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텅!

The sound of the van door slamming shut reverberated loudly.

Special Activities Department Operations Agents pulled Fabio Verati out of the vehicle, and Counterintelligence Investigators took over, dragging him inside the undercover office.

I tossed my clothes, gloves, and the now empty roll of cellophane tape into the trash can and activated the rune stone.

– 화르륵!

A small flame flared up beside the van.

I looked at the burning evidence with a blank expression.

As I stared into the fire in silence for some time, team leaders had already approached me.

Breaking the silence, I addressed the gathered team leaders.

“Prepare for interrogation.”

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

In broad daylight, we successfully executed the operation of kidnapping a civil servant…

In a busy intersection filled with passersby, I knocked Fabio Verati unconscious with a baseball bat and abducted him.

From a rational standpoint, this operation had multiple flaws.

It was blatantly a crime to kidnap a local civil servant, I was the Defense Attaché registered at the Magic Tower, and we had more than a dozen witnesses. Setting aside diplomatic issues, it wouldn’t be a problem at all if the Magic Tower’s counterintelligence agency and police crashed into my hotel room and arrested me.

To an outsider, it would just seem like a madman committed a freaky crime. How could someone ruthlessly assault a person on the street and then cram them into a van? A civil servant, no less.

This was something that a person with a normal mindset could hardly do.

If they were a normal person, that is.

“What are you doing?”

I asked Pippin as I flipped through TV channels.

She was pacing around the office with quite the face, while analysts in working uniforms were sitting silently at their desks.

After a serious pause, one of the analysts spoke.

“Th-this is bad…! Aren’t we screwed?!”

“Hey, just because we’re close doesn’t mean you can say that. I’m still a Major…”

“Is now the time to be talking about ranks?!”

“Geez, you’ve turned into an old man in the back room…”

I lounged on the office sofa, watching TV while Pippin ambled around, expressing her feelings.

“Why did they suddenly call all the staff without any explanation, and then hit 51 with a bat to kidnap him?! What the hell!”

Just then, the TV news was reporting on the incident Pippin mentioned.

[…Breaking news: This morning around 11 AM, a man walking down a street on the outskirts of Trinity was kidnapped. Numerous passersby witnessed the man collapsing in pain. The suspect, presumed to be male, wearing a mask and hat, ruthlessly assaulted the man…]

My figure was captured by illegal flight enforcement cameras, broadcast live.

I was depicted with a black hat and scarf covering my face, knocking Fabio Verati unconscious with a baseball bat, then ruthlessly striking him as he lay on the ground.

I sipped sparkling water while watching the news.

“It didn’t seem like much when I swung it, but now I see my posture was off, huh? Maybe because my left shoulder is hurt…”

“Is that really important right now?!”

BAM!

Pippin hollered at me in a soprano pitch.

Just as I was about to tell her to lower her voice because complaints were coming in from next door, someone barged through the door.

Bronze skin, yellow hair.

It was Jake.

“Have you seen the news?!”

“Yeah, what are you doing? Sit down.”

“That’s you, right, Manager?! I mean, it has to be you!?”

“Yeah. Is this your first time seeing a secret operation? Why the fuss?”

He rushed into the office and stammered while pointing at the TV.

Just then, the news switched to a field reporter on the scene.

[The suspect violently struck the victim with a blunt object here. The victim lost consciousness but the assault did not stop. The suspect loaded the collapsed victim into a vehicle and fled the scene as horrified citizens looked on.]

[The blood splattered everywhere. After getting out of the van, the suspect mercilessly beat him with a baseball bat until he fainted, then threw away the bat and escaped in the van.]

[The police are currently identifying the victim and tracking down the suspect and accomplices. They are analyzing fingerprints and magic residue found on the weapon…]

“That’s gotta be okay, right?!”

“Did you wear gloves? Huh?”

In the noisy office, I carefully reclined on the sofa, trying to keep my shoulder from moving.

“…It’s fine, but lower your voice.”

“What’s fine about it?”

And while I quietly closed my eyes, I answered the questions from my subordinates.

“The fingerprints on the bat…”

“Huh?”

“Those aren’t my fingerprints…”

*

Society constantly changes according to cultural, religious, historical, economic, and political environments, but the neighborhoods where people live all share common features.

Their mindset.

The logic behind actions, the fundamental basis of life.

Sometimes it becomes a way of life, but it can also turn into shackles that hold a person back. In a word, a double-edged sword.

People adapt themselves to the mold of society, ultimately trapping themselves within it, suppressing free thought and activity.

And breaking that mold is the very criterion that determines the level of an information agent in an information agency.

And police are, after all, people.

What governs a person’s brain is customs and culture, while knowledge and experience govern a police officer’s brain.

So,

“Sorry to interrupt you during your busy time.”

“It’s alright, I was just about to contact you after watching the news.”

If you understand people,

Manipulating them is a very simple task.

“Well then, let’s all sit down. It seems this will be a long conversation if we stand.”

“Yes, please excuse me for a moment.”

I met with police investigators in the heavily guarded hotel lobby.

Two were detectives from the police station, and the other was an information police officer stationed at the hotel.

“I received contact from the Foreign Affairs Division. The victim was the father of the previously kidnapped victim you met, correct?”

“That’s right, Colonel. If you collaborate with us this time, we….”

“No, it’s fine. You don’t need to go that far… Of course, we should help each other.”

As soon as Fabio Verati was kidnapped, the police came right to me.

While the Magic Tower police might suspect me as a suspect, I judged that I was at least not the prime suspect, given that there was a larger suspect already out there.

“First of all, I apologize for the unfortunate incident that happened at the hotel last time. I heard you got caught in a shootout… I’m really sorry.”

“I was actually debating whether to report that issue, so I appreciate your condoning my feelings. I’ve also received a briefing from our representatives about the situation. Did it involve the intelligence department?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions, but… it seems like it might. We are currently investigating, so we can’t provide too much detail.”

“Haha, that’s alright.”

I masked the unfriendliness of the Magic Tower police in the face of their failure to show up during the shootout in the hotel with a smile.

They too were part of…

They politely escorted me to the hotel lobby instead of the police station. Even a high-ranking officer showed up with a gift bundle.

Anyway.

“So… does the current investigation authority believe this kidnapping is a crime committed by mysterious thugs?”

“Well, that’s a given.”

All accusations fell onto the mysterious thugs who raided the hotel. To be precise, I put the blame on them.

Since there had already been a previous incident where armed individuals stormed the hotel for the purpose of kidnapping, the most likely suspects in the eyes of the police were precisely those same thugs.

I had a vague idea of the identities of those thugs. Although I couldn’t secure physical evidence since the bodies were taken to the Magic Tower, I collected a variety of evidence indicating the involvement of the Kien Empire’s Reconnaissance Command through Dmitri’s intel and the Military Intelligence Agency’s internal network.

I have no clue why the Reconnaissance Command would want to secure Fabio Verati. I’m no oracle, after all.

The important thing is that the Reconnaissance Command raided the hotel, and both the Magic Tower Information Authority and the police were aware of that fact.

So, I could pin the blame on them.

“In my personal opinion, I think it’s probably related to the thugs who raided the hotel.”

“Can you testify to what happened at the hotel?”

“Ah, yes, for starters….”

I confidently fed misinformation to the Magic Tower police.

Officially, it’s called disinformation operation. It’s about leaking false information to confuse the investigation. A technique used by well-known intelligence agencies. There was a time when the KGB faked US State Department documents, ruining diplomatic relations in South America, and the National Intelligence Service also spread North Korean weapons in African conflict zones to mess up North Korea’s diplomatic efforts there.

It’s a downright dirty trick from the victim’s perspective, but who cares?

Intelligence agencies operate for national interest, not public good. To serve the country, they steal secrets and involve people. That’s what they were created for.

So, in this field, truth doesn’t matter. What’s really important isn’t what happened, but rather how the incident is perceived.

It’s not about who did it; it’s about who looks like they did.

That’s the essence of every disinformation campaign.

Of course, all of this was merely my personal opinion, and while there were accusations, there was not a single piece of direct evidence.

But,

“…I’ve heard that a blunt instrument used in the crime was found at the scene. Was there anything that came up?”

“According to our investigation, a large amount of fingerprints were detected. We’re currently identifying the suspect based on that.”

If there’s no evidence, you just have to create it.

A travel agency office suspected to be a front for the Reconnaissance Command. The fingerprints collected from the safe discovered there?

The baseball bat with traces found was from that place.

So, it was only natural that I would avoid being a suspect in front of the Magic Tower police.

“Based on relationships and debt relations, we have various people listed as suspects, but currently, the armed thugs involved in the shootout are the most likely culprits.”

That was very natural.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“For now, please trust us with this issue. We will be increasing security around the hotel where you are currently staying. We will coordinate the details with the Abas embassy.”

So then.

All of this was a message I was sending to those thugs who shot at me and sharpened my blade,

“Understood.”

It’s a trap.

*

“Hey, I heard you’ve been investigated? Good job.”

“Not at all. In fact, the staff at headquarters worked harder.”

After finishing the police inquiry and returning to my hotel room, I had a conversation with Clevenz.

“I heard through the Foreign Intelligence Office. You deceived the police?”

“More than deceived, hmm… it was a disinformation operation.”

“Isn’t that the same thing? Well, terminology doesn’t matter. But judging by the official documents sent by the police, it seems like the disinformation flowed in well.”

“That’s a relief.”

As I pulled out a small ice dragon from the fridge, cool air wafted out. They said it was a spirit. I should save up to get one of those.

From beyond the secure line, I could hear Clevenz sit down in his chair, the chair squeaking in protest.

“Don’t you oil your chair?”

“It’s so old that oiling it is pointless.”

“Oh dear. Why don’t you apply for some replacement supplies…?”

“The advisor did, but it got rejected because we need to save on the budget. The Ministry of Finance complains that they’ve spent too much….”

“Ah….”

So it seems even the Information Agency has to bow down to the Ministry of Finance. Money is everything, after all.

How much could it possibly cost to replace a single office item? I can’t understand how the Military Intelligence Agency’s budget operates.

“Anyway, the movements of the Reconnaissance Command are being jointly monitored by the Empire and the Magic Tower diplomatic missions, so don’t worry about that for now. I’ll be receiving intelligence updates through the secure line daily, so no need to fret.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

“Well… that’s enough Empire talk for now. Have you identified the superiors of Case 51?”

“I’ve laid the groundwork through the Magic Tower’s representative office, academic journals, and news outlets.”

I sank into the sofa, looking down at the opened report.

It was a document on the Magic Tower intelligence agency created by the information analysis team led by Pippin, processed from publicly available intelligence.

“Due to lack of information, I couldn’t identify the specific details, but I’ve compiled a list of the director of development and the personnel underneath them.”

“Still lacking in specifics?”

“I plan to interrogate the Case 51 subject soon, so more information should come out shortly.”

“Looks like it’s all coming to an end. Wrap things up for now and go take a rest.”

“Yes, you go ahead.”

I set the phone down on the table after the call ended.

Next to the device that encrypts communication in real-time were reports raised by the 73rd project team and documents sent by overseas intelligence officers.

Reports on the Magic Tower’s government agency wiretapping, personal information of employees who contacted Fabio Verati, a report on the movements of Fabio Verati’s relatives, a National Security Agency movement report, and a report on Fabio Verati’s youngest daughter, among others.

“…….”

Crunch. Crunch.

I organized the reports and stuffed them into the secret compartment of my bag. Chewing on a walnut, I glanced at the interior of the compartment.

I pulled out the device halfway through and called the safe house.

“…Hello?”

“This is the security team’s switchboard.”

“Hey, Gordon. Long time no see. How have you been?”

“I’m doing well, Manager.”

“I see. Have you finished all your preparations?”

“Yes, we’ve completed the preparations for interrogating Case 51.”

I tossed a few documents into the secret compartment and closed the bag.

“I’m on my way now.”

 

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