I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 298 Special Operations Department, Assassination Plan Begins

Early morning, Victoria Kingdom, Allied Special Operations Department conference room.

"Squeak!"

As the door was slowly pushed open, the scene inside the meeting room was revealed.

There were about ten people sitting at the long conference table, men and women, of different ages and races, and each with their own style.

The most eye-catching of them all was the silver-haired girl to the left of the head of the table.

Compared to the other department members who were either bored or tense, Anna Splinter, a girl wearing the Golden Dragon Cup medal and the Special Operations Department Team 1 captain's armband, maintained a calm demeanor and exuded an aura that made people unconsciously bow down.

This monster has gotten stronger again...

Sensing the terrifying magical energy emanating from the other party, the young man named Mark Johnson couldn't help but mutter to himself.

At the same time, he subconsciously recalled the scene two months ago, when the department had just been established, when Anna, who had been selected by the higher-ups to be the captain of this elite team, challenged the other ten members of the team in the arena one by one and crushed them all with an overwhelming advantage.

Even with the title of 'Colossus', his defense is strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a magic cannon without taking a single step back.

He couldn't even withstand the opponent's unreasonable and perverse spell for more than two seconds.

In fact, if it weren't for the presence of a Grand-rank expert during that training session, who intervened immediately after noticing something amiss.

Perhaps by now the grass on his grave has already grown.

After receiving training from the Special Operations Department and undergoing research by a team of professional mages, the spells held by the department members were specifically improved.

Not only did the opponent break through to the rank of High-Rank Mage within two months, but the quality and purity of their magic also underwent a qualitative change!

That kind of oppressive and deadly aura that cannot be released, yet is impossible to ignore.

In that instant of eye contact, Mark knew that if his opponent wanted to kill him, he probably wouldn't even have the chance to activate his unique spell to defend himself!

This woman is not human; she's an absolute monster!

Mark murmured to himself, half in envy and half in amazement.

However, he still pretended to be obedient on the surface, forcing a smile at the monster captain who was looking at him:
"Sorry, sorry, Captain. On the way here, I met an elderly lady who needed to cross the road. I was a little late while helping her across. I really didn't mean to be late."

Just as Mark was convincingly proving his reasoning was flawless, a faint voice suddenly entered his ears:

"Oh? It seems there are quite a few elderly ladies crossing the street in Corno today. There are actually six members helping an elderly lady cross the street. That's quite remarkable!"

Royce looked at Mark's stiff face with a half-smile, then his gaze swept over the other five who had tried to get away with the same excuse and were now looking guilty with their heads down. A playful glint flashed in his eyes.

"Uh, this, that..."

Upon hearing this, Mark immediately went numb, and as he tried to explain himself while sweating profusely.

At this moment, Anna, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke:

"Alright, take a seat, Mark."

"Phew, thanks, Captain."

Hearing this, Mark breathed a sigh of relief. However, before he could even feel grateful for the monster captain's leniency today, Anna's next words instantly turned his face into a bitter one:

"Don't thank me yet. Minister Orko has already explained the specific punishment for being late to a formal meeting. After the meeting, you and the other five latecomers should remember to make up for it together."

After a slight pause, as if remembering something, Anna added:
"Furthermore, according to the rotation system, the referee in charge of supervising the implementation of the punishments this time is Reus. So, if you want to reduce the intensity of the training, the person you should ask is not me, but Reus."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned deathly pale, and they couldn't help but groan inwardly.

After all, during the past two months of training, the entire team had already experienced Royce's abnormal monitoring abilities firsthand.

If the other party were to supervise, let alone slacking off, even if they didn't breathe according to the prescribed pattern during training, or took an extra breath, they would be met with sharp spikes from the shadows beneath their feet.

Although the other party will consciously control the force, there will be no injuries requiring medical treatment.

But even Mark felt a chill run down his spine when he recalled that unexpected attack.

After all, the thought of a ghostly hand suddenly appearing under your feet and reaching for your crotch is scarier than anything in a horror movie!
Did Royce suffer childhood trauma, which is why he became so psychologically dark?

Otherwise, how did this guy come up with so many torturous techniques?

Mark harbored malicious thoughts, but upon sensing Royce's meaningful gaze, he immediately dismissed them and instead gave him an awkward yet polite smile.

With Mark's late arrival, all eleven members of the Special Operations Department were now present, consisting of six men and five women. The oldest member was twenty-three years old, while the youngest was only sixteen.

Furthermore, three of them are not pure-blooded humans, but rather hybrids of beastmen and humans.

However, they retain highly human facial features. If you ignore their tails and ears, these three people look very similar to ordinary human mages.

"By the way, Captain, speaking of which, our team only has eleven members in total, or twelve if you include Minister Orko."

"But why is there an extra chair in the meeting room? Is a new member unable to come to the department for special reasons?"

After chatting briefly with his teammates, Mark noticed the empty chair and couldn't help but ask Anna about it.

In fact, this question had been in his mind since the first day he joined the Allied Special Operations Department.

However, due to the heavy training and the blows from Anna, this monstrous genius, he had never had the energy to care about this issue.

But today, the minister was about to convene the team for their first operational meeting, and this elusive and unfamiliar team member still did not show up.

He could no longer suppress his doubts and immediately asked Anna, the team leader, for the inside story:

"Also, will this new member join us when we carry out future missions?"

"...I don't know about this either, but based on what I asked my mentor Erwin earlier, it seems that they rejected the invitation from the Allied Special Operations Department."

Anna shook her head, recalling the rumors about the other party in her mind, and a fighting spirit flashed in her eyes.

But she quickly suppressed her anger and replied calmly:
"It's possible that they had to decline the offer due to their studies or other important matters, which prevented them from officially joining the department at this time."

"As for why this chair was set up, the minister did not tell me the inside story, so I cannot answer you."

"Perhaps, when the time is right someday in the future, you might meet that famous 'Ghostly Painter'. So, do you have any other questions, Mark?"

"Thank you, Captain, I'm all set." Mark quickly shook his head, but after learning that the new teammate who had never joined the department was the famous genius from the Kingdom of Brown, he completely gave up the idea of ​​continuing to inquire.

After all, both the other party's bizarre spells and their rumoredly terrifying personality indicated that they were an extremely dangerous person.

This danger refers not only to the terrifying strength of the opponent, but also to its instability.

After all, although Anna, as the current captain, is very strong, the opponent will not attack the team members without reason.

But that monster genius from the Kingdom of Brown is different; when he's in a bad mood, he doesn't care whether you're a teammate or not.

Having such a monster join the team would certainly boost our combat power.

However, as team members, they face the added risk of being attacked by their teammates.

In contrast, Mark would much rather that his teammate never join the Allied Special Operations Division.

Just as everyone's eyes were flickering and they were each thinking to themselves...

As footsteps slowly approached from outside the door, the door, which had been closed, was opened again.

"Squeak!"

Olco's tall and imposing figure blocked out the sunlight outside the house like a city wall, making him look particularly cold and gloomy.

"minister!"

Upon seeing Olco's arrival, everyone in the conference room immediately fell silent, and then stood up in unison to salute him.

The voices were clear and resonant, and the tone was full of awe.

But after two months of hellish training, these distinctive members finally learned to show sufficient respect for their superiors.

Olco didn't say a word, but simply scanned the crowd with his sharp single eye before slowly walking to the main seat under their gazes.

"Crack!"

Olco casually pulled out a chair and sat down, but his one eye remained observing everyone without uttering a word.

Suddenly, an eerie silence fell over the scene.

Just as everyone was tense from the torture-like silence, barely able to maintain their fake smiles, Olko finally spoke slowly:

"sit down!"

"Yes, Minister!"

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and quickly sat back down in their chairs as if relieved.

"..."

While Olco didn't offer any comments, a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he observed everyone's reactions.

The original plan was to instruct Anna, as the captain, to increase the intensity of the training in order to further wear down the immaturity of these members and make them truly qualified warriors of the kingdom.

But after reflecting on the purpose of the meeting, he abandoned the idea.

He then slowly narrowed his single eye, lightly raised his hand to tap the table in front of him, and then spoke:

"As for the purpose of this meeting, I'm sure you've all heard about it from Captain Anna Sprint."

"The department has been established for more than two months now, and a lot of money has been spent. Judging from the training progress reports recently submitted by the department, everyone should have completed the basic integration and adaptation. Therefore, I think it is time to carry out a mission to test everyone's abilities."

“You can consider this an assessment, or even a selection process, which is not unreasonable.”

"For this mission, I will assign special forces to assist you in carrying out the task and to compile statistics on the performance of department members during the mission, so as to determine who among you is suitable to continue in this position and who will be eliminated."

"Therefore, for the sake of the country and honor you all represent, I urge you to give your all in the upcoming mission and not let me down."

Olco calmly uttered words that made everyone's hearts tighten. Without waiting for anyone to ask, he took out a map that he had prepared at his waist and spread it on the conference table.

He then stated the main points of the meeting:
"The mission is to infiltrate Elena and carry out sabotage and assassination plans!"

"!"

Upon hearing this, even the shrewd and calculating Royce couldn't help but tremble, and his gaze toward Olco was filled with disbelief.

He never expected that Orco, as the head of the Special Operations Department, would raise the difficulty level to this extent during the first test mission that his side was tasked with.

This was no longer a simple test; it was practically sending them to their deaths!

After all, even the weakest member of the special operations force is at least a mid-level mage, and each member possesses unique spells with distinct functions and types.

But what kind of place is Aerreno?
That's the capital of the empire, a megacity where even a brick thrown into the air could potentially hit a high-ranking mage.

Moreover, this city is rumored to be under the jurisdiction of a demon king.

That Demon King is recognized as the strongest person in the world, someone even the Sword Saint Elena cannot match.

Such a being, who could be considered a true god among men, was a threat to these assassins, whose strongest were only high-ranking mages. If they had actually carried out their infiltration and sabotage plan...

They probably can't escape the demon king's discerning eyes at all!

And what fate awaits them then is self-evident...

This isn't a test mission at all; it's practically sending our own side to their deaths!
Only an idiot would agree to such an absurd task assignment!

Everyone cursed inwardly, and as if anticipating their thoughts, Anna, with her furrowed brows, suggested changing targets before she could even speak.

The next second, Olko's words made everyone in the room freeze, and they all looked at him in disbelief:

"According to the latest news from our agents, Demon King Ivan Daovich Trolovsky will enter his monthly seclusion in seven days. During this period, he will cancel the reconnaissance spells against the Empire. If nothing unexpected happens, this period will last for about three days."

"In other words, after arriving in Elena with the negotiating delegation, you will have three days to carry out the assassination and sabotage plans and frame members of the conservative and reformist parties respectively."

"Evacuation must begin immediately, regardless of how the plan progresses in three days!"

"This is the first test I'm giving you!"

……

(End of this chapter)