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The proposal from the Royal Intelligence Department was straightforward.

Complete support in exchange for a job transfer.

Director Leoni mentioned it somewhat ambiguously, but the Suit Man who accompanied her brought me the concrete details. For reference, he’s indeed the Royal Intelligence Department employee who handed over his business card.

“…….”

I sat on the sofa in the Military Intelligence Agency’s office, considering the proposal laid out by the Royal Intelligence Department.

A treatment equivalent to a Level 4 Manager’s position, two ranks higher than the rank of Major that corresponds to a Level 6 civil servant. Corresponding physical and non-physical support. Increased operational expenses. Access to the Royal Intelligence Department’s overseas information database. Approval for covert operations by the Director. Benefits equivalent to that of a section chief for the employee. Guarantees for family safety, and so on.

Though verbose, it boils down to one thing.

They offer to let me work under much better conditions than I currently have at the Military Intelligence Agency.

Each element is shockingly innovative. What particularly caught my attention was the support aspect.

Typically, a Manager-level position in an intelligence agency refers to a Level 4 civil servant. The size of the team managed by a Manager varies by department, but in operational fields, a Manager acts as a middle manager. Roughly positioned between a squad leader and a team leader, they can issue orders to at least twenty people.

An incredibly attractive offer.

This is especially true given that the only ones I currently command directly are Pippin and Jake.

Special Activities Department Operative, Counterintelligence Investigator, Technical Information Office Technician, Overseas Information Section Information Officer.

The individuals involved in this operation are not subordinates who follow my orders. It’s rather a partnership in which we cooperate to successfully execute a single operation. Given that the team is scheduled for disbandment post-operation, it can be said that it’s merely a fleeting relationship.

However, if I transfer to the Royal Intelligence Department, I’d be able to command agents of the same scale. Not only that, but it wouldn’t be a hastily assembled team like now, but a permanent one. As long as I remain with the Royal Intelligence Department, I could mobilize the same size team whenever I wanted.

This alone makes the proposal worthy of serious consideration.

That said,

“…Hmm.”

In the game’s storyline, it was obvious that Clevenz would soon rise to become the next Chief of the Military Intelligence Agency, and that weighed heavily on my mind.

Though the Chief of the Military Intelligence Agency is an appointed position with a three-year term, a Chief is still a Chief. At least as long as Clevenz remains in the Military Intelligence Agency, I won’t see a reduction in the support coming my way.

The question is what happens afterward.

What will I do if Clevenz completes his term and retires?

Can I still focus on the operations with the same overwhelming support in a Military Intelligence Agency without Clevenz?

If not,

wouldn’t it be wiser to transfer to the Royal Intelligence Department now and quickly establish myself?

“…….”

I was lost in thought.

Changing jobs to another intelligence agency was a path I had never ventured down in my life, so I found it difficult to take the plunge.

But all of this was about an uncertain future, and since I’m neither a shaman nor an astrologer, I couldn’t lift the veil to peek into what lies ahead.

Ultimately, it boils down to a battle with probabilities. In short, a gamble.

They asked me to contact the number on the business card once I made up my mind, but I simply couldn’t reach a decision.

“…Damn it.”

While I was sitting on the sofa, tangled in my thoughts, the door burst open.

It was Jake.

“Sir—no, Manager.”

“Uh, what’s going on?”

“Time to eat.”

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

Even though the Military Intelligence Agency is an intelligence agency, it fundamentally serves under the Ministry of Defense.

Like all military bases, the Military Intelligence Agency provides meals at specified times for officers, sergeants, civilian workers, and soldiers. If one is late for mealtime, they might not get any food at all. Especially on days when popular menu items are served, being a little late could mean witnessing a scene where the food has already disappeared.

However, the Military Intelligence Agency is not just any ordinary military base.

It’s a military intelligence body, meaning it’s an intel unit.

Overtime is routine, and working late feels like a break. One should be prepared for all their hair to fall out by their thirties due to work stress.

With so much work, not everyone can have their meal on time, and dinner isn’t served in the cafeteria during overtime. If the civilian cooks work night shifts, they have to be paid extra. And all of that comes out of the Military Intelligence Agency’s budget.

Ultimately, employees working late had to venture out to find dinner, which wasn’t an easy feat.

The biggest problem was finding a restaurant that opened late. Moreover, they had to wrap up their tasks quickly and go home. Eating out would just prolong their return journey, leading to complaints about their dreams being haunted by nightmares on team dinner nights, with people fleeing saying they couldn’t come back.

In any case.

So when they worked late, employees typically ordered food to be picked up or delivered to the office.

We were no exception.

“Late-night snack is here!”

Jake returned to the office, holding two bags filled with fragrant, oily food. Pippin poured a beverage into her mug (the official office supply, lowest bid).

“Where should I put it?”

“Just set it down here. Clear the papers off the floor.”

As the underlings set up the food, I piled the scattered papers on my desk onto the floor. I moved them far enough away to avoid any oil spillage on the top-secret military documents.

Thus, the three soldiers gathered around the desk and began devouring the late-night snacks. As I pulled a chair closer, I threw a question at Jake.

“Wow. Weren’t you tired of eating chicken? But why did you bring fried chicken?”

“It’s the only place open at this time, isn’t it?”

“Jake, put the fried chicken in the center, excluding the pasta. I’m not eating it.”

“Allergic?”

“Nope. Just watching my weight.”

“Then why are you eating fried chicken… Ah, ah, don’t hit me.”

“Dust gets everywhere. Stop it.”

Ignoring the bickering duo, I turned on the TV to find a news channel.

Just then, news of the No Man’s Land barren area operation flashed across the screen.

While Jake was scooping mashed potatoes, he looked at the TV and chimed in.

“The Hero participated again today, right? In the barren area operation.”

“Yep. There she is on screen.”

Footage of Camila, shot by the Ministry of Defense’s public relations department, began to air. A massive blaze engulfed the forest, and a monster resembling a wild dog screamed in agony as it was incinerated without any filters.

I wondered if it was really okay to broadcast such raw footage on official news, but before I could think too much, Pippin exclaimed in surprise.

“Wow. Shouldn’t that be taken out by artillery? They just incinerate it….”

I remember the Defense Attaché from the Empire had come to see it. The reaction was quite something. I muttered nonchalantly.

“The Empire’s Attaché was staring wide-eyed at that.”

“Really?”

Before I could answer Pippin’s question, Jake suddenly mumbled.

“She’s pretty.”

“Ah, don’t ruin the vibe….”

With Pippin and Jake starting to bicker again, I tore off a piece of the fried chicken and popped it into my mouth.

Licking the grease, I said to Pippin and Jake.

“All the staff have infiltrated? They left this morning, right?”

Jake stopped his bickering and replied to my question.

“Yes. I heard they entered the southern Empire through the Warp Gate. And they received two weeks’ worth of activity expenses and identification from the Magic Tower from the local consulate’s information officers.”

“They’ll enter the Magic Tower in two days. What about the equipment?”

“It’s currently being stored in the customs warehouse. As soon as the office is determined, they plan to disguise it as office supplies and send it into the Magic Tower.”

It’s remarkable how we can even discuss work while eating.

To outsiders, it might seem shocking, but for us, it was all in a day’s work. So everyone continued discussing work matters while munching on their snacks as usual.

Pippin, still holding her mug to her lips, said.

“I heard the operational expenses would be disbursed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs line.”

“They’re calling that a ghost company. There wasn’t a company that matched the background, so they’re using the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ assets. Anyway, is everything alright?”

“They handled it with the diplomatic information manager at the Magic Tower, so it’s been resolved without a need for thanks or security checks.”

It seemed like discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs went well.

I poked at my pasta and opened my mouth.

“Alright. Like I said before, Pippin, you just take care of support tasks at the representative office.”

“Yes.”

“If you wander around the field needlessly, it’d be an international scandal if you were caught. You understand?”

Pippin nodded as she sipped her drink.

As for Pippin, she would be analyzing information by collecting open-source data with analysts, so she wouldn’t be in any real danger. The problem was with Jake and me.

Jake would be controlling information agents from the Overseas Information Department waiting at the Magic Tower, overseeing the intelligence collection team. Thus, Jake had the highest likelihood of being spotted by the counterintelligence agency there.

“You need to be as cautious as possible. We don’t know how things will turn out in the field, but if it feels dangerous, just cut and run. You can leave it to the Special Activities Department.”

“Understood. What about you, Manager?”

“Me? I’ll just… do what I usually do.”

As I chewed on my pasta, I started to think.

Just looking at the number of personnel, equipment, and operational expenses involved in this operation, it was incomparable to when I was with the cult. Furthermore, this operation had agents from the Military Intelligence Agency gradually making their way into the Empire and the Magic Tower. I was expected to receive real-time intelligence collected by information officers every morning and evening, and I was already receiving a bit of it.

Though the Royal Intelligence Department was exerting its influence, this still seemed viable. I just needed to sort out the agremment issue.

While I was lost in that thought, attempting to snatch a chicken leg from Jake’s plate.

Suddenly, Pippin, having finished her drink, began to grumble.

“Hey, do we always talk about work while eating? Can we have some normal conversation like everyone else?”

“Isn’t this somewhat normal conversation?”

“Come on, it’s not normal by any stretch with the kind of job we have….”

Conversations that intelligence agency agents would typically have. But what could I do if there’s nothing to talk about? I didn’t have a large social circle, nor was I particularly close with family. Even worse, I didn’t even carry a cell phone, so I had no idea what my family was up to lately.

“Should I just share some stories from training camp? Oh, right. Pippin, remember when you pulled the instructor’s hair during naval training….”

“Shut it.”

“Okay.”

Pippin and Jake engaged in a topic only they understood while I changed the channel on the TV out of boredom.

Just then, as I was flipping through channels—

Thud.

—’Breaking news.’

A special alert appeared.

—’The Kien Empire’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Magic Tower will freeze its public assets within the Empire and nationalize the investments in the Magic Tower. Some analysts believe this may lead to a default declaration against the Magic Tower…’

The Emperor had drawn his sword.

—’Additionally, the Empire Police announced plans for extensive pre-emptive detentions to stabilize the unstable southern regions.’

A full-scale war between the Empire and the Magic Tower had begun.

 

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