"Honestly, this was a little unexpected, so I’m sorry for calling all of you from out of nowhere, but it seems like there’s been a bit of an emergency as we’ve just received some messages from the BUA. I hope that all of you are ready."
The Section Chief’s lethargic voice echoed quietly across the gathering hall. He stood alongside the other Section Chiefs, my gaze falling on a few that I recognized. In particular, Section Chief White who I didn’t quite get along well.
Ever since the Congress, he had been rather quiet.
Perhaps it was also because I had been so busy that I hadn’t noticed it, but Catherine had also been rather silent.
’No, she’s looking at me.’
I stared back at her, meeting her gaze as her eyes squinted and she mouthed, ’What are you looking at?’
I just smiled at her and drew a subtle heart symbol.
’You~’
Her face scrunched up immediately. In fact, she also started to hold both of her shoulders. Almost as if someone had thrown shit on her. Hmm... looking closely, it seemed like she would even prefer that over what I did.
Which was why I also blew her a subtle kiss.
Of course, I made sure to keep it subtle.
"....Huek!"
All attention fell on her as she pressed her hand against her mouth. Despite this, she still let out a strange sound as her face trembled.
"Are you okay?"
With the Section Chief looking at her with concern, Catherine forced a smile as she tapped her chest before saying, "I was just... choking a little. I’m... okay."
"I see."
The Section Chief appeared to believe her as he looked back at us. Everything seemed to return to normal, or at least seemed to be as I suddenly felt a burning sensation coming from the back of my head. When I turned my head, my expression nearly froze as I noticed the stare that Zoey was giving me.
Ehm.
I coughed to myself and shifted my attention back to the Section Chief.
’Honestly, this is starting to become a bad habit. I can’t help it, though. I didn’t expect to get such a kick from things like this.’
"As I was saying, the situation in Malia is rather delicate. While we’re still unsure of what exactly is happening, with people going missing every single day, we believe we’re dealing with a high-class anomaly or a Gate."
The words immediately brought a certain to the room.
I also paid more attention to the matter as the Section Chief continued, "The issue is that we don’t know much information about the disappearances, nor do we know the location of the Gate. It’s been going on like this for quite some time, and even the BUA has sent several agents. Despite this, there still doesn’t seem to be any clue about this situation. It’s for this reason that I gathered all of you here."
Sweeping his gaze over everyone present, the Section Chief spoke, his somber voice reverberating throughout the room.
"Under these circumstances, we’ve been asked to send several people to Malia to handle the situation. As a newly established King-Grade Guild, we have no choice but to step up, especially with several guilds already watching us. It’s of the utmost importance that we perform well."
Suddenly, the Section Chief’s attention fell on Clara, who sat quietly in the front.
"The leader of the operation will be Clara. Of everyone present, she’s the most qualified to handle the operation. Especially since we won’t be the only Guilds present."
All of a sudden, the Section Chief looked at me.
I felt my brows furrow slightly.
"I’ve been informed that the Guild Master doesn’t wish for you to go."
"Hm?"
All eyes drew to my direction.
"You’re currently the most well-known person in our guild. All attention is on you, and based on what happened at the World Congress, there’s a good chance you’ll be targeted during the operation. For that reason, the Guild Master doesn’t want you to go."
"So what am I here for?"
Honestly, I expected something like this. I was currently one of the most sought-after recruits available, and I had also made my fair share of enemies. In particular, the Helios Vanguard Guild. Although they had been rather quiet after the Leon incident, I still couldn’t trust them to remain silent.
This was also one of the main reasons why I had yet to do any proper mission.
"Taking into account the incident that has just occurred, it’s only reasonable that you don’t go."
I nodded.
Yes, it makes sense.
"But you will go."
"....."
Was this a joke?
Looking at the Section Chief, I was at a complete loss. Had he lost it after everything that had happened? In one moment, he told me I couldn’t g,o and in the next, he was telling me to go?
I wasn’t the only one confused by the situation, as nearly everyone else in the room wore the same puzzled expression
"Ehm."
The Section Chief cleared his throat.
"I understand the confusion, everyone. I am just telling you what the Guild Master wants, but not what the situation wants."
Situation wants...?
My confusion merely lasted until that moment. After which, as if a light bulb had suddenly flipped on, I understood.
Don’t tell me...
"The BUA has personally requested for your assistance, Seth. They wish for you to go there and prove your abilities. They’ve also assured your safety. With them, it should be much harder for the top Guilds to do anything to you."
Ah.
It all made a lot more sense.
I suddenly found myself smiling a little.
Especially when I thought about the BUA. They were doing this to check up on me and my skills, but it was clear that there was some sort of ulterior motive. There was no way that there wasn’t. Furthermore, I also didn’t trust the BUA.
’I’ve been there once before, and they haven’t done anything to me, but who is there to say that a system user doesn’t exist there?’
I needed to be extremely careful.
Such ’users’ lurked everywhere, and they all had their eyes on me.
"Honestly, I’m still at a loss about this entire situation, but I’m just here to relay the orders that I’ve been given. From what I’ve been told, you must attend. The BUA is paying particular attention to you."
"Understood."
There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in me.
In fact, I was quite interested in going to Malia.
"I’m glad you’re being cooperative. In that case, I’ll begin going over the other matters related to the current situation. I expect all of you to pay close attention, as this is important. Do not treat this like a normal situation."
From that point onward, the Section Chief went on at length about what we needed to do and what to be careful of. He gave a detailed overview of the political situation in Malia, along with its geography. Everything was thorough, but halfway through the presentation, I found myself drifting, my attention shifting to my phone as I received a particular message.
One belonging to the Guild Master.
[I trust that you will bring entertaining results.]
That was all it said, but the moment I saw it, I had to hold my urge to smile as I put my phone away.
Entertaining results...?
Despite my best attempts, I still ended up smiling as I shook my head.
’...That’ll probably depend on how far I push things.’
Thinking thus far, I tilted my head slightly.
Good question...
Just how far was I going to push this?