Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Army’s Intelligence Division, Yakov Schwizen, was urgently summoned back to the royal capital.
In the morning, he got off the train.
The royal capital had strong winds, and the black smoke from the steam locomotive was blown far away, revealing a rarely seen clear sky.
Yet, to Schwizen, the sight that day seemed almost monochrome.
…The worst feeling ever!
His stomach ached. His teeth throbbed.
And on top of that, a bitter taste lingered in his mouth, as if some vile phlegm was stuck in his throat.
Even though he had booked a sleeper compartment, he couldn’t sleep at all the previous night.
“What kind of information could Brigadier General Solfège possibly have…?”
He recalled the message from the military communication line the day before.
That dark healer… What was his name again? Kiwi Alaya, wasn’t it?
Apparently, some “outrageous documents” were discovered in the clinic that Alaya had managed.
But more than that, it was…
“Lieutenant Colonel, you might have poisoned the kingdom with the deadliest toxin…!”
Those words from the brigadier general still echoed in his ears.
It was a voice filled with urgency.
Clearly, it was meant to criticize Schwizen’s mistake.
…Me, poisoning the kingdom? Impossible. I have always done what was right!
Then why, just why?
“…Ugh.”
His stomach churned again.
Clutching his abdomen, Schwizen boarded the military’s dark green four-wheeled vehicle, which had been arranged in advance, and headed to the Intelligence Division.
“—Let’s start with the status report, Lieutenant Colonel Schwizen.”
Exhaling cigarette smoke, Brigadier General Yozen Solfège spoke.
As soon as Schwizen arrived at the military meeting room, he was asked to give an explanation without any preamble.
…It means that he views my blunder that seriously.
Schwizen straightened his back, trying not to let it slump under pressure, and stood before his seat, scanning the meeting room.
“…First, I apologize for my mishandling that led to this situation—”
“That’s enough for now. Focus on your report.”
“…Understood.”
The brigadier general was clearly in a bad mood.
The tension in the air was palpable.
Not wanting to provoke him further, Schwizen carefully began explaining the current situation.
“—In summary, we have yet to locate the captured demons. However, we remain committed to the search.”
They had also enlisted the cooperation of the troops stationed in Elden, once the domain of the demon realm.
Currently, they were closely monitoring the route from Elden towards the interior of the demon lands, and searching places where they might be hiding.
He believed that they would surely apprehend the demons soon, but…
“Lieutenant Colonel Schwizen, that search is likely a waste of time.”
“…What?”
“I’m saying that further searches would be pointless. Just focus on tightening surveillance around Elden.”
The brigadier general sighed as he spoke.
…I don’t understand.
“Are you suggesting we let those prisoners escape!?”
“No. The prisoners have already fled to the demon realm. Searching around the kingdom now is futile; they’ve left no trace.”
“And what proof do you have of that!?”
“Take a look at this.”
The brigadier general thrust a thick bundle of documents towards him.
The title on the cover, written in bold, read:
“On the Interchangeability Between Monsters and the Human Body”
“…What is this dreadful title…?”
“…What is this dreadful title…?”
“The document was discovered by Major Cotta, who conducted the search of the clinic of the dark healer, Kiwi Alaya. Major, please explain.”
At the brigadier general’s words, Major Safusan Cotta, a young colleague sitting across from me and wearing silver-rimmed glasses, stood up.
“This is a thesis that was hidden in the locker of Kiwi Alaya’s examination room. It is likely related to his secret research.”
“And what does that imply?”
“First, please read this supplementary material. It has been prepared for the people of the Healers Association, organized around the Royal Church, to review the content of this thesis and summarize the main points.”
A subordinate of Major Cotta, who had been waiting in the corner of the meeting room, began distributing the materials to each participant.
The documents made their way to Schwizen as well…
“What…!?”
He was struck dumb by the terrifying contents.
The conclusion of the thesis stated that “by using living humans as sacrifices for dark healing, mythic-level healing becomes possible.”
“W-what an awful thing is written in this thesis…!?”
“Yes. I read it as well, and while it feels hastily scribbled down like someone trying not to forget the nightmare they had at night, the content is grounded and presents a highly sophisticated argument. Although I have not confirmed it in practice, it seems quite reproducible.”
“But what does this thesis mean…?”
“Don’t you understand, Lieutenant Colonel?”
Major Cotta, nervously slicking back his blond hair, continued.
“This thesis, as if it knew in advance that it would go to heal a demon’s injury, and the still unexplained escape of the demons… Don’t you see the connections?”
“…!!”
Once he put it that way, Schwizen understood what Major Cotta was getting at.
“Kiwi Alaya intended to go to the scene of the demon torture even before the summons order, using this mythic-level dark healing to free the demons, didn’t he…!? Then he…!”
“He wasn’t taken away by the demons; rather, it means that Kiwi Alaya is the main culprit.”
That essentially indicated that Schwizen had invited the mastermind of the escape to the prisoner detention facility.
His head spun, and Schwizen instinctively placed both hands on the desk.
“No, no way…! It’s impossible…!”
“Why is it impossible?”
“Because… there’s no reason for Alaya to leave the kingdom, which is in a favorable position in the war! What benefit would he gain by betraying the kingdom!?”
“About that, Lieutenant Colonel Schwizen, isn’t it just as you said in your ‘threatening remark’?”
Major Cotta spoke in a flat tone.
“I heard from the soldiers who accompanied you during your visit to Kiwi Alaya’s clinic that you punched Alaya and threatened him by saying, ‘Don’t think a dark healer can survive in this kingdom.’”
“That’s true, but…”
“Kiwi Alaya likely gave up on living in the kingdom long before that and was plotting to defect to the demon realm. With the level of meticulous planning required to create such a thesis, he would have predicted that our royal army would summon him to serve as the healer for the captives.”
“…No way, could he have planned that far…!?”
“The likelihood is high. If that is the case, it is very likely that he also devised an escape plan after freeing the demons. If he had planned that far ahead, they should have already reached the demon realm by now. Continuing the search would only lead to futility.”
After saying that, Major Cotta turned his gaze to the brigadier general.
When the brigadier general nodded, Cotta sat down, indicating that he had completed his part.
“Do you understand now, Lieutenant Colonel Schwizen? You thought you were using Kiwi Alaya, but in reality, you were being manipulated in his palm.”
“…Yes.”
Biting his lip, he nodded at the brigadier general’s words.
It was now incredibly difficult to argue that it wasn’t his fault.
“It is due to my lack of virtue… I am truly sorry…!”
…What a disaster. What should have been an opportunity for promotion by gathering information through the torture of the demons had turned into an accusation of treason…!?
Kiwi Alaya…
Because of that dark healer…!
Under the desk, Schwizen clenched his fists tightly, feeling his nails digging into his palms until they bled.
“Lieutenant Colonel, it is the way of the world to reward and punish. You must be punished for bringing great harm to the kingdom. However, there is no time to take you to a court-martial.”
“…Then…?”
Could it be an immediate execution…?
His legs trembled slightly.
However, the brigadier general cleared his throat and said,
“Lieutenant Colonel Schwizen, this is an order. You will serve as a ‘courier’ connecting our Intelligence Division with the stationed troops in the city of Elden, the former demon realm.”
“…Huh? …A courier? You mean for the delivery of letters and top-secret documents?”
“Yes.”
Brigadier General Solfège nodded casually.
“The battle with the demon realm is currently advantageous. The General Staff wishes to launch another attack before this situation collapses. They are seeking information necessary for a swift operational deployment. It would be problematic to leave a vacancy in the post of a veteran intelligence officer against the demon realm.”
“B-brigadier general…!”
“However, the role of courier is typically assigned to the youngest member of the Intelligence Division… Is that humiliating?”
“…No! Not at all! I will humbly accept the assignment and return to my roots, Brigadier General!”
He felt an immense sense of relief.
And an overwhelming gratitude toward Brigadier General Solfège filled Schwizen’s heart.
…Does this mean he still has expectations for me, still giving me a chance for redemption…!?
Nevertheless, serving as a public messenger is a lower-tier position in the Kingdom Army’s intelligence department, typically taken on by the youngest members. The role involves constant travel, making it physically and mentally demanding.
There’s no doubt that from tomorrow onward, I’ll gradually feel the damage in my heart.
As a punishment, it leaves me with a somewhat gloomy mood.
Of course, I can’t afford to complain about luxuries.
“The matter regarding Lieutenant Colonel Schwizen is concluded. Moving on to the next agenda item, we need to provide information on Kiwi Alaya, who possesses ‘mythical-level Dark Heal,’ to the Operations Bureau of the General Staff. As for that mission…”
The Brigadier General extinguished the cigarette and fixed his intense gaze on one point.
Specifically, on the person sitting across from Lieutenant Colonel Schwizen
“Cotta, I want you to thoroughly investigate Kiwi Alaya. You are currently the one who knows the most about him, so I’d like your assistance. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, understood.”
Cotta replied with a salute, showing no hesitation.
Lieutenant Colonel Schw0izen hardened his expression, trying to suppress the widening of his eyes.
…To be chosen for a role that bridges information to the General Staff involved in military operations at a major with such a rank…?
This was something that shouldn’t normally happen in the customs of the Kingdom Army’s intelligence department.
The information provided by the intelligence department must be flawless.
Thus, only those who are deemed “special” and worthy of trust—senior officers of colonel rank or above—should be involved in such plans.
…Even I have only primarily engaged in the tasks of scrutinizing and analyzing information and have never directly taken information to the General Staff. Yet, this major, who is younger than me…!?
I understood that the emotions boiling in my gut were ugly feelings of jealousy.
However, knowing that didn’t mean I could suppress it.
Why him and not me…?
I bit my lip.
But since my blunder was the cause of this, I had nothing to say.
…To protect my current and future position, I must demonstrate results.
Fortunately, the situation remains favorable for the Kingdom Army.
The General Staff is eager to fight as well.
Given the current situation where I can serve as a public messenger at the frontline in Elden, I can become involved in as many “victories” as I wish.
No, isn’t that a bit too passive?
…Right. While serving as a public messenger in Elden, I can also send positive information based on the results of my personal inspections to the Brigadier General and actively provoke battles with the enemy army.
In other words, if I want results, I should prepare the battlefield for victory myself.
That’s how it is.
