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Leading the Unofficial Disguised Individuals, I infiltrate the Magic Tower under the guise of a Defense Attaché to uncover the mastermind behind the spy sent here.

So far, all operations have been proceeding smoothly. I am slowly closing in on my target, and my disguise hasn’t been blown.

However, what I didn’t anticipate was that our target is linked to an ally’s Information Agency, and there’s also another military Intelligence Agency from a rival Empire pursuing the same target.

This is an unexpected twist for me. Who would have thought that multiple Information Agencies would be intertwined with a single target?

It’s like one cake with three mouths. And that mischievous friend of mine is over there begging for just one bite. Whether he genuinely only wants a bite or plans to sneak off and devour the whole thing is anyone’s guess.

The most important thing is the outcome.

As I repeatedly state, processes and logic are unnecessary. The report only records the results and the achievements born from those results.

In the end, that’s all that remains.

There are five days left until the moment that will determine the future of this operation.

If I don’t want to be left licking a plate that others have cleaned,

I need to start running like a dog right now.

—

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Spy, Soldier

Camila wiped away the beads of sweat forming on her brow and shook her hands.

“It’s not as hot as I expected, is it?”

“Of course not. It would be silly for a magician to get hurt by the magic they cast.”

Camila twisted her wrist, then extended her arm again to unleash another spell. With a booming sound, a fountain of water erupted in the middle of the pool.

I couldn’t help but applaud at the sight.

“That’s impressive.”

“Hehe.”

Camila scratched her head, a bit bashful about the praise.

It’s hard to believe that she’s a magician who’s barely been at it for three months. I’ve seen her skills during the barren land operation, yet I still can’t help but be amazed.

Considering that the only magic I’ve really seen in my 28 years of life was my sister’s that I’d rather erase from the records, it’s astonishing how impressive Camila’s abilities are even to someone like me who knows nothing about magic.

I handed her a fluffy towel after she splashed water over herself.

“With skills like this, you can definitely brag about it.”

“Is it really that good?”

“Absolutely.”

Though I’ve lived a life far from magic, thanks to the prospective executive magicians I’ve met during my commissioning and my sister who lounges around at home, I know well how challenging it is to learn magic.

It takes a lot of money, time, and your future depends on your talent. If you think of it like sports, it makes it easier to understand.

And like with sports, only a very few can succeed after fierce competition.

Still, if you just go with the flow, you’ll find a path to employment, which makes magic look somewhat more promising than sports. But how would it feel to be struggling while others live with high salaries?

At least in the case of science and arts, one could be told they lagged behind due to studying less. But since magic prioritizes talent over effort, mentioning such a thing to a close friend could easily get you killed. There have been real murders for such reasons, after all. It’s rather strange that my exceptionally talented and successful sister is living as an idle person.

Though I’m not a magician and don’t know the ins and outs of that world, I have picked up enough to generally understand what it’s like.

Watching Camila prepare her next spell, I casually asked, “Is there anything you’re curious about? Like magic, perhaps? Or the Magic Tower?”

“Um, no? Not right now.”

“But the last time, you said you had something to ask.”

“I’ll ask later! It’s not really a topic to discuss here!”

“……?”

Camila waved her fingers and smiled brightly. I have no idea what she’s itching to ask.

Regardless, it’s crystal clear that she’s someone with ridiculous abilities.

This has been evidenced by the multitude of Information Officers sent abroad by the Military Intelligence Agency.

Half of the news coming into the security line every morning pertains to the activities of various countries’ defense ministries and military intelligence agencies linked to Camila. They mainly focus on gathering information about her abilities.

To make matters worse, several military intelligence agencies with sufficient technological prowess were attempting cyber warfare against the Military Intelligence Agency’s servers, so it goes without saying how hot their interest in her is.

Perhaps an Information Agency, driven by their increased desire, may even attempt to make contact with her. For now, Colonel Clevenz has stated that the company will try to block such attempts, but whether that will be effective or not is uncertain. Frankly, I don’t think it will be.

…Still.

I really don’t think I need to worry too much.

“……”

“Ho-it!”

That’s probably how it will be.

—

After wrapping up my time caring for Camila, I returned to my duties as an Operative.

Since I already have a rough sketch of the situation, I just need to flesh out some details to create a simple blueprint. Of course, that’s easier said than done when it comes to operative tasks.

“Manager, I found the schedule.”

“Is that so? Hand it over here.”

First, I identified where Fabio Verati’s youngest daughter would be going using the document that Jake brought.

While the term “Academy” might sound like a university, it actually falls under the category of secondary education institutions, similar to middle and high schools in Korea. Therefore, notifying parents of the academic schedule through a home communication letter is essential.

And like most home communication letters, the backside contained detailed information.

“Which class does the 51st contact belong to?”

“Class 7.”

“Class 7… No absentees, huh? Is the schedule definitely what’s listed here?”

“Yes. I consulted with all the accommodations and restaurants reserved by the Academy staff. If there are no significant changes, it should go as documented here.”

Jake reported all the intelligence collected by the human intelligence team to me.

For reference, the human intelligence team gathered information just by making some inquiries. I’m confident in this because the report Jake submitted showed no signs of having bribed any informants with money.

This local area, where personal data is managed poorly, makes it quite convenient for work like this. Just visiting real estate offices can yield a wealth of information.

“It’s a 2-night, 3-day schedule with accommodation at a hotel. Wow, they must be rich, huh? Back in my day, we just stayed in hostels.”

“I guess it’s because the Academy is located in a wealthy area.”

“Well then, we can’t kidnap them near the Academy, can we?”

That wasn’t something I was expecting a response to.

It goes without saying that kidnapping in a wealthy neighborhood means trouble. Such rich areas tend to have better security, and even if the kidnapping succeeded, tracing would be easy.

I spread the map of the areas listed in the schedule across the hotel bed.

“There are several potential sites, but the most likely ones are two: the location where they’ll stay on the second day and the path they’ll take on the last day when they return.”

Of course, this isn’t a simple map, but one created using data from the External Affairs Police and the Magic Tower Police for this mission.

In other words, it’s a map marking areas with high crime rates and those that don’t, while also indicating checkpoints and various monitoring devices.

“Here’s the downtown area. This shopping district is set for redevelopment, but it has many alleys and fewer surveillance devices. Since they haven’t replaced the streetlights, the crime rate is surprisingly high.”

“The home communication letter states they’ll stop by for dinner afterward.”

Jake pulled out the Magic Tower’s sunrise and sunset timetable. I wonder why such a thing exists in a town where magic can change day and night.

If that gentleman had seen his design being turned into espionage, he would have jumped out of his coffin!

Anyway.

Jake alternated between checking the schedule and the family notice.

“It’s cutting it close with sunset. But isn’t the police station way too close?”

“…Now that I think about it, it is indeed close. How long would it take for a magician to reach there in a straight line, about 5.4 km?”

“By vehicle, it would take more than 10 minutes, but if they fly over, that’s a different story. We can’t run away by flying, can we? There aren’t any magicians around.”

That made sense.

No matter how fast we moved, if someone was tracking us from the sky, it would be difficult to escape. So, we had no choice but to quietly kidnap and exit before there was a report, avoid the sky by going underground, or prepare for combat and escape by force.

Pippin, who had been scribbling notes and tapping on her device, finally spoke up.

“Our analysis team determined that the last return route is the optimal location.”

“Why’s that?”

“First of all, there’s nothing within several kilometers. No surveillance equipment, and the patrol intervals of the road patrol unit are wide. The surrounding area is wooded, so if worse comes to worst, we can use that area as a retreat route. And above all, the plan is for us to disperse locally and return individually, right?”

Though she said “seems okay,” that was effectively the answer.

It was a conclusion reached by a bunch of analysts who had grilled and hammered out the details, so how likely could it be wrong? If they failed at such a simple analysis, then they wouldn’t be analysts.

Still, since anything could happen, it was necessary to get input from the experts.

“Alright. By the way, when’s the protest supposed to start?”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it’ll be in a week. The Royal Intelligence Department estimates around the same time.”

“Jake. Open a line.”

“Yes. Where shall I connect you?”

“Special Activities Department.”

*

After about an hour of audio conference with the Special Activities Department Operations officer, Counterintelligence investigator, Technical Information Bureau technician, and operative, the outline of the operation was somewhat established. In truth, I had already outlined the bigger framework, so this was merely a process of supplementing and refining the opinions of the responsible officers.

Naturally, the insights from veteran operatives with plenty of experience were valuable.

Where to kidnap, how to kidnap, who does the kidnapping, what reason to approach, when to subdue, where to transport them, and what to do after everything was wrapped up, etc. The flow was mostly me suggesting and the officers identifying problems and proposing alternatives.

Thank goodness we had ample time. If I had gone along to provide medical services today, we would have had another meeting at dawn.

“…Saint?”

“Please just call me Lucia.”

“Oh, my apologies.”

Speak of the devil, Lucia appeared just then. I greeted her warmly as I ran into her in the hotel hallway.

“You seem to have come back early today.”

“I finished early as I ran out of supplies I had prepared.”

“Oh dear.”

“It seems I’ll be stuck in the hotel for a while.”

Lucia calmly smiled, stating she planned to stay in the hotel until the next supply arrived.

I couldn’t fathom just how much she had been running around to deplete that much holy water and supplies. It amazed me that there were still plenty waiting for medical services at the Magic Tower, and her attitude towards going back to do that difficult medical service again was just absurd.

“Is everyone else okay? It seemed rather taxing.”

“The fatigue can recover with rest, but can we really afford to stop fighting against disease?”

“No, I meant others, not you.”

“Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”

Lucia said this nonchalantly.

Who could argue with a saint saying she was fine? Logically, it didn’t make sense, but the one saying such absurdity wore a serene expression.

If someone saw her, they would think she was truly a pure and benevolent saint, but to me, Lucia was no different from a raccoon carrying a snake in its belly.

She was a girl who knew very well that Raul was using her yet played along.

“I see.”

What on earth was going through her mind?

Veronica or Lucia. Why were both saints acting like raccoons? I couldn’t make sense of it at all.

It felt easier to just think the world was in this miserable state and move on.

“Then, when do you expect the next supply to arrive?”

“I heard in five days. It seems it will take additional time to sort and categorize the supplies before we can resume activities.”

Hmm.

“How long do you think it will take to organize?”

“About three days, I estimate. We should stay here for at least a week.”

A week, huh.

The timing was quite exquisite. I looked around and approached Lucia to quietly speak.

“…The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says there will soon be a protest at the Magic Tower.”

“A protest, you say?”

“Yes. I think it would be best for you to take extra precautions. It seems a radical group is causing trouble for the local authorities.”

Though I had hinted to the Inquisition, I felt it necessary to inform Lucia as well.

However, I omitted the reason why the protestors had risen. That was the role of the Inquisition protecting Lucia; it wasn’t her place to worry. Since I had already informed them, there was no need for Lucia to be burdened with that information.

After pondering my words for a moment, Lucia raised her head and asked me.

“Are you suggesting we delay our activities?”

“Though local police are aware of it, the reality on the ground doesn’t always flow as planned. Your will is significant, but please do keep it in mind.”

“…Understood. Thank you for letting me know.”

Deep in thought, Lucia nodded and expressed her gratitude.

Though prioritizing operations as an operative was important, protecting Lucia’s safety was equally essential, and I couldn’t neglect it.

“By the way, does Camila know about the upcoming protest?”

“No. I haven’t informed her yet. The Magic Tower plans to control the protestor’s movement, so she shouldn’t encounter them. However, since there will be a protest, I felt the need to advise caution as it could create a gap in public safety in other regions.”

“That’s a relief.”

Lucia nodded with an expression devoid of any worry. Her demeanor showed no trace of concern.

Whether she was unusually calm or just didn’t think about safety made me suspicious, but just then, Lucia broke into a radiant smile and cleared up my doubts.

“I can at least protect myself. I haven’t just been performing duties blindly.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Still, if you’re really uneasy, how about joining me again this time?”

What an awful suggestion.

“I appreciate the offer, but I have things to do, so I’m afraid I can’t accompany you for a while. Haha.”

“You seem to have a lot going on.”

“Well….”

I answered with a smile plastered on my face, as usual.

“Being a civil servant is just like that.”

 

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