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snowdrops lined the driveway, just beginning to peek through the last remnants of winter’s frost.

The world was chaotic.

The battle with the enemy, who possessed an indescribable power, had taken much from us.

Stability, peace, opportunity, trust, and even lives.

The biting cold and the endless darkness seeped deep into our bones, pushing everyone to their limits.

But,

Neither the chill of the northern winds nor the infinite darkness of winter could break our spirit, even as they sought to take everything from us.

“…….”

On a park bench, with the cold wind blowing fiercely, I was absentmindedly watching the piled-up snow. I exhaled a cloud of mist and, while trying to throw a spent cigarette butt into the trash, I suddenly bent down to look at the ground.

Softened by the warm sunlight, the snow had begun to melt away. Between the thin ice on the pavement, a tiny bud had sprouted unnoticed by anyone.

Carefully caressing the little leaf, I brushed the snow off my trousers and stood up.

“…….”

After the harsh season of frigid winds had passed, spring arrived a bit ahead of schedule.

With my hands shoved into my pockets, I strolled through the quiet street as dawn broke, heading toward the hospital.

It was a week after the battle with the demon had ended.

*

Episode 13 – There’s No Place for a Magician

*

Right after finishing my drink, I returned to the military hospital.

I handed a fatigue recovery potion I had bought from a convenience store to the sleepy medic at the reception desk who was rubbing his eyes, then used the card key of the slumbering hospital duty officer to open the steel door and step inside.

Thus began my entry into the secure ward of the military hospital.

As I stealthily passed through the hallway, I ran into a military doctor who had just opened the door to the duty room.

“Whoa?”

“Ah….”

“What are you doing here?”

I froze in place, trying to tiptoe past him. He seemed just as startled as I was after running into a patient who had come out into the hallway so early in the morning.

“But what is that smell? You didn’t smoke again, did you?”

But the surprise quickly changed to anger.

“Hey, patient! Didn’t I tell you not to smoke? Last time you opened the window and lit up right after your surgery in the ICU! Now you’ve snuck out of the ward to smoke again?”

“Ah, um… well….”

I started to come up with flimsy excuses but ended up bowing my head in apology to the military doctor.

“I’m sorry….”

“I told you to refrain from it, or it might cause issues with your recovery.”

Sigh.

The angry military doctor fell silent, starting to rub his stiff neck. After a while, perhaps letting out his frustration, he sighed heavily.

“Fine. It doesn’t seem like you’re the type to listen even when I tell you again. Your treatment still has a long way to go and returning is difficult, so I’ll just notify the unit.”

“Oh, um, that’s….”

“Rules are rules.”

The military doctor began to examine the medical records in the secure ward.

One of the papers he pulled out didn’t have the unit’s name on it. After flipping through the papers and searching the intranet, he let out another big sigh and pulled out a notebook and pen.

“Patient, which unit did you come from?”

*

In the underground parking lot of the military hospital.

A heavily tinted van stood in a section with very few parked vehicles.

“…….”

“…….”

One guy with bleached hair slumped on the driver’s seat, and a dwarf was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression.

The dwarf, who had been staring at me in silence, let out a mix of disbelief and awe.

“Wow…. I know a lot of people who went to the military hospital, but you’re the first manager who got caught smoking in the ward.”

“…Shut up.”

The guy leaning against the window propped his sunglasses up and sneered.

“Let it go, Pippin. After almost dying, a single smoke isn’t gonna kill him, right?”

“…You shut up too.”

“Ah, it’s really frustrating. Hey, manager. Do you really want to smoke after everything that’s happened? What if the Empire saw you like that….”

Under the withering gaze of Pippin, who looked at me like I was pathetic, I buried my face in my palm and apologized in a wretched tone.

“Yeah. I’m sorry….”

“You were behaving fine abroad, but the moment you return home, you pull this disgrace on the unit. Truly magnificent, manager.”

As Jake chuckled, Pippin smacked the back of his head.

With Jake’s expression nearly popping out of his skull from the surprise, Pippin, who seemed to have calmed down a bit, pushed her hair behind her ear and said,

“Stop being pathetic in the parking lot, just get in.”

“…Alright.”

I loaded my bags filled with stuff into the van.

*

It’s already been a week since the demon hunt ended.

A lot had changed within that week.

The first thing that changed was the date.

The calendar that had displayed the dull days of December for an entire month was tossed into the trash, and a new calendar had found its place on the corner of my office desk. The year had turned.

New Year, especially that first part of the year, is quite an important period for the information agency, but the new year that arrived for me didn’t signify a change at all.

“How have you all been?”

I leaned back against the seat and casually inquired.

“What do you think, manager?”

“Well… I can tell you’re mad, Pippin.”

Jake, in the driver’s seat, playfully glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

“Indeed, you have an eye for these things.”

“Shut it!”

Slamming the door shut, Pippin yelled as the van began to move smoothly.

As we exited the quiet underground parking lot and climbed onto the road, the van seamlessly blended in with the flowing vehicles.

Jake, skillfully turning the steering wheel, tucked his sunglasses into the front of his shirt.

“Pippin and I have been well. We underwent a quick debrief as soon as we returned home. We’re on leave directed by Director Leoni.”

“Leave? That’s great. Sorry to drag you out unexpectedly during your break.”

“It’s work for the manager, so we have to be here. No need to apologize.”

“Thanks, Pippin. Has Charnoy gone on leave too?”

Pippin nodded.

“She struggled a lot….”

Jake, who was adjusting his speed on the accelerator, chuckled.

“Is it just the manager who suffered?”

“Shut it.”

After lightly shutting down his nonsense, I comfortably leaned back in my seat and gazed out the window.

The capital at the beginning of the year was quite bustling.

The roads were filled with vehicles. The colorful waves flow through the streets without a hint of pause.

The crowd made it impossible to find a footing.

I spotted a couple holding their child’s hand, seemingly out for a family outing.

The rings exchanged on their ring fingers casually revealed to the world their bond as partners. Next to that family, baby buds of spring began to emerge, just as fresh as their warmth.

A pair of elegantly dressed individuals strolled by.

There were also people dragging suitcases, guided by a flag-wielding priest.

“Tourists, perhaps?”

“Could be! They look like they’re going on a pilgrimage. With a priest in tow, it seems.”

Pippin and Jake chatted casually, taking in the sights of Abas Monastery.

However, perhaps because I had lived in a region under martial law, I felt a strange dissonance amidst the peaceful scenery.

Eventually, I turned away from the window and stared at Jake in the front seat.

“…? What’s up?”

“It’s nothing. How are the others? I heard many got hurt.”

“They were pretty banged up. Not as bad as you, but still serious enough that everyone’s recovering.”

Including me, Camila, Lucia, and Francesca had all sustained injuries during the raid.

From small cuts and burns to severe fractures, concussions, internal bleeding, and traumatic pneumothorax—there were critical injuries that could have been deadly without immediate surgery.

“Well, thanks to Saint Lucia and Saint Veronica’s timely first aid, we can count our blessings. Without them, we might have been at a funeral by now.”

Fortunately, due to the efforts of Veronica and Lucia on-site, we managed to avert the worst possible outcome.

After receiving first aid, we were quickly transferred to a hospital in the rear.

“Wasn’t it a hospital managed by the Imperial Army?”

“Yeah, that military hospital. I thought I was going to die trying to extract the four of you from there.”

“Why not just let them operate on us there? Why the hassle?”

“What power do we have? They badgered us day and night to make sure you didn’t end up in the imperial military hospital. So we had no choice. What’s asked is what’s done.”

“It was a security issue, Jake. We have to understand.”

The Ministry of Defense brought me to Abas while I was being transferred to the imperial military hospital.

They cited superficial reasons like communication between me and the medical staff and the issue of treatment facilities, but the real reason was the hospital’s security itself.

“Given that there were necromancers, monsters, and demons… it wouldn’t feel right to just stand by and let everything unfold in the North.”

“Yes, and we also sent people from the cult and the magic tower for the same reason. We’re trying to safely escort Saint Lucia and Administrator Francesca back to a secure facility in the homeland.”

Incidentally, Camila apparently followed Francesca to the magic tower.

It’s a bit disappointing not to be able to see her face, but health takes priority, so there’s nothing that can be done. I tapped the cigarette pack while biting on the end of a filter to light it.

“Any news from the North?”

“Well, we’re not really sure. We’re on vacation.”

Pippin flipped through a notepad full of notes before continuing.

“I heard from a junior analyst that they’re reporting from the embassy to the company, but we’ll know more after vacation.”

At that moment, Jake, who had been focusing on driving, glanced at me sideways.

“Um, Manager.”

“What?”

“I heard a rumor while passing by the Military Government Headquarters that the Duke appeared in the North. Is that true?”

“……”

I looked out the window with a blank expression.

“…Geez. Did you really have to ask that now?”

“I didn’t mean to….”

“Shut it and put on the radio, Jake. The audio is dead quiet.”

Jake, pouting at Pippin’s chiding, turned on the radio.

With a crackle of static, a sweet melody gradually came into focus.

The classical music’s melody softly filled the car.

In the distance, the military intelligence agency’s main gate emerged before us.

*

Returning to the military intelligence agency after a long time, it had changed significantly. Everything, from the building’s architecture to the interior decor, the office supplies, and even the toilet paper, had all been revamped.

After parking the car and scanning my access card to pass through the main gate, I walked through the company lobby with a slightly relieved heart.

It was for a simple reason.

“Hey, Pippin, Jake. I should also be getting a vacation, right?”

Pippin, Jake, and Charnoy were granted vacations as soon as they returned. More accurately, Leonie was the one who approved their time off.

“Before you go, you’ll need to write a statement and an account, and inform the officials about what happened in the North…”

Pippin, trailing off, nodded in response.

“Well, we’ve got materials we three compiled, so it should wrap up quickly, right?”

“Nonetheless, investigations don’t just take a day or two, so you won’t be able to take an extended vacation. Though we caught the demons, the operations will continue until the conflict is fully resolved.”

“How long do you think I’ll get?”

“About three nights and four days?”

“Seems a bit short, doesn’t it?”

“The shortfall will be made up with a cash bonus. Honestly, if we look at the results, isn’t there a good chance you’ll earn a medal?”

“Oh, that’s true. The North still hasn’t properly dealt with the damage, so immediate honors would be unrealistic. Still, I don’t think they’ll keep quiet about it considering appearances.”

“But if we get a medal from the Red Team, does that make us national heroes?”

“Are you nuts?”

I could hear voices chattering nearby, but my focus was completely on the vacation.

Even though the operations weren’t over yet, it felt reasonable to think that after all the trouble, a few days off wouldn’t be too much to ask.

If they had any conscience, the company would surely think of my hard work and grant me at least a brief vacation; I had no doubts about that.

But then…

Something felt off…

-Thud!

A thick envelope landed right in front of me. It was a hefty cash envelope.

On top of it lay a thin item like a letter.

Curious about what it was, I peeked inside and pulled out a thin ticket.

As I read the writing, my hands holding the ticket began to tremble.

“…….”

As I blankly stared at the ticket, I heard Clevenz’s voice by my ear.

“I’ve been briefed on everything that happened over the past month. There are still verifications and investigations left, but there’s plenty of time.”

“…….”

“Don’t overthink it. Just consider it a vacation the company is sending you on.”

He lightly patted my shoulder as he spoke.

“Have fun in Patalia.”

The ticket clearly read, “Warp Gate Ticket to Patalia.”

 

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