The Diplomat’s Dossier and a Growing Suspicion

“They agreed?”

The suddenness of the good fortune left Iordera momentarily stunned. Seeing Mrs. Lailila already ascending, she quickly followed suit.

“Theoretically, official appointment records are restricted documents, yet in terms of secrecy, they don’t fall under the Forbidden Archives,” Mrs. Lailila explained. “You see, the library has five levels of access, with the Forbidden Archives being the highest, while these records are on the fourth level.”

Iordera nodded. “And my current access level is only the third.”

“Precisely, though exceptions exist, such as with my explicit permission and accompaniment,” Mrs. Lailila stated.

“Thank you so much, Curator.”

“It’s no trouble at all. It’s not as if these documents contain anything scandalous.”

Mrs. Lailila spoke with a casual air, instructing Iordera to wait at the desk for a moment.

She then retrieved the dossier herself.

“Here it is. Feel free to peruse.”

[Saroyan Official Appointment Records, Foreign Affairs Section, Orcish Consulate, 57th Diplomat Spencer]

Comprising only a few pages, the document was carefully unsealed by Iordera, who then picked it up and read it repeatedly.

[…January 4th, XX Year: Assumed office.

January 20th: Officially took charge of all consulate affairs.

January 20th to April 2nd: Progressively visited Saroyan officials of various ranks.

April 14th: Attended the Orcish New Year gathering in the East District Consulate Plaza.]

As Mrs. Lailila had suggested, the dossier contained nothing scandalous or covert.

It merely detailed Spencer’s public activities since taking office: diplomatic visits to imperial officials, attendance at local Orcish gatherings, and invitations to banquets hosted by other races, where discussions often revolved around the unity and cooperative development of the major races.

The only detail that truly caught Iordera’s attention was his repeated applications to join Saroyan’s foreign diplomatic missions as a guide.

This meant that when Saroyan occasionally organized delegations to visit other races—such as sending students from the Joint Academy as exchange students to Orcish territories—Spencer had proactively offered his services as a guide.

After all, he was an Orc himself.

Yet, every single application had been denied.

Whether for civilian tour groups, official diplomatic representatives, or academy exchange students, he had applied three times for three separate missions, and each time, he was rejected.

Iordera asked, a note of confusion in her voice, “Why were his applications always rejected?”

To her, there seemed to be no issue; acting as a guide would allow him to visit his homeland, a perfectly natural desire.

It was simply human nature.

Mrs. Lailila suddenly grew serious, lowering her voice. “Little Iordera, regarding this matter, while no one would openly state it, it’s… just how things are.”

Though Mrs. Lailila’s words were vague, Iordera understood immediately. “Are you implying it’s an unwritten rule within the imperial official system, preventing him from leaving Saroyan?”

Mrs. Lailila gave a slight nod.

Iordera’s lips curved. “Not even after his term ended?”

“Certainly not. It’s a preventative measure,” Mrs. Lailila replied. “It used to be less stringent, but ever since about half a year ago, this aspect has been given far more importance.”

The timing, roughly half a year prior, was starkly apparent.

“Could it be related to the Witch’s sealing?” Iordera inquired.

Mrs. Lailila offered another faint smile. “You must view this from a different perspective—the human race’s top two powerhouses clashed, after which the foremost vanished without a trace, never to be heard from again.”

Iordera nodded, understanding dawned upon her. Saroyan feared the outbreak of war.

After all, the status and order of all races on the continent had been established by Sheila.

Preventing diplomats from returning home served a dual purpose: it limited external races’ understanding of Saroyan, and in the event of war, they could be seized directly as hostages.

So, was it possible that Spencer simply yearned to return home?

Iordera mentally filed this thought away, then resumed her search for clues within the dossier.

However, with so few pages, even after several thorough readings, nothing further emerged.

Approaching him with just this conjecture would likely fail to sway him.

Crossing her arms, her ruby-like eyes fixed intently on the document.

‘Obtaining useful information from a document didn’t always mean dissecting its content alone. Sometimes, it was about… timing!’

“His tenure was quite peculiar, top-heavy, so to speak,” Iordera remarked, pointing to the timestamps. “Of the three pages detailing his activities, two and a half covered his first year, while after the second year, he barely initiated anything.”

“Indeed, that’s precisely how he was, which is why he forfeited the opportunity for re-election,” Mrs. Lailila replied. “Perhaps his initial fervor was simply too intense, burning out prematurely.”

‘Is that so? Or perhaps there was another reason entirely.’

Though this thought crossed Iordera’s mind, she vocalized a different question. “Since he had no desire to work in Saroyan, why didn’t he consider ways to return to his homeland?”

“Even if it wasn’t openly permitted, he could have surely tried to find a way.”

“A very proactive line of thought, little Iordera, but you’ve overlooked one crucial detail,” Mrs. Lailila said with a smile. “Spencer is a man who has turned his back on his people, not a scoundrel. In certain respects, his identity makes it difficult for him to find a way.”

Iordera pondered this thoughtfully.

“That’s all I needed to see. Thank you, Curator.”

****

On her way home from work.

Upon returning home, she immediately rushed into her room, pulling out paper and pen to draw another mind map.

Connecting the known information with a few educated guesses, would a coherent narrative emerge?

For instance, if Dogget was working for a high-ranking official in Saroyan, betraying his own people for biological experiments, and Spencer, his covert friend, discovered this—what would he do?

He would likely feel a profound sense of disappointment and fury, for not everyone was like Dogget, capable of such a betrayal against their own kind.

Yet, he chose only to conceal it, taking no action.

Did this signify a complex underlying reason, leaving him deeply conflicted and torn?

Amidst his anger, a growing disappointment began to eclipse his rage, leading him to tire of his duties and contemplate retirement.

Thus, Spencer remained passive throughout the latter half of his tenure, repeatedly seeking opportunities to leave Saroyan.

However, because he was a Dog-headed person, he was openly forbidden from departing, and covertly, he found no means to slip away.

Proof by contradiction: it made sense.

Iordera had found her answer, but one question remained: how could she convince the other party to hand over the evidence?

Her pen tip tapped against the words “Dog-headed person.”

‘Spencer isn’t human, which is why he couldn’t find a way out, but I am human… Oh, wait, I’m not human either.’

‘But no one knows I’m not human!’

An idea sparked within Iordera. She erased her notes and rushed out.

“Young miss, are you going out again? Not eating dinner?”

“No, I’m not. Don’t wait up for me either.”