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I emerged from the massive cavern and tunnels after what felt like an eternity.

Dust and grime clung to me, my appearance a pitiful sight, resembling a drenched rat to the point where even the waterlogged look could earn a sympathetic cluck.

With one arm slung over Veronica’s shoulder, I stumbled out of the tunnel, aided by Lucia.

“…….”

Suddenly, I felt the surroundings brighten, and I lifted my head to see ahead.

In the distance sprawled the vast snowy expanse of the Northern Regions.

On the horizon, along the slope of a low mountain, the radiant dawn was rising, banishing the long darkness as if blessing us.

—

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

The battle against the demons and necromancers, the monstrous creatures from hell, had come to an end.

Having emerged from the darkness through the tunnel, I realized that the underground I had just been in was the Northern sewage system.

“That was a sewer?”

“Yep.”

The tunnel entrance was bustling with numerous priests, inquisitors, and nuns. Occasionally, military police dressed in blue uniforms from the Military Government Headquarters could also be seen.

I glanced back at the tunnel I had just traversed.

Veronica, with her arm still across my shoulder, spoke up.

“Have you noticed anything suspicious or remember anything, Colonel? Like a sudden change of scenery while passing through the alley. Or you were definitely unconscious, right?”

“I did lose some memory. Right after I had the sensation of falling down.”

“Aha! So it seems you ended up being dragged into the sewer then. Thankfully, you don’t seem to have encountered any serious issues.”

With a weary expression, Veronica sighed in relief. Then she tightened her grip on my shoulder.

As she pressed against me, our bodies naturally drew closer.

“Oh! This is exhausting.”

“Stand up straight.”

“Of course I am… I’m just tired.”

I placed my hand on my waist for support while leaning slightly on Lucia, who was helping me from the other side.

Lucia, walking with her gaze downcast, suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and thankfully wrapped both her arms around me.

“Thank you, Lucia.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Though it felt quite awkward to be sandwiched between the two of them, at that moment, it didn’t matter.

“Ugh…”

Veronica, leaning against my shoulder, let out a curious snort.

“Colonel.”

“Yes?”

“Can you lend me your ear for a moment?”

She pulled my neck closer with the arm holding a revolver. Leaning in, it seemed she wanted to say something.

However, the conversation didn’t continue further.

“Veronica!”

A few monks following behind called her name, rushing over in a flurry.

Seeing the priest searching for her, Veronica frowned, clicked her tongue softly, then lowered her arm from my neck.

The breathless priest began muttering something.

Veronica listened with a slouched posture, and then nodded, sweeping her hair back into a bun.

“Reporting? Can’t those old-timers leave me alone for a single second…?”

With her hair tied back, Veronica, in a somewhat tired or irritable voice, commanded, “Alright, just say you got the gist and let’s move on.”

“Understood. First, I’ll let the National Affairs Council know about your safe return.”

“Yeah-”

The priest bowed deeply and then departed. Veronica casually waved him off.

A few monks came closer, asking to see any injuries, but Veronica dismissed them all. At the saint’s directive, the nuns and priests bowed respectfully and quietly slipped away.

“Ugh….”

Veronica, after dismissing everyone around her, exhaled a long sigh. She stretched and took a full breath, arms wide open.

Suddenly breaking her silence, she quietly murmured while looking up at the sky.

“They say I need to report what happened, but honestly, writing reports is such a drag, and there are plenty of people who can do it for me…”

Trailing off, she turned to me.

“Let’s just go take a break.”

—

A night filled with illusions or mirages passed, and morning broke. Regular folks threw themselves back into their mundane routines, blissfully unaware of the events of the previous night.

“…Demons and necromancers?”

“Yep.”

“Aren’t necromancers the same as that? The ones called necromancers? The moment they’re spotted, the Magic Department, Information Agency, and military police should swoop in and obliterate them.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you saying a monster scarier than the outcasts of the Magic Tower has shown up in the North?”

“Exactly.”

Veronica suggested I rest, but I was in no condition to take a break. I hopped into a vehicle and headed to the hotel, where I explained all that had transpired the previous night to my subordinates.

“There was a demon and a necromancer in the North. I attempted to deal with the demon alongside Saint Lucia, but suddenly, monsters and that necromancer popped up, ruining everything.”

“…….”

“Thanks to Veronica, who’s already in the North, and the Inquisition troops from the joint investigation team, I barely managed to escape that chaos. It felt like a brush with death.”

Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy reacted as though they couldn’t possibly believe it. But once I pulled out the withered wrist of the necromancer, they quickly silenced.

A heavy silence filled the hotel room.

Placing the mummified wrist on the table, I sank down on the sofa, trying to assess the situation.

“Have you reported to your company yet?”

“Yes.”

Jake, who had been eyed in disbelief, replied.

“Since our return was delayed and we received no contact, we sent a non-return specialist report through the embassy as per our regulations.”

The actions taken by Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy were textbook perfect.

First, they informed the company about the missing information officer, who had lost contact and failed to return.

They stayed in the hotel room as per the standby order from the embassy, but they kept real-time track of each other’s locations, preparing various equipment and documents for shredding in case of emergency while trying to make contact and locate me.

I nodded lightly in acknowledgment, praising them.

“Well done. How about the Military Government Headquarters and the joint investigation team, and the Magic Tower?”

“They seemed to have no idea what had transpired over there. The officials I know, along with foreign military officers, came up empty.”

“The Palm Tree Trade Guild also appeared clueless; everything seemed normal on their end. The joint investigation team had similar circumstances.”

“It’s the same for the wizards at the Magic Tower… Those lousy scoundrels had the audacity to shove a contract at Charnoy the moment they saw him.”

“I suggested that we take the wrist bone of Charnoy as a reward for answering the question…!”

Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy each reported the intelligence they had gathered to me.

Although other information was useless, the intel indicating “a sudden increase in communication traffic at the Military Government Headquarters and the Palm Tree Trade Guild around dawn” held some significance. The surge in communication meant that the Imperial Army and the Dark Elves of the Guild had caught onto something.

I cleared my throat softly and continued with the story.

“What did the company say?”

“They said to prepare for withdrawal just in case, but they’ve left a directive to report to the Embassy immediately upon your return.”

“Anything else?”

“Due to the wiretapping issue, we haven’t received specific instructions, but it seems the company wants to recall you to the home country since you disappeared without a word.”

The Military Intelligence Agency ordered that I visit the Embassy the moment I safely returned.

It seemed like they wanted to investigate what had happened since I had left without reporting anything. Given that there had been more than a few employees caught in the counterespionage activities of the Empire over recent years, they likely wanted to ensure there wasn’t any further problem. If luck ran out, I might end up chatting with an inspector in the interrogation room before the New Year.

As I pressed my throbbing temples, Pippin, who had been standing quietly, spoke up.

“Manager.”

“Yes?”

“What should we do now?”

The analyst asked.

“We can’t confirm what happened last night, but… this seems like a serious situation. It’s beyond what we can handle alone.”

“……”

“What should we do?”

Jake, standing next to Pippin, called her name softly with a puzzled expression. However, despite the information officer’s restraint, the analyst didn’t stop.

“Isn’t it necessary for us to escape the Northern Regions, at least for ourselves?”

“… Pippin.”

“I don’t think you’re in a normal condition either.”

As Charnoy, caught between Pippin and Jake, blinked in confusion, I dropped my hand from my temples and let it fall onto the armrest.

I reached into my pocket, rummaged through it, and then threw out a bundle of my passport and permits.

“Here’s my passport and permits. I returned safely, and I’ve taken care of the tasks, so let them in first.”

Pippin and Jake received the bundle of passports as if holding a treasure. Charnoy’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the permits stamped with the seal of Commander Mikhail of the Military Government.

“Send all this back to headquarters, and you two just stay quiet for now. If the Empire’s goons have caught onto something, the counterintelligence agency or the guardians will kick up a fuss, so it means staying put for a while.”

“Aren’t you going to report your return, Manager?”

“I’ll handle that, just keep yourself safe.”

After finishing the tasks Leoni assigned, I shook myself off and gathered my coat.

“Be careful for the time being.”

*

The sun in the Northern regions of the Kien Empire rose early but tended to set quickly.

While people were still lost in their dreams, the sun began shyly peeking from the east, and as the struggles of daily life and survival emerged, it already soared high in the sky.

At the moment the sun reached its zenith, I passed through the grand doors of the Cathedral of Saint Basil.

“Welcome. How can I assist you, Brother?”

“I wish to see Saint Veronica.”

“Right this way. Saint Veronica has been expecting your visit.”

The middle-aged priest reached out politely with a warm smile. I followed his lead deeper into the Cathedral.

Passing through the grand corridor paved with pure white marble, a luxurious wooden door appeared in the distance. Clearly, two figures resembling knights stood guard at the entrance.

The priest, with his black fascia fluttering, approached the knights and spoke to them.

The knights listened to the priest with a respectful demeanor, then glanced at me before quietly opening the door.

“You may enter.”

“Thank you, Priest.”

I passed by the priest and the knights and entered the room.

Like the corridor, the room was laid with white marble. Elegant wooden furniture adorned the space, and on one wall, there were shelves filled with books. The smell of fountain pen ink mixed with the breeze blowing through the open window tickled my nose.

In the highest room of the Cathedral of Saint Basil in the Northern regions, overlooking a gentle hill, I could hear the chirping of birds nesting in the bell tower.

Behind the desk in the office, a black-haired cleric stood gazing out the window, with the door at his back.

Her long flowing black hair sparkled in the sunlight. At the same time, an immaculate white fascia fluttered like the leaves in a gentle breeze.

I cautiously called her name, standing there.

“Veronica.”

Veronica did not respond.

Even though she must have heard the sound of the door opening and my approach, she did not turn her head.

Fixing her gaze out the window, she slowly, oh so slowly, opened her mouth.

“After going through so much, you went to work instead of resting, huh.”

I lowered my gaze and let out a small sigh.

“It’s my job.”

“Your job, huh…”

With her words trailing off, she turned to look at me.

The sunlight, scattering against the glass, illuminated her hair. As she slowly turned her body, she faced me against the backlight.

“I have a lot to say, but I should start with this.”

The gentle voice resonated in my ears right after.

“You did great today.”

“……”

“So please, rest for now.”

Veronica smiled brightly.

“Let’s think about the next steps later.”

 

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