I had no name. I was simply called Shadow. That was the nature of my existence.
Of course, it wasn't as if people went around calling me "Shadow-san" or "Shadow-cchi" in the middle of the street. Shadow was a codename. That’s right—I was a spy. My job was to infiltrate target locations and extract information.
Under orders from my superior, I was sent to infiltrate Shashato City. My target was the newly established Ifuls Academy. Word was that prominent scholars and magical authorities were gathering there. My objective was to find out exactly what they were up to.
I adopted my specialty disguise as a merchant. After passing through several towns to establish a paper trail, I made my way to Shashato City.
The curry here was magnificent. That was the primary takeaway from my six months in the city. No, it wasn't just the curry—the fried food was excellent too. I considered the dish they called "Hamburger Steak" to be nothing short of a revolution. I never imagined it would have cheese inside... it was heavenly. Putting a fried egg on top made it even better.
Anyway, there was a place called Big Roof Shashato right next to the academy. The food at its flagship restaurant, Maruura, was incredible. If I actually submitted a report like this, my head would be physically severed. My superior wasn't exactly known for his sense of humor.
I knew I had to do something, but the situation was hopeless. The Ifuls Academy's counter-intelligence measures were airtight. The staff rarely set foot outside the grounds, and those allowed in or out were strictly vetted. Even merchants trying to pitch products were forced to go through a dedicated reception window; there was zero chance of direct contact with anyone on the inside.
The reason I had spent half a year writing food reviews was that the academy staff frequented Maruura. It wasn't a perfect method, as some preferred delivery, but I managed to identify a significant number of individuals. At the same time, I confirmed just how many other spies were in this city. Between my own country, the Demon Kingdom, twelve other nations, and various unaffiliated parties, there were over two hundred spies. Since that was only the number I had managed to track, there were likely even more.
Everyone was trying to dig into Ifuls Academy just like I was. If we could have cooperated, we might have gotten somewhere, but even if we belonged to the same country, spies didn't play well with others. That was just the nature of the business. Still, there was no need for open hostility. We were all professionals on the same mission, regardless of our employers. We didn't do anything reckless. There was a certain level of mutual respect—a bizarre kind of trust.
"The Sixth Shadow Dwellers Bowling Tournament."
I had come close last time. This time, I was aiming for the championship. Now, don't misunderstand—I wasn't just playing around. This was part of the mission: gathering intel from the other spies. I debated whether to change the weight of my ball. I also needed to find out who was responsible for waxing the lanes on the day of the event. Surprisingly, individual technique varied quite a bit there.
I eventually secured a major piece of intelligence. Apparently, a baseball team composed of Ifuls Academy staff was being formed. Baseball was the hottest sport in Shashato City right now. It was entertaining enough just to watch. Personally, I preferred teams that relied on speed. I didn't mind the heavy hitters, but those teams rarely won. The winning teams were the ones where every batter played their role to perfection. And now, academy staff were getting involved...
I exchanged looks with the other spies nearby. It seemed we were all on the same page. Thus, our own baseball team, the Shadow Dwellers Whales, was born.
But the Tiger Demon King's Army was just too strong. Damn it. What was with that pitcher? I thought he was just some kid from the Beastman Race, but he threw absolute fire. His pinpoint control was likely thanks to the catcher's framing. That catcher was phenomenal. His face looked exactly like the Former King of the neighboring country—maybe a relative?
Even when we managed to make contact, their defense was a wall. In the end, we lost without scoring a single run. It was infuriating. However, the opposing manager invited us to eat at Maruura afterward. We went over the game's failures and discussed future challenges. Our whole team was terrible at fielding grounders; we needed more practice. Wait, what? That boy pitching was actually an academy teacher? Incredible.
Then, a massive discovery: I confirmed the presence of Lulucy Lou at the academy. Lulucy Lou—the Vampire Princess. She was a supreme authority on magic, magical tools, and medicine. She had been laying low for a while, but it seemed she had secretly aligned herself with the Demon Kingdom. While it was true that the treatment of demi-humans in the human kingdoms was poor, she was usually the type to operate wherever she pleased. Damn. I was actually a bit of a fan. It stung that as a mere spy, there was nothing I could do.
Lulucy’s movements were conspicuous. One moment she was buying a ship under construction, and the next she was hiring a massive workforce to overhaul it. Was she trying to finish the vessel? I saw plenty of academy staff around too. I considered infiltrating as a carpenter but thought better of it after a spy who tried that was caught. Security was tight, which meant they were building something vital. I couldn't look away.
I didn't intend to, but suddenly a swarm of elves appeared. Where did these dark-skinned elves come from? They threw themselves into the construction with terrifying speed. In no time at all, they had taken over leadership roles on the project. They must have been master carpenters. Security tightened even further after that; observing the construction became impossible. I had to find another way.
Seventy days after confirming Lulucy’s arrival, the purpose of her work and the academy's research finally came to light. They were studying airships. To be honest, it was a classic subject. Nothing new. I managed to sneak a peek at the top-secret testing site. I was startled when the ship emerged from underwater, but that was the only surprise. What was the point of that? The ship took flight, and for a moment it looked like a success... then it failed. It snapped into pieces and plunged into the ocean.
Just as I expected. There had been countless airship studies over the years, but never a success. I suppose I should have been impressed it stayed airborne for even a few seconds. My job now was to determine if completion was actually possible and to estimate the construction cost per unit. The failed experiment had thrown everything into chaos. While I still couldn't get inside the academy, important data that would normally be classified started leaking out—details about the academy’s scale and specifics regarding the ship. We weren't about to miss an opportunity like that.
"What? You missed it?" I asked another spy. I couldn't help it; the world works better when we help each other out. I shared the intel with the laggards. I considered the possibility that it was misinformation, but that was for my boss to decide. Personally, I thought the numbers looked a bit inflated—likely some puffery meant for the public.
More importantly, it seemed a critical component for the airship was lost in the crash. Research would continue, but they wouldn't be able to build a replacement anytime soon. This aligned with accounts from the Sea Race who helped recover the wreckage. One said, "That massive orb—the one you could barely wrap your arms around—snapped right in two. The professors were weeping over it."
That orb must have been the key component. A magic stone? A magic tool? I wanted to recover even a shard, but they had already swept it all up. Typical.
At any rate, I finally had enough for a proper report. I would send a flash report first, then follow up with a detailed summary. I wondered if my mission was over. If possible, I wanted to stay in Shashato City a while longer. Before I left, I wanted a rematch against the Scholar Spiders. We were trailing in the series. I also wanted to figure out how they threw those "magic balls." What was a Slider? Could you really make a ball move like that just by changing your grip?
I had no name. I was an existence known only as Shadow.
"Hey, Shadow-cchi! The guys from the Garlet Kingdom are heading home. We're throwing a farewell party!"
"Wait, seriously? I'm going to miss them... Hold on, if they leave, we won't have a catcher!"
I was a spy.