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-Click.

The playback on the recorder came to an end. Petrus, who had checked the recorded conversation, slowly opened his mouth.

“…That’s quite interesting.”

“What do you think?”

He shook the recorder gently and grinned.

“If this gets out, a lot of people would be in trouble. Seems like it’s worth negotiating, doesn’t it?”

The conversation between Cardinal Raul and Cardinal Raphael. The secret of two papal candidates.

The recorder in my hand was something the Inquisition absolutely needed to secure.

“I think it’s enough.”

Petrus smiled, a smile typical of an old man, indistinguishable from any other day.

“Now, tell me what you want, Colonel.”

“Please grant me free access.”

He looked puzzled for a moment, but being a veteran with fifty years of experience, Petrus quickly got to the point.

“You want me to guarantee unrestricted espionage activities in exchange for keeping the secret buried…”

He nodded slowly.

Petrus showed quite an interest in me. To borrow Bernard’s expression, he considers me special.

A friendly attitude and an irresistible offer.

As I expected, he accepted the proposition.

“Granted.”

There’s no price tag on words. Petrus handed me a blank check.

As I placed the recorder in front of him, Priest Rebecca picked it up and tossed it into the fireplace.

The Inquisition Director smiled brightly and said,

“Now the contract is established.”

Petrus pulled out a bottle of alcohol from under the desk.

Priest Rebecca brought two glasses, and Petrus handed one to me.

The Inquisition Director beamed.

“Once you leave the cult, I’ll classify all documents recording your activities as top secret.”

“I heard nothing today.”

“It was a good deal, Colonel.”

The two glasses clinked together.

The contract was sealed.

—

**Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent**

I knocked on the door and opened it.

I had been granted permission, so I entered, finding Camila Lowell lying on the bed.

“…What are you doing?”

“I was just going to sleep.”

“Ah.”

Right, it’s the middle of the night.

I’ve been working so late that I can’t differentiate between day and night anymore.

Camila Lowell pulled back the blanket slightly and raised her upper body. She was dressed in light-blue pajamas.

“Where did you get that pajama?”

“It was a gift from Lucia.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Why didn’t I get a gift?

It was a slightly petty thought, but aside from a few conversations, we didn’t have much familiarity, so I just accepted it. Camila Lowell and Lucia met often at events, so it wouldn’t be weird for them to exchange gifts.

The same goes for me. I held up a bag.

“I brought you a gift.”

“Oh my, what is it?”

Camila Lowell took the bag and opened it. It was filled with bottles of medicine.

“Supplements and common medicine. You looked tired lately, so I got them for you.”

“Thank you, Colonel!”

Vitamins, if that’s the right term, something like that. Not the low-quality stuff made by local clinics or healing priests, but rather a product made by alchemists and doctors at the Magic Tower.

“I’m not sure if this will suit Camila Lowell, but it’s quite commonly used here.”

“Wow—. How much is all this…?”

Camila Lowell gasped as she read the labels on the bottles.

Maybe she was educated, or perhaps she had developed some ability, but she was proficient in the language of this world.

She took out a cold drink from the refrigerator for me. While feeling the coolness of the bottle, I slowly glanced around the room.

It was an ordinary embassy staff lodging, but the interior was slightly upscale.

“Are you comfortable here?”

“Ambassador? Consul? This used to be a place for some high-ranking official, so it’s not uncomfortable at all; it’s like a five-star hotel!”

Indeed. This room was for high-ranking diplomats.

Camila Lowell was busily organizing the medicine bottles as she spoke.

“The staff in the next room are all kind, and the food suits my taste!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Sometimes foreign visitors come and bring gifts too.”

I took out a detector from my pocket and scanned the pile of gifts she mentioned.

I checked for eavesdropping devices while trying to distract Camila Lowell with small talk.

“Are you not uncomfortable in any way?”

“No! Except for the carriage being a bit uncomfortable, everything else is great!”

“Sitting in the carriage for too long makes your back and butt hurt.”

Fortunately, there were no eavesdropping devices.

I guess the agents would know what they were doing. They were probably recording in the next room and checking all gifts at least once.

“It’s a relief to hear you’re doing well.”

Camila Lowell smiled brightly.

According to the psychological analysis report, the situation had been mentally unstable. It seemed to stabilize a bit after some time passed since the bombing, but it had been getting worse since the official schedule began.

Still, seeing her making an effort to smile felt a bit strange.

I slipped the detector back into my pocket and intended to say goodbye as I prepared to leave.

“Colonel, please take this!”

She handed me a few bottles of medicine.

What’s this?

“You’ve been looking tired lately, so take care of your health!”

“…”

“Take it quickly.”

“…I’ll use it gratefully.”

She smiled broadly.

It was just an ordinary smile.

—

“Take your medicine.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Eat it.”

I popped a pill into Pippin’s mouth and closed her jaw. She reluctantly gulped down a glass of water.

“Why do I have to take care of you when you’re both so old? Just take it yourselves.”

“Can’t you decrease our workload instead of pushing supplements on us?”

Jake whimpered, looking exhausted. I flashed him a thumbs-up and shoved the bottles into their pockets.

What kind of boss does this? Giving his subordinates pills and all.

“I’m asking you to reduce our workload, not give us pills.”

“Shut up, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir.”

I easily subdued Jake’s whining. Indeed, rank is power. I slumped down in a chair.

“Why am I so tired lately….”

I exhaled with a sigh, letting my body go limp.

Recently, I’ve been feeling weighed down. It doesn’t mean I’ve gained weight; I’m just so tired I can barely move.

Pippin looked at me with pity in her eyes.

“Take a break.”

“I can’t rest until we catch the terrorists….”

We still hadn’t found the terrorists.

It wasn’t a matter of ability, but rather the scope of our investigation.

We were simultaneously investigating the Cult and the Imperial Guard HQ, so there was no way results would come in a month.

“The Inquisition is suspicious of the Imperial Guard HQ.”

“The Imperial Guard HQ is suspicious of the Cult.”

The situation is quite chaotic.

We have two suspects, each accusing the other of being criminals.

Of course, there’s no evidence, but both sides are feeding us plausible claims to confuse the investigation.

It’s a complete mess.

“It’s a complete mess.”

“Right? It’s as you all think, isn’t it?”

“Well, once we catch a suspect, we can begin to dig for information…”

Jake sighed and murmured. In truth, a suspect had already been captured.

Ekaterina, an agent from the Imperial Guard HQ’s Counterintelligence Department.

She was the mysterious thug who attacked me just before the bomb went off. She perfectly timed her intervention and managed to escape.

The problem is that she was still in a coma.

“What will you do once she wakes up for interrogation?”

“I asked the Colonel, and he said to write a report first…”

“A report? Will that be enough?”

“He said to make her write down her activities for the whole month.”

“What the hell.”

Pippin cursed softly, shaking her head.

In truth, writing reports is a common interrogation method used anywhere. Hand them a pen and paper, and if you make them write hundreds of pages a day, they usually end up confessing soon enough.

If that doesn’t work, then what?

“Should we resort to torture?”

“Are you insane? She’s been in a coma for nearly a week; torturing her would definitely kill her.”

Torture isn’t a universal solution.

Those with no knowledge shouldn’t throw around torture casually. Especially in a situation where there’s only a single suspect, to torture her immediately would be madness—

—this was said by Colonel Clevenz, an expert in spy eradication.

“Since it’s the Colonel saying it, I have to believe it.”

“Do you only listen to the Colonel and not me?”

“Come on~ We can’t possibly disregard what the Colonel says. It’s just that he’s a bit of an authority in that field!”

“Can’t I just be called a torture expert?”

“Feels a bit off, you know?”

“It’s accurate, though.”

While the Colonel didn’t frequently use torture, he would when the need arose.

It’s a crazy world, and being all noble by yourself won’t help in any way.

I wasn’t planning to delay what needed to be done.

“Anyway, we don’t have a doctor or a technician available right now, so we can’t do torture. I won’t allow it.”

“Yes, sir.”

—

“..That’s the guideline we’ve set for now.”

—‘Ah, good work, Colonel.’

In the quiet of 1 AM when everyone was asleep, I stood on the embassy terrace, gazing into the dimly lit world.

—‘So, the Empire is the one delivering the explosives…’

A strangely ominous mutter from the Colonel could be heard. He sounded a bit irritated.

“There are some inconsistencies, but I’ll leave the investigation for when the captured spy wakes up.”

—‘I’ll catch those Imperial Guard folks in the Kingdom.’

“Is it really necessary to go that far?”

Isn’t it a bit hasty to act even when nothing is confirmed yet?

However, the Colonel seemed to have his own convictions.

—‘If the explosives were delivered, then surely they had to be suppliers for the terrorists, right?’

That’s a valid point.

Regardless, he’s someone who has been in the intelligence world longer than me. I trust his judgment.

“Understood. What should we do then?”

—‘Find out who is involved centered around the publishing house.’

I remembered telling Pippin something similar.

If we find out the supply route for the explosives, we could tie the terrorists together with a rope.

I committed a few to-do items to memory. As I was about to wrap up the detailed orders I received from the Colonel, our call ended.

—‘…Your voice sounds strained.’

“What?”

—‘Are you sleeping well? Your voice is completely hoarse.’

“Ah… I’m still getting about six hours.”

That’s a lie.

In reality, I can’t even manage five hours.

But I have far too much responsibility to start whining about being tired.

—‘Since you say that, I have to believe it. Just make sure you rest well when you can.’

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

—‘Don’t be too hasty just because you see the light at the end of the tunnel.’

Just as I was about to return to the bedroom to take a break after being told to relax…

-Ding!

A call came through. I saw the number was saved, so it seemed to be someone among the agents. With so many, I couldn’t quite recall who it was.

“Um-. Ah-. Ah-. Kahak-!”

I cleared my throat and answered the call.

“…Hello?”

—‘Colonel, reporting from Safe House 5.’

“What’s going on?”

—‘The detained Imperial Guard agent just regained consciousness.’

 

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