Ch.69Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

The swords were drawn.

Two of them.

-“The Imperial Foreign Ministry has announced measures to freeze the Magic Tower’s public assets and nationalize invested assets.”

-“Some analysts suggest this measure could lead to a default declaration against the Magic Tower…”

-“The Magic Tower’s stock market has plummeted by more than 20% following the sanctions announcement…”

Economic sanctions.

They’ve frozen all assets the Magic Tower invested in the Empire, blocking the money flow that serves as the Tower’s greatest driving force.

As foreign capital fled due to the Empire’s sword dance, causing the stock market to crash, the Magic Tower’s economy instantly became crippled.

-“Imperial police have implemented large-scale preventive detentions to stabilize the unstable southern region…”

-“A large column of tanks was spotted near Nastasiya City at dawn…”

-“While the Defense Ministry spokesperson claimed it was a redeployment to support counter-espionage operations in the northern conflict zone, some suggest it’s a move contemplating military action against the Magic Tower…”

Simultaneously, the Imperial police began rounding up magicians.

It was declared as a crackdown on impure individuals who incite division and social unrest, but nobody knew exactly who these “impure people” were. To make matters worse, a tank unit that had left its garrison was spotted near the Magic Tower.

I can’t even grasp what’s happening.

However, there’s only one thing I know for certain right now.

The Empire has declared all-out war against the Magic Tower.

That’s the only fact.

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

The Empire declared war on the Magic Tower. Though not a military conflict but a diplomatic one, the international community regarded it as equivalent to war.

And intelligence agencies took this situation most seriously.

All intelligence agencies monitoring the Empire and the Magic Tower were on high alert.

Communication networks connecting control rooms and field operatives were immediately activated, and warnings were issued to all active intelligence and operations officers.

The Military Intelligence Agency was no exception.

“Officer on duty! Wake up the branch director and assess the situation immediately!”

“Have the current locations of all staff been confirmed? What? Hey! Everyone’s about to get caught, and you’re telling me you can’t track them?!”

“Sir. Please submit an urgent report identifying the armored units that appeared near the Magic Tower.”

This was due to police preventive detentions and movements of rear units.

Among the Military Intelligence Agency’s duties was collecting information on foreign armies, which meant they needed to monitor Imperial military movements in real time.

But they couldn’t move their human intelligence assets in the field.

The police had publicly announced to foreign journalists that they would throw anyone causing trouble into detention centers, regardless of reason.

So other intelligence assets were mobilized.

“Teams 1 and 2 will conduct aerial reconnaissance! Gather your equipment and assemble!”

“We’re beginning interception of Imperial military communications. Connect all standby interception bases and deployed intelligence collection ships.”

“We’ve entered Imperial waters. Everyone stay sharp and prepare for possible engagement. Over.”

“Team leaders. Collect every article appearing in foreign press. Major, minor, magazines—everything.”

Every unit under the Military Intelligence Agency was deployed.

Magicians flew over Imperial borders to track troop movements, while naval intelligence ships performed a delicate balancing act between international and territorial waters to intercept Imperial military communications.

Officers commanded operations from the situation room with radios in hand, non-commissioned officers and civilian employees analyzed information collected from various TV channels, and soldiers drafted documents at supernatural speeds.

Meanwhile, I shouted into the receiver:

“What’s the situation on the ground? Is everyone’s safety secured?!”

-“Police are all over the streets. It seems particularly intense near the Magic Tower. There’s no visible way to enter the Tower.”

“Headquarters is working on finding a solution. For now, stand by and closely monitor the Imperial bastards’ movements…”

Of course, intelligence and operations officers weren’t just sitting idle.

Intelligence officers disguised as diplomats moved around collecting information, and operations officers who were confident they hadn’t been caught in counterintelligence nets contacted their informants.

Some risked their lives crossing dangerous lines, while others rushed to the field without even leaving a suicide note.

As a result, numerous intelligence reports awaiting analysis and freshly processed information accumulated in databases, and all intelligence agencies forwarded this to relevant organizations and convened emergency response meetings.

The time it took for the situation to be resolved: just 11 hours.

It was around dawn, after a long, grueling night.

*

“Section Chief. The situation has been resolved.”

“……”

“Section Chief…?”

“…Go home first.”

“…Yes, sir. Take care of yourself.”

After sending Jake away, I sat alone in the office, staring blankly.

“……”

It had been the longest and most intense dawn in recent memory.

Through the window facing the corridor, a non-commissioned officer who had burned his youth to ashes was mindlessly printing copy paper.

I turned on the terminal and accessed the Intelligence Agency database.

In the brief moment I’d looked away, 28 new pieces of information and 46 intelligence reports had been uploaded.

[Naval intelligence collection ship made contact with enemy patrol vessel during mission. No engagement.]

[510th Brigade 532 Base reports injured personnel. Suspected overwork. Transported to nearby military hospital.]

[7th Aerial Intelligence Unit reports casualties. Shot down by enemy air defense network during mission. Crashed in uninhabited area. Failed to recover remains and destroy equipment.]

[Units stationed in Nastasiya City identified as 2nd Battalion, 14th Armored Brigade of the Army.]

[Checkpoints strengthened in southern Imperial regions. Checkpoints established at key routes confirmed.]

[Personnel missing from Imperial branch. Signs of struggle found at lodging. Recovery team dispatch requested.]

[Unidentified explosion observed in southern region. Unable to confirm executing party, extent of damage, or authorities’ response.]

[Interception confirms heightened alert orders issued to enemy naval and army air defense units. Border area gates opened. Search teams deployed confirmed.]

“……”

I disconnected and turned off the terminal.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds, and a person’s face appeared reflected on the darkly glowing screen.

I stared at it for a long time, but couldn’t discern the expression.

After contemplating for a while, I finally got up, turned off the office lights, and went into the corridor.

The lighting made a crackling sound before weakly going out.

And so.

One star set, and another was engraved.

*

“…Did something happen?”

“No. Nothing happened.”

The world had been turned upside down.

There’s no need to explain exactly how it was upended. The media was already reporting it.

-“Yes, we’ve invited economics and political science professors to discuss this. We’ve been examining the significance of the additional measures announced by the Empire at dawn today.”

-“It’s essentially a warning. I hate to say this, but the Magic Tower isn’t a nation, is it? There are many followers of the Order within the Empire, so how will the Magic Tower’s actions affect the Imperial government…?”

-“An unexplained explosion occurred in the Empire’s southern industrial zone. When questioned about the perpetrators and exact extent of damage, the Security Ministry spokesperson avoided answering, saying the matter is under investigation…”

-“Fatalia has not withdrawn its position supporting the Magic Tower. However, with criticism and calls for caution rising, especially from the opposition, next year’s general election…”

-“The Order’s State Council has not expressed any position on the Empire’s official announcement. Meanwhile, the Pope has caused controversy by suggesting during a pre-Mass address that magic is related to demonic abilities…”

-“Theocratic state! Dictatorship! Religious people are inciting riots, everyone! How can this be-“

-“The Magic Tower’s stock market continues to decline, doesn’t it? Perhaps investing in Fatalia rather than the Magic Tower or Empire would be the wise choice right now.”

-“Yesterday around 11 PM, our naval vessel fired warning shots at an Imperial Navy patrol ship in international waters…”

Some information was made public through the media, sensitive information was suppressed by reporting controls, and some information never reached journalists’ ears at all.

Politicians, professors, former officials, and policy researchers appeared on news programs spouting their opinions. The media eagerly broadcast these views, and ratings soared through the roof.

And watching TV in the hotel room, Camilla asked:

“Is war coming…?”

“That won’t happen.”

Lucia, the Order’s saint who was watching the news alongside Camilla, spoke up.

“Such things are common. Things like that.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Looking back on her 28 years of life, incidents of this magnitude were absolutely not common in this world.

However, Camilla wasn’t from this neighborhood and had been here less than half a year, so she believed the lie. Especially since it came from her friend.

Wearing matching pajamas, Lucia reassured Camilla with a well-intentioned lie.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“…Hmm.”

“……”

Camilla twirled her crimson hair around her finger and hummed thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, she seemed to be pondering something before finally nodding in agreement.

Seeing this, I exchanged glances with Lucia and quietly stepped back.

Lucia picked up the remote and said to Camilla:

“Let’s watch some entertainment shows. That… England? Is that what you called it? Do they have entertainment shows there too?”

“We do have entertainment shows, but I’m not sure if they’re similar to the ones here…”

Lucia flipped through TV channels, promising to show her some amazing entertainment programs from this world. As luck would have it, a famous comedy show was on, featuring a goblin holding a microphone and delivering self-deprecating jokes about racial discrimination.

-“Alright, listen up everyone. I was shopping at dawn and heading home. I was on my way to meet my orc foreman who lives with me in a semi-basement. I was smoking a magic cigarette for the first time in a while. Then a cop came up to me and said it’s drug enforcement period and asked me to come to the police station. When I asked why I was being subjected to drug enforcement, he said the magic cigarette in my hand was suspected of being marijuana! Right nearby was a masked beast-person flicking a lighter while holding a liquor bottle with a tampon in it! But they only caught me! I bet if I had cat ears, the cops wouldn’t have grabbed me.”

The audience chuckled and laughed. The goblin used comical gestures and witty delivery to satirize sad realities, and the humans laughed harder as the comedy reached its climax.

Lucia laughed at this, and Camilla, finding the strange spectacle amusing, gently pulled up the corners of her mouth in a smile.

But the goblin’s humor and the audience’s laughter didn’t reach my ears.

“……”

I quietly opened the door and went into the corridor. Then I walked aimlessly.

“……”

The Empire had declared war on the Magic Tower. It was still at the warning stage with diplomatic rhetoric, but they didn’t hesitate to demonstrate military force, hinting at the possibility of armed intervention.

Of course, it wasn’t just a simple warning.

The Foreign Ministry’s economic sanctions were steadily choking the Magic Tower, and the blockade by police and military had cut off the Tower’s external communications.

While the Emperor’s specific orders hadn’t been confirmed, it was clear he had chosen a compromise between the hardline and moderate factions in the Imperial military. Bluntly speaking, if they wanted to replace the Magic Tower’s Oracle, they could simply crush the Tower with armored units.

Perhaps they were already preparing subversion operations through intelligence agencies.

They could undermine the Oracle committee members’ prestige through psychological warfare, cut off support to the Magic Tower through diplomatic warfare, and send assassins to kill them all. They would disguise it as accidental death or natural causes. They probably wouldn’t use guns, as that might make them look like martyrs.

I know this well.

The American CIA did it, the Soviet KGB did it, and the British SIS, French DGSE, and Israeli Mossad have done similar things multiple times.

I can’t help but know. So I could already clearly see what would happen.

“……”

If the Magic Tower doesn’t stop here and declares independence, if the Emperor decides to assassinate the Magic Tower’s Oracle, the Imperial Guard and Reconnaissance Command would likely do something similar.

Perhaps.

Perhaps.

I contemplated countless possibilities.

Psychology and judgments unknown to me. The international situation surrounding the Magic Tower. The Empire’s resolve and the Order’s moves. The fierce three-way battle upending diplomatic circles. The hidden intentions beneath the surface. Each party’s position and desires.

It’s a foggy political landscape.

The fog of information obscures vision, and someone’s baseless opinions dominate thinking.

What should be done?

What must I do?

As I walked lost in these thoughts, I eventually reached the end of the corridor.

And there.

“……”

“…You came?”

“…Any new information?”

“Yes.”

I met with my informant.

Veronica gave me a tired, bitter smile.

“You don’t look well.”

“I worked overnight.”

“…I heard about the border situation. We’re both short on time, so I’ll be brief.”

She spoke:

“The Magic Tower is planning to open its doors soon.”

“……”

“The agrément issue will be resolved.”