CH 37

A Major Change

“Are you really fine now?”

“Yes. My headache is fully gone already, and I’m completely alright!”

Mize says energetically, as if to prove that she had made a complete recovery.

The day after Mize collapsed due to an abrupt headache. After Mize had slept in a clinic bed for over half a day, she had made a complete recovery.

As escorts, Oz and I periodically checked on Mize, who was asleep. At around dawn, her breathing had stabilized, and her sweat had subsided. At this point, she probably wasn’t just putting on a cheery facade.

“It’s noon already… we need to hurry to the academy!”

Mize says after having a simple lunch, while looking outside the window.

“Why don’t you take today off at least? Even if you go back now, you’ll only be able to attend two classes.”

“Being able to take two classes is plenty enough! I cherish the opportunity to learn from our teachers, who have walked ahead of us in life. It isn’t a waste!”

Mize says with all her heart.

After many years of being constrained as a princess, her sense of values can’t be said to be normal. But then again, it’s the same for me.

“Oz. Let’s go as well.”

I call Oz, who is standing by the entrance of the sickroom.

If Mize is going to the academy, then I, as her escort, should go to the academy with her, and Oz should keep watch of the surroundings.

However–

“About that… I’ve just received a transmission from Chris. It’s fine already.”

It’s fine already…?

Oz called out to Mize, leaving me to doubt.

“Mize, I’m sorry, but could you head to the academy first? I need to talk with Tweight for a bit.”

“I don’t mind, but the escort…”

“Ahaha, don’t worry about it. There’s nothing to be nervous about, Mize.”

Mize left the sickroom with a quizzical look on her face and headed towards the academy.

After seeing her off, I look at Oz.

“Oz. What did you mean by ‘it’s fine already’?”

“Exactly what I said. She said that the escort mission is over.”

“…Over?”

That’s another abrupt instruction.

“Does that mean that the enemy organization had been destroyed?”

“Ah-, that seems to be the case as well. It turns out that the ones who attacked Mize were confirmed to be active mercenaries from the Kingdom of Arcadia who belonged to a group known as “The Fangs of the Red Dragon”, but thanks to this, they are currently on the verge of destruction. “The Fangs of the Red Dragon” were supposed to be a mercenary group that specialized in assassinations, but… they were no match for 28.”

Oz says with a tinge of enjoyment.

I had also expected that they were a mercenary group that specialized in assassinations, so I wasn’t surprised at this information.

“With that said, let’s go to the Royal Castle.”

“To the Royal Castle?”

“Yup. Those were Chris’ instructions.”

As I feel a sense of discomfort from Oz, who is acting differently from usual, we leave the sickroom.

After 20 minutes of walking from the clinic. Fortified from all sides in the centre of the Royal Capital, is the Royal Castle. Oz and I had finally arrived here. We were invited to the Royal Castle as members of the Bureau, and so we were permitted to enter the castle as apprentice knights.

After giving a casual nod to the guards that I am acquainted with, we enter the Royal Castle.

Oz guided me to a special conference room on the third floor of the Royal Castle.

“So, what will we do?”

“Dunno? The instructions were to remain on standby for a while…”

There are a lot of questions I’d like to ask Oz, but it would be better to ask the more reliable Chris later. Oz may have exceptional abilities, but she is still young. Even when she was still an agent of the Organization, she was someone who had the willingness to serve as a soldier even until the end. She probably isn’t at the centre of the operation this time either.

Oz and I sat down and waited for the next instructions to be given.

“…it’s been a long time.”

It has been a little over an hour since we went on standby in this room.

How much longer do they want us to wait?

“Come to think of it, did you report the fact that Mize found out about the escort?”

For a change of mood, I spoke to Oz.

“Yup. But I think they probably won’t blame you for it.”

“They won’t blame me…? But why? Didn’t they instruct me to be a secret escort?”

“She said the circumstances have changed.”

After giving a vague reply, Oz shut her mouth.

It seems that Oz knows something more that I don’t with regards to this case. I was going to wait until Chris got here, but I feel uncomfortable that she’s this late.

Right– this feels uncomfortable.

Originally, the information given for this escort mission was insufficient.

The information that Oz was given was mostly similar to mine. So, I thought, perhaps, that there was something about this missions that we, as mere soldiers, shouldn’t know; I thought that there was something suspicious going on.

But now, it’s different. For some reason, I was the only one kept out of the loop until now.

In the first place, I was supposed to be given the rights of command in this mission. Oz had joined this mission under the arrangement that she would follow my instructions. So originally, I should have been the one to receive instructions from Chris. So then, why were the instructions given to Oz instead of me?

— My true identity was found out, but I won’t be blamed.

Even though they were very particular about it being a secret escort, they’re now being very lenient. It’s as if there was no longer any need to hide my nor Oz’s true identities.

— Isn’t that quite a major change?

I had an unpleasant premonition.

The premise that we have painstakingly kept, that our true identities should remain hidden, is already meaningless at this point. That means that the situation regarding Mize has undergone some major changes.

The fact that the mission has ended should be a good thing. The fact that there will be no blame for having my true identity found out should be a good thing. The recent policies of the Bureau have been noticeably crude.

It’s not that they are noticeably crude, but rather–

Are they really going to use such rough methods to settle this state of affairs?

“…you know what?”

Oz, who was seated opposite me, utters in a small voice.

“28, during your missions, when our comrades died, what did you feel?”

“…That’s a pretty sudden thing to ask.”

“Come on, it’s fine, so just answer the question.”

With a serious look… no, looking depressed, Oz tells me.

I thought about that question for a bit, before answering.

“‘It couldn’t be helped’, was what I thought.”

A short response.

“The death of our comrades is something that we should always be prepared for. Our hands have been stained by the atrocious deeds we committed in the darkness, where the sun doesn’t shine… when we are confronted with such a gruesome reality, we should accept it as our retribution.”

There are even Demon Nations that were assured equal treatment as Human Nations. Even among the followers of the Demon King, there were many that opposed the war. However, the True Soldiers’ Special Ops Organization even committed such atrocities to those demons.

“Yup, that’s right. It couldn’t be helped… it couldn’t be helped at all. After all, that’s the nature of our work…”

Oz nodded repeatedly, as if to convince herself.

With that attitude– I assumed the worst possible development.

“Where is Mize?”

I reflexively asked in a strong tone.

I sharply glared at Oz, who shut her mouth and gave off an air of nervousness.

“I’ll ask you one more time– where is Mize?”

Oz drew her lips back in silence.

That silence is the answer.

“Tch. So that’s how it is.”

I get up and leave the conference room.

“28-sama! Please wait!”

“You have been ordered to remain on standby!”

The guards that were standing by in front of the room rush to stop me.

I activate <Rage> in an instant and run straight through the corridor.

The Bureau– Chris wanted to lock me up in this conference room.

It’s simple to predict why.

I went out of the castle, maintaining <Rage>, and headed for the castle town.

It was evening. The sky was already dyed with a tinge of madder red. It was around the time that classes ended at the academy.

While leaping on buildings, from one roof to another, I hurriedly search for Mize.

On the route leading back to the girls’ dormitory from school, Mize’s figure was nowhere to be found. But, in that side street–

— Found her.

I caught sight of Mize’s figure heading somewhere.

And behind her– was an assassin tinged with bloodthirst.

“Mize! Get down!”

Just before the assassin could approach Mize with his knife drawn, I shouted and cast <Flash Blade>.

The assassin was so shaken by my appearance that he stopped moving– that stiffness proved fatal. When she noticed the assassin, Mize fell on her backside in surprise. A thin blade passed above her head. The blade sunk into the assassin’s right side, and smoothly cut until his left shoulder.

Clang. The blade in the assassin’s hand makes a sound as it falls beside Mize.

A pool of blood spreads, staining the fallen Mize’s limbs.

“Are you alright?”

After I hurriedly rush over to ask her, Mize nods silently while trembling.

“I-I was on my way to the dormitory, when I received a call from one of Tweight-san’s comrades…s-so I was on my way to the place I was supposed to meet with you, Tweight-san.”

“My comrade, huh…”

Obviously, I had no knowledge about anything like that. Someone had used my name.

I lift up the assassin’s corpse from the pool of blood.

I recognized his face.

— He’s one of the Bureau’s people.

During the war, when I was working as an agent of the Organization, I had visited its parent organization, the Royal Bureau of Counterintelligence, on several occasions. I saw this man’s face then.

The [Communication Paper] in my pocket vibrated.

While keeping an eye on our vicinity, I answer the transmission.

“Is this Chris?”

“…Yes.”

I hear her voice.

I somehow manage to push down my anger and ask.

“Answer me. What is this– what the hell are you trying to do?”