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A chaotic world has arrived.

“The Inquisition has executed sixteen dark magicians who kidnapped and murdered the Cardinal of the Cult. The dark magicians had abducted Cardinal Raul to a villa in the northern outskirts, where it is reported he was tortured and killed.”

The sixteen escapees met their demise as dark magicians.

“In a mass, the Pope mourned Cardinal Raul’s death, while Cardinal Raphael expressed his ambition to create a safe cult…”

In the empty mourning, the world sank into sadness, while the rulers hid behind masks, celebrating their victory.

“Investigations into the kidnapping that occurred in the cult’s center are sinking into a labyrinth…”

“The dark magicians have finally revealed their wicked nature! As for me…”

“Due to the spread of an epidemic in the southern continent, an unruly group linked to the dark magicians…”

However, the world began to stabilize little by little.

“The funeral of Cardinal Raul rivaled that of the Director…”

“A massive reform aimed at eradicating corruption through personnel changes within the Empire…”

“The policy to ease import-export tariffs between the Kien Empire and the Kingdom of Abas has passed…”

“The Inquisition’s Director Petrus has shattered conventions with a sweep against international crime…”

“Colonel Frederick Nostrim, who survived a bombing and assassination attempt using poison, has…”

Thus, the world began to return to its original state.

Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent

Raul was a cardinal of the cult and one of the prominent candidates for the Pope.

Though he failed to establish a significant power overshadowed by Raphael, he was the leader of a faction and an idol to the believers.

Thus, Cardinal Raul’s funeral was held with great pomp.

As the priests carried the coffin, a long procession mourned his passing. Cardinals, including Raphael, watched solemnly over Raul’s final moments, and the Pope laid his hands on the coffin while reciting prayers.

We sat on the rooftop, watching the scene with indifferent expressions.

“…Everyone’s acting well.”

“Acting? People might misunderstand if they hear you…”

“Isn’t Raul’s corpse not in that coffin?”

“People won’t know anyway.”

I appreciated the spectacle with Petrus. It felt just like a well-crafted movie set.

A perfect stage for elevating someone’s reputation.

“At least he didn’t die as a betrayer; that’s a blessing.”

“I’m sure Raul would think so too.”

Petrus, who had been gently swirling his drink, asked.

“How’s Raul doing?”

“He’s likely resting deep in the ocean by now.”

“Alive? Or dead?”

“I checked at the end, and he was still breathing.”

“Then he’s probably dead.”

From the very beginning, Raul was not dead at all.

He had not been kidnapped but escaped with the other escaping agents. The Inquisition had been hunting them down, and we had directly taken them out after receiving intel.

The sixteen escapees were executed at the scene, and Raul met his ‘official death’ at the villa.

After being pronounced dead by a doctor, Raul spent about three days having a heartfelt meet-up with counterintelligence agents at Safe House No. 5 before embarking on a long journey into the sea.

Thus, the truth about the operation we successfully executed was sealed deep below the surface.

“Was it handled well to prevent any backtalk?”

“Just happened that a concrete supply was left, so it was wrapped up neatly.”

“Oh, they say it vanished from the construction site?”

Petrus smiled subtly as he looked over the long procession. By the way, the Inquisition agents helped Raul with the concrete work. Priest Rebecca brought some, saying there was a little left from wall repairs.

“How’s Veronica doing?”

“She was popping champagne.”

“She’s in high spirits.”

Veronica is currently under protection at the Safe House. She’s no longer just a lobbyist for the Empire but rather one for the entire world. She has taken on the role of coordinating mutual interests between the Empire, the Kingdom, and the cult.

With the Imperial Guard HQ withdrawing its operatives, the team assigned to the saint was disbanded. Once the cleanup operations of the Inquisition are completed, Veronica is set to return to the cult. She was happy that she no longer had to worry about dying.

“How was it when you met her? She’s quite the fun lady, right?”

“She’s a heavy drinker.”

“And a smoker to boot.”

I thought it would be dull to drink alone, so I had some drinks with her, and she shared a lot of interesting stories.

From the bond with her former attendant Lucia to the moment she first met the Emperor, and even the affairs of the royal family and minor conflicts within the Imperial Guard HQ.

Fortunately, I managed to gather some useful intelligence.

“Luck is skill in disguise.”

“Is that so?”

“If you’re unlucky, you end up crashing despite being on top, right?”

Thinking about it, there’s some truth to that.

I narrowly escaped death from a bomb blast and nearly met my end from nerve toxins.

If the Kingdom hadn’t sent an envoy back to the Empire or if I hadn’t declined the meeting with the counterintelligence operative, I would never have met Veronica, nor known who the enemy was.

The conclusion drawn from a tightrope walk and remarkable coincidences.

That’s the essence of this operation.

While contemplating discussions with the Inquisition Director about upcoming events, the procession had at last reached the cult’s headquarters, and the funeral concluded. After emptying his glass, Petrus got up from his chair.

“Good job, Major.”

“You too, Director.”

Now that the funeral was over, it was time to go. Before we parted, I shook hands with him.

The old man’s wrinkled hand had a strange strength to it. Maybe it was the aura of experience.

Petrus casually waved his hand and conveyed his congratulations.

“You’re going to receive a medal and be promoted when you return.”

“I’m not sure since a personnel change is just around the corner.”

“Do people like you worry about taking off your uniform? That’s amusing.”

He chuckled in disbelief, shaking his head.

“Many people owe you a debt.”

“…”

“Not just the cult, but also people from the Empire and the Kingdom owe you a little.”

Though my actions would never be publicly acknowledged.

Those who could grasp what I had done would know it all too well.

The Emperor purged the thorn in his side and tightened internal affairs while the Pope solidified his political successor, and Raphael was confirmed as the next Pope.

The Inquisition managed to turn a crisis into an opportunity, and the Military Intelligence Agency fulfilled their long-standing wishes. Simultaneously, the Imperial Guard HQ continued to purge, gaining the Emperor’s trust.

The lobbying and rewards exchanged among these three groups left everyone a little happier. Primarily, political and economic stability was secured.

Everyone except for the betrayer walked away with a little gain.

Through tightrope walking and a wisp of luck, I made all this happen. I was at the center of the intricately tangled interests.

Thus, Petrus speaks to me like this.

“You are our hero.”

“…That’s a strange feeling.”

The Inquisition Director burst into laughter at my ordinary sentiment. It was a familiar, mundane laughter.

“Sorry, your reaction was so calm that I couldn’t help it.”

“I understand.”

“To be honest, I also feel a bit dazed.”

He patted me on the shoulder.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes.”

Receiving appreciation from the head of counterintelligence felt quite peculiar.

He took out two small boxes from his bag and handed them to me.

“What are these?”

“One’s a gift.”

“And the other…?”

“Just a personal request.”

I opened the box he had asked me to check.

Inside was a small necklace.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

Curious, I inquired, but Petrus just left a strange remark and walked away.

“You’ll find out if you show it to Clevenz.”

*

A darkened embassy.

I sat in a dim office, watching the news.

The anchor, who had been delivering chaotic updates, was now sharing hopeful news.

“The housing supply project for citizens suffering from typhoon damage has resumed. Refugees who received aid materials from the Empire…”

“A complete declaration of resolving the epidemic that had continued for seven years…”

“The lengthy civil war has reached a conclusion through negotiations between rebels and government forces…”

At a glance, the world seemed to have changed into a peaceful place.

I activated my communication device and dialed the Colonel.

‘…Were you asleep?’

“I just finished work.”

‘Good job, Frederick.’

A smile naturally spread across my face at those words.

‘It’s been only two months since you’ve been assigned, but you’ve done rather well.’

“Does this count as making a name for myself in the history of the Intelligence Agency?”

‘You’ve made a name for yourself in the annals of the Kingdom’s history.’

Of course, my name would not be recorded anywhere in historical texts.

I was merely an ordinary army major. A companion of heroes. Nothing more, nothing less.

Yet I definitely left my footprints in the world.

Though no one would know, someone would remember.

“Colonel, thank you for your support as well.”

‘Right. I’ll finally be able to leave early after a long time.’

“The staff has already left; what have you been doing?”

‘I had a brief meeting due to issues with the refugees.’

The next head of the Military Intelligence Agency continued casually.

‘There were terrorists and rebels mixed among the refugees.’

“How did you handle it?”

‘Sent them all back, regardless of whether they were refugees or not. We’ll be closing the borders for a while due to the epidemic issues.’

Another bloodstorm would likely rage somewhere in the world.

It was a familiar occurrence, so I simply shrugged it off.

“You must have had quite the ordeal.”

‘I wouldn’t worry about it; focus on your subordinates.’

“Of course. They’re heroes of the Intelligence Agency, so I have to take good care of them.”

‘Just… since it’s an operation hard to recognize as a contribution, take good care of them.’

“Understood.”

I was wrapping up the call when my gaze fell upon the box I had set aside on my desk.

“Oh, right. The Inquisition Director asked me for a favor.”

‘What kind of favor?’

“He gave me this old necklace to hold on to. He said you’d know what to do if I showed it to you…”

‘…’

“Colonel?”

The Colonel fell silent.

A couple of minutes passed in silence, and he finally spoke in a voice darker than usual.

‘For now, keep it, and when you get back, bring it to me.’

“What on earth is it?”

‘Umm. Just know it’s a request from my senior.’

A strange statement.

A request from a senior.

The Colonel’s words set my mind racing, and I gradually retraced past events to reach a conclusion.

“Petrus is the fixed spy you mentioned before.”

‘…When did you catch on?’

“Not really. I just had my suspicions since he seemed too friendly for a supporter.”

His attitude was friendly compared to others in counterintelligence.

His actions casually warned me about the mistakes made by the spy.

His willingness to share internal information with the spy.

His behavior, as if he were in sync with some telepathy while manipulating the Empire.

There were many suspicions.

There’s no such thing as unconditional kindness in this world, and Petrus had been overly kind to me.

And notably, he brought up the sword and shared stories about the special forces and agents.

He knew about training details that neither Jake nor I were aware of. By the way, that technique was taught directly by the ‘instructor’.

“Since you’re aware of a technique not in the manual, I began to suspect.”

‘Hoh.’

“Our internal situation report and the mention of a fixed agent fitted together, leading me to see the bigger picture.”

Given the Inquisition’s capabilities, proper intelligence activities within the cult would be tough.

All the Imperial Guard HQ had focused on was surrounding Veronica and siphoning off resources.

The reason why the escape agents remained hidden was that Raul had provided appropriate shelter.

So, for a mere operative to evade the Inquisition’s eyes, they must either be exceptionally lucky or…

“It would have to be an insider from the Inquisition.”

A fixed spy would find it challenging to return to their homeland.

Especially as one grows larger, their range of movement narrows, leaving them with little choice for reckless behavior.

Perhaps Petrus entrusted this to me as well, meaning it wasn’t just about taking it to the Kingdom. A careful guess.

‘…Indeed, sending you out of the Intelligence Agency was a good choice.’

“Haha….”

‘Until you return, please look after the senior well.’

“Understood, Colonel.”

The call ended.

I set down the communication device and looked at the old necklace.

“…”

A fixed spy who had been active for fifty years.

A living testament to the history of espionage.

An excellent supporter of the Military Intelligence Agency.

A true elite operative.

An unnamed hero.

Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent – END –

 

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