After Arthur left the room, I sank deep into the sofa in the study.
Then I picked up the newspaper and the military’s latest intelligence report lying on the table. Before leaving for Londinium, I needed to put the overall state of affairs in order in my head.
‘First, the western front.’
The Republic side was fairly stable.
Not only Soissons, which I had personally governed as a garrison commander, but Elancia as well, where Henri de Dubois’s BC Republic Corps was faithfully playing the role of puppet.
‘As for the eastern front….’
[Imperial Army Makes Splendid Breakthrough of Grand Duchy Defensive Line! Advance Continues!]
The headline was printed in huge letters.
‘It was dragging on, but I suppose it’s gotten a little better now.’
The eastern front had long been at war with a power known as the “Grand Duchy.” After repeating fruitless trench warfare, it felt as though reports of victory had increased somewhat this year.
I turned my gaze to the international section of the newspaper.
“…The situation in the Far East isn’t ordinary either.”
There were signs that the struggle for supremacy was spreading across the continent and the seas all the way to the Orient. But that was not something I had to rack my brains over immediately.
My immediate task was, after all, the Victoria United Kingdom.
I closed the last page of the newspaper and shut my eyes. Then I activated a skill.
‘Shared Vision.’
[Skill “Shared Vision (Lv.1)” is being activated.]
[You will receive the visual information of the designated target (“Sydney Wellesley”) in real time.]
Bzzzt.
Only a moment of faint static passed.
Thud—!
The first thing I heard as soon as my vision switched on was someone’s death cry.
“…Kgh!”
My field of vision twisted violently. A fierce rotation where up, down, left, and right could no longer be distinguished. The owner of the vision was currently throwing herself forward with all her strength.
“Catch her! Take that bitch alive, even if you have to break her legs!”
A rough voice tore through the damp night air.
“She’s this way! Block her escape route!”
The location was probably some secluded back alley in Londinium. Three thugs charged at Sydney with daggers in hand.
Whoosh—!
A thin wire shot out from Sydney’s wrist. The metal line wrapped around the neck of the man charging at the front.
Sydney’s leather-gloved hand immediately yanked the wire.
Whip!
“Kghh, gkk…!”
The wire tightened mercilessly. The sound of a neck bone being wrenched out of place rang out, and the man collapsed to the ground, foaming blood at the mouth.
Her vision spun like a top once more.
Sydney drove the heel of her high heel precisely into the second man’s knee joint, then slammed a sharp kick into his jaw.
With a crack, the man fell, spraying blood.
“Y-you viper bitch!”
The last remaining man was just about to draw his pistol.
Her vision narrowed in an instant and shot forward. Sydney held her dagger in a reverse grip and slipped into the man’s chest.
Puk.
A silver trajectory without the slightest deviation.
“Kuh….”
In mere dozens of seconds, three thugs were sprawled across the ground.
Sydney kicked the body of the man she had just stabbed to death. Then she roughly tore open his shirt collar.
Riiip.
As the fabric tore, a mark engraved with a red star was revealed.
‘That’s… the mark of the Federation.’
Marshal Ludwig’s information had been accurate.
To think those crimson bastards were running rampant in the heart of the capital of the Victoria United Kingdom.
“Director! We apologize for being late.”
Just then, footsteps came from both ends of the alley.
‘Analyze Status.’
[Affiliation: United Kingdom Royal Intelligence Bureau]
Agents belonging to the Intelligence Bureau.
“Clean it all up. They’re Federation plants. The one with the shattered jaw is still breathing, so interrogate him.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The agents who received the order moved in unison.
Sydney left the scene to them and walked out of the alley. Then she got into the black sedan waiting for her.
“To the Intelligence Bureau.”
At her brief command, the car glided forward.
It was only a few minutes later that the vehicle arrived at the Intelligence Bureau headquarters. She headed straight to her director’s office.
A lieutenant colonel was standing anxiously in front of the door.
“You’re here, Director.”
“They were Federation rats, Lieutenant Colonel Sterling. They’re getting bolder and bolder. To think they would now target me directly in the middle of the capital.”
Sydney threw off her gloves and sat down in her chair. The man called Lieutenant Colonel Sterling watched her expression and held out a document.
“However… Director, there is urgent news. The list of the special delegation sent by the Empire has just been finalized.”
“A special imperial delegation? We already knew Foreign Minister Josef was coming.”
Sydney looked puzzled. Sterling spoke as if troubled.
“That is not all. This delegation includes… a plenipotentiary envoy. Someone upon whom the Imperial Emperor personally stamped the imperial seal.”
“Who is it…?”
The very top of the document. The moment she confirmed the name stamped there, Sydney’s vision visibly fixed in place.
Imperial Army Special Duty Military Attaché and Plenipotentiary Envoy.
Lieutenant Colonel, Max Jaeger.
“…!”
Sydney unconsciously pressed her thighs together hard.
“…Max Jaeger, that man is coming as a plenipotentiary envoy?”
She quickly gathered her emotions and spoke in a calm tone. Sterling seemed not to have noticed Sydney’s agitation.
“That is correct, Director. Parliament is already in an uproar. They say the ignorant imperial bastards sent a soldier who doesn’t even know the basics of diplomacy to the negotiating table.”
“They say that because they don’t know. He is hundreds of times more troublesome and dangerous than some half-baked scholar. Mobilize all Intelligence Bureau personnel to keep him under surveillance.”
Sterling answered with a serious expression.
“Understood. Shall we put a tail on him from the station?”
“Yes. From the moment the delegation sets foot in Londinium, report everything to me.”
*
The imperial delegation set out on its journey to Londinium.
First, we boarded a transcontinental train heading west and rode it all day.
The place we arrived at was a vast port city in the lowlands. From there, we boarded a luxury ferry and crossed the strait.
Riding a ferry on an overseas trip with the women I loved… could it be seen that way? It was certainly not such a romantic affair.
Both because of the damp smell of salt from the sea, and because of the United Kingdom’s situation that awaited us.
“Lieutenant Colonel, the sea breeze is cold. How about going inside?”
A familiar voice came from behind me. It was Elise.
“I’m fine, Major. This body isn’t so frail as to fall ill from a chill like this. …Even if I am a mana congestion patient.”
“Hehe….”
At the words that recalled a secret shared only between us, Elise smiled softly. Her cheeks also seemed to flush faintly red.
“What about the others?”
“Sergeant Hanna seems to be seasick, so she has closed her eyes for a moment. Captain Stahlberg is… waiting quietly in the cabin. It seems her father, Marshal Ludwig’s, strict command weighed heavily on her.”
“Well, the one who knows his daughter best would be him.”
Before long, the ferry docked at the harbor.
Without a moment to rest, we boarded a train again.
Another hour passed like that.
The first things we saw were skyscrapers shrouded in smog.
Coal smoke and steam engine exhaust mingled together, making the entire city look like a gigantic gray dome.
And as we gradually drew closer to the city, the sight we had expected began to unfold.
Between classical buildings, red double-decker buses and black taxis ran along the roads, and gentlemen in fedoras and long coats came and went through the streets.
The country of gentlemen, and the capital of the country on which the sun never sets.
However.
“Huh…?”
Hanna, who had been pressed right against the window and looking outside, suddenly let out a sigh.
Because the marble buildings that had been visible just moments ago had suddenly vanished as if by magic.
As the train went farther, the backside that had until now been hidden by grand buildings and dazzling lights was revealed.
Below the train passing over an iron bridge were row houses packed tightly together, laundry lines strung across the spaces between them held tattered clothes sagging limply, and children who could not even afford shoes walked the streets carrying newspapers.
A two-faced place where, only a few blocks away from the bustling district, filthy alleyways were revealed without any filter.
Screeech!
The steam locomotive stopped at the platform of the central station.
And as I got off the train, my brow furrowed on its own.
The area around the station was a scene of chaos. Workers wearing red armbands were protesting here and there, and mounted police of the United Kingdom holding clubs were in a tense standoff among them.
‘Even more disappointing than I imagined.’
My first impression of Londinium was the worst.
*
It was in the middle of a protest, but fortunately, space had been secured for us to disembark.
Since a diplomatic delegation from a nation was arriving, perhaps that was only natural.
Thus, those who welcomed us after we got off the train were United Kingdom diplomats and a military police unit on guard.
‘Analyze Status.’
[Affiliation: Victoria United Kingdom Royal Intelligence Bureau]
[Emotion: Target confirmed. He looks ordinary on the surface. I must report his every move to the Director.]
Among them were also some Intelligence Bureau agents.
“Welcome to Londinium, the capital of the Great United Kingdom, members of the imperial delegation.”
Foreign Minister Neville of the United Kingdom approached and greeted us. Foreign Minister Josef responded with a skillful smile.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Minister Neville. Through these negotiations, the Empire hopes to promote friendship between our two nations and pursue shared prosperity in Santa Barbara.”
Like the seasoned diplomat he was, Minister Josef offered a handshake as if he could not hear the noise of the protesters.
While diplomatic rhetoric was exchanged, Neville’s gaze passed over Josef and turned toward me.
“I am acquainted with Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger here as well. Though I never imagined you would come as a special envoy.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Minister. What distinction could there be between military officer and civil official when serving His Imperial Majesty’s will?”
I looked around at the chaotic scenery and continued.
“In fact, in a situation like this, the straightforward manner of speech unique to imperial soldiers may be more useful than circuitous diplomatic rhetoric.”
The muscles in Neville’s face stiffened faintly.
‘Analyze Status.’
[Name: Neville]
[Emotion: Damn it, a protest even on the day a diplomatic delegation arrives. What sort of international disgrace is this!]
But Neville at least maintained the mask of a thorough diplomat as he guided us.
“Then, I shall escort you to the embassy.”