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Human history is a history of war.

If I were to pick out the most famous wars from the local academic community, there would be about five that stand out.

The invasions of nomadic tribes from the East,

The crusade against heresy and cultists,

The war between clerics and magicians,

The war against monsters,

The war against demonic forces.

Throughout history, countless wars and conflicts have occurred, and some are still ongoing.

Among these, the war against demonkind is particularly well-known among the people of the continent, largely due to the Kien Empire being a superpower that shares a border with demon territories.

A land where snow does not melt falls under the grasp of demon species,

With knights fiercely battling to not cede even an inch of territory.

This is the image of the conflict between the Kien Empire and the demon realm.

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Episode 10 – Turn Northwest

Exactly one hundred years ago,

When wizards were hunted down as devil worshippers or witches.

The emperors gathered clerics from the cult and knights blessed with magic to protect the borders, and once the existence of wizards came to light, they supported the founding of the Magic Tower and forced the demon races into the snow-capped mountains. In doing so, the papacy’s overwhelming authority was also diminished.

Over the last hundred years, the empire has entered a golden age. Science and magic are dazzlingly advanced, and under the current emperor, Nikolai VI, the empire is reaching beyond the continent into the world, whether positively or negatively.

But the situation has changed.

“I just returned from vacation, and there’s a report from the company regarding the northern front.”

Demonkind from the frozen lands have begun to flood the north. Countless soldiers, magicians, and clerics have been deployed to the north, but the empire is on a downward spiral.

“In the past two months, it’s been reported that there have been a total of 43 battles, big and small. That means there’s been fighting almost every other day.”

Battles are now occurring every other day. Previously localized conflicts have become so serious that they hardly resemble local skirmishes anymore.

The Abas Information Authority has estimated the casualties of the imperial army, but they could not accurately gauge civilian casualties.

To be specific, they tried to gather intelligence from foreign reporters and volunteers dispatched from friendly nations who have access to the north, but could only compile testimonies and photos, failing to produce any meaningful report.

“It seems to be significant damage, but it doesn’t appear there have been enough casualties to breach the front lines or force a full retreat of the northern forces.”

“What about civilian casualties?”

“That too is currently under investigation. However, we cannot receive real-time information, so we can’t ascertain the exact number of casualties or the situation of civilians in the north. In the rear, it would be manageable, but in the combat zones, access is impossible except for the military. This information was gathered with great difficulty.”

“…Can we trust the materials produced by that company? Access to the north is impossible, after all.”

Camila tilted her head, her voice laced with skepticism.

“It’s a recount of information directly heard from the information officer dispatched to the embassy. It’s likely a leak from an imperial official or government figure. Personally, I find it trustworthy.”

More so than the intelligence gathered by the highest-ranking official. Although the intelligence network has collapsed, the information officers sent to the embassy are still active.

The information officer disguised as a diplomat heard it from government officials, so the source and reliability of the intel are considerable.

“Above all, it’s challenging for a senior official in a dictatorial state to directly acknowledge their own country’s losses. Since they managed to do such a hard thing, it leads me to two possibilities.”

First, the situation is severe enough for senior officials to acknowledge it.

Second, they have acknowledged it but have minimized the extent of the damage for appearances’ sake.

“If it’s the first scenario, that would be fortunate, but if it’s the second, things are in complete disarray. The situation could be more dire than we ever imagined.”

I spent quite a bit of time analyzing the situation in the north. I figured Camila must have a general idea of the region, but that alone wouldn’t be enough.

I took a sip of water before wrapping up my explanation.

“Though my introduction was lengthy, what we need to do is quite simple. Detailed discussions will be held once we arrive at the empire, so you don’t need to worry about that part.”

“So, what is this task we’re meant to carry out?”

“Fight monsters and save people.”

I looked at Camila.

She was quick-witted, skilled in combat, had gone hunting, and accompanied her sister from Médecins Sans Frontières into conflict areas out of a desire to help.

“That’s something you excel at.”

Camila beamed with a bright smile.

“You make it sound like that’s all I’m good at.”

“Just to clarify, don’t even think about doing any spying.”

“Tsk.”

—

After wrapping up the conversation with Camila, I checked on the status of the others.

The first place I headed to was Lucia’s room.

Upon passing through the door guarded by two knights, a luxurious guest room appeared before me. Through the wide-open curtains, a vast blue sky could be seen, and the room was filled with the scent of fresh flowers and cheerful lights.

In the center of the room, which seemed to be a little busy, Lucia was being attended to by a nun and a priest.

It appeared that the situation was rather inconvenient. As I tried to approach and speak to Lucia, a wall made up of the nun and the priest was blocking me.

Lucia, sitting in front of the mirror, was completely unaware of my entrance, and even those attending to her didn’t recognize me.

While I was glancing around the room, I asked a knight who was waiting inside.

“Is Saint Lucia very busy at the moment?”

“Oh, yes. Right now, she is getting her makeup done.”

It turns out Lucia was in the midst of having her makeup applied.

I had never seen Lucia wear makeup or get dressed up. Although she had little interest in her appearance, the cult had sent staff to ensure she wouldn’t appear ‘ungroomed’ in public since she was a high-ranking cleric.

Looking at Lucia’s appearance and behavior, one might wonder if makeup was really necessary.

“I don’t think you really need to bother with makeup, though.”

“Haha.”

The knight explained that even this grooming had religious significance, but as a non-believer, I found it hard to relate.

Anyway, it was an internal matter of the cult, so it was none of my business.

As the knight adjusted the curtains to let in more sunlight, he suddenly turned to me.

“But may I ask why Colonel has come here…?”

“Oh, right. In an hour, there will be a meal prepared at the airship’s lounge. If you could convey this to the saint, I would appreciate it. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Yes, I understand. Please be careful on your way.”

After a brief exchange, I exited the guest room.

Given that this was the imperial airship, for convenience, the rooms for Camila, Lucia, and Francesca were all separate from each other.

I went to find Camila and informed her that a meal would be ready in an hour. I also confiscated the snacks she had been secretly eating, which had been provided by the empire.

“You were eating bread while I was away for just a moment. Impressive.”

“I’m still maintaining my exercise routine! Just let it slide this once!”

“Exercise or not… Please control your portions. This isn’t some white elephant; even an elephant would bulk up if it ate as much as you do.”

“…What did you just say?”

The moment I compared her to an elephant, Camila flared up and started to cause a ruckus. And not in a figurative sense—actual flames were involved.

I quickly offered up the bread I was holding as a tribute, swiftly packed my bag, and high-tailed it out of there.

—

Escaping Camila’s wrath, I moved to another guest room. I may have felt a little like I was fleeing, but I absolutely wasn’t running away because I was scared of Camila’s flames. Anyway, that’s my story.

After washing my hands in the restroom and catching my breath, I found myself seated across from the room’s occupant.

“Is everything alright for you, Administrator?”

“Fortunately, it’s just fine. Thanks for your concern.”

Francesca nodded and expressed her gratitude. As she moved her head, her purple hair, resembling finely crushed amethyst, flowed down past her shoulders.

Thanks to the soft lighting, the color of her hair appeared even deeper. Perhaps she was trying to take a nap, as the ceiling light was off and the lamp on the bedside table was on.

However, the curtains were drawn, obscuring the view outside the window.

“…”

Even though she was under the scrutiny of the Patalia government, Francesca was not someone easily seen.

She graduated from Patalia’s prestigious private academy with excellent grades, advanced to the Magic Tower’s elite university, and secured a position as an administrator in the Magic Tower Secretariat at a young age, a place only accessible to select talents.

Maybe that’s why Francesca always exuded an indescribably noble aura. It was as if her presence alone commanded respect, without her needing to utter a word.

But today was different.

Francesca donned the Secretariat’s uniform, draped in a cape adorned with the insignia of the elemental school. A brooch with the symbol of the Magic Tower adorned her neck, and her styled hair was secured with a unique hairpiece.

“That’s the outfit you wore when we first met at the Magic Tower.”

“You recognize it?”

“It suits you well.”

“Does it?”

Francesca, dressed formally for the occasion, smiled softly.

During the era when heresy interrogations were rampant, the will of the magicians to inherit the legacy left by their masters and ancestors ignited, which has evolved into a conservative tendency in the magical society that seeks to preserve the old ways, even now, with the establishment of the Magic Tower. The Secretariat’s insistence on such uncomfortable uniforms instead of convenient suits certainly reflects this context.

“I may be overstepping, but aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your neck.”

I tapped the collar area with my finger.

“It seems you’ve buttoned it too tightly.”

Francesca had buttoned her uniform all the way down, making me feel uncomfortable just looking at it.

When I politely asked her to please unbutton it a bit, Francesca gave an awkward smile.

“Sorry. It’s become a habit, and I do it without thinking…”

“I understand.”

As someone with a job-related habit, I could fully sympathize with her explanation.

Francesca unbuttoned two buttons. As she slightly loosened the collar, her porcelain neck became fully visible.

Once the constriction was relieved, she appeared to feel better and even removed the hairpiece that had been holding her hair in place.

“Are you sure it’s okay to remove that? It looks like it took some effort to style your hair.”

“It’s not complicated; I can just fix it with magic again.”

“…”

Can I really use magic for something like that?

Francesca tossed the removed hairpiece onto the table. It was astonishing to see her casually throw what looked like an expensive ornament, but my attention was quickly drawn to the pattern engraved on it.

It was the symbol of the Raniere family—a piece of jewelry bearing their family crest.

Usually, nobility treats items symbolizing their family with great care, but it seemed that to Francesca, it wasn’t particularly valuable. I couldn’t tell if it was the ornament or the Raniere family itself that she deemed unimportant.

Diverting my gaze from the ornament, Francesca suggested having a cup of coffee.

I nodded in agreement, and soon, two warm cups of coffee were placed on the table. As I savored the fragrant aroma, I took out a cigarette from my pocket.

“I’m scheduled to meet with some notable figures from the Empire along with the Oracle committee.”

“…”

Francesca smiled softly. Between her slightly tilted eyes, a pair of violet irises met mine.

With a cigarette resting on my finger, I gestured with my chin towards the bag I had brought.

“This is equipment to prevent eavesdropping. It can do real-time eavesdropping, recording, and filming.”

Only then did Francesca let out a sigh of relief and mutter softly.

“If you had that, you should have mentioned it sooner. You startled me, Colonel.”

Though she said that, she didn’t seem particularly alarmed; she merely shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Why the notable figures?”

“I noticed some familiar names while going through the list.”

Taking a puff from my cigarette, I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and placed it on the desk. There were names, ages, occupations, and addresses listed, and certain names were highlighted in red.

“Could you please inform me beforehand if you make contact with anyone on this list? Or just come find me directly.”

“Me, find you?”

“What’s the problem? We’re colleagues, after all.”

Officially, Francesca and I were colleagues along with Camila, and we would be working together for the next several years, maybe decades. Lucia and others too.

Unofficially, Francesca and I were an information agent and an information officer, but anyway, officially, we were colleagues.

Thus, if she were to burst into my room at 2 AM with an urgent matter, it wouldn’t be a problem. At least, it shouldn’t be on the surface.

While sipping her coffee, Francesca seemed to ponder deeply before speaking up.

“You’re curious about the conversations, aren’t you?”

“Whether it’s a diplomat or an information officer, it’s a job that inevitably requires being sensitive to news.”

“How specifically can I assist you?”

“Just let me know what topics you discussed and who was present at the meeting. If there’s really nothing to discuss, even trivial remarks about what they ate, their hobbies, or areas of interest would be fine.”

“What happens to the notable figures if I relay that information?”

That’s up to the Information Agency to handle.

From that point on, it wouldn’t be Francesca’s concern. Unless it was something special, I wouldn’t need to worry about anything either.

Of course, I couldn’t outright say it’s none of your business, so I simply offered a smile in response.

“If necessary, will you eavesdrop?”

“If the situation allows, I can do some eavesdropping or filming. Technically, it’d be more accurate to say it’s recording rather than eavesdropping, but if I worry about the administrator’s safety, I would avoid that.”

Francesca’s eyes fluttered closed.

Seemingly lost in thought, she fell silent for a while, just sitting still.

-Tap.

-Tap.

“It’s just avoiding…”

“…”

Francesca’s eyes cracked open as she tapped her teacup with her fingers.

“You’re not saying you won’t do it?”

“…”

“Then, are you implying that I might be pushed even if it puts me in danger…?”

I smiled softly.

“I’ll make decisions based on the situation on-site. Of course, your safety will be my top priority.”

While I would consider both the circumstances on-site and Francesca’s safety in making plans, if those above did not take her safety into account, I couldn’t do much either.

If something were to go wrong, whether intentional or an accident, I could easily pass the blame off. Of course, I could never know if Francesca was genuinely considered safe from above or if her safety was deemed unimportant from below.

“I assure you, I will never put you in danger. If we cooperate well, everyone will be safe.”

In a room where not a single ray of light penetrated through the blackout curtains, I lit a cigarette while facing Francesca, who was looking at me with slightly open eyes. Time had already surpassed an hour.

“Oh, I just realized, dinner must be ready by now.”

“…”

“Would you like to join me?”

 

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