A slightly crazed smile curled Sifa's lips. Seeming to notice it himself, he lightly passed a hand over his face and returned to normal.
He nodded.
"Did your meeting with the King of Loen go smoothly?"
Sifa asked casually, picking up an object to toy with.
Katarina had her head buried against the carpet, her entire body trembling. Sifa still could not freely rein in his unusual nature.
The aura he naturally gave off filled Katarina with instinctive fear, leaving her afraid to face him.
"It went smoothly."
"We've reached an agreement with Loen."
"In addition, we've agreed on numerous commercial cooperation projects."
Sifa nodded.
"You've done very well."
"From now on, you'll be responsible for the empire's diplomatic affairs."
"I'll be watching you."
Both excited and afraid, Katarina said, "I'll do my utmost to carry out everything you ask of me."
She heard Sifa give a quiet "Mm."
Then there was silence.
Some time passed.
Only then did Katarina muster the courage to raise her head, but Sifa was already nowhere to be seen in the room.
Along with her relief, she felt a faint sense of loss.
Backlund Bridge Area.
Cromwell Monroe, now a Judge, wore a double-breasted coat and a half top hat. His gray-green eyes lightly swept over a house not far away.
Having joined MI9, he had recently been put in charge of a case.
There were clear signs of Intis spy activity in this case.
After the war ended, diplomatic relations between the various countries had almost reached rock bottom.
This was particularly true of the Feysac Empire and the Intis Republic, both of which had invaded Loen.
Diplomatic relations between these three countries were incredibly strained, even carrying a hint of a cold war.
Spies from Feysac and Intis frequently appeared in Backlund,