---

When the sky finally dropped its clouds, it was already deep into the night.

Perhaps those heavy gray clouds had been quite burdensome. The sick city was dripping with cold sweat.

The outside world was still dark and gloomy.

However, when the bowed streetlights illuminated the twilight world, the timidly sparkling dewdrops also responded in kind.

Camila temporarily distanced herself from the brightened city center.

“Are you okay?”

As she backed away from the window, she began to mumble to herself, and a response came from within the booth.

“…No, not at all. I feel like a beggar.”

“Is it serious?”

“Not even a little bit right! Seriously, I can’t believe I wasted my expensive outfit and got tossed a cheap one in return.”

“Did it bleed? You mentioned it hurt earlier.”

“It’s all red now. I feel like I’m going to die from the pain just sitting still, no, I just want to die like this. What am I—I’m not a kid stealing Dad’s clothes….”

An awkward smile to herself formed.

Honestly, she thought it was a bit much too. Who would have thought that a disguise would suddenly start falling apart like this?

It seemed her complaints weren’t exaggerated. Having brought spare clothes, Camila once again donned an awkward smile at the scene that peeked through the gap.

Loose pant legs. Sleeves that didn’t even fit, let alone fasten.

The bottoms that should’ve fit were barely clinging to her hips due to her shrunk physique, and the shirt that fell loosely down her narrowed shoulders was droopy and sagging like a curtain due to the unbuttoned buttons.

She tried to cover the embarrassing view, but the lighting she didn’t manage to avoid cast a bulky shadow on the back of her shirt.

Even her short black hair, which had seemed minor, now hung down to her waist as if it had somehow regained its original form.

Each and every detail made her look even more pitiable in her oversized clothes.

“…Did you arrive safely?”

Ayla.

Because the person living nearby only tossed her outfits that fit terribly, she had to wander around with them for a while.

Finally clutching the nostalgic clothes she might only dream about, she asked the girl.

“Our second brother, the one who made us memorize a weird script about ‘the Louvre or something about not using condoms,’ all because of some useless potion that ruined my head…. If we fail now after all this help from my little sister…”

“Honestly, don’t you think I should slap him at least once?”

“………..”

“I still think he’s innocent, though….”

At her surly remark, Camila briefly laughed without saying anything.

Then, with a playful smile, she shrugged her shoulders.

“Unfortunately, it seems he succeeded.”

—

Episode 20 – Who’s Threatening With a Sword?

If one looked closely, the whole world seemed to be shrouded in fog.

The shadows of leaves that had yet to fall deepened precariously with the whispering wind echoing softly.

Two men sitting diagonally faced each other exchanged glances.

The commotion that brushed past the window felt lonely, and the man who had remained silent for a while suddenly cleared his throat.

“Let’s greet each other the Livingston way.”

The information officer spoke with a soft smile.

“Aren’t you Colonel Zigmund?”

“You’re Colonel Frederick, then.”

The information officer muttered in reply.

His voice appeared to convey a mix of exhaustion and bitterness.

It evoked a rather peculiar feeling.

“Do you know me?”

At the returned question, the information officer tilted his head. It was as if he was subtly asking how far he knew.

“Well, sort of.”

“I also know you, sort of.”

This time, it was the information officer who responded.

“Where did you hear that?”

Bending his legs and seating himself tilted, Zigmund returned the question.

He didn’t really expect a response, but still, a hint of curiosity stoked within him.

“………..”

Seeing Zigmund calmly waiting for an answer, the information officer didn’t take long to ponder.

At the moment he could breathe out, a light response slipped from Frederick’s lips.

“From the big house.”

With that short and concise answer, Zigmund felt one of his tangled curiosities get resolved.

“So you were in military service after all.”

A smile crept onto his lips.

It seemed to carry a hint of self-mockery.

“Well, there’s no one but them calling the Royal Intelligence Department that way.”

“Aren’t you saying ‘big house’ isn’t wrong? While our headquarters was built fifty years ago, the big house moved to a new place. It’s certainly impressive.”

“It’s far more massive than the cramped, shabby old office. After all, there wouldn’t be a reason to leave our new place for a smaller one…”

“After all, the bigger, the better, right?”

He hid his intentions no more.

Frederick openly revealed that he was a military intelligence officer. While he only mentioned the phrase “big house,” Zigmund wasn’t dull enough not to catch that it referred to the Royal Intelligence Department.

After all, the Royal Intelligence Department had been his workplace at one time.

Although that wasn’t the case anymore.

“…So the Royal Intelligence Department has informed you about me, then? What did they say?”

“That you delivered a heavy blow to the company.”

Frederick replied without reservation.

“The Grand Director of the Royal Intelligence Department. Previously a member of the National Operations Department, I was in charge of foreign affairs. I traveled across many places for the great empire’s affairs, the place I spent the longest was in the Republic of Ashtistan.”

“………..”

“Building my experience here, I got promoted through five nations, eventually holding the position of Director of the Grand Information Bureau…”

But what do you know.

Now that was all meaningless talk.

Frederick didn’t bother to enumerate the connections because of their familial relations or Zigmund’s merits during his time at the Royal Intelligence Department.

Because, by now, none of that was important.

“You searched for me, then?”

Frederick commented.

“Yes, indeed.”

“The attention of an older gentleman like you weighs a little heavy. I could understand if I were a woman.”

“Do you like women? I heard you’re not the type to get close to them.”

“Not the sort to hit on every woman, that’s for sure.”

“You’re more shy than you let on, aren’t you?”

As if suggesting that he thought freely about it, he raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“I’m not a prostitute.”

His right hand, grasping a pistol, rested neatly on his knee.

It was a pistol without even a suppressor attached.

Zigmund could easily predict what would occur if the trigger was pulled in the middle of Shizuya.

And he also sensed that the other person had no immediate intention of pulling that trigger.

“If you knew I was looking for you, why didn’t you come?”

“………..”

“You didn’t acknowledge me, so I felt a bit hurt.”

With a feigned relaxed smile, Zigmund threw a quip. Didn’t you even acknowledge me at the Mandara spa?

In response, Frederick opened his mouth with a hearty laugh.

“I’m seeing you for the first time today.”

“Ah… so the Frederick Nostrim at the spa was different. Was that guy sent there by the military too?”

“No. That guy’s from the big house.”

“Totally got fooled. From his build to his stature, they were perfectly similar, so I thought you were the one coming to make contact.”

“That was a truly magical experience.”

“Indeed. It was like something out of a fairy tale.”

Looks like I got played.

Having resolved the second curiosity, Zigmund readily accepted his defeat. With a pale smile on his face, he murmured something that hinted at a bit of resignation.

“You know that the personnel development center at the Magic Tower is a ridiculous mistake that made the Nastasia Treaty seem like just a piece of paper.”

“Of course. I know that.”

“After that incident, rumors spread that higher-ups planned to deploy wizards to overseas operations. Around this time last year.”

“………..”

“They even really did extend the recruitment limits for wizards, which were previously confined to security, investigation, and counter-intelligence to reach abroad… it made me wonder in my younger days if there would be a time when I would confront wizards overseas… amusing.”

Zigmund had heard the rumors that many wizards had joined and had even confirmed that those newly trained employees included wizards.

However, he certainly didn’t expect them to be dispatched into the field so rapidly.

Zigmund shifted his body in his tilted seat. The chair was slightly oversized for his stature, so there was considerable discomfort with the extra space.

Memories of high-level bureaucrats he met back in the day came rushing back. They used to enjoy chairs like this. They’d rest their robust bottoms deeply into the seats, placing biscuits and teacups on the armrests, lecturing for minutes on end.

Indeed, I despise this kind of chair.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Zigmund began to glance over at Frederick.

“Are my family safe?”

Frederick nodded affirmatively.

“Your children are quite sensible for their age. Their names are Henya and Lucy… right?”

“That’s correct.”

“You must be proud as a parent, knowing your children grew well.”

“They’re kids I raised without any shame.”

“………..”

“How about Helen? With her personality, she must have been quite surprised, right?”

Upon asking about his wife, Frederick offered a brief and concise reply.

“She was surprised, but that was about it.”

Zigmund silently observed the other.

As if sensing the implications in his gaze, Frederick reassured Zigmund, who sat cross-legged.

“Are you worried about your family?”

“Who wouldn’t worry?”

“So that’s why you didn’t inform them. About why you came to Ashtistan, Zigmund. Your family doesn’t know anything at all.”

“…Well, something like that.”

It had already been fully confirmed through the Royal Intelligence Department that his family knew nothing.

Why they had to leave their home country and come here, or why Zigmund had suddenly fled with them, his family had no idea.

They didn’t even know that Zigmund used to be the Director of the Royal Intelligence Department.

Naturally, they were oblivious to the fact that he had fled to the Republic of Ashtistan after his identity as a double agent was exposed.

“The kids thought it was a family trip, and the wife believed her husband was entangled in major crimes. You were the one who led her to believe that, right?”

“………..”

“The Magic Department made a big mistake. You came to Ashtistan to avoid legal punishment.”

“…So my wife testified.”

“She believed you were an employee of the Magic Department. She was thoroughly convinced.”

“That was probably the worst-case scenario she could conjure up.”

“I think the same.”

This was the information gathered by the interrogation technicians dispatched alongside Matt.

Before investigators from law enforcement held a conversation with his family for merely a few hours, they gathered all of that info.

Moreover, since this information had been verified again domestically by a combined investigation team formed around the Ministry of the Interior and the Special Investigation Bureau, Frederick decided not to doubt its authenticity.

After all, there was a vital player present in front of him.

And that player was now seated right before his eyes.

“Thinking back, it’s just surprising… how he managed to keep up the double life for sixteen years.”

“………..”

“It’s common for double agents to reveal their true identities to someone they can trust. Like a family member or a lover, for example.”

It was indeed true.

The phenomenon of revealing one’s secret to someone capable of keeping it had been seen even among double agents.

A Soviet KGB agent who cooperated with the French intelligence had once blown his cover to a mistress, and Robert Hansen, noted as one of the worst intelligence failures in FBI history, also struggled between whether or not to reveal his secret to one of his subordinates.

But Zigmund hadn’t done that.

He had deceived the Royal Intelligence Department for a whopping sixteen years and concealed his identity from his beloved wife, even managing to fabricate lies after his true identity was finally exposed.

Frederick asked him why.

Why did he do it?

In reply, Zigmund offered an honest explanation.

“I didn’t want to involve them in this mess. At least my family.”

“………..”

“For information officers, information is akin to life. It can sometimes lead to someone’s career or even be the value of a life. For some, it becomes a burden heavier than steel.”

“You have quite the deep love, huh?”

Well, I guess I would have done the same.

Frederick, smiling slightly, began to chuckle softly.

“Who would dare even imagine it? Shizuya’s Zigmund, that legendary figure, was actually a traitor all along.”

Feigning curiosity, he couldn’t help but offer a smile towards Zigmund.

“I read your record. It was quite impressive. The instructor who trained the intelligence and secret police of the Republic of Ashtistan, an expert who has sabotaged the Imperial Guard’s operations in Shizuya for years, and the very person who returned here after everyone fled due to the revolution and rebuilt the collapsed information network.”

“………..”

“When you were first assigned to the Republic of Ashtistan, you were probably around my age, right? If you had that level of skill in your thirties, it makes sense you climbed up to the Grand Director, surpassing your seniors. Director Leoni had reason to hold you in high regard.”

“………..”

“But how did you end up as a double agent? Honestly, I can’t understand. I even question whether your wife could grasp it.”

Zigmund did not provide any answer at all.

A silence enveloped the atmosphere.

Frederick patiently waited for his mouth to open, as if he couldn’t wait to hear it from him.

“…Just one thing to correct.”

Zigmund, with an authoritative tone as if rectifying a major error, emphasized his words.

“It’s the ‘Kingdom’ of Ashtistan. Not the ‘Republic’ of Ashtistan.”

Frederick shrugged, as though asking if a difference really existed between the two.

Zigmund answered firmly.

“Very much so.”

“………..”

“I’ve been here long before this country changed, so I take pride in knowing better than anyone.”

His tone brimmed with certainty.

Frederick nodded without any hesitation, as if understanding Zigmund’s pride, quietly agreeing for a while.

While gazing at Frederick, who was nodding, Zigmund asked, “Is it alright if I smoke?”

Frederick replied again without a moment’s hesitation.

“Go right ahead.”

“Thank you.”

Just as he was about to pull out a cigarette from his pocket, a pack lay on the table.

The blue background and winged helmet, as if drenched in water. The wings spread wide as if they were about to take off at any moment.

Gauloises Caporal.

The brand he had stuck with since his youth.

Zigmund caressed the cigarette for a moment, grateful, then Frederick also took out a Gauloises Caporal of his own.

*Hiss…!*

The sound of the lighter was briefly heard.

The two information officers enjoyed their cigarettes in silence.

They carefully observed each other through the hazy smoke.

As Frederick gazed intently at the other, he tousled his hair. At the same time, Zigmund sighed deeply, tapping off the ashes.

“Let’s wrap up the small talk here.”

Frederick smiled brightly and suggested.

“Shall we start getting into it?”

“…Sure thing.”

—

The two information officers gathered in the room chatted for what was quite a long time.

It was not as heavy as they had initially imagined.

They found no reason for elevated voices or tension that might typically arise in such situations.

Rather, their conversation unfolded in a quiet and gentle atmosphere, which Zigmund found occurred more pleasantly than expected.

“Zigmund. Do you like chess, by any chance?”

“I know how to play a bit.”

“Then you’d understand. Conversation is somewhat like silent chess.”

Before diving into the serious topics, Zigmund and Frederick agreed on certain points.

“Let’s establish one thing clearly. There’s no need for petty tricks or shallow deceptions between us. Just as you know and I know, we both understand that, as professionals, we won’t be fooled by such antics.”

Frederick suggested they refrain from using trickery.

That referred to the techniques typically used by intelligence officers.

“The psychological warfare of exploiting weaknesses, the rhetoric to conceal crucial information, acting in a way to gain the other’s goodwill and feign favor. You understand that kind of thing won’t work here, right?”

“I agree.”

“So let’s not bother. It’s just a drain of energy.”

A conversation very much resembled chess in that a person could deduce the opponent’s moves and consider the cards they each held.

Zigmund had no doubt Frederick would not fall for such shallow tricks, while Frederick understood Zigmund was certainly no pushover.

Naturally, the decision was not made solely on consideration of their skills.

Zigmund knew that what he said in that room would likely be recorded and transcribed.

Frederick’s colleagues waiting in the next room could be running the recorders, and perhaps a magical crystal hidden behind the cabinet was capturing every move.

Similarly, Frederick was well aware that Zigmund could detect even the slightest falsehood in the information he possessed.

Thus, they both agreed to have an honest conversation.

It was a mutually satisfying arrangement.

“By the way, this is surprising.”

Zigmund smiled pleasantly.

“That someone who brought Gauloises Caporal would say such a thing. Did you know this was my favorite or what?”

“There’s no need to get it twisted. I brought these out just because I wanted to smoke.”

“I recognized you were nothing if not insistent on one type of tobacco.”

“I’m not picky, but I do enjoy it. One of my friends, who’s nuts for Gauloises, introduced them to me. Apparently, it’s from a spy novel he loves? Naturally, in his country, it’s a national brand as well.”

“Looks like you’ve got a friend in the Franjia intelligence service. Those intelligence officers there are astonishing. Especially with their tastes in women.”

Frederick looked puzzled as if wondering whether that was a compliment or a critique.

“Well… it isn’t Franjia, but I do work for some ‘P’ country’s bureaucracy.”

“But what on earth makes you bring a whole pack?”

“You’d know I’m a chain smoker, right? You’re one hell of a smokescreen too, I hear?”

“Well, not anymore.”

“Two chain smokers, and one pack isn’t enough to last. So better take it easy. I don’t feel like going out to buy more.”

The two information officers sat slightly skewed across from each other and engaged in conversation for a long time.

They hadn’t exactly met for spirited reasons nor did they know each other well initially, but over time, their ashtray began to accumulate Gauloises Caporal.

The only reason the two had been able to converse for so long was simply due to the exchange of information.

“You know that reuniting with your family comes at a price, Zigmund.”

“A hefty one, of course. You can’t just placate the higher-ups with pocket change.”

Frederick stated that if he wanted to meet his family again, he needed to pay the price.

To be more direct, he was asking for secrets that could soothe the government’s anger toward a traitor.

Zigmund willingly agreed to the proposal.

“Let’s start off by discussing who initiated the first point. Did the Imperial Guard persuade you? Or did you choose to switch sides voluntarily?”

“I was the one who proposed it.”

“Very well. Let’s delve into the details.”

—

Zigmund’s sixteen years as a double agent provided countless pieces of information to the Imperial Guard.

But those sixteen years were more of a transaction rather than simple subservience between Zigmund and the Imperial Guard.

He had survived much longer than other double agents, maintaining contact with countless high-ranking officials of the Imperial Guard.

Having seen and heard much, and knowing an abundance, the Abas Information Agency needed the information he possessed.

“The first time I met them was at Timarshak Park in Shizuya, around March 1978. The weather was chilly and cloudy, and since it rained for three days, I remember it being rather cold for spring.”

“Who did you meet?”

“Joseph. An officer from the 1st National Anti-information Division. Being from Serbo, I should’ve called him ‘Yosif,’ but for our first meeting, I introduced myself as Joseph for ease of communication since I was an Abas national.”

“Did you have any companions?”

“One named Ludwig came to meet me. She was a woman working for the 2nd Overseas Operations 8th Division.”

The 2nd Division’s 8th Division was responsible for overseas operations in the Mauritania continent, including the Kingdom of Ashtistan, and at the time, the Imperial Guard was in the process of relocating its base to Shizuya to minimize diplomatic friction.

Due to the fact that it had been less than a year since the regime changed, and that the revolutionary government had established a firmly pro-empire diplomatic stance unlike the previous dynasty, which had swayed back and forth between Abas and Kien, they sought to establish their foothold.

“From what I recall, Ludwig was the one in charge of the operational base that the Imperial Guard had moved to here. Back then, Shizuya was essentially a wasteland.”

While the fervent support from the revolutionary leadership was welcomed, the intelligence agencies here could offer no assistance to the Empire, and the Imperial Guard had no foundation set up in Shizuya at all.

“The task assigned to her by the Imperial Guard was precisely to cultivate that wasteland.”

“What was Joseph’s role, who went by the name Yosif?”

“He was one of the investigators who visited to assess the security conditions at the newly relocated base. At that time, I was aware that the 2nd Division was establishing itself in Shizuya, but I hadn’t secured Ludwig’s information yet, so Joseph was my only route to approach the Imperial Guard. He was also the one who had passed me information before I defected.”

“Who was their superior?”

“Lyshichin Popovich. He was the one commanding Ludwig. He reviewed and approved the operations the Shizuya base reported to the Petrogard headquarters, but I heard he died of cancer in 1982. I don’t know about Joseph’s superiors.”

“Was he the one in charge of you?”

Zigmund simply nodded nonchalantly.

“Was he the superior, you ask? I saw it firsthand. He was my supervisor. However, I never met Lyshichin face-to-face. I only spoke with him on the phone.”

“What was discussed on the phone?”

“An apology. After Ludwig reported that she made contact with me, Lyshichin reached out wanting to meet but was unable to do so due to a sudden worsening of his chronic illness. Instead, he apologized over the phone and said he would keep in touch through Ludwig for the time being. That was all.”

“Alright. Very well.”

Frederick nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Let’s focus on the three main players for now: Joseph, Ludwig, and Lyshichin.”

For some reason, every syllable and word seemed to resonate deeply within Zigmund’s ears.

As leisurely as he had opened his mouth, Frederick moved his fountain pen slowly.

A wisp of smoke from the cigarette that had been momentarily put down wafted upwards, while the black ink of the pen ambled across the paper.

Though it was difficult to see the angle, Zigmund could tell he was jotting down short sentences and some keywords.

“What did Lyshichin demand of you?”

“It varied by the period.”

Frederick ordered Zigmund to detail what activities he had undertaken for the Imperial Guard. Zigmund ran his hand over his jaw as if lost in thought.

“Perhaps because I provided useful information right from the start, Lyshichin didn’t pay much heed to minor details. Liken the Royal Intelligence Department’s codes, contact methods, and organizational structure. Someone else who defected before I did would have supplied all that.”

“What then?”

“Most times when he sought information from me were in moments of重大 사건이 발생했을 때. There are two incidents that come to mind right now.”

The two major incidents Zigmund mentioned were indeed ‘big incidents.’

The time when a Kien Navy cruiser sank without any warning somewhere near the eastern Mauritania coast.

And when an imperial diplomat allegedly just assigned to a certain country was kidnapped without a trace.

“I still recall, when I said Abas’s intelligence had no knowledge, he requested that we inquire through our side’s intelligence channels.”

Zigmund nodded calmly as he spoke.

As Frederick pondered deeply for a moment, he mumbled to himself, “The cruiser, right… That would refer to the Nienshants class, which entered an area breeding marine monsters during the spawning period, only to be swept away. The investigation from 1979 revealed it was a tragedy caused by a malfunction in their underwater magic detection system.”

“At first, he was curious about that. Nobody in the Royal Navy would be crazy enough to touch a combat ship, and the Abas intelligence was surely investigating the cause of the cruiser’s sinking. He asked me to share whatever I found out.”

“Did he approach you directly regarding the diplomat incident?”

“I reported to the higher-ups that I was looking into it, but secretly ran about searching. Ultimately, I located him and sent him back to the Empire instead.”

Having thought for a moment, Zigmund then added that he couldn’t currently recall any more information.

With a bit of time, something might resurface in his mind, but it was such old memories, they felt a bit vague.

Thus, Frederick suggested, “Let’s save the detailed follow-up for later.” He then changed the subject.

“Under normal circumstances, the job of flipping a double agent would fall to the 1st National Anti-information Division.”

Just after the fountain pen penned a slightly lengthier sentence, Frederick paused in his writing and continued.

“Yet, the overseas operations of the 2nd Division under Ludwig took charge of you. Why would that be?”

“Joseph refused to take me on again. Instead, he recommended Ludwig as the proper candidate. She was more knowledgeable about foreign affairs and would find it easier to win Ashtistan’s cooperation. Joseph was a modest man.”

“The 1st Division head must have found that hard to accept, right?”

“Opinions were indeed divided. At that time, I was responsible for the Royal Intelligence activities in Shizuya, and the officials from the 2nd Division, realizing an unexpected double agent appeared on what they had newly developed, were quite dazzled; whereas the 1st Division executives didn’t like seeing the 2nd Division diving into something they felt was theirs.”

Zigmund further elaborated on the conflicts between the 1st and 2nd Division heads.

“The 1st Division attempted to reassign a new officer based on their authority. After all, managing a double agent was their responsibility. However, the 2nd Division officials fervently persuaded the Imperial Guard Chief, and to prevent internal disputes, the agency solidified my management under Ludwig.”

The source of this info was Ludwig herself.

By the way, she had learned it from her superior, Lyshichin.

Zigmund, while explaining that the relationship between Ludwig and Lyshichin was more complicated than simply a superior-subordinate dynamic, added:

“She had been responsible for me for one year and nine months. Around December 1980, she approached me to let me know a change in management would occur soon and retired in early ’81.”

“Are you saying the person charged with overseeing the double agent and the one responsible for Shizuya’s intelligence suddenly quit?”

“Lyshichin was diagnosed with cancer. Soft tissue tumors.”

“With the medical technology of that time, it seems like surgery would have been viable. Also, magical treatments or divine healing would be possibilities as well.”

“He probably did not wish it. He already had a partial resection performed, and the tumor had relapsed. The doctors had advised a more radical resection but said he would only gain a few more years to live. The bishop of the Petrogard diocese could only pray for him. Ludwig went back to spend time with Lyshichin.”

Frederick inquired if Zigmund had seen her again after she returned to the Empire.

Zigmund replied that he had not.

Given that she was already a retired intelligence officer, even if he were to attempt meeting her, Ludwig would most likely have declined.

“I still vividly remember her looking troubled every time she saw me. I imagine she felt guilty, yet perhaps seeing me reminded her of Lyshichin every time. All the orders she conveyed to me for the year and nine months came from Lyshichin.”

He noted that Lyshichin was his first superior, while Ludwig was just the point of contact and Lyshichin’s deputy.

Frederick questioned whether Zigmund had heard about her after Lyshichin’s passing.

“I think I managed to receive news about her for about three years, but after that, the updates stopped coming. I can’t say for sure. It was a long time ago.”

“Who delivered the updates?”

“From the new officer assigned. His name was Kowalski. He was friends with Ludwig and seemed to gossip a lot. He was chatty and used to share personal news, but at some point, he began withholding information about Ludwig, which led me to suspect something troubling had happened to her.”

And that was why he had stopped inquiring or expressing any interest.

That was Zigmund’s last story concerning Ludwig.

Frederick momentarily contemplated the possibility that she may have committed suicide or become a recluse. According to Zigmund, Ludwig had been in a romantic relationship with Lyshichin and had sacrificed her promising career just to care for him during his battle with cancer.

He etched a number next to Ludwig’s name with his fountain pen to prioritize it.

Regardless, there would be an investigation into her, but among the intelligence men stationed in Petrogard, it was unlikely anyone would fervently search for a retired officer named Ludwig.

Frederick raised his hand to check whether the ink had smudged before transitioning to another question.

“It seems a new character has appeared instead of Joseph. Is there any more to say about him?”

“At that time, Joseph had no capacity to take me on again. He had been promoted to a lower-ranking position in the Anti-information Division. For several years, he seemed to be thriving, and even after I was stationed at the Empire, I heard he continued actively engaging in overseas missions, but ultimately remained stuck at his desk.”

“When did he resign?”

“I honestly don’t know precisely when he left the Imperial Guard. The senior officials from the retired officers’ department have no record of him, so he might have started his own shop after retirement. Since he recently exited, it shouldn’t be too hard to locate him.”

“I’d like to hear about Kowalski.”

Zigmund…

He didn’t show much fondness for it.

This was in sharp contrast to the detailed testimonies he had given about Joseph and Ludwig.

“That guy was a literal bad taste.”

In an instant, a look of disdain flashed across Zigmund’s face, and his furrowed brow was just an added bonus.

It was clear he didn’t want to even utter the guy’s name. Zigmund started his testimony about Kowalski in an irritated tone.

“After Ludwig left, the officer assigned from the 2nd country was none other than Kowalski. His name is Vitolt. He was in charge of the Imperial Guard HQ’s business in the Republic of Latwan.”

“I recognize the name. Kowalski from Kobno.”

“You probably find the name familiar, Frederick. There’s no one quite as much of a fool as him.”

Vitolt Kowalski.

A well-known figure among the Information Officers. Even Frederick had heard the name before joining the Military Intelligence Agency; he was a famous spy even among civilians.

“I know. He’s the one who turned the Kien Embassy in Kobno into a lake right before Emperor Nikolai VI’s visit to the Republic of Latwan.”

“Quite a splashing party, wasn’t it?”

Kowalski was the infamous individual who turned the embassy, which had been beautifully decorated for the emperor’s visit on the anniversary of Kien-Latwan diplomatic relations, into a water park.

With such a public incident reported widely, Frederick knew at least the basics of it.

“He mistakenly tampered with the elemental magic at the stove while in a drunken stupor, causing an explosion. Once the fire-detecting magical tool went off, it unleashed a flood in the embassy. Subsequent media coverage confirmed he was already under arrest for drunk driving before arriving at the embassy, and as a result, he lost his head.”

“Everyone at the Imperial Guard HQ pointed fingers, calling him a scoundrel. He had a track record of causing trouble.”

Zigmund elaborated on more specific details.

“He was notorious for his drinking problems. That’s how he lost his reliabilities, and when he first met me, he was an astounding four hours late.”

“Where did you meet?”

“In the summer of ’81. Kowalski landed in Abas directly. He was supposed to make it to Shizuya, but took the liberty to change the rendezvous while I returned home for debriefing.”

“Where was it?”

A cafe. Zigmund took a moment to recall before naming it.

The cafe where he met the new officer from the Imperial Guard HQ was located at the foothills in northern Abas.

It was a remote area, but since hikers often visited from other regions, they could meet without arousing too much suspicion among the locals.

“From the first meeting, the impression was far from good, but Kowalski was the worst among the Imperial Guard agents I had encountered. Even setting aside his drinking, he was a petty and greedy character.”

Emotions crept into his voice. The hand that struck the armrest in agitation underlined Zigmund’s assessment of Kowalski.

“Considering that the 2nd country’s command made him your counterpart in place of the former guy, he must’ve had some level of skill, right?”

“Are you seriously asking that after he turned the embassy into a lake? That coward fled with his tail between his legs, using the meeting as an excuse, leaving the emperor and chancellor, who were stunned by the disaster?”

“……”

Zigmund raised an eyebrow as if questioning whether such a question was earnest.

“Well… But the embassy’s flooding only happened after you met him, so…”

Frederick averted his gaze with an ambiguous expression, knowing it was a flimsy excuse at best.

Zigmund clicked his tongue with a disapproving glare.

“He had a brain the size of a toenail. The only reason he could work as a senior officer in the embassy he turned into a water park was due to the fact that I was his contact. The 2nd country put me in charge simply because Kowalski was multi-lingual.”

A widely acknowledged truth, but Kowalski’s language skills were exceptional.

He was fluent in at least four languages and could even understand and speak local dialects.

Zigmund didn’t think poorly of the previous agents, Lisichin and Ludwig, either; they were decent in Abas.

However, since their command of Abas was not as strong as they thought, misunderstandings occasionally arose, and the 2nd country command opted for Kowalski to solve that issue.

The problem was,

“He was a complete madman.”

“Did he make unreasonable demands? Is your double identity weighing on you?”

“Kowalski had zero interest in this matter from the start. As long as he presented just a plausible amount of dust for upper management’s satisfaction, he acted as though he uncovered some great secret. And you really think he made unreasonable demands of me?”

“Yes.”

“There was just once. He asked me, who was in the desert across the sea, to get a list of those cooperating with the Royal Intelligence Department within the Empire.”

Frederick couldn’t help but burst out laughing at that moment.

This guy was completely insane!

“He really said that? Seriously?”

“He wanted something impossible and then threw a fit for a while.”

“Surely there would have been a superior figure above him. Did you ever think about requesting a change of the handler from Kowalski’s superior?”

“Who do you think inflated Kowalski’s results?”

“…I expected that.”

Zigmund often reconsidered his relationship with the Imperial Guard HQ because of that lunatic Kowalski. He even contemplated injury as a way to make Kowalski incapacitated, allowing a new handler to take over.

Of course, if that happened, interference from Kowalski’s superior would come in some form or another.

But who could say for sure what might happen?

After all, you never know what fate has in store.

Ironically, both Kowalski and his superior voluntarily left their posts.

The Imperial Guard HQ, impressed by Kowalski’s flooded embassy incident, pulled him and his superior, hiding in the Latwan Principality, by their hair.

“It was said he inflated results to the point of bursting the apples. He created non-existent double agents with the information I provided, even using that to get budget allocations.”

“And so he was purged.”

“I heard they cut his severance pay as well. His superior wasted whatever fortune he had for life? I was so enraged by those idiots that I learned the Kien language. To be honest, I’m a bit thankful for that.”

Either way.

After that incident, the Imperial Guard HQ, having belatedly grasped the situation, hurriedly requested a meeting with Zigmund.

Command was then transferred to the existing 2nd country, which should have originally covered Zigmund, and the personnel were replaced with veterans.

“In the winter of ’83 or ’84, it would be. The mud that turned gooey when the snow melted was stuck on my shoe tip. The location was Petrogard. There were three people I met.”

“Their names?”

“Semyon Yudintsev, Oleg Yelichich, Ilya Kutuzov.”

“……”

The hand that was taking notes abruptly stopped.

Frederick stared blankly into space before lifting his gaze to Zigmund.

“Former head of the Imperial Guard, former head of the 1st country anti-intelligence department, and the 1st department head?”

“Two have retired, and Ilya is currently active. He was a low-ranking investigator then, but now he’s a key commander for counterintelligence activities in Petrogard.”

“…Huh.”

So that’s why the guards struggled to cover him.

He was directly connected to high-level officials. Very high-level ones, at that.

Frederick mouthed silently.

“Alright. Then let’s continue. First, tell me what you did for the 1st country and who you contacted.”

Zigmund began unraveling the wrapping of a Golouaz Kaporal as he replied.

“Sure.”

—

The conversation dragged on and time was creeping toward dawn.

Frederick and Zigmund hadn’t moved for hours.

They were mentally exhausted from the ongoing dialogue, and although they felt a throbbing headache, getting up was not an option unless it was absolutely necessary.

Zigmund had information, and Frederick had the clock, but time was neither on their side.

Frederick, barely managing to suppress his drowsiness and headache with nicotine, pressed his thumb to his forehead. Holding a fountain pen in his ink-dried right hand and a cigarette paper in the left.

Zigmund focused on the mumbling voice as his eyes partly closed.

“Yes. The materials handed over to the Imperial Guard HQ contain the aerial reconnaissance routes of military magicians and the list of informants regarding the Petrogard branch.”

“…The military magicians’ reconnaissance routes were based on photographs passed down from the military, and the identities of the collaborators were from security checks conducted by the large information unit.”

“A magician got shot down during a patrol flight last year, right? He usually entered near the airspace but found an unexpected anti-aircraft battery set up. He ended up crashing in No Man’s Land trying to avoid it.”

“Shortly after, the rescue team picked up the survival signal and went to rescue him.”

Ah.

A small gasp escaped from Frederick’s lips as he reviewed the data sent from the joint investigation team.

“Was that your doing? I thought it was the army that would handle it.”

“Only the route. The Empire moved the special operations unit because the magician’s survival signal was detected by a signal intelligence unit about 40 kilometers northwest.”

“The map reference can wait a bit… and what about the source of the information?”

“The Imperial Guard HQ. The military went nuts saying the Imperial Guard HQ sprinkled ashes on a well-cooked meal. Conversely, the Empire’s military got mad saying there was an error in the Imperial Guard HQ’s information.”

“That’s why I ran into that Che Guevara wannabe at the department store…. Ah, that son of a rat.”

Over hours of conversation, Zigmund shared most of the information he knew.

When he said “most,” it was because he either didn’t recall or hadn’t been asked about some information, and because there were memories dulled by the passage of too much time.

“Did the Imperial Guard HQ ask for my personal data?”

“Um… It must’ve been right after you got involved with your advisor’s defection. The moment the advisor’s family crossed over from the Latwan Principality, you got contacted… It was probably about two days later.”

“But you didn’t glean anything?”

Zigmund took a drag from the cigarette, slightly narrowing his brows.

“As I said earlier, I started digging into you after I was active as an officer in the Magic Tower. Director Leoni… She was then the chief of the National Construction Bureau 2nd department, and one of her subordinates got word that a member of the Empire’s intel division had friction with a certain group.”

“Did Leoni mention me?”

“No.”

Frederick scratched his nose, then stained the ink on the tissue.

“Then why?”

“Simply personal curiosity. More like an impulse, I suppose?”

Zigmund explained that the reason he had spied on Frederick stemmed from an overwhelmingly impulsive emotion. It was already the third time he was mentioning this aspect.

A conversation that had gone on for hours didn’t flow in just one direction.

Frederick consistently confirmed the facts by querying the various testimonies Zigmund mentioned in between.

From the initial twist of his allegiances to the moment he met the department head, they went around four loops.

“Were there two or three agents you met at Timarshak Park?”

“What was the relationship between Lisichin and Ludwig? Was it a one-sided love from Ludwig? When was Lisichin diagnosed with cancer?”

“Name the café where you met Kowalski. Was it completely at the foot of the mountain or a point accessible to hikers?”

“What about the information agent you were managing? When was he discovered? What was the reason? Tell me the time and location of the handling. Do you believe the Imperial Guard HQ caught on to that?”

Though time-consuming and irritating, Zigmund had to answer all those questions while rifling through his memories.

As he was well aware, discrepancies in existing testimony, facts, names, and time could mean suspicious testimony was at play.

“……”

Zigmund bit into the Golouaz Kaporal and stared into the barely-there smoke. Thinking of Helen and the kids.

How long could he endure? When would he get to meet them again? Changing the bedding never allowed him to sleep long, so he wondered if they were resting well.

Frederick’s voice hit his ears again.

“Why were you loitering in Shizuya? If you had gone to the Empire immediately after your contact was captured, the Royal Intelligence Department wouldn’t have been able to catch you.”

“I heard rumors that you headed this way.”

“From whom?”

“There were rumors circulating among the branches on the Mauritania Continent.”

Zigmund mumbled.

What did that imply? Frederick deciphered the meaning behind Zigmund’s words.

“You knew I was dispatched to the Royal Intelligence Department.”

“I only knew through rumors. You know there are gossipy fools everywhere. No matter how much you try to fix it, that habit doesn’t change.”

“I suppose….”

He had traveled through several branches, so there’s no way things wouldn’t leak. The Royal Intelligence Department must have been keen on keeping their mouths shut, and even as he tried to hide his identity, someone would have picked up on it.

Only this time, it just happened the double agent was the one who caught on.

“Tough luck.”

It was at this point Frederick sighed deeply.

“…Is it nothing to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you blame me?”

Frederick, who had been looking at his notebook, briefly glanced at Zigmund. He was puffing on the Golouaz Kaporal, gazing at Frederick.

“…Me? Blame you?”

Frederick, who had been scratching his head, dropped his hand and chuckled softly.

“Come on, Zigmund.”

“……”

“You’re not the only one who was looking into me. You weren’t the first or the last. You know I’m quite a popular figure.”

“Sure. It’s no exaggeration to say you’re a public idol. Especially for us information officers.”

The fact that intelligence agencies were diligently investigating the uninformed officers was no longer a secret either.

It wasn’t just the Imperial Guard HQ doing surveillance.

“The last one who approached my classmates from the academy within the country got banned was sent by a friendly nation, and the retired soldier who asked around among comrades was a man bought by an adversarial country. I bet you, Zigmund, know more than me? Such incidents are far from rare.”

“…You’re not wrong. It wasn’t the first nor the last.”

Frederick displayed his palm like, “Look at this.”

“What you did was fundamentally the same as those guys. Only you were a bit more systematic than them. More threatening, too.”

“Is that why you haven’t pulled the trigger yet?”

Zigmund motioned toward the gun he had set down.

Frederick hadn’t aimed his gun at Zigmund. He had positioned it conveniently so that it could be grabbed at a moment’s notice, with the hammer cocked and ready to fire.

In this close space, hitting the target would be tough for anyone.

Zigmund knew no matter how fast he lunged, he couldn’t outrun the bullet.

If he were lucky, he might avoid mortal wounds, but the idea that the attacker would merely fire once and leave was laughable; should he go in a rapid fire spree, he wouldn’t even take a few steps before turning into scrap.

“That’s about the gist of it.”

“……”

“You don’t hold any personal feelings toward me. And surely you don’t harbor ill feelings toward me, Zigmund.”

Frederick whispered calmly.

“After all, we’ve never known each other’s faces, right? Whether you started poking into my life on orders from the Imperial Guard HQ or purely out of curiosity matters not.”

“You speak like it’s someone else’s affair? Quite brazen of you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Whether it was an admiration or a mockery, Frederick leaned back against the wall.

“Anyhow, to sum it up, that’s the situation. Your identity was exposed, and you had to run with your family.”

“……”

“What the Imperial Guard HQ wanted was Zigmund himself. They had no interest in your wife or children. So what was Zigmund to do? Cross over to the Empire with his family left behind?”

He shook his head.

“He couldn’t bear to do that. Just like today as you showed up here. You care deeply for your family.”

The Imperial Guard HQ wanted Zigmund.

That was due to his extensive support over the years, and fundamentally, the high value of the information stored in his head.

“Everything has a price tag attached. Of course, not everything does.”

“……”

“You probably knew even before running away. The Imperial Guard HQ employees would pull you out first in case of an emergency.”

“I’ve been doing just that.”

“If I were you, I would have negotiated. What you could offer most expensively in exchange for the assurance of your family’s safety.”

Of course, he couldn’t say it outright. Finding a reliable person who wouldn’t just take the info and wipe their hands clean was an impossible task in that field.

“Well… So, I suppose it would take time? So that the Imperial Guard HQ wouldn’t think of pulling you out. While buying time with the information until your family could cross safely into the Empire.”

“……”

“Usually, double agents tend to try for a big score in the final moments. As long as they can get away safely, they’ll milk everything they can.”

Frederick said.

“You have to sell anything you can for the highest price. There’s no other choice but to die if you hit a lower point, right? In that sense, the most valuable item for you was the information that I was a Military Intelligence Agency Executive.”

“….The Imperial Guard HQ certainly priced it high.”

As Zigmund mumbled, Frederick shrugged.

“We first started off that way. Never once did you express dislike toward me, did you?”

“……”

“I simply thought you were unlucky.”

How unfortunate that the head of the Royal Intelligence Department was on his tail.

How unfortunate that he was collaborating with the Imperial Guard HQ.

How unfortunate that at a particularly inopportune time, his identity was revealed while he was attempting to escape.

How unfortunate that he ended up in Shizuya where I worked.

How unfortunate that his family was captured right in this place.

“If by chance you had attempted to sell my information to a friendly nation or allied country, would things have been different? Probably, yes. If the Royal Intelligence Department had successfully detected you a bit earlier, we wouldn’t be embroiled in this mess.”

“……”

“How ironic that the most valuable price tag got attached to me, and you sought that through your family’s safety. That’s precisely the transaction the Imperial Guard HQ would find most satisfactory. Besides, we were two who didn’t know each other, weren’t we?”

“……”

Frederick chuckled softly mid-sentence.

“Truly, you just had an astoundingly bad stroke of luck. Like being splattered by bird droppings along the road.”

“…It’s quite a sizable droppings for bird poop.”

“Well, you have to take such things to eat the salary the company provides. If you object, quit. No one forced you to become an intelligence officer with a knife held against your throat, right?”

The conversation came to a standstill.

Both men stared at each other.

Frederick, gazing intently at him, spoke.

“Did that answer your question?”

Zigmund, who was slouched, stared directly at Frederick’s face.

“To a satisfactory extent.”

Whether it was a lamentation to himself, or a sincere comment to the other, he didn’t express, but Zigmund felt an urgent resonance with Frederick’s last words.

He was the one caught at a high point. He chased after the item with the highest price tag and ended up here, tethered by it.

“……”

Zigmund’s eyes drifted downward to the Golouaz Kaporal.

The smokes that were sold in the Kingdom of Abas. Ironically, the brand of cigarettes he loved the most was foreign.

As he gazed into the ascending smoke from the Golouaz Kaporal, Zigmund suddenly posed a question to Frederick.

“Do they sell this in Kien these days?”

It didn’t take long for curiosity to be satisfied.

“No. They still don’t import it.”

Zigmund fell into brief contemplation.

If he were to head to the Kien Empire, if that day were ever to come.

The Golouaz Kaporal that he could not procure there would forever remain as a long-gone memory.

It would be his last supper.

Zigmund savored the faintly fading smoke of what might be his final Golouaz Kaporal.

—

When the long conversation finally concluded, it was the time when dawn was painting the east in cerulean hues.

The safehouse had turned into a mess.

The stale smell of cigarettes hung in the air. Piles of cigarette wrappers were scattered about. Just then, Zigmund realized that he had only one pack of Golouaz Kaporal left.

He took one of the remaining Golouaz Kaporal and, straining to focus his blurry eyes, tried to read the words on the paper.

“Can you see this?”

“…It’s too dim. I can’t make out what it says.”

“Read it to me.”

Frederick took the paper Zigmund held and began reading aloud.

“Canicular Holdings Co., Ltd.”

“…Canicular Holdings?”

“Do you know anything about that?”

Zigmund squinted as though forcing his eyes open and looked sideways at Frederick.

“That’s one of the overseas enterprises of the Law Enforcement Corps. The executive director who founded it is an underling.”

“What department oversees it?”

“The Accounting and Finance division of the Law Enforcement Corps. That’s where all financial dealings channel through. The frequent business trips from that division’s personnel stem from that reason.”

As his cloudy vision cleared, Frederick was seen carefully folding the paper away and slipping it into his inner pocket.

He shoved his hand into his pants pocket and sighed softly.

His voice dropped quiet.

“I’m sure you must have heard of Wali al-Dadun.”

“You mean the guerrillas from the Republic of Valekistan al-Yabid, right? I’ve heard of them.”

Zigmund leaned back against the chair, tilting his head upward. His eyes were now almost completely shut.

“Famous as a group backed by the Law Enforcement Corps. But that’s only within the Corps. They are still new.”

“Seems like it was recently supported.”

“They opened avenues of their financial and military support through the cousin of Mehregan Jolfikar Khan. Two attacks on vessels on August 25 and October 4 ring a bell?”

“Cargo vessels approaching via the canal. Since then, all ships navigating near eastern Mauritania are on high alert.”

“That was an operation requested by the Law Enforcement Corps. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say they indirectly prompted it.”

Is there any evidence?

Frederick asked. Evidence that the Law Enforcement Corps funneled money through a holding company and instigated attacks on civilian vessels by warlords?

“I do have some. Not currently in my possession, though.”

“If you find it, would it come out?”

Zigmund nodded at that moment, and Frederick smiled with a satisfied expression.

“Alright. Let’s wrap this up for today.”

He approached the window and opened it wide. The clear, crisp morning air began to pour in.

It was impossible to entirely shake off the stale cigarette smell, but it was more than enough to keep the drowsiness at bay. Zigmund opened his eyes, now clear-headed.

“…When will I see my family again?”

Frederick answered.

“I don’t know. The decision is not mine to make.”

“…Is there a chance?”

“You could say that’s not a decision for me either.”

Zigmund chuckled softly.

“It’s like being a mere chess piece. Going wherever someone else moves.”

Despite the scoffing, no particular response was given.

Frederick approached the window, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and brushed off the dust from the window sill with his fingers.

“Whatever it is, it’s up to you how to handle it.”

Zigmund slightly turned his head toward Frederick standing behind him.

“Are you hoping for me to pretend to defect to the Imperial Guard HQ? Hoping I’d leak sensitive information from within?”

From Frederick’s perspective as head of the information department, spending time like this with Zigmund in the safehouse was highly inappropriate.

Zigmund believed the price tag assigned to him was considerable.

This judgment wasn’t made from the perspective of an operative for the Imperial Guard HQ, but rather from the viewpoint of Zigmund as the head of the Royal Intelligence Department.

He knew the intelligence department perceived him differently than the ordinary double agents.

That it saw him as a more threatening individual than others.

This perspective could also be inferred from the ridiculous lengths taken by the Royal Intelligence Department to kidnap Helen and his daughter.

It also stemmed from the fact that since arriving at the safehouse, he had been sitting here with Frederick for hours on end.

“…If they thought they had a worthless traitor concluded, they could have killed me long ago. If they deemed me a criminal that needed punishment, they would have dragged me back home right after bringing me to the safehouse. They wouldn’t be sitting here with me leisurely smoking and interrogating.”

From the perspective of the head of the information department, all of it seemed like unnecessary procedure.

After all, once he returned to the Empire, there would be no way to evade interrogation.

With ample time remaining until the Abas prosecution could charge, the Royal Intelligence Department could leisurely extract whatever information they deemed necessary.

He found it inexplicable that they were even holding him at the safehouse.

If the Royal Intelligence Department genuinely wanted to ensure sensitive information wasn’t leaked, there would be no reason to leave him in the Republic of Ashtistan.

Even in a safehouse, it wasn’t 100% secure.

There was no telling when a spy might escape or when an enemy might break in, so holding someone in a safehouse would be far less rational than dragging them straight to the Kingdom of Abas.

In that sense, Zigmund concluded that the Royal Intelligence Department wanted something from him.

And the most plausible request he conjured was for a defection.

To penetrate the Imperial Guard HQ and once again live as a double agent.

“Well…”

Frederick spoke up in a vague tone.

He cast his gaze out the window, placing both hands in his pockets.

“I don’t really know.”

“Am I suspicious to you?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Frederick smiled slightly while leaning against the window sill.

“It just seems strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“Your reason for lingering in Shizuya.”

I can’t figure it out at all.

Frederick examined Zigmund, who was seated. Despite him looking different, Zigmund turned back to meet Frederick’s stare, though the shadows obscured his view.

Turning his back to the azure sky, Frederick opened his mouth again.

“Do you remember what I said earlier? Double agents tend to have this tendency to score big before the end.”

“I do remember.”

“But here, there’s a clue. The premise being that there’s a secure escape route for oneself.”

“……”

“Do you have one?”

Zigmund opened his mouth.

“I did.”

Frederick nodded impassively. He pursed his lips slightly. As if saying he had expected it.

The hand that had been in his pocket withdrew. He leaned against the window frame as he spoke.

“It seems you still have it, right? A secure escape route.”

Zigmund, who had been turning his head halfway, faced forward entirely, as if he had heard something absurd.

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

“You.”

Frederick leaned against the window frame.

“You had it from the start?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The materials that could prove I was an intelligence officer.”

Zigmund stared at him with a look of disbelief.

“Have you lost your mind from lack of sleep? If I had something like that, I would have handed it over long ago.”

“No. You wouldn’t have done that. If you passed that information over to the Imperial Guard HQ, they would have wiped their hands clean immediately. They would only take you and toss away the rest as collateral. You anticipated that, didn’t you?”

“….That’s insane.”

He couldn’t take any more of it. Zigmund shook his head in frustration.

But Frederick continued to look at him calmly.

“Did I have information about such a thing? I would’ve negotiated right away! Why would I be sitting here like this?”

“You did, but it failed, and your family got taken, twisting the situation further, and you came to fix it.”

“Does that make sense-”

“Hey.”

Frederick interrupted Zigmund’s flow.

“What kind of stupid idiot gets caught as a spy, then tries to locate non-existent information to throw around?”

“……”

“You were clueless that I didn’t even know I worked under the Royal Intelligence Department during my time at the Directorate, and couldn’t find any materials, yet now you’re asking to analyze stuff? In a situation where one might get pursued at any moment? With your children and wife taken with you?”

His words poured out like a bullet.

Zigmund was overwhelmed into silence.

“You must have had tucked away some information. If the Royal Intelligence Department shows up, the person sweating it the most in this place would not be you, but rather the guards from the Imperial Guard HQ waiting outside.”

Frederick smiled.

He already secured evidence. When he successfully arrived in the Empire with his family, he would spill the details.

It was hidden in a safe place.

So the Royal Intelligence Department could never track it.

Since it was in a place only he knew, the Imperial Guard HQ wouldn’t find it either.

He only needed to drag on the time.

In the end, the one who would be left behind would be those who falter first.

Frederick stated,

“I mentioned that earlier.”

If you got caught using tricks, you will get embarrassed. It’s better to play it straight.

“Where did you hide your severance pay?”

“……”

“You’d better answer quickly.”

Thud, a dull sound followed.

The cold touch of metal pressed firmly against the back of Zigmund’s head. His eyes slowly closed.

Frederick pushed the gun’s muzzle closer.

“You’re making your fingers tremble like you got hit by lightning.”

 

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