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I finally took a break after a long time, but people came to visit. They were my colleagues.

Though I was flustered by the sudden visit, I thought it wouldn’t be polite to leave my guests standing outside, so I let them in.

“Please, come in.”

Beyond my daze, I could hear the sound of suitcases being dragged.

A flurry of handshake requests followed.

Starting with Camila, then Lucia, and Francesca. The guests who came to see Abas greeted me warmly, and I stood at the entrance in a daze, shaking hands with them.

“It’s been a while. I was worried since I hadn’t heard from you for a week, but you seem okay.”

“My official duties kept me busy… my apologies, Saint Lucia.”

“Are you feeling well, Colonel?”

“Yes, no problems here, Administrator.”

My colleagues, whom I hadn’t seen in a week, welcomed me with cheerful faces. Lucia and Francesca briefly exchanged greetings before presenting me with gifts.

“I’m sorry for showing up uninvited. This is tea made from herbs cultivated at the Cataline Monastery.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have….”

Herbal tea cultivated and blessed by monks at a famous monastery, wine from Patalia known for its unique color and sweetness, a tea set crafted by artisans, and honey from Viskir rumored to be more expensive than gold of the same weight, among other things.

Suddenly overwhelmed by the unexpected guests and their bundles of gifts, I offered to bring them tea and guided them to the reception room before hastily making my way to the kitchen.

“……”

What on earth is happening here?

—

When someone is too flustered, they can momentarily lose their ability to speak and their mind goes blank. That’s exactly what I was experiencing right now.

I had just woken up only to find that people who should have been at the Magic Tower had come straight to Abas. Not just came randomly, but they found exactly where I was. There hadn’t been any prior notice, nor had I received any message from the agency.

I placed a kettle of water on the stove and picked up the phone in the kitchen as I fell deep into thought, unsure of whom I should reach out to. I didn’t know who to contact or how to explain this situation.

“Are you okay?”

“…Camila?”

*

“I came to see if you needed help. Is there anything you need?”

Camila blinked her bright blue eyes and asked. I shook my head lightly and pulled out the tea leaves from the cupboard.

As the kettle began to whistle with steam, I finished my thoughts, dumped in the tea leaves, and opened my mouth.

“So, what brings you here suddenly? Weren’t you at the Magic Tower? I didn’t hear a thing about your coming.”

“I was worried. It’s been over a week since someone returned to their home, and there hasn’t been any news of a safe arrival.”

Camila responded as if questioning why I was asking such an obvious thing.

As I thought about it, it suddenly dawned on me that since my return, I hadn’t contacted anyone. To be precise, according to the regulations of the Military Intelligence Agency, those under internal audit can’t communicate with anyone, so I could not share any news.

So, that’s why they came all the way to Abas.

I let out a sigh of relief and took out four tea cups.

“Oh, I thought something serious had happened. I had to deal with something urgent, so I couldn’t contact you. I was in a situation where I couldn’t communicate with the outside.”

“Oh, this is totally like a movie scenario! Can you tell me what happened?”

“It’s classified.”

“Che.”

Camila clicked her tongue briefly, clearly expressing her disappointment at my boring reply.

“As I continually remind you, it’s better to not get involved in this kind of business, you know? So many lives have ended poorly because they got mixed up with this….”

“Seems like it’s a bit too late to say that.”

“You act like a full-time employee when you’ve only been an intern. Enough with the jokes; just help me out!”

Camila and I began preparing refreshments in the kitchen to serve to our guests. True to her British self, as soon as Camila opened the fridge and cupboard, she found desserts that matched the tea.

“Oh, these biscuits are like Digestives? My favorite!”

“Camila, is there any cookie you don’t like? You practically live on sweets every day.”

“Not every day!”

“Ah, right….”

If she says so, then I guess that’s her reality.

I shook my head, grabbed some milk to make milk tea, while Camila, pouting slightly, retrieved a cookie from the cupboard.

“I’ll go with this one.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve never seen it before, but it looks like a Scotch Finger. It’s what I ate the most when I went to Australia….”

“Australia? Camila, have you been there?”

“Yes.”

“Did you perhaps go there to recolonize it or something?”

-Smack!

The girl from the now lesser British Empire kicked my shin. I tenderly rubbed my knee, while Camila huffed like a person with a trigger pressed.

“What do you mean colonize? I went there to interact with Australians during my internship! What ancient topic are you even bringing up!”

“Well, it’s just funny that a person from the country with the most independent anniversaries….”

“Ugh, seriously! Can you just be quiet!?”

Whether out of embarrassment from the British Empire’s past or not, Camila turned red and covered my mouth. Being white must have made her face really stand out.

By the way, it sounds like she visited Australia during her SIS internship. I know that intelligence agencies of the Commonwealth engage in active exchanges, so that must have been why she went there on a business trip.

Leaving behind Camila, who was trying to put a scare into me for mentioning colonization one more time, I finished preparing the tea and got ready to bring it to the reception room.

Even as I was doing that, I noticed that Camila couldn’t suppress her chattiness and stuck by my side, continuously rattling on about various topics.

“The Magic Tower is much different from what I imagined.”

“What did you imagine it to be?”

“I thought ‘Magic Tower’ would look like Isengard. Have you seen The Lord of the Rings?”

“It’s a masterpiece of the century. One of the movies I’ve watched a lot when I had nothing else to do overseas.”

“Actually, I was imagining it to be more like Hogwarts…. Well, there’s nothing particularly special about it though. There weren’t even that many fairies here.”

Camila seemed to find many differences between the fantasy world she pictured from her movies and the world we were in now. She kept comparing the fantasy worlds from the movies she loved with this place.

The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Thor, the Chronicles of Narnia, The Witcher, Bright, and so on. It seems like she even mixed in some dramas.

“Oh, by the way, on my way here, I saw someone who looked like Thanos.”

“Thanos…? The purple alien?”

“Well, his skin wasn’t exactly purple, but he looked similar to the actor.”

“That person. Where did you meet them?”

“At the airport? No, did I see them earlier…?”

Camila tilted her head, as if she had met someone who looked similar nearby.

I quietly set down the teapot and moved to the window, scanning the area around the townhouse.

It was far past the weekday commuting hour. In this densely populated residential area devoid of shops or offices, there weren’t many cars or pedestrians on the streets, making it easy for me to distinguish between civilians going about their business and the handlers loitering nearby.

There were three of them. One was in the driver’s seat of a car, another was next to a payphone, and the last one stood on the sidewalk beyond a parked vehicle.

As I examined the handlers, I verified the last one’s face and realized why Camila described him as “someone who looks like Thanos.”

His hair was full, but his face was strikingly similar.

“…Camila. I’ve put the car and snacks on a tray, so please take them and go ahead. I’ll just step upstairs for a moment.”

I nudged Camila toward the living room before drawing the curtains and heading upstairs.

*

As I came down, a fragrant whiff of black tea wafted through the air.

I adjusted my outer garment as I stepped into the living room.

“I’m sorry for being late. A pressing matter came to mind.”

“No, it’s quite alright. We feel more apologetic since you came without notice.”

Lucia smiled gently, seeming rather kind, and waved her hand dismissively.

“It seems this is the first time we’ve met outside the Magic Tower. Is this your first visit to Abas?”

“Indeed. It feels like it’s been a week already, Colonel.”

Francesca also smiled lightly and chimed in.

I exchanged pleasantries with the two before quietly drawing the curtains and taking a seat.

What caught my eye first was their attire.

Lucia, who usually donned a plain uniform similar to a priest’s robe to avoid political controversy, was rarely seen in a turtle neck shirt that looked like actual civilian wear.

Francesca, true to her magician status, typically wore a cape, but today she had set it aside, donning just a white shirt with a cardigan.

“I don’t think I’ve seen both of you in civilian clothes before.”

“I quite like this outfit, but it’s a gift, so I can’t wear it often, which is unfortunate.”

“It seems it was a present from someone special. It suits you, Saint.”

It must have been an outfit gifted to her by Veronica.

Lucia smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Likewise, Francesca smiled and nodded in agreement, while Camila…

“Nom nom nom.”

Was lost in tea and cookies.

I almost wanted to say, “When are you going to care about your weight?” but held back, noticing others eyes on her. Today, I decided to let her enjoy herself.

“It’s nice to see you from Abas. I’ve heard from Camila that you couldn’t get in touch, so you came?”

“Yes.”

“With public duties keeping me busy, I couldn’t reach out. If you had at least contacted the representative office, I could have gone to greet you, which is regrettable.”

I laughed lightly and raised my teacup.

The three of them seemed to have entered without a visa. Given that a saint from the cult could typically enter without a visa, and Patalia was a friendly nation that didn’t require one, it made sense. Camila could go anywhere in the world, whether she had money or not.

“…”

Taking a sip of my black tea, I pondered.

By now, the Foreign Affairs Ministry must’ve gone into a frenzy. It was rather strange that there hadn’t been any alarm when both a saint and a hero entered without a word. The same could be said for the Information Agency. Since Francesca was a closely monitored subject by the National Security Agency, the officers from Patalia’s embassy likely began to stir as soon as they received word. Naturally, Abas’s Information Agency would also be on high alert.

This is why high-ranking individuals should always communicate their whereabouts beforehand. It seemed Camila, Lucia, and Francesca hadn’t thought that far.

In any case, they were reckless troublemakers.

At this point, I could vaguely picture the situation at the company. A video wouldn’t even be necessary.

All the operational personnel would have rushed out, team leaders would be pushing the juniors for quick updates, and office staff would be frantically on the phone trying to figure out what had happened.

Of course, none of that was my concern.

“I apologize for inadvertently causing you concern. By the way, where is Saint Veronica right now…?”

“Oh, she has also come.”

Saint Lucia of the Cult mentioned the whereabouts of the 58th Saint Veronica. As if a habit remained from accompanying Veronica, Lucia naturally used honorifics in private.

“She went to the embassy for a moment. She’ll be here shortly.”

I let out a short sigh and nodded.

Having gone to the embassy, it seemed Veronica was dealing with their entry issues.

To think they all came rushing here just because of a mere few days without contact. We’re not the Oomikwan gang for goodness’ sake, what on earth…?

“Anyway, contrary to my concerns, it seems you’re all fine, so I’m relieved. It must have been an overreaction.”

“Haha, well, it was indeed my oversight for not contacting you. By the way… what do you plan to do now?”

I cautiously asked while glancing at the neatly placed suitcase and travel bags in the corner of the living room.

Putting aside the fact they came after not being in touch, what I couldn’t understand was why they brought so much luggage. I felt uneasy.

With my anxious heart, I was scanning the room, and inevitably, a thunderous bombshell tumbled from Francesca’s mouth.

“We’re here for a vacation. None of us has had a break for months.”

“Excuse me?”

“I thought it would be nice to take a break together since the Colonel was granted vacation… Have you not taken your vacation yet…?”

“No, that’s not the issue. Who said I was on vacation?”

“Well, of course, it must be Saint Veronica…”

“…”

“Is there a problem?”

“…No problem.”

Probably.

“…”

On the first day of my vacation after months of waiting, an unplanned travel plan had been set.

 

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