Volume 2 Chapter 3 ACT.25 The Dark Fog that Devours People (II)
"──The fog devours humans?"
"Yeah. That's apparently what the eyewitnesses say."
After completing their daily training and mock battles, the two followed the summons from Agent Curtis and made their way to the office.
The purpose, of course, was to discuss their next mission.
"In the northern town of Cappella, murders occur every night. For some reason, a dense fog forms locally, and when it clears, bodies are found lying around. Also──"
"──It looks like they were torn apart by some kind of animal, right?"
"Exactly."
Curtis nodded.
Rize's question hung in the air, heavy with implication.
Hearing those words, Rai placed a hand on his chin, falling deep into thought.
This reminds him of that mission...
The one that had led to his appointment as a Purge Knight.
Later known as the Reincarnator of the Wolf Monster.
Among the cheat abilities held by Reincarnators, there were some that didn't enhance themselves, but instead created and controlled special monsters or familiars.
Rai suspected this could be the case again.
"This time, there are too many uncertainties in the situation. In case of emergencies, have Howell accompany Conwell as well. ──Also, this is Howell's first mission since his appointment, so make sure he stays sharp."
The Purge Knights had a high casualty rate.
An inevitability of the job.
They faced Reincarnators, who possessed cheats and were naturally superior creatures.
Passing the final appointment exam required defeating a Reincarnator at least once.
But doing it once didn't guarantee survival the next time.
Failure meant death.
The casualty rate for Purge Knights on their first missions exceeded sixty percent.
──Even with senior knights accompanying them.
This was the first major challenge for the rookie knight, Rize.
"Agent Curtis. If this mission involves a familiar-type abilities user, Mr. Alfonso might be well-suited for the task."
"Senior Rai, is Senior Alfonso the right choice?"
"Ah. We definitely need the strongest Purge Knight to step in here."
Rai's voice was calm as he gave his advice.
Knight Alfonso Gratstone was a limited resource.
And yet, this might be the time to utilize him.
"Hmm. He may indeed be suitable, but there are two reasons we can't mobilize him right now."
Curtis raised his index finger.
"First, the location is right in the town. If we turn the residential area into a battlefield, civilians could get caught up in his attacks. And above all, it could greatly damage the town."
Rize tilted his head.
"Wait... who exactly is Senior Alfonso? He seems kind, but is he a berserker?"
"No. The berserker is Leone──well, never mind. I see. Rize doesn't know how Mr. Alfonso fights."
"I'm sorry. I'm new here."
Rai paused, frowning faintly.
He could explain, but the first time he saw it, he was unsettled.
Deeply.
"No. I'd rather you see it for yourself one day."
A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He decided to be a little mischievous.
It might be fun to see Rize's reaction.
"The second reason is that he's currently away."
"──It's not reassuring that Mr. Alfonso is away."
Rai's expression darkened.
Alfonso was often teased as the 'knight on standby' due to his absurdly low deployment rate.
To give an idea of how low it was, he hadn't been assigned to a mission since ranking just behind the 'worst' knight, who was nearly impossible to mobilize.
"The last captured dragon escaped, and you handled it, right? He went to capture a replacement along with Lowe."
"──Then he shouldn't fail at capturing this time."
Lowe referred to Noah Lowe, ranked seventh.
Although teased as a slacker by Saints and others, Rai trusted him.
"Depending on the situation, I'm considering dropping by to cheer on Lowe when he gets back. So if you think it's fishy, make sure to give me a heads-up early."
"Understood, Agent. Then, get ready. We move out tomorrow, Rize."
"G-got it, senior!"
With that, the two turned on their heels and left the office behind.
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