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Francesca selected reliable talents among the wizards dispatched from the Magic Tower, and after drafting the operation plans, I submitted the report via the Embassy’s wiretapping security office.

The contact from Leoni came about six hours after I made the report.

-‘The review has passed.’

“Thank you, Director Leoni.”

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Wizard in History

Leoni was appointed as the head of the Overseas Intelligence Operations Department during the restructuring of the Military Intelligence Agency.

As the name suggests, the head of the Overseas Intelligence Operations Department commands all overseas networks and operations of the Military Intelligence Agency, including the Special Operations Division and the Technical Intelligence Division.

For reference, Clevenz is the head of the Domestic Security Department. His role involves military counterintelligence, military security, domestic security information, and counter-terrorism.

Thus, the real power of the overseas part fell into Leoni’s hands, while the domestic part remained with Clevenz.

-‘For now, I’ve authorized your projects. The black magic-related intelligence collection for the Frigia Street department store terror, and the operation to track down the heretics of the cult. All of it’s been approved.’

Although the Staff Officer and the Chief of the Military Intelligence Agency are above, no one else in the Military Intelligence Agency can command Clevenz and Leoni.

But, that’s not really my concern at this point.

What’s important is that the projects have been approved.

-‘I don’t worry about one head that’s exceptional, but stirring the north unnecessarily could get you in trouble with the Military Government Headquarters. What do you plan to do now?’

“We should put Lanieri at the forefront.”

I sat in the wiretapping security office and spoke with Leoni, using encrypted communication that the Imperial Guard HQ and other Empire Information Agencies could not intercept.

“Of course, if things get complicated, I must intervene directly or indirectly, but for now, I’m planning to observe the situation.”

-‘You’re going to use him as a decoy?’

“I think ‘figurehead’ would be a more fitting term.”

Francesca is an information asset that I don’t want to let go. Naturally, from the perspective of the Military Intelligence Agency, my life is more important than hers, but that’s something the company will have to deal with.

I’ll do my best to ensure Francesca can operate safely.

If problems arise while we’re looting the black market and dealing with Hormoz, I should step in before Francesca gets hurt.

-‘Alright. And?’

“The moment the humanitarian support law is enacted, ships carrying relief supplies will move from our country to the Kien Empire. Not all of them, just a few. Just taking a little.”

-‘If the stocks run low, the Empire will become suspicious. I’ll prepare the documents on this side. But during the national audits, make sure everything is neatly handled to avoid any whispers from the upper and lower house members. Got it?’

“Yes. I will provide detailed requests when I submit my mid-report after the project starts.”

Leoni accepted both of the operation plans I submitted.

Normally, even if it were a black market case, I wouldn’t have received approval for tracking down the heretics, but—

“Have you checked the list of heretics and missing persons?”

-‘I’m looking at it now.’

Thanks to securing the list of heretics and missing persons managed by the Inquisition, the project approval came down quickly.

Rustle. Rustle. I could hear the sound of documents passing through the communication network. After a while of focusing on confirming documents, Leoni muttered to herself in a low voice.

-‘Murder, pillaging, unauthorized inquisition, conversion… Quite a dirty list. Most of the names are unknown to me. The domestic part is going to get extremely busy. Poor Clevenz.’

“Are there any heretics domestically? Honestly, I think they would have fled overseas.”

-‘We’ll have to wait and see to know for sure.’

“I plan to cooperate with the priests of the Inquisition for the heretic tracking. Although officially, nothing will happen, of course.”

Using Francesca for information collection and tracking down the heretics together with Priest Rebecca.

None of them are going to be easy tasks.

But since they’re necessary, there’s no choice.

-‘Soon the budget necessary for the business will be allocated. Additional directives will also be sent down.’

“Yes.”

-‘I hope you don’t make any mistakes.’

Ding!

A notification popped up.

After checking the message displayed on my prepaid phone, I extinguished the cigarette I was holding in the ashtray and ended the communication.

“I’ll contact you again later, Director.”

-‘Send my regards to Clevenz.’

—

Lucia did not forget her promise.

She sent Priest Rebecca to investigate the ‘suspect wielding a divine weapon believed to be related to the murders of combat magicians, investigators, and soldiers.’

“You’ve arrived.”

“It’s been a while, Priest Rebecca.”

I met with Priest Rebecca in a quiet place.

The place where the previous uproar involving sorcery and the inquisition erupted—under a quaint stone bridge crossing a gentle river.

In that area shrouded in deep shadows, our faces met.

“I’ve heard about the situation from the Saint. I heard the director’s message as well. Did you receive my contact?”

“Yes.”

“Please hand over the prepaid phone.”

Priest Rebecca burned the prepaid phone used for the meeting before my eyes. As soon as the oil was poured and the match was thrown, the prepaid phone transformed into a sorry-looking torch.

After watching the exterior and circuit board melt away in the high heat, I turned my gaze around and spoke.

“I’m thinking of capturing the heretics of the cult, but we can’t do it alone. I need your cooperation.”

“Are you talking about this unofficially?”

“Yes, unofficially.”

Priest Rebecca readily accepted my proposal.

Having been caught by Petrus, Rebecca, like Francesca and Veronica, is one of the information assets managed by the Military Intelligence Agency. Although Petrus is currently overseeing her, it shouldn’t be a problem for me to borrow her for a short while.

I shook the list of heretics and missing persons handed to me by Petrus.

“We have nothing to hide, so let’s cut to the point. Someone on this list has been causing chaos in the north. If we don’t catch them soon, there will surely be a bigger issue.”

Priest Rebecca replied.

“How can I assist you, Colonel?”

“The troops from the Order of Saint Andrew and the Inquisition have been stationed in the north for quite some time. You established an information network there, didn’t you?”

Priest Rebecca nodded. Her mint-colored bobbed hair swayed with the movement.

“Can you make contact with that intelligence network?”

“It’s possible.”

“Good. Then please compile all the intelligence gathered so far.”

All of the cult’s military power is monopolized by the Inquisition.

Starting from Inquisition Officers to battle priests, exorcist priests, and regular priests, all personnel are managed and operated by the Inquisition, and controlling the cult’s deployed forces in the Empire’s northern regions falls under the Inquisition’s jurisdiction.

Furthermore, the Inquisition has a history that far exceeds even the Imperial Guard HQ and Royal Intelligence Department. There must be an intelligence network in the Empire’s northern regions where skirmishes are occurring. After all, the knights are part of the Inquisition.

Naturally, the Empire’s intelligence agencies would have caught onto this fact long ago. It would be as problematic as when you ordered a collaboration event menu but the promotional product didn’t come along if such a substantial force was dispatched without an intelligence officer in tow.

“The Inquisition’s local intelligence network is under the surveillance of the Military Police, internal troops, the Imperial Guard HQ, the Counterintelligence Command, and the Empire Police. Especially in a situation like this, even the Inquisition would struggle to operate their intelligence network.”

“I know. But that’s not really our concern, is it? At least not for you, Priest Rebecca, me, and Director Petrus.”

I asked Priest Rebecca to gather the information. I had many other requests as well.

Information networks, safe houses, meeting locations….

“I also need personnel and equipment. Specifically, something to identify the heretic and prepared means in case we need to subdue them.”

“I can mobilize that immediately. What about the personnel?”

“Please select individuals with the utmost discretion.”

The fact that the Inquisition and the Military Intelligence Agency are cooperating is information that must never leak out.

Furthermore, Rebecca or Petrus must not be noticed if they act suspiciously by the other Inquisition officers.

I wanted to ask for people who wouldn’t be able to pick up on anything, but all the intelligence officers dispatched overseas are invariably among the keenest, so I need to draw upon those who are able to keep their mouths shut and can be easily silenced.

Fortunately, this was precisely within Priest Rebecca’s area of expertise.

Having served as an assistant to the Inquisition Director, whether she liked it or not, she inevitably learned about the nameless employees.

She probably knows these Inquisition officers better than their own parents do.

After scanning the list of heretics and missing persons, she pointed out a few names with her fingers.

“It’s best to exclude heretics who are former Inquisition officers, healing priests, exorcists, or regular priests from the suspects. Similarly, from the list of missing persons suspected of heresy, let’s exclude Inquisition officers, healing priests, exorcists, and regular priests as well.”

“Can I ask why that is, Priest?”

“These individuals do not know how to handle a sword.”

Priest Rebecca began reciting specific information regarding the Inquisition.

“Those murdered combat magicians and soldiers bore wounds from traditional swords, Colonel. The damage is typical from a longsword, pike, or claymore, and of the like.”

“And?”

“These individuals are far removed from anything like that.”

According to Rebecca, former Inquisition officers, healing priests, exorcists, and regular priests mostly have no experience wielding swords whatsoever.

As for regular and healing priests, that’s to be expected. It was a bit unexpected regarding the Inquisition officers and exorcists, but after hearing the subsequent explanation, I understood immediately.

“Exorcists have to deal with ghosts and demons, so they don’t need to use swords, do they? Unless they sprinkle holy water on their edge, they won’t even touch or affect them, you see.”

“Ah.”

“Similarly, Inquisition officers are also in a similar position. A hundred years ago, Inquisition officers would have wielded swords, but these days, they don’t really need to carry swords around. They are too heavy compared to guns, and they take far too long to train. Of course, they might be out there, but there’s a high chance none can handle a sword more skillfully than a knight.”

Thus, Priest Rebecca dramatically reduced the number of suspects.

Instead, she added the names of new individuals to the suspect list.

“If we investigate the priests skilled in swords, battle priests would be the most likely suspects.”

“Battle priests, you say?”

“Exactly what the name implies: priests trained for battle.”

“Then it’s about ensuring the safety of the Inquisition Officer and Exorcist dispatched to the danger zone. They are being trained for their protection.”

“Does the Inquisition Officer really need a bodyguard?”

“Definitely. It’s not like we can handle every threat on our own.”

Of course, being a Combat Priest doesn’t mean solely acting as a bodyguard. Priest Rebecca continued her explanation.

“Combat Priests assist with both the Inquisition and the Grand Exorcism. That’s why priests, inquisitors, and even nuns are broadly selected.”

“The number of individuals to investigate isn’t small, huh?”

“Still, it has decreased quite a bit, hasn’t it?”

We went through the list, crossing out individuals who were not suspects, one by one.

No matter how much I studied the Inquisition Office, I couldn’t possibly know more than the current Inquisition Officers, so Rebecca’s cooperation was invaluable.

“We’ve crossed out about half now.”

I separated the now useless list and burned it. After all, the original had already been sent to the Military Intelligence Agency, so burning it wouldn’t matter.

After successfully eliminating evidence, I handed a few items to Priest Rebecca.

“This is a shortwave radio. It doesn’t have encryption, so do not send plaintext messages. Keep this as a backup, and try to use other means of communication if possible.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Aside from identifying apostates, I’ve prepared supplementary equipment for the operation. If you go to the locations marked on this map, Dubok will be there.”

Priest Rebecca quickly tucked away the items I handed her before anyone could see.

Confirming again that no one was watching, she broached the most crucial topic.

“How do you intend to store the list?”

The way to keep the list containing the names of apostates and missing clerics—this was the most vital topic we’d discuss today.

“As you know, everyone on that list is either an apostate priest or a missing priest. This is sensitive information carefully managed by the Inquisition.”

“I’m aware of that.”

Except for a few, the identities of the Inquisition Officers are all classified. Once revealed, they could easily become targets for groups with strained relations with the Cult, which is why their identities are kept confidential.

Exorcists, Knights, and Combat Priests are no exceptions. Just like Inquisition Officers, they have access to confidential information from the Inquisition, and in case of emergencies, that information could leak through them, so the Inquisition does everything possible to track down apostates or missing personnel among its staff.

With this in mind, current Inquisition Officer Rebecca remarked.

“Imagine if the information in the heads of those apostates fell into the hands of demons. That would be a problem beyond the Inquisition.”

I nodded in agreement.

“I agree with Priest Rebecca that we need to keep the list safe. In that sense, how about you hold onto it, Priest?”

“I can’t do that.”

Rebecca shook her head.

“Not just me, but no one from the Cult can hold that list. We’re under surveillance by the public security authorities. Please take responsibility for it, Colonel.”

“Do you think my name isn’t on their watch list?”

We were both trying to push the responsibility of who would keep the list onto each other. To be honest, neither of us felt confident about keeping it safe.

I was in a position where the Empire’s Information Agency could potentially search the room, and Rebecca had been placed under suspicion due to the murder case. It was unavoidable.

As we tangled in the issue of who would keep the list, time passed mindlessly, and soon it was nearing dusk. Noticing the sun setting in the west, Rebecca looked at me and suggested.

“How about leaving it at the embassy? We could request information via communication when needed…”

Before she could finish her sentence, I shook my head.

“The communication conditions aren’t great, whether due to a jamming signal or magic power leaking from the rift. While communication within the Northern Regions is fine, it gets dicey when trying to contact the Central Regions.”

“Then it wouldn’t matter much to keep the list at the embassy. We wouldn’t be able to receive information when it’s truly needed.”

“Exactly. It wouldn’t be accurate to call it a temporary solution, but we could use long-range communication equipment…”

“But using high-output equipment is difficult. While it might be fine once or twice, if signals keep emitting, the counterintelligence unit will start getting suspicious.”

“That’s right, Priest Rebecca.”

Gathered beneath the archway, we put our heads together, trying to think.

However, no clear solution presented itself, no matter how hard we squeezed our brains.

Neither Rebecca nor I was suitable to hold it. Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy, just like me, could be searched by the counterintelligence agency at any moment.

The Magic Tower? That was never even considered. In the same vein, Francesca, who was stationed at the Magic Tower, was also excluded from our discussion.

No one in this world could be trusted.

“Ha…”

In my frustration, I was about to light a cigarette when a sudden idea struck me like a lightning bolt.

I took a deep drag from the cigarette and, exhaling the smoke, began to speak.

“There is one person who can safely keep the list.”

Rebecca tilted her head slightly and asked, “Who is that?”

“* * *”

“So, in short, we’re currently investigating to catch a suspect believed to be involved in the murder case in the Northern Regions.”

“Yes.”

“We have a list of those suspected individuals, but since the counterintelligence agency can search the room at any time, we have no good way to store it.”

“Yes.”

“On the other hand, it would be difficult to carry it with me, and I can’t keep guarding the room either.”

“Exactly.”

“In the end, someone who won’t be searched, be it the room or the person, must hold the list, right? Am I understanding correctly?”

“And they need to be someone trustworthy.”

“Oh, yes, that too.”

Camila nodded in agreement. Today, she too had been tirelessly hunting in the coniferous forests of the North, and looking tired, she raised a finger to point at herself.

Well, she was actually pointing to her chest, but that’s not important, so we’ll move on.

“So you mean that person is me?”

I nodded my head.

“That’s right. I want you to keep this list safe. Just exactly that, nothing more, nothing less.”

“…You want to entrust such an important task to me? Why?”

“Because the Empire isn’t likely to search your room or body.”

Camila looked puzzled, as though she couldn’t understand.

“Those people torture and kill regime dissenters, right?”

“True, they are Empire citizens, but you’re a foreigner. You’re a guest of the Empire!”

“…….”

“Is there a landlord in this world who would search through a guest’s suitcase? Even if you were to take a confidential document from the Ministry of Defense and hide it in your skirt right now, the people here would probably not suspect a thing!”

“…Umm, I feel like they would definitely suspect me if I did that.”

Camila muttered in disbelief, but I shrugged it off and continued.

As I clapped my palms on the rolled-up list, Camila asked me with an oddly excited and eager voice.

“Alright. I get what you mean now. You want to catch a killer, right? That list is essential for catching the murderer.”

“Exactly. Roughly speaking.”

“You sound like Sherlock Holmes. So how should I keep it safe?”

Camila pointed around. In front was the charred remnants of the coniferous forest, and behind us were Imperial soldiers tidying up the scene.

With many eyes on us, I chose action over words. I pointed at the place where Camila could hide the list.

At the end of the direction the rolled-up list pointed, there was Camila’s lower body.

“Put it inside your skirt.”

“…Wait, what did you just say?”

“I said to put the document inside your skirt. If you walk by holding this in your hand and shaking it around, wouldn’t the Empire folks just stare at you? Do you want to attract attention?”

For a moment, Camila jumped in shock. She yelled at me to stop joking, but I was entirely serious.

“That’s not a joke! Hurry up and put it inside your skirt, Camila. I’ve done it before, so don’t feel embarrassed. I’ll turn around, so just handle it quickly.”

“…….”

In the end, Camila reluctantly stuffed the list into her skirt.

Thus, the list found itself in the safest place imaginable—one that nobody would ever dare guess.

“By the way, when I used to keep papers in my pants, I discovered something: if you leave that paper in for too long, it gets all damp and musty, you know? So make sure to get to your lodging and store it somewhere safe….”

“Ah, I suddenly want to burn that paper….”

“Sorry. I’ll apologize, so please calm down.”

I attempted to comfort Camila, who was staring blankly with a despondent expression. Left to her own devices, she would surely burn the list.

*Ding!*

The familiar ringing of a bell. I pulled out my phone for Military Intelligence Agency staff, equipped with encryption functions. It looked like a brick, designed for long-range communication.

As the ringing pierced my ear, Camila turned her head to me with a droopy, defeated look.

“What is it…?”

“I got a call from a friend.”

How lucky for me that the signal came through so clearly.

I pressed the call button and brought the phone to my ear. It wasn’t a long conversation, but it was the call I had been waiting for with bated breath.

Victor’s boisterous voice came through the encrypted line.

-“Are you ready to receive the supplies, Freddy?”-

In response to his familiar inquiry, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Of course, Victor.”

 

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