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As I was about to claim my social security card left at the guard post to head to the train station, a loud commotion suddenly erupted from the main gate.

There, dark, heavily tinted sedans were huddled together.

Leaning out of an open window was a Suit Man shouting, surrounded by others in suits, along with a soldier and executive in navy blue military uniforms guarding the post.

The Suit Man, half out of the vehicle, pointed aggressively at the guard commander.

“What are you doing?! Hey! Open the door!”

“I’m sorry, but currently, no outsiders are allowed into the building.”

“What?! What do you mean? Do you have any idea who I am?! Check the vehicle number!”

“I’m sorry, but there was an order not to let anyone in.”

“Ah, you blockheaded jerk!”

The Suit Man and the soldier were engaged in a heated exchange. The Suit Man screamed for the door to be opened while the soldier, rifle slung over shoulder, vehemently gestured that it wouldn’t happen.

I turned to Pippin and Jake.

“Hey guys, what’s going on with those people?”

“I don’t know.”

“Aren’t they civil servants? It looks just like an official vehicle.”

We exchanged puzzled looks, cocking our heads in confusion.

It wasn’t typical for government officials to verbally lash out at the military intelligence agency headquarters. The Military Intelligence Agency is very much a secure institution, and entrance restrictions are rigorously enforced. It wouldn’t make sense for a civil servant to recklessly park in front of the agency and shout demands. If they were there on business, there would be no need for such commotion.

Could they be politicians? No, that’s unlikely. Politicians are always busy people. It would be one thing if a group of information committee members were visiting as part of an oversight mission, but it wasn’t even the oversight season, so it was improbable for any politicians to be visiting.

So who on earth was causing all this chaos?

The answer came tumbling out of the Suit Man’s mouth.

“Hey! Open the door, I’m from the Royal Intelligence Department!”

Turns out, they were employees of the Royal Intelligence Department. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly to myself.

“Oh, what a surprise. It’s them again.”

“It makes sense that they’d cause a fuss.”

It seemed a rival employee was trying to enter but got stopped right at the entrance. They were probably causing a scene again without any prior notice or agreement.

Since this was a regular occurrence, I thought little of it and aimed to keep on my way in silence.

The problem was,

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to go back.”

“Hey! Stop them!”

“Huh?”

-VROOOOOOM!

“Whoaaa! Get out of the way!”

It seemed the employee from the Royal Intelligence Department had a nasty temper, as he’d blocked the main gate with his vehicle.

Not only did he park right in front of the door, but he also ordered his subordinates to keep anyone from entering or exiting the building, effectively throwing everything into chaos.

As a result, we were prevented from reaching the train station right before the gate.

We were trapped.

Episode 4 – Why Is It Only Me?

Because of one crazy guy, the Military Intelligence Agency building was now on lockdown. Both the main and back gates were blocked.

“Did you say the main gate is blocked?”

“What do you mean? Are you lying because you don’t want to run errands?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then go out the back.”

“The back is blocked too! The Royal Intelligence Department is blocking it!”

Chaos engulfed the entire Military Intelligence Agency.

“Chief! Find out where the employees who went out on tasks are.”

“It’s Section Chief here. It seems something happened at the main gate, so take your time returning.”

“Director, we’re out of copy paper. We were supposed to pick it up today, but the road’s blocked now….”

Returning the employees out on tasks became an uphill battle, and those who briefly stepped outside for supplies couldn’t get back in. But that wasn’t the only problem.

“What do you mean, the main gate is blocked? It’s not April Fool’s Day today!”

“Sir, I need to pick up my child. When can we leave?”

“I have a doctor’s appointment at the church today. Why can’t I leave? Huh?”

It was already time to leave work. Officers needing to return home, sergeants needing to pick up their children, and civilian workers with appointments were all trapped in the building.

The main and back gates leading outside were blocked. And the culprits? Employees of a rival agency.

In this part of town, rival employees throwing tantrums were as subtle an event as a wild boar rummaging through trash cans, so initially, no one took it seriously. But as ten minutes passed, then thirty, and finally an hour, people began to feel that something was indeed off.

Eventually, the employees gathered at the main gate to protest against the rival employees.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Move your car, quickly.”

“Let’s just go home already; you’re always here causing a scene. If you have something to say, at least send a memo first.”

However, the rival employees didn’t budge an inch. The Royal Intelligence Department staff exited their vehicles and merely looked around without any further reaction, and as the blockade showed no signs of lifting, tensions began to run high.

I watched this entire spectacle from the main building’s glass window but didn’t go outside to protest like the others. I was busy making calls.

“Operative? It’s me. Just so you know, something has come up in front of the headquarters, making it hard to come in. What? A terrorist attack? No, that’s not it….”

“Hello, Team Leader. Have you arrived? Ah, you have? I’ll send you the address via text, so just rest at the hotel today. Shall I direct others there too? Is the hotel the operations headquarters? Well, not really, but it’s due to the building being blocked….”

There wasn’t even time to properly explain the situation. I asked those I had arranged to meet at the train station for their understanding and directed them to the hotel. And I called the police officer in charge of guarding the hotel’s perimeter, the hotel manager, and the head of the Inquisition, Director Bernard, to ask for their cooperation in ensuring everyone could relax.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one busy making calls.

“Where are you now? Yeah, I’m at the accommodation. And the others? Got it. So they’re not at the headquarters right now?”

“Exchange officer here. Do you have your current location? Oh, you’re out on a task. Got it. It’s fine not to return today. There’s an issue at headquarters…. We’ll reschedule and get in touch later.”

Pippin and Jake were also glued to their phones, and from what I gathered, it seemed that aside from us, no one else involved in the operation was trapped. That was a relief.

Afterwards, I continued checking in on others.

“Veronica.”

-‘Yes?’

“Everything alright? Any new updates or anything?”

-‘Not yet. The Empire is in a bit of crisis, but for now, it’s just rumors floating around the upper echelons. It’s not a chaotic situation yet, as far as the intelligence agency goes.’

“What about your side?”

-‘Oh, don’t get me started. The first and second divisions of the Imperial Guard are passing the buck on responsibilities, while the Foreign Ministry wants to impose economic sanctions against the Magic Tower. The doves suggest negotiating since we can’t keep two fronts open, while the hawks insist we need to intervene immediately, throwing around defeatist nonsense. It’s complete bedlam. Absolutely ridiculous.’

“It sounds like everyone should lay low for a while. The atmosphere here isn’t looking too good either.”

There were reports of a tense standoff between the hardliners and moderates in the Imperial Army. It seemed the Imperial Guard was entangled in another internal conflict. I couldn’t help but wonder what the Emperor was doing amidst all this.

After alerting Veronica, I moved on to my next contact. The newly appointed Saint Lucia, who was enjoying a well-deserved break after wrapping up her official schedule, along with the Inquisition agent, Priest Rebecca, who had disguised herself as a nun for Lucia’s close protection, and Colonel Clevenz from the Military Intelligence Agency, who had been missing for a while.

Clevenz didn’t answer his phone. His deputy didn’t pick up either. Worried he might be in Room 503, I headed upstairs for a check, but the door there was unlocked. He must have rushed off somewhere unexpectedly.

“….”

Returning to my office, I peeked outside at the main gate, but the employees from the Royal Intelligence Department and the Military Intelligence Agency were still glaring at each other, equally unmoving. Just hop the wall already, you frustrating people.

“Is the main gate open yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“This is maddening.”

Jake groaned, raking his fingers through his blonde hair with a sigh. I plopped down on the sofa, rubbing my tired eyes, and gestured for Pippin to come over.

“Yes?”

“Pippin, did you send the documents to the hotel?”

“I encrypted them. Luckily, the operations team had the encryption gear, so I matched it up.”

“…Got it. Good work. You both should go rest now.”

“Yes. What will you do, Colonel?”

“I still have calls to make. What else can I do?”

I waved them out of the office and picked up the receiver, asking the hotel staff to connect me to a room.

“…….”

An empty office. The silence in the room was pierced only by the monotonous ringing.

After a brief wait, someone on the other end finally picked up.

-‘…Yes, hello?’

“This is Camila Lowell.”

I called Camila Lowell.

*

“How was your day?”

“It was nice. I got up in the morning, took a walk with Lucia around the area, read some books at the library, and met Lucia for lunch, went outside a bit. I practiced some magic, and now I’m just resting in my room.”

“I’m glad you had a peaceful day. What book did you read?”

“Um, social sciences? Humanities? If I had to specify, history and conflict-related books? Yeah, that sounds right.”

“Why read books like that? There are many other good ones.”

“Well, it’s my major? I’m drawn to the topic, I guess.”

“…I see. Anything else happening?”

“Nothing special. Just the usual stuff we talked about.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Stories from my time as a nun and caring for patients at the church. Just life stories. But I liked reminiscing about the past.”

“Life stories, huh? Aren’t you too young to be talking about that?”

“Right, what a weird way to phrase it. Oh, by the way, I did mention the Colonel.”

‘…Me?’

“Just about what you’ve been up to recently. What work you’re doing. Your hobbies. That sort of thing.”

“…I doubt it was very exciting, Camila Lowell.”

“No, not at all! Oh, wait! Colonel!”

‘Yes?’

“Please just call me Camila. Adding the surname makes it too long. It feels a bit distant that way.”

“…Understood.”

“Then can I call you Frederick?”

‘…Sure, as you wish.’

“Really? Alright then. You won’t change your mind, will you?”

‘…….’

“Uh, Frederick?”

‘Yes?’

“When can we meet again?”

‘…I think we’ll be able to meet soon.’

 

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