks I had to handle were “relatively” few.

I handed Pippin a cooperation document I had prepared in advance and gave him instructions.

“Send this to the Trade Promotion Corporation.”

“The Trade Promotion Corporation? Isn’t that a public enterprise?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded as I stood up from my chair in response to Pippin’s question.

“Those people have collaborated with the intelligence department many times, so if we request their cooperation, they’ll create identities for us. I’ve already finished talking with the other officers, so just send it.”

The personnel to be deployed for this operation are divided into official covers and unofficial covers.

People from the Special Activities Division, Counterintelligence Department, Technical Intelligence Office, and Foreign Intelligence Office will all infiltrate the Magic Tower disguised as private company employees.

Conversely, Pippin, Jake, and several others will infiltrate as military attachés, posing as staff at the Abas Representative Office to the Magic Tower, supporting the operation from behind the scenes.

As the operations officer, my status is in limbo after my agrément was rejected, but since there are no issues with the other staff, the Military Intelligence Service decided to proceed with the operation as planned. As for my identity and infiltration method, well, I’ll figure something out along the way.

“Send out the document and text the officers.”

“Yes, Department Head. What will you be doing?”

“I’m going to run the Wasteland Operation with Camilla.”

Pippin gathered the documents and left the office with a salute.

I stretched and stood in front of the pin board plastered all over the wall. Then I stared intently at a photograph of a man.

“……”

Fabio Verati, an employee of the Magic Tower Representative Office.

The first target of this operation.

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

While the heated wrestling match between the Church and the Magic Tower continues, I’ve been keeping my mind off that issue. To be precise, I’m faithfully carrying out the Intelligence Service’s orders to focus on the operation.

Creating operational conditions, managing informants, negotiating with the Inquisition, reporting on Lucia’s movements, reporting on Camilla’s movements, and so on.

I’m roughly handling just these tasks. I’m only dealing with the three most important missions, and I’m not reporting on the relatively less important movements of Lucia and Camilla. The Intelligence Service doesn’t seem to need such information either, as they haven’t rushed me to submit reports quickly.

Still, the agrément issue is directly connected to my personal situation, so it seemed strange that I, the person concerned, wasn’t paying attention to it.

I’m currently ignoring it since Clevins personally said he would “obtain consent by any means necessary.” I’m not sure if his words meant he would try to resolve it through negotiation or force it through with threats. Anyway, I suppose it’s best not to worry about it.

In any case, I’m focusing solely on operation tasks.

“…But aren’t I supposed to be on vacation right now?”

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing. Never mind.”

My thoughts were interrupted by Camilla’s question.

No matter how I think about it, it feels like my vacation was cut short… Well, I suppose they’ll compensate me for the unused leave days. Surely they wouldn’t exploit me for voluntarily working during my vacation?

An ominous thought sent chills down my spine. As I shivered, Camilla, who was setting fire to the forest, tilted her head curiously.

“Are you cold? Should I stoke the fire a bit more?”

“…No, this isn’t some kind of heating. You’re setting fire to a mountain, what more is there to stoke?”

Camilla smiled brightly and continued setting fire to the trees.

Watching her, I was so dumbfounded that I could only shake my head without saying a word.

“Seriously…”

She seems to be quite an unusual person.

Probably.

*

Camilla and I participated in the Wasteland Operation in the uninhabited zone again today without fail.

The Wasteland Operation can be considered a military hunt for harmful wildlife.

Rather than a hunt, it’s actually closer to a military operation.

Typically, in autumn, the military of this world burns the uninhabited zones adjacent to the borders by sector, and in winter, they enter these barren wastelands—devoid of a single tree or blade of grass—to eliminate hibernating monsters in a military operation.

However, unlike hunting harmful wildlife where licensed hunters catch ecosystem-destroying species like wild boars, deer, or nutria, this involves the military with heavy weapons and equipment eliminating monsters that inhabit land, underground, sea, and air.

Of course, there are also “licensed” adventurers who roam the uninhabited zones to defeat monsters. Some enter with formal contracts from the state or private companies, but that’s only possible for truly renowned companies. Most adventurers are essentially self-employed or affiliated with small businesses, so they often enter hoping to obtain valuable by-products from monsters.

Therefore, at first glance, it might sound as if humans could eradicate monsters at any time.

Unfortunately, due to the monsters’ tenacious vitality and reproductive abilities, eradication was impossible. Causing a species to go extinct wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

If it had been possible, the military would have wiped out all monsters long ago.

And unless there were nuclear bombs in this neighborhood—at best, the local military could only deploy chemical munitions or FASCAM (Family of Scatterable Mines).

Opinions occasionally arise, centered around the Border Guard, to cover the uninhabited zones with biochemical weapons and mines, but the command and parliament don’t allow it. Not for political or ethical reasons like humanitarianism or environmental destruction, but because the cost is simply beyond what the defense budget can handle.

Even feeding, housing, and moving soldiers costs money, so how could firing shells not cost money?

Even excluding the cost of shells, considering the expenses for transportation, maintenance, morale boosting, barrel replacement, and so on, it would actually cost more.

So what can be done?

Grind people down.

In a world where labor costs are cheap and the economic growth rate is negative due to lack of jobs, deploying the military and adventurers to the Wasteland Operation in uninhabited zones serves as a form of job creation and local economic revitalization.

In other words, it’s this world’s version of the New Deal policy.

If Roosevelt saw this mess, he would probably demolish the White House Oval Office and wail in all four directions.

Anyway.

The Wasteland Operation in uninhabited zones is important enough to attract attention from not only the Ministry of Defense but also the executive and legislative branches (if it fails, they’d have to engage in urban warfare with monsters in the dead of winter), so the key was to burn as much area as possible as quickly as possible before General Winter begins his knife work.

As the weather gets colder, non-combat casualties occur.

That’s why.

“Now, look here! Colonel, slightly to your right! Division Commander, just pull your chin in a bit! Now, I’m taking the photo. One, two!”

Click! A brief flash accompanied the shutter sound. The public affairs soldier showed the camera to the officer with a bright smile, and the officer nodded and gave an OK sign.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

At that signal, applause erupted. Numerous officers and soldiers exchanged pleasantries, congratulating each other on a job well done.

It was only natural, as they had burned down a sector in less than a day that would have taken an entire battalion several days to complete.

For this reason, the Defense Ministry people were passing around photos, praising how well they turned out; the officers in charge of the sector were toasting to the successful operation without casualties; and the soldiers were delighted that they could finally rest comfortably.

“Is it all finished?”

“Yes, it is.”

So they say.

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

I offered a soulless greeting as I pushed through the crowd.

Then I approached today’s protagonist, who was gazing at the smoldering bald mountain.

“Good work, Camilla.”

“Ah, Frederick.”

“You seem to be in good condition today. Haha…”

I stood beside Camilla, making idle conversation.

It was such a pointless and unnecessary remark that Camilla also laughed as she responded.

“Well, I suppose today was fine.”

“……”

The Wasteland Operation was successfully completed without casualties.

But if asked whether there were any incidents, that wasn’t the case either.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine! Nothing hurts at all.”

Camilla fainted again today. No one knows the cause.

The Advanced Military Magic Research Institute, which should have determined the cause based on test results, experienced an unprecedented leak of military secrets. Firearms were used to arrest a sorcerer spy, and countless civilians witnessed the process.

The fact that someone thought to be a colleague was actually a spy, and moreover, an unidentifiable sorcerer, left a considerable shock.

The Military Intelligence Service did not disclose any of these facts to the outside world. To maintain security. They didn’t even notify the Magic Tower.

To prevent information leaks and to root out any remaining spies, the Military Intelligence Service has taken control of the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute and is controlling information.

I’ve heard that a high-intensity investigation is currently underway.

Needless to say, in such a situation, proper analysis results were impossible to obtain.

So Camilla continues to experience fainting symptoms to this day. Without knowing the cause.

Even the counterintelligence investigators who arrested the spy and participated in the operation say they don’t know when the institute will return to normal, so we’re just helplessly letting time pass.

“……”

“Um, Frederick?”

“…Yes?”

Whether due to occupational disease or paranoia, Camilla awakened me as I stood lost in thought.

And as always, she smiled brightly and said to me.

“I’m fine.”

“……”

“Really, I am!”

It was a serene appearance, without a trace of worry or shadow.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“……”

To this, I gave her a reply.

“Wipe the chocolate off your face before you speak.”

“…Ah!”

Camilla hurriedly rubbed the chocolate around her mouth with her sleeve.

“Seriously…”

I chuckled, unable to help myself.

“If you’re done cleaning up, let’s go get something to eat.”

I walked toward the food truck with the clumsy woman in tow.

*

It was just as I was about to take my first spoonful of food that we encountered the men in suits who had arrived in a black sedan.