Chapter 23
Pippin thought it was quite an awkward situation.
These days, she was living an incredibly miserable life with an average of only six hours of sleep.
With work piling up, she felt like she was losing her mind, so she eventually decided to share the workload with her colleague from the Information Agency.
Currently, she was solely handling operations focused on surveillance, following, and backtracking.
Of course, analyzing intelligence reports coming in from all over the cult wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Still, she was managing to hang in there for now.
Her superior wasn’t offloading work onto her, and her colleagues were doing their jobs with a sense of diligence.
Excluding the fact that they were understaffed, she thought it was a fairly decent operations team.
Not to mention, the Information Agency itself was suffering from chronic personnel shortages. Given that intelligence agents were high-level personnel and therefore in limited supply, it wasn’t an especially big issue.
Other operation teams were dealing with betrayals caused by agents being compromised by enemy nations, or were making poor judgments that led to dozens of people being massacred.
And as far as she was concerned, the Colonel was quite capable, so she didn’t foresee any big problems arising.
He had even received medals for a single battle and was quickly promoted to a Major after being selected as an operative for the Information Agency. He shot up the ranks to Captain in the notoriously troubled department responsible for the Kien Empire, and he attained the rank of Colonel by the age of 28.
Now, he was not just any operative but rather a Military Intelligence Agency operative holding authority over black operations.
Though Pippin was still the inexperienced rookie, she was well aware that the power to command black operations couldn’t be granted just because of someone’s influence.
That meant her superior was an elite individual who caught the eye of high-ranking officials.
Of course, he seemed to have a mischievous side, and considering his questionable background, along with his dicey dealings with the Inquisition Director, he definitely gave off a vibe of being a little eccentric.
While the details could be lengthy, to sum it up, Pippin trusted the Colonel. She believed he would handle any issues that came up just fine.
Thus, after submitting her final report, she finally fell asleep.
“…What is it?”
“Put on some clothes, will you?”
The Colonel had abruptly visited her, dressed in civilian attire.
Glancing towards the door, she saw her colleague also dressed in casual clothes, yawning.
“It’s 2 AM…? What on earth is going on…?”
“Which is why we should hurry. We need to leave before dawn, so go wash up quickly.”
“The Safe House…?”
“Safe House 5.”
Safe House 05.
The moment she recalled that there were Imperial Guard Counterintelligence agents being detained there, Pippin’s mind snapped into focus.
“Did they…die?!”
“No.”
The Colonel looked up at the clock hanging on the wall and replied.
“They woke up 15 minutes ago.”
—
**Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent**
In a remote hill far from the core of the cult. The three of us arrived at a villa halfway up the mountain.
The path to the villa was lined with pebbles and softly illuminated by gentle lights. It was a quite charming location.
An elderly woman sitting on a bench in front of the stairs warmly welcomed us with laughter.
“What brings young people here at this early hour…?”
“It seems like a rain shower is coming, so we’re looking for a place to take cover.”
The elderly woman, with a kind smile, began to guide us.
I followed silently behind the old lady with a stoic expression while Pippin and Jake exchanged confused looks.
“Weren’t we going to the Safe House?”
Pippin whispered to me, but it seemed that the old lady had heard her and responded.
“This is the Safe House, dear.”
“Is that so?”
Both of them looked bewildered, as if they had just opened a pizza box to find a pineapple pizza inside.
Stopping at what seemed to be their destination, the old woman moved a hidden door and spoke.
“Welcome to Safe House 5.”
—
Safe House 5.
Commonly referred to as the villa.
It was one of the many safe houses set up within the cult by the Military Intelligence Agency during a fierce espionage battle.
Its purpose was interrogation and questioning. Currently, there were considerations for shutting the facility down as the heat of intelligence warfare had quelled.
To be precise, it was due to the Ministry of Finance’s claims that the maintenance costs were too high, but anyway.
“I never dreamed the day would come when I’d reopen this door after managing it for 50 years.”
The grandmother moved the heavy iron door while smiling kindly.
Despite the majestic aura of the villa that had stood for a considerable time, opening the door leading down revealed a stark concrete structure, resembling the setting of a secret base you’d see in a movie.
She slowly leaned on her staff as she began the tour.
Although she was significantly older and had much more experience, she treated us all with courtesy.
“This was the first safe house established in the cult 78 years ago.”
She shared many tales about the facility, and by the time her story concluded, Pippin had a question.
“If this is the first Safe House, why is it called Number 5?”
“For security reasons.”
I expanded on this.
“It’s misinformation. If the official name is Safe House 5, when the Inquisition finds this place, they’ll think there are four other safe houses.”
“Ah….”
“If they start digging around looking for other safe houses, it just becomes a waste of time, money, and resources.”
It’s about feeding incorrect information to weaken the counterintelligence agency.
In the end, you’d use the Safe House as much as possible before it gets discovered, getting your fill while enjoying the reports being copied for the public security folks to revel in.
In most intelligence operations, misinformation serves this role.
So analysts always doubt the validity of incoming intelligence reports.
Of course, that wasn’t the main point right now.
“Currently, there are more safe houses, but at that time, Safe House 5 was the only one.”
“Then how many such facilities exist now?”
“That’s classified.”
The old lady switched topics while smiling kindly. In fact, she likely didn’t know how many safe houses were within the cult. And not knowing was probably the norm.
As we chatted, we soon arrived at our destination.
“Well, here we are.”
—
**Name – Ekaterina.**
**Gender – Female.**
**Age – 29 years old.**
**Affiliation – Imperial Guard HQ Counterintelligence Department Domestic Information Officer (I/O).**
**Family Relations – Father (Doctor) / Mother (Nurse) / Eldest Son (Deceased at age 7) / Eldest Daughter (Self) / Second Daughter (Paralyzed from the waist down / Unemployed)**
**Special Notes – Unconscious upon discovery. Despite being affiliated with the Counterintelligence Department, she has been performing intelligence tasks for the cult. Former Lieutenant from the Kien Empire Military Intelligence Agency. 4 Minor Disciplinary Actions / 1 Major Disciplinary Action. Effectively dishonorable discharge.**
**Medical Records – Nutritional Imbalance. Overwork. Numerous abrasions and bruises on the body. 6cm laceration on the right thigh. 1st-degree burns on both palms.**
**Total Assessment by Associates – Immediate nutritional provision and treatment are necessary. Given her health condition, intensive investigation is impossible. It is presumed that there will be difficulties in interrogation due to her affiliation with the Imperial Guard HQ Counterintelligence Department. Accurate analysis of psychological warfare agents is required through recording and video footage.**
To sum up what the agents had written by hand, it was that “This guy cannot be dealt with.”
I set down the file and looked across the desk at the restrained Ekaterina.
“…”
Her skin and hair were rough.
Her face was worn out from fatigue, her eyes dimmed.
Her lips were cracked, and her pupils dilated.
She looked more like a ghost from a movie than a human being.
According to my grandfather, who had worked for 20 years at the Central Intelligence Agency and once played the flute while drinking soju, this kind of appearance was the ideal state for interrogation. I could trust those words.
“Sigh…”
With a loud thud, I placed the file down and let out a deep sigh.
How on earth did I end up here?
After living these past few years as a black agent monitoring the Kien Empire, I finally managed to get a desk job under a Colonel and was suddenly picked as a hero’s companion, becoming an operative.
On my very first day, a bomb went off, and for a month, I juggled all kinds of antics between the Military Intelligence Agency, Imperial Guard HQ, and the Inquisition while searching for terrorists.
Not to mention supporting diplomatic duties, getting involved in politics that I had no place in, and even acting as a hero’s bodyguard, and now I’m tasked with espionage investigations.
It’s so complicated. It’s utterly miserable.
So I said.
“Miss Ekaterina.”
“…”
“Do you know who I am?”
She slightly nodded her head.
If the counterintelligence personnel saw her, they would have slapped her for being rude, but I understood. I knew too well the state her body was in.
And I had to comply with the Colonel’s order to treat her humanely.
“The situation is very bad right now. While we hold you in custody for your safety, considering the circumstances, this is more of a protective measure.”
I started rambling on with that ridiculous nonsense.
“This facility is rather outdated and I understand it’s uncomfortable for you. If you can cooperate with our investigation, we…”
“You’re going to give me a reward for information, right?”
“…”
“Hmph.”
The Imperial Guard HQ Counterintelligence agent sneered.
Although it was evidently a chaotic situation, she was not flustered at all.
Well, she was a counterintelligence agent. In essence, the interrogation room was her domain.
“If you could cooperate, I would appreciate it.”
Swallowing the curses that were about to spill, I switched to the military intelligence investigation format sent by the Colonel.
“Please state your name and affiliation.”
“…”
“That’s the procedure.”
Ekaterina answered while rattling her handcuffs.
“Ekaterina. Affiliated with the Imperial Guard HQ.”
“Please state your position.”
“…”
There was no response. I closed the file and stood up from my chair.
-Clack.
As I activated the recording device, a red light turned on. This was a camcorder in this world.
Once I confirmed that the camcorder was working properly, I began to walk slowly with my hands behind my back.
The sound of military boots echoed in the interrogation room. In a soundproof place, even the slightest noise echoed loudly.
“Investigator. Major Frederick Nostrim of the Abas Kingdom Military Intelligence Agency.”
“…”
“Interrogation Subject. Ekaterina of the Kien Empire Imperial Guard HQ Counterintelligence Department.”
“…”
“Commencing interrogation.”
—
“Hmm…”
“How is it, Agent?”
“It’s intense…”
The psychological operations agent, who had reviewed the six-hour recording, sighed.
Then the information analyst opened his mouth.
“She seems to be in a highly repressed psychological state.”
“…That’s true, but she really can’t lie. This woman.”
“Lie?”
After spending six hours unable to get a word out, what in the world did he mean?
The psychological operations agent smiled wearily.
“Normally in interrogations, language plays a minimal role. Just by looking at the tone, pitch, and body responses, the psyche becomes apparent.”
This guy had majored in psychology in college and had been responsible for espionage investigations in the counterintelligence department for several years.
In other words, he was a guy who used analytical skills to read minds.
The psychological operations agent rewound the footage and tapped the screen with his finger.
“Look here. The Colonel showed her a photo and she reacted.”
“…”
As the footage was played back various times, I had no idea what they were trying to indicate.
Exhaling deeply, the information analyst chastised the psychological operations agent.
“Do you think people can follow what you’re saying? Just get to the point.”
“Understood.”
The psychological operations agent turned up the volume and resumed the video.
A low voice streamed through the speakers.
“Do you know this person?”
“….”
“He’s from the same counterintelligence department; didn’t you know? Then what about this person?”
“….”
“From the physical response of the interrogation subject, it’s clear she recognizes who the person in the photo is.”
“…”
“Let’s try looking at some others.”
“Your family seems to have been quite tight-knit; don’t you miss seeing them?”
“….”
“You had an elder brother who died at seven, and a younger sister who is paralyzed? Your parents work in healthcare, yet in this day and age, it must be tough for them to support grown children, right?”
“…Are you trying to threaten me?”
“You didn’t enlist to take care of your younger sister, did you? You received a scholarship at the military academy, didn’t you?”
“….”
“How did such a good citizen end up causing a scandal? Oh, it wasn’t that you caused a scandal, was it? You were trying to go undercover with the fixed agents? A simple identity wash.”
“Look here. There was a reaction when she mentioned family and when the idea of an identity wash came up. The Colonel’s questioning seems to be correct.”
“So what you’re saying is that she did enlist to support her family, and that also means she was trying to go undercover with the Imperial Guard HQ?”
“Yes!”
What a fantastic talent she had.
Truly, one must study.
“There are even more things I could bring up, but I’ll lay them out in a report.”
“Thank you, Agent. Good work.”
“Goodbye!”
I left the room, following the psychological operations agent.
The bright red warning stating “No Entry Except for Authorized Personnel” was quite striking.
As I exchanged casual greetings with passing embassy staff, I stuffed the piece of paper with the psychological operations agent’s notes into my pocket.
“…”
After hearing the psychological operations agent’s account, an unshakeable question lingered in my mind.
I had clearly shown Ekaterina four photographs.
And the psychological operations agent said she recognized the people in the photographs.
Ekaterina.
Operative of the Imperial Guard HQ Counterintelligence Department.
…How in the world had she recognized the Second Department agents?
