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Sometimes I wish reality would unfold like a movie.

Someone obtaining precise intelligence, clean and straightforward analysis, reliable logistical support, and capable agents, among others.

I often think it would be great if fantastic operations portrayed in films happened one after another.

But alas, this isn’t a movie; it’s reality.

With scant evidence and error-riddled analyses. Occasional counter-intelligence operations. Contaminated information and misinformation. Team members are always few, and the support is uncertain.

The affairs of the world are invariably difficult to predict, as always.

“Are you saying there are two spies?”

-‘It seems so, based on the circumstances.’

The world deftly shuffles my predictions aside.

—

**Episode 3 – Fantastical Vacation**

The scene was thrown into chaos with newly acquired intel.

Initially, the investigators concluded there was just one spy. Now that intel suggests there are two, how could they not be stunned?

As expected, the team leader entered, looking as if he’d bitten into something sour.

“Good to see you, Colonel. I received the report on my way here. To think there are two spies instead of one, what on earth is going on?”

How am I supposed to know that? I’m not even an investigator!

I nearly blurted this out but instead silently handed him a document.

“This is a document from headquarters. It contains a list of personal information on the employees at the research institute that got leaked.”

“Do we know who leaked it?”

“No, we haven’t identified that yet.”

I didn’t know what Clevens’ information agent was up to, but I could at least tell he was quite capable. After all, this person managed to intercept documents believed to be acquired by the private intelligence department of the Magic Tower.

While the team leader perused the document, I pulled another report from the file.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a report compiled by the analysts.”

From their verification efforts, the analysts were able to infer the approximate time when the list was created.

I wasn’t quite sure how they analyzed it based on just one list, but they were undoubtedly impressive individuals.

Of course, I had heard that due to an extreme lack of supporting intel, the reliability of their conclusions was somewhat compromised.

However, at this point, we couldn’t afford to be picky.

“The list seems to have been compiled in the spring. All the researchers listed have been confirmed to be affiliated with the Biological Analysis Lab.”

“So the confidential materials the Magic Tower is targeting are the research outcomes of the Biological Analysis Lab?”

“That’s the situation as it stands.”

Naturally, this was also a claim lacking solid evidence.

“Since there’s insufficient intel, various cognitive biases, including confirmation bias, may have influenced the analysis, so future judgments might change.”

“So, you’re saying we can’t be certain about what materials the Magic Tower is targeting?”

You might wonder why an agency funded by taxes operates in such a manner, but in the end, analysts are human, and without evidence, they can’t help but voice their conjectures.

Hence, when intel is scarce, analysts propose various hypotheses and, with assistance from other analysts, work to eliminate logical fallacies to find the hypothesis with the least risk. This process employs many analytical techniques, such as the Devil’s Advocate, Red Teaming, High-Risk Low-Probability Analysis, Brainstorming, AB Team Analysis, Alternative Futures Analysis, Wild Card Scenarios, and Worst-Case Scenarios.

All things I naturally absorbed while listening to conversations between Pippin and the analysts at the embassy.

The military intelligence analysts who provided this intel likely underwent the same verification process.

So, this was the most realistic hypothesis we had at the moment.

“Let’s trust the analysts’ judgment for now. Has headquarters provided any other directives?”

“Other than to get cooperation from Fernand, no.”

As the team leader sighed heavily, he uttered for me to wait a moment. A short exhalation escaped his lips, hidden behind his hand.

“Ugh…”

“Is Fernand still uncooperative?”

“Yes. He hasn’t even eaten.”

The team leader suggested he could get a confession out of him by today, but it seemed that wouldn’t be as straightforward as he made it sound.

I wanted to ask if it was possible to just string him up and pull out his nails, but even I thought that wasn’t something a decent person should say, so I kept my mouth shut.

Determining responsibility was one issue, but confessions obtained through torture aren’t recognized in court, to begin with.

Right now, we needed to catch the spy and submit him for trial, so if torture were involved, it would certainly come back to haunt us later.

Setting aside the issues of responsibility and the legal validity of the evidence, considering the agency’s image and the uncertainty of information acquired under torture, even I felt that torture wasn’t a viable option.

The team leader seemed to share a similar train of thought.

“How about we try a plea deal? His personal card shows he seems to have a family. If he gets prosecuted as a spy, they’ll bear the stigma, right?”

“We’re already exploring that option.”

“Do you have any other good ideas?”

“Yes, I have a method in mind.”

Since I wasn’t an investigator, I had no authority to dictate actions; this was a matter for the investigators to resolve.

I shifted from the headache-inducing topic and brought up an even more troublesome one.

“How will you find the person who leaked the personal information?”

—

“How do we do this?”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

Camila Lowell asked in a flabbergasted tone after a brief explanation from the researcher.

“How can you fly on a broom?”

“Uh, well….”

The researcher mumbled, “You just do it…,” and Camila stared at the broom in bewilderment.

When she mentioned trying to ride a broom just because they claimed it could fly, she realized she had no idea how to do it after listening to the researchers’ explanations.

She absently twisted her hair, mumbling to herself.

“Is it similar to riding a bicycle…?”

Suddenly, a memory of falling over while trying to balance on a bicycle as a child resurfaced.

I worried that if I lost my balance in the air, I might crash down and be disabled.

“Um… if the bicycle I’m thinking of is really the two-wheeled one, yes. With a bit of practice, you should get accustomed to it quickly.”

“…What?”

“If you fail to balance or steer poorly, you could crash into something and end up in the hospital, but if you learn slowly in a safe place, you should be alright.”

As Camila blinked in confusion, the researcher glanced around, wondering if he had explained poorly, casting a look of “Did I say something wrong?” to his colleagues.

I thought maybe I had inadvertently upset her with the phrasing, so I considered apologizing and explaining in greater detail but before I could, Camila Lowell asked the researcher.

“What did you just say?”

“Yes, yes? W-What do you mean…?”

“The bicycle thing….”

“Camila Lowell.”

Just as I felt I was about to miss something important and was about to ask a question, a familiar voice came from behind.

A colonel suddenly popped up, holding a briefcase.

“Colonel? What brings you here?”

“I just swung by on my way. I heard you were practicing magic?”

The researchers sprang into action, hastily hiding the brooms upon seeing the suddenly appearing soldier. If someone found out they taught broom riding to someone without a license, there would be hell to pay.

Due to numerous accidents caused by unlicensed riding, it had become illegal to teach broom riding to individuals lacking a license since the law was enacted.

For Camila Lowell, given her status and the fact that she hailed from another world, it would probably end with a warning. But those researchers surely wouldn’t escape so lightly.

If they were lucky, they might just have to pay a fine, but if they were unlucky, it could land them in jail. They were civil servants, after all. Once they complete the period, they could live off their pension, but the moment they paid a fine, their career would be wrecked.

The researchers anxiously glanced at the soldier, observing his expression while he engaged in conversation with Camila Lowell.

“Do you handle other magic aside from fire? Can you summon lightning or shoot ice spears…?”

“Not quite yet. I might be able to do that later once I learn.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure since I’m not a magician.”

While the colleagues hid the brooms far away, the researcher who had been teaching broom riding jumped into the conversation.

“You’ll learn fast, Hero! Your magic affinity is quite high!”

“Is that so? Is affinity related to learning magic?”

The sudden question reminded the researcher of his research paper, which had been criticized.

He brushed aside memories of the atmosphere in the lab that felt like a funeral, beginning to explain.

“Absolutely! Generally, magic affinity relates to the various systems of magic like elemental, arcane, sorcery, and spirit magic….”

An exhaustingly long explanation ensued. The soldier merely nodded in silence.

After some time, the soldier finally spoke up.

“Since Camila Lowell has shown a high magic affinity, she’ll likely pick up other types of magic quickly.”

“Yes.”

“That’s good news; congratulations, Camila Lowell.”

“Hehe….”

After engaging in a brief conversation with the hero, the soldier sent her off elsewhere and approached the researcher.

Lowering his voice, he said, “Earlier, I saw you were teaching broom riding. You do know it’s illegal to teach that to someone without a license, right?”

“….”

“Considering the current lockdown period, if you get caught now, it might even go to trial. Do you prefer jail, or a warning?”

“…A warning, please.”

“Really?”

“Then let’s have a little talk.”

—

After a long meeting, I returned to the office.

On my way back, I received intelligence reports, interviewed the illegal researcher, and confirmed seeing Camila Lowell getting ready for bed.

By the time I returned to the office, made several calls, and finished writing reports, it was already well past midnight.

The murky mist shimmered silvery in the dawn.

I sat in the office, aimlessly sorting through documents.

– Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

“Loyalty. I have brought the report, Colonel.”

“Yes, just place it there. Thank you for your hard work.”

“I’ll take my leave. Please rest comfortably.”

The nameless investigator placed the documents down and left the room.

Once the footsteps faded, silence blanketed the office. The researchers and Camila Lowell were in bed, leaving only the guards and investigators on shift quietly awake.

I stared at the documents for quite some time, then closed the cover and rubbed my face.

“….”

There’s nothing of value here.

The investigators have been probing Fernand, but he remained uncooperative. Even after interrogating the researchers, no valuable information surfaced, and nothing particularly unusual stood out in the documents.

Currently, I had precisely three thoughts.

First, how did the Magic Tower manage to insert a spy into the research institute?

Second, how did the Magic Tower obtain the personal information of the research institute employees?

Third, what materials are the spies targeting?

No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t see any answers.

I reclined against the chair’s back, recalling the conversation I had with the team leader.

“How will you track down the person who leaked the personal information?”

“The investigation revealed that the only departments handling the personnel records of the research institute were the HR and Internal Affairs departments.”

“I get the HR department, but why does the Internal Affairs department have the personnel records?”

“They say they need documents for routine audits and internal investigations. Personally, I think there’s a high chance the information leaked from either the HR or Internal Affairs departments.”

“…Then.”

“Now, Internal Affairs is also among the subjects of our investigation.”

It was a complete mess.

There’s a traitor in the research institute, and that traitor is cooperating with the spies.

I presumed the traitor most likely helped the spy infiltrate the research institute. If not, then the spy must have somehow entered without being caught by military intelligence and later recruited someone to aid them.

Personally, I believed the former to be the most likely scenario, but the latter wasn’t off the table.

Either way, the spy would find a way to infiltrate.

“….”

Clevens dispatched me to the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute under the pretext of a site inspection. And I was tasked with supporting the investigation.

Given that I was assigned to support the investigation, my role was clear.

To find any traces of the spies to the best of my ability.

So the team leader entrusted that to me, and I aimed to fulfill his request diligently.

Now, we just had to wait.

“….”

I quietly closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair.

The murky mist shimmered silvery in the dawn, with the boiler humming distantly.

– Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!

Just then, a phone call came through.

“…Hello?”

-‘It’s me, Colonel. I found the information you asked for.’

The call was from someone I had been eagerly waiting to hear from.

“Go ahead.”

Saint Veronica.

 

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