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“Gabi Schneider was a former diplomat affiliated with the Magic Tower Secretariat and was directly or indirectly linked to terrorism targeting foreign information agents while working on the Mauritania Continent.”

The analyst’s calm voice echoed within the building.

“Her lover, Jean Marbo, was also involved in the terrorism. However, Jean Marbo has gone missing, and Gabi Schneider exploded during interrogation and died. I believe Jean Marbo is also dead, just like Gabi Schneider.”

Scanned documents popped up on the screen.

“The Inquisition shared centuries-old materials with us. Thanks to that, we learned that the explosion in her head was a forbidden black magic developed by wizards during the war between the cult and the Magic Tower.”

The analyst from the Royal Intelligence Department continued.

“Effective immediately, all operations will focus on elimination rather than capture. As the lead analyst, I’ll support you in executing your mission as cleanly as possible.”

“……”

“Let’s all meet again alive.”

—

Episode 13 – No Country for Wizards

—

Gabi Schneider is dead.

She was abducted by the Royal Intelligence Department’s operations team and her head blew off during interrogation.

The cause of the explosion? Magic.

Specifically, it was one of countless spells developed by the Magic Tower to prevent wizards’ betrayal during the war, which was classified as black magic and forbidden right after the war ended.

The pudgy analyst discovered that the spell was implanted in Gabi Schneider’s brain based on the information shared by the Inquisition.

The spell was triggered by a leak of confidential information.

The moment a specific word was uttered, it acted as a detonator for the magic.

And that word was a person’s name.

There’s no way to find out why such a dangerous forbidden magic was implanted in a Secretariat employee’s head. Terrorism, assassination of information officers, abduction of agents, etc. All sorts of stories came up, but I had no information at the moment.

However, one fact was clear.

“…I’ve been wrapped up in a troublesome mess.”

After the briefing, we moved to a nearby naval base.

Leoni had prepared accommodations within the military port. I tossed the keys onto the table and sank into the sofa.

“What do you think of the materials?”

“Um… they’re solid?”

Pippin, who was sitting in the kitchen flipping through documents, answered.

“I checked everything from the intel we acquired to the analysis process, supporting documents, and internal meeting records. It looks fine. The analysts from the Royal Intelligence Department are quite skilled.”

Jake cracked open a walnut he bought at the market with his knife and handed the kernel to Pippin.

“Is there anything missing or lacking?”

“Nope.”

“And you, Charnoy, what do you think?”

“I share the same opinion as Pippin…!”

Charnoy replied energetically while munching on the walnut kernel. After hearing both of their responses, Jake stabbed the walnut with the knife and turned to me with force.

“That’s what they say, Manager.”

I don’t have any objections to the Royal Intelligence Department’s analysis either.

The capabilities of the Royal Intelligence Department aren’t easy to overlook. The materials gathered from tracking terrorists for more than a decade, combined with data received from over ten intelligence agencies, filled enough details to fill a library.

However,

“…Sigh.”

“What are you worried about?”

I had many concerns.

It was problematic that several information officers and agents had been assassinated, and the fact that the terrorists pointed out as the culprits were wizards was another issue. Not just any wizards—those from the Magic Tower. The elite wizards trusted enough to be dispatched to conflict zones from the Secretariat, the highest government agency within the Tower.

But it turns out those people were terrorists. They had committed terrorism against the Abas Information Agency and attacked numerous intelligence agencies, including the Kien Empire, Republic of Patalia, and Lushan Federal Kingdom.

At this point, it seemed like the agency might have stepped into a pit of trouble, but there were indeed some inconsistencies.

Jean Marbo went missing on the day the necromancer appeared, only to later be declared dead, and Gabi Schneider’s head exploded while being interrogated by a Royal Intelligence Department investigator.

Martinez, the head of the Secretariat, hid the disappearance of an employee from his superior, Francesca.

Even if documents vanish, it’s a civil servant’s habit to report. Yet, he didn’t even report the absence of a person. Considering Martinez’s demeanor until now, it didn’t quite make sense to view this as merely an attempt to avoid punishment.

The problem is that Leoni plans to carry out assassinations in the Kien Empire’s northern regions, where martial law has been declared.

And the targets for assassination are Francesca’s subordinates.

I lit a cigarette and took a drag.

“Jake, do you think the agency can carry out assassinations in the north?”

“I don’t think it’s impossible.”

Jake, a former special forces member, discussed paramilitary operations.

“Assassination, abduction, terrorism, sabotage, theft—all these operations have a high level of difficulty. The risks are even greater if the operational area is hostile territory. However, the mere fact that force is being considered in the operational planning stage indicates that we can’t quietly resolve this situation.”

“That’s right.”

“So it wouldn’t matter. Whether you shoot and run or poison them, once you get caught, you’re facing imprisonment for a few years at best—or being shot at worst.”

“You little….”

I looked at him with a gaze full of admiration.

“What a charming way to put it. How do you manage to say things so nicely?”

“Thank you, Manager.”

“Alright, bring me the walnuts.”

As Jake brought a few walnuts to a bowl and opened the window to let the smell out, the phone started ringing. It was Pippin’s call. While she was sitting at the kitchen table with Charnoy, looking over documents, she grabbed the phone, muttered something, then put it down and began sending a knowing look my way.

“The Royal Intelligence Department is contacting us. They want a quick meeting among the department heads.”

“…Got it.”

I roughly extinguished my cigarette in the ashtray, tossed the walnuts in my mouth, and left the accommodation.

—

As soon as I stepped out of the lodging, I hopped into the waiting car. The naval officer who had come to pick me up guided me through the docked warships to a quiet underground building.

Inside waited the pudgy analyst who had arrived early, the leader and sub-leader of the operations team, along with a few others.

Opening the door, I addressed the sub-leader standing nearby.

“You’re a bit late.”

“No, you arrived right on time.”

The pudgy analyst, who had difficulty moving, spoke to me and the sub-leader.

“Ah, everyone’s here. Gather round, friends. Let’s finish up quickly so we can go back and rest.”

He called the scattered information officers over with his staff.

The person who opened their mouth was the analyst who summoned us.

“Thank you so much for gathering here at this late hour. I’m Larry. I worked at the Royal Intelligence Department’s Analysis Division, and about a few months ago, I joined this team as a Senior Analyst under the orders of the ‘Commission.'”

The analyst, who introduced himself as Larry, was quite a unique individual. It seemed he had a disability, as he couldn’t use one of his legs.

He gestured towards the Information Officers and the Operations Team Leader, along with the Sub Team Leader who were standing behind him.

“These are my colleagues working in the same organization. And here we have Matthew and Steven, the Team Leader and Sub Team Leader of the Operations Team. Among us, they are the oldest and most experienced seniors. Feel free to call them Matt and Steve.”

As his name was called, the Sub Team Leader placed his hands on his hips and shot a disgruntled look at Larry.

“Shut it, Larry.”

“Oh, sorry. I was too hasty. You should have introduced yourself.”

“I already did introductions, so there’s no need for more.”

“Right, right… Anyway, this gentleman here is Colonel Frederick Nostrim. I’m sure everyone has at least seen his face and name while checking the news in the office.”

The plump Senior Analyst Larry, who had difficulty moving, introduced Team Leader Matthew and Sub Team Leader Steven as seniors.

Usually, when officials from various intelligence agencies gather, the highest-ranking person takes charge, so it seemed that Matthew and Steven were the highest-ranking Information Officers among us. Of course, due to being well past their forties, they were also the oldest.

“The reason we gathered here is because of the ‘Commission.’ The recruitment was directly handled by Director Leoni.”

Senior Analyst Larry began to speak, using his staff for support.

“It’s a huge gathering of high-ranking officials from the Information Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Office of the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of the Interior, plus the intelligence committees from both the House and Senate. You could say it’s the shadow government of Abas.”

As he rambled on with his pointless joke, Larry seemed to feel embarrassed under the barrage of gazes and waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget that last part. If it reaches the Inspection Office, they’ll smack me with a pay cut even for a joke. Anyway! The Commission has officially approved this assassination operation. We just received the Prime Minister’s approval.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Team Leader and Senior Information Officer Matthew spoke, crossing his arms and leaning back as he asked a question.

“So, why did you gather us?”

“Obviously for role distribution. Before we fine-tune the operation details, let’s share our roles first.”

He talked about role distribution, but it wasn’t a heavy discussion. Director Leoni had already gathered specialized teams from the Royal Intelligence Department and the Military Intelligence Agency.

“Overall support for the operation and information analysis will be handled by us. If you need any intelligence or equipment while working on the field, just let me know. I’ll analyze it as quickly as possible and provide the equipment.”

Senior Analyst Larry led the analysis team from the Royal Intelligence Department and the operational support team from the Military Intelligence Agency.

Funding, equipment, vehicles, passports, identification, safe houses, and so on. Providing all necessary materials and resources for the operation, not just information analysis, was Larry’s job.

Naturally, the fieldwork fell to Operations Team Leader Matthew and Sub Team Leader Steven. The two men, who looked like quasi-military operatives at first glance, would be responsible for intelligence gathering, some basic analysis, and the core task of this operation, the assassination.

“So, what about me?”

“Oh, of course, you have work to do as well. Follow me.”

Larry, awkwardly waddling on his unsteady legs, waved at me. I followed him as we slowly walked toward the walls of the underground building.

With his stick tapping rhythmically on the ground, Larry spoke in a slightly excited voice.

“It wasn’t easy to get identification for the area under martial law. Thanks to you, I could pose as a volunteer for the cult. I really, really wanted to thank you when we met, and I’m finally doing it now.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Basically, your task is a pretty simple one. You’ll be collecting intelligence that the Operations Team needs and handling minor eavesdropping tasks. Of course, if you want, you can jump directly into the field. But the most important task from your team right now is moving equipment.”

“Equipment?”

“Yeah, equipment. Most of it has been moved to the North. However, some of the equipment simply can’t be moved by human strength… I hear Director Leoni thinks you can help with that. Is that right?”

“Yes… sort of.”

I wasn’t sure what the equipment was, but it could probably be disguised as smuggled goods and transported to the North through Francesca. Once I confirmed it seemed feasible, Larry’s expression visibly brightened, and he clapped his hands.

He opened a small side door and led me to another room.

Waddling like a duck, Larry placed his access card against the iron door, and as soon as we entered the spacious room, he spread his arms wide and laughed loudly.

“Ha ha, look at this!”

I stepped into the room behind him and froze at the sight of what filled my vision.

“…What is this?”

“Vehicles for the Operations Team!”

Larry, brimming with excitement, beamed at me like a child.

He patted the hood, which was higher than his waist, and said, “I struggled for weeks modifying these. There’s other equipment too. I prepared thoroughly because we never know what might happen on the field.”

As I glanced around at the vehicles in the room, I turned my head with a dumbfounded expression.

“…You can’t be serious about me moving this armored vehicle, can you?”

The Senior Analyst beamed back at me with a smile.

“Of course you have to move it!”

“…Hah.”

I sighed, facepalming while looking at the sturdy, quasi-military vehicles that certainly resembled armored cars.

What kind of crazy nuts are they?

*

“…Hello.”

“Hey, Francesca. It’s me.”

“Oh, Colonel. What brings you here? It’s the middle of the night…”

“Sorry, could you call a delivery truck for me? I’ll send you the address.”

“…Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“…You aren’t calling just for that, are you? That’s not a very funny joke.”

“I’m not joking. This is serious. I need a truck to move several cars.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…Are you out of your mind?”

 

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