After finishing the meeting in the office, I returned straight to the Special Task Force.
“From the look of it, His Majesty seems to respect the Captain of the Special Task Force’s wishes. Couldn’t you put in a good word for me and send me back to being an Administrator?”
“I don’t see any reason to do so, so request denied.”
There was one thing different from usual: I had spent the entire walk ignoring every single request from the Knight of Sloth, who was following closely behind me.
Eventually, Murfin, seeing the Administrator enter the Special Task Force’s quarters, asked with a bewildered expression.
“I’m asking just in case… but did we get a new youngest member for the Special Task Force? It’s not that, right?”
I shot back a look of absurdity at Murfin’s question.
“Why do you assume everyone I bring back is going to become a member of the Special Task Force?”
“Why don’t you take a moment to look back at your usual behavior and then tell me?”
He spoke with such confidence that I actually took a moment to reflect, and then I understood.
“Fair point.”
Come to think of it, every time I met someone or went on a business trip, I ended up dragging everyone I encountered into the Special Task Force.
Of course, some of them weren’t even human, but let’s overlook that minor detail.
“Tell everyone in the Special Task Force to gather. We have things to discuss.”
“…Did you set up another training schedule?”
“It’s not training. We’re going out for the real thing.”
“…”
Murfin’s expression turned blank for a moment, but after seeing my serious face, he nodded.
“I’ll have everyone gathered within five minutes.”
Five minutes later, all members of the Special Task Force were assembled.
Perhaps because they hadn’t fully recovered from their fatigue, exhaustion was clearly visible on everyone’s faces.
“First off, I’m sorry. I originally planned to let you all rest for the day, but something came up that needs to be communicated immediately.”
Elena slightly furrowed her brows.
“Judging by the way you’re talking, it must be quite an urgent matter.”
“It is urgent.”
I opened my mouth after quenching my thirst with some water I had prepared.
“A Royal Decree has been issued to the Special Task Force. Soon, we will be participating in the Holy Land Reclamation Operation as a separate unit.”
A brief silence fell over the room.
Murfin quietly raised his hand and asked.
“I’ve heard briefly about the Holy Land Reclamation Operation… but did something happen that requires us to move personally?”
“First, the Holy Land Reclamation Operation failed. Not only the allies but also the power of our Kingdom of Lumin has been significantly depleted, so you can see it as us going in as additional support.”
“But isn’t the role of our Special Task Force something other than direct combat?”
“That’s right.”
I turned toward Vincent, who was standing beside me.
“Just in case, how much do you know about the Special Task Force?”
“I know it as a unit that carries out inspection missions directly under His Majesty…”
“That’s enough to know.”
I looked over the members of the Special Task Force again and answered.
“Our Special Task Force will join the squadron of the Black Knight, who is leading Count Georg and the Knights of the Kingdom of Lumin. However, keep in mind that the Special Task Force is a group that follows only the orders of His Majesty. You must not listen to anyone’s orders except mine, as the Captain leading the Special Task Force.”
“…Following only the Captain’s orders. That means we won’t be following the orders of the commander there.”
At Thrall’s words, Beatrice tilted her head and asked.
“Then there won’t be any fighting?”
“There will be plenty of fighting. However, we won’t be engaging in many head-on battles with the Demon Army. I expect most of it will be guerrilla warfare.”
Murfin, who had been listening quietly, frowned slightly.
“Guerrilla warfare… That makes sense if we aren’t following the commander’s orders.”
“Exactly.”
“I have a question. Why are we moving in such a cumbersome and… dangerous way?”
Why were we moving separately instead of joining and fighting with the Main Force?
“It’s because of the Special Task Force’s original mission.”
I answered simply.
Murfin and Elena looked like they understood, Beatrice and Thrall tilted their heads, and Laila, who had been listening silently, showed an interested glint in her eyes.
“If it’s the Special Task Force’s original mission…”
“Nobility Inspection.”
“…”
“As soon as we join them, we will be checking to see if Count Georg is involved with the Demon Race.”
Beatrice asked with a puzzled look.
“Weren’t we supposed to wait until they returned?”
“As I said before, the situation has changed.”
The fact that the reclamation of the Sacred Land failed doesn’t just mean the operation was a failure.
“The Holy Nation Luminous, the technical nation Prasion, and the nation of knights, Lumin. All three allied nations failed to reclaim the Sacred Land, even after risking severe damage.”
In fact, it meant the strength of all three nations had been whittled away.
What did this imply?
“It means the movements of the Demon Army will become more active than before.”
At Elena’s words, I nodded in affirmation.
“Yes. The Inquisitors of the Holy Nation will also be overwhelmed. It’s the perfect timing for those colluding with the Demon Army to make contact with the Demon Race.”
“But isn’t the distance to the Sacred Land quite far? It feels like they would have made contact long before we even arrive.”
I nodded at Laila’s question.
“Good question. Even if we walked or flew, it would take at least a week to reach the Sacred Land.”
However, as mentioned before, the current situation was special.
Support had to be deployed as quickly as possible to suppress the Demon Army, which was about to move actively at any moment.
We couldn’t afford to move so leisurely.
“Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM. A Mage will be dispatched from the Magic Tower. They plan to move us directly to the Sacred Land using Multi-Warp Magic.”
At that moment, the corners of Elena’s eyes twitched slightly.
“You don’t look too good. Is there a problem?”
At my question, Elena looked startled for a moment, then let out a sigh and replied.
“It’s nothing. I just don’t have very good memories regarding the Magic Tower.”
“Hmm.”
Since she knew some Ancient Magic, I wondered if there was some connection, but judging by her expression, it didn’t seem to be a very pleasant relationship.
“Anyway, although the schedule was set by a Royal Decree, you can think of the work we have to do as the original duty of the Special Task Force.”
There was only one thing to do.
Finding the connection between Count Georg and the Demon Race.
The Holy Land Reclamation Operation was certainly a matter of great importance to Humanity, but that was that, and this was this.
‘If a problem really breaks out because of the Sacred Land, I’ll just have to handle it somehow, so that won’t be an issue.’
The biggest problem right now was something else.
‘The fact that even the Black Knight and the Knight of Sloth are targets for inspection… It’s probably better to keep that hidden for now.’
Count Georg alone was enough to worry about.
I needed to contact the Wolfdog Mercenary Group, which he was likely operating as his Personal Troops, and examine how the situation was unfolding one by one.
But on top of that, the Black Knight and the Knight of Sloth were also targets for inspection, which meant the number of subjects to monitor had increased significantly.
And to think I had to perform that surveillance in enemy territory where the Demon Army was running rampant…
‘Sigh. Just my luck, damn it.’
After venting internally, I took a calm breath and spoke.
“Now then… shall we take a moment for introductions?”
I slowly turned my head to look at Vincent.
“Since we’re fated to move together from now on, it’s better to get to know each other’s names and faces.”
Vincent Mirheart nodded and spoke toward the Special Task Force.
“My name is Vincent Mirheart, a Royal Family Administrator. My specialties include writing, organizing documents, and using my head. I expect to receive full assistance regarding combat, so I look forward to working with you.”
Murfin and Elena’s expressions hardened.
Beatrice and Thrall, noticing that the atmosphere of the two former nobles was strange, remained silent, while Laila wore a look of absurdity.
“If you’re a Royal Family Administrator… are you that Administrator who handles the majority of all administrative processing for the Kingdom of Lumin?”
“I do handle the majority, but I don’t process it alone. I receive help from friends who know how to use their heads brilliantly.”
Murfin suppressed his surprised expression and scrutinized the Administrator’s appearance.
“Come to think of it… blue hair and green eyes…”
And then, as if finally realizing something, Murfin’s eyes widened and he tentatively raised his hand.
“Um… I have something I’m curious about for the Administrator. Are you taking questions?”
“What are you curious about?”
“I heard that you… have laid down your sword. Is that true?”
Seeing him bring up that question, it seemed Murfin had realized the Administrator’s identity in an instant.
Vincent tilted his head for a moment and then nodded as if he had realized something.
“Ah, come to think of it, you were the eldest son of the Redburn Noble Family.”
“…Yes.”
“Hmm, I never imagined he would tell his children about me.”
Vincent shrugged his shoulders and replied in a casual tone.
“That’s right. Currently, I have laid down my sword for certain reasons. Over the past few years, the number of times I’ve swung it properly can be counted on one hand.”
“…What happened?”
“Nothing special happened. I was just an ordinary Knight, one of many who lived through the repetition of slaughtering the Demon Race and Demonic Beasts while keeping dying comrades by my side.”
In this world where the Demon Army occasionally launched invasions to wipe out Humanity, it was the average experience for Knights active on the front lines.
“I got a bit tired, so I picked up a pen instead of a sword, but it just happened to suit my aptitude better. Thanks to that, I’ve been taking it easy at the Royal Family.”
There was no strength in Vincent’s expression as he gave a playful smile.
Around the time Vincent was getting acquainted with the Special Task Force.
Beatrice approached me as I stepped outside to clear my head.
“You should be resting. Why are you out here?”
At her question, I shrugged and replied.
“This is resting for me.”
Since becoming the Hero, my body’s fatigue recovery speed had become extremely fast.
The stamina I had lost while training for two weeks with the Special Task Force had fully recovered in just six hours, to the point where I couldn’t even sleep right now.
Beatrice came to my side and sat down calmly.
“I have one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Is that Count Georg or whatever bastard the only target we really have to inspect?”
At Beatrice’s sudden question that hit the mark, I glanced around to check our surroundings.
Fortunately, no one was listening.
“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”
“It felt strange.”
“What did?”
Beatrice looked me in the eye and said.
“You said the Special Task Force’s role is the inspection of Nobles, right? And that going to the Sacred Land is to monitor that Count.”
“And?”
“Didn’t you say the Special Task Force is a group that only listens to the King’s orders?”
Beatrice’s pure eyes were filled with doubt.
“Why would the King send the Special Task Force… and even attach his own Administrator to them… to the Sacred Land just to monitor one single Count? Bluntly speaking, how is that any different from cutting off your own arms and legs to use as bait just to catch a single flea?”
“…”
“Besides, I bet I’m not the only one thinking this. The others just aren’t asking because you aren’t giving answers.”
No matter how much evidence there was, and even if it was in a form that made sense.
Beatrice’s intuition, and the intuition of the Special Task Force, was warning them that there was more to it.
“…Haha.”
Right. That’s how it was.
Most of the personnel I brought into the Special Task Force were named members of the Demon Army who had once put the Hero and the Great Sage in difficult and embarrassing positions.
I had gathered them one by one, imagining how reliable it would be if they became allies instead of joining the Demon Army.
And…
“I really think I chose my members well.”
I felt a thrill run down my spine, a pleasure so sharp it felt as if my suffocating chest had finally been cleared.