---

“Armies gathered from around the world spread into the North, each operating within their assigned territories.”

“Most were elite units or imperial guards dispatched from pro-imperial dictatorial states, but the imperial government focused heavily on promoting that ‘nations worldwide sent reinforcements to assist the Emperor.'”

“However, the journalists from various nations were more interested in a certain individual rather than the Knights of the Cult or the Magic Battalion from the Magic Tower or the dispatched troops from the dictatorship.”

“Although this person acted independently rather than as part of an ordered group, the unique status they held brought all sorts of spotlight with it.”

“Camila, Lucia, Francesca.”

“These three individuals are currently the most hotly discussed figures in the North.”

—

**Episode 11 – No Issues on the Northern Front**

Camila, Lucia, and Francesca were each fulfilling missions they had chosen in different areas.

“Firstly, Lucia was dedicating herself to caring for the refugees and the injured.”

“Utilizing her past experience as a healing priest, she struggled to rebuild the healthcare system for the entire North, dealing with diseases and wounds. Lucia would leave her lodging before dawn, knock on the door of refugee shelters, and wouldn’t return until night after treating patients in the hospital and personally officiating mass for her followers striving to maintain their faith.”

“She led the Knights Order of the Relief Corps and healing priests who followed her.”

“It was truly an effort worthy of being called a saint of the religion, and it was a path she had chosen for herself.”

“Next was Francesca, who focused on restoring infrastructure.”

“She aimed to reconstruct the transportation network using her magical knowledge, including alchemy. Francesca repaired roads and railways across the North with a small number of magicians assigned from the battalion. Roads turned into mud due to thawing and freezing were cleared efficiently by a spirit summoned by a magician, and the rails, stiffened under ice and at risk of derailment, were melted by flames before trains could be moved again before the water froze.”

“Although Francesca didn’t possess Lucia’s ability to rally others, her position in the Secretariat was enough to earn the compliance of the people—even the haughty magicians from the Magic Tower.”

“Indeed, she embodied the reputation befitting the prestigious Raniere family.”

“And lastly, there was Camila.”

“Camila participated in efforts to eliminate coniferous forests, which posed the greatest threat in the North. To be precise, that was the mission assigned to her.”

“The Military Government Headquarters coveted Camila’s abilities, but they also expressed concerns about letting a civilian (externally, she was known as an ordinary university student) partake in military operations. This was due to worries about what might happen if someone unfamiliar with military law like Camila ended up wandering off the path.”

“However, despite these concerns, Camila executed her role faithfully.”

“She set fire to a part of the coniferous forest that had been tormenting the Imperial Army in the North, which was the biggest clue to resolving a problem the Military Government Headquarters had struggled with for years.”

“As a result, the Headquarters was sending boundless trust towards Camila. By the way, this was also a path she had chosen for herself.”

“So, what was Camila doing now?”

“……”

-Slurrrp!

“Kyah!”

“……”

“Oh, you’re here?”

Camila, wrapped in a military blanket, peeked her hand out and waved. Given the stiff material, it was clear the blanket was freshly unwrapped grade A, and the mug in her hand wasn’t military but priestly.

After setting fire to the coniferous forest today, it seemed Camila was taking a break.

I met her at the duty room of the division headquarters during my work visit, and she was buried in the blanket, sipping something.

Slurrrp!

“Isn’t it cold outside? Come in and sit. There’s a heater here, so it’s warm.”

“Uh, Camila, what are you eating?”

“Oh, this?”

Camila beamed as she raised the mug she was sipping from. The dark contents looked exactly like coffee, but the sweet aroma wafting up indicated it was cocoa.

I glanced at the packaging scattered across the duty room table.

Imperial Army combat rations. Breakfast menu. Lunch menu. Dinner menu. Each respective packaging was opened, along with candy, snack, honey, and sugar wrappers that had been included to meet caloric requirements.

I’ve become familiar with this since I’d seen it a few times after being assigned to the Imperial branch of the Military Intelligence Agency.

By the way, this was meant to last a whole day.

So it’s not a single meal portion, but one meant to be eaten over three meals. You can even see massive text saying ‘Breakfast Menu’, ‘Lunch Menu’, ‘Dinner Menu’ right on the packaging. Now I noticed that a bag of priest potato chips was also opened.

If you totaled the calories of the three staples and the accompanying sides, it would roughly reach the four-digit range. I couldn’t read the first digit. I was curious, but I didn’t want to read that.

“……Camila. That cocoa…”

“Yes.”

“Did you take it from here?”

“Yes.”

Camila answered with a bright smile. Only after hearing that did I notice the two cocoa sticks rolling under the packaging.

I hesitated, my voice trembling, and asked one last question for confirmation.

“Did you eat all of this?”

“Yes!”

“……”

I grabbed Camila’s cheek and squeezed it.

As the pure white cheek stretched, Camila, who had been sprawling out in the blanket, suddenly sat up.

It felt as if I was witnessing a miracle, like a street beggar standing proudly at the final station of Line 1.

“Hey, you pig… Do you realize how many calories that is? You ate it all in one go! Huh?! These are meant for the combat troops who are out in the field!”

“Gyaah…!”

“Oh, for crying out loud. This is driving me crazy.”

I sighed heavily as I released Camila’s cheeks.

I can’t take this anymore.

—

“How was today?”

“There were no major issues.”

“It has already been three days since we arrived in the North. On the first day, we just had a brief meeting and slept at the lodging, so we’ve only had about two days of actual activity.”

“Nevertheless, that doesn’t diminish the meaning of the efforts of the group.”

“I’ve heard the pace of burning down the coniferous forests in the North is faster than expected. I was worried since they told me we couldn’t use flight magic, but the fire spread significantly quicker than I thought.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Camila had burned a considerable area of coniferous forest. An entire sector which was supposed to be managed by an Imperial Army Infantry Brigade had turned to ash in just two days.

While this may sound inconsequential, what mattered was not the area but the terrain. The section that she cleared of flames lay beyond the rugged terrain of the Naroda Mountain Range, stretching into a vast plain, with no obstacles except for a small river.

In other words, the moment that area was cleared, whether it was devils or monsters, they could make a straight shot to densely populated areas through the plain.

No one knew whether they would head to the major city packed with refugees or to where the command center was, but the fact that the principal cities of the North would be left defenseless made no real difference in the end.

But today, Camila had cleared that area.

The coniferous forest that had been hiding demons turned to ash, and with the terrain used for concealment now lost, demons were unlikely to wander in that area. Most importantly, it also allowed for a lookout post to be established on high ground to monitor enemy movements. That alone was sufficient for Camila to have done her job.

By the way, the Military Government Headquarters had estimated that it would take Camila at least a week to clear that area.

“But I finished it in one day.”

“It took two days.”

“Ah, come on!”

Yesterday, she claimed to have been holding back to adapt to the North, and that she only truly began her activities from this morning—an argument that caused her to jump around in frustration. To be fair, there was a nugget of truth in that statement.

Still, it was indeed true that it took two days.

“……Ugh! Fine, let’s just drop it.”

“Camila. Just honestly admit it. It’s not that you’re upset because your achievements aren’t recognized, but because your food was taken away, right?”

“Who would be mad at me for taking their food…!”

“You.”

Of course, I feared I’d get hit if I said that out loud, so I chose to stay quiet.

After a brief commotion, we settled down and began chatting calmly.

“What are Lucia and Francesca up to?”

“They’re working.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Lucia and Francesca were moving around the North, each fulfilling their roles.

Leading the Knights Order of the Relief Corps, Lucia was busy treating people, visiting shelters, and hospitals, focusing on aiding the impoverished and the refugees.

Generally, when conflict arises, people tend to flee to safer areas, which means most of the refugees headed toward major cities—places where the military is stationed, where law and order are maintained, where food supplies and medical resources are available.

And the more people conglomerate in one area, the higher the likelihood of disease outbreaks. It’s not an absolute truth, but statistically, it often holds true.

Especially in a situation like now, where people are malnourished, their immune systems weakened, and medical infrastructure collapsed.

That was Lucia’s battlefield.

“Lucia is incredibly busy tending to patients right now. I heard from the priests there that some epidemic broke out, and it’s a complete chaos.”

“An epidemic? Like influenza?”

I nodded. Winter illnesses were circulating in the North.

Honestly, flu wouldn’t be considered a serious disease in advanced countries. The same goes for the Empire with its developed medicine.

But during wartime, the flu became an entirely different story.

“The immune systems of the refugees are severely weakened and with influenza spreading, people are dying. Since the hospitals are overwhelmed, shelters are creating separate facilities for isolation, and well… you get the gist.”

“I understand.”

Although each shelter was trying to implement measures, the fact that they each operated independently posed significant challenges. With varying circumstances, how can effective solutions emerge? Some shelters were so unsanitary that sewage was flowing across the floors, others lacked the space to establish an isolation area, and some couldn’t even treat patients due to a lack of medical supplies.

Given the state of affairs, people were dying every day.

Some were even unaware they’d contracted the disease and spread it around, and there were those who, out of spite, spat in wells to infect others. There were even shelters that, finding the flu patients repulsive, kicked them out into the cold, where they froze to death.

Military priests and military doctors dispatched by the army were putting in the effort, but due to an unusual cold wave disrupting rail travel, they couldn’t send medical supplies from the rear, leaving many situations nearly unattended.

“Not every shelter is in dire conditions, but it is true that the overall situation isn’t good.”

“It may very well be far more serious than we anticipated….”

“Yeah… probably.”

In that sense, Lucia was like a ray of hope.

She could reattach a half-torn beastman tail in one shot, restore a leg that had been broken for years back to its original state, and treat nerves of fingers that had been severed and reattached—her healing abilities were nothing short of miraculous.

Thanks to her, the medical system in the North was gradually showing signs of returning to normal.

“It’s still a long way to go, but someday it’ll be back to normal.”

“And Lucia’s doing well… what about Francesca? Is everything okay over there?”

“Francesca?”

Francesca’s situation was significantly better. She was operating fully in the rear.

Unlike the front lines of the North, which were restricted due to martial law and heavy snowfall, the rear regions had plenty of areas where infrastructure was still intact—one notable example being the administrative capital of Novonikolaevsk, the city which housed the Military Government Headquarters and Duke’s residence.

Of course, claiming it was a good situation was relative, not absolute.

So, the place Francesca was in was, by no means, a stroll in the park.

I changed my wet socks while organizing my flats. It seemed some snow had somehow gotten in without me noticing.

“I heard they encountered a problem while checking the magic lines to restore the railway. Apparently, someone had cut them up into kilometers and made off with them.”

“Magic lines? What are those?”

“Ah, you can think of them like electrical wiring.”

The magic line is a concept similar to electrical wiring. It’s the same black string you see hanging from telephone poles.

Camila, pulling the blanket towards her, tilted her head and continued with a puzzled tone.

“But why would someone cut the magic lines?”

“You know the copper content in electrical wiring, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Magic lines also contain minerals like copper inside them, made with high conductivity materials. They’re cut and sold for a fair price.”

“If they’re caught slicing them, they’re in for trouble. Just like electrical wiring conducts high-voltage current, magic lines carry strong magical energy, meaning even ordinary people or skilled magicians would be in serious danger if they mishandled it.”

“Of course, stealing magic lines is a serious crime, and in a wartime situation (martial law is in effect), getting caught would lead to a sentence of treason rather than simple theft. Sabotaging critical infrastructure falls under the duties of intelligence agencies or special forces during wartime.”

Consequently, the Military Government Headquarters, realizing the situation belatedly, ordered the local police and military police to track down the culprit. They had to retrieve them quickly, as delays would slow down recovery efforts.

“For now, they said they would try to look for any remaining magic lines in the Empire, but that would take quite some time. So they’re currently focusing on salvaging any lines they can.”

“So if the rail lines come back to life, does that mean supply goods will be delivered?”

“Exactly. The volume transported by rail is absolutely not something to be dismissed.”

The reason I knew exactly what was happening with the rest of the group scattered across the North was not for particularly special reasons.

It was just that I had people dispatched to keep me informed.

I turned toward Camila, who was squirming beneath the blanket, and asked, “Oh, by the way, did you greet Pippin?”

“Pippin? That soldier? Of course, I did.”

On the second day of the Northern mission, I assigned each of the subordinates to members of our group.

Charnoy, being a nymph with the most sympathies in common, was assigned to Lucia, who was the most favorable towards her.

Jake, a special forces veteran who had been on numerous overseas missions, was assigned to be with the magicians from the Magic Tower gathered from around the world…

Francesca was assigned to Pipin, a former Navy information officer.

There was no grand reason behind it; Pipin was simply the person who had the second-best command over Kien after me, so I attached him to Camila.

Thanks to that, I’m receiving real-time updates on the activities of Camila, Lucia, and Francesca from my seat. I plan to visit them occasionally to see their faces, but I can’t always drop by.

Camila, who greeted Pipin, was smiling brightly and chattering away. Of course, it wasn’t the kind of conversation suitable for the room, so we had to step outside for a moment.

I dragged Camila, who was comfortably lying down, outside, but she didn’t show any signs of complaining. She knew well enough that such conversations shouldn’t be held inside.

We walked through the street with the winter wind biting at us, quietly talking.

“He seems like a nice guy, doesn’t he? Thinking back, I’ve seen him from a distance before, but yesterday was the first time we really talked.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that.”

“Yesterday, I saw him using a radio, and it seemed to have a function like a radio.”

“…Radio? Oh, that’s a waterproof device for frequencies. You probably didn’t hear a radio; you likely overheard Imperial Army communications. It could have been a real radio, though.”

“That’s intriguing.”

“Honestly, I find it more fascinating that you managed to eat an entire day’s worth of combat rations in one sitting….”

“Oh, please. Just a tiny bit…!”

*

From then on, it was just a series of ordinary days.

Camila was fighting monsters by burning down coniferous forests on the Northern frontline, Lucia was moving around shelters and field hospitals just behind the front line saving patients, and Francesca was working hard on repairing roads and railways amidst local civil servants and thieves.

I wasn’t much different.

I’d wake up in the morning, take a quick shower, put on a suit, and leave my quarters. According to Imperial Army regulations, soldiers are supposed to wear military uniforms, but I wasn’t an Imperial Soldier. So, I wore a suit. Dressed in formal attire, people thought I was a civil servant rather than a foreign soldier.

There was time to have breakfast, although seeing the gloomy Northern weather and the refugee queues made my appetite vanish.

The first place I arrived after leaving my quarters was the Military Government Headquarters.

I drank a cheap instant coffee from the Magic Tower (I have no idea why this stuff is found in every military base no matter where you go) and headed straight to my office.

Though I called it an office, there was really nothing special. The Military Government Headquarters had thrown in a desk and a civilian terminal into a cramped room they used as a storage area for me. As I thawed my frozen hands and feet for a bit, my interpreter and guide officer, Senior Lyudmila, came in to inform me that it was time for a meeting.

Thus began my day.

“Thank you for coming on time this early in the morning. Today we will discuss the Naroda Mountains….”

The meeting usually started with discussions about Camila, Lucia, and Francesca’s activities.

Since Camila’s situation was the most critical, her reports always came first, followed by Lucia and Francesca, whose turns would alternate based on the day’s circumstances.

Of course, nothing significant came up during the meetings I attended. Being a foreign officer means the commanders of the Military Government Headquarters tended to tread lightly around me. So, the discussions turned into shallow small talk lacking any substantial content.

If there were ever discussions related to sensitive information…

“Are there any assets remaining for monitoring the positioning of the flying beast tribe?”

“Uh… well, I think there is an active aerial monitoring base up in the mountains….”

“…….”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant….”

One officer, who had just almost revealed the location of the aerial defense assets newly stationed in the North, hastily shut his mouth and attempted to backtrack. Just like armies around the globe hide the locations of air defense and missile systems, the Imperial Army also wanted to keep such deployments under wraps.

Of course, I was publicly known as someone who didn’t know any Kien. So I feigned ignorance, blinking in confusion while asking Senior Lyudmila.

“…Why did the meeting stop? Is there an emergency?”

“Ah, that’s well….”

Most meetings went on like this.

The commanders of the Military Government Headquarters would dig for the information they wanted while hardly dishing out any useful details for me. If someone sitting in this room had been completely clueless, I probably wouldn’t have been able to bear it, but unfortunately for them, I wasn’t.

Because, after all, I could understand the Imperial language. That was the result of three long years navigating as an unofficial disguise in the Empire.

One clumsy officer slipped information about air defense units right into my mind, and as soon as the meeting ended, I hurried back to my quarters to compile the information for my report. Most of the work involved jotting down everything I’d overheard in the meeting room.

Now, with the access permission to the North issued in the name of the Minister of Defense, I could head to Petrogard to submit this information to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Abas, enabling Military Intelligence Agency to obtain military secrets passed between the Imperial Army in the North.

“Let’s see, what’s the schedule to get to the embassy in December….”

Of course, I wasn’t solely an espionage agent. In fact, I was focused on my primary occupation, which just happened to be that of an information officer.

I was quite industrious in my role as a colleague to Camila as well.

“Officer! The Saint is looking for you!”

“…Tell her I’m not here. I don’t want to carry stuff.”

“But, um, she’s already here….”

“What on earth are you doing hiding here?”

“Ahhh! Aaaahhh!”

I got dragged by Lucia for some humanitarian supply delivery work.

“Officer. We need to set up a communication network here; what should we do?”

“Why are you asking me that? Magician.”

“Don’t you do this kind of stuff in the military?”

“I’m a humble foot soldier… is there any magician who has been in the military?”

“None of us have been to the military. University students are exempt from service.”

“…So why are non-draftees playing soldier together?”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind. Just hand it over.”

I was called upon by Francesca to organize supplies and set up the communication network.

“Ah, that’s why you didn’t look too well!”

“Don’t get me started. That darn magic has caused me to break the line more times than I can count. But Camila, do you need anything? Why did you call for me all of a sudden?”

“Could you take a look at this map for me?”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t know how to read maps. How do you read this? The compass keeps spinning, and I can’t figure out where north is!”

“Isn’t Pipin around? Pipin. Or there are plenty of other soldiers.”

“Uh, well, I did ask them first….”

“…And?”

“They all didn’t seem to know how to read a map. We climbed all the way up this elevation, but they kept saying this didn’t seem like the right path and wanted to turn back.”

“…….”

I found myself helping Camila read the map.

I was left wondering why they were offloading such trivial tasks onto me, but I didn’t want to refuse her request since I had gone to see her anyway.

In any case, I did my part to the best of my abilities. At least I believed I contributed fairly.

However, just like in any workplace, working hard doesn’t mean the workload lessens. In fact, my responsibilities increased more than ever.

Most of what piled up was related to communications or the activities of those three, but…

“What on earth are Minotaur horn powder, pieces of Harpy bones, advanced alchemy refining tools, magic potion, Holy Water from the Rien River, a rosary made of silver, a gem-studded holy grail, and a moving chocolate shaped like a dragon from the Magic Tower?”

“Those are items requested by the Hero, Saint, and Alchemist. They’ve already passed customs, but to clear them, we need the Military Government Headquarters’ commander’s approval.”

“So, you came here to ask for that authorization?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“Oh, and by the way, I took out the chocolate at the back there. If anyone asks, just say it got lost in transit.”

Such tasks were also added to my list.

If I had to make an excuse, I’d say it was because the administrative procedures of the Empire were far too complex and troublesome for the three foreigners to manage, so it fell on me, who knew at least a little.

I was curious why they hadn’t brought those items in earlier or bundled them in regular shipments from the cult or the Magic Tower, but I could predict that Lucia and Francesca would simply respond with something like, “Don’t you think we could fit a stove in that space for our stuff?”

Fortunately, the Military Government Headquarters didn’t interfere much. How could they refuse when the Hero, Saint, and Alchemist wanted to bring in items they needed? Besides, given the wartime situation, the Headquarters was already overwhelmed with work.

In any case, the Imperial Army was not in a position to fuss over trivial items like these.

Thus, I gained a minor administrative privilege to bring in and out supplies limited to the three individuals. This was an unexpected gain.

That same day, I sent all the gathered information to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Abas in the capital.

Fortunately, the information arrived safely at the embassy.

“Well done! Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Camila.”

“But, you know….”

Camila, who was doing handstands with both feet against the wall, said to me with a shaking voice.

“Can I come down now…?”

“No, you can’t. Stay up there.”

“Yikes…!”

With her arms trembling, Camila let out a sound as if she were dying.

For reference, she was serving a punishment for trying to smuggle chocolates.

*

The eventful day in the North gradually came to a close.

From afar, the sirens and broadcasts signaling the lights-out came through.

“Attention citizens. Effective at 20:00, a lights-out order has been issued for all regions in the North. Citizens, please follow the authorities’ instructions….”

“The subjects of the lights-out order include advertisement lights, position lights, streetlights, outdoor work lights, indoor lights, and vehicle lights….”

Military vehicles with loudspeakers roamed the city announcing the lights-out order. As the broadcast sounded, the people scurried away into buildings like roaches fleeing from the light.

Hospitals, police stations, homes, factories, and even the Military Government Headquarters plunged into complete darkness in Novonikolayevsk.

Under the chilly moonlight, a military vehicle slowly crossed the desolate road.

I pulled the blackout curtains I had bought during the day, minimized the indoor lighting, and lay down on the bed.

The military radio set up by my bedside began spewing out transmissions it had caught.

-“Citizens. Have you managed to get through today safely? For those preparing for tomorrow, we have some news today….”

Having spent about five days in the North, I naturally came to learn one thing.

Due to the high concentration of magic leaking from the Rift, or perhaps the jamming from the Signals Intelligence Corps, I couldn’t tune into broadcasts from other regions while in the North.

In other words, in the North, you could only listen to broadcasts from Northern media outlets.

Typically, when war breaks out and martial law is proclaimed, the military takes over the media. This is to prevent the enemy from seizing broadcasting facilities and spreading propaganda.

So all the broadcasts, including the one from the radio, had undergone scrutiny by the Military Government Headquarters before being transmitted.

-“…May peace be upon all subjects of His Majesty the Emperor.”

With a boring line, the MC rattled on about returning next time. Yes, now it really felt like I was in the Empire.

I recorded the content I had just listened to and organized it. Even if the news was laden with propaganda, a skilled analyst could turn it into decent material.

A couple of hours had flown by by the time I finished organizing the documents and could finally lie back down on the bed. For reference, Pipin, Jake, and Charnoy had already been asleep for a while.

Lying in bed, I pulled the covers over me and recalled the report I had received from Charnoy earlier that day.

“Charnoy. Did you finish all your tasks for today? Why have you not submitted a report?”

“Today, the priests gifted me premium honey candy… honey candy sanctified using natural honey harvested from the Church’s monastery… it tastes so delightfully nymph-friendly…!”

“So, did you do any work or not?”

“…….”

Honestly, at this point, I felt like maybe Charnoy could be let off the hook.

No matter how I looked at it, he seemed to be the most useless piece of manpower and ended up sticking around Lucia, so I was getting irritated.

Still, it seemed like Lucia welcomed his presence, and he hadn’t gotten caught by the Imperial Guard HQ or the Counter-Intelligence Agency, so that was something.

As bedtime approached, unnecessary thoughts flickered through my mind. I set an alarm for my wake-up time and closed my eyes again.

“…….”

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, a phone call came through.

Checking the number on the screen, I saw it was Francesca calling. I wondered if something had happened to her, so I quickly got up from the bed and answered.

“Hello. Officer? What’s going on? At this hour.”

-“Officer. Would you like to see something interesting…?”

“Interesting…? What do you mean by that all of a sudden….”

I wanted to ask if she was talking nonsense due to being half-asleep or maybe if she was intoxicated.

However, the next thing Francesca said piqued my interest.

-“You remember the wager I mentioned the other day, right…?”

“Yes, I remember.”

-“It seems I’ve won this wager….”

Through the phone, Francesca continued.

-“The black market. Would you like to come along and check it out…?”

 

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