CH 41

The Worst Enemy

“The agents we dispatched to the port town have been killed.”

A subordinate briefly reports.

Chris lets out a sigh, as if to complain, at the content of the report.

“Well, I didn’t think it could be done by ordinary methods…”

Sighing in disappointment, Chris gazed at the scenery outside from the rear window.

It’s peaceful outside; almost nobody knows what was happening in the Royal Capital at this time.

The headquarters of the Royal Bureau of Counterintelligence, on the fourth floor of the Royal Castle. There was one room on the outskirts of the building, that functioned as Chris’s property. The third and fourth floors of the Royal Castle are used by the Royal Army and the Royal Government, which presides over the Royal Capital, but since the castle is spacious, it doesn’t feel congested. In addition, since most of the Bureau’s activities are clandestine, there is a policy to drive away other people, in consideration of their work. On the fourth floor of the Royal Castle, there are several areas that only people authorized by the Bureau can enter.

The Bureau is an organization affiliated with the Army, but there are only a limited number of people who are aware of what it does.

People in the Army would describe the people of the Bureau as, “People who are also in the Army, but who knows what they do”.

But in reality– it is no exaggeration to say that they shoulder the responsibility of being the backbone of national defence.

Contrary to how it is perceived by its surroundings, the people of the Bureau had currently succumbed to an unprecedentedly higher degree of impatience.

“Captain. How are you going to take responsibility for this?”

Chris’ superior, a tall, lean man, asks in a voice filled with anger.

“… I’m thinking about it now.”

“This isn’t a situation to be speaking so leisurely! As it stands, if they escape, it could turn into the worst-case scenario; it could escalate to a problem on an international scale! So quickly track down 28 at all costs!”

That was something that Chris fully understood.

Because it was a sound argument, she couldn’t say anything back.

“After all, you were the one who raised him! You let him off his leash, and he bit the hand that fed him, leading to this blunder! He’s just a dog that’s out of control, so hurry up and have him killed!”

“… With all due respect, sir, I think it may be premature to have 28 killed. His abilities are a god-sent miracle for the Kingdom. We may never see another talent with comparable ability.”

“And this is the result of that talent turning against us! So quickly do something about it!”

After wildly yelling at her, the man leaves the room.

Bang! The door is slammed shut, accompanied by a loud noise, causing the subordinate beside Chris to flinch.

“I’m sorry. I’ve let you see something unexpected.”

“… It wasn’t your fault this time, Captain. You’ve pointed out countless times that 28 should have been monitored by more capable agents. The one who should be the one held responsible is the Lieutenant Colonel, who disregarded that advice.”

At least she was blessed with such a subordinate; her worries had slightly lessened.

“An injured agent has relayed a message from 28: until the assassination is called off, he does not intend to surrender.”

“… Thank you. If the Lieutenant Colonel had heard that, he would have prolonged the lecturing.”

The man had read the mood a while ago– and would not have dared to report this while the Lieutenant Colonel was present.

After listening to her subordinate’s report, Chris thinks for a while before opening her mouth.

“I want all agents to be equipped with military-grade magical tools. And double the number of agents you’re mobilizing.”

“D-double? As expected, that’s…”

“Even double the numbers may not be enough, you know?”

Chris says as she sits down on her chair.

“Listen to me carefully: The enemy that we are fighting against now– is the worst enemy we have ever faced.”

◆

Deep within the forest, a scream echoed.

The foliage that formed a canopy blocked out the sunlight. Even though it was only dusk, the forest was shrouded in darkness.

“Gwah!?”

The sound of crunching leaves tells me where the assassins are.

In an instant, I get behind the man’s back, and cut him apart with <Flash Blade>.

“C-calm down! There’s just one enemy! We outnumber him, so if we attack altogether, we can–”

The 9 assassins had already been reduced to 7.

The man who seems to be their leader shouts in an impatient voice.

He had more or less regained his composure. The assassins all rushed at me simultaneously.

All of them were naturally skilled at using <Rage>. In these circumstances, it couldn’t have been easy to move this quickly, with poor footing and visibility.

In a corner of my heart, I admire their skills.

If they were able to live for a few more years– they could have been extraordinarily excellent agents.

— <Bullet>

The bullet created by magic is released into the approaching assassin’s temple.

I hold the dead man’s body before it falls to the ground and use it as a shield.

That shield protects me against a sword that extended towards my side.

For a moment, the assassin who swung the sword was shaken. Taking advantage of that opening, I cut off the assassin’s head with <Flash Blade> and snatch the sword he was holding.

I immediately throw the snatched sword behind me.

The tip of the sword pierces the neck of the woman who was trying to attack me with long-range shooting magic.

“This-!”

“Fuck you!”

Immediately after, 2 people closed in on my left and right.

From the left side was a man who drew a dagger. From the right side was a woman who drew a longsword and slashed.

I create a dagger in my left hand with <Fixation> and deflect the man’s dagger before he could pull it out. At the same time, I grab the woman’s arm that is holding the sword with my right hand and pull it.

The woman’s sword that slashed from the right pierced the chest of the man who was charging from the left.

“ah–”

The woman who had skewered her companion uttered a small cry.

So that she wouldn’t be tormented by feelings of guilt, I’ll at least make it so that they both struck each other. I pick up the dagger that the man dropped and stab it into the woman’s chest.

“J-just what is this guy…”

“That’s, impossible…”

I am not aware of how long this series of exchanges lasted.

Around 10 seconds? Or possibly several seconds? The fighting style I was taught at the Organization prioritized efficiency above all else. And that– suits me just fine.

I twist the dagger that was thrust into the woman’s chest by 90 degrees.

Then, I swung the dagger backwards and hurl the woman’s body at the men behind.

Mingled with the scattering blood spray, a <Bullet> tears through the air. It pierced the head of another assassin, who died.

There is only 1 remaining. Concealed by the shadow of the woman’s body that was thrown in the air– I pierce the man’s shoulder with a blade created by magic power.

“Gwah!?”

The last assassin screamed.

The wound is shallow, but he can no longer move. Without haste, I approach the man while concentrating magic power in my palm.

“M-monster…”

I release a <Bullet> at the man’s forehead, which was tainted with fear.

After confirming that I had defeated all the assassins, I returned to the carriage, where Mize was waiting.

“I’m back.”

I open the carriage’s canopy and call out to Mize.

This carriage was taken from the bandits who had attacked us at the port town.

“Tweight-san. A-are you hurt…?”

“No. It’s all bloodstains.”

“… Is, that so?”

I remove my black cloak and place it in a corner at the back of the carriage. I would like to wash it with water, but we don’t have that luxury. So, until we reach a place that we can settle down, I’ll have to endure it.

“We only have a little bit of food left.”

Mize says in a small voice.

The assassins who originally used this wagon probably intended to resupply in the port town. When we took the carriage, there was only the minimum amount of food left in it.

“We’ll have to replenish our supplies somewhere.”

The assassins I had just defeated weren’t using a carriage.

Since we decided to head for the Republic, we had to head back towards the direction of the Royal Capital from the port town. The forest that we are currently in is closer to the Royal Capital than the port town. It’s a distance that can be travelled on foot, without the need to use a carriage. That’s why instead of resting, we have to prioritize moving now, since this place is dangerous for us.

We continue to endure our hunger and move for 3 hours.

So that the horse wouldn’t struggle, we carefully advanced on the rough road, until we saw a small village.

“Mize, we’ll rest in that village.”