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The bright sunlight streamed through the window facing east.

Inside, there was a woman on a cozy bed, several paces away from the window, who was welcomed today, as always, by her long-time friend.

And that friend was none other than reading.

“……”

The saying to keep your friends close is famous, but in reality, there are few who treat books as if they are people. She, like others, did not breathe life into mere scraps of paper.

However, long-lasting friendships are not easily won.

Between the book and her were shared memories, hardships, reconciliations, and comfort. The depth of their bond was no different from that of comrades who faced life and death together.

– Step. Step.

Amidst this, the sound of footsteps echoed in the silence of the hallway.

Someone knocked and announced their arrival.

“Excuse me.”

The one who announced their presence was a very gentle-looking old man.

His appearance hinted he might have been quite popular with women in his youth, and his softly blooming smile was bright enough to draw an innocent smile from any child who saw it.

However.

The deep green uniform indicated he was an officer of the Law Enforcement Corps. The single golden arabesque insignia on his shoulder symbolized his rank as a Major.

No woman or child would find it easy to genuinely smile in front of him.

“……”

Although he was a Major of the Law Enforcement Corps, one of the highest power institutions in the Republic of Ashtistan, she did not even spare him a glance.

Her hand, carelessly turning the pages of the book, was indifferent, and at a glance, it seemed even familiar.

“I know it’s your time to read the scriptures, but I unfortunately have a matter to inform you about.”

It was only reasonable.

She was someone who could afford to be so.

“Priest.”

– Rustle. Rustle.

In the silence, the sound of turning pages resonated.

Heavy silence passed without a word. Suddenly, the one reading, Jianav Eskandr, began with a soft voice.

“It seems to be a serious matter.”

Her gaze, which had been aimlessly wandering for a moment, stopped.

As the Major stood there, she murmured again in her indifferent tone.

“There’s ink on your finger. Didn’t you notice?”

“…Ah. My apologies.”

The Major, belatedly checking his finger, sighed and lowered his head, seemingly regretful for having come for an audience in such a state.

His head almost touched the ground. Yet the Priest’s attention seemed entirely focused on her reading.

The Major hurriedly wiped his stained hand and began reporting a more significant issue.

“There was a terror incident just now at Timarshak Park. The military and the Law Enforcement Corps received reports from the patrol officers and have initiated initial actions, but the backdrop and the purpose of the terror are unclear, so the security of the Azadi Palace…”

“I know.”

The Priest abruptly cut off the Major’s words.

“I heard someone fired a gun in the park. I also heard that the shooter and those fleeing were missed. So, you failed to determine who instigated the terror. Whether it was mere crime or an attack on Ashtistan, that too.”

“……”

Silence settled in.

The sound of her fingers brushing over the paper continued endlessly. The Major kept silent, and the Priest still did not spare him a glance.

She merely looked at her long-time friend, her demeanor serene as she softly uttered a gentle incantation.

“Tell Commander Darius to come in.”

Her fingers began to trace the words as she turned another page.

With a gentle sweep of her hand, she smiled leisurely.

“It seems things are going to get a bit noisy.”

—

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

An unidentified woman clearly of Abas nationality.

It wasn’t too difficult to find out that she had escaped safely.

“Did you catch her? What? You let her escape! Damn….”

The atmosphere of the Ashtistan Religious Police, who initiated the initial measures, and the reinforcements of the Ashtistan military and Law Enforcement Corps that arrived late, clearly indicated that they had suffered a great setback.

After quietly surveying the chaotic scene, I instinctively sensed that the woman had not been captured and quietly slipped out of the park.

Although I didn’t confirm her identity or the purpose of her visit, once it was clear she had blown her cover and chose to flee immediately, it was reasonable to assume that she was involved in international crime or terrorism or a major incident of that kind.

-‘Yes. This is Jake, the regional officer for the Jamria Federation.’

“Hey, can you pull up just one list from the headquarters database for me? A native woman in her 50s. I’ll give you the details.”

I promptly began scouring the company’s database.

Abas national, married woman over fifty with more than two children, proficient in Kien.

If we applied just those conditions, we could expect at least hundreds of pages of results, but as soon as a few conditions were slightly added, the picture changed.

First, someone who has been involved with international crime organizations or terrorist groups, or has a history recognized during the investigation or law enforcement agency’s inquiry phase.

Second, someone who or whose spouse has a connection to the Republic of Ashtistan.

Third, someone with direct work experience in defense, security, or intelligence, or who is related in any form.

Lastly.

A person who, due to family relations, has children named ‘Henya’ and ‘Lucy.’

-‘Henya and Lucy?’

“That’s right.”

-‘Those names are quite unique.’

Indeed, among names, where would you find another name as peculiar as Pippin? Henya was also one of those rare names in Abas.

Naturally, this would make finding her easier.

“If there are no search results, start changing the spelling. Because it could be a nickname or an alternate name, but the kid is around the age to start attending the academy, so let’s leave the childhood names out for now.”

-‘Understood. But why change the spelling?’

“Because we can’t confirm the ID, you see.”

I sneered as if it were a matter of course.

Of course, not knowing the exact name because I hadn’t seen the ID was one reason, but it was not the sole reason for instructing him to change the spelling.

Why?

“Also, it’s one of the methods used to forge passports in the civilian sector. By altering the spelling to sound somewhat similar, they trick the system.”

The practice of altering names to modify identification has been popular for a long time in civilian life. Usually, it is done with Romanized versions; if someone’s original passport name was ‘MIN SU,’ altering it to ‘MIN SUE’ would be the trick.

Doing so would categorize them entirely differently in the system, making it easier to slip through border inspections that wouldn’t let someone through with their real name.

Though in the 21st-century world with electronic passports commonplace, such a method would be blocked, this area had no such technology.

In a place where they even imprinted and pressed photographs on IDs in an ‘80s style, what kind of sophisticated security policy could one expect?

Perhaps if they were a country like Abas or Kien, meticulously inscribing magic-based forgery patterns. But in countries with insufficient administrative power, passports and driver’s licenses are easy to forge, and hence, such trivial methods allowed for easy passport fabrication.

Anyway.

“Send whatever you find immediately. It doesn’t matter if it’s a lot.”

-‘How should I report it?’

“I’ll check and handle that. For now, just keep a record. Just a record.”

With that, I left the data search to Jake and promptly prepared for the next phase.

A woman with children might want to flee, but she couldn’t escape far. The Ashtistan government had numerous ways to track down a woman, whether they captured her or not. I too had countless ways to catch that woman and her two daughters.

The problem was the reason.

Why had the Priest gone to the trouble of having that woman and me meet? What reason did the woman have for coming to the Republic of Ashtistan?

And crucially.

How was the Priest aware that the woman would appear at Timarshak Park at 1 PM?

“Ugh….”

The two clues provided by the priest earlier suggest that there is a connection between the companies based in tax havens and the rebel organization we encountered on the train.

The Law Enforcement Corps.

Although we currently lack concrete evidence, given the priest’s behavior and remarks, particularly his desire to deal with Commander Darius, it is highly probable that the two clues are intricately linked to the Law Enforcement Corps.

The woman we encountered today might also be related to this.

She could be associated with the Law Enforcement Corps or perhaps directly connected to Commander Darius himself.

“…Let’s see.”

Murmuring as if to myself, I returned to the hotel.

More than anything, securing a witness is key here, so I need to find them before the Ashtistani folks do.

“By the way, where has that girl gone again? Even when I call, she doesn’t show up.”

I went in search of the elusive Camila.

Just to give the insolent one a good scolding and to get some assistance.

-Ding~

“Hey! Boss! If someone borrows money, they should pay it back on time, shouldn’t they? If you’ve gone as far as peeling the phone’s circuit board, why on earth are you chewing on it…?”

Whew— As I took a deep breath and was about to create a ruckus that echoed down the hallway, just as the elevator doors opened, I locked eyes with a guy sporting a dark beard.

“……”

“……”

“……”

What the hell.

*

A special residence arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kien Empire for the Duke. The imperial hotel located in Shizuya has a total of three floors completely vacated, including the rooms occupied by the Duke.

Putting aside the fact that Alexandra Petrovna is an archmage, she is also of royal blood. Not just a distant branch of the Smirnov royal family but directly related—she’s even the aunt of Emperor Nikolai VI, making it only natural for security and protocol to be strictly enforced.

Moreover, there was also a wiretapping incident involving the Ashtistani Security Committee yesterday.

The floor where the Duke was staying is a private area where neither hotel staff nor personnel from the Kien Empire’s embassy could carelessly enter.

The middle-aged man from Ashtistan was exactly the person I encountered there.

“I apologize for dropping by unannounced. I hope I didn’t startle you too much.”

The man who descended to the lobby offered a brief smile along with a name tag.

“I’m from the Public Security Bureau. To put it in terms of Abas’s bureaucratic system, I’m like the police here.”

I nodded gently.

“I see. What brings you here?”

“I’ve come to investigate the commotion that occurred here last night.”

The local middle-aged Ashtistani man spoke wearily.

“I’ve heard our security personnel acted rudely. Please allow me to sincerely express my apologies on their behalf.”

“……”

“Still, it is work, after all… While I wouldn’t want to keep you unnecessarily long, I’d appreciate it if you could spare a moment to provide a testimony.”

The man requested politely yet firmly, his calm voice and friendly smile contrasting with a certain unsettling aura that suggested he was not as harmless as he appeared.

However, the “police” who introduced himself was dressed in a suit, not a uniform, and instead of an ID, he had a business card in his wallet.

Additionally, he was fluent in Abas, the first foreign language of Ashtistan, rather than the Kien language.

I couldn’t simply accept this man’s goodwill without question.

“Well, if you need it, of course, I should help.”

“Ah, you’re being modest, aren’t you?”

The middle-aged “officer” responded with a subdued smile.

In the secluded lobby, a shadow loomed over the teacup. I took a sip of coffee.

As the man set his cup down, he continued to chatter.

“By the way, were you out on an errand? I knocked, but there was no response.”

“I just went for a quick walk.”

“I couldn’t see you or the Duke. Although we need to hear from both of you… Did you go for a stroll?”

At this point, I realized he had been inquiring about the Duke and Camila’s whereabouts.

He must have come during their absence because treating foreign royalty and their disciples indiscriminately is undoubtedly a no-no. Or did he truly come to gather testimonies?

I scratched my chin, feigning ignorance as I shrugged.

“I haven’t heard anything about Camila or Alexandra Petrovna’s schedule, but I suppose that’s the case.”

Of course, that was a lie.

While I didn’t know Camila’s exact location, I was aware that the Duke was at the Kien Embassy. The reason for Camila’s absence was that she stepped out right after receiving my call, so I wasn’t completely in the dark about their plans and whereabouts.

I pondered while sipping my coffee.

“……”

I had anticipated that the Information Agency of Ashtistan would eventually resume its operations soon.

However, the timing was surprisingly quick.

Honestly, I thought they would lie low for a few days. It was shocking how quickly they were moving.

Perhaps the man in front of me was just a police officer and not associated with the information agency, but even considering that, there were too many suspicious aspects.

What kind of investigation agency or law enforcement organization personally comes to seek testimonies? Such inquiries would typically occur at the investigative or preliminary stages. If this incident resulted in a purge of involved individuals by the priest’s authority, they should have skipped the preliminary inquiry and proceeded directly to an investigation.

Most importantly, the so-called police who supposedly came to conduct a formal inquiry were wandering around a restricted area of the hotel without even seeking permission from the Kien Empire’s embassy.

Their behavior suggested they thought of goodwill as a right, which was blatantly suspicious.

“Hmm… I see.”

The middle-aged man nodded thoughtfully, displaying a somewhat unreadable expression.

Then, he naturally brought his clasped hands to his mouth.

“I’ve heard that the Security Committee tapped the rooms. It’s something that happens occasionally. Since you’re from a hostile nation, the Security Committee must have deemed it necessary to keep a watch.”

He spread his hands, looking at me curiously.

“What do you think?”

“To be honest, I don’t feel particularly great about it, but well… it’s not entirely incomprehensible.”

“What if your every move was being monitored?”

Was it really a one-two day affair?

I decided to joke.

“As long as they didn’t peek into the bathroom, I’d say it’s alright?”

I was jokingly implying they wouldn’t spy on a man washing up and using the toilet. Though, considering that listening devices were found around my bathroom sink, perhaps it wasn’t just a joke.

The middle-aged man found it hilarious that the infamous Ashtistani Security officers would watch a foreigner’s bathroom comings and goings, chuckling lightly in agreement.

“It would indeed be terribly embarrassing if that were true.”

The “officer” leaned back comfortably in his chair.

With his neatly interlaced hands resting on the armrest, he lightly tapped his clasped fingers against the wood.

“The Duke was the first to discover the listening device, wasn’t he?”

“Indeed. I recall it was the one hidden in Camila’s clothing.”

“Oh, so that means you too were being monitored?”

The middle-aged local man nodded vigorously.

“However, I’m a bit curious. If you don’t mind my asking, may I inquire something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why do you think the Security Committee began to surveil you and the hero?”

 

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