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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The situation was changing rapidly. While the surface remained calm, a fierce struggle for survival was taking place beneath. Asylum was steadily gaining power. The Empire’s counterintelligence agency was desperately trying to suppress them. And caught in the middle, the Kingdom’s intelligence agency was biding its time.
A tense three-way standoff was unfolding in the shadows.
But I was desperately short on information. Even with Hertlocker as my pawn, I could only extract so much without his full cooperation. Erwin was my only real window into the underworld. And she was just a low-ranking member of Asylum, unable to provide anything substantial.
I was still effectively blind.
The only way to break this stalemate was to cooperate with the Kingdom’s intelligence agency. With Imperial counterintelligence agents swarming the capital, any overt action from the Kingdom’s agency would be suicidal.
The Kingdom’s spies, who hated the Empire above all else, were forced to lie low in the heart of their enemy’s territory.
If I was going to contact them, it had to be now. While I still held enough influence to prevent them from attacking me outright, even if I revealed everything.
“I like you, oppa.”
And that’s when Emilia confessed. Had she sensed the tightening noose of the Empire’s counterintelligence and decided to make a move?
It was a hasty gambit. But it was also an opportunity. A chance to end this deceptive relationship.
“Emilia. I know. I know you’re an intelligence agent.”
“…”
Silence.
Was she stunned? But like a trained spy, she didn’t tremble or show any outward sign of panic. Instead, she bit her lip and glared at me.
“That list… I was told you burned it without even looking at it.”
She wasn’t going to deny it. She must have realized it was pointless. Emilia, who knew me well, knew I rarely bluffed.
“How did you know?”
“That’s not important. What matters is why I haven’t done anything about it.”
Emilia’s eyes widened, her gaze intense. She looked ready to stab me, but she remained motionless. As expected.
I needed to contact the Kingdom’s agency, but I’d spent a long time agonizing over who to contact. Hertlocker was out of the question. He’d fly into a rage if he discovered my deception.
Eric and the other agents were also risky. They might not believe my sincerity and see it as an opportunity to betray me. The best option was Emilia. She knew me best. I could convey my intentions to the agency through her without risking misunderstandings.
“The reason is…”
BOOM!
A sudden crash. The sound of shattering wood.
I instinctively jumped back, assuming a defensive stance, but—
“Oh.”
Emilia had already fled through the front door. I tried to access my observation spell to pursue her, but it had been shattered.
“Oh… damn it… This is bad…”
Why was I surrounded by women who never let me finish a sentence? This was going to lead to another misunderstanding. Erica’s misunderstandings were annoying but harmless.
This, however, was a matter of life and death.
“Emilia. Even you…”
I slumped to the ground, sighing. My future looked bleak.
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– Closed.
A sign hung on the locked door of the cafe. Inside, shielded by a perception-blocking barrier, a meeting was in progress. Hertlocker spread a map on the table, marking it with a pen.
“These are the safe houses that have been raided in the past week.”
“The net is closing in.”
Eric frowned, tracing the direction of the markings. They were getting closer to the capital. Their safe houses in the capital would be next.
“Damn it. I thought we were safe for a while.”
They’d been lying low to avoid detection. The number of raids should have decreased, but it had increased instead. There was a traitor among them.
“And there were no survivors in any of the three raided safe houses.”
“No survivors? Not a single one returned?”
“No. They’re all missing.”
“Hmm…”
Eric’s brow furrowed as he listened to Hertlocker’s report. This wasn’t the Empire’s counterintelligence’s usual method. They always left one or two survivors to turn into double agents. But there had been no double agents this time. Something was off.
“Don’t you think this is Asylum’s doing?”
“What? You think we have a cultist among us?”
“There was a traitor within the Imperial University. There’s no guarantee our agency is safe.”
Asylum might have a foolish ideology, but their influence was vast. Perhaps they were using some kind of mind control magic. If so, it wouldn’t be surprising to find their followers in any organization.
“Why would they attack us? They’re enemies of the Empire. They have no reason to target us.”
“They’re cornering us. It’s a warning to stop lying low. They’re anticipating the war that will erupt when we’re forced to attack the Empire.”
If Asylum’s publicly stated goal was true, if they truly wanted humanity to submit to the Majins, then their enemy wasn’t just the Empire, but all of humanity. They would benefit from human nations fighting amongst themselves, weakening each other.
“Then what do we do?”
“For now, we focus on eliminating the traitor, as always.”
“And if we fail?”
“We side with the Empire.”
“…”
Hertlocker’s eyes widened. He grabbed Eric by the collar.
“Are you insane? Side with the Empire?!”
“We have no other choice if we want to survive. Unless we abandon everything and flee the Empire.”
“What are you talking about?! Even if we’re cornered, even if it leads to war, our duty is to strike a blow against the Empire! To sacrifice our lives and plunge a knife into the heart of the Empire! That’s the entire purpose of our agency!”
“The situation has changed, Hertlocker. Think strategically. Asylum isn’t just the Empire’s problem. They’re a threat to the Kingdom as well. If we don’t eliminate them now, they’ll become a major threat in the future. We can ensure our survival and strike a blow against Asylum by siding with the Empire—”
“I’m disappointed, Director. How much of a threat can those cultists become?! Siding with the Empire is unthinkable!”
Hertlocker released Eric’s collar and turned away. He hadn’t expected such words from Eric. He suspected Eric was simply looking for an excuse to surrender to the Empire. He was starting to suspect Eric of treason.
Clang!
“We’re closed!”
“It’s me! Emergency!”
“Emilia?!”
The door opened, and a girl in a maid uniform rushed in. Hertlocker’s initial relief quickly turned to dread. Emilia’s presence here, alone, was a bad omen.
“W-What is it?”
“Schlus Hainkel… He knows… He knows everything…”
Hertlocker closed his eyes.
He’d made his move. He’d been content to use Hertlocker as a pawn, leaving the agency alone, but he must have decided they were no longer useful and wanted them eliminated.
“Emilia! What about the spell on your heart?!”
“What? Spell? What are you talking about?”
“Damn it! We need to remove it!”
“What are you babbling about?!”
“You don’t understand! If Schlus finds out you’ve run away, he’ll detonate the spell! We have to hurry!”
“What are you talking about?! There’s no spell!”
Hertlocker grabbed Emilia, but she kicked him in the face. Eric watched them, his expression impassive, sipping his coffee. They were under attack from the cultists, and now Schlus Hainkel was coming for them. This was the end of the intelligence agency. Siding with the Empire was no longer an option.
They had to abandon everything and flee.
“Wait! I’m an expert at removing spells!”
“How can there be a spell on my heart?!”
“He cut open your chest and planted it there!”
“My chest has never been cut open! What are you talking about?!”
“Huh…? Is that true?”
“Yes!”
Hertlocker stared at Emilia, dumbfounded. He winced at her annoyed glare, but relief washed over him.
He’d been terrified of Schlus detonating the spell on Emilia’s heart…
“That son of a…”
That bastard.
He’d been manipulating Hertlocker with a non-existent spell. Rage surged through him. He stood up abruptly.
“Huh?”
A powerful magical wavelength pulsed through his head, making him stumble. It was a frequency only accessible through the special spell implanted in his head when he’d joined the Crows.
He deciphered the coded message.
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[Your Text Here]
AGHH whatever at least the cats out of the bag
awww emilia you were too hasty in running away
Rip, Schlus should have made preparations to make sure she couldn’t escape. Welp, better luck next time