There is no one more specialized in intrigue than a sorcerer.

　Poisoning, hypnosis, memory manipulation, curses, speed of information transfer through soul-loading....
　A top-notch sorcerer is the best unit at anything.


　Hypnosis and memory manipulation cannot be done unless there is an opening in the enemy's mind.
　It is possible to artificially create an opening by restraining, capturing, drugging, and torturing them.

　But it is not realistic to kidnap an important person and do such a thing. Then it would be much more efficient to grab a knife and charge at him from the start.

　However, to put it another way, if you have an opening in your heart, you can do it.
　It's a good idea to be able to use it in a way that's not too difficult.

　The sorcerer can only do what he originally wanted to do - encourage the desire to rebel, or put him under a light form of hypnosis to get information out of him.

　Still, there are dangers. That's because important people have a sorcerer's escort.　
　Basically, sorcery works better than curses, wards and cloak-and-dagger than spying.

　In order to bring down a target guarded by a sorcerer with a strength of six, you must use a sorcerer with a strength of ten.

　Therefore, the target is basically a wealthy clan that doesn't have much of a sorcerer's guard, or a centurion without any guards.
　It is my job to get information from them.
　Even so, it's a great advantage because it's a reliable source of information.

　But this espionage by sorcerers has the biggest drawback.
　It is that the unit cost per top-notch spellcaster is very high.
　Considering the cost of raising a sorcerer, and the time it takes to raise a sorcerer, it's not suitable for a spy who could die at any time.

　On the other hand, a second-rate spellcaster who doesn't suffer much from death is not only not very promising, but will be spied on by first-rate spellcasters engaged in enemy counter-intelligence activities.

　An ordinary small country can only secure spellcasters for its own counter-intelligence, and that's all it can do.

　But that's only for small countries - small countries with a population of a hundred thousand in the Adelnian or Cilicia peninsula.

　It's nothing to do with the great kingdom of Roselle, with a population of over three million, or the superpower of Persis Empire, with a population of over 20 million.
　These great powers use their national strength to gather girls from all over the country, train them thoroughly, and at the same time educate them in philosophy so that they will not betray them.

　By doing so, it will ensure the quality, quantity and loyalty of its sorceresses.

　Then they would infiltrate the nations of the world as intercessors and build up an overwhelming advantage over the other small nations.




　'You can do it, Master Redus, you can do it. My country has your back.
　Smiling, Mari spoke to Ledus.
　It has been several months since Mari was invited to be the first queen's guest of honor.

　The reason why things went so smoothly is because one of the spellcasters hired by the first queen is one of Mari's disciples.
　The majority of the sorcerers would be surrounded by the king. That's why it's very difficult for the vassals to secure a spellcaster.
　Even if they are foreigners, if a good sorcerer comes to them for a job, they tend to hire him without thinking.

　It was the sorcerer who taught Ledus to be a good duck.

　'But can we really do it they are several times our strength?
　You can do it. Can I...

　He talks about a strategy that seems winnable in a matter-of-fact way. And put a small amount of spell power into the words.
　It's easy to hear words that grate and talk about something important.

　The same goes for the curses carried on those words.
　The poison must be wrapped in sugar.

　Naturally, there are other spellcasters in the Equus tribe other than Mari and the Roselle Kingdom's inter-intelligence, but they don't realize that Redus is being hypnotized a little bit more.
　Instead, they're just happy to see that he's become more positive.

　The poison (curse) is given in small doses and taken over time. It is the iron law of witchcraft.


　'Master Redus, it's time to eat.
　The servant opens the yurt curtain and tells Ledus so.
　Redus stands up.

　'Lord Merlin. Would you care to join us?
　No I have a few things to do. I'd like to leave you guys to it, if you don't mind.

　Mari made an apologetic face and moved away.








　''Oh I'm not used to the Equus tribe's horse milk wine at all. It's too tasteless. I wonder if there's anything I can do about it.''
　I understand. But please don't come to my yurt more than once. It will be suspicious.

　
　But Mari returns with a smile.

　''It's okay. You're an Adelonian. The first consort must be very fond of you, right?　No problem. It's fine in a setting where we've gotten close to each other personally.

　The interrogator sighs deeply.
　No matter what I say to this boss, it won't work.

　'And yet you've blended in quite well. I've heard that you're treating your children for free. I'm impressed.
　''The Equus Tribe's spellcasters are of a low level...''

　Lydia scratches her cheek, a little embarrassed.
　Mari replies as she sips her tea.

　''The Equus are nomadic, you know. It seems they've settled down and are farming these days. Farmers live or die depending on the weather. So they pray to gods and spirits on a daily basis. Therefore it is easy to produce high quality spellcasters. On the other hand, nomads are not affected by the weather as much as the farmers are. This is why they do not pray as often as the farmers do. They don't rely on gods and spirits, and try to manage on their own...it's a matter of nature.

　Likewise, the sorcerers of the Kingdom of Roselle tend to be better Adelnians than Gauls.
　'The Gauls are a half-farming, half-pastoral, half-hunting people.

　''I received my license when I was fifteen, and after five years of being buried by the Equus tribe it's finally time for me to be useful.
　It's just beginning. You're going to be Prince Ledus' first spellcaster. When Roselle dismisses Domorgal and flows into King Rosyth's kingdom in earnest I'm asking you, okay?

　Mari smiled.
　Lydia also smiled an evil smile.

　



　Meanwhile, King Rosais' country.

　''Oh my god it won't work........''
　Annabella was troubled.
　Annabella's mission was to work with the sorcerers buried there to create an enemy inside King Rosais' country.

　Annabella's target is the great families and other important people of the state.

　To the extent of casting a spell on ordinary soldiers and servants, a first-rate spellcaster or even a second-rate spellcaster with good skills can do it.
　But to cast a spell on an important person who has a bodyguard and has been trained to prevent spells, you need a top-notch spellcaster.


　It's not surprising that there is a segment of the former Dibel faction that is dissatisfied with King Rosais. Even if we can't urge them to rebel, we can at least expect them to divert information.

　If possible, they can be carefully hypnotized like Prince Ledus.
　Annabella is the one with good looks and style.

　'Please!　I need a job. I'll do anything you want I don't mind if you use my body!

　and cast a spell on him in bed.
　I've done that kind of thing many times before. Men are easy.

　But here's the thing.
　This was not progressing at all. The reason is simple.

　The former Dibelites were not at all dissatisfied with the current king.
　To make matters worse, one of the buried sorcerers had been killed.

　King Rosais' kingdom has a system of sorcerer's licenses that controls the sorcerers.
　Because of this system, any suspicious activity would be immediately known.

　One of the sorcerers, impatient with surveillance, failed and was spied on and executed by the sorcerers of King Rosais's kingdom.
　The sorcerer of Roselle's kingdom was cursed with a curse that would cause his heart to burst if he tried to tell a secret, so our identity was not caught, but....


　'The sorcerers in King Rosyth's country are of a higher quality than I thought... haha, I'll have to do something about that.
　I want to cast a spell on at least one of them.
　He wanted to live up to his master's (Merlin) expectations.

　Conconcert.

　There was a knock on the door.
　Annabella opened the door, wondering who on earth it was.

　'Hello. My name is Lulu, the state spellcaster. You are actually suspected of using spells without a license. I need to release your license.
　Cold sweat broke out from every pore on Annabella's body.
　For what it's worth, Annabella is an unlicensed spellcaster.

　In order to get a license, she would have to go to the palace and undergo an examination and interview by several spellcasters.
　Naturally, if she did that, the chances of her being exposed as an interloper would increase.

　Annabella is a spellcaster who has been sent on a temporary basis to command and assist some of the local spellcasters buried there.
　She has to return to Gaul at some point, so her license is only a fetter to her status.

　Nevertheless, Annabella made sure not to use spellcasting in public.
　In other words, the license is a construct.

　(Do these guys realize I'm an interrogator from another country!)

　Looking back, I think I may have been in a hurry to do something that was a bit too much for me.

　"I need to see your license.
　Oh, okay. I'll get it out now.

　Annabella took a smoke ball from her pocket and slammed it to the ground.
　Smoke enveloped the surroundings.

　''Huh!''
　Do you think they are so easy to catch?

　Annabella quickly runs to the back of the house.
　She takes out more smoke balls and throws them at him.

　The house fills with smoke and the vision goes blank.

　'Surround the house!　Don't go out the window!　You guys follow me!
　We will have Lulu surround the house and break into the house with some of the elite.
　Because if there is a loophole, they will get away with it.

　And that choice is the right one, there is a loophole in the house.

　But Annabella took out her crossbow and pulled the trigger on Lulu and the others.
　The arrow snatched at Lulu's ear.

　'It's a crossbow. Let me tell you, I have full knowledge of your whereabouts with my spellcraft!　If you don't want to die, don't move.

　That being said, Lulu couldn't move.
　While Lulu and the others were unable to move, Annabella escaped from the hole she dug underground.


　'Oh my God!　I can't!　Your counter-intelligence awareness is too high!
　Annabella, troubled, wrote one letter to Mari, who was being transferred to the Equus tribe.

________.

　Dear Mr. Merlin.

　How are you?　I'm not well at all. Somehow the ex-Dibelites don't seem to be unhappy with the current king. They seem to have a sense of fear and awe, but they have no desire to disobey him at all.
　Normally, those who were the king's faction from the beginning would get carried away and attack the opposing faction.

　But the current king seems to be judging fairly and admonishing those who got carried away in the trial.
　So what about those who were the king's faction from the beginning?　But many of them have benefited from additions and other benefits, so I have no idea about this either.

　It seems that there are no gaps in their minds, and they can't help it.

　Moreover, the enemy's counter-intelligence ability is higher than I thought, and one of the sorcerers who was buried in the ground was captured.
　I was almost caught too.

　What should I do?

　From Annabella.

________.

　To Annabella.

　How are you?　I am very healthy. However, I am tired of the horse milk wine. Redus is fully hypnotized and motivated.
　Now, a word of advice...

　Retreat.
　There is no way to do this if your mind is so seamless. If you, my best disciple, can't do it, then I can't do it either.
　This time we have lost.
　King Rosais seems to have a moderately good sense of balance.

　I suppose it's not impossible if you torture him or give him a powerful potion.
　It's just not realistic. It's very dangerous. You shouldn't do it.

　It's better than making a bad move and letting them know we're coming.

　Besides, I'm sad that my sweet first disciple is going to die.
　It's more painful for me to see someone close to me die than it is for me to die.

　For now, lightly hypnotize your servant or thereabouts and stay in the Roselle Kingdom.
　I'm going home soon, too. I want to eat pork.

　P.S.
　But why is it still a respectful term in a letter?
　It's strange.



　The great, beautiful, eternal virgin witch.
　From Mr. Merlin.