A Dark Fantasy Spy

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-Click.

The recorder that had finished playing stopped working. Petrus slowly opened his mouth after checking the recorded conversation.

“…Interesting content.”

“What do you think?”

I shook the recorder lightly and smiled slyly.

“If this leaks, a lot of people will be in trouble. Do you think it has any trade value?”

The conversation between Cardinal Raul and Cardinal Raphael. A secret between two papal candidates.

The recorder in my hand was something the Inquisition must secure at all costs.

“I think it’s sufficient.”

Petrus smiled. It was the same smile he always had, typical of an old man.

“Speak what you desire, Colonel.”

“Please grant me free access.”

He showed a brief perplexed expression, but as a veteran of 50 years, Petrus quickly grasped the core.

“Are you asking for a guarantee of free espionage in exchange for burying the secret…?”

He nodded slowly.

Petrus is someone who holds a lot of interest in me. To use Bernard’s expression, he thinks very highly of me.

A favorable demeanor and an irresistible proposal.

As I expected, he accepted the offer.

“Granted.”

There’s no price tag on words. Petrus handed over a blank check.

As I placed the recorder in front of him, Priest Rebecca picked it up and threw it into the fireplace.

The Inquisition Director smiled brightly and said.

“Now the contract is established.”

Petrus pulled out a bottle of alcohol from under the desk.

Priest Rebecca brought two glasses, and Petrus handed one to me.

The Inquisition Director smiled widely.

“The moment you leave the cult, all documents recording your activities will be designated as top secret.”

“I didn’t hear anything today.”

“Good trade, Colonel.”

The two glasses clinked together.

The contract was solidified.

—

Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent

I knocked on the door and opened it.

After being permitted, I stepped in and found Camila Lowell lying on the bed.

“…What are you doing?”

“I’m about to sleep.”

“Oh.”

Right, it’s the middle of the night.

I’ve been working so late that I can’t tell night from day anymore.

Camila Lowell slightly pushed her blanket aside and sat up. She was in light blue pajamas.

“Where did you get that pajamas?”

“Lucia gave it to me.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I wondered why she didn’t give me a gift.

It was a slightly petty thought, but I just accepted it since we didn’t have much of a friendship beyond a few conversations. Camila Lowell and Lucia often met at events, so it made sense they would exchange gifts among themselves.

The same went for me. I held up an envelope.

“I brought you a gift.”

“Oh my, what is it?”

Camila Lowell took the envelope and opened it. It was filled with medicine bottles.

“It’s some supplements and first aid medicine. You seemed tired lately, so I got these for you.”

“Thank you, Colonel!”

Vitamins, or whatever the correct term is, but it’s something like that. Unlike the cheap stuff made by local healers, these were created by alchemists and doctors at the Magic Tower.

“I don’t know if it will suit Camila Lowell, but it’s something widely used here.”

“Wow—. How much did all this cost…?”

Camila Lowell read the labels on the bottles, her mouth agape.

Maybe she had been educated, or perhaps she had developed some ability, but she was using the language of this world quite fluently.

She took out a cold drink from the fridge. Feeling the cool bottle, I slowly surveyed the room.

It was an ordinary embassy staff accommodation, but the decor was slightly more upscale.

“Are you comfortable living here?”

“Construction? Consul? It used to belong to some high-ranking person, so it feels like a 5-star hotel!”

Indeed. This room was used by a high-ranking diplomat.

Camila Lowell spoke while busy organizing the medicine bottles.

“The staff in the next room are all very kind, and the food is also great!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Sometimes foreign guests come by and give us gifts.”

I took out a detector from my pocket and scanned for gifts she mentioned.

While checking for bugs to divert Camila Lowell’s attention, I kept talking.

“Is there anything uncomfortable?”

“No! Aside from the carriage being a bit uncomfortable, everything is fine.”

“Long carriage rides hurt your back and bottom.”

Fortunately, there were no listening devices.

After all, the agents must have handled that. They probably checked all the gifts before bringing them in.

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well.”

Camila Lowell smiled.

According to the psychological analysis report, it reflects there’s some mental instability. The situation seemed to stabilize slowly after the bomb went off, but it had been worsening continuously since the official schedule started.

Yet seeing her trying to smile like that, I felt a bit strange.

I shoved the detector back into my pocket and tried to say goodbye as I prepared to leave.

“Colonel, please take this!”

She handed me a few medicine bottles.

What’s this?

“You look tired lately, so take care of your health!”

“…”

“Take it, quick.”

“…I will use it gratefully.”

She smiled brightly.

It was just an ordinary smile.

—

“Take your medicine.”

“No way.”

I popped a pill into Pippin’s mouth and closed her jaw. She reluctantly swallowed it with a glass of water.

“Why do I have to take care of you when you’re all grown up? Just take it, alright?”

“Can’t you at least lighten my workload instead of giving me medicine?”

Jake complained wearily. I showed him my middle finger and stuffed the medicine bottles into their pockets.

Where in the world is there a boss like this? Caring for their subordinate’s health too.

“Not medication, but less work, huh?”

“Stop complaining, Lieutenant.”

“Sure.”

I lightly silenced Jake’s nonsense. Again, rank is power. I flopped down into a chair.

“Why am I so tired these days….”

I let out a weak sigh and slumped my body.

Nowadays, I feel particularly heavy. It doesn’t mean I’ve gained weight, but that I’m so worn out I can hardly move.

Pippin looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

“Take a break.”

“Not until we catch the terrorist….”

We still haven’t found the terrorist.

It isn’t so much a matter of capability but rather scope.

I’m investigating both the cult and the Imperial Guard HQ simultaneously, so there’s no way results will come in just a month.

“The Inquisition suspects the Imperial Guard HQ.”

“The Imperial Guard HQ suspects the cult.”

Things are truly chaotic.

There are two suspects, and they are accusing each other of being criminals.

Of course, there’s no concrete evidence, but both are feeding us plausible claims, creating confusion in our investigation.

It’s utterly chaotic.

“It’s a mess.”

“Right? Even you guys think so, don’t you?”

“Well, once we catch a suspect, we can dig for information….”

Jake sighed, muttering. The truth is, we’ve already captured a suspect.

Ekaterina from the Imperial Guard HQ’s Counterintelligence Department.

The mysterious thug who attacked me just before the bomb went off. She managed to escape perfectly at the drop of a hat.

The problem is, she’s still in a coma.

“When she wakes up, how do you plan to interrogate her?”

“I asked the Colonel, and he said to let her write a report first.”

“A report? Will that work?”

“He said to make her write down every detail of the last month’s activities.”

“Are you kidding me.”

Pippin cursed quietly and shook her head.

Writing a report is a common interrogative method used everywhere. Hand over a pen and paper, and make them write hundreds of pages in a day, and most of them will confess eventually.

If that doesn’t work, then what?

“Should we torture her?”

“Are you insane? She’s been unconscious for almost a week; torturing her would just kill her, idiot.”

Torture isn’t a panacea.

Those without knowledge shouldn’t recklessly resort to torture. Especially in a situation like this, where there’s only one suspect—doing that is madness—

—so said Colonel Clevenz, the counterintelligence expert.

“Since it’s the Colonel’s word, I have to believe it.”

“Do you guys only listen to the Colonel and not me?”

“Hey~ there’s no way we wouldn’t listen to you, Colonel. The Colonel is what, how should I say it…. A specialist in that field!”

“Can’t we just call me a torture expert?”

“That sounds a bit off.”

“Isn’t it true?”

Though the Colonel didn’t use torture frequently, when it came down to it, he did.

In a world that’s going crazy, being aloof doesn’t help at all.

I’m not planning to postpone what needs to be done.

“Anyway, right now we don’t have a doctor or a technician, so we can’t do any torture. I won’t allow it.”

“Understood.”

—

“…So, those are the guidelines we’ve set.”

—‘Oh, you’ve worked hard, Colonel.’

In the middle of the night, at 1 AM, I stood on the terrace of the embassy, gazing at the dim world.

—‘Yeah. So the Imperial folks delivered explosives….’

I vaguely heard the Colonel mumbling, sounding a bit irritated.

“There’s a somewhat unsettling aspect to this, but we’ll investigate once the captured spy wakes up.”

—‘I’ll try to catch the guards here in the kingdom.’

“Is it really necessary to go that far?”

Isn’t it a bit hasty to act without a clear decision yet?

However, the Colonel seemed to have his own convictions.

—‘If they delivered explosives, they must be the suppliers for the terrorists, right?’

He was spot on.

After all, he’s been in the intelligence circle longer than I have. I trust his judgment.

“Understood. So, what should we do?”

—‘Find out who’s involved around the publishing house.’

I recall saying something similar to Pippin.

If we can find out the supply route for the explosives, we can tie the terrorists down with ropes.

I stored a few tasks in my head. Just as I was about to end the conversation after receiving the detailed order, the Colonel spoke up.

—‘…Your voice sounds off.’

“Pardon?”

—‘Are you getting enough sleep? Your voice is completely shot.’

“Oh… I’m getting at least six hours of sleep.”

Lies.

I haven’t been sleeping even five hours.

However, with all my responsibilities, I can’t whine about being tired.

—‘I trust you. Just make sure you rest well when you can.’

“I will keep that in mind.”

—‘Don’t rush; if a clue appears, don’t be too impatient.’

The call disconnects.

A good reminder to take it easy, but realistically, I can’t afford to do so right now.

But then again, since he said so, I guess I should go rest.

As I turned to head back to my room, my phone rang.

Ding!

Seeing it was a saved number, it seemed to be a message from one of the agents, but with so many, I couldn’t tell who it was.

“Um… Ah… Ah… Kahaah!”

Clearing my throat a bit, I answered the call.

“…Hello?”

—‘Colonel, reporting from Safe House No. 5.’

“What’s happening?”

—‘The detained Imperial Guard agent just regained consciousness.’