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Gray rain poured from the ashen sky.

Spring had come and gone, and it seemed that the summer monsoon had arrived.

For the past week, I had been holed up in my lodgings. I pushed aside the damp blankets and shook off the thoughts swirling in my head. Maybe I was just lacking sleep, as my mind felt foggy.

As I changed my clothes for work, I meticulously stacked the scattered papers on the floor and shelved them into the cabinet. I had neatly overturned and rebuilt a plan that had taken me 28 years to prepare. It felt strange that 28 years could be invalidated in just seven days, but as an agent of the Information Agency for n years, I was used to such things.

The world painted in gray was heavy with humidity. The sticky air clung to my skin, and the scent of wetness filled my nostrils. Even a city protected by ancient magic couldn’t seem to fend off the rain.

Thanks to the cool breeze, my mind began to clear up considerably. As always, my thinking was quick, and my judgment was cautious. I combined bits of information to predict upcoming events. And while calculating my own profits and losses, I devised future plans.

Having been thrown onto this unwished gambling table, I had to strive with all my might if I wanted to survive.

Just then, through the misty haze, the ashen city came into view.

“Sigh… I don’t want to go to work.”

As always, lamenting changed nothing.

A man with an umbrella pushed through the cold rain and wind, while a gray figure blended into the ash-colored city.

—

Episode 1 – The Gray Man

“Hmm, so how’s your health doing?”

“Thanks to your concern, I’m feeling better. Thank you, Colonel.”

“Good, good. Health is important, but looking at your face, it seems you’ve had quite the mental turmoil this past week.”

“No, I haven’t.”

Colonel Clevenz smiled and handed me a paper cup. The fragrant aroma of instant coffee made by alchemists wafted up. He took a sip of coffee, his expression relaxed, and then got to the point.

“Over the past week, the immediate fires have been put out. Your identity as a soldier won’t really be an issue.”

“Thank you, Colonel.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Taking care of subordinates isn’t that great a deal. Just focus on doing your job well without worrying about other matters.”

The Colonel spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

For now, the only one who could give me orders was my superior, Colonel Clevenz. Because I had, in name, become a hero’s companion, my identity felt a bit up in the air, but in terms of organization, he was still my superior. Even that was uncertain now.

As is usual in politics, there are too many politicians in this world who can’t stand to see someone else shine.

Why? Because if I, being part of the royal army, gained fame alongside the hero, the kingdom would find political stability. It didn’t mean that I was doing something that impressive. Colonel Clevenz would weave that narrative through the tongues of the gossipers.

Regardless, in a situation where the entire continent was in chaos, no politician would welcome one nation’s dominance.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Don’t be too stiff; try to lighten up a bit. You’ll have plenty of people to deal with soon, and if you keep scowling, it’ll be a problem.”

A companion of the hero by sheer luck. Someone who lacked presence compared to the other companions.

Whether I would indeed have many people to deal with remained to be seen, but if the Colonel said it, he probably had a reason.

“That was a long introduction. It’s been a while since you’ve been out, and I’m sure you have a lot to discuss with acquaintances, so I won’t keep you too long.”

The Colonel crossed his legs.

“First, you’ve been promoted to Major. Congratulations, Frederick. If this had happened a few years earlier, it would have broken a record, how unfortunate.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Anyway, soon you’ll be announced as the hero’s companion along with your promotion to Major.”

It seemed the hero had completed a quest. The fact that he was promoting his first companion to Major indicated that the hero had shown good results.

For main quests happening at the royal palace, not only success but also quality was important. If you cleared without achieving additional objectives like “Clear within a time limit” or “Kill a certain number of monsters,” your favorability would slightly decrease. If this quest were botched from the start? The hero would be in trouble, and so would I.

As that thought crossed my mind, a shiver ran down my spine.

“…Are you feeling unwell? Your complexion suddenly changed.”

“A, no, I’m fine, Colonel.”

“Well, alright. Just know that you’ll be promoted to Major and announced as the hero’s companion. You’ll hear the details later.”

The Colonel calmly tilted his paper cup and handed me a sheet of paper.

“The problem is your affiliation… officially, you are no longer with the Information Agency.”

“Is that so…”

I feigned a gloomy expression.

The reason I put on a sorrowful face I didn’t mean was that I had been officially dismissed from the Information Agency.

Colonel Clevenz, like an old hand at the Information Agency, had a habit of speaking in circles, and I wasn’t one to take things at face value. Countless behind-the-scenes machinations had likely been set in motion to conceal the identity of a single soldier. But that was not my concern. The Colonel had the authority and capability to handle such matters easily.

Colonel Clevenz Hendrick of the Military Intelligence Agency.

A soldier from a prestigious family. Someone with connections to politicians. An expert at detecting informants and a self-proclaimed elite of the Information Agency.

He looked tough, but surprisingly warm-hearted and had a good character.

At first glance, he seemed like just an amiable soldier who had risen through the ranks. But importantly, this man was part of the Information Agency. And the Information Agency was a group that did a somewhat different kind of “patriotic” work.

In any case, when he explained what he said, it would come out overly complicated and profound. I lacked the skill to summarize arguments and string together fancy words into plausible sentences.

So if I were to sum up the Colonel’s orders in my own way, it would be,

“Don’t be too disheartened, Major. Just because you’re not working with the Information Agency doesn’t mean you aren’t being patriotic.”

He was telling me to go out and be patriotic.

—

Just because it’s called an Information Agency doesn’t mean something extraordinary happens every day.

While the advancement of mass media and the cultural industry portrays intelligence agencies as secretive and malevolent organizations, the reality is quite bland. Like everyone else, the daily life of an agent consists of mundane tasks like writing reports, obtaining approvals, holding meetings, eating, slacking in the break room, and making up various excuses to avoid dinner gatherings with superiors.

Except for the fact that the contents of their work involve state or military secrets, agents are just ordinary civil servants drawing a paycheck from the government.

“Did this month’s bonus come in?”

“Maybe it’s because there’s a lot of overtime, but it seems to have come in more than usual. I’ll check at the bank tomorrow.”

In a restaurant near the Information Agency, the desk-bound civil servants had gathered around the table. The place buzzed with office workers who had congregated, likely due to the lunchtime rush. Today’s topic of conversation was the bonuses that had come in this month. It was a rule of thumb worldwide that civil servant salaries were notoriously meager, making it difficult to manage living expenses without bonuses and performance pay.

“Hey, why are you guys talking about money at a place where we’re supposed to eat?”

“Why not? You know how little a Lieutenant’s salary is.”

The guy with the bleached, tanned hair began lamenting. Jake, an exotic-looking half-breed, could be described positively as having a unique appearance, but negatively, he just looked like a punk. Next to him, a short-haired girl was chewing on her paper cup.

“Pippin, why are you munching on paper when you’re not even a herbivore?”

“It’s a habit; it’s a habit.”

“That’s just ridiculous.”

Pippin and Jake, two agents from the Information Agency, started bickering. They were both Lieutenants, and since they were relatively new recruits, they were poor souls who took on all sorts of chores while waiting for newcomers who might never arrive. Like all agents, they were quick-witted and perceptive.

“Hey, I’ll treat you both to lunch today, so just keep it down.”

“Lieutenant, faithful servant!”

“Jake, stop whining and go get some water.”

The punk dashed off to pour three cups of water. If his hair were black, you’d have called him Hasan, but alas. As I entertained such frivolous thoughts, Pippin, sipping the water Jake brought, opened her mouth.

“Lieutenant, you haven’t been here for a week on leave. Were you sick or something?”

“It’s not that I was sick; I just had some things to think about.”

“Is something wrong?”

Well, it was pretty darn wrong.

Having been chosen as the hero’s companion, I was supposed to go to the battlefield, and that certainly wasn’t a good thing. It was a good thing only for someone like an undertaker, making money from corpses. And since matters concerning the hero had yet to be made public, I couldn’t tell them anything.

Yet, when I thought about it, being the hero’s companion came with a lot of discomforts.

First was shelter and food. The saying that leaving home means great hardship is a universal truth. Once chosen as a companion, it was obvious that I couldn’t stay in one place, leading to unstable living conditions. Likewise, there would be many times I’d have to hastily grab a meal.

It was like just yesterday I was sleeping rough, getting bitten by mosquitoes in Africa. Now it seemed I might be doing that again.

Moreover, I wasn’t just going for an adventure. I was joining a mighty quest to save the world. My life, even if I had hundreds of chances, certainly wouldn’t be enough since I had never cleared a game to the end.

In such a situation, if I was also expected to be ‘patriotic,’ I felt like I wouldn’t last long.

It was going to be exhausting both mentally and physically. Adventures involved life-and-death stakes, but intelligence operations—exaggerated a bit—were matters that might determine not just my life but the fate of the country. It could even take years. If this all worked out, I could retire right after and live off my memoirs. I’d surely have several spy novels to write.

The Colonel probably understood too. If I went in with a solid plan, maybe he’d even attach a few personnel to assist me.

So, even if the fighting was left to the hero and the companions, having a few people nearby to help me out would be essential…

“Lieutenant?”

“Huh? Yes, what is it?”

“I’ve been calling you for a while with no response. Are you still feeling unwell?”

“Lieutenant, if you need anything, let me know. I can bring you some medicine.”

“…No, I don’t think I need any medicine.”

Just then, as if the punks were right in front of me.

“Do you guys want to go on a trip abroad?”

 

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