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The Magic Tower is declaring independence.

And it’s happening right now.

I haven’t acquired any specific plans yet, but it’s certain that they will declare independence in the near future.

“What, is this the Berlin Wall coming down or something? What’s with the premature declaration…”

“What’s Berlin?”

“…It’s just a thing.”

Of course, there’s no objective evidence. Only the testimony from Veronica.

But dismissing it as one individual’s whim would be ill-advised, as Veronica’s political and social status rivaled that of the Pope, and her intelligence-gathering skills surpassed those of the average information officer.

She was a lobbyist.

Not just any lobbyist, but a senior intelligence operative, acting as a hotline between the imperial family and the Cult National Affairs Council. If she wanted, she could acquire high-level information.

It was surprising that the Imperial Guard HQ would hand over information to the traitor Veronica, but on the flip side, this could serve as the most solid backing for the intelligence.

What should I do?

This information, the events to come, and the changing world.

What kind of impact will it have on me, and on Camila Lowell?

One thing’s for sure: I don’t know anything at the moment.

I don’t even know where I am or where I’m headed.

But I had to do what needed to be done.

“…Saint? Do you have any evidence? Just give me something we can report.”

“Just a moment. I received a pardon from someone in the Guard HQ…”

“A pardon?”

“At first, I just brought money, but when they kept turning me away, they finally agreed. They even stamped it with the Chancellor’s seal.”

“You got that instead of cash?”

“I got both.”

I started compiling the information and evidence I received from Veronica, trying to gauge how this information would affect our government and the operations we would undertake.

After crunching the numbers, I arrived at a rough estimate.

If this continues, a major revision of the plans would be unavoidable.

“……”

It looks like it’s going to be an all-nighter.

—

Episode 4 – Why are you getting all the action?

Fortunately, I wasn’t the one pulling an all-nighter.

The Military Intelligence Agency needed to enhance the reliability of the intelligence I reported, and to do that, they had to gather additional information from the officers and operatives spread across the continent and cross-check it.

So, countless senior officials from the Military Intelligence Agency had to work through the night in my stead.

The next morning, the results came out.

“They say it’s correct that they are declaring independence.”

The Magic Tower was indeed preparing for independence.

I couldn’t hide my dismay as I covered my face with my hands and squeezed out my frustration.

“…So what do we do now?”

“What do you mean, what do we do? If they’re declaring independence, they’re just going to do it.”

Clevens replied with an oddly composed expression. But having been by his side for years, I could tell he wasn’t really composed; he was just pretending to be.

“What happened at the meeting? Did any good plans come out?”

“Do you think any good plans came out of it?”

The Counterintelligence Chief of the Military Intelligence Agency clicked his tongue in response.

“Be glad that you weren’t in Room 503. It was absolute chaos. The Director was grilling the commanders about what they were actually doing in the field, and frankly, if you had been there, the atmosphere would have gotten ugly for no reason.”

The Director seemed to have taken a jab at the overseas commanders. I asked him.

“Which commanders…?”

“Overseas Information Office, Overseas Operations Office, Technical Information Division, Public Information Division, Special Activities Department.”

This meant the entire overseas department was in trouble.

The Military Intelligence Agency’s overseas division encompasses more than just those six departments, but considering that these five are the most critical operational divisions, it’s safe to say that the entire overseas unit faced repercussions. Of course, they weren’t only monitoring the Magic Tower, but that detail wasn’t significant.

What really matters is that the overseas division failed in their intelligence-gathering effort.

“For now, you should just keep going with what you were doing.”

“Is that alright…?”

“What else can we do? How can we make a decision when we don’t have any intel? You can’t just sit around waiting for information to fall from the sky.”

I mean, if we ask the Americans, we might get something from the heavens and the universe.

Anyway.

The Military Intelligence Agency ordered to continue with the plan without making changes. To alter the plans, they would need to gather and analyze intel first, and since there was no intel available, they said to just wait and see.

If the analysis turns out to be correct and the Magic Tower declares independence while the Empire takes a hardline stance, there would likely be a high chance of our operations going belly up. After all, you can’t just stick around if a war breaks out.

“Do you think a war is going to happen, Colonel?”

“I wouldn’t know. But I certainly hope it doesn’t.”

Clevens shared his personal view and took a moment to catch his breath. Then he told me.

“Whether they declare independence or go to war, you just keep following the plan. Find the ones who sent the spies. Everyone’s busy, so you’re the only one who can take care of this.”

Everyone is so busy gathering intel that I’m being left to figure this out on my own.

“Yes.”

“Alright. Proceed to pull all necessary personnel according to the original plan and let me know if you need any equipment. Since it’s a directive from the Director, it shouldn’t be rejected. And report back immediately if there’s any new information.”

—

All the mid-level and higher officials of the Military Intelligence Agency were in an emergency work mode, but there was nothing for me to do.

This was because the special directive was to focus on creating the conditions for our operation.

It’s ironic considering I was the one who shot the flare first. Originally, the one who brought the intel was supposed to keep asking for updates.

But with no information at hand, I couldn’t really be of any help. I already had my duties to focus on.

Thus, unless there was new intel or a different directive, I had to concentrate on the upcoming operation.

“Have you seen the plan?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

The mission objective for this operation was to “trace the individuals behind sending the spies.” Therefore, I assembled a team for the successful completion of the task.

I alternated giving instructions to Pippin and Jake. The first target was Jake.

“Hey, what’s going on with the Special Activities Department?”

Since our mission was to trace the individuals behind sending the spies, physical confrontations were expected. If we were tracking them from a third country, it would be one thing, but since we were entering the home ground of the magicians, we had to ensure we had a certain level of physical capability on standby. And in such situations, there were no better candidates than the Special Forces.

If it were just a simple strike mission, we could request support from the Special Operations Command, but since we had to carry out intelligence operations simultaneously depending on the situation, I borrowed personnel from the Special Activities Department. After all, the Special Activities Department itself was a collection of elite operatives carefully selected from the Special Forces, so doubts about their competency were unwarranted.

However, to deploy the Special Activities Department, I needed the Director’s permission…

But since it was the Director who had given me this special directive, getting approval was quite straightforward.

And since Jake had contacts from the Special Forces and was part of the operations team we moved with during Raul’s assassination, reaching out to them was very simple.

Jake replied to my question.

“They’ve gathered the team, packed their gear, and are on the train. They should arrive tomorrow. However, the issue is getting the equipment moved…”

“I’ve already taken care of that.”

I had already finished preparing to transport all the equipment for the operatives in the Military Intelligence Agency’s Special Activities Department.

“There’s a shell company created by the Intelligence Agency. It’s a company exporting electronic components, and we’ll load the equipment onto vessels registered under foreign flags and drop it in international waters.”

It’s a method commonly used by North Korea to earn foreign currency.

By dropping the goods at a predetermined coordinate through the shell company established abroad and having another vessel pick up the items and transfer the funds, that’s the plan. I decided to use the red-flag methods.

“Then the fixed spy will receive the goods and stash them at Dvork, and we will find and deliver them. Next.”

Pippin came over with hurried steps to continue the conversation.

“About the analysis team issue you mentioned, I have some colleagues in the Magic Tower sector, so I contacted them.”

“What’s the outcome?”

“They’ve all been assembled.”

I had called up the analysts.

Sending the intel acquired locally to the Intelligence Agency for analysis took too much time, so it was necessary to analyze it on-site for prompt responses. Of course, the three of us could manage a basic analysis, but considering the tasks at hand and the accuracy of the analysis, it was wiser to enlist the help of the experts.

Of course, I didn’t only pull personnel from two departments.

“What’s going on with the Counterintelligence Department?”

“They said they’ll come to the capital as soon as the handover of the research lab is complete.”

“What about the technicians?”

“They’re on standby at HQ.”

Aside from the operations team and analysis team, I received support from various departments.

They grumbled about being short-staffed, but once I mentioned it was a special directive from the Director, they quieted down and complied. In any case, I received a bit of manpower from the Special Activities Department, the intelligence analysis unit, and the Counterintelligence Department.

In that way, our small operational team quickly transformed into a massive operation task force.

“At this point, we’re practically a task force…”

Somehow, I found myself shouldering a workload far beyond my abilities.

I remembered I had done similar tasks in the past, but I certainly didn’t recall it being this large in scale. This wasn’t a solo mission, but a joint operation after all.

Nevertheless, I busily moved around, attending to everything that needed to be done and everything I could do to ensure the operation’s success.

Of course,

“Um… Colonel.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

It wasn’t without its problems.

“The information team you mentioned? I reached out to both the intel and operational sides, but no matter how I looked, they said there was no one available…”

“And?”

“They declined the support. Well, if you really think about it, they didn’t outright refuse…”

“What’s the deal then?”

“They said that due to a lack of experienced personnel, they would send in fresh recruits instead.”

—

“Director, are you really certain we have no personnel available?”

-‘I’m sorry, but that’s just how it turned out.’

“Bu-but Director, even if we’re short on personnel, how can you send a rookie with us? If something goes wrong because we relied on a rookie for such a critical part, what are we supposed to do?”

-‘…Hah. I looked into it because it was a special order from the Director, but it turns out we only have rookies to run with. Didn’t I say I had to assign it to you in the meeting for a good reason?’

“Director…”

-‘I’ve done as much as I can. Still, I pulled experienced staff for the assignment, so there shouldn’t be major issues with fulfilling the mission. I need to join the meeting now, so we’ll talk later.’

“No, Director! Director! Gah, the line’s cut.”

I grasped the disconnected telephone, raising my voice before lowering it instead. I slumped onto the sofa, tilting my head back.

“Ugh…”

While I succeeded in forming a team needed for the operation, I had failed to assemble a human intelligence team that would go out in the field to gather intel.

To be precise, I couldn’t create the team I envisioned that was “composed of elite personnel with excellent field senses.” The Intelligence Agency itself lacked manpower. However, I did manage to recruit some agents from the overseas intelligence sector who were deployed to the Magic Tower.

The problem was they were “rookie” agents.

“…sigh.”

“Rookies might not be so bad, right? They must have been competent to be sent overseas.”

“Not really. It’s a stretch to consider rookies as skilled.”

“Why not take a more positive approach?”

Well, if they were barely among the ranks for three to five-year short-term missions, it was absurd to count that as skill.

But what could I do about not having personnel? I couldn’t just pull in reinforcements from the outside right now. Still, it was somewhat fortunate that they weren’t complete newbies. They were rookies who’d at least gone through a few missions. If we had only received total newbies, I’d have been looking at a total disaster for the operation.

I quietly waved Pippin and Jake over as I sat on the lounge sofa.

“Hey, when are those folks supposed to arrive? They should have gotten here by now.”

“Just a moment… According to the message, they’re about to arrive at the train station. Are you going to pick them up? Should we have the transport battalion sent or a magician dispatched?”

“It wouldn’t be courteous to call them here without even having seen them. Let’s just take a taxi.”

Having spent the whole day preparing for the operation, I made my way to welcome the colleagues I would be working with.

As I stepped out of the Intelligence Agency building, I engaged in casual conversation with my subordinate after a long time.

“How’s everyone holding up?”

“At my age, I don’t think my body will break down anytime soon.”

“I’ve got worn-out cartilage in my knees.”

“Given that you hike around while carrying a military pack every day, it’s not surprising your cartilage would be shot. Want to get checked by the Saint?”

“I’d be grateful if you could arrange that!”

“By the way, I’ve heard there are some nice resorts near the Magic Tower. If you have time, should we check them out? Colonel, you’ve been working too hard.”

“A few days off would be enough. There are even better resorts nearby than the Magic Tower. But if I go there… Ugh, might be under surveillance. Yeah, let’s check out the place you mentioned if I have time.”

“I heard that if we go back from the Magic Tower, we have to undergo a drug test. Is that going to apply to us too when we return?”

“I wouldn’t know. You’ll have to check the regulations.”

As we engaged in light banter, we climbed the stairs to the second floor. There, I entered the changing room, removed my work uniform and stored it in the cabinet, changed into formal attire, and picked up my identification card from the guard post before leaving the Military Intelligence Agency.

“…Ugh, it’s cold.”

Has summer already passed? A chilly autumn breeze swept through. Whether it was my exhaustion or my thin clothing, I felt slightly chilly. So, I tightened my jacket and shivered against the cold.

“What, how old are you that you’re complaining about the weather being cold?”

“Why don’t you try pulling an all-nighter in my place and see if you still say that?”

“I had a colleague arrange for a taxi, so let’s hurry. Everyone’s probably waiting.”

We intended to take a taxi to meet them at the train station.

However, we found that we didn’t need to take a taxi.

Royal Intelligence Department employees had brought vehicles and set up right in front of the Military Intelligence Agency building.

 

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