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Veronica came by.

This visit was not an unofficial schedule but an official one, and thus there had already been agreements between the governments about who would visit and what the agenda would entail.

However, when I looked at the list of visitors, consisting of a total of 81 names, Veronica’s name was nowhere to be found.

But she came anyway.

“Why are you here?”

“Am I not allowed?”

“……”

I’ve really had enough of this.

—

Episode 4 – Why is it always me?

“Why shouldn’t I come?”

“Yes.”

“…Are you really asking that?”

I led Veronica through the crowd. Foreigners were carelessly dragging a saint in a nun’s outfit, but the nuns in attendance didn’t spare a glance.

I had a feeling. All these nuns were either Inquisition Officers or Knights. Both were affiliated with the Inquisition, so perhaps Senior Petrus…

Ah, damn. That’s not what’s important right now.

“…Hah.”

There were more than a couple of issues at hand.

I tried to calm myself as I pressed on my throbbing temples and lowered my voice.

“What are you thinking, coming here without a word as a saint? Huh?”

It was problematic that two saints had slipped out of the cult in the first place.

With the entire continent in turmoil due to a major espionage incident, this was the first time in history that two saints had emerged. No one could fathom how the internal political landscape of the cult and the international political scene would change from now on.

What do you think the cult imposed an embargo for?

Leading political journals will raise the profile of the two saints while analyzing the future moves of the cult and the interests of each government, while tabloids will unleash various conspiracy theories and scandals to sell more copies. And politicians and figures from various sectors will surely rush to the media, spouting their baseless theories under the guise of “insiders,” “high officials,” and “officials.”

I know well. I targeted it myself.

To save Lucia, who was suffering from black propaganda (or more accurately, under orders from above), I deliberately walked around with her in front of paparazzi for dozens of minutes. The tabloids, covering it on the front page, created a scandal suggesting we were dating.

The tabloids seized on that to sell copies like crazy, and even the reputable journals, distancing themselves from conspiracies, misinterpreted it as a close signal between governments, excitedly speculating that Abas was backing Lucia.

…Yeah. I honestly admit it. I manipulated public opinion.

In our terms, it was a propaganda operation and a political maneuver, and simply put, it was outright public opinion manipulation. I somewhat succeeded in defending Lucia by manipulating public opinion, but even after everything was over, I struggled to handle the continuing rumors. Such was the double-edged sword that the media wielded.

So this time, I invoked press controls and went all out, but suddenly, both saints came here? At the same time?

No need to glance at the newspapers for a while.

I almost knew what kind of nonsense would come out.

But the ‘real’ issue was not that.

“Are you out of your mind? The Imperial Guard is red-eyed looking for you; you can’t just show up here like this!”

In the past, the Imperial Guard struggled to cover up the scandal that they couldn’t control their agents. At first, they dispatched the Anti-Spy Bureau and the Counterintelligence Department to quietly settle the incident, and when that failed, they crawled to the negotiation table after being thoroughly beaten by all sorts of information agencies and admitted to their blunders.

As a result, the Imperial Guard tanked numerous businesses they penetrated into the cult and lost a significant portion of the information network they had embedded all over the continent, including Abas.

While the small matters were temporarily resolved with a token gesture (a spy swap), the loss of the information network was so massive that it would disrupt all external activities of the Imperial Guard for at least the next ten years.

Ten years sounds good, but it could be twenty or even thirty. Military Intelligence analysts couldn’t yet provide accurate assessments, so no one could predict the impact range. Except for the Imperial Guard.

And the one who most skillfully struck the Imperial Guard in the back of the head was neither Clevenz nor Petrus, but Veronica herself.

She had given me information about the Imperial Guard’s overseas operations. Clevenz utilized that information as leverage.

That’s the problem.

“Saint, are you really out of your mind? If you’re crazy, at least say so so that I can look for a mental hospital.”

Information agencies never simply let a traitor go. They might dismiss a failed agent, but one who brazenly betrays the country will be tracked down to the ends of the earth for revenge. That’s why the Imperial Guard purged runaways with the help of the Inquisition and Military Intelligence.

Unless the Imperial Guard goes mad, they cannot harm Veronica right now, but you never know what people will do.

Even if they choose to forgive her and let her go, it would be courteous of her to lie low for at least half a year. Even celebrities who cause scandals stay in seclusion for about a year.

So in my opinion, she was either half out of her mind or profoundly delusional.

While I had thought she was crazy every time, I never imagined she would actually be this crazy.

But for some reason, her reaction was too calm.

“So?”

She asked with a smile.

“What are they going to do? They’re just about to become idiots.”

“Yes…?”

I looked at Veronica, puzzled by what she meant, but she just smiled without offering any further information.

“Don’t worry about it! Also, Lucia and the Hero seem to be wrapping up their conversation, so you should hurry over. It would be better to go now; someone might look at you funny.”

The saint waved her hand.

“I’ll see you later.”

—

Who exactly is going to become an idiot? Is she talking about the Imperial Guard or the nobles who had been backing the Second Country?

No matter how much I thought about it, I could find no answer.

For the time being, it seemed like Veronica had dropped some serious information. But I still didn’t feel like I wanted to buy that information.

To be precise, I wasn’t convinced. Typically, an information agent will first manipulate, falsify, or exaggerate information to raise their value. Of course, I hadn’t seen someone like Veronica’s ‘caliber’ resort to such tactics, but I still needed to check whether the goods were genuine or a mere illusion before making a deal.

Well, I could think it through later.

I had to carry out the assigned schedule first.

Since this visit was on par with a state visit, there were more than five officially scheduled agendas lined up.

From a welcoming ceremony with high-ranking government officials and royal family members to laying flowers at the patriotic martyrs’ memorial, visiting the church of the cult in the capital, cultural performances promoting the cultural industry in front of foreign guests and journalists, and an official dinner, and so forth.

Saint Lucia (True) and her entourage smoothly carried out all these agendas. Although Director Bernard might not have known, it was a bit unexpected for Lucia, who handled the official agenda without any apparent discomfort.

To be honest, Camila Lowell and Lucia didn’t have much to do. Many journalists and politicians wanted to engage with them, but the bodyguards surrounding them pushed everyone away. At the very least, they weren’t being tormented by political animals or scoop-hungry journalists from the general channels.

I was in a similar situation. Since neither journalists nor politicians showed any interest in me, relatively few people tried to approach. I even tried my best to avoid being caught on camera.

Of course, there were some annoying people, but most were held back by bodyguards disguised as information police.

As I completed one agenda after another, the final one was about to begin.

“…I am truly honored to be able to discuss the promotion of friendly relations with Saint Lucia, who has come from the cult during today’s meeting. Also, I’m deeply moved to formalize the memorandum of understanding between the Cult National Affairs Council and our government here today.”

“I propose a toast for the harmony of both countries and the future of our heroes. To Saint Lucia, Ms. Camila Lowell, Cardinal Bernard, and all esteemed guests present here! For the peace and prosperity of our times to continue, and for the successes that are to come!”

The Prime Minister proclaimed the beginning of the feast with a booming voice as he raised his glass.

The faces of the royal couple, the Prime Minister, Camila Lowell, Lucia, the ministers from various government departments, the entourage from the cult, ambassadors from various countries, politicians, and business figures, among others, all gathered at the banquet.

Given that there were just over 100 attendees, it was a significant waste of money. But since it would be shameful and unseemly to skimp on money at a diplomatic occasion, the government splurged to host the banquet.

Foreign journalists were present. And spending a little money on such events wouldn’t break the treasury, so it wasn’t really a problem.

However, I felt incredibly, incredibly uncomfortable at this gathering.

“…I’m not sure if our Hero and Saint will enjoy the feast. Especially the Hero!”

“It’s wonderful. This feast is quite splendid, Prime Minister.”

“Haha! I’m glad to hear that! I’m pleased it suits the tastes of someone from another world.”

The Prime Minister offered wine to Camila and Lucia, who were sitting next to me.

“Will you have a drink too, Major? Although you’re working, it seems like it wouldn’t hurt to have a toast at an event like this. Right, Minister of Defense?”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

“Then it’s settled!”

“…It’s an honor.”

Let’s skip the reasons.

I was dying at the discomfort of eating alongside the Prime Minister, a saint, a hero, and a cardinal, and the glances of the bodyguards positioned around the venue only heightened my anxiety.

And for some reason, the Minister of Defense, sitting right across from me, kept sneaking glances at me.

“…….”

I wanted to bolt and leave this dinner as fast as possible.

But the banquet still had over an hour left, and I couldn’t carelessly leave due to security issues.

Looking around, I noticed no one else seemed uncomfortable. Not even Camila and Lucia.

Finally, after enduring the discomfort alongside people I thought I’d never see again in my life, I found my freedom when all the official events concluded, and it was time to escort Lucia and the entourage back to the hotel.

“…….”

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes. Please go in and rest, Camila.”

“Are you not coming in? Lucia is there too.”

“You two have fun….”

“Alright, got it. Just call if you need anything!”

Camila went inside with Lucia. Thanks to the government booking their hotel together, it was possible.

After confirming they were in their room, I conveyed all the details I needed to Director Bernard from the Inquisition, our security personnel, and the hotel manager, and only then could I wrap up my official schedule.

Today’s mission ended like that.

“…Huh.”

A sigh escaped me unconsciously. It was not because I felt relief that I had made it through the day safely.

Because the work wasn’t over yet.

I made a call.

-‘Hello?’

“Can we meet for a moment, Saint?”

—

Right now, I had three things I was most curious about.

First, why did Veronica come here?

Second, why did she not come officially and made an unofficial visit instead?

Third, what the hell did her earlier words mean?

“I need to know the first and second things right now.”

“Eh, why do men inquire about everything? Not attractive at all.”

“Stop joking around, Saint.”

I absolutely had to hear an answer. Veronica was a precious asset of mine, so if something had happened to her, I needed to grasp whatever the issue was.

“Well, I appreciate the intention to help, but I’m not so lacking that I would need to lean on someone else.”

“Then why are you out here meeting in the hallway instead of in a room with a listening device?”

“Okay. That’s enough there.”

Veronica waved her hands, as if recalling an embarrassing memory, and then held her forehead.

“Babe, let’s not talk about things like that anymore. We’re not strangers, after all….”

“Don’t label me that charmingly. So why exactly did you come?”

“Wait a second. Before we discuss the work, let’s ask something.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Are you lacking in mood, Major?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Giving her a frigid stare as she pulled her audacious stunt, Veronica whined while pointing around.

“No! Why meet in the hallway instead of booking a room?!”

She shouted, pointing at the hallway we were standing in. I shrugged as if to ask what the problem was.

“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

“What kind of man calls a woman to the hallway instead of a room?”

“Me.”

“…….”

Veronica looked like she had met a madman as she sighed in despair.

I exhaled loudly and explained calmly why.

“Honestly, it’s safer to meet here. The hallway is safer than a room that might have a listening device at least.”

“Hasn’t the Inquisition and the Kingdom’s agencies searched everywhere already? Where would a listening device be?”

“No idea.”

You can install a listening device if you set your mind to it.

You could bribe hotel staff to set it up, stuff it into clothing or furniture by bribing cleaning staff, or if needed, an agent could walk in, install it, and walk out.

To be honest, setting up a listening device isn’t hard at all. Keeping surveillance with eavesdroppers is much trickier. Unlike installation, eavesdropping requires manpower and time—you can’t just throw money at it.

That’s why, generally, listening devices are set up in rooms and not in hallways. There aren’t enough people around.

Once I explained this background, Veronica, a former Imperial Guard information agent, shared her thoughts.

“Major.”

“Yes?”

“Do you happen to have a mental illness? I’m asking seriously. How can you live like that? That’s sheer paranoia….”

“I know, because I’ve been through it. Anyway, hurry up and tell me why you came here.”

I gestured at her impatiently with my arms crossed, and looking deflated, Veronica let out a weary laugh and finally began to speak.

“I came to convey some intel. Remember the last time? The thing about something happening at the Magic Tower?”

“Yes, I remember.”

I nodded.

Thankfully it didn’t seem like she was in trouble. At least, I wouldn’t have to cut ties with her here, which was a relief.

So I listened with a comfortable heart as Veronica passed on the information.

“I was hoping to find out what our magic users are up to-.”

“They’re declaring independence.”

“Excuse me? Who?”

“The Magic Tower.”

“The Magic Tower? Independence?”

“Yes.”

“…Damn.”

This is a complete disaster.

 

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