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“…Hmm. So, we’re talking about exile, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Honestly, I just rushed over after getting the call, so I don’t really know the details? You could say I’m a bit flustered. So I wanted to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“What on earth happened?”

“Oh, that? It’s actually nothing much.”

I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my suit and chuckled lightly.

“Where should I even start…?”

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**Episode 10 – Change Course to the Northwest**

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The catalyst was the embassy.

As soon as I learned that the exile had failed and that Ekaterina from the Imperial Guard HQ was tracking down the advisor, the Military Intelligence Agency demanded a countermeasure.

I pondered how to sneak my aide, his wife, and daughter out of the country today, and found a clue in a conversation with the second secretary.

“What about the vehicles at the embassy?”

“Oh, that? It’s no big deal…”

The Abas Embassy in the Kien Empire, which housed over a hundred employees, was suffering from a diplomatic expulsion rush that had recently erupted.

Diplomats, along with administrative and labor staff on contracts, had all returned to Abas, leaving the embassy struggling to operate without reinforcements.

The staff shortage at the embassy affected all areas, one of which was the vehicles.

“In fact, there are many idle vehicles at the embassy right now. Since not just diplomats but also administrative and labor workers were expelled in large numbers, there’s been a drop in the number of people who can use the vehicles…”

Due to the reduced number of employees eligible to use the embassy’s vehicles, the operational rate had long dropped below half.

The important thing is that diplomatic vehicles are subject to immunity.

So, no matter what I did with the embassy vehicle, the police or other security agencies in the empire couldn’t seize or tow it.

And obviously, inspections without the diplomat’s agreement weren’t possible either.

Once that thought crossed my mind, I looked over the remaining vehicles in the embassy and reported to the ambassador.

“I’ll use a diplomatic vehicle for the exile.”

As soon as I made the report, the Military Intelligence Agency planned a new route for the exile in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Countless communications flew into the embassy, and I headed to the eavesdropping security office to instruct the advisor to come to the embassy immediately.

Of course, I couldn’t possibly get the advisor and his family to the border using only my vehicle.

Anyone with a brain would expect that an exile who arrived at the embassy would move using a diplomatic vehicle. The Imperial Guard HQ, which had dealt with foreign intelligence agencies’ exile operations for decades, surely knew this.

Of course, I had a plan too.

At the instructions from the director of the Royal Intelligence Department and the military intelligence director, I posed a few questions to the gathered intelligence officers.

“Could anyone confident in driving please raise their hand?”

Officially the best undercover intelligence officer operating as a diplomat.

Among them, I identified intelligence officers with driving skills rivaling those of the Imperial Guard HQ officers.

Fortunately, there were intelligence officers at the embassy who had received driving training before coming overseas. I asked them to drive other vehicles.

“If the exiled are coming to the embassy, they will certainly expect the exiles to move by vehicle. Therefore, we need to mobilize several diplomatic cars.”

If the advisor’s family comes to the embassy and I board the vehicle with them, the vehicle itself would likely become a target.

Therefore, it was essential to deploy as many vehicles as possible to evade the Imperial Guard HQ’s surveillance.

In practice, this was one of the methods to evade monitoring by counterintelligence agencies, and the intelligence officers were not ignorant of this.

We planned to move the advisor and his family to the border. If I took three people in the vehicle, the staff would take on the role of decoys.

“If the Imperial Guard HQ realizes that the exile is taking place, they’ll block the border.”

Once the operation was exposed, the Imperial Guard HQ would surely block the border.

The Border Guard’s inspections and the tightened identity checks for train and ship passengers would also increase significantly.

At that point, exiting via the western port would be out of the question, and the same went for heading south.

Considering that it would take two or three full days of running from Petrogard to Nastasia at the Magic Tower by train, the advisor and his family would likely struggle to pass through the checkpoints set up by police and the railway department at every station.

In other words, the only remaining route for exile lay across the Kien-Latuan border, separated by the east-flowing river.

“The only place we can cross the border without inspection is the east.”

“Yes, essentially there are no other options. We can’t go to the north under martial law or to the No Man’s Land infested with monsters.”

“But isn’t the Kien-Latuan border defined by the river? The river is wide, and it’s quite deep too. If we attempt to cross the border during winter, we might just fall into the river and die instantly.”

The intelligence officers’ points were valid.

No matter how severe the cold wave made temperatures plummet, it would be madness for a couple with an 18-year-old daughter to walk across an icy expanse.

Moreover, the river that delineates the Kien-Latuan border was notorious for not freezing over well during winter. It could be that the moment you step onto what appeared to be thick ice, you’d be swept away by the current and drown.

Of course, I anticipated that too.

Naturally, I had a countermeasure prepared.

“There is a way for exiles to cross the border without inspection and safely. We just need to get them outside of Petrogard and reasonably close to the border.”

“That’s the problem. The moment we step outside the embassy, the city-wide inspections will get stricter, so how can we get out of Petrogard?”

“We shouldn’t need to escape from Petrogard. We can just fly away, right?”

“Are you joking?”

I was serious.

I called one of the people least likely to be near the center of Petrogard.

“Is this the Colonel speaking?”

“Francesca. You mentioned meeting someone this evening in the outskirts of Petrogard, right?”

“Yes. A professor I owe a favor to from my time studying at the Magic Tower moved to the imperial university, so I planned to visit.”

“Could you tell me the address of that place?”

Today, Francesca was about to meet the professor living in the eastern outskirts. I had her provide me with the address of the professor’s apartment.

“I know it’s a rude request, but could you wait a little longer in that apartment today?”

“Um. I have been clearing my schedule to meet the associate professor after years, but I would still like to know the reason why.”

“Just know that I’m going to pick up the administrator.”

“Oh my! You’re coming for me?”

“Yes. I will explain everything when we meet.”

It may have been an impolite request, but Francesca readily agreed.

Fortunately, she was on a private schedule, and since the professor lived alone without family, there wouldn’t be any extra mouths to keep quiet.

I held the address I received from Francesca, and reached out to another acquaintance.

“Hello?”

“Camila. Can you talk right now?”

“Of course!”

Camila, having headed to the library, picked up the phone quickly.

I explained the situation to her as succinctly as possible while she was reading a book on magic, analyzing the northern conflict.

“I really need your help, Camila. Do you happen to have cash on hand?”

“I do have some leftover from when we caught monsters at the Magic Tower last time. I haven’t had much use for it… but why?”

“I’m going to give you an address, so please head there by 6 PM. I’ll explain the method afterward.”

“Go to the address you give me by 6 PM… Sure. But what’s the sudden fuss about?”

“Three people are trying to exile, and if we don’t succeed today, they’ll die. They’ve been caught by a counterintelligence agency.”

“Where should I go?”

Camila quickly exited the library and boarded a tram heading to the eastern outskirts of Petrogard.

The staff from the Imperial Foreign Affairs Department and the police, responsible for her security and escort, inquired about her destination, but Camila firmly declined, insisting she wanted to explore the capital alone, even if just for a moment.

Thus, while keeping in touch with me, Camila switched between public transport to shake off any potential tails.

-‘I’ve arrived near my destination. What should I do now?’

‘If I remember correctly, there should be an old magical tool shop nearby. Go in, demonstrate some magic, and buy a winter cloak with warmth magic and two brooms. Normally, they’d check IDs, but that place is run by an old couple, so they don’t worry about such things.’

-‘So, am I supposed to put those people on the broom and take them to the border?’

‘Yes. If you fly straight east, there should be a large river separating the major cities. Just drop them off there. After that, the company will handle the rest.’

-‘I’ve bought the broom and cape, but where exactly am I supposed to drop them off to the east? I’m new here, so I don’t know the geography.’

‘Just wait at the address you have; someone will come to guide you there.’

-‘A guide station?’

‘No time to explain, just pull your hat down low and head to the apartment right now. Immediately.’

Having purchased the winter cloak and broom, Camila arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door. There awaited Francesca, who had been on standby after receiving my message.

As soon as Francesca heard that I sent Camila over, she introduced her to the associate professor as if it were part of a scheduled plan.

Fortunately, Camila, sensing the situation, played along just enough that the associate professor invited her in without any suspicion. I later heard that he considered it an honor to meet a distinguished guest from another world.

Anyway, just as Camila reached the apartment.

Word came that Advisor Vasiliy Vladimirovich and his family had entered the embassy.

After exchanging a few words with him, I quietly called out to his daughter outside to explain the situation.

‘Y-you expect me to escort my parents to the eastern border…?’

The advisor’s daughter was a third-year student in the Magic Department of the Royal Academy.

According to the Empire’s education law, a fourth-year student, referred to as “10th grade,” is focused more on preparing for university entrance and entering society—a graduating class.

Thus, the third year was practically the last year one could sustain their school life. So when Vasiliy took a leave under the pretext of a “final family trip before graduation,” no one suspected anything. Of course, they failed to prepare the necessary documents and could not leave.

In any case, the advisor’s daughter was one of the promising students set to graduate from the academy.

Moreover, magic department students interested in university often utilized practical training assessments to accumulate points. Just like those students, the advisor’s daughter frequently went out for practical training.

For reference, for the past few years, her usual practical training was the “Eastern Mountain Forestry Disaster Monitoring Activities” conducted by the Forestry Agency.

In other words,

The advisor’s daughter had flown multiple times over the eastern mountain range for fire surveillance.

‘The closest border is to the east. I heard you often go out for practical training to monitor fires there; you know where that is, right?’

‘Yes… it’s the Latuan border. I’ve been there a few times. Occasionally, when flying far, the officials would give me a tour…’

‘Exactly. If you go that far, you can cross the border safely. We’ll cross the river to avoid the Border Guard’s inspection. Of course, you don’t need to fly over the river. We’ve arranged a boat here on our side.’

‘C-can I really take my parents to the border…? I’m, I’m not very good with high altitudes…’

‘That will depend on you. But if you can’t cross the border today, we don’t have other options.’

‘……’

‘Can you do it?’

Can you risk your life flying to the border to save your parents’ lives?

It was a question not easy to answer, even for an adult, yet the advisor’s daughter clutched her skirt tightly and managed to nod her trembling body.

Thus, she took to the skies with Camila, who was hiding her face, along with her father and mother. Toward the faraway eastern sky where the border lay.

In the end, they did it.

*

The advisor and his family successfully reached the Kien-Latuan border. Cutting through the snowstorm, they landed on the bank of a river that glimmered against the shining night landscape.

“Be careful. Watch your step not to fall into the river.”

“Start the engine and get three blankets. Something with warmth magic on it.”

“Go down to the cabin to avoid being caught by the Border Guards. If, in case, there’s an inspection, just say you’re a traveler.”

A massive river crossing the boundary of Kien and Latuan.

The advisor and his family boarded a vessel from a private travel agency, based at the Latuan region’s pier.

The boat, which had been selling water and underwater leisure programs for years, departed from the Kien Empire’s pier, passed under a bridge where the Border Guards conducted inspections, and arrived at the pier of the Principality of Latuan.

The captain, with the end of a cigarette in his mouth, pressed the button on the radio and came out onto the deck.

I received a 500-character message from the Royal Intelligence Department on the bank overlooking the capital Petrogard’s night view.

“What does it say?”

“They’ve crossed the border safely and have just arrived in the Principality of Latuan, all three in good health.”

“Yay!”

Camila squealed, jumping with joy. Any lingering anxiety she might have felt vanished as she beamed with happiness.

“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you just see them cross the border?”

“Well, I did drop them near the border, but I didn’t actually see them cross.”

Bouncing with delight, Camila let out a sigh of relief. I climbed into the driver’s seat and turned on the heater, while Camila, carefully organizing the broom she had arrived on, savored the warm breeze enveloping her.

“That kid was really cute! And he flew the broom well! Though the parents must have a fear of heights since they kept their eyes closed.”

“Thank goodness. Was the flight tough?”

“Don’t even mention it… I thought I was going to freeze to death after flying for over two hours. Oh, and look at this.”

Camila rummaged through her cloak and pulled out an envelope emblazoned with the emblem of the Ministry of Defense.

“They said you’d know if I handed this to you?”

I checked the contents of the envelope. Inside was the confidential document from the Ministry of Defense, intact and waiting.

Having succeeded in the asylum, I planned to pass the remaining information to the Abas Information Agency while they were being interrogated at our place. I carefully tucked the advisor’s final gift into my bag.

“Warm yourself up. I’ve got the heater running full blast.”

“Thank you.”

Camila beamed.

“Working with the intelligence agency is more nerve-wracking than I thought. It feels like my heart is racing, you know?”

“…….”

“Are you going to ask me to do this again next time?”

“I told you not to get interested in this line of work.”

“Don’t say that~”

Shaking off the ridiculous comments of Camila, I changed gears and smiled.

“Where to next?”

“Home!”

“Let’s do it.”

Camila pointed toward the direction of the hotel, and I pressed the accelerator.

In the capital of the Empire, Petrogard.

A single black sedan traversed the city of brilliant light.

Episode 10 – Turn Northwest – END –

 

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