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**Snow is falling.**

**Black snow.**

The cold wind blowing from the frozen ground has solidified the earth, while the ashes suspended high in the sky swirl along with the wind.

Standing in the midst of a black snowstorm, I look around.

“Bring the fire extinguisher!”

“Fire! Fire! Quick! It’s igniting with oil! Get back before it explodes!”

“Where’s the healing priest!?”

“……”

The head of a fallen ascetic is smashed against the windshield. A soldier lies face down in a ditch, gripping a rifle. Disordered shell casings are scattered around. The shoulder of a corpse holding a machine gun looks desolate.

The Imperial soldiers, who arrived late to the scene, struggled to find survivors amidst the burning vehicle, but there was no one alive left here.

Only the corpses of soldiers and Magic Department investigators, transformed into cold bodies, remained along with the blazing vehicle.

“…….”

In the midst of that, I clearly saw the truck engulfed in flames.

Protected by powerful preservation and security magic, no one could even attempt to open the truck without authorization. It was the means to transport the bodies of the Imperial army magicians safely.

The truck, containing crucial evidence that could unveil the full details of the incident, was burning black amid the fierce flames.

—

**Episode 12 – The Mightiest Magician in History**

The Empire has been turned upside down.

An unprecedented murder case unfolding in the North. Evidence that could reveal the truth of the situation, entangled with the interests of the Empire itself, the cult, and the Magic Tower, has vanished.

Magic Department investigators transporting corpses and samples of corpse spiders have been annihilated. All the vehicle-borne infantry units escorting them have also perished on site.

In an instant, both the evidence and witnesses evaporated.

It’s unknown who did it. It’s impossible to know.

However, humans are creatures capable of imagination, and the more chaotic the world becomes, the richer the imagination seems to grow.

It didn’t take long for various rumors surrounding the incident to spread like poisonous mushroom spores.

“Manager, all sorts of noises are coming out.”

Jake spoke with a troubled expression.

“It seems neither the cult, the Magic Tower, nor the Empire has made any statements regarding this incident yet. Given that there have been no reports from the embassy, it’s pretty certain. Although….”

“…What’s that?”

“Rumors are circulating among the Knights and Magic Battalion in the North.”

An information memo was placed on the hotel table. It was a brief report summarizing the movements of the cult and Magic Tower organizations operating in the North.

Given it’s a daily memo, it appears to have been compiled and submitted right away. By the way, the person who collected the intelligence is Jake and Charnoy.

Jake, who was dispatched to Francesca as a liaison, recited the intelligence he gathered.

“Among the workers and administrative staff of the Magic Battalion operating in the North, there’s talk about the Knights being behind this incident. There’s also a rumor that they’re going to use this as an excuse to carry out a massive inquisition in the North… although it’s all just gossip, the atmosphere is quite unsettling.”

“What does the cult say?”

“According to Charnoy, who moves with Saint Lucia, it seems their situation isn’t much different either. Many are claiming that it’s the work of Dark Magicians meddling with sorcery or a sabotage by fallen magicians in league with demonic forces.”

“…….”

There were many murmurs echoing among the clergy and magicians working in the North.

Unverified rumors, with scant evidence, are being reproduced uncontrollably through human mouths.

Demons. Inquisition. Dark magic.

What a convenient excuse. Whether it’s imaginative or just narrow-minded, it’s impressive how comfortably they interpret everything.

As I sit on the sofa, glancing over the report while flicking my fingers over my cigarette pack, the sound of the remaining tobacco inside clashing around burst through the silence.

“So, any countermeasure planned?”

Jake, letting out a faint sigh, shook his head.

“Everyone is in a state of panic. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the military, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the Magic Department are temporarily forming a task force to respond, but things have gone completely off the rails since the Magic Department investigators were attacked. The Military Government Headquarters isn’t much better off.”

“What about the Knights and Magic Battalion?”

“There’s not much difference over there either. Overall, chaos reigns in the North…”

Well, given that the Rift was attacked four days ago, and then the Magic Department investigators got attacked today, it’s only natural.

Having read through the received reports, a wave of heavy emotion washed over me.

While I was sucking on a battered stick of tobacco, just as I was about to pull out a lighter to ignite it…

“Manager.”

“Uh, Pippin. What is it?”

“I just received a contact from the embassy. They said ‘headquarters’ will have a face-to-face report with you directly.”

“…….”

At Pippin’s report, I closed my eyes briefly, sinking into thought.

After a moment of silence, I rubbed the crumpled stick of tobacco against the ashtray and stood up, shaking off my thoughts.

“Bring me my passport.”

—

“How amusing.”

Immediately after receiving the embassy’s message, I boarded the Warp Gate heading to Abas.

I dashed straight to the Military Intelligence Agency Headquarters.

For a report.

“Just when I thought we wouldn’t face goblins breaching the Rift, a villa-sized spider pops up and shatters our tanks, and now the corpses of slain combat magicians are emitting divine reactions… and now the magicians transporting those bodies are dead too.”

Leoni threw down the documents he was reading.

The once chaotic office was finally resembling an actual workspace, though it still bore a somewhat musty feel with no nameplates as internal renovations were still ongoing. Seems the restructuring was taking longer than expected.

“It’s too coincidental to be just luck… does anyone else think everything aligns too perfectly? Huh?”

“…….”

“Begin.”

I reported all gathered intelligence and insights produced in the North to Leoni, the head of overseas intelligence operations at the Military Intelligence Agency and my superior.

Basic information such as the current state in the North and internal circumstances of the Empire.

“The Kien Empire forces are currently establishing a defense line centered around the Naroda mountain range. They’re clearing coniferous forests in anticipation of an offensive operation scheduled for next spring; a unique ability belonging to Camila Lowell is instrumental in the operation, as it can effectively damage those forests eroded by the Rift.”

“Through multiple sources, including officials from the Military Government Headquarters and the Kien Ministry of Defense, it’s estimated that the operation anticipated in the spring is a stepping stone to declare the end of hostilities and declare victory, timed with the military establishment day in March, which is a significant event comparable to the founding day and the Emperor’s birthday…”

Information concerning the Empire, the cult, and the Magic Tower operating in the North.

“All military forces in the North are under the control of the Military Government Headquarters, equivalent to martial law. Here, a device has been set up to intercept communications exchanged between various units deployed to the front lines and the Ministry of Defense.”

“The Knights and the Magic Battalion operate within their designated regions. They engage in a wide range of activities, from combat missions to civilian support and humanitarian actions, albeit their responsible domains differ slightly. The Magic Battalion is led by local information agents Francesca Ranieri and secretary Juan Pablo Martinez, working on restoring the road network…”

Intelligence regarding secrets that the Empire wishes to keep hidden.

“This is a film capturing the military facilities installed in the Rift. The unit is an elite force with no deficiencies in combat capabilities, training standards, or discipline…”

“Although all roads in the North have been requisitioned by the Military Government Headquarters, separate roads primarily for military purposes exist. As for the railways, the western rail is currently operational, but the eastern rail has been damaged due to combat. Local informants are leading the mages from the Magic Tower to reconstruct those tracks, but obtaining specific plans and detailed materials might take a week or so.”

“According to the materials analyzed with the help of a defector from last time, it’s anticipated that the Crown Prince will be granted military authority from the Emperor, but it’s concluded that there’s currently no way of gauging the Emperor’s health and security…”

“Regarding the self-defense organizations recently formed centered around the northern academy and the university’s magic department…”

Lastly, the ongoing events in the North.

“The Magic Tower is reportedly going to propose a joint investigation with the Empire. The cult seems to be demanding a stern inquiry, but regarding intel reported by their informants, it’s highly likely they may alter their diplomatic strategy to align with the Magic Tower’s responses.”

“There’s no detailed information uncovered yet about the attacks by the corpse spiders and giant spiders or the murders of the combat magicians and Magic Department investigators; a field team is currently investigating.”

Though it was a brief report, there were indeed numerous things to cover. It’s only natural since I hadn’t come out of the North for nearly two weeks.

As the report drew to a close, Leoni summoned some staff to open my luggage brought from the North.

The bag, labeled as a diplomatic pouch, spilled out a plethora of storage media as soon as it was opened. It contained everything that had been collected and stored during the previous two weeks while shuffling through the Military Government Headquarters.

While the staff carefully exited with armfuls of the storage media, Leoni adjusted his glasses and straightened his posture.

“It’s nice to see the business is progressing smoothly. For an initial stage, the outcomes are quite commendable.”

“Thank you.”

“How’s Charnoy doing? I know he’s good enough to take care of his own plate but consider the fact that he joined at the last moment; they probably didn’t have time to sync up.”

“He’s a competent employee.”

Charnoy is adapting well to fieldwork. To be honest, he’s adapted too well.

The elusive nymph, enjoying the favors (and honey candies) of the cult members, is gathering intelligence that echoes through various corners.

It’s impressive how he collects info without having to bother with luring people; just by enjoying honey candies and feeling the gentle strokes of Lucia’s hand, all the high-ranking clergy come flocking in to chatter.

Charnoy is turning the ‘accidental overheard’ intel into informative outputs.

Chuckling in disbelief, I added with a faintly exasperated tone, “I really don’t understand why a nymph can’t keep its mouth shut.”

“Why should we even bother when those religious zealots are digging their own graves? They’re asking for concrete blocks to be laid over their coffins. Anyway, let’s set aside that discussion for now.”

As we moved on to the main point, I began pulling out the copied documents and placing them on Leoni’s desk.

As Leoni took the documents in front of him and started reading, I began giving additional verbal reports to the information written in those documents.

Flipping through the relatively less critical documents, Leoni stopped at a record detailing the currently unfolding incidents in the North. He swept away all the paperwork he had been reading to make room.

Just before the cover flapped open, Leoni’s mouth opened in anticipation.

“Who do you think killed them? The Imperial Army magicians.”

I answered the question.

“I still don’t know.”

“I heard there was a divine reaction detected at the murder scene and on the bodies.”

Leoni spoke with a hint of urgency. I nodded in acknowledgment.

“The cult denies it, but the first eyewitnesses were the clergy of the cult, and during that time, many Knights were active at the Rift, which is why they’re being considered as the most probable suspects.”

“I heard a preliminary examination was conducted; have they pinpointed the time of death?”

“No. There weren’t any forensic specialists at the scene, so we couldn’t carry out the professional inspection.”

“Then any other peculiar details?”

“None.”

Tch. A short click of the tongue followed.

Removing his glasses revealed his fierce, piercing eyes. Leoni, now slightly graying with age, tapped the desk with an irritable gesture.

“Do you think there’s a possibility this was an operation by an intelligence agency or an attack by demons?”

“Impossible.”

I outright rejected Leoni’s hypothesis.

“To conduct an operation accompanied by force on national critical infrastructure, it would require at least three years of prior preparation. But isn’t the conflict ongoing for over five years? It’s unlikely that other competitors accomplished something that the Abas Corporation couldn’t.”

A rift is comparable to a facility like an oil field, a nuclear power plant, or a nuclear facility on a global scale.

Considering Israel’s example of dismantling the nuclear facilities in Iran and Syria, striking such a facility poses a significant burden even for information agencies. After all, that could escalate into an all-out war with that country.

Even Israel, despite Mossad gathering all the intelligence, struggled for several years coordinating with allies like the United States and neighboring nations.

The issue is that, unlike nuclear facilities, mining mana stones from a rift isn’t a violation of international law, and the Empire is currently at war with the Demon Race.

Fighting against the enemy of humanity while humans stab each other in the back? It’s utterly impossible unless some lunatic is in power, wanting to commit suicide in a bunker like Hitler or hanging around a gas station like Mussolini.

Perhaps realizing they went too far, Leoni calmly acknowledged the mistake.

“Certainly, there’s nothing of that caliber in the North. What about the Demon Race?”

“That’s not something we can easily conclude.”

“Why? The Demon Race could have killed the magician and disguised it as the work of a priest.”

Batman and Superman both have the commonality of their mothers being named ‘Martha,’ but there’s nothing like that between priests and demons. I’ve never even heard of demons imitating the holiness of priests to commit a crime.

Putting all that aside, it’s simply an absurd hypothesis.

“Then, the priests and knights who were the first to witness the scene must have noticed. There were also Inquisition Officers present.”

The first discovered the scene were the clerics of the Cult—priests, knights, Inquisition Officers, and so on.

No matter how skilled the exorcists are at hunting demons and devils, Inquisition Officers and knights are equally as talented. Even the dwindling demon presence would probably be able to sense it.

But they didn’t detect any demons? Then humanity is in deep trouble. With the state of the Inquisition, the Cult might as well declare a service closure that day.

Anyway, unless new evidence emerges, it’s too early to assert the involvement of the Demon Race or foreign intelligence agencies.

And I knew Leoni wasn’t ignorant of what I was aware of.

“I was just throwing out an idea.”

Leoni continued to sift through the papers with an uninterested expression.

Leaning against her chair, she shot a few questions my way.

“Who observed the inspection?”

“Three from the Magic Tower, three from the Cult, and seven officials from the unit responsible for the rift.”

“Names?”

“I’ve compiled lesser-known figures, including military officials, in the document before you. Noteworthy individuals are Pereyti, the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint Andrew, my informant Francesca Ranieri, and Juan Pablo Martinez, who commands the Secretariat dispatch.”

“…….”

Leoni’s fingers paused for a moment while flipping through the documents. She stared intently at the paper for a while, her eyes hardly moving as if fixated on a specific section.

Worrying that she might have found a typo, my heart raced as I awaited her next move.

“…….”

Suddenly, Leoni reached for the fountain pen on the desk.

With a fluid motion, she fetched the pen and scrawled her signature on the document. Once the ink had dried sufficiently, she tossed the cover of the intelligence document into her desk drawer.

“Are you going to keep that there?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“That’s not the issue, but I recall you usually don’t keep papers in the desk drawer.”

“…….”

“…I must have been mistaken.”

As she stared at me with those bulging eyes, I hastily retracted my words.

After a while, Leoni, who had been glaring at me in silence, brought over a new document and signed it. This one wasn’t tossed into the drawer but rather onto the edge of the desk.

Continuing with her poker face, she spoke up as if to conclude the conversation.

“This incident is something the Empire, the Magic Tower, and the Cult are resolving informally through diplomatic channels, so Abas won’t be actively involved.”

“…….”

“But that doesn’t mean we can just sit back and be clueless about what they might be planning. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I understand.”

“Since I’m reporting this to the Prime Minister, don’t mess it up.”

Leoni commanded.

“The Empire folks must be on high alert. Stay lowkey and don’t engage in unnecessary antics; you don’t want to attract unnecessary attention. Likewise, ensure that the staff below is prepared, and find out how to pass a few employees from the Empire to the North.”

“Yes.”

“And be ready to receive contact at any time, either from me or Clevenz. You’ll have tasks coming your way soon.”

*

Be prepared to receive calls at any moment.

It seemed like an important directive was issued, but regrettably, I didn’t have the luxury to focus on that.

I had become like Pavlov’s dog, instinctively jumping at the sound of the phone ringing. I had reached a state where I reacted automatically without even thinking.

Thus, all my attention was focused not on when the call might come but elsewhere.

Working as an information officer and diplomat in the conflict areas of hostile nations was akin to crawling into a death trap.

My daily life was nothing short of living in a war zone.

“Manager, I heard that a knight and a magician got into a fistfight today?”

“Why?”

“They bumped shoulders while walking and didn’t apologize.”

“I sometimes think it’s fortunate that there aren’t any media outlets in the North. What kind of international embarrassment is that…? Is there any other issue? What about the rest of the group?”

“Saint was busy with morning mass, refugee assistance, and medical service at the shelters, so no major issues arose. Administrator Ranieri went to repair the collapsed houses while fixing the railway… Hero was yelled at by the air defense military police for flying into a no-fly zone without prior authorization.”

“Pippin, ask Military Governance to bring the car over.”

With no major incidents, Lucia was handling everything well, Francesca sometimes acted strangely, and lastly, there was never a dull day with Camila.

I focused all my strength on caring for these three individuals.

In reality, managing just Camila was the hardest task.

Most of my work was dedicated to observing the military situation in the North and the subtle changes in the relationships between the Empire, the Cult, and the Magic Tower. Although the higher-ups (elected officials) decided to sit back and watch this incident unfold, it wouldn’t do to miss any juicy hooks. I had to relay the information.

Of course, this situation involving the Empire, the Cult, and the Magic Tower was no pleasant affair.

The leadership of the Cult and the Magic Tower, who had failed to unravel their suspicions of each other for over a hundred years, was proving daily that even basements had floors.

Whenever the Magic Tower suggested a joint investigation, the Cult would raise objections, and when the Cult proposed a joint inquiry, the Magic Tower would cling to its hair. Additionally, it seemed as if some collective directive had been issued, as the personnel from both sides, half-isolated in the North, frequently clashed whenever their eyes met.

On the other hand, the Empire was surprisingly calm in its response; it was almost suspiciously so, to the point where one could wonder if they were too complacent.

The military had deployed additional troops and began patrolling the rear areas frequently, while the Military Government Headquarters disseminated leaflets urging immediate reporting of handlers spotted.

Additionally, I heard that Martinez was planning to reveal the cause of death by compiling the findings from the informal inspection of Imperial Army Combat Magicians with the autopsy results from Magic Department Investigators and soldiers.

They aimed to find out whether it was a singular perpetrator, confirming whether a priest subsequently did the deed. According to the Ambassador from Abas stationed at the Empire, it seems both the Cult and the Magic Tower were leaning towards supporting the Empire’s independent investigation.

For reference, this intelligence was provided simultaneously by both Francesca and Veronica, so its reliability was more than solid.

In summary,

“It means nothing has been resolved. Who knows when the autopsy results will come out? Moreover, the Cult and the Magic Tower could refuse to accept the findings.”

“You’re being extremely pessimistic… that’s quite a trashy, nymphophobic humanization…!”

“If you don’t want to hand over your wrist bone to Francesca, keep your mouth shut.”

“Hiieeeek…!”

Anyway, the Cult and the Magic Tower decided to trust the Empire and wait for the inspection results. Honestly, with no investigative authority, there was nothing else they could do but wait.

Thus, as I executed Leoni’s orders and spent my time as a diplomat, one day it happened.

-‘Hello? You’ve reached the customer service of Sunset Marine Limited. The items you ordered from the Mauritania Continent have arrived at the port today. I have some details to inform you of. Do you have a moment to chat?’

“Yes.”

The anticipated contact had come.

 

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