Are you sure you're ready?

Yes. My headache is completely gone and I'm totally fine!

　Mize said cheerfully, as if to prove that he was completely cured.
　The day after Mize had collapsed from a sudden headache. After sleeping for more than half a day in a bed in the sanatorium, Mize had recovered completely.

　Oz and I, as his bodyguards, had been checking on the sleeping Mize periodically, but by dawn today, his breathing had stabilized and his sweat had subsided. He was breathing steadily and his sweating had subsided.

It's already noon. ...... We should hurry to the school.

　After a quick lunch, Mize looked out the window and said, "Why don't you take the day off?

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off? You'll only be able to take two classes if you go now.

If you can take two, that's enough. You can take two classes, that's enough. You can learn things you don't know from teachers who are experts in life. Isn't that a waste?

　Mize said from the bottom of her heart.
　Having suffered from the constraints of being a princess for so many years, she may not have the most common values. But then again, so do I.

"Oz. We're coming with you.

　I called out to Oz, who was waiting at the entrance of the hospital room.
　If Mize is going to the academy, then I have to go with him as his bodyguard, and Oz has to keep an eye on the area.
　But...

"About that, ...... I just got a call from Chris. He said it's okay.

　Enough ......?
　I'm not sure what to do.

I'm sorry, Mize, but can you go to the school first?　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

No problem, but my escort is ......

Oh, don't worry. There's nothing to worry about Mize.

　"Don't worry, there's nothing to worry about Mize." Mize left the hospital room with a strange look on his face and headed for the school.
　I watched her walk away and then looked at Oz.

"Oz. What do you mean you're done?

"Exactly what I meant. He said the escort mission is over.

"...... is over?

　That's a very abrupt order.

Does that mean the enemy force has been destroyed?

Yeah, that seems to be the case. It turns out that the mercenaries that have been attacking Mize are the Red Dragon Fang, who are active in the Kingdom of Arcadia, and thanks to them, they are in a state of destruction. The Red Dragon's Fang was a mercenary group that specialized in assassination, but they were no match for ......28.

　Oz says with some amusement.
　I was expecting a mercenary group that specializes in assassination, so I am not surprised by the current information.

So, let's go to the castle.

"To the King's castle?

Yeah. Chris sent me.

　I left the hospital room, feeling uncomfortable with Oz's unusual appearance.
　It's a twenty-minute walk from the sanatorium. Oz and I arrived at the royal castle in the center of the fortified capital. We were invited to the castle as members of the Bureau, and we were allowed to enter as apprentice knights.

　We bade a friendly farewell to the guards we knew and entered the castle.
　Oz led us to a small temporary meeting room on the third floor of the castle.

So, what are we going to do?

"Well?　Well, I was instructed to wait for a while. ......

　I have a lot of questions for Oz, but it's better to ask Chris later. Oz is very capable, but he's still young. Even when he was a soldier in the agency, he was a man of character who willingly took on the role of the last soldier. He probably won't be at the center of the operation this time either.

　Oz and I sat and waited until we were given our next orders.

...... is long.

　We've been waiting in this room for over an hour now.
　How long are you going to keep us waiting?

I've been waiting in this room for over an hour now.

　For a change of pace, I talked to Oz.

"Yeah. I think there's no blame to go around.

"No blame ......?　If that's the case, why did you order a secret escort?

He said things had changed.

　Oz gave a vague reply and kept his mouth shut.
　Apparently, Oz knows more about this case than I do. I was going to wait for Chris to come, but now that he's so late, I feel uncomfortable.

　Yes--a strange feeling.

　Originally, the information we were given for this escort mission was a bit insufficient.
　The information given to Oz was almost the same as mine. That's why I knew that there were probably some sordid details about this mission that we, as soldiers, were not supposed to know.



　But not anymore.
　For some reason, I'm the only one who isn't getting the information now.
　I was supposed to be in charge of this mission. Oz is joining us under the agreement that he'll follow my orders. Then it should have been my role to get the next order from Chris. So why did he give the orders to Oz instead of me?

　--No one would blame me if my cover was blown.

　That's very generous of you, even though you were instructed to escort me in secret. It's almost as if they don't need to hide who I am or who Oz is anymore.

　--That's a pretty big change, isn't it?

　I had a bad feeling about this.
　The premise that we should hide our identities no longer made sense. In other words, the circumstances surrounding Mize have changed in such a big way.

　The sudden termination of the mission and the fact that no blame was attached to him even after his true identity was revealed are just a few examples of how the Bureau's policies have become more and more coarse lately.

　It's not so much that it's rough.
　I'm sure you're not the only one.

"...... You know what?

　Oz, sitting on the other side of me, said in a small voice.

How did you feel when your ...... buddies died in the line of duty?

...... That's a bit sudden, isn't it?

Just answer the question.

　Oz tells me in an unusually serious ...... and depressed manner.
　I thought about the question for a moment before answering.

I thought about it for a minute before answering, "I guess I don't have a choice.

　I reply shortly.

The death of a comrade is something we should always be prepared for. We have always been prepared for the death of our comrades. ...... We have always been prepared for the death of our comrades. ...... We have always been prepared for the death of our comrades. ...... We have always been prepared for the death of our comrades.

　There are even demon nations that are guaranteed to be treated as equals to human nations. Among the demons under the demon lord, there were many who opposed the war. However, the Shinpei Special Agency sometimes acted brutally against such demons as well.

You can't help it. It can't be helped. ...... It can't be helped. That's what we do for a living. ......

　Oz nodded again and again as if to convince himself.
　In that attitude I knew the worst was about to happen.

"Where's the Mize?

　I inquired firmly.
　He glared sharply at Oz, who tensed and closed his mouth.

I'll ask you again. --Where's the Mize?

　Oz's lips pursed in silence.
　That silence is the answer.

"Oh, so that's it.

　He gets up and leaves the conference room.

"Mr. 28!　One moment, please!

You've been ordered to stand down!

　The guards who were waiting in front of the room rushed to stop me.
　I quickly activated my "toughness" and ran straight through the corridor.

　The Agency said that Chris wanted to keep me in this conference room.
　It was easy to guess why.

　I walked out of the castle and headed for the castle town, keeping my toughness intact.
　It was evening. The sky had already turned Akaneiro. It was just as the school was about to close for the day.

　I jumped from one roof to another and hurried to find Mize.
　There was no sign of Mize on the way back from the school to the girls' dormitory. But on a side street...

　--I found her.

　I catch sight of Mize heading somewhere.
　Behind her, a deadly assassin approaches.

"Mize, get down!

　Just before the assassin approached Mize and drew his blade, I shouted and activated the Instantaneous Blade.
　The assassin was shaken by my appearance and stopped moving. --That stiffness proved fatal. Mize, who noticed the assassin's approach, fell on her buttocks in surprise. A thin blade passed over her head. The blade sank into the assassin's right side, cutting smoothly to the mouth of the left shoulder.

　With a clang, the blade in the assassin's grip falls to the ground beside the mizzen.
　A puddle of blood spread out, staining the limbs of Mize as he fell to his knees.

Are you okay?

　I rushed over to her and she nodded silently, trembling.

It's a good idea to take a look at your own personal web site and see if you can find any suggestions on how to use it.

My associates. ......

　Of course, I don't know anything about that. Someone was using my name.
　I lift the corpse of the assassin into the pool of blood.
　I knew that face.

　--Someone from the Bureau.

　During the war, as a soldier in the agency, I'd visited the parent agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, several times. I'd seen this man's face then.



　The "communication paper" in my pocket shuddered.
　I picked up the transmission, keeping an eye on my surroundings.

"Chris, right?

"...... Yeah.

　I heard his voice.
　I managed to stifle my anger and asked.

"Answer me. What the hell is this?