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In a certain house at the heart of the Cult, a Priest resides.

He has lived as a priest of the Cult for nearly twenty years. Numerous people considered him sincere and a good person.

After finishing his accumulated overtime work, he had just flopped onto the bed to rest for another day of work tomorrow.

-Knock, knock.

It was before the knocking sound pushed him out of his drowsiness.

The man dragged his tired body to the front door and opened it.

“Who are you…?”

A woman with mint-colored hair was standing at the door in the early dawn. Behind her, there appeared to be easily over ten people.

“Who…?”

“Are you Basilio?”

“Yes.”

The woman pulled out a wallet from her bosom and showed it.

“We are from the Inquisition.”

“Please, come with us.”

—

Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent

“I have news from the Inquisition.”

While I was covered in a blanket stealing a quick nap, Jake came in with the good news.

I turned on the news to confirm the details. It reported that explosives had been discovered in the basement of a house associated with Cult officials, which soon shifted to breaking news about a leaked sex video involving an imperial politician.

Just as planned.

As I pulled up the blanket, I said to Jake, “Tell them to start the operation.”

It was time to draw the knife.

—

In just a week, numerous headlines shook the continent.

The signals launched by the world of espionage stirred up a whirlwind.

Expulsion of diplomats. Extraction of spies. Indictments of anti-state organizations. Crackdown on dark magic groups. Illegal funding of corporations. Capital plundering. Expulsion of university professors. Punishment of industrial spies. Bribery allegations. Sex scandal. Re-investigation of mysterious deaths. Suspicions of civil war involvement. Discovery of illegal lobbying. Apologies. Sex videos. Drug scandals. Taped recordings. Military secrets leaked. Resignation of a high-ranking official. Someone’s death. The reclusive Saint.

Various allegations and incidents erupted across the continent, and the world began to spiral into chaos.

Of course, nothing was reported in-depth.

The Information Agency had a desk in the news agency on lockdown, so everything became a noisy, pointless racket.

In fact, it was a planned affair.

“Team Leader, let’s begin the operation.”

-‘Yes, Operative.’

Though the plan slightly went awry, ultimately, everything unfolded according to the natural order.

As promised, Petrus took care of all the lowlifes behind the bomb terror.

Originally, we were supposed to take down the ones who received the bomb, but since there were big fishes involved, there was no reason to chase minnows.

“I have placed some agents near Raul’s associates. You can connect with them.”

-‘The meeting place and time were conveyed through last night’s secure line.’

“Ah, then that’s settled. Good job, Team Leader.”

-‘See you later.’

We decided to capture someone in Raul’s entourage linked to the Empire.

Saint Veronica pointed it out. After cross-verifying the Colonel’s activities while working in the kingdom with the data from the Inquisition, it was deemed a link between noblemen in the Empire and Raul.

So, I set “those scary uncles” in motion. The Information Agency’s Special Activities Department.

“They’re going to bring a package. It’s set to be moved to the villa.”

“Should we make them talk?”

“Yes.”

“That’s our specialty.”

If the Special Activities Department of the Information Agency kidnaps Raul’s associate, technicians waiting at Safe House 5 will interrogate the associate to extract a confession.

“I haven’t seen Counterintelligence Division people in a while.”

“I often see the Colonel near the General.”

“Oh, it’s you.”

These were the technicians from the Counterintelligence Department, meaning they’re the specialists in interrogation.

They were specially sent by the Colonel.

It turns out they had worked for the Colonel. We warmly greeted each other and chatted lightly.

“What on earth is this?”

“It’s a confession drug.”

“Is it a truth serum? If you take it, do you spill everything?”

“Haha, that’s a common misconception. It just disorients the mind.”

“Will it hurt if taken?”

“The symptoms vary with the drug type.”

That was casual conversation according to the standards of the Information Agency. The Counterintelligence Department agent’s bag was like a whole new world.

“Did you say Ekaterina? The supporter from the Imperial Guard’s Counterintelligence?”

“Is there a problem with that girl?”

“The doctor who came with her says her health condition is a bit concerning.”

“Hm, we have gathered all the information anyway…”

“Forgive my insolence, but how about releasing her at this point?”

As someone who captures spies, it was worth listening to.

So, I met with Ekaterina.

“It’s been a while. Should I call you an operative from the Counterintelligence Division?”

“…What do you want?”

“Let’s make a deal.”

We released Ekaterina and handed over the bodies of the Imperial Guard agents found in the slums to the Empire.

It was a warning: ‘We know everything you’ve done, so don’t act recklessly.’ By the way, this wasn’t something I handled on my own.

It was the result of an unofficial meeting between the Military Intelligence Agency and the Imperial Guard.

Thus, we covered up the Imperial Guard’s blunders and received a modest consolation fee.

“This is the requested material.”

“Is this the personal data of the Second Department agents operating among the Cult?”

“More accurately, they’re counterrevolutionaries.”

I have no clue who’s a counterrevolutionary.

For all I know, I couldn’t tell if they even were counterrevolutionaries.

But I had a local supporter who could cross-verify. So, with the list in hand, I went to find Veronica.

“Is there someone you used to serve?”

“…No, there’s no one.”

“Then they must be counterrevolutionaries. I’ll relay this to the higher-ups; you’ll hear back soon.”

“Thank you.”

When I showed Veronica, she said none of the people she knew were on the list. After comparing with those who rummaged through the inn rooms, none of them were there either. It implies there are no operatives managed correctly by the Imperial Guard on that list.

It seems to be the kind of people who disregarded the orders for a return to the original assigned task and instead stuck the poison needle on someone.

Found you, you bastards.

Anyway, I took the verified data from Veronica and went to find one person.

Director Petrus from the Inquisition.

“What is this?”

“These are the bastards who stuck a poison needle in my neck. Most likely.”

“Are you asking me to find them, or to take them down?”

“Please, find them.”

“Sure.”

Although there had been some noise within the Inquisition due to interference from foreign soldiers, it was a result of my long time spent with Petrus.

So, I spread the materials on assassination plans that were stashed in the cabinet to shut them up. They made this mess, so they ought to clean it up.

Thus, a bizarre triangle formed among the Military Intelligence Agency, the Inquisition, and the Imperial Guard.

As each made slight concessions to one another, everything proceeded smoothly.

The Imperial Guard covered up the scandal and safely withdrew operatives, while those indicted were released. A bloodbath is expected to flare up within the Guard for a while.

The Inquisition burned a few fabricated dark magicians, gaining momentum for their activities. Thanks to that, Raphael’s political foundation was solidified. The Pope was pleased too.

The Military Intelligence Agency received the upper-ups who led the terrorism and the Empire’s counterrevolutionaries. Along the way, they also unearthed their long-standing desires regarding the internal affairs of the Guard and even gained a high-level information agent.

Surprisingly, none of these processes came to light.

Dozens of spies who were indicted and then released at the border, self-proclaimed dark magicians who died in the torture chamber, as well as the kidnappings and disappearances that took place right in the middle of the Cult.

Who’d care, when the news is about an affair between a businessman in his sixties and a famous singer?

Anyway, everything unfolded according to the natural order.

And then,

“Hello?”

-‘We report from Safe House 5. The technicians received the package.’

At last, the time to take a head was here.

—

Magic Mirror.

The sight of the interrogation room viewed through a one-way mirroring glass was a gruesome sight.

Blood splattered on the walls, and the floors were soaked with water and blood.

Raul’s associate lay unconscious, bound to a chair, while the agents moved a mop with indifferent expressions.

My impression was simple.

“I’ve never seen such a scene before.”

Seeing an interrogation room for the first time in nearly thirty years was chilling.

The Counterintelligence agent, casually perched on the desk cleaning his glasses, said, “You might be seeing this more often in the future.”

“You seem to be quite accustomed to this.”

“It’s just work.”

The agent chuckled while cleaning the blood-stained glasses. He had blood on his cheeks, which was mildly terrifying.

He looked an ordinary person, but based on what he did, he was far from ordinary.

“Well, the work of an agent generally stays around this level.”

“Was the Colonel originally from the Department of Operations?”

“Yes.”

“Indeed, it’s rare for intelligence agents to witness such sights.”

It is indeed rare. One only sees such interrogation rooms when captured by an enemy nation or in a scenario where one is labeled a counterrevolutionary.

Slowly, I read through the interrogation documents handed to me by the Counterintelligence agent.

“It’s clear Raul has been in collusion with the empire. How long did it take you to figure this out?”

“About an hour, I think.”

“An hour?”

“Yes.”

I asked with fingers raised, and it was correct.

“How on earth do you manage to extract information in just an hour?”

“There are ways.”

It took me over a month to find out that Raul was colluding with the counter-revolutionaries in the Imperial Guard.

Yet, these people figured it out in just one hour.

Where did all my efforts and time go?

Seeing my look of despair, the Counterintelligence agent burst into laughter.

“Don’t be too disheartened. The information you brought made the interrogation easier.”

“So how long does it usually take?”

“Assuming we were doing it alone without your input, typically it would take several years.”

Counterintelligence investigations last a decade.

It meant that obtaining evidence to prove someone is a spy takes an extremely long time. It requires the state to invest time, money, and resources, meaning it would take ten years.

So, should I be happy that they managed it in a month and a half?

“We obtained a confession, and the evidence was acquired through a house search.”

“Yes, you found the documents?”

“The agents found them; we only got the confession.”

The Counterintelligence agent stood up from the desk while putting on his glasses.

He gestured towards the interrogation room inside.

“This is our area, not foreigners.”

Soon enough, all the bloodstains had disappeared, leaving only Raul’s associate drenched in red.

The agents from the Counterintelligence Department entered the interrogation room with tape and plastic.

I lowered my gaze to the documents and asked him.

“Do you think transferring the confession and evidence to trial will result in a sentence?”

“Um… it seems difficult.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the weight of the confession might make obtaining a guilty verdict challenging.”

He pointed to Raul’s associate and said, “That guy is more meticulous than expected, so he destroyed a significant amount of relevant material.”

“So, there’s a lack of evidence, is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, Colonel.”

“No, you all did enough.”

I put the documents in my bag and adjusted my attire. Before I knew it, the magic mirror had been covered with plastic.

As the Counterintelligence agent loaded the live ammunition, he asked me, “Should we report this?”

“Just leave a record. I’ll report later in the evening.”

“Thank you.”

“What for, we should help each other.”

At my answer, he smiled broadly.

I also grinned as I shook hands with him.

“I’ll take my leave first. I’ll let them know upstairs, so rest easy when you’re done.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“Then I’ll be off.”

“Take care on your way back.”

I received the farewell from the Counterintelligence agent as I headed out to the hallway.

He took a moment before entering the interrogation room.

I exchanged glances with him in the hallway and turned my steps towards the ground floor.

The concrete structures felt unusually dreary.

Only the sound of military boots echoed in the lonely corridor.

How long had I walked?

While ascending the staircase, a gunshot rang out in the distance.

—

Thus, the work of the Counterintelligence agents came to an end.

—

-‘Good work.’

The Colonel said briefly.

After finishing the usual daily report call, I hung up.

From the terrace of the embassy, the sight of the Cult appeared as usual.

The sunset was sinking, and the Knights were retreating.

It seemed the work shift had ended.

The embassy guards locked the main gate and opened the side gate.

Diplomats who had finished their negotiations returned with briefcases in hand, and an undercover operative hurriedly took the briefcase from them.

Everyone is doing their best in their respective positions.

The line between diplomats and spies is blurry, and the sight of plainclothes agents circling around the embassy is not much different from that of the agents in the interrogation room.

To be honest, I don’t know what’s what.

Whether this is a world in a game or reality.

Whether my memories are genuine or fabricated.

There is no difference between past life and present life.

I’m still a soldier.

Even though my name and age, nationality and affiliation have changed, I’m still wearing a military uniform.

As my work was winding down, various thoughts flooded my mind.

Many things have happened.

I feel relieved, empty, and maybe a bit proud.

-Ding.

However, there’s still a long road ahead.

“Speak.”

-‘We have located Cardinal Raul and the Second Department escapees.’

Jake said in a flat tone.

There was something resolute in his voice.

So, I responded nonchalantly.

“Gather the gear.”

Let’s go cause some chaos.

—

A week later.

A spokesperson from the Inquisition announced that 16 dark magicians who had kidnapped Cardinal Raul had been killed.

The abducted Cardinal Raul was declared dead, while the dark magicians were revealed to be the terrorists behind the previous bomb attack and assassination attempt.

At the scene, firearms, explosives, and poisons were discovered, each determined to have been utilized in the terror and assassination. Officially, this operation was announced to be a unilateral operation of the Inquisition.

All operations met with successful conclusions.

 

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