Chapter 89 Spy Countermeasures

Translator: Isekai Shousetsu

Wew, the trip was quite fun, huh.

Yeah. Cretian art and the like were beautiful.

We also got lots of books.

It seems like Julia and Tetra are satisfied. Good, good.

Well, a troublesome matter did happen though.

Next would be preparing the housing and the like for the human resources that would come later from Cretia, yes?

Yeah, the next important matter is the counterespionage measures.

If I were a Cretian, Id mix some spies among the large numbers of human resources.

What needs protection is paper and gunpowder technology. Especially important is gunpowder.

Paper iswell, its something thats not that difficult so, I think itd be copied even if it werent stolen.

I dont have anything to worry about magic techniques. Those arent things you could steal just because youd think of stealing them. Rather, if theyre that easy to steal then everyone wont have hardships.

Those are techniques similar to putting together computer software.

Its not something you learn by watching others.

For the meantime, we need to consult with Raymond, huh.

YeahAfter that, Id like to introduce a new system of anti-spells.

Hm?

New?

Did you think up a new sorcery or something?

Or perhaps I should say, its just stealing Cretian technology. Its a defense system that borrowed the name of gods. (Edit: Check if plural or singular) If I were to explain it simply

Up until now, barriers are deployed using the sorcery powers of the sorcerers themselves.

In the system so far, each village would have their own anti-spell installations upon which third to second rate sorcerers would channel their powers to erect a barrier. Each village would have a sorcerer, even if theyre just third rate.

There are also anti-spell installations centered on an area comprising of around 30 to 50 villages which will receive power from second class sorcerers to put up a barrier.

The directly controlled royal territories as well as the great clansmen territory, too, would also have such installations, but they would be powered by first-class sorcerers (of the level that can soul-ride) to put up the barriers.

Lastly, an anti-spell installation which can unify and supervise all the other installations within the country, the palace itself, shall be powered by Julia and several other first-class sorcerers.

Through these, we are protecting the country from spells.

This system was made about ten years ago (around the time when Ron and the others were abandoned) with that famine at that time in mind.

By the way, the other countries surrounding the Rosyth Kingdom also has a similar system constructed.

It seems that with this system, you would be able to mostly repel away spells and curses.

At the very least, its a plan that would be able to protect against a spell like the famine from ten years ago, or so they say.

The problem, it would seem, is that all the sorcerers end up getting assigned to defense.

So, explain whats the system of Gods? name.

Simply put, its to put up a barrier using pure sorcery power converted from the religious piety of people. With this, we wont run out of power forever, so the sorcerers responsibilities would decrease.

Can we really do such a thing?

I suppose. However, we can only use it for natural barriers. We cant convert them into magic or curses. Well, its just a plan after all. Its fine if we just lightly transmit it. Ill put it together into a document or something another time, okay?

Hmmwell, if thats possible, then wed be able to fairly reduce our sorcerers responsibilities.

It would seem that wed then be able to convert sorcerers into magicians, after all.

Tetra, do you have anything?

Nothing much. I want more power invested into the book reproduction and magician training.

I think well have to leave that for later.

We still cant say that we have enough sorcerers for the meantime after all.

Not to mention that the theory of magic is too difficult and that its like incomprehensible jibberish to most of the sorcerers.

Sorcery is an art where you dont think, feel! while magic, in contrast, is an art where you dont feel, think! after all.

However, the sorcerers starting work on fields like medicinal research just like Julia has gotten comparatively high elementary attainments.

As such, Raymond, Im thinking of strengthening counterintelligence.

I see. You are most correct. For the meantime, let us attach surveillance towards personnel involved in the manufacture of paper and gunpowder. Also, we should increase salaries to a reasonably high amount.

People quite fear that theyd lose their jobs.

Naturally, if they leak secrets, everyone understands that, far from unemployment, theyd be tried. Not to mention that its easy to see that theyd suffer great misfortune if they divulge information but our competitors fell.

That said, theres bound to be someone who will rattle it out. Why?

In a word, its because his salary is low.

Even in Japan, there are a lot who divulge technologies to foreign countries with such a nuance but the cause is tied to their salary being low.

In other words, if you give out a high salary and show them thatthe country values them very much then there wont be any problems.

Wed still be able to profit considerably, after all, even if we raish the salary twice, even thrice, in the paper industry. Meanwhile, profit is not something you consider at all when it comes to gunpowder.

If we attach surveillance teams on top of giving out high salaries, then wed probably be fine. With this, wed just have to figure it out when the time comes that they do leak out.

Absolute security systems are impossible after all.

Lets have Yal in the surveillance. It seems to be his area of expertise after all.

I agree. That guy will do the job.

For the meantime, there wont be problems regarding technology leaks. However

As for me, rather than technologyI would like to crack down on those who divulge information of domestic military movements.

There are people like that? People that would be capable of that would only be people around us, you know.

In other words, there exists traitors amongst the nobility and our relatives?

Thatsnot true by all meanshowever, theres enough possibility that theyd accidentally betray us.

Accidentally?

In other words, they, themselves, might not think that theyre betraying us. However, from our point of view, theyre traitors

They would, in otherwords, bedivulging information unconsciously, huh.

Is thateven possible?

When do you think is the time a person is most defenseless against spells?

Thatsduring sex, right? I know that much but

Heads of great clans are men. And then, sorcerers are basically female. You understand, yes?

No way, thats impossible. Even I am wearing light anti-spells. Although Im confident that Id certainly fall to Julias hypnotism if she seriously did it during sex butthere arent that much Julia-class sorcerers in the first place. Besides, escort sorcerers are able to smell the lingering smell of sorcery.

In sorcery, offensive spells are far more difficult than defensive spells. This is a foundation of sorcery.

If you wear a anti-spell of a certain level, you should be able to defend yourself from an enemy of a certain level.

What would you do if those escort sorcerers were spies?Well, I guess its exaggerating it a bit if I say that theyd be directly targeting the nobles themselves. Reasonably speaking, theyd be targeting subordinates, bureaucrats posted in the palace, and those kinds of people, yes? After all, there are few people decently studying sorcery around them plus they wont be that vigilant against poisons and the like.

Certainly, theres a possibility of success in hypnotizing targets like those with little vigilance, huh

Then theres also the possibility that I might get suddenly stabbed by a servant?

As expected, I think Its overstretching it that theyd make such direct action. Well, its a different story if a lord caught the animosity of the servant through tormenting him everyday butYour Majesty is different in that youre very popular even amongst the slaves living in the imperial palace.

I guess thats true. Then its impossible huh.

Even Julia said that Its extremely difficult to make someone do something that they dont like.

That said, its a simple matter if its just getting someone to talk. There are those people who talk all to easily particularly even without sorcery, yes?

Maybethere are a lot of people who talk too much even without malice, after all.

Those types, however, often say I wont tell anyone!

So, I suppose you didnt say that just as a conjecture?

Yes, I dont have concrete evidence, but I have sufficiently vigilant sources of information.

Raymond hands over a bundle of paper. National Registry of Sorcerers is written on it.

Its a document that had just been finished. In the first place, those written here are just those sorcerers that had named themselves, so Its safe to believe that there are actually still much more sorcerers within the country.

Ive also looked over these. Did you find anything strange among them?

Amongst the sorcerers employed by the great clansmen, twelve arent born in our country.

Thats not something particularly strange, yes? Arent there a lot of sorcerers who wander around various places in search of employment?

Sorcerers are human resources that everyone wants. Therefore, they look for high salaries, move around places, and try to become military officers.

Theyre irreplaceable human resources, so they can do these things.

Did you read the interview documents?

I looked over them but

Im a busy man. Theres no way Id see anything and everything.

Do the bosses of large enterprises check all the exam records of new hires? They dont right?

Certainly, I did properly check those of a class that could soul ride butI didnt bother for the others.

Amongst the twelve, it seems there are eight with confirmed Gallian accents. In other words, theyd be born in the Rozel Kingdom. That country is long famed for the effectiveness of their ears, you know.

Then lets tentatively classify those eight as spies from the Rozel Kingdom. However, its not like those people had just recently come here. There are those that have been in this country for more than ten years, yes? Not to mention, if your theory is correct, it wouldnt be strange for other countries, too, aside from oursespecially our direct neighbor, the DeMorgal Kingdom, to have several number of spy sorcerers. Would they be deploying sorcerers to foreign countries for such a long amount of precious time?

No way.

Certainly, information is important butto begin with, would you use sorcerers as spies on the assumption that theyre disposable pawns?

The most valuable among the sorcerers are the first class which are capable of soul riding butit doesnt change that even those in the lower classes are important.

Arent there only a little more than a hundred sorcerers of a level capable of reasonably high-grade sorcery called hypnotism?

Your Highness. It is said the Rozels population slightly surpasses 10,000,000. Around country only has roughly 250,000. Just their sorcerers should number around twelve more times than ours. Furthermore, there resides the worlds oldest sorcerer, Merlin. That country is the worlds leading advanced country in sorcery.

In other words, theres a wide difference with the amount of sorcerer resources with our country. Its twelve times so that should be around 1,200 sorcerers? If they have that much, then it wouldnt be difficult for them to mix several sorcerers into each countries, huh.

Then shall we try and catch and interroaget one?

Ive already done such.

Hey hey, arent you moving quite fast without my permission?

As expected, I cant just smile and let this pass you know.

No, no, you got it wrong. Its a story from ten years ago. Theres this sorcerer that I hiredA fourteen-year-old sorcerer that speaks with a Gallian accent. In the beginning, I wasnt specially concerned about her butshe began acting suspiciously little by little. When I had her watched, we discovered her sending off owls late at night.

And then, what happened?

Raymond shakes his head at my question.

Really. No matter how much we interrogated her, she spoke not a thing. It couldnt be helped so I had her tortured but

were talking about a fourteen year old girl, yes? Did you ever consider even one bit that your accusations might have been false? Really, you.

Please forgive me! Ill talk! Im a

Before she even began, she just died. The cause of death was the rupture of the heart.

In other words, a curse, huhIts true that she was a spy then. However, we dont have any evidence pointing to her being a spy of Rozel other than her Gallian accent.

In reality, its not necessarily true that youre born in the Rozel Kingdom just because you have a Gallian accent. After all, if you go in the northern parts of the DeMorgal Kingdom, youd be able to find mix-blood Gallians there.

For the meantime, lets deploy certainly reliable sorcerers and have them investigate traces of sorcery. While its difficult to understand its traces so long as theyre not aware of it, once they are, they should be able to clearly recognize it.

Theres no mistaking that there are spies.

If you doubt that and went to investigate, for sure, you will be able to pull in some hits. Although this is just a talk about whether there are actually spies.

Shall we try such things in our country? For the meantime, around DeMorgal

Thats great. Itll also become a verification of whether that is truly possible. Thered be little danger with using it on the lower soldiers and the like.

For the meantime, well be focusing on countermeasures. If we get some leeway, then well also gather foreign intelligence.

Alright, weve decided a policy on this area.

Ah, come to think of it, I havent talked about Julias proposal, huh.

What do you think?

Raymond starts brooding with a grumble.

He then seems like he had a flash of inspiration.

Thisthis would not only be helpful in anti-spell defence but also in governance, yes? Please give me some time. Ill also think for a bit.

Yeah, I understand. Please think over it as you like.

Umm, Im sorry to say but Im not that interestant in religious talks

I completely dont understand it. I dont even know five or six gods, after all.

I finish the meeting with Raymond and return to the office.

Above my desk is a bundle of paper. All of them are documents regarding flood control.

Things about buying up the rights to the land, things about the utilization of water

Generally speaking, these are some troublesome things.

Im king, so its not that troublesome like in Japan. However, that said, its not like I could just forcibly decide.

If I did this poorly a civil war over water rights will develop.

Aside from hoes, Adernian farmers also have swords and spears after all

AhI also need to tidy this up huh

I probably put my hands on a little too many projects, huh

Although the only one getting troubled is the me supervising all these.