Ch.70Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

Veronica said.

That the Magic Tower would soon grant the agrément.

“The agrément issue will be resolved soon.”

In a situation where a fierce three-way battle was unfolding between the Magic Tower, the Church, and the Empire. The Church’s Saint, who was once the Empire’s lobbyist, spoke with a voice full of confidence.

I asked her.

“How is that possible?”

“Hmm…”

Veronica smiled faintly and let her words trail off. And a moment later, with a strange expression, she blurted out.

“Information warfare…?”

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

The Minister said.

“The Church has indicated its intention to actively resolve the diplomatic issue, Prime Minister.”

“…Hmm.”

While Frederick was hearing the situation from Veronica, a meeting was in full swing at the Prime Minister’s residence.

After listening to the Foreign Minister’s words, the Prime Minister opened his mouth.

“I see. What do they propose to do?”

“…I regret to say that no specific details were provided, Prime Minister.”

The Foreign Minister politely protested that it wasn’t his incompetence; he simply wasn’t informed.

At this, the head of the national intelligence agency, the Royal Intelligence Director, who was sitting nearby, carefully spoke up.

“We have confirmed through local intelligence assets that a Church diplomat stationed in the Empire has entered an Imperial Guard safe house.”

“…Is that so?”

“Though still at the speculation stage, we believe the Church will join hands with the Empire to pressure the Magic Tower. Along with the economic sanctions they’ve just announced, additional sanctions are expected to follow.”

The situation was too ironic to be a simple report.

While the Foreign Minister was floundering, unable to properly grasp the situation, the Royal Intelligence Department presented their own conjectures based on information they had collected and analyzed.

Therefore, this was less of a report and more like a power play.

That was the Intelligence Director’s intention, and the Foreign Minister, who had just been humiliated in front of the Prime Minister, thought the same. The Prime Minister also interpreted this as competition between departments.

The Prime Minister spread a smile across his face.

Half pleased to hear a report helpful for policy decisions, half making the political calculation to empower the Intelligence Department to keep the Foreign Ministry in line. That’s why the Prime Minister smiled.

“Haha. That’s the Intelligence Department for you. Thank you very much.”

“Thank you.”

“……”

The Royal Intelligence Director, who had no intention of openly flaunting his victory in front of so many people, offered a brief word of thanks, while the Foreign Minister, who was inwardly cursing the Intelligence Director as an insufferable old bastard, managed an awkward smile.

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

“Very well. Since the Church says they will resolve the agrément issue, let’s set that aside for now…”

The Prime Minister moved on to the next topic without erasing the smile from his face.

And then he cursed.

“What should we do about those magic-wielders?”

*

“Information warfare? Are you talking about psychological operations or political machinations?”

“Is there really a need for such rigid terminology?”

She was saying not to get caught up in terminology.

While terminology was important, this wasn’t the time for a war of words, so I let her speak freely.

At my signal, Veronica began her explanation.

She swept her silk-like hair to one side and started speaking.

“First of all, the current situation is quite complicated, isn’t it? Right?”

“Yes.”

A diplomatic battle involving the Magic Tower, the Empire, and the Church was underway.

Diplomatic battles don’t always take place in the open. They also occur in the shadows.

Just as tsunamis begin deep in the ocean, diplomatic issues first erupt not on the surface but beneath it.

Veronica pointed this out.

“This situation that’s happening now. It’s not something that just freshly erupted, is it? Whether it’s independence or the agrément refusal.”

“……”

“It’s more like a festering wound that finally burst like a pimple…”

Veronica argued that this entire situation had been foreseeable for a long time and was entirely predictable.

I had nothing to say. Because it was true.

The Magic Tower’s long-held desire for independence. The decision to send a diplomatic envoy to a country with no diplomatic relations. Moreover, a country that has been historically and politically hostile.

Veronica pointed this out.

“Do you really think the Church didn’t anticipate this?”

The Church’s Saint, who was once the Empire’s lobbyist, claimed that the Church was behind this entire situation. She argued that the Church had deliberately provided the catalyst, and now held both the initiative and the key to the solution.

I summarized her claim in one word.

“A conspiracy theory.”

Veronica’s claim was literally a conspiracy theory. It was merely an assertion cobbled together with flimsy evidence, and what made it truly insidious was that it somewhat fit together.

“Your judgment reflects excessive cognitive bias. I admit it’s attractive, but it doesn’t seem like rational information.”

Right. Even capable people don’t always succeed. It seems this time Veronica has failed in her information gathering.

I’m not doubting her abilities. The intelligence Veronica had provided boasted nearly 100 percent accuracy, and each piece was critically confidential.

But given the circumstances, I couldn’t carelessly believe her words. People had died, after all.

All governments and intelligence agencies had gone mad because of three groups racing toward a cliff with the accelerator floored. She might have been caught up in it too.

“Anyway, I’ve heard what you had to say. Contact me if you have a more productive topic. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

What stopped me as I was about to return to my hotel room was,

“…Why have two Saints been born now?”

It was Veronica’s voice from behind me.

*

The term “magic-wielders” was highly inappropriate for an official setting. Particularly as a derogatory expression, it was difficult to utter even in private conversations.

It’s similar to how the President of South Korea wouldn’t call North Korea “commies,” China “chinks,” or Japan “nips” in a cabinet meeting. The same applies to ordinary citizens. Unless among very close friends who share the same sensibilities, such expressions were generally avoided even among acquaintances, though they might be typed behind keyboards.

It was a somewhat vulgar and harsh term to vocalize. So what the Prime Minister had just done was exactly the kind of statement that would be career-ending if the transcript leaked. There were many magicians in Abas, after all.

In other words, he was so heated that he used a term that could endanger his political life. It was an understandable reaction, considering his economic policy promises were about to be wrecked.

So the attendees instinctively sensed it. That the Prime Minister had completely lost his temper.

Meaning, the Prime Minister was looking for any opportunity to crush the Magic Tower.

The Foreign Minister, gauging the Prime Minister’s mood, quickly spoke up.

“What about implementing our own economic sanctions?”

The Foreign Ministry’s proposal was economic sanctions.

“How much profit do we make from trade with the Empire and the Church? If we impose economic sanctions, we can turn this crisis into an opportunity.”

He was suggesting they side with the Church and the Empire.

Since those two had already cornered the Magic Tower, they had the justification of the rejected agrément. It was essentially saying, let’s grab a bat and beat up the outcast.

Since the benefits Abas gained from maintaining trade with the two countries actually constituted a significant portion, the Foreign Minister’s opinion was quite reasonable.

“Just a moment.”

“…What is it, Director?”

“That measure doesn’t fit the reality of the situation.”

The Royal Intelligence Director challenged the Foreign Minister’s proposal.

The elderly man, seasoned in the intelligence field, offered his rebuttal with a cautious attitude.

“Isn’t the Magic Tower similar to us in political alignment? It doesn’t look good for democratic countries to attack each other.”

Listen, the Magic Tower is a democracy, not a dictatorship. We’re also a constitutional monarchy and democratic nation, so what will the Empire and the Church say if we attack the Magic Tower—

That’s what the Royal Intelligence Director explained in a roundabout way.

“The Empire and the Church are an absolute monarchy and a theocracy, respectively. The Empire nominally has a parliament, but in reality, the opposition is powerless due to political suppression by the imperial family. If we impose sanctions on the Magic Tower here, won’t we just become a laughingstock?”

He was saying, you call yourself a diplomat, but why are you spouting nonsense without seeing the flow of the times?

The Royal Intelligence Director didn’t stop there, bringing up even the Emperor’s founding day speech from twelve years ago to explain “101 Reasons Why We Shouldn’t Attack the Magic Tower.”

It was clearly overstepping for an intelligence agency to interfere in diplomatic matters. But who cares? That’s the kind of era we’re in.

So the Royal Intelligence Director knocked the Foreign Minister to the ground and pounded him. Not literally with fists, but with words.

But the Foreign Minister hadn’t won his position in a card game, and he soon counterattacked.

“Are you suggesting we should oppose the Church and the Empire and go to war? Why bother starving our citizens to death when we can just send them as cannon fodder. Is that it?”

“How can you say such things? You’re getting excited. Heh heh…”

The reaction was more heated than expected, causing the Royal Intelligence Director to take a step back.

“Criticism without alternatives is not criticism but condemnation. Does the Intelligence Department have a solution to overcome this difficulty?”

Just as the Royal Intelligence Director was about to answer the Foreign Minister’s question.

“We do.”

An elderly man in military uniform sitting across from the Royal Intelligence Director answered.

As all eyes focused on him, the Foreign Minister spoke with surprise.

“Military Intelligence Director…?”

The Military Intelligence Director.

“Do you have some brilliant plan? This doesn’t seem like a situation serious enough for military intervention.”

He was asking, why are you butting in? The Foreign Minister was about to continue his questioning, wondering if the military had gone mad and was trying to start a war.

“Ah, just a moment.”

The Royal Intelligence Director hurriedly tried to seize the right to speak. Whoever brought up a topic first would have the initiative.

However.

“Please wait a moment, Director.”

“……”

The Prime Minister, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, stepped in to stop the Royal Intelligence Director.

It was a move that could hurt his pride, but since the Prime Minister held the power to appoint the Intelligence Director, the Royal Intelligence Director had to relinquish the microphone.

Seeing this, the Prime Minister smiled gently.

“Haha. Thank you for your consideration, Director. Um, Director? You may speak. Yes.”

“Thank you.”

The Military Intelligence Director looked around at the assembly. Then, meeting the Royal Intelligence Director’s gaze, he carefully began to speak.

“I don’t think we need to go as far as economic sanctions.”

“Go on. I’m listening.”

And with that, a bomb dropped in the meeting room.

“The Magic Tower has violated the Nastasiya Treaty.”

*

In the hotel corridor. Under the strict surveillance of the police and the Inquisition, two people faced each other.

The soldier asked the religious figure.

“…What do you mean by that? Why are there two Saints?”

The priest of this world spoke to the spy who had crossed over from another world.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“All of it.”

The priest in nun’s attire slowly moved her steps. The spy in a suit followed her movements with his gaze.

“Why would the Empire support the Church, why would the Magic Tower refuse the agrément, why would there be two Saints…”

“……”

“Where did all this start?”

“The Magic Tower’s independence-“

“No, why did the Magic Tower seek independence in the first place?”

Stop. The footsteps halted.

A moment of silence passed. The religious figure raised her head to look at the soldier, and the spy, after pondering the situation, spoke to the priest.

“…Because the Empire’s authority was diminished.”

“And what caused that diminished authority?”

“……”

No one present was unaware of the reason.

At this, the party involved in all these events spoke up.

“…Assassination. More precisely, terrorism resulting from a failure of internal control due to loss of authority.”

“Exactly. Do you think the Church, especially the Pope who is more wary of the Magic Tower than anyone, wouldn’t have known this would happen?”

The Saint said.

“In my opinion, the agrément was collateral damage while Lucia was being attacked. Abas also played a part in bringing down the Magic Tower, didn’t it? Though that was decades ago.”

The signing of the Nastasiya Treaty.

The cancellation of diplomatic relations between the Magic Tower and the Church, and the failure to gain formal recognition as a state.

The Empire’s suppression of the Magic Tower’s independence.

Decades of underground inquisition.

The Magic Tower’s growth into a financial hub despite all external pressures.

The fallen prestige of the Empire.

The declining authority of religion due to the advancement of science and magic.

The Church trying to gain a foothold in the Magic Tower using Camilla as a pretext.

The Saint who unintentionally stood at the forefront of that procession.

The continent’s first occurrence of two Saints.

The Church’s 59th Saint, Lucia.

“……”

As my thoughts reached that point, something that had been blocked, a missing puzzle piece, seemed to fall into place.

At this, the Duke’s agent asked.

“…Whose work is this?”

“Probably Raphael’s. With the Pope behind him.”

Raphael.

The former Inquisition Chief turned Pope-elect who promised to create a safer Church. He had been elected not long ago. In other words, it’s currently a time of power transition in the Church.

A leader who has just seized fresh power implements harsh policies to gain policy momentum. There are things that can only be done during that time.

And the current Pope was obsessed with killing magicians, ranting about black magic.

So.

To create a safer Church.

To elevate the authority of religion.

To make the Church great again.

Who should be targeted first?

The answer is,

“…The Magic Tower.”

Just cut off the neck of the upstart who holds their head high.

As the answer finally emerged, Veronica smiled broadly.

“You asked how they would crush the Magic Tower, right?”

“……”

The Saint smiled.

“All wars begin with propaganda.”