A Dark Fantasy Spy

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“The Security Committee has been listening in on you and the Hero. As you know, the Security Committee is the counterintelligence agency of Ashtistan,” the police officer said.

“Of course, Colonel Frederick is a bureaucrat from a hostile nation, and considering the recent chill in bilateral relations, it’s possible that the ‘Rabdari’ people acted rashly….”

The Ashtistan civil servant voiced his confusion, as if struggling to comprehend the situation.

“But still, why was the Hero under surveillance by the Rabdari? This remains an unanswered question,” he mused.

The middle-aged local man chuckled lightly and threw in a comment.

“Surely the Hero isn’t being suspected of being a spy, right?”

“….”

“It was a joke.”

—

Episode 20 – Who Threatened with a Sword?

The surveillance incident by the Ashtistan Security Committee is a significant diplomatic issue by itself. The counterintelligence agency of the Republic of Ashtistan, which prides itself on being an ally, planted a knife in the back of the Kien Empire by spying on a Duke.

However, the crux of the matter lies not in the eavesdropping, but in the bribery.

Commonly referred to as Rabdari, an executive of the Ashtistan Security Committee brazenly demanded a bribe from me.

The Oversight Committee came across this information through some route and quickly disciplined the executive. It seemed they were aware of the corruption long before we reported it, but the clincher was the bribe request directed at me.

Thinking that his corruption had been exposed because of me, the executive came to me with a threat: ‘Leave Ashtistan,’ accompanied by a petition sent to the Security Committee by Camila, who makes money with Yama.

The reporting agency was the Oversight Committee beneath the Security Committee. It was the very department embroiled in this eavesdropping incident.

“…Hoorup.”

I tilted my teacup for a moment, slowly turning over my thoughts.

Is it truly beneficial to inform Camila about her involvement in this uproar?

From an informational standpoint, the fact that she, a 100% civilian, got tangled up in a disturbance caused by a counterintelligence agency was ‘noteworthy.’ More specifically, it would be ‘suspicious.’

To be connected in any way to a counterintelligence agency or information agency as an ordinary civilian would imply that she is not an ordinary person in any form.

This was not good for either Camila’s position or mine, as we had moved together. Neither the police nor the counterintelligence agency should suspect Camila, nor should they be led to suspect her.

The problem is,

“…Well, isn’t suspicion just the norm for a counterintelligence agency? As you’d know, being a police officer yourself.”

The very person out here investigating happens to be someone from the investigative side.

“That’s probably true. It’s a sort of occupational hazard, I guess.”

“There are no end to the late-stage patients of suspicion, are there?”

“I’d just say they’re a little more cautious and inquisitive than others.”

The middle-aged man who introduced himself as a police officer mumbled in an interesting tone, as if he found the subject amusing, while fixing his gaze on me as I took a drag from my cigarette.

“Well, if their curiosity kicks in twice, they might even strip down to their underwear.”

I mumbled meaningless words to myself, deep in thought.

I had no way of knowing whether he truly came from the police or another intelligence agency, but it was certain that the man before me was in the ‘investigative part.’

And having watched Clevenz since his days as head of counterintelligence, I believed that lying under the pretext of protecting Camila would be madness.

Anyone who came to investigate the Security Committee would eventually learn about the ins and outs of the case.

That the Rabdari executive demanded a bribe from me, and that a petition to the Oversight Committee was filed during that process—eventually, they would learn that the one who wrote it was Camila. If someone were investigating an intelligence agency, they surely would have received at least that much military intelligence.

From an investigative perspective, if I lied to protect Camila, that, in itself, would be problematic.

In essence, it would mean that a foreign official suspected of being a spy would be shielding an involved civilian.

From the standpoint of an investigative agency, this was an irrefutable fact of suspicion.

“……”

I tapped the top of the cigarette pack with my palm, and the yellow filter popped out.

I bit down on the cigarette that had risen to the top and offered the protruding magpie beak to the other person.

“Care to smoke?”

The middle-aged civil servant began waving his hands with a light laugh.

It was a soft and resolute refusal.

“I’ve quit smoking.”

“I see.”

There was no need to insist further.

I managed to light the cigarette, then broke the silence with the faint blue smoke.

“Camila must have been eavesdropped upon because she was involved in the incident.”

“The Hero, you mean?”

“I had a little friction with the Security Committee personnel. But it seems fate had it that, on my first day of entry, Camila got dragged into it as well.”

“Hmm… What kind of friction was it?”

We continued our conversation for quite a while, with tepid tea cups and a stack of ashtrays between us.

I explained every single incident that had occurred without leaving any details out.

When exactly the Security Committee executive demanded a bribe from me, why I sought help from Camila, what I discussed with the Chair of the Oversight Committee, and so on.

Naturally, a little embellishment was mixed in.

“Camila didn’t notice she was being eavesdropped upon. I was completely oblivious too. It was only before Her Grace, Archmage Alexandra Petrovna, noticed.”

“You couldn’t even anticipate that you’d be followed or surveilled, huh?”

“No, not at all.”

If the investigative agency of the Ashtistan Republic were to proceed thoroughly with the investigation, the facts and timeline—objective information like those—would soon be uncovered.

However, other information, like at what point Camila and I realized we were being eavesdropped upon, is something even the investigative agency would find hard to determine.

After all, the bugs we found were carelessly left in place.

Knowing full well the Security Committee was eavesdropping, I spilled details about my schedule for the next day, the plans after my companions arrived, and informal things I shared with the Priest. That way, I could calm and deceive them.

The revelation of the eavesdropping was entirely due to Archmage Alexandra Petrovna’s magical sensing ability, and the ensuing diplomatic disaster was also instigated by the Duke.

In other words,

“I believe Her Grace will provide more detailed circumstances. After all, she was the one who found the bugs.”

On the surface, Camila and I appear to be ‘perfect victims’ in this incident.

This fact could also be determined by investigating the diplomats and information officers of the Empire who were intertwined with the Duke at the time, as well as the bureaucrats of the Ashtistan Republic.

In other words, their claims could serve as evidence supporting my lies.

—

While casually responding to inquiries, my mobile phone suddenly rang loudly. Checking to see if it was Camila, I found an unknown contact instead.

Is it a spam call?

I hit the end button to decline the call and naturally reopened the conversation.

“Sorry. I received an unknown call….”

“It’s fine. I understand.”

“Where were we just now?”

“About how you were approached for bribes by a Rabdari associate from the very first day you entered.”

The middle-aged civil servant smiled gently and listened to my story. I mixed in the bland facts along with key points that would be hard for him to discover.

“That’s right. On my first day, I nearly had my pockets opened. Suddenly, they came and said they had something to check, and when I approached during the argument, he opened his jacket. Just like this.”

Holding onto one side of my jacket and flapping it, I looked at the man. He was entirely focused on me, disregarding the rather large swaying garment.

“Were you there at that time, Hero?”

“No.”

I shook my head immediately.

“The attendants in Azadi Palace suggested I accompany the Duke, so I wasn’t present.”

“Then the disturbance must have continued until the two of you returned.”

“In fact, I had already noticed the commotion before I arrived. It got so loud.”

“Hmm….”

The middle-aged civil servant’s eyebrows twitched once.

He raised a notebook he had taken out with his left hand, and began stroking his beard with his right. The subtle hum slipped between his lips just after that.

“Reportedly, there indeed was an argument between Colonel Frederick and the Security Committee staff. However, they claim the volume was not high enough to be heard from a distance….”

What happened here?

The middle-aged civil servant placed his clasped hands on his knees and asked, expression conveying slight incredulity.

“Isn’t it because you’re a magician?”

“Is it that Your Grace and the Hero’s hearing is that exceptional? To hear speech sufficiently from a distance when nearby average civilians couldn’t?”

I shrugged my shoulders and added curtly.

“Well, that’s magic for you. If your senses were no different from the average, why would you have detected the bugs in the first place?”

“Ah. That makes sense.”

The fact that Camila and the Duke heard the argument and grasped the situation is a fact. The fact that the Duke detected the weak magical wave and found the bugs is also a fact.

While there’s no immediate way for the Ashtistan Republic to ascertain specifics, considering the Duke’s magical sensing exhibited during this eavesdropping incident, it’s a thoroughly reasonable argument. And besides, it’s the truth.

If Camila or the Duke were to testify to the commotion that occurred in Azadi Palace to the investigative agency, the fact that two people who weren’t there managed to grasp the situation just from the conversation is apparent.

This too would serve as evidence that my claims consistently spoke only the truth during future investigations.

“In summary, it appears you were already aware of the friction between Colonel Frederick and the Security Committee from Azadi Palace, and when the associates came to threaten you both a few days later, you willingly contributed to the petition for help, right?”

The Ashtistan civil servant neatly summarized the incident.

According to that summary, Camila merely assisted me when I was in trouble and was merely an outsider with no relations to the intelligence or counterintelligence agencies.

She needed not garner any suspicion or doubt. To be precise, there was nothing to even arouse suspicion.

And just as I had anticipated, the middle-aged civil servant neatly closed the conversation in a monotone voice.

“It’s quite an uncomfortable incident, isn’t it? It truly aligns well with the phrase about how misfortune seems to attract. For both Colonel Frederick and the Hero.”

“……”

“I personally wish to express my regrets. I feel ashamed as a public servant of Ashtistan.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“Yet, isn’t it right to acknowledge faults? That extends to apologies as well. It’s just grace and honor, you know.”

The expression was one typical of a local resident who revered honor over life. It was a commendable statement on the human level. On a personal level, at least.

The middle-aged civil servant swiftly transcribed the investigation results into his notebook, and as I brushed the ash off my nearly half-burned cigarette, I waited.

“But….”

He suddenly broke the silence after jotting something down.

“It’s quite interesting that all three of you have vacated your lodgings amid such an unpleasant incident. Under normal circumstances, people would be shocked and frightened after experiencing such things.”

“Does it make any difference to panic and be scared?”

“Have you considered relocating? You could live more safely and peacefully at a new hotel.”

“Safety and peace are abstract and relative concepts.”

“Yet they are what everyone dreams of.”

I extinguished my cigarette in the ashtray.

While crushing it with a snap, I suddenly moved my lips.

“Was there anywhere safe and peaceful in Shizuya?”

The man just smiled in silence.

No answer returned.

I brushed the ash off my clothing, while he sipped from his teacup. The politeness consistently displayed throughout our long conversation remained, but his sentences noticeably shortened.

“Where are you and Her Grace currently?”

“Not sure. I haven’t received any updates.”

“Colonel Frederick. Where did you just come from?”

“I got bored and took a walk. Had to run an errand for my grandmother.”

“Isn’t it strange for all three involved parties to leave the hotel merely a day after the eavesdropping incident?”

“You think it’s natural that a Duke visiting Ashtistan to meet a Priest of Al-Yabd was eavesdropped on by the Security body of the Ashtistan Republic?”

The Ashtistan civil servant continued looking at me with a smiling face.

Just as I was about to moisten my throat with coffee and take out a new cigarette.

-♬~

The loud ringing sounded again from my pocket.

“……”

As I pulled out the buzzing mobile phone, the middle-aged man’s expression contorted. To be precise, he looked quite weary.

In fact, the phone had been ringing steadily for a while now, so this was probably the third or fourth time.

So he had no choice but to present that weary expression and urge for a call.

“Just answer it. Please….”

“Ah, yes.”

*

It seemed he had some matters to attend to as well. He hurriedly took out his phone, checked the screen, and left in a rush.

Having awkwardly apologized, I changed my spot as well.

“……”

Flipping open my ringing cellphone and scanning the caller ID, it was, once again, an unknown number but bearing the same digits as those calling earlier.

Is it a company contact? I tilted my head and pressed the call button.

“Hello?”

-‘Is this Frederick?’

A familiar voice.

In that instant, I couldn’t help but ask in disbelief.

“Camila? Is that you?”

-‘Yep.’

“What the heck is this number? What happened to the one I gave you? And more importantly, where are you calling from? I thought you were on your way—but did you take a detour?”

-‘That’s what I want to ask!’

Anyway!

From the other end of the phone, I heard Camila’s familiar high-pitched voice unexpectedly start hurling random questions at me.

-‘Frederick. Back when we were at the Magic Tower, didn’t you say your sister was a magician?’

“Yeah. I did.”

-‘But why did you leave out the part about her being younger? I was so surprised!’

“…What are you suddenly going on about?”

What’s with this? Why is Ayla’s name coming up here? Is she spouting nonsense like this after being roused from her sleep?

I found it hard not to suspect whether Camila was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Is she chewing on some hash that’s lying around the market or what?

Just then—

-‘No! I almost used formal speech thinking she was older than me!’

“…?”

…Used formal speech? What on earth does that mean all of a sudden?

In disbelief, I leaned closer to the phone, certain I heard someone whispering near Camila.

“Camila. Just to confirm, are you with my sister right now?”

-‘…Huh?’

“I asked if you’re with Ayla.”

-‘U-uh, no. It was an indiscretion! I was just bored and made that up….’

“Then who the heck are you calling from?”

-‘Ah? Well, um, actually, the battery on my phone died. I borrowed this one from a passerby to say hello—”

“Where are you? Give me your location.”

-‘…….’

No answer came back.

A flush of blood rose to my head immediately.

“…Ayla, you little—”

*

Caw!

A shrieking soprano voice erupted beyond the volume the phone can handle, bringing with it a whirlwind of chaos.

Quickly, Camila hit the call end button in a panic as she recoiled in surprise.

“Was I not supposed to tell your brother that I’m here?”

With an awkward expression, she looked towards the person who lent her the phone, but the response she got was silence.

Because the person who lent her the phone was completely focused on the raucous phone call ringing loudly.