---

On a night drenched in starlight, a solemn atmosphere enveloped Shizuya.

The air in Azadi Palace was heavier than ever.

Despite the late hour, bureaucrats from the Republic of Ashtistan had entered the palace. Diplomats from the Kien Empire, who had just come from the embassy, watched them with impassive gazes.

The friendly greetings that used to be exchanged during occasional palace visits were nowhere to be found, and all the security committee members who used to share pleasantries with the imperial diplomats had mysteriously disappeared.

Years of palace living had sharpened the instincts of the court attendants, warning them that “now is the time to hold one’s breath.” It was a primal alarm, and the attendants were now moving with utmost caution.

An uncomfortable current carried by the westerly wind echoed through the palace corridors.

The one responsible for all this commotion, Duke Alexandra Petrovna, calmly shared refreshments.

“It’s quite chilly out.”

Jainav Eskander, sitting across from her, lightly tugged at his chin. With his head bowed, he supported his chin with one hand, softly narrowing his sleepy eyes.

“That’s because it’s night.”

“It’s certainly a noisy night.”

“The calm only returns to Shizuya at dawn.”

Alexandra Petrovna savored the fragrance of the tea, which was splendid as always. The taste was indeed exquisite as well.

As the Archmage slowly sipped, she set her teacup down with a clatter. Then, as if realizing something, she added,

“Then the dawn should come soon. This uproar must settle quickly.”

The Priest wore a sheepish smile.

“My apologies, Sasha. It has been a while since you visited, and I suppose the preparations were lacking.”

“No problem. I wouldn’t nitpick between us. I just hope similar issues don’t arise in the future.”

“Of course. That will be the case.”

Although no clear solution was presented, that was enough. As the sun rises, everything would regain its rightful place.

The punishment for the instigator, as well as efforts to prevent recurrence, depended solely on Jainav, who led the Republic of Ashtistan. The issue was virtually resolved.

“Truly, what terrible luck. What reason do we have for reddening each other’s faces? To cause such a ruckus knowing our relationship… tsk…”

“Sasha. Are you angry?”

“Angry, you say?”

“Then are you feeling let down?”

“I’m just frustrated. Frustrated.”

The Duke shook her head with a sigh, a wry smile on her face. Who would have thought the security committee would create such a scandal.

“Abas and Ashtistan…”

Gently stroking her teacup, the Duke began muttering to herself. In truth, she had caught onto the situation to some extent. She understood why the security committee had been eavesdropping on Camila.

It wasn’t a concern for Camila herself, but rather an observation of the individual accompanying her. With the Kingdom of Abas and the Republic of Ashtistan being enemies, it was only natural to keep an eye on someone with such background.

However, this incident was far from normal.

No matter the adversarial relationship, to surveil a guest she had personally brought in! Could this not be interpreted as implying that the government of the Republic of Ashtistan did not trust her?

The Duke cautiously crossed her arms, tracing the rim of her teacup.

“What does the Abas Ministry of Foreign Affairs say?”

“Nothing.”

The Priest from the Republic of Ashtistan responded. While supporting his chin, he gazed out the darkened window. Jainav Eskander replied nonchalantly.

The Duke of the Kien Empire nodded as if relieved.

“I hope there won’t be any problems. If you need help, anything that I can assist with, just let me know.”

“Thank you. But I’ll only take your goodwill.”

The hand that had been holding his chin was removed. Jainav Eskander stared at Alexandra Petrovna’s face.

With a generous and satisfying smile, he expressed gratitude to his old friend.

“Just your presence here is enough.”

—

**Episode 20 – Who Threatened with a Knife?**

The tempestuous dawn passed, and the following morning was eerily quiet.

The hotel, once buzzing like a chaotic marketplace, regained its peace, and my mind began to settle as well.

As I groggily opened my eyes, I lazily got out of bed, drafted counter-surveillance measures, and connected to the company network on my PDA, where an intriguing piece of news awaited.

“I have good news.”

“What is it?”

“They got fired. That supervisor or whatever named Jandhar.”

Camila, who was munching on breakfast at the buffet, blinked in surprise. As the egg on her fork slid down, I looked around and quietly added my explanation.

“This morning, I caught a memo.”

“COMINT (Communications Intelligence), huh?”

“Yeah. The sender was Azadi Palace, and the recipient was the headquarters of the security committee on Labdari Street. The message was straightforward.”

1. Immediately suspend the supervising commissioner and associated inspectors from duty.

This could be a temporary measure, but the context was what mattered.

And the next phrase attached to the memo provided a very good clue to gauge that context.

2. Remain at home until further notice.

An indefinite stay at home. The order was for them to wait at home.

At first glance, it seemed like a considerate gesture urging them to relax, but in reality, it was practically a serious admonition. The instruction to remain at home was akin to a command not to leave the house.

Did they suddenly just throw all the inspectors out of work and lock them at home?

It was clearly a bad sign, at least from their perspective.

“Putting someone on standby without assigning any duties is essentially a purge. It’s a method usually used to send someone off to a worthless position or strip them of their status altogether.”

I was betting that these folks were going to be completely dismissed soon.

“Well… that might actually be the case. No, even I think it’s clear they’ve been sidelined.”

Camila agreed on this point as well.

She popped a snack and pinpointed the most crucial context straight away.

“You mentioned an order from the Azadi Palace, right? That means the Priest himself issued the directive. By the authority of the head of state.”

“That’s right.”

“And the authority to manage personnel in most information agencies rests with the head of state or government leader.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

In other words, this was like the President of the United States dismissing the CIA IG (Inspector General).

By the way, since only the President can appoint the CIA IG, being removed essentially means that they’ve fallen out of favor with the President.

It’s the same case here.

So, news of the entire inspection department of the Ashtistan Security Commission being overhauled was clearly good news.

“Wow… it’s delicious.”

I raised my coffee from the breakfast buffet in a toast. It was so good that it made me involuntarily gasp, and my mood made it taste even better.

“Are you enjoying it a bit too much? It’s quite obvious.”

“So what? What are those guys going to do about it now?”

With blatant tea-bagging in play, Camila shook her head disapprovingly. But a fact is a fact, so she didn’t say anything further.

Having shared this happy news, we felt we could start our day on a good note.

Even though my plan had collapsed, I had unexpected gains in a different area. This was a result that the Military Intelligence Agency would likely be satisfied with.

As Camila paused to spread jam on a piece of bread, setting down her butter knife, she took a bite of a well-baked Ashtistani bread and shot me a question.

“Do you have a next plan? With vacancies in personnel, there might be an opportunity for us to squeeze in.”

“You’ve become a spy now, haven’t you? Talking about work while eating.”

“Ha ha.”

“What are you laughing at…?”

Seeing her smile so widely, I felt a bit like I was witnessing something grotesque. Could she have taken it as a compliment? No way, who would be happy about becoming a spy? (Fact: She’s a spy too.)

As Camila couldn’t wipe the smile off her face while grabbing a tissue to wipe her mouth, I mumbled while finishing my breakfast.

“I do have a plan, but we need to prepare a bit more before getting approval from headquarters.”

“So does that mean we’ll just wait around for now?”

“Probably?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“For now, there are no instructions coming down. I guess we’ll just have to stick around for a while.”

“Oh.”

Camila, wiping her mouth, wore a cheeky smile.

“Are you planning to be a slacker?”

“Shut up, Camila.”

“I can’t just stand by while taxes are dripping away as a taxpayer…”

“No. You’re British in the first place, aren’t you?”

“What’s all this noise about so early in the morning?”

Just as we were bickering, the Duke suddenly entered the buffet, emanating a remarkably serious vibe.

What’s going on? Is he here to end the war? His two arms seem just fine.

“Professor!”

“Yes?”

“Where have you been? You weren’t in your room.”

Duke Alexandra Petrovna smiled gently as she ruffled Camila’s hair. “I just went out for a drink.”

Although Camila had insisted he eat breakfast, the Duke waved her off, saying he had already eaten.

She took the seat beside Camila and then placed an envelope on the table with a thud.

I briefly glanced at the envelope and exchanged looks with Camila. Could it be for me?

“What’s this?”

“I was told to deliver it to you. I don’t know the contents myself.”

Before I opened the envelope, I scanned the outside for any identifying marks.

There weren’t any that could pinpoint the sender, but the quality of the envelope was very high. Most notably, the magic.

Even someone like me, not particularly close to magic, could clearly feel the strong magic imbued in the envelope. And that quickly pointed to the sender’s identity.

The only person who could contain such vast magic in a physical object and simultaneously ask an Archmage for the delivery of a letter would be…

The Priest of Al-Yabd.

Zeynab Eskander.

“…….”

Without resisting, I set the opened envelope aside and began reading its contents slowly.

And then…

“…Excuse me, I need to make a quick call.”

I pulled out my security mobile phone, which had been resting in my pocket, and stood up from the table.

 

---