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“With the sudden appearance of the Government Army, the situation came to an unexpected end.”

We had escaped the threat to our lives, but the real problem began from here.

“Uh, what should we do…”

Exchanging glances with Camila, who asked in a trembling voice, I stood up from the ditch and raised my hands. The armed soldiers began to retrace the route they had come to escort us.

With my hands bound, I pondered how I could surpass this predicament. I thought and thought again, but no sharp solutions came to mind.

Without any weapons, how could we shake off the pursuit of the Government Army? I was injured, and Camila was already exhausted.

“……”

As we moved along the road to the west, I quietly shut my eyes, preparing for the future ahead.

But.

In the city we were dragged to by the Government Army, the person we encountered was neither a government executive nor an investigator from the intelligence agency.

“…What are you doing here?”

“Asud. Very glad to see you.”

—

**Episode 16 – The Six Million Dollar Man**

When a person is truly surprised, no words come out.

Faced with an unexpected figure, we were left speechless. I was the same as Camila.

“……”

“……”

As awkward silence flowed, a man and a woman waved and smiled.

The ones who had come to greet us were the Warlord Duo, who had set off for the city around noon yesterday.

They greeted us with warm expressions.

“You’ve come a great distance. You must be exhausted. Were the soldiers kind?”

“You look quite different. You’ve been through a lot.”

Unexpectedly meeting the Warlord Duo at such an unanticipated place made me and Camila exchange awkward glances.

What in the world is going on?

“Um, what exactly happened…?”

Answering Camila’s uncertain question was a woman from Hassan’s warlord faction. Following the tradition of the tribe, she spoke on behalf of the men and cleared our confusion.

“Hassan has heard news. There’s been a major incident in the village. We thought you might need help, so we sent reinforcements in a hurry.”

“Reinforcements…?”

Camila and I stared at each other, bewildered.

“So the soldiers who brought us here…?”

“Are the local Government Army.”

“What?”

The woman from the warlord faction, with a smiling face, was met with a shocked expression from the British girl. And at that moment, I instinctively understood how things had unfolded.

The local Government Army has colluded with Hassan’s warlord!

Sure enough, as the warlord man gestured, the Government soldiers approached and untied our bindings.

An officer, presumably, approached the warlord duo, and after conversing in the local dialect with the warlord man, received a bundle of cash, grinning satisfaction and departed with the soldiers.

I stared dumbfounded at the soldiers, who were like puppets to the warlord duo. They seemed completely oblivious to what had gone wrong.

In the meantime, after completing the arrangements, the warlord duo began to explain in broken Kien.

“This local Government Army. Very friendly. Anything goes if you pay. The commander. Dies heavily.”

“…Of course.”

It meant that the Government Army stationed in the region was accepting bribes from warlords. No wonder a hellhole town like this had a corrupt Government Army.

It was a surreal party where the very military meant to suppress warlords was in cahoots with them. But I dusted off my clothes as if accustomed to it.

It’s nothing new for the Government Army in war-torn regions to combine forces with warlords. I had sensed something was off from the moment we encountered the Government Army in warlord territory.

Camila began to blink blankly and looked at me, signaling that she wanted an explanation for the situation, so I willingly began to enlighten her curiosity.

“Most civil servants in areas controlled by warlords are corrupt officials. Proper folks usually retreat to government-controlled regions.”

“But aren’t those people soldiers?”

“Military police are the same. They’re just sitting around, taking bribes from warlords.”

The absurd culture of a war-torn region, which one could hardly imagine in developed countries, left Camila with a dazed expression. When I mentioned similar occurrences in Africa and the Middle East, she sighed deeply as if the ground was about to swallow her.

Still, for me, it was a good situation. A corrupt society is the best place for information officers to operate. As long as you have money, anything is possible.

“You both have wounds. Let’s get you treated first.”

Upon seeing our injuries, the woman from the warlord faction swiftly called a doctor.

After a brief wait, an elderly local man in his fifties shuffled in wearing slippers.

According to the warlord duo, he was one of the few doctors who remained in the city after the civil war, a veteran medical professional who had treated many gunshot victims, regardless of whether they were from the military or warlords.

As the female member of the duo comforted Camila with soothing words, the assigned male started bragging about how he had bribed both the doctor and soldiers.

“The police. Refused the money. Village festival. More important than money.”

“…You initially tried to call the police, but they refused to deploy because they had to be at the village festival?”

“Exactly. Instead, we brought in the military. Doctor? Also called by the soldiers. A relative of the officer.”

So to summarize.

The warlord duo initially intended to send the police to the village. However, because there was a 60th birthday party for the village elder (in a locale where tribal affiliations prevail, local festivals are major events), the police refused to go.

Once the police refused, the warlord duo bribed the local military base to send them instead. The doctor they intended to bring, whose relative was in the military, ended up being bribed through that connection.

Upon grasping the situation, a gasp escaped me.

Those damn corrupt police! If those idiots had departed on time, we wouldn’t have had to fight the robbers in the first place!

“Bribing the military wasn’t easy. But I know many people. Doctor? Police? Soldiers? All of them my friends.”

“Yeah, you’re impressive…”

“Overwhelming gratitude.”

Though I was not that interested in his story, I pretended to listen until the end out of courtesy. After all, if they hadn’t bribed the military, we would have been caught by the robbers.

The elderly doctor, brought in by the warlords, swiftly completed the emergency treatment with remarkable skill. It was truly one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” situations.

The warlord duo, watching the treatment process, explained that they had paid a generous amount for the doctor, so I didn’t need to spend any money.

No, but wasn’t that money I had given for the treatment? Why are you acting like you’re being generous?

As the tension dissipated, a smile naturally emerged.

“This is a great country for business. Unlike the central army, the relationship between local military police and residents isn’t bad, so if you can win over the locals and leverage that network, you could even bribe the military.”

“…Are you seriously thinking about business at a time like this?”

Camila, applying ointment, gave me a disgruntled look.

I shrugged.

“It’s a habit of the profession.”

“Ugh…”

Leaving behind Camila, who shook her head in dissatisfaction, I climbed into the vehicle arranged by the warlords. The warlord duo fastened their seatbelts and urged us to hurry.

“Let’s get in. To a safe house. We’re taking you there.”

—

When Camila and I arrived at the safe zone of the Al Bas Tribe, the news that we had been ambushed near the border had already spread widely.

“…I’ve received a report.”

Nayan Al Bas greeted me with a solemn expression.

“My oversight.”

Without needing to question further, he acknowledged the entire sequence of events as his fault. He recognized that he had failed to manage the situation adequately, even when a guest’s life was at stake.

I received his apology in the office where I had sat down with him just a few days ago.

“I will take full responsibility for this incident, as it concerns the honor of the tribe.”

There was no need to ask how he would take responsibility. The honor of a leader responsible for the tribe is not a light matter, and in regions where honor is valued more than life, claiming to stake one’s honor is tantamount to risking one’s life.

I gladly accepted Nayan’s apology.

“Thank you for saying so, though I’m sure it was a difficult decision for you.”

“There’s no need to embellish matters on my face. It’s merely what I ought to do.”

Nayan waved his hands in embarrassment.

Since he promised to take responsibility, there was no need to further provoke his sentiments. I calmly decided to wait for Nayan’s decision.

As the accountant of Hassan’s warlord and the leader of the Al Bas Tribe, Nayan wholeheartedly comforted his guest. After personally serving refreshments, he extended an invitation to ask for anything needed.

I sensed this was one of the compensations for the recent incident.

“Feel free to say anything. I will gladly fulfill any request that I can.”

“Hmm…”

I calculated carefully, considering what request would be most appropriate.

“I think we need medicine.”

“Medicine?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, you are wounded. Do you need a doctor? If so, I will send my chief physician.”

“I would appreciate that, but I need some specific medical supplies.”

I requested several types of medical supplies from him: painkillers, antibiotics, bandages, gauze, suturing thread, and so on. Though I already had these supplies, I needed to conserve what little resources were available in the area.

As I specified the exact names and components of the medical supplies, Nayan nodded. That was a sign he could provide those.

When names of pharmaceuticals that a doctor or pharmacist might know kept flowing from my mouth, Nayan curiously looked as if he were wondering how I knew all this. But thankfully, he didn’t press me.

There were no incessant inquiries.

“I will send the goods along with the doctor as soon as they’re ready. Anything else?”

Nayan, who had moistened his lips with tea, asked if there was anything more I needed.

It seemed that just providing a doctor and some medicine didn’t quite suffice to uphold Nayan’s reputation. After all, if a warlord’s executive promised compensation, it would be mockery to settle for just that.

“Then…”

I relayed a few additional demands. Most of this information was deemed necessary for planning our operations.

If an ordinary civilian, affiliated with a relief organization, made such requests, it would be easy to draw the warlord’s suspicion. However, my status as a war correspondent served as a sturdy shield, disguising my intentions even at the moment of demanding sensitive information.

As the atmosphere thickened, Nayan glanced furtively at the clock on the wall. From his demeanor, I understood he was beginning to want to wrap things up.

After lightly moistening my throat with the teacup, I brought up my final request.

“I would like to meet Sheikh Nasir Al Hassan.”

Nayan Al Bas’s eyes, momentarily focused on the clock, began to roll. When they met mine, he spoke in a grave tone.

“You wish to meet the leader of Hassan?”

“Indeed.”

“…”

Nayan’s decisive reply prompted him to cover his chin with his hand, lowering his gaze.

With eyes closed and arms crossed, he seemed deep in thought. To avoid interrupting his contemplation, I maintained my silence.

“It’s a difficult request to answer lightly.”

Nayan, awakening from his reverie, did not provide a definitive response.

“It’s not something I can decide alone. I’ll need to discuss it in detail and get back to Asud. Is that acceptable?”

Though he didn’t give a direct answer, the reply itself was optimistic. After all, he left room for consideration.

I replied, saying he should proceed at his own pace.

*

“…Seems like a tough character.”

On the bustling street, I spoke into my phone while seated on the second-floor terrace of a café, where the entire scene unfolded.

“From the way they hold back their words, I would guess they are very cautious. They also seem to have good decision-making skills.”

-‘Do you think you can make contact with the leader of Hassan?’

“I can’t say for sure yet… However, I believe it’s better to wait for Nayan’s decision instead of pushing hard right now.”

-‘Understood. Take care of yourself. I’ll hang up now.’

Click. I could hear the receiver being set down on the other end. I proceeded to detach the battery and the organizational card from my phone.

A week had passed since the business began, and many incidents had unfolded during that time.

I reported all the intelligence I had gathered over the past two days. Likewise, I informed the company about the battle I had with robbers last night.

Leoni, who had relayed the intelligence to the analysis team, checked on the status of the information officer dispatched locally. Recognizing that although he had sustained gunshot wounds, he was still fit for action, she ordered him to focus on establishing contact with Sheikh Nasir Al Hassan.

Having handed the materials over to the analysts, I immediately proceeded to rest.

Perhaps fatigue hit me later than expected, for as soon as I entered my lodging, I collapsed into sleep. After about 14 hours of deep slumber, I woke up, washed my face to shake off the grogginess, and opened my mobile phone.

Information officers dispatched overseas cannot share personal communications with family, though there are employees who occasionally relay messages through back channels. As I unfolded the personal phone set up locally, notifications began flooding in from messages I had missed.

The first to catch my eye was a message from Lucia.

[Today, I co-presided with the bishops. Many believers came to Rethelano to celebrate the feast day. My mentor, the Archbishop of the Northern Regions of the Kien Empire, also visited the holy site this time. He has been worried about you, so if you can, do come by.]

[I received contact from the healing priest in the ward. It seems the inquisitors injured by demons in the North have successfully recovered. It appears the Lord has aided them. Priest Rebecca is currently undergoing rehabilitation, and according to the inquisitors, she should be discharged before autumn. Looks like my prayers haven’t been in vain.]

Being typical of Lucia, there were religious phrases scattered throughout the messages.

It seems the inquisitors who had been possessed by the demon within the exorcist have finally been treated. Priest Rebecca, who had suffered considerably, had not been able to leave the intensive care unit for a while, but with her undergoing rehabilitation, it seems her deep wounds are now healing.

Let’s visit her soon. I firmly pressed the keys and hit send.

After checking Lucia’s message, the next one I opened was from Francesca in Patalia.

[Summer is finally bringing some life to the villa. When I feel the warm sunlight on my skin, the breeze from the open sea cools the heat. I’ve been so caught up in managing the business that I hardly noticed the changing season. I’ve tidied up the workshop, and refurbished the coastal walkway, so do come visit the villa!]

[Hormoz from the Palm Tree Trade Guild has sent over some liquor. It’s a traditional drink from the Mauritania Continent called Arak. It means ‘Tears of God’ in the Mauritania language, and it tastes pleasant, just like its name. Would you like me to send some your way if you’re interested?]

[The Oracle has attempted contact with the Ivory Tower. Unofficially. It seems they’re seeking cooperation from the Ivory Tower regarding matters related to the Dark Magician. It may not be easy to secure that cooperation. I’ll fill you in on the details when we meet later.]

Francesca’s message was quite lengthy. Lucia, who preferred letters over texts or calls, seldom sent frequent updates, whereas Francesca had no qualms about sharing news.

While she conveyed personal regards, she also weaved in business matters—truly characteristic of her. By the way, it’s quite something that the Magic Tower and Ivory Tower are attempting unofficial contact. What on earth could that mean?

I sent a message suggesting we meet in two months for an information exchange and checked the other messages that filled my screen after Lucia and Francesca.

Amid this, a familiar message caught my eye.

[I’m bored.]

[The old folks are causing a ruckus again, and it’s driving me insane. I can’t just shoot them, what to do?]

[I got lucky at the horse races today. Want to place a bet later?]

There was no need to confirm the sender—the message was unmistakably from Veronica. A saint indulging in gambling? How ridiculous.

I deleted Veronica’s message into the trash and cleared out all the text messages that had come through my phone.

Having checked up on everyone’s well-being, I felt slightly at ease. It truly felt like a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

Once the urgent matters were settled, I found myself with some free time. Grateful for that, I decided to visit Camila.

“Camila? May I come in?”

“Oh, you’re here?”

Camila, languishing on her bed, waved her hand. Her supine position, arms flopping around, made her look like a sloth.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, caressing her IV drip.

“You suffered from food poisoning, so I assume you’re feeling better now?”

“Heh. Of course.”

Camila flexed her arms with a grunt. However, her attempts to show off any muscles were futile. All I could see was her chubby form; where were the muscles?

Due to the combination of battle fatigue and food poisoning, Camila had been bedridden for a time. She still lay there, but judging by her recovery speed, I figured she’d be hopping around by tomorrow.

Once enlivened, Camila stretched to shake off her lethargy and looked up at me with a bright expression.

“We’re going back to outdoor activities starting tomorrow, right?”

“That’s correct.”

To contact Sheikh Nasir Al Hassan, I needed to move actively.

Since the attack by robbers, Nayan Al Bas had been coordinating a meeting with the leader of the Hassan Warlord, but simply waiting under a tree with my mouth open, expecting fruit to fall, would be foolish.

“Do you have a plan?”

“First, I need to establish an information network.”

I decided to set up an intelligence network across three territories.

I would recruit informants not only from the military, police, and civil services but also from private organizations. It was important to enlist informants within the warlord faction, but there would be no harm in embedding a network in various areas beyond their reach.

Camila pondered, tapping her belly with her finger.

“But is there really a need to rush? You should rest a bit longer since you aren’t fully healed yet. There’s a saying that the more you rush, the more you backtrack.”

“While I am scouting for informants, there’s another objective.”

“And what might that be?”

“I need to gather equipment.”

“Ah.”

Thanks to the swift response from the Warlord Duo, we had regained our SUV, but we hadn’t recovered our gear. Our rifles and pistols were still abandoned in a reed field, and our tactical gear, including night vision goggles and bulletproof vests, was no exception.

We might find ourselves in a situation where we’d have to engage the warlord or government forces, and we needed gear. At the very least, we ought to secure a pistol for the safety of Camila and myself.

“Let’s investigate the military and police under the guise of doing some reporting. I’ll seek out operational funds there to procure firearms.”

“It would be even better if we could recruit informants.”

“Last time, we found the residence of the doctor brought in by the Warlord Duo. Let’s use that connection.”

“‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’—how fitting for the current situation.”

“Can you skip the cliches, please?”

We ventured out the next day to find informants.

It was four days later when I received contact from Nayan Al Bas.

 

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