The Queen's hand dropped onto the table with a dull thud. At the same time, a white flower stem snapped. A single lily tumbled powerlessly to the floor.
"No."
Charlotte's answer was immediate.
"I cannot permit that, Sydney."
"Your Majesty."
"You are my eyes and ears. The Director of the Intelligence Bureau is saying she will go to the heart of enemy territory, and beside an unidentified monster at that? The risk is too great."
Charlotte turned around. Behind her, pure white lilies were in full bloom, densely packed. Unlike the entrance covered in roses, the flowers filling the inside of the greenhouse were lilies.
"Even Arthur was manipulated. What guarantee is there that you will return unscathed?"
Sydney took a step closer to the Queen. Inside the humid air of the greenhouse, the thick fragrance of lilies was so concentrated it could make one dizzy.
She looked around her. The attendants had all withdrawn, and the shadows of the guards visible beyond the glass wall were distant.
"That is precisely why I must go, Charlotte."
Sydney spoke as if whispering.
"Arthur is an excellent blade, but ultimately, he was merely a tool. Even if that thing read and exploited Arthur's desires, it will not work on me."
Sydney's gaze was unwavering. She had lived her entire life as Charlotte's shadow. A shield that protected the Queen, and a hunting hound that caught the vermin soiling her garden.
The sole desire of Sydney Wellesley, the Director of Intelligence, was Charlotte's safety and glory.
"Whether it is truly a monster, or merely a lucky swindler. I will confirm it with my own eyes. And if necessary…."
Silence flowed through the greenhouse for a moment.
"I will cut the sprout with my own hands."
Charlotte slowly approached Sydney. Her hand carefully brushed aside Sydney's disheveled bangs.
"…You must be careful."
"Do not worry."
Sydney did not avoid Charlotte's touch; rather, she answered by kissing the back of her hand.
"For the most beautiful flower, the gardener does not fear becoming covered in dirt."
*
The negotiations had concluded successfully, and three days had passed.
Mediating the interests of three nations, a gamble that threw astronomical funds of 40 million gold as bait. It ended in an adjudicated victory for the Empire.
The official schedule was completely finished. The delegations from each nation had returned to their homelands. But I remained here, handling practical affairs.
As soon as I returned to the hotel suite that served as my lodging, Hannah greeted me.
"You've worked hard, Director."
Hannah held out a glass of whiskey she had prepared in advance. Her eyes were strangely sparkling.
"It's chaos back home. They say a single Lieutenant Colonel accomplished in half a day what Imperial diplomats couldn't do in ten years. The Imperial leadership and the press alike are unanimously singing your praises."
"Enough lip service."
I downed the whiskey in one gulp and asked. There was something more important.
"Where's Aiden?"
"Ah, you mean Lieutenant Hunt?"
Hannah smiled as if troubled.
"He's not in his right mind right now. He's been pulling all-nighters for three days straight to secure the money laundering and transfer routes for the 30,000 gold you ordered, Director."
"Hardworking."
I smirked. I had dropped purely administrative work on the world's greatest spy like a bomb; he must be dying.
But that was the most certain way to control him. Not giving him room to think of anything else.
"Leave him be. He's someone who will handle it well on his own."
"Understood. Then, shall I draw a bath? Or perhaps…."
Hannah subtly placed her hand on my thigh. Her hazelnut-colored irises took on a strangely murky light. On a night of victory like today, could she be hoping for a 'reward'?
Normally I would have dragged her to the bed immediately, but today there was something I needed to check.
"Hannah, come here."
I snatched her waist and seated her on my knee.
"Ah, Lieutenant Colonel…!"
I pushed my hand between Hannah's clothes. As if she had come properly prepared, the plump breast that met my palm was wrapped in thin, smooth lace underwear.
'Touch of Coordination.'
[Skill 'Touch of Coordination (Lv.2)' has been activated.]
[Makes the target's senses sensitive and induces faint pleasure.]
I devoured Hannah's lips just like that. An intense kiss where our tongues tangled and saliva mixed. Hannah's arms naturally wrapped around my neck.
[Name: Hannah Meyer]
[Status: In heat, wants to be completely devoured by the Lieutenant Colonel.]
"Haah, ah… Lieutenant Colonel, please…. It's so hot inside…."
When I felt I had teased her enough, I forcibly pulled away.
"Later. Right now, I have an important operation plan I need to sort out alone."
I whispered, running my thumb across her lips.
"Wait for me."
"......Y-yes! Understood. Lieutenant Colonel… you absolutely, absolutely must call for me."
Hannah adjusted her disheveled uniform with a flushed face. Until the moment she left the room, she cast eyes full of lingering attachment, but soon snapped a salute with precision and left.
Silence descended upon the room once more.
I buried myself in the sofa. Now it was time to concentrate.
'Sight Sharing.'
Arthur was already designated as a target for [Sight Sharing], so it could be activated regardless of distance.
[You are receiving the designated target's sight.]
[Current designated target: 'Arthur']
With a static-like noise, I closed my eyes. Familiar darkness settled, and Arthur's vision overlaid upon the darkness.
*
A swaying lamplight.
The scratching sound of a pen nib.
Arthur's vision was focused on an old desk.
[Documents for Trade Settlement Agency, United States of Columbia]
[Recipient: Liberty Bank]
[Amount: 12,500 Gold]
'He's doing well.'
It seemed Arthur was cooped up in a temporary office prepared in the hotel basement.
'At this point, there's no room for suspicion.'
He was really working hard for my diplomatic strategy. So much so that his identity as my personal asset manager seemed stronger than his duty as a spy.
'Should I release him?'
Just as I thought that.
Creak-.
A door with oiled hinges opened with spine-chilling quietness.
No, perhaps no sound of it opening was heard at all. Arthur had raised his head not because of a human presence, but because the lamplight had flickered slightly.
"Who…."
Arthur's sight turned toward the door.
And there she stood.
As if she had been a part of the darkness from the very beginning.
It was neither a hotel employee's uniform nor an Imperial military uniform. A woman in an abyss-black long coat, with a wide-brimmed hat pulled low.
[Name: Arthur]
[Status: Shock, Terror, Confusion]
Arthur's pupils dilated rapidly. The vision shook, and the terror he felt was vividly transmitted to me. Just who could make the world's greatest Black Ops agent tremble like that?
Arthur reflexively reached his hand toward the desk drawer, where the pistol was. No, he tried to.
Fwack─!
The world within the shared vision twisted in an instant. Before Arthur's sight could even reach the drawer, the woman had already closed in right before his nose.
"Kuhk…!"
A beat later, Arthur groaned. The woman's leather-gloved hand snatched and twisted his wrist, while her other hand accurately struck near his carotid artery.
That wasn't the end.
Shhhhk─!
A thin silver wire shot out like a snake from the end of the woman's sleeve. The cold metal wire bound Arthur's two wrists and instantly crossed behind his back, tying him up. The greatest Black Ops agent was subdued without even being able to mount a defense, let alone counterattack.
"Ah, ugh…!"
The more Arthur twisted his body to resist, the wire made of special alloy ruthlessly dug into his flesh. The woman pressed her knee against his spine and put her weight on it. The wire pulled taut.
Thud-!
When he came to his senses, Arthur's vision was angled toward the cold marble floor. With both hands bound behind him, only the tip of the woman's shoe pressing down on him was visible at the edge of his vision.
And how much time had passed? For a moment, only Arthur's rough breathing could be heard.
The woman lifted the weight she had placed on Arthur's back and slowly removed her hat and long coat. Arthur belatedly raised his head to confirm the face of the assailant who had subdued him.
"......!"
Blonde hair cascading elegantly as the outer garment was removed. Skin so pale it was almost white.
'Wow.'
I nearly opened my closed eyes. The person who entered the vision was neither the rugged soldier nor the gloomy agent I had expected.
An abyss-black uniform. The fit, a modern reinterpretation of the United Kingdom of Victoria's uniquely antique design, was a work of art. Plentiful curves pushed up against the uniform as if to burst it, above the belt that cinched the waist narrowly, and silver rank insignia shone upon it.
The real thing was her face. Eyes sharp and arrogant enough to cut. Her purple pupils, like finely carved ice statues, coldly pierced through Arthur.
'Status Analysis.'
I reflexively used the skill.
Ding-
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Affiliation: Royal Intelligence Bureau, United Kingdom of Victoria]
[Position: Director of Intelligence]
[Status: Cold killing intent, Observation]
...The Director of Intelligence? A beauty like her?
My breath caught. With that overwhelming beauty straight out of a film, I momentarily forgot that she was the head of an enemy intelligence agency. Overwhelming surrealism. I was newly reminded that this world was a game, and an adults-only genre at that.
"It's been a while, Major."
Sydney opened her mouth.
"Your report was quite interesting, you see. I came to see for myself."
Sydney's gaze turned to the documents Arthur had been writing. The ledger laundering my funds.
"I sent you to ruin the Empire's hero, yet here you are, having become his treasurer."
"Director, this is a misunder—!"
"Misunderstanding?"
Sydney flicked her hand lightly. The bundle of wire wrapped around her fingers snapped taut with a whick-.
"Kuh, ugh…! Aaaack!"
The wires binding Arthur's body tightened mercilessly. His upper body was pulled taut, unable to overcome the tension of the wires.
"Whether it is a misunderstanding or not, you may explain when you return to the homeland. Ah, assuming you can return alive, that is."
She pulled a silver syringe from inside her coat.
"Rest for a while."
The needle ruthlessly stabbed into the nape of his neck, and Arthur's vision rapidly blurred.
Zzt, zz—zt—!
The last thing seen was Sydney's purple eyes looking down at Arthur as she fixed her hat.
Ding!
[Loss of consciousness detected in the connected target.]
[Skill 'Sight Sharing (Lv.1)' is forcibly terminated.]
And then, darkness.