Chapter 53
Suddenly, a bunch of heavily armed soldiers barged in.
They were dressed in military uniforms.
Next to their uniforms were more military uniforms, and behind them were even more military uniforms. These were military police armed with bulletproof vests and rifles. From the equipment, it was clear they were not just any military police, but rather a special task force.
I spotted several suit-wearing men who looked both familiar and out of place among the special task force. They were investigators from the Military Intelligence Agency’s Counterintelligence Division.
It suddenly dawned on me that they were wearing bulletproof vests over their formal suits, carrying pistols, and were striding this way.
Only after seeing the pale faces of the agents who had been watching the spies from afar did I realize how badly this situation had gone south.
Something was wrong. It was very wrong.
As that thought crossed my mind, I stood up to protect Camila Lowell and moved next to her.
The military police special task force and the heavily armed investigators raised their weapons and took aim, while the investigators who realized the operation had gone awry dropped their surveillance and rushed forward, and the spy stood up in panic upon seeing the arrest team.
However.
The team leader moved a step faster.
In a situation where no one could foresee the next move,
-Bang!
The team leader pulled the trigger aimed at the spy.
—
Episode 3 – A Fantastic Vacation
—
The sharp gunshot sliced through the air.
The team leader fired as Giada Bianchi stood up from her chair, and despite her title as a magician, she was hit in the abdomen and toppled over backwards.
It was an unexpected turn of events, and the sudden gunfire startled everyone—civilians, soldiers, and agents alike.
However, the special task force reacted as though it was expected; they flinched briefly at the gunfire and then pinned Giada Bianchi’s arms behind her as she lay on the floor.
“Everyone, don’t panic and stay in your seats! We are in the middle of a major spy operation!”
“Hey, you old man! Don’t come out, just sit tight!”
“Little one! Hurry up and get the restraints!”
“Just carry on as if we’re simply catching a spy!”
Like a swarm of flies drawn to a corpse, the special task force quickly descended upon Giada Bianchi and bound her with restraints to prevent her from using any magic, sorcery, or divine abilities and gagged her to stop any potential suicide attempts. She was to be handed over to the Military Intelligence Agency as soon as they left the research institute.
Thus, the arrest operation wrapped up swiftly, and the body search of Camila Lowell concluded as well. This was to be expected, considering that the senior researcher leading the search had just been shot and caught as a spy. It had always been the plan to arrest.
Anyway, the mission had gone haywire, but the operation was a success.
The investigators followed the shutdown procedures as per Military Intelligence Agency regulations, neatly cleaning up the office that had been used as the headquarters. Additional military police, tasked with external security at the institute, were sent in to stabilize the interior.
And up until the moment Camila Lowell left the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute, she had no idea what she had gotten herself into.
To be precise, she didn’t really grasp the situation at all. It was understandable, as everyone was too busy attending to their own tasks to explain anything to her.
Finally, before leaving the institute, Camila Lowell realized she was caught up in a public security incident only after I explained to her, “Actually, Giada Bianchi was the spy, and she was recognized and captured by public security.”
I left out the important details, but in general terms, it was correct.
Of course, I too was clueless about the “important details.”
I had no idea why the operation had gone wrong, why the team leader shot her, or for what reason he had led over half the team to the surface.
So, I concocted a plausible excuse and sent Camila Lowell off to a safe place.
It wasn’t until after all the countless wrap-up tasks were finished that the whole story began to unfold.
“…So you’re telling me that the spy who got shot and captured wasn’t Giada Bianchi?”
“That’s right.”
Oh, for crying out loud.
—
To be honest, I was dumbfounded. I thought the team leader was pulling my leg.
If I had to list the three most absurd moments since landing in this world, I would certainly include the moment I became a hero’s companion, the moment I was assigned as an operative, and the very moment I was in now.
It was beyond ridiculous because the excuse for trashing the operation and suddenly firing a shot was “the spy we thought was Giada Bianchi turned out to not actually be Giada Bianchi.”
It was the epitome of nonsense.
Even though I didn’t know a thing about magic, the team leader’s statement was far beyond common sense.
“How on earth is that possible?”
“It seems that some kind of sorcery was used. They probably altered their appearance to look like Giada Bianchi using parts of their own body.”
The team leader said, his face weary yet confidently as he delivered this absurd tidbit.
Some unknown sorcerer or shaman had impersonated Giada Bianchi, essentially wearing her skin.
What the team leader just said sounded like a ridiculous excuse you’d get if you stopped some random academy student to ask about their magic again.
Yet, as is often the case with the world, there is no such thing as impossible.
“This was found in the ceiling of the residential building above.”
“….”
The team leader held up a bag containing the “evidence,” using only his thumb and forefinger.
“Fingers, toes, hair, skin tissue. Various parts were discovered.”
“….”
He lifted the bag momentarily, as if he had seen something vile, before putting it back down.
Thud. The evidence bag dropped onto another bag marked ‘Evidence No. 37.’ Apparently in shock, something liquid inside the bag sloshed around, pulsing like a thin membrane.
“And this is the information we retrieved by requesting information sharing from the relevant agencies. It’s a report on a sorcerer who was caught smuggling drugs seven years ago in the southern region. It seems they used similar sorcery to evade the border guards while trying to cross the border for a hefty sum.”
“…Ah, um. I see.”
This was like something straight out of a horror movie.
“Anyway, the situation was so urgent that we had no choice but to arrest them. Are you alright, Colonel?”
“Oh, yes, um. Yes.”
“That’s a relief.”
The team leader pushed the bag filled with evidence aside like it disgusted him. I asked him a question.
“…So, where is Giada Bianchi then? Did she actually go abroad to the Magic Tower?”
“The one who went to study at the Magic Tower is indeed Giada Bianchi. Her family saw her off at the Warp Gate, so unless someone swapped her out, it must be her.”
“Are you saying she’s missing from the Magic Tower?”
“Well, we don’t know that yet. I’m not a fortune-teller.”
Ah, right. If I found that out, I might as well quit my government job and become a shaman. I nodded along in agreement.
The team leader pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“What in the world is going on….”
He let out a thin puff of smoke mixed with a sigh.
“Anyway, the spy will be handed over to headquarters for interrogation. Given the gravity of the situation, it seems a joint investigation will take place.”
So all the major organizations—the Royal Intelligence Department, the Cabinet Security Office, the Special Investigation Bureau—would all gather together for this. What I thought was a simple spy case had blown up into a much larger situation.
I had no idea what kind of mess this was, but there was no longer anything for me to do here.
“They’re bringing in a magician shortly, so you should head up first.”
“Are you staying here, team leader?”
“Yes. I need to wrap this up, investigate Chief Fernan, and look for any other related individuals. What about you, Colonel?”
To be honest, looking at what was in that bag made me no longer want to get involved with this matter. I’d worked hard for two months. Besides, my job was basically done as long as I captured the spy.
“I should head back for now. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Take care.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
With a sense of unease lodged in my chest, I left the Advanced Military Magic Research Institute.
—
“Where did you come from again?”
“I came from the Royal Intelligence Department. Please get in.”
“Oh, for crying out loud.”
—
Episode 3 – A Fantastic Vacation -END-
