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There is a rare creature working in the Inspection Office of the Military Intelligence Agency.

The nymph, Charnoy, from the ditch water.

I had encountered many different races in Abas and Kien, where a variety of species cohabited, but I was not at all familiar with the nymph race.

“Calling a nymph ‘that’—what in the world kind of language is that?! Show some respect for the nymph…!”

“…….”

Charnoy jumped up and pointed her finger angrily.

She was surely upset, but between her appearance and voice, there was absolutely no intimidation coming from her. It felt more like watching a pouting child.

Ignoring the rampaging Charnoy, I turned my head towards Pippin and Jake.

“So, what happened?”

“Well, here’s the thing….”

—

Episode 11 – No Issues on the Northern Front

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Staff shortages are pretty much a chronic problem for the Information Agency.

Due to the nature of the work, employees are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university, and since you never know what tasks you might be assigned, diverse experiences related to the job are essential.

And of course, a verified identity is a must.

The Information Agency lays out countless conditions for those wishing to join, and only those who meet these conditions can enter.

The problem is finding people who actually have those qualifications.

The situation at the Military Intelligence Agency is similar.

I was also in that predicament. Those at my rank usually operate with at least four staff members, but here I was, just with Pippin and Jake.

Does that mean my workload is lighter? Honestly, that’s not the case either.

So, for several months, I’ve been persistently requesting that new personnel be assigned to us at the Military Intelligence Agency.

The issue is,

“…That nymph joined our team?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I gave an incredulous look at Charnoy, who was lounging in the driver’s seat, munching on candy. Was it honey candy or something? Either way, she was still snacking on the same thing from when we were in the Inspection Office.

“I distinctly asked for an Information Officer…”

Of all the people, why did she have to come?

My gaze was full of that sentiment, so Pippin, who was arranging the vehicle, spoke up.

“Apparently, she was responsible for analysis in the overseas department before joining the Inspection Office?”

“Analysis?”

That nymph?

I pointed at her with my finger for confirmation, and Pippin nodded approvingly.

“I heard she joined as a civilian worker after graduating from college and has been working ever since. I checked with some acquaintances, and they said they’ve seen her a few times while passing by.”

Pippin and Jake explained that Charnoy was the additional personnel sent by the Military Intelligence Agency. It’s like opening a birthday cake and discovering it’s actually a rice cake inside.

It was such an unbelievable story that I contacted the Military Intelligence Agency to confirm,

-‘A nymph? Oh, I remember. She’s a part of your team, alright.’

“…Really?”

Leonii confirmed that it was indeed true that she had been sent as a team member.

-‘Am I joking? What’s up with you, young one?’

“No, but still, with different races, isn’t she a bit too conspicuous?”

-‘Her abilities are solid, so it doesn’t matter. She’s a pretty good analyst, minus the fact that she’s a nymph.’

Leonii, with a tired voice, added that a nymph is somewhat middle-class in standing. Seemed like he was really struggling with the issues on the Mauritania Continent.

-‘What, do you think humans are the superior race while the rest should all perish?’

“That’s not it.”

-‘Then you have complaints about her joining?’

“No, not at all.”

-‘Then that’s settled. Report back as soon as you arrive in the north.’

—

I had an overwhelming desire to request the assignment of new personnel, but unfortunately, there was no room for that.

The troops dispatched from abroad were set to make a brief stop at the Empire’s capital, Petrogard, before heading straight to the north.

I proceeded with the final procedures for the northern deployment.

“Everyone, please say hello. From the left, Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy.”

For now, I introduced my party members, Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy.

Pippin and Jake had known each other for so long that they were familiar. However, since Charnoy was a new recruit, it was necessary to give them a heads-up.

The reactions of the group gathered in the hotel room were even better than I expected.

“Wow! A fairy!”

Camila seemed fascinated by the nymph race itself and took out some snacks to offer to Charnoy.

On the other hand, Lucia and Francesca looked at Charnoy with a somewhat different interest.

“A nymph… what a noble race.”

Lucia viewed Charnoy from a religious perspective.

According to a book titled ‘The History of Nymphs’ published by the Abas Royal Academy of Interracial Studies, nymphs have been serving the gods since the creation of the world. Thus, as a religious figure (Lucia was originally a priest), she regarded Charnoy as a sacred symbol.

“Indeed, a precious creature.”

Francesca looked at Charnoy from a more secular viewpoint.

Considering that the population of nymphs is so small that even scholars find it hard to study them, encountering a living nymph seemed to be a refreshing experience for her.

It couldn’t have been an unpleasant feeling for Charnoy, surrounded by the three most famous individuals in the world, who found her so intriguing. She placed her short arms on her hips with an arrogant smile.

“No race is as precious as a nymph.”

“Hrum… That’s quite the nymph-friendly perspective there…!”

Francesca crouched down to meet Charnoy’s gaze and began to speak in a slightly gloomy, sticky voice.

“You said your name is Charnoy, right? Do you happen to need money…?”

“Money…! That sounds wonderful…!”

“Then would you consider making a deal with me…?”

“Hrum… Let’s hear your terms….”

The alchemist from the Magic Tower smiled gently. Her lavender eyes sparkled between her nicely folded eyelids.

“If by any chance you happen to die in the future, I’d like to do a contract on the condition of receiving your corpse.”

“… What?”

“There’s nothing that surpasses the magic conductivity of a wand made from a nymph’s wrist bone… I’ll provide compensation more than frequently, so if that’s fine with you, let’s make a deal…?”

“Hieeeek…!”

Charnoy, startled, trembled and instantly hid behind me.

“You must be a crazy psycho wizard…! You’re not even a Dark Magician, and you’re considering trading the nymph’s body… I should report this to the Magic Department right away…!”

With Charnoy hiding behind me, flustered, she brought up legal clauses and precedents I had never heard before and insisted we report Francesca to the Magic Department.

I looked back and forth between Charnoy and Francesca with a baffled expression, then sighed as if disheartened.

“Let’s ease up on the jokes, Administrator.”

Francesca, still crouched, grinned lightly.

“Was it a bit too much?”

“A lot.”

“Tch… Well, what can you do? I’m a magician after all.”

Crazy brat. Honestly, she’s just as wild as Veronica, despite her looks.

“Anyway, once the pleasantries are over, let’s get tidied up and start things.”

We ushered all the attendants in the room out.

The first to leave were Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy.

Pippin and Jake seemed reluctant to leave, wanting to have a chat with the attendants from the cult or the Magic Tower, but Charnoy, who had just heard from a wizard about paying her to hand over her corpse if she died, hurriedly moved her short legs, escaping the room.

In the end, Pippin and Jake could only leave while calling out Charnoy’s name.

After them, the attendants from the cult led by Priest Rebecca exited. Receiving Lucia’s gentle summoning, Priest Rebecca quietly guided the priests away.

Once the clergy had left, the wizards stood up, as if waiting for that moment.

The attendants of the Magic Tower’s Secretariat, failing to hide their discomfort at being near the cult members, left the room following the directive of Juan Pablo Martinez. Francesca, seated, exchanged a shy glance with Juan Pablo Martinez, the leader of the Secretariat team.

I gazed at the back of the retreating Juan Pablo Martinez and casually asked,

“Do you two know each other?”

“It’s not so much that they know each other as they’ve at least heard of one another…?”

Francesca, the civil servant and alchemist of the Magic Tower, leaned against the velvet cushion as she trailed off.

“In this line of work, most people know each other with just one connection. I heard he is a member of the same social club as Lord Evangelos.”

“Evangelos? …Oh, the Rysidike family.”

“Yes, the commander of the first Magic Battalion dispatched to the north.”

As I stroked my chin, I glanced at the direction where Juan Pablo Martinez had disappeared.

The Rysidike family has ‘Archmages’ as ancestors, just like the Lannier family. Moreover, Evangelos Rysidike leads the advance force of the Magic Tower in the north.

By the way, based on information from the Royal Intelligence Department, Evangelos Rysidike is noted as the most promising candidate to become an Archmage among current magic users.

Considering that very few wizards have been evaluated as reaching the level of Archmage since the war with the cult a hundred years ago, he truly is a genius who comes once in a century.

For someone to be attending the same social club as such a figure…

“…Hmm.”

I hadn’t heard of the surname Martinez before. I had heard it belonged to nobility, but they weren’t from a particularly powerful family.

If we assume that Juan Pablo Martinez is on a par with Evangelos, it’s highly likely he is also a skilled individual.

The magical society operates strictly on merit. As a magician, scholar, or politician.

Sitting quietly,

As I pondered, Camila, who was watching from the side, began to whisper softly.

“What are you thinking? You’re not planning on doing more company business here, are you? Like trying to recruit that person who just left…?”

“How do you even see me?”

How did she know? Her intuition is way too sharp.

I dismissed Camila’s suggestion and quickly covered her mouth with a snack that was on the table.

Ugh! Ugh! Leaving Camila squirming, I turned to Francesca and Lucia.

“Are you all ready to head to the North?”

“Of course.”

“Yes, we’ve prepared everything with the Bishops.”

I cautiously inquired to the two of them.

“Would it be alright if I take a quick look at your things?”

*

Camila, Lucia, and Francesca were soon to head to the Empire’s northern regions.

If it were a simple trip, I wouldn’t need to worry about what they were packing, but the North was an entirely different matter.

Right now, the Northern region of the Empire isn’t a tourist spot; it’s a battlefield.

I certainly didn’t think that Lucia or Francesca would carelessly pack their things, especially Lucia, who had served on the front lines for three years.

However, since life is unpredictable, I felt the need to check the party’s belongings right there and then.

Fortunately, both of them readily agreed.

“Of course.”

“Shall I go first?”

“Do as you please, Saint.”

Lucia and Francesca laid out their packed items. I didn’t need to check Camila’s since I helped her pack.

First, I examined Lucia’s belongings.

“Medicine, holy water, bandages, herbs… Most of your items are medical-related, right?”

“Well, there are sure to be many patients up North. Given that it’s a battlefield, having many casualties is inevitable, but I hear the lack of proper hygiene leads to widespread epidemics.”

“So you’ve packed a lot of medical supplies.”

“It will take a while for aid supplies to arrive, so I’m preparing as much as I can carry.”

Lucia brought an extensive collection of medical supplies. Out of the four of us, she was the only one with experience in entering the Empire’s magic and warfare conflict areas.

Given her three years of experience as a healing priest, Lucia’s supplies were so minimal that it might be considered lacking.

Aside from the food and a few clothing items for the road, her personal items consisted mainly of religious artifacts like scriptures and a cross.

Though I wanted to suggest she pack food and clothes instead of all those supplies, Lucia’s determination to bring the medical supplies was so steadfast that persuading her proved difficult.

In the end, I came to a compromise with Lucia, agreeing to let her take extra cold-weather gear and personal first aid supplies.

“Even if it’s just first aid, make sure you bring the cold-weather gear. We might need to set up camp outside, and if you end up sleeping on the cold ground, stick-figure-style is how you’ll end up!”

“If my body goes stiff, can’t I heal myself with divine magic?”

“It would be lucky if you could even sleep at all.”

Next up was Francesca.

“How about you, Administrator? What did you pack?”

With a wave of her hand, supplies began to float out from inside her cape. Camila and Lucia gawked at the sight—it was quite the magical display.

I slowly examined the items Francesca had prepared. Truly, her preparedness was very much in line with one of her caliber.

She seemed to have packed rather well overall. Magic-warmed cold-weather gear, spare clothes, and the military and rune sword she brought during her last visit to Abas.

Yet some items caught my eye.

While quietly staring at the items, Francesca tilted her head, her voice tinged with curiosity.

“Is something wrong?”

“…Why does your stuff look like this?”

Potions, spellbooks, alchemical tools, enchanted quills, jewels, etc.

Sure, magical items make sense. And since Francesca is an alchemist, I’ll give her a pass for packing alchemical tools—there might be a purpose for them up in the North. She can whip up potions on the spot if needed.

But this is a bit excessive.

I lifted a jewel from Francesca’s pile.

“…What on earth is this?”

“It’s a jewel.”

“Yes, I know that. But why are you bringing this to a conflict zone?”

With a tone that implied my question was obvious, she replied.

“Jewels are also materials for alchemy. The price might be steep, but if you know how to use them properly, they can be incredibly useful. And if it comes down to it, you can just exchange them for cash.”

“…Cash, you say?”

“Isn’t it easier to sell the jewels locally than to lug around Mina marked up to Tacron? They are light and compact.”

Mina is the currency of the Magic Tower, and Tacron is the currency of the Kien Empire.

Under normal circumstances, either currency would be accepted across continents without issue. Nobody dislikes cash, and Mina and Tacron can generally be exchanged at high rates compared to other currencies—think of them like euros rather than dollars.

Essentially, Francesca planned to take jewels for trade everywhere instead of fidgeting with converting Mina to Tacron.

It’s not a bad idea.

Even information officers going abroad find it important to secure lightweight items of high value. I remember how useful jewels were during my time in Eastern Europe.

But this isn’t just any area.

“While that’s a good thought, right now, the North is under strict control, so it won’t be easy to trade jewels.”

“That would be if you insisted on trading them normally, but there are plenty of other methods, right?”

I paused my words and stealthily glanced at Lucia.

Fortunately, Lucia was engrossed in organizing her laid-out supplies. I quickly assessed that she was distracted enough before tentatively speaking.

“…You aren’t seriously considering trading jewels on the black market, are you?”

Francesca simply smiled without a word.

What a lunatic. The thought of carrying jewels in a conflict zone.

Thinking about it, Francesca used to manage Oracle’s slush funds in the Secretariat. She had dealt with smuggling and black trade and recently got caught forming political funds through double contracts with private enterprises.

To clarify, Sofia from the National Security Agency caught wind of her dealings with company executives and informed me.

“Could you not….”

There really is no craziness like her kind of craziness.

It’s true that wizards are often described as eccentric; the nicer way to put it is that they have quirks, in a standard way they behave strangely, and in a worse light, they’re half-crazy— but this person is truly one of a kind. A refreshing kind of crazy.

At this point, I was curious what Francesca was planning to do with jewels in the northern black market. I half-wondered if she’d pull a scam on some refugees to sell them goods.

“Okay, I’ll let it slide that you’re thinking of the black market, but do you even know where it is?”

“I still don’t know. Not yet.”

“Sigh… Please don’t harbor thoughts of trading jewels up North. Their value is already quite low there.”

“Why is that?”

Just as I was poised to respond, Camila, who had been listening from the back, jumped into the conversation.

“In conflict zones, black markets usually value food or medicine above jewels.”

“…….”

“Areas under controlled access are isolated, so food, medicine, and even basic supplies are in absolute shortage. I’ve seen people fight over a single roll of toilet paper.”

“…….”

“That said, jewels are pretty low in value since if you want to use them, you need to get outside the restricted zone, but most traders can’t go out! Of course, that changes for merchants who can travel back and forth… but….”

“…How do you, Hero, know all of this?”

Camila smiled brightly.

“I used to go on medical missions with my sister!”

“…To conflict zones?”

“Yep!”

As her words spilled out, her expression was so cheerful that it made for quite the contrast. It was a bizarre dichotomy.

It was so stark that Francesca blinked at Camila, as if wondering what I had just heard.

I sent Camila off to Lucia for a moment and turned to Francesca, who was gazing blankly into space.

“First off, since you call them alchemical materials, I won’t touch them. But please, if you can, avoid exchanging jewels in the North. It’s dangerous.”

“…Uh, um, okay.”

“I mean, you still don’t even know where the black market is, right?”

The agency doesn’t know how things are going in the North. How would Francesca know?

I threw in a casual remark that implied that.

“Um….”

“What is it?”

“Well, I always think this… it seems like you don’t trust people, Colonel… Am I wrong?”

“…….”

“Colonel, how about we make a bet…?”

In the quiet hotel room. Turning her back against the blinding blizzard of Petrogard, Francesca smiled brightly.

“Well, neither of us is someone who’s just going to volunteer somewhere up North and sit around, right…?”

 

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