Ch.71Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

“War is the continuation of politics by other means.”

-Carl von Clausewitz, “On War”

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

Every claim has a basis. Usually, such basis is called a cause or justification.

In political dogfights and wars between nations, cause and justification are extremely important.

Iraq’s Hussein regime is harboring bin Laden and concealing weapons of mass destruction.

The lives and safety of pro-Russian residents in Crimea are in danger.

Jerusalem is a holy site of Judaism, not Islam, and so on.

With strong evidence, a claim becomes solid. Of course, whether that evidence is a cause, justification, or just an excuse is unknown.

What’s important is that there must be a reason to convince citizens that we need to fight and shed blood.

Everyone knows it’s all nonsense, but politics is precisely about nicely packaging that nonsense.

Because war was the continuation of politics.

In other words,

“The Mage Tower’s independence, the three-way conflict between the Empire, the Church, and the Mage Tower—it’s complicated.”

“Indeed.”

Most governments are in a complete mess right now.

“That’s why it doesn’t matter. Because it’s complicated. People will no longer listen to what’s being said on broadcasts.”

“You mean they’re feeling fatigued.”

“Yes. Too many events have happened in too short a time. People won’t respond to ordinary stimuli anymore.”

The Saint, who was both a politician and lobbyist, declared with certainty.

“If something were to explode here that could stir people’s emotions.”

Propaganda.

Agitation aimed at voters living in a chaotic world.

“……”

“Whoever sets it off will gain the upper hand, right?”

*

“…So the Mage Tower violated the treaty.”

“The sorcerer entered the country disguised as our government-sponsored student. The actual student who left for studies is currently missing, and the sorcerer is being investigated in a separate detention facility.”

“…Have we located the missing person?”

“Not yet. However, genetic testing results show that the genetic information from tissue samples found among the sorcerer’s possessions matches that of the missing person. We believe they are alive somewhere.”

The Prime Minister put down his teacup and picked up the documents handed to him by the Director.

The document was closer to an operation plan than a report. The Prime Minister read aloud the phrase written on the cover.

“Operation Opera. An impressive title. Is this the plan? To find evidence?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Operation Opera is designed to track individuals connected to the missing person and identify the higher-ups behind the operation. Currently, intelligence believes these higher-ups are the Mage Tower’s intelligence organization.”

“…That’s hard to believe. That the Mage Tower has an intelligence agency.”

The Mage Tower abolished its intelligence agency decades ago.

The signing of the Nastasiya Treaty and the fierce intelligence war that took place behind the scenes. Avas was certainly involved, but the Prime Minister didn’t care. Rather than digging up decades-old classified documents from the archives to uncover the truth, it was more important to restart economic cooperation with the fallen Church.

With a general election scheduled in two years, this was perhaps the natural choice.

So the Prime Minister asked:

“…Anyway!”

What are we going to do now?

“It’s quite an interesting story. If intelligence can secure evidence that the Mage Tower violated the treaty, it could be used as valuable negotiating material.”

The Director didn’t know whether that negotiation would help the Mage Tower or crush it. Politicians’ hearts are like reeds, swaying this way and that.

So the Director didn’t bother to ask.

“Please continue to locate our missing citizen. Within the constraints of not disrupting the operation. If safety is assured, we will request repatriation through subsequent negotiations.”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

“And regarding the commander who proposed this operation. Could I meet them?”

“Yes, that’s possible, but may I ask why you want to meet them…?”

“The name seems familiar.”

The Prime Minister tapped the name written on the plan.

“…Is this the person I know?”

He was asking if it was his former hero companion. The Military Intelligence Director confirmed.

“Your assumption is correct.”

“…And the operation I was briefed on last time?”

“Yes, the same individual.”

“Hmm. I heard intelligence had established a line there, but I didn’t expect such boldness.”

It was an intelligence community rule not to inquire too closely about affiliations and personal details. And the Prime Minister wasn’t idle enough to concern himself with the commander’s personal information.

Until now, that is.

“Then could I meet them right away, Director?”

At the Prime Minister’s order, the Military Intelligence Director immediately contacted the operative to come to the Prime Minister’s residence.

But then.

“…Prime Minister, I’ve brought—eek!”

“Do you have a TV?”

The operative pushed the Prime Minister’s secretary aside with his body and thrust his face forward without even greeting. The Prime Minister was startled, and the Director grabbed the back of his neck. He had noticed the man was somewhat unhinged from his work style, but he never dreamed he was this crazy.

Just as the general was about to berate the major for his behavior—

-Beep!

The major turned on the TV.

-‘…Breaking news! Saint Lucia has announced her position to renounce her status as a saint and enter the Mage Tower!’

*

In war and politics, breaking the opponent’s justification is a common tactic to gain the upper hand.

In that sense, there were two justifications of the Mage Tower that the Church and Empire needed to break:

1) Heresy Inquisition.

After the Nastasiya Treaty was signed, the Church’s indiscriminate heresy inquisitions officially stopped. At least on the surface.

But the Heresy Inquisition Office still framed people associated with the Mage Tower as “black magicians” and branded them as heretics. Rooting out groups that threatened continental peace through terrorism—that was the Church’s justification.

The heresy inquisitions that once took place in the open had gone underground. Of course, no one knew who was a heretic or whether those labeled as heretics truly were. Only the Heresy Inquisition Office knew.

The Mage Tower used these underground inquisitions as its first justification.

2) Non-diplomatic relations.

This was a more political issue related to history. When signing the Nastasiya Treaty, the Mage Tower pushed for diplomatic relations with the Church and simultaneously requested formal recognition as a state from various governments.

The Mage Tower’s dream of independence and peace ended with “peace in our time.” The treaty itself was a trap designed by the Church from the beginning. The possibility of the Mage Tower achieving its intended goals was infinitesimally small from the start.

Anyway, formal state recognition fell through, and establishing diplomatic relations with the Church also failed.

This was the Mage Tower’s second justification.

To kill the Mage Tower, these two justifications needed to be broken…

“To agitate, you’ll need material. Do you know what it might be?”

“I already told you. Something to stir emotions.”

Veronica pulled out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it.

Taking a puff and exhaling the smoke, she added:

“With Lucia.”

*

Lucia is a saint of the Church.

The position of saint in the Church wields influence comparable to the Pope.

In fact, Veronica had used her political power within the Church to dispatch healing priests and holy knights to the disputed territory between the Empire and the magical border.

Therefore, all saints of the Church receive treatment equivalent to state guests according to an implicit agreement in the diplomatic community.

This tendency was especially strong in countries with large numbers of followers of the Church’s teachings. Mistreating someone who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pope would tank approval ratings.

The problem was that the Mage Tower and the Church had no diplomatic relations.

How could a country with no diplomatic relations treat the other as a state guest? Especially a country that had been politically and historically hostile. Security was an issue beyond protocol. If some crazed magician were to attack Lucia, it would truly mean war.

Nevertheless, the Church brazenly demanded that the saint be allowed to enter the Mage Tower.

An absurd request.

Despite knowing what feelings the Mage Tower harbored toward the Church, asking them to treat a religious saint as a state guest was like telling the entire Oracle to crawl between the Pope’s legs.

It was humiliating. Public sentiment wouldn’t allow it, and politicians who staked their lives on the votes cast by citizens wouldn’t tolerate it. And that’s exactly what happened. The Mage Tower was a democracy, after all.

Veronica pointed out the loophole:

“The issue is that Lucia isn’t a saint yet. Since she hasn’t gone through the canonization ceremony, at least from the Church’s perspective, she’s not a saint.”

“But we treated her as a state guest.”

“That’s because she’s about to be canonized. It would be appropriate to consider it a matter of courtesy.”

She mentioned that Lucia was not officially a canonized saint.

This was really just wordplay. Who in the world would say Lucia wasn’t a religious saint? If that opinion had truly been prevalent, Avas wouldn’t have treated her as a state guest.

But even nonsense that’s just wordplay becomes plausible when packaged by a politician.

“What if, at this point, Lucia were to say that since she hasn’t been canonized, she wants to enter as a priest rather than a saint?”

“……”

“How would the world view this situation?”

There was no need to think long. The answer already existed.

So I answered without hesitation:

“The Mage Tower’s justification would be broken. They can’t prevent someone from entering in a personal capacity.”

The Mage Tower representative office had rejected my agrément, telling me to enter in a personal capacity.

But if the Mage Tower were to block Lucia from entering in a personal capacity, issues of fairness would arise.

In other words, they would be trapped by their own justification.

“Exactly. There are actually priests who enter the Mage Tower for missionary purposes.”

Like Protestant groups going to the Middle East for missionary work. I get annoyed whenever I hear about them crossing borders. It seems the mindset of religious people is the same everywhere.

Anyway, what would happen next was obvious.

The Mage Tower cannot prevent Lucia from entering in a personal capacity. How could they stop a religious saint who wants to put down secular power and become a private citizen?

“Then the agrément issue would be resolved too. Avas has diplomatic relations with the Mage Tower, and there’s no need for this to escalate into a bigger diplomatic conflict, right? Especially when there’s no more justification.”

If they reject even this, the Church and Empire will step in to make the Mage Tower look foolish.

At that point, the Mage Tower’s justification breaks.

No, it’s been broken for a long time. The Mage Tower threw itself into a fight it could never win from the beginning.

Just as it had done long ago.

“With things having come to this point, we won’t hear talk of independence for a while.”

Veronica said this as she returned to her room.

*

Lucia announced her position to enter the Mage Tower as a priest, not a saint, citing the reason that she was not yet a saint.

All media outlets reported this as breaking news.

[“Will put down secular power” 59th Saint Lucia makes official announcement]

[Archbishop Mateo: “A saint who hasn’t been canonized is not a saint”]

[Church State Council: “Not an agreed matter but expression of individual will… will respect”]

The Church dismissed this as simply an individual’s position, but no one actually took it that way.

No matter what anyone said, Lucia was a saint. Even if not yet canonized.

Although they drew a line saying it wasn’t an official position, they stepped back by saying they respected Lucia’s opinion, so almost no media outlet refrained from calling her a saint. Church fundamentalists who valued tradition and principles criticized her for not being qualified as a saint (something about defying the divine order), but their voices were too minor and dismissed as nonsense.

And right after the breaking news, another breaking news followed.

Support fire came from the Empire.

[Imperial Chancellor who supported Lucia: “Her self-sacrifice, dedication, and passion shown on the frontlines are exemplary to all”]

[Imperial Deputy Defense Minister: “Proposed awarding Saint Lucia a medal to the Chancellor”]

The Chancellor expressed support for Lucia’s decision, and the Deputy Defense Minister publicly advocated for awarding her a medal.

Since Lucia had saved hundreds of Imperial citizens’ lives, these weren’t particularly problematic statements. At least on the surface.

But a fierce diplomatic battle was currently raging between the Mage Tower, the Church, and the Empire, and this acted as a huge setback for the Mage Tower.

A prospective “saint” who, as a “minor,” spent 2 years “volunteering” in a “war zone” to save lives, “humbly” requesting to be let into the Mage Tower after “putting down” worldly “power.” And she did this not in some well-prepared conference hall, but right in front of a hotel.

Story. Emotion. Presentation.

All three elements aligned perfectly.

“……”

Countries that had supported the Mage Tower had to make a choice.

Either stand with the Mage Tower to the end against the Church and Empire. Or take a step back and watch how things unfold.

[Next news. The Fatalia government has officially stated that it respects Saint Lucia’s decision. The official spokesperson expressed respect and admiration for Saint Lucia who made a difficult decision…]

[King Amir Salaji of the Lushan Federation expressed infinite respect for a great choice befitting a great person…]

[The Fatalia Defense Ministry announced that Imperial forces are still surrounding the Mage Tower. Meanwhile, the opposition floor leader in Fatalia asked if the Defense Ministry’s announcement was a call for war…]

Although they retreated quite significantly, countries that had supported the Mage Tower all came out with positions respecting Lucia’s decision.

The northern and some central parts of the continent were all regions under the Church’s influence, so it was an inevitable choice. Governments that continued to criticize the Church had to experience cute violent protests from fervent believers.

Countries that had maintained ambiguous positions and were watching carefully were startled by this spectacle and rolled over to wag their tails at the Church and Empire. Protests in neighborhoods dominated by divinity, magic, and non-human races were extremely violent and dangerous.

And just then, a military intelligence officer stationed at the Mage Tower reported intelligence that Imperial diplomats and Mage Tower representatives had held an unofficial meeting.

Finally, after suffering defeat in the fierce diplomatic battle, the Mage Tower declared:

That they welcomed Lucia entering in a personal capacity along with the small entourage currently visiting Avas.

“……”

At this point, I could tell who was behind all these political machinations.

A group that could influence the Church’s policy decisions and carry out all sorts of operations based on intelligence. An agency that had always been at the forefront of the war against the Mage Tower. The headquarters of all heresy inquisitions and secret operations conducted by the Church.

…The Heresy Inquisition Office.