Egbert rented a room in a district inn in Eisenwald.
After returning, he shut the door and slid down with his back against it, slumping to the floor.
Outside the window, the faint cheers of the people celebrating the trial's victorious outcome could still be heard.
He buried his face in his hands, his mind a chaotic mess.
One year. Just one year.
That man, Lacey, had not only changed the face of this land but had also subverted the thinking of everyone on it.
Egbert had seen the people here support Lacey from the bottom of their hearts and praise their new lives.
How was he supposed to write this report?
Write the truth?
Tell Her Majesties, the Empresses, that Wasser Fief was becoming a bastion of the working class, an independent kingdom with unified ideology, tight organization, and rapidly developing productivity?
If he wrote that, would his superiors, or even the two on the throne, believe him?
They would probably think he'd been brainwashed, or was simply a traitor.
His career, perhaps even his life, would end then and there.
Then should he lie?
Should he fabricate a story according to their expectations—that Lacey was a tyrant, the people were miserable, and Wasser Fief was riddled with internal conflicts, on the verge of collapse at any moment?
No.
That would be fooling an idiot.
He wasn't the only intelligence agent sent to Wasser Fief. If even one of the others chose to report truthfully, he would be a dead man.
Besides, he had the basic professional integrity of an intelligence officer.
Mulling it over and over, he stood up in frustration, walked to the desk, and spread out a blank sheet of parchment.
The ink sloshed in its bottle, but his hand hesitated to put pen to paper.
Just then, a light knock came from the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
Egbert's heart leaped into his throat.
Who was it?
Had he been exposed?
Holding his breath, he crept to the door and peeked through the crack.
Standing outside was not the fully armed Guard Corps member he had imagined.
It was a young woman in a plain grey dress.
She looked like the clerk from the bookstore, or an ordinary secretary from some department.
This very ordinariness made Egbert feel even more uneasy.
He took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and slowly opened the door.
"Hello, Mr. Egbert. Or, should I call you... Raven 7?" the woman said with a smile.
Egbert's face instantly turned ashen. The hand hidden behind his back instinctively reached for the dagger tucked into his belt.
The woman seemed to see right through him, her smile unwavering. "Don't be nervous. I'm not here to arrest you."
"My name is Lina, from the Intelligence Department. Minister Gertrude asked me to pay you a visit."
She turned slightly to the side, indicating she was unarmed and had no companions.
"May I come in for a glass of water? I've walked quite a way and am a bit thirsty."
Egbert's mind raced.
Resist?
Utterly pointless.
This was Eisenwald, the heartland of the Workers' Party. He couldn't escape even if he had wings.
He stiffly stepped aside, clearing the doorway.
Lina entered the room. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the blank parchment before she sat down naturally in the only chair.
Egbert poured her a glass of water and remained standing by the desk, like a prisoner awaiting his sentence.
"It seems your report is proving difficult to write," Lina said softly after taking a sip of water.
Egbert remained silent, a cold sweat already soaking the back of his shirt.
"Your registration at the border post, your visit to the Blackrock Mines, your observations in the workers' canteen, and your attendance at the special tribunal today... we know everything," Lina stated calmly.
"Your every step has been under our watch."
"What do you want?" Egbert asked, his voice hoarse.
"Nothing much."
Lina put down the glass, her hands folded in her lap with the elegant posture of a noble lady.
"I'm just here to confirm if our guest has grown accustomed to the new changes in Wasser Fief."
Egbert's heart sank to the pit of his stomach.
He knew what was coming next: threats and deals.
He had even prepared himself to submit.
He forced himself to speak. "...What do you... want me to write? I can write a report that satisfies you, according to your requirements."
Hearing this, Lina looked as if she had heard something amusing. She paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
The laughter was crisp, without a hint of mockery, just pure amusement.
"Write what we tell you to write?"
She shook her head and looked at Egbert with a strange pity in her eyes.
"No, no, Mr. Egbert, you've misunderstood."
She stood up, walked to the desk, and reached out a slender finger to gently tap the blank parchment.
"What we want you to write is the truth. The facts."
Egbert snapped his head up, his face a mask of disbelief.
Lina's expression turned serious, her gaze clear and firm. "Write what you saw. Write what you heard."
"Write about our paved roads, our newly built houses."
"Write about the steaming hot stew in the workers' canteens, the sound of children reading in the schools."
Then her tone shifted, becoming sharp. "Of course, don't forget to write about the special tribunal's trial of Kash."
"Write about the merchants' complaints, our harsh taxes, and our liquidation of the old powers. Write it all down, exactly as it is. Don't leave out a single word."
Egbert was completely stunned.
He could not fathom their intentions at all.
"Why?" he asked subconsciously.
"Because the truth is our most powerful weapon."
Lina lifted her head slightly, smiling with a hint of pride.
"We need you to tell those on the outside, to tell those two Empresses on the throne, what is happening in Wasser Fief."
"Let them know there is no famine here, no riots, only a nation of the working people, rising at an unprecedented speed."
"Let them know that the mud-legs they fear and despise are creating a new world they cannot imagine and can never defeat."
"Let them wait for our arrival in panic and suspicion."
Having said her piece, Lina smiled gently at Egbert once more. "I am finished."
"The water was very good. Thank you for your hospitality."
"I wish you... smooth writing."
She turned, opened the door, and left as silently as she had arrived.
Only Egbert remained in the room.
He collapsed into the chair, gasping for breath.
That conversation had left him shaken and powerless.
What kind of confidence was this? It was practically arrogance!
They weren't afraid of being watched, weren't afraid of being understood. They even actively invited their enemies to observe and record.
Because they firmly believed that everything they were doing was right and unstoppable.
They didn't want deception; they wanted to use the naked truth to crush the will of their enemies.
Egbert looked at the still-blank parchment on the desk and suddenly felt an unprecedented weight.
But he couldn't change any of it. He could only pick up his pen and write the first word.
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 10 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉