CH 22

Present Condition of a Former Colleague

After dinner.

I told everyone that I would accompany Oz home, so Oz and I were able to leave early.

“Wow, everyone was so nice!”

“That’s right. They were very understanding. Unlike you.”

“Mmph, 28, you’re still acting cold towards me…Ah, maybe it’s like that thing? Where you’re mean to the person you like– Ow!”

“I’ll kill you.”

“You’re already killing me!”

I ignore Oz, who was holding her head while groaning, “Uuu-”.

“Oz, do you work for the Bureau now?”

“Yup. So, the name ‘Oz’ is just temporary for now…unlike ‘Tweight’.”

The tone of her voice seemed somewhat thorny, so I thought for a moment, before asking her a question.

“Oz, after the Organization was disbanded, why did you work for the Bureau?”

“In my case, I didn’t have a choice from the beginning. I was told that it was too dangerous to let me go because of my age and personality…or something like that. Honestly, that was really rude of them. I mean, if Tweight can do it then I can definitely also do it!”

“No, I doubt that…”

Oz is more of a people person than I am. But that makes her more free-spirited and less suited to covert operations.

While I am in command this time, it doesn’t mean that she can do what I can on her own.

And besides– I myself am still not at that level.

Oz said “If Tweight can do it”, but I’m not flawless at it either.

As I was thinking this, Oz suddenly made a complicated face.

“…Hey, as I thought, can I call you 28 when it’s just the two of us? I’m still not used to calling you Tweight; it feels wrong.”

“Though you say it feels wrong, they sound similar.”

“Yup. But…somehow, I hate it.”

I don’t see the point in Oz’s statement, so I tell her with a sigh, “Do what you want”.

“I mean, can 28 even escort?”

“No, this time I only accepted this commission because certain conditions were met. Honestly speaking, I’m not very good at it.”

“Well, I guess that’s right. The situations where 28 can display his true abilities are limited. And usually, when we talk about escorting, shouldn’t it have been 11?”

“That’s true, but…that man only specializes in ordinary escort missions. This time, the target mustn’t even be aware of the existence of the escort, which is quite an annoying limitation.”

“Aah, I see. Then it’s impossible for that clumsy 11.”

“That mostly applies to you too.”

“That’s not true~. Ah, speaking of him, I met 11 the other day. He was really upset because 28 pulled out his hair.”

“Was he upset? I thought I told him not to take it personally…?”

“…I don’t think that counts as a proper apology.”

That might be the case.

But at that time, the fault clearly lied with 11. I wasn’t at fault, so I didn’t really need to give an apology.

“So, just like we talked about at dinner, tomorrow, we will first register Oz as an adventurer. Then, we’ll take a commission.”

“Roger! Type-2, right?”

During the registration, it won’t be just me, but Mize and the others will also accompany us.

At dinner, when we said that Oz had not registered yet, Mize suggested, “We don’t get to experience this often, so let’s go together”. We had no reason to refuse her proposal, since it would be more helpful if the target was as close to us as possible.

“By the way, what’s the basic plan? I know that either 28 or I should always be by Mize’s side, right?”

“Yeah. That’s so we can respond differently depending on the size of the enemy. If they come in a small group, I’ll handle it. But if they make a large attack like today, Oz, you’ll handle it.”

“Yup, I get it. But…to be blunt, aren’t I flashy?”

Oz says.

But I am also very much aware of that.

“That’s fine.”

“Eh? It’s fine?”

“Yeah. Speaking of which, when you’re by Mize’s side, make some flashy moves.”

“What do you mean?”, Oz tilts her head in confusion, so I decide to explain in more detail.

“This time, Oz will also be responsible for keeping the enemy in check. Simply put, we will make the enemy be aware that there are strong people around Mize. The more conspicuous Oz is, the warier the enemy will be towards you, which will make it harder for them to move.”

“I see. So, I just have to act as usual?”

“Yeah. However, during ordinary times and while escorting, make sure to use different weapons and magic. If you use the same fighting style during ordinary times and while escorting, your true identity will be quickly revealed.”

“Roger”, Oz nods.

Oz joined immediately after a large-scale attack. Because of this, the enemy would be wary of Oz to some extent from the beginning. Since that will be the case, it would be more effective to take advantage of this opening and let them be on their guard until the end.

While escorting, the battles are bound to become flashier in the future. However, that doesn’t mean our backs aren’t against the wall yet. Fortunately, the enemy also wants to avoid attracting attention, so probably, the scale of the battles will only be large when we’re outside the city. Even if they fight a little flashier outside the city, they can get away with a reasonable excuse such as “The Demonic Beasts went on a rampage”.

So, in order to accomplish our mission, it will be necessary to be a bit conspicuous.

In short, we just need to make sure Mize doesn’t suspect anything.

“It’s going to be harder than I thought…but I can’t complain. I have to do my best, so I don’t disgrace my predecessor.”

At those nonchalant words, I vaguely recalled the Organization I used to work for.

Oz– the current “02”, is the second one.

The first 02 died during the war. He was 58 years old at the time.

Oz was an orphan that the first 02 had picked up during the war. In other words, she and I had similar backgrounds.

Oz, who felt indebted to the first 02, began studying under the first 02 shortly after she was picked up. She must have originally had talent. Now, she has acquired the same level of ability as the first one and has finally succeeded the number from the first.

Magic is largely dependent on talent.

But there weren’t many agents among our ranks who have shown such remarkable talent.

“I’m counting on you, Oz.”

“Mm-hm, leave it to me!”