A Dark Fantasy Spy

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I blinked, feeling like the President who just heard the news of the twin towers collapsing while reading a book in kindergarten.

Honestly, it seemed like a total disaster.

It had been a week since the Hero was summoned, and I thought it was strange that nothing had happened, when suddenly…

“Colonel Frederick Nostrim, you have been chosen as the Hero’s companion.”

And just like that, this terrible thing unfolded.

—

Episode 1 – The Gray Man

As soon as I started my workday, I was summoned by the Colonel and ushered into a meeting room where I heard the horrendous news that I had been selected as the Hero’s companion.

“First of all, it’s hard to believe, but you’ve been chosen as the Hero’s companion.”

This can’t be real…

I forced myself to deny reality and opened my mouth.

“Is… is that true? But why me…?”

“Well, I don’t know either. Only the Cult knows the details of the Oracle, not our Information Agency.”

Damn it. That makes sense.

I completely forgot that after starting the game and completing the quest in the royal palace, a letter from the Cardinal would arrive announcing the Hero’s Oracle. It was the very first occurrence, and I should’ve known our Information Agency wouldn’t have that information. It’s not like I could check firsthand what was in a letter delivered directly by the Cardinal.

Probably the Cardinal only shared the names of the four who were chosen as companions with no important details. A Priest candidate for the Pope’s blessing, an Alchemist who was the heir of the Magic Tower, a Barbarian Hero from the plains, and an Elf Archer protecting the World Tree. Yes, that’s right; it finally came back to me.

I nodded furiously.

Asking why I was included while mentioning those companions would be tantamount to suicide. I had just found out that I was chosen as the Hero’s companion. If I spouted such nonsense, Colonel Clevenz, the expert at sniffing out traitors, would definitely suspect me.

“I understand it’s hard to accept. Until just now, you were just an ordinary soldier in the Information Agency.”

The use of “until just now” makes it sound like I’m not one anymore?

That was probably true. If the Hero’s companions belonged to a certain country or faction, the fact that just being a soldier, or worse, an Information Agency agent would put me in serious political hot water.

Of course, the international community is the type of place where one can act like a fool if they have power, so they could easily brush aside controversies with names like “Holy Candidate” as a veil. But that was only possible because it pertained to a saint held sacred by many on the continent, whereas being an agent in the Information Agency was out of the question.

With the world on the brink of destruction, the reason I cared about international relations and diplomatic issues was simple. This dark fantasy world is filled with idiots who would spark civil wars over crowns even when their nation is crumbling. And once out of the Information Agency, I had nowhere to go. That was the most crucial part.

For soldiers, it’s essential to belong somewhere. Whether to a unit, a headquarters, or even as an instructor at a school. If there’s no affiliation, promotions are impossible and they have to hang up their uniforms. Especially if someone leaves before completing twenty years, their pension vanishes. Who would take in a soldier from the Information Agency, and I, now being the Hero’s companion, had to head abroad? Who’s going to handle the pile of work I leave behind?

Still, I don’t know anything yet. An elite mind from the Information Agency might come up with a plausible solution.

“What happens to me? Will I have to leave the Information Agency?”

“Most likely, yes. It’s possible you might have to give up the uniform too.”

Colonel Clevenz smiled slyly as he continued.

“But don’t worry too much. Creating a new identity is easy.”

“Thank you, Colonel.”

“You’ll have a lot to do moving forward, but you can leave for today.”

I closed the meeting room door and stepped outside.

I already felt drained, my shoulders slumped. My plan of enjoying life in the safe capital while the Hero saves the world fell apart. More than that, the thought of possibly losing my job started to ignite fear for the future.

Thud. Thud.

The sound of my military boots echoed through the empty corridor, a perfect space for reflection. Walking through the quiet halls, I slipped into deep thought. Of course, my information officer training kicked in, enabling rapid thinking.

I had become the unlikely fifth companion of the Hero.

I couldn’t quite comprehend how this related to my reincarnation into the game world. Instinctively, I sensed that I was trapped in a situation I couldn’t refuse.

I no longer knew what the future had in store. By becoming the Hero’s companion, the narrative could shift dramatically, or it could flow smoothly as per the original story. Perhaps I’d end up dragging the Hero by the scruff, forcing him to follow my lead. I let my imagination run wild, yet ultimately, all of it felt utterly futile. I was imagining a future that may never come to pass. There wasn’t even any evidence—people typically called baseless imaginings conjectures or delusions.

I stopped the cycle of delusions and started thinking more practically. The important thing was my situation changed drastically. I had gone from praying for the Hero to save the world to being a fellow participant in his journey. That was the most vital realization.

There might come a point where I couldn’t maintain my position as a soldier. I might have to shed my uniform to avoid political trouble or leave the Information Agency altogether. But if Colonel Clevenz said not to worry, I could simply believe him. The Colonel was an elite who had been active in this field longer than I had.

After much contemplation, I made my decision.

Leaving the Information Agency building swiftly, I headed towards my quarters. I climbed the stairs and entered my room, unlocking the cabinet with a padlock. Inside, an overwhelming number of document bundles filled one entire shelf, detailing heroes from the Dark World I had compiled over 28 years.

I sifted through the contents, pulling out a document about the very early palace section that was about a hand’s span across.

What truly mattered to me right now was that the Hero was staying in the palace, and a bit of time remained before the world was shattered.

Even though my 28-year plan had fallen apart,

“Haah…”

There was still a way forward.

—

“…Done.”

Finally.

Finally, it was over.

Throwing away the used pen, I looked out the window. The shimmering starlight broke through the pitch-black darkness.

Stretching out, I lay flat on the floor. The rustling of paper echoed with every movement. The floor was so chock-full of papers that there wasn’t space to step. It contained information I hadn’t dared to leave my room for in recent days.

I hadn’t just been sitting around and praying for 28 years. I had collected as much information as possible about the characters, surrounding countries, and organizations. Clipping newspaper articles, sorting through rumors I’d heard, and gathering books and interviews.

The information I had gathered in my few years at the Information Agency vastly outweighed what I had amassed over 20 years, but that was the point of being in that place. Of course, it was natural to have more data from an Information Agency; the quality was just as important.

I reached out and pulled documents that had piled up in a corner closer to me. They featured pictures along with names, birthdays, residences, and recent activities. It was all about the Hero’s companions. I slowly flipped through them.

I had looked at them so many times that the paper was nearly deteriorated; merely hearing a name conjured up a mental image of who was where doing what. But familiarizing myself wouldn’t hurt.

With every page turned, familiar names emerged.

The Priest serving the Saint, the Alchemist who was snubbed in the succession race, the Barbarian Hero roaming the desert seeking vengeance for his murdered father, and the Elf safeguarding the World Tree.

I filled in gaps for information regarding places the kingdom’s network didn’t reach, making modifications as the information came. I wasn’t sure if my memories were accurate or if there were any mistakes. I scanned through the records, pondering how to lead these misfits to save the world.

Then, my gaze landed on one particular document.

“…Lucia.”

The candidate for the Saint residing in the Papal realm.

Though she was called a candidate, she was essentially a servant to the Saint at present. Being a Saint isn’t a role assigned by a deity; it’s more of a position. To become a Saint in this world, one must receive a recommendation from a Cardinal and surpass a certain vote percentage from Bishops. And this girl, chosen as the Hero’s companion, would soon receive a Cardinal’s recommendation to become a candidate for the Saint.

However, actually becoming a Saint was a totally different matter; she would need the support of more Bishops than Cardinals. And in this dark fantasy world, most clergy were corrupt, with the majority of saints chosen through a chaotic mess of electoral bribery, black propaganda, ghost voting, or even state-sponsored elections.

The poor girl who appears in the game suffers from black propaganda and ends up failing to become a Saint, joining the Hero’s journey as just a candidate.

This led to countless events occurring. In the game, events related to the Hero’s companions often featured this girl and the Alchemist, surpassing at least half of the involvement. The cult wasn’t about to let a new candidate just pass by quietly. The Alchemist, snubbed from the power struggle, would be the new opposition to the head of the Magic Tower.

Thus, both the Priest and the Alchemist were known as walking time bombs. For this reason, many strategy guides in the community suggested separating the Priest and the Alchemist to clear the game. There were no paths that weren’t accepted, but no one was forced to keep them alive either.

Should one follow those strategies, the Priest and the Alchemist would meet grim fates. From the player’s perspective, however, it was merely the death of a character they’d already decided to sever ties with, so it wasn’t considered a burden.

However, in this world, death meant true death.

Before coming to the rear Headquarters, I was stationed on the frontline and had seen countless corpses. The feeling of their lifeless bodies, the smell of decay, and the emotions felt by those around were things no program could ever replicate. Not even Skynet could manage that.

Should I take the risk and accept those two? Or would I have to abandon them, battling with guilt?

I gazed out at the stars pouring in through the window, lost in thought.

“…Ugh.”

Thoughts raced quickly, but decisions were slow.

On the thirteenth day since the Hero’s summoning and the fifth day since I had become the Hero’s companion at dawn.

After five days of contemplation, I made my choice.

I’d just give it a go.