The diplomatic residence of Krasilov was located on a street corner in the administrative district of Saint Mathilde, with well-paved roads and affluent citizens in sight.
A coat of arms depicting a gray bear was roughly engraved. Unlike the elegant buildings of Tylesse, the Krasilov diplomatic residence stood tall like a fortress with its characteristic sturdy facade.
“Stop. This land ahead does not belong to Tylesse.”
A guard holding a spear in front of Ivan and Pavel growled roughly. It must have been difficult for those seeking the diplomatic residence to be treated in this manner. And Ivan’s heart sank a little. (For the record, he’s a commander.)
“A Krasilovian has come to Krasilovian land. What seems to be the problem?”
“Are there identification papers?”
“Take a look. Lower your spear. You’ll die if you’re wrong.”
“…Consider this a warning. There was never any intention to kill…”
“You…”
Pavel chuckled and grasped the spearhead with his fingertips. With a flick, the spear spun half a circle and suddenly it was snugly held in his hand.
“Uh-oh,” the startled guard reached for the gun at his waist, but Pavel clicked his tongue and stopped him.
The guard, quietly bowing his head, looked down at the identification badge in Pavel’s hand.
“Your training is a mess. Standing tall with a coat of arms and behaving like this. The future of the homeland is so dark!”
“I apologize… Sir Pavel Sergeyevich Olobov.”
“Surely, the appointment notice was posted in advance.”
“Yes, please proceed.”
“How absurd.”
Pavel arrived here one day earlier than Ivan. He spent the day contacting informants and preparing for the operation in his own way.
And that day was to allow enough time by today’s standards, where information transmission was slower than mail, to relax.
Pavel and Ivan are spies dispatched from the central command. Diplomats must be aware of this fact unless they are fools.
Krasilov was a civilized nation operating under a strict administrative system. And inevitably, there could be friction with other departments.
The Foreign Intelligence Service is under the Counterintelligence Command, while foreign diplomatic residences belong to the Foreign Ministry. In cases where their duties overlap, there is bound to be tension.
From the perspective of diplomatic residences, other departments could easily come in and muddy the waters under the guise of official duties, undermine well-established diplomatic relations, and disappear. In such cases, it would be reported as a mistake by the Foreign Ministry.
“Tsk.”
Pavel scowled fiercely. That’s why he tried not to do the work of the Foreign Intelligence Service. There were too many ominous things going on.
“They’re messing around with officials directly tasked by Her Highness? Not a fan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; they’re pretty audacious.”
“Those people used to serve under Alexander.”
“Well, if that’s the case, you should’ve uprooted them out.”
“Ah, but doing that would’ve messed up the whole diplomatic channel.”
As he reminisced, until Crown Prince Alexander was ousted, the headquarters of the Crown Prince faction was the Foreign Ministry. While the scattered Crown Prince factions within the country could be suppressed, the locally appointed diplomats already in place couldn’t be dealt with.
Diplomacy doesn’t just mean agreements between nations. If all the diplomats who have already established sufficient connections in other countries were eliminated, Krasilov would be isolated.
Even if they were unbelievable subordinates, they had to be respected. Fortunately, the local diplomats had their families in the homeland, so they wouldn’t easily dream of rebellion.
Anyway, the state of the country is a mess. Like in any other country in the world.
Ivan pushed open the imposing gates of the diplomatic residence, lost in thought.
—
“I heard there was a disturbance with the guards. I’m really sorry about this, Pavel.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Pavel took a sip of his tea and waved his hand. The diplomatic envoy, Gregoriy Schmidt, lightly nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Ivan raised his cup in response.
No poison.
The reason for the field assignment being a team of two is this. So one person can identify the threat first and respond.
Whether he didn’t notice or not, Gregoriy continued to smile faintly as he spoke.
“Suddenly being sent from the central command was surprising. I was even more surprised because I didn’t know you. Since Tylesse is a major ally, the Foreign Ministry usually selects personnel to send.”
“I was also selected in my own way.”
“Haha, I apologize. That’s not what I meant.”
That was exactly what he meant.
A manager unheard of from anywhere appeared, not even sure if he’s a noble, let alone a legal noble, and it’s said the princess sent him.
If that’s the case, it means he’s under the princess’s jurisdiction, and if it’s someone the princess can command, they must be under the Counterintelligence Command.
So, who are you and what are you here for?
With that meaning implied, Gregoriy smiled softly.
—
“One noble from Tylesse who was studying abroad has ‘disappeared.’ At first, it seemed like he just went off somewhere like those night-time revelers, but he hasn’t been seen for days.”
“Oh dear, and then?”
“It’s uncertain whether it’s the work of foolish individuals aiming for ransom from nobles or if it’s an attempt by some rogues from another country to shift blame to ours. We’re investigating, but it’s not easy.”
Pavel tilted his cup and drank. His green eyes gleamed sharply.
“So shouldn’t we inform the student’s family and ask for help before the situation escalates further?”
“Will the student be safe?”
“Well, probably not.”
“We weren’t such thugs. Until recently, didn’t we have a policy of never taking hostages under any circumstances?”
“You’re making dangerous remarks, Consul. Hostage? Doesn’t that imply a return?”
Gregoriy backed away with a disheartened expression at Pavel’s response.
It was a strong statement with a scent of blood.
They kidnapped the student. And they plan to kill him. It’s not holding him as a hostage. Because the student won’t be able to return.
The implications were serious. As someone who had worked for many years to plant human resources in the country, it was a statement difficult for Gregoriy, who had served in long-standing friendly countries, to bear.
Gregoriy nervously set down his teacup and bowed his head silently.
—
“What do you want? I’ve dedicated over 20 years to planting human resources in this country. Regardless of the central policy. I represented the homeland in this position.”
“I want to thank you for your hard work. Sincerely.”
Gregoriy’s face twisted at Pavel’s casual response.
At that moment, Ivan, who had been quietly waiting, spoke up.
“For the homeland, you’re not the only one who has devoted yourself. Like everyone else in this position. Serving without expecting rewards. Was the past only spent by you? Did the past war only sweep you away?”
“You are…”
“I am Colonel Ivan Petrovich Yermov. I am the commander of the Counterintelligence Command and the person responsible for this operation. Let’s stop this meaningless argument. What I need from you is all the human resources you’ve accumulated, the material resources you can provide, and all the intangible assets you’ve planted in this country.”
Gregoriy, who couldn’t dare to meet Ivan’s eyes, raised his head with a sudden movement at those words.
“What on earth are you trying to do? Are you preparing for war against Tylesse?”
“Of course not.”
Ivan chuckled briefly and leaned back on the sofa.
Tap, tap, tap. After tapping the table with his index finger, he opened his mouth towards Gregoriy.
“We’ve come to save this country, so you could call us reinforcements.”
“What’s that…!”
“Enough. We didn’t come here to satisfy your curiosity. Gather all the agents from the Counterintelligence Command and prepare for a meeting with Count Granmarteau.”
“The kidnapped… ‘allegedly’ kidnapped student was Count Granmarteau’s son?”
“Yeah.”
“Crazy… insane! And yet you say there won’t be a war?”
“Of course. What need is there for a war when we’re going to find and handle the perpetrators of the kidnapping ourselves.”
“This is Krasilov’s diplomacy.”
Ivan looked at the consul with the demeanor of a rational diplomat.
Gregoriy sighed and touched his forehead.
“Count Granmarteau… He can’t come to Saint Mathilde right away. If you want to meet him, you’ll have to go directly to his estate. If you come back alive, we’ll prepare a train heading to the homeland for you.”
“No need for that, Consul.”
Ivan nodded briefly and stood up from his seat.
“There’s plenty else to do, so I’ll personally look into the return trip.”
“As you wish.”
“Indeed. May the Lord protect us all.”
Pavel stifled a chuckle in response to Ivan’s answer and rose with a face that struggled to contain laughter.
He tapped Gregoriy’s shoulder and said,
“Thank you for the hospitality, Consul.”
This was the rhetoric of the Counterintelligence Command. Typically, the Counterintelligence Command was weakest when dealing with foreigners and strongest when dealing with domestic nobles and high-ranking officials.
As an organization specializing in domestic intelligence rather than foreign intelligence, the Counterintelligence Command never backed down in power struggles with homeland nobles.
Attempting to assert dominance over dispatched agents from such an organization itself was a problem.
After the two left, Gregoriy sat back on the sofa, sweating coldly.
“Should I defect…”
He probably couldn’t. Because he had family left in the homeland.
After splashing some cold water on his face, Gregoriy muttered quietly.
“They’re like rascals…”
