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“Too many words and troubles; the Magic Tower mission has wrapped up. We’re about to head back to the Empire, so Pippin and Jake have finished their preparations and returned.”

We sat comfortably around the table, munching on pizza.

Pippin and Jake, having dropped off the luggage they had brought, each held a slice of pizza and chuckled.

“Isn’t it great to be back home?”

“Yeah, definitely. It’s good to be back. The prices at the Magic Tower have been outrageous lately.”

Jake shook the hot sauce bottle a few times before passing it to Pippin. She carelessly drizzled it over her pizza and took a big bite.

*munch munch*

“There’s no place like home. The Embassy is a tough gig, though. I don’t understand why there’s so much work.”

“Well, it’s an embassy, so what can you expect? As if I wasn’t struggling? Constantly being asked to analyze this, provide more materials for that….”

“That’s why you couldn’t leave on time.”

“Right.”

As Pippin continued to grumble, she shivered and frowned.

“Hey, hey, let’s not talk about work while eating. It might ruin my appetite.”

I tilted my head while pouring a soft drink.

“Isn’t that all we ever talk about? I can’t remember the last time we discussed anything other than work.”

Jake chimed in, “That’s because the Colonel is just an introvert…”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

—

### Episode 10 – Alter Course to the North-Northwest

After finishing a pizza, we quenched our thirst with our respective drinks. Pippin and Jake were giggling with their cups filled with ice, while I pulled out a cigarette.

“Colonel, do you smoke?”

“Yeah.”

Pippin looked at me curiously while sipping her drink. In a world full of smokers, it wasn’t really that weird, but my subordinates seemed fascinated that I smoked.

Jake said, “The guy who wouldn’t even touch a cigarette… How on earth did you start smoking?”

“Good question.”

Thinking back, I realized my smoking habit started in the military. More specifically, it began after joining Military Intelligence. I had never given cigarettes a second thought in college, nor had I ever been to a smoking area during my time as a squad leader. So it must have been Military Intelligence.

“What’s on your agenda, Colonel?”

“Me? Just resting a bit, and I’m slowly starting to prepare for my next business trip.”

“Oh, to the Empire?”

I nodded.

Pippin continued, “I heard from the representatives that the Empire’s construction companies will be participating in the Magic Tower reconstruction project.”

“Wasn’t that for Lushan? I heard from the Ministry of Finance that Patalia seems to be aiming for the contract too.”

The project to rebuild the infrastructure of the recently damaged Magic Tower was initially supposed to be undertaken by the Lushan Federation and Patalia. To be specific, those two countries had lobbied to secure the rights to the project.

And now, the Kien Empire suddenly wants to jump in?

“Officials are puzzled too. The Empire wasn’t part of the original plan, but now that they’ve stepped in, everyone seems to be in a tough spot.”

“That makes sense. The Magic Tower is right in the Empire’s territory.”

“But considering the situation in the North, shouldn’t the Empire be focusing on getting their own house in order instead? There are plenty of sabotaged infrastructures: railways, power plants, terminals. It doesn’t make sense to help put out someone else’s fire while their own house is burning….”

Jake answered Pippin’s question with a grunt as he chewed a piece of dough.

“They say the damage in the North isn’t too severe, right? Sure, the infrastructure has suffered, but overall, things are still manageable up North. Well, aside from a few casualties.”

“That’s just what the public broadcast is reporting, Jake. Do you really believe that?”

“Of course not. How could I?”

As I stretched the cheese and thought for a moment, I realized that the OSINT method of gathering intelligence through media and public reports is vulnerable to propaganda. Especially in countries like China, Russia, or North Korea, where state media monopolizes the narrative.

From that perspective, the reports from the Empire’s media about the North’s situation are likely not reflective of the actual conditions. Of course, Pippin and Jake would know this as well.

But even if the media heavily engages in propaganda, I’m sure there’s some useful intelligence to extract.

Of course, I already had a rough idea of the damage from the Military Intelligence documents I had seen.

“The more intelligence we have, the better. Should we try gathering some?”

“Us? On vacation?”

Pippin and Jake looked at me as if I were crazy. For a moment, we all aligned in thought. Why do these two get along so well?

Still, I wasn’t seriously considering assigning them to gather intelligence, so Pippin and Jake just brushed it off as a joke.

Pippin sighed heavily while munching on her fried food.

“Oh man, both the Magic Tower and the Empire are in shambles.”

“Why’s that?”

“The country is going downhill, but neither the Oracle nor the Emperor is making an appearance. At least the Oracle releases statements. It’s been years since the Emperor has shown his face at the Army Foundation Day or National Foundation Day events.”

“I think it’s been about two years now?”

I scratched my chin.

“But the Emperor has never been an active public figure. He used to participate in events and sports when he was younger, but as he aged, he went into seclusion.”

“Exactly. He only appeared in public again about a month after speculation arose regarding his health. And it wasn’t just once.”

“Anyway, it’s probably nothing serious. The reconstruction project is probably all about the money, and the Emperor’s seclusion isn’t a new thing.”

The more authoritarian a state is, the more rumors tend to spread during tough times. Even if there were even a one in ten million chance something happened to the Emperor, there’s no way to know without special means.

So until any solid information or official statements come out, it’s best to hold off on speculation.

“By the way, about that Magic Tower…”

“Yeah.”

“Have you received the results of the health examinations yet?”

Jake shook his head, looking disappointed. He glanced around before lowering his voice.

“Not yet. The situation at the Magic Tower is quite unstable. The Hero is… well, lacking in samples, to say the least. Especially since he came from another world.”

“Right, right.”

“He said it might take a bit longer.”

Pippin added, gleefully sharing some hopeful news.

“But they’re not completely sitting idle at the Magic Tower. They assured me that latest results would be out within three months, or possibly even this month.”

“I’ve heard the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute is expecting about the same timeline. They started their research first, but it would be ridiculous if they were slower than the Magic Tower.”

“Well, it is the Magic Tower, after all.”

“…True, the Magic Tower is the Magic Tower.”

Anyway, that was good news. We might finally get to understand why Camila keeps fainting. I hope for a positive outcome as soon as possible.

Nothing can go wrong.

“Anyway, since we’re on vacation, let’s stop talking about work.”

I wiped the grease off my hands with a tissue and spoke.

“So what are you guys doing on your vacation? You must have at least two weeks off.”

Pippin and Jake, who had been poking at their salad, set down their forks. Whether they had pre-planned ideas or not, they started chatting excitedly about their upcoming plans.

Pippin was the first to speak up. She wiped the sauce off with a tissue and began.

“Um, first, I’m planning to meet up with some friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yeah. Someone I served with back in the old unit is coming back to Abas soon.”

Pippin is an information officer from the navy.

She managed intelligence analysis duties while moving between ships and land, and she got into the Military Intelligence Agency through a recommendation from a senior information officer.

“Did you go out to sea as a navy? Where were you stationed?”

“The northeastern Pembe Sea in Mauritania.”

“…Oh, isn’t that where the pirates are?”

“Yeah. I went there a year ago, and I’ll be back soon.”

The Pembe Sea is like Somalia on Earth. As the example suggests, there are rebels on land and pirates at sea—it’s a complete disaster.

Of course, the area is not just filled with rebels; it’s also home to land monsters, sea monsters, and even sirens, making it an even more precarious place than Somalia. How she managed to return from there is something else.

“Oh man, that must have been tough.”

“Well, I’ll be stationed on land for a while when I return, so it should be fine. I heard they’re bringing back some gifts too, so that’s a good sign.”

Pippin said she would spend her vacation with her friend who returned from deployment.

Next was Jake. He was busy devouring mashed potatoes when he finally spoke up.

“I’m planning to hang out with a friend.”

“Huh? You’re going to spend your vacation with a friend?”

“Yeah, well. It’s a guy who just got out of the service, and it seems he’s recently made some money. He’s living in the capital now, so we planned to hang out….”

Jake casually mentioned it, but Pippin leaned in with curiosity. However, Jake’s woven words sounded more complicated than expected.

So, I flicked the ash off my cigarette and cautiously opened my mouth.

“Hey. Just checking, but are you two dating or something?”

“Pffft—! Cough, cough…!!”

Pippin seemed to choke on her drink.

And then, she spluttered it all over my face.

“…….”

—

Wiping the drink off my face wasn’t as easy as it seemed. After five minutes of scrubbing every nook and cranny with soap in the bathroom, I finally solved the problem.

But of course, the real problem was something else.

“…….”

“…….”

Pippin and Jake had their noses nearly touching the table like they were caught in a grave sin. The atmosphere suddenly turned icy. What is this, some sort of awkward game?

“…Come on. Lift your heads, you two.”

I said as I wiped the moisture off my face and hands with a tissue.

“Why act all nervous like a kid caught stealing? Come on, the staff from the representative office already knows you two are seeing each other.”

Jake lifted his head, looking bewildered, and asked.

“…I think there’s a misunderstanding…

“I’m not sure, Colonel. We’re not that close.”

“Hey, Jake. Didn’t you go to the embassy in the middle of the night because you left something behind? It was the day Pippin was on duty.”

“…Yeah, four times?”

“Well, the staff working late said you all were sneaking around in the office and slacking off. To me.”

On the day Pippin was on duty, Jake went to the embassy to retrieve something he had left behind. When he didn’t return no matter how long we waited, I contacted security and they confirmed that both Pippin and Jake were indeed in the Military Office.

Back then, I just thought he was taking a while to find his stuff. But the next day, the Information Officer from the Magic Tower came to me and told me to keep the kids in line. I didn’t even know, and I got scolded the moment I showed up for work.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a major issue, and even the military was keeping quiet about it, but my face was burning with embarrassment.

“That’s when you got caught, you idiot. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even hold my head up for a while.”

I grumbled as I tossed the soggy cigarette butt into the trash.

“……”

“……”

Pippin and Jake were sweating profusely, their mouths tightly shut. Their eyes were twitching and spinning as if they were two people who had their secret exposed like a married man and his mistress.

Of course, no one would fault them for having a little romance at work, and the information agency even slightly encourages relationships among employees, but human beings can’t help but feel shame.

Jake, who had been squeezing his eyes shut, started to ramble on, unaware that sweat was rolling down his forehead.

“Umm, Colonel. I think there’s a misunderstanding…”

“Go ahead and spill it, Lieutenant.”

“Well, it was really busy back then, so I think the staff member misunderstood what they saw.”

“So nothing happened?”

“Yes. It was just that it was such a chaotic time. The protests were happening and everything was crazy at the embassy. We’re still trying to recover from that, you know…”

Jake stammered and tried to wiggle his way out of the situation as best he could. But he was so flustered that he stuttered, and his excuses sounded flimsy at best.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Pippin took the lead.

“That’s right! Um, what was it, we were working late every day because of the protests and ongoing projects, haha…”

“……”

“……”

“…Yeah. If you say so, I guess.”

Only in your imaginations, though.

I filled my freshly brought cup with a drink. Honestly, the Military Office didn’t make much of it, and I didn’t really plan to scold them, so I decided to drop the topic.

Pippin and Jake, having grasped the situation, hastily changed the subject. They really are quick on the uptake at times like this.

Jake, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, was the first to speak up.

“Speaking of which, didn’t you mention you were receiving a medal, Colonel? You said there might be an award when you return. Did you receive it?”

“No.”

“Uh… why not?”

When I was actively working operations at the Magic Tower, Colonel Clevenz had mentioned that I would be receiving an award. For successfully completing three missions in a row.

Of course, now that I’d been promoted to Colonel this year, I couldn’t very well add the rank of Lieutenant Colonel again, so we decided to go with a medal instead. The problem was that the medal went up in smoke when I was brought before the Disciplinary Committee.

Even if it was a makeshift measure to catch a possible double agent, the punishment had to be appropriate. But here I was, about to receive a medal before the discipline was even finalized. How would a spy see it?

So, as soon as the Disciplinary Committee convened, the Military Intelligence Agency canceled all scheduled awards. To be honest, I wasn’t too bummed about it. Maybe just a little sorry…?

But explaining all this would just make my stomach hurt more, so I just mumbled an answer.

“It just sort of fizzled out after a big incident.”

“Ah…”

Just then, the news blared on. On the TV screen, a well-dressed government official was announcing that the chaos in the capital was a terrorist act committed by stateless individuals.

Pippin and Jake watched me with expressions that indicated they roughly understood what the government official was saying.

“……”

I tore my gaze from the TV and lit a new cigarette.

At that moment, a waiter approached me briskly, politely stopping me.

“Customer. I’m sorry, but if you’re going to smoke at your seat, you’ll need an ashtray. It’s a fire hazard.”

“Ah, sorry. Do you have an ashtray?”

“Yes. Would you like me to bring it to you?”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll get it myself.”

I smiled awkwardly and stood up.

Feeling guilty, I slipped a tip to the waiter and ordered new food. The waiter beamed and said to wait just a moment, and I temporarily left my seat to grab the ashtray.

“Now, where’s the ashtray….”

Found it.

As I spotted the ashtray tucked away in the corner of the shop, I attempted to return to my seat.

-Thunk!

“Ah!”

“Ouch…!”

Suddenly, I bumped into someone.

I stumbled, losing my balance as I collided with a person coming from the side, who fell to the floor with a cry. Sticky liquid splattered onto my clothes. Judging by the sweet scent, it was probably honey mustard.

Getting sauce on my suit was understandably infuriating, but now wasn’t the time. I needed to check if the person I bumped into was alright. Looking at the size of the fallen individual, they appeared to be a child.

I quickly shook off the dust and tried to help the kid up.

“Ah, I’m sorry, little one….”

“What on earth were you thinking, bumping into someone at your age…! Do you have no shame…!”

“Uh…?”

“…Huh?”

Orange hair. Pointy triangular ears. Bright, sparkling eyes. A childish high-pitched voice, and the Inspection Office.

“What are you doing here…?”

What the heck is this kid doing here?

 

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