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The massive barrier straddling the North and Central regions has been protecting the Empire from the threat of frozen lands for over five years.

Demons and monsters, chaos and disorder.

The military has preserved peace and stability by isolating the North, while the press, acting as a herald, has extensively promoted the reign of Emperor Nikolai VI.

Blocked cities and isolated refugees.

In those places, everyone struggles to reach the gleaming lights of the city.

I step into that filth.

Episode 13 – There’s No Country for Magicians

Finding anything different in the North upon my return proved to be an arduous task.

Heavily armed troops still held their positions on the controlled roads, and armored vehicles were stationed at intervals, while bedraggled refugees waited in a long line, braving the biting cold for rations.

The crumbling buildings and frozen roads were no different.

Decades-old apartments with cracked facades and peeling light green paint, along with potholed roads, truly symbolize the North that all citizens and military police lament together.

Though it had been just under two weeks, the North remained the North.

And so do the people.

“Welcome. It’s been a while, Colonel.”

“Ah, Senior Lyudmila! Have you been well?”

The military officer, Senior Lyudmila, who also served as our translator and guide, greeted us with a warm smile.

I exited the back seat of the vehicle and exchanged pleasantries with her.

“You haven’t changed a bit. Coming back after just two weeks feels like it’s been years. Nothing’s different.”

I paused and tilted my head slightly.

“Or is it? I feel like something’s a bit different.”

“It’s just a bit busy with preparations for the offensive, right? But we’ll return to our original state soon, so please bear with us for a little hustle and bustle.”

Was she referring to the peaceful days of five years ago? Or the chaos that had unfolded just two weeks prior?

Whatever I imagined, the upcoming situation in the North was irrelevant to me.

Whether the situation worsened or improved, any change would occur after I had escaped from that filth.

I carefully closed the car door and walked toward our accommodations.

*

We opted to stay in the same accommodation provided before.

The hotel arranged by the Military Government Headquarters remains the finest in Novo Nikolayevsk, the North’s capital, both five years ago and now, making it unnecessary to change locations.

“Frederick?”

“Hmm?”

The hotel bustled with personnel gathered from various countries.

As I passed through a lobby without a place to stand, a familiar voice called out to me.

There I encountered Lucia, who was holding her medical bag with a composed posture.

“Saint Lucia! It’s been a while. It’s good to see you.”

“I’m glad to see you too.”

Her face lit up with joy.

Two weeks felt short to me, but it seemed like a long time for Lucia. She couldn’t contain her delighted smile as she grasped my hand and shook it gently.

Lucia’s golden hair glimmered like melted pure gold, and her blue eyes sparkled with a deep light reminiscent of the ocean.

Gone was the shy demeanor she once had in the confessional, and she welcomed my handshake.

“You’ve brought your medical kit? You must be tired. Why rush to volunteer as soon as you arrive?”

“I don’t have the luxury of time. I need to make the most of it.”

Truly a saintly attitude.

Unlike the scheming Veronica, Lucia was already poised and ready to rush off to any patient in need.

While holding her medical bag tightly, Lucia seemed to have something to say but began to hesitate, twisting her body shyly as she opened her mouth.

“Well… you can speak comfortably with me when it’s just the two of us. That said, since it’s been a while, if it’s alright with you, today could we…?”

“Colonel.”

At that moment, a woman suddenly interrupted, stepping between Lucia and me.

With luscious purple hair and eyes reminiscent of violets, dressed in an elegant suit that accentuated her figure, it was Francesca.

Francesca, who had appeared out of nowhere, continued the conversation between Lucia and me without a moment’s hesitation.

“I have something to discuss. Do you have time?”

“Ah…”

At the small sigh that came from nearby, Francesca’s gaze turned. It landed on the flustered blue-eyed Lucia, blinking in surprise.

As if realizing it for the first time, Francesca quickly apologized to Lucia.

“Oh, I didn’t realize there was a guest here. My apologies, Saint. Did I interrupt your conversation?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine…”

Lucia hastily waved her hands.

She told Francesca to continue their conversation comfortably and then excused herself, asking for my understanding.

“Well, I’ll be going now. I’ll see you next time, Frederick.”

“Take care, Lucia.”

I waved goodbye to Lucia, who hurried off looking flustered.

Francesca, observing Lucia’s retreating figure with her arms crossed, suddenly narrowed her eyes slightly as if displeased about something.

“Hmph…”

Francesca let out a slightly nasally sound with a tone different from her usual, casually throwing a remark.

“You seem pretty close with Saint Lucia. The way you call each other by name so naturally.”

“…”

Hearing Francesca’s nonchalant comment, I stuffed my hands into my pockets and retorted.

“Your words make it sound like someone just caught their partner cheating.”

“Well, a fake partner is still a partner, isn’t it?”

Francesca chuckled lightly with her arms crossed. Sure, a fake partner is still a partner.

I exited the bustling lobby with Francesca and began a quiet discussion. It seemed she had left her luggage with the bellboy, as her hands were free.

She took out a hash pipe from her overcoat pocket, pressed down the magic herb with a stamper, flicked her finger to light it, and released a puff of smoke.

“I’ve arranged the vehicle transportation you requested, all set up neatly in the garage. The paperwork is all in order too. Other equipment is the same.”

“Thanks a lot, Francesca.”

“No need to be too thankful. It’s not for free.”

I had assisted Francesca’s business a bit to transport the vehicles and equipment.

While I had provided more supplies than initially expected, doing so backed by the Military Intelligence Agency didn’t feel burdensome at all.

After all, whether in gambling or business, the most thrilling experiences come from using someone else’s money, right?

Yet, with a disgruntled look on her face, Francesca added with a hint of frostiness.

“By the way, Colonel, you need to sort out your relationships with women.”

“My relationships?”

“There’s talk among the diplomats. Apparently, you’re quite the womanizer.”

“Um….”

Why was I being accused of such a scandal? Where could there be someone as tidy with their relationships as I?

Though I was about to protest, Francesca spoke again, her tone firm.

“Think about it. Look at how many women are around you. Counting Lucia, there are two saints! Plus me and the Hero too. How many women have you met while working in the cult, Empire, or Magic Tower?”

“They’re all—”

“I’m just saying it’s all a misunderstanding.”

“According to the clerics of the Cult, you often met with the priest with mint-colored hair and even had private talks with Saint Lucia and Saint Veronica. You did volunteer work together too. Heck, even you invited the Colonel to your office and didn’t let him out for hours.”

“So what?”

“Stop meeting women already. At this rate, you’ll end up getting caught. Don’t you care about how people see you?”

“That’s all a lie—red as a tomato.”

Priest Rebecca was just a business acquaintance because of the cooperation with the Inquisition, and the same goes for Lucia and Francesca.

Of course, Lucia and I had more than just a casual relationship… But why are complete strangers whispering behind my back when I didn’t flaunt something in front of others?

I wasn’t meeting Lucia or Veronica out of any ulterior motives. If it weren’t for that cursed Oracle, I would’ve just been doing my job quietly from the rear. The only reason women were coming around me was because of that damn Oracle’s influence!

I protested with that nuance.

“I’ve never had a girlfriend in my 28, no, 29 years. Just meeting with people for work, and they have the nerve to talk behind my back—”

“Ah! There you are!”

“Oh, Camila!”

“Long time no see!”

Camila, who just entered the hotel, spotted me and greeted me warmly with a wave. As I waved back, I casually asked her while she bounced through the crowd toward me.

“Wow, you look radiant. You must be doing well?”

“Of course! All my injuries have healed!”

“You look good, and you seem to have gained a bit of weight.”

“Hey, where do you see any weight? I’ve spent the last two weeks in the hospital! Do you know how awful hospital food is?”

“I heard you were discharged after just three days thanks to some miraculous medicine.”

“Ah, caught! Who snitched on me!?”

“Little girl, where are you lying? Stand at attention right now! If you come here, I’ll let you off with just five slaps.”

As I was about to chase after the fleeing Camila, Francesca’s voice rang in my ear.

She sighed deeply, pressing her forehead as if murkiness hung above her.

“How did I end up meeting a guy like this…”

*

It had barely been a day since my return, but the tasks had piled up like a mountain.

The Imperial Army had advanced the date of their offensive.

The military’s goal was to reclaim the northern territories seized by the demons. To drive the demons down from the frozen land, the Imperial Ministry of Defense had given orders to prepare for an offensive with all troops stationed in the Naroda Mountains.

And as anyone with military experience knows, preparing for an offensive operation is no small feat.

Just to get everyone trained for a single session, all the executives of the battalion would be burning the midnight oil with overtime in sight – and this wasn’t even training but a real operation! How much effort was actually involved?

The Northern Regions were already shaken by the demons’ chaos. To ensure success for the offensive, the Military Government Headquarters had deployed nearly all available units to the front lines.

Thanks to that, the rear area had become quite empty.

“Manager.”

Pippin, with wide eyes in front of the security terminal, spoke up.

“I just received word from Jake at the Military Government Headquarters. Troops from Novo Nikolayevsk and four other major cities have boarded the transport train heading to the front line.”

“So what’s left in the city? Military police?”

“Yes. Only military police and mixed units of the Internal Troops. Their armament level has been slightly upgraded, but it seems the numbers have been reduced.”

Due to the demons’ rampage, many of the troops securing the rear had suffered significant losses.

But Colonel Mikhail, with a godly command, had tried to minimize damage by deploying reserves, though this was still far from sufficient.

He wanted to dispatch the reserves back to maintain order but was stopped by the military generals, suggesting that as many troops as possible needed to be assigned to the front line for success.

Due to that order, armored, artillery, and mechanized infantry units were all deployed to defend the Naroda Mountains. After the main forces with immense firepower left the rear, only remnants gathered from various places remained—military police and internal troops.

The military’s confidence that they could drive out the demons before stabilizing the rear was evident, but this also presented an opportunity for us.

Resoni was mobilizing all assets of the Abas Information Agency to the North for successful mission execution.

“Tell them to start aerial reconnaissance.”

“Understood.”

At Pippin’s signal, Charnoy rushed to the window and opened it wide. With dainty hands, she retrieved an object from her bag and placed it on the windowsill.

It was a cage holding several small pigeons.

“I’m about to let them fly…!”

As the cage door opened, the pigeons flapped their wings vigorously and took off. Each little body was firmly attached to a magically inscribed crystal rune pointing to the ground.

This was their version of a drone for aerial monitoring from the air.

Though I had heard stories about how in the ’60s, the CIA sent camera-equipped pigeons to scout Soviet military bases, adjusting to using a pigeon, not a drone, for video intelligence was astonishing.

Flutter! As the last pigeon soared towards the sunset, the screen of the security terminal lit up with video footage. Checking the divided screens, Charnoy donned a headset and gave a thumbs up.

“Got it.”

Finishing the video check, I contacted Francesca for a final confirmation.

If the troops moving to the front turned back, the operation would be canceled immediately.

Luckily, there were no accidents that would disrupt the operation.

– “The last train carrying the tanks just passed through the station safely. According to the railroad staff, with the tracks closed, there’s no chance of the troops retreating before they reach the Naroda Mountains.”

All the main troops securing the rear were now on their way to the Naroda Mountains. It meant they had crossed a river of no return.

“What about the Secretariat team?”

– “Lord Karim hasn’t returned yet. Lord Ahmad is at the hotel, and Lord Martinez just reported to me and departed for his lodgings a short while ago.”

“Did they not mention Jean Marbo or Gabi Schneider?”

– “No.”

“…Understood.”

I ended the secure call and looked around the hotel room.

Jake, who had just returned, and even Pippin and Charnoy were silently staring at me.

As I felt their gazes and fidgeted with my mobile phone, I lit a cigarette and pressed the buttons to connect to somewhere.

Time felt like it was leisurely dragging on.

As the siren-like ringing echoed in my ears, the person on the other end of the phone began to speak.

– “Yes, this is Juan Pablo Martinez from the Magic Tower Secretariat.”

“Mr. Martinez, this is Colonel Frederick from the Abas Embassy.”

– “Ah, Colonel! What brings you to call?”

“I have urgent matters to discuss. Let’s meet briefly.”

 

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