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The smell of alcohol brought back old memories.

When I closed my eyes, what I saw was a funeral parlor. The sad fragrance rising from the fallen ashes.

My mother, crying with swollen eyes, my grandmother comforting her softly. My grandfather, silently bowing his head. My father, smiling brightly. The dark green soju bottle. An ashtray overflowing.

Occasional visitors didn’t bother to sign the guestbook; they just stuffed white envelopes into the condolence box. Then they would bow twice before the portrait and scatter to greet the family.

Sitting against the wall, I didn’t even have the strength to cry out loud. The passing adults would pat my head with a bitter expression.

As I sobbed myself to exhaustion, sleep would wash over me. I would close my eyes, looking at the small badge in my hand.

When I closed my eyes, what I saw was a funeral parlor. The sad fragrance rising from the fallen ashes.

When sleep would take over from crying, what would reflect on my retina was…

Always…

A small torch.

—

Episode 6 – The Betrayer of the Revolution

The common trait of alcohol and cigarettes is that they are harmful to the body.

Cigarettes wreck the lungs, impairing function, while alcohol destroys the liver, leaving one weary. Both even come with withdrawal symptoms. An alcoholic shakes like a leaf, and a nicotine addict suffers from a constant headache.

So, I didn’t smoke or drink. More accurately, I quit. 28 years ago.

Thinking back to the days when I yelled in the early morning and cooked pancakes on a telephone pole, an overwhelming shame would wash over me, waking me from sleep. Especially cigarettes. I wouldn’t mind normally, but during training, I would run out quickly, begging my colleagues or juniors for just one.

The salary for a newbie officer wasn’t much, but I’d smoke every day, leaving me with nothing. Even the entire unit was made up of heavy smokers, so whenever we went on long training missions, everyone would be restless once cigarettes ran out.

Watching people scramble for cigarettes was akin to a noble beast kingdom. Of course, I was one of those beasts.

Looking back now, it was a truly shameful act.

“So, there’s no one as insane as a person who does both drinking and smoking. Spending money to harm one’s health, what on earth is that? And when a person is drunk, they should be gracefully intoxicated, not rolling around in the sand. What’s that all about?”

As I grumbled like a proper old geezer, Veronica, sitting across from me, sniffled with a scoff.

I clattered the frying pan, clicking my tongue.

“See? That’s how a person becomes when they smoke!”

“…It’s a cold.”

“You catch a cold from sleeping outside after drinking.”

“…Shut up.”

Knowing she was embarrassed, her voice trailed off. There was even a slight nasal quality to it.

Ignoring Veronica’s whining, I plated the food from the frying pan. Today’s breakfast menu was quite simple.

“Eat up.”

“What’s on the menu?”

“Toast, pancakes, fried eggs, sausage, bacon….”

I summed up the breakfast options succinctly.

“Ah, I don’t know. Just think of it as military ration.”

In fact, that was pretty accurate. The breakfast military diet here was like that, and I had eaten a lot of it back when I was in the army. Although it wasn’t cooked by a cook or a civilian chef but rather whipped up by a junior on the side.

I dished out the remaining food from the frying pan and sat down.

“Eat.”

“Aren’t you going to work?”

“After causing such a commotion, what work is there to do?”

For reference, today’s schedule was essentially wiped. The stitches binding up the wound on my side had burst, so working was out of the question. The 73rd task force didn’t have so much work that it would come to a standstill just because I took a day off.

Of course, a day off felt good, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant knowing it was hard-won rest from enduring a drunken mess. So, I wore a sullen expression as I pierced a sausage with my fork, when Veronica asked in a whiny voice.

“Why the long face?”

“Are you seriously asking that?”

“Ugh….”

Her voice was annoyingly bratty, to the point I wanted to smack her.

“I didn’t call you to drink… What the hell is this….”

“Stop whining and eat, Saint.”

With a glum expression, Veronica shoveled food into her mouth. Of course, her expression only looked glum. Just looked.

Leaving whiny Veronica behind, I pulled out my prepaid phone and security device to check morning intel.

The first thing that caught my eye was intelligence from another branch.

[12 agents from the Kien Empire Reconnaissance Command entered the Lushan Federation. Tracking failed.]

[5 presumed male reconnaissance agents utilized the Warp Gate at local time 0830. Destination unknown. Passport copies attached.]

[Unidentified goods from the Kien Empire en route to the Magic Tower. Customs documentation not verifiable.]

[Decrease in sensitive communications from the Kien Empire representative at the Magic Tower. Eavesdropping materials attached.]

It seemed the Empire folks were up to something. However, I couldn’t be sure if they would carry on business at the Magic Tower. The intel was simply lacking.

I pressed the buttons repeatedly, checking if any useful intelligence had come in.

Military cooperation trends report, election trends and situation analysis, military police’s introduction project ROC (Operational Requirement Characteristics), newly developed military magic techniques, updated ocean monster habitat location data, significant international military intelligence and current affairs, major trends in international terrorism, and weekly observations on key figures from the Kien Empire, among others.

Certainly, there was a lot of information, but not one bit of it was what I needed. Whether another country held elections or not, how did that concern me? Whatever rifles a foreign army ordered or what new magic was developed was of no importance whatsoever.

I shuffled back and forth between my prepaid phone and security device, searching for any relevant information.

[Francesca Ranieri not staying at a hotel. Likely on-duty at the Secretariat.]

[Magic Tower Information Police Camila Lowell missed during surveillance. Attempted to report to the Commander via radio but received no response.]

[Lucia on an outing. Reason for outing is medical volunteer work. Magic Tower Information Police and local security firm protection. Area of activity and security details attached.]

The alchemist hadn’t shown up at the hotel due to working overtime, and Lucia had gone off for medical volunteer work in the slums. Camila had gone out, but the Magic Tower police had missed her. Useless idiots. How hard could it be to follow one civilian?

“…Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue, putting down the prepaid phone and security device. Just then, sensing a presence beside me, I turned slightly to find Veronica had crept up next to me, holding bacon in her mouth while staring at the screen.

Nom.

“What on earth are you looking at?”

“The device.”

“……”

Suddenly, my neck stiffened. I raised my hand to smack Veronica down.

—

Before my eyes, the blue sea and sky filled the living room.

The sky was high, the horses fattening for the season.

It was autumn.

—

“You’re gonna make my eyeballs pop out!”

“I’m perfectly fine!”

After tidying up after breakfast, I sprawled out comfortably on the large sofa.

I lay sprawled out.

It wasn’t my home, but to be exact, it wasn’t Veronica’s house either (it was under a different name), so I didn’t need her permission.

I had already informed the embassy that I would take a day off, and since I could check business reports or intelligence updates on the secure terminal, I decided to relax today.

The living room offered a breathtaking view.

The magic adjusted the indoor temperature to optimal conditions, and the high-end sofa was soft and plush.

It was the perfect house for a day of rest. Plus, it didn’t cost me a dime.

Truly, the conditions were to my liking. I thought back on it again.

If only that chatterbox over there weren’t around.

“Colonel, why are you sprawled out here like this?”

“Uh, let me just get some sleep. I’m hurt.”

The stitches from the gunshot I received last night had burst open, and I was struggling to deal with it. While I’ve seen my fair share of stabbings, I had never been shot before. How on earth was I supposed to patch a gunshot wound?

Anyway, all of this was Veronica’s fault. Why did she have to go and get drunk and make a scene?

Tsk.

“Hey! When a person is talking, shouldn’t you at least sit up and look at them?”

“Ugh, just go away. It’s exhausting carrying someone around like this. I’m dead tired, just leave me alone.”

Waving her hand dismissively, Veronica stared at me with a look of disbelief.

Her attitude was so bold; I couldn’t help but feel ridiculous just watching her.

“What’s up? Are you going to drink again?”

“…I’m done.”

Veronica plopped down next to the sofa, her pouty face lighting up as she took out her mobile phone and started tapping away.

“Why isn’t this person answering me…?”

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh.”

Wondering what kind of nonsense she was spouting, I asked, and Veronica shook her phone at me. It looked like an old 2G model.

In Korea, no one would even want that outdated phone, but I’d seen plenty like it. In the streets of the Third World, those kinds of old models were everywhere, and sometimes spies on the field specifically sought out such models. They were somewhat secure, plus they were meant to be disposable anyway.

But that was the latest phone in this area. That’s how behind they were—no internet and all.

“I’m supposed to meet someone today. Actually, I was going to introduce you….”

“To whom?”

“To you, Colonel.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah.”

I was at a loss for words.

“Why are you introducing me to someone? I never asked for that!”

“Oh, you know, the thing I mentioned last time.”

Veronica was my information agent.

And recently, the only story she had shared with me was about a coup at the Magic Tower.

“……”

An info agent’s info agent.

I had never asked for an introduction, so I wasn’t too thrilled about her suddenly bringing someone along. She kept showing signs of being out of control. I couldn’t tell if the Imperial Guard HQ had spoiled her or if she was just like this naturally.

As I lay back on the sofa, trying to think, I could hear Veronica chattering away.

“I was originally going to make the connection yesterday, but suddenly I lost contact with them last night. I wonder if something happened?”

“……”

From a handler’s perspective, if an asset suddenly went quiet, it was considered an incident. It was fine for a day, but if they didn’t show up for an appointment, that probably meant trouble.

-♪!

A sudden ringtone interrupted my thoughts. Veronica, who had been muttering to herself, looked at me.

“What’s that phone ringing for? Did you have an appointment with someone?”

“No, it’s probably just an urgent call, but I don’t have any appointments.”

Who could it be?

From the sound, it was a prepaid phone call. So, a work-related call. I searched for my mobile while still reclining awkwardly on the sofa. Somehow, I had stuffed it into my left pocket, so I shoved my relatively uninjured right hand into the left pocket to grab the prepaid phone.

On the small display of the prepaid phone was a familiar but unknown number.

“……”

Without saying a word, I got up from the sofa and pressed the call button.

Click.

“Hey! Long time no see, Sofia.”

-‘Nice to hear from you, Merlo. How have you been?’

“Where are you?”

It was a call from Sofia.

-‘Me? I’m just outside the Magic Tower for a bit.’

“Don’t tell me you’re in the Empire? You aren’t being tapped, right?”

-‘Calling from the tower isn’t an international call, so don’t worry.’

That’s true.

Still, I wondered why that elusive person was calling me.

“Why are you calling?”

-‘Are you free today?’

“What?”

-‘We picked up something interesting on our intel network today. Someone from the Magic Tower met a Private Enterprise of Abas executive.’

“And?”

-‘That person is a civil servant at the Magic Tower. I think you might know them.’

The investigator from the National Security Agency, Sofia, said.

-‘Francesca Ranieri just showed up here.’

“…Where are you right now?”

-‘I’ll send you the address; if you can, come over.’

 

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