The Battle of the Roses.

It was a rewarding experience for me, with many lessons learned.

The difference in ability between me and Rose.

Establishment of a fighting style using the healing acceleration fist.

If you only look at the result, I was beaten down first, but I surely felt that I had made progress.

"Well, let's go see the Commander.

Soon after I woke up from my stupor, it was time for dinner. I took the opportunity to invite Amako to join me for dinner, and we spent the time in the cafeteria, which was now larger than it had been when I first arrived, having dinner, which was the only time we had a break at the rescue group.

Before dinner, however, Amako, Nair, and Ferrum had a little quarrel ...... or a quarrel? I was a little surprised to see them having a little quarrel or something like that.

Amako, who had anticipated their movements with her precognition magic and struck them both back with a stunning blow, gave me a slight shudder, but I managed to admonish the smug little fox, the half-crying demon and the demoness,...... and was relieved to see that, somehow, Ferrum and Amako seemed to be getting along well.

"......, I'm her guardian? ......?"

I mutter to myself as I walk down the corridor leading to the Commander's office after dropping Amako off.

He has a similar personality to me, and I tend to care about him. Besides, after hearing from Koga about the nature of dark wizards, I know that Ferrum has been living in loneliness, so I worry ...... about him, or perhaps I feel sorry for him.

"Emotion-driven magic."

To me, dark magic seems to be a very unstable magic. In other words, dark magic is the manifestation of one's own negative emotions as magic.

Ferrum is an inverted armor born of loneliness that no one can touch.

The corsair is a restraint that binds the beastly nature that finds pleasure only in battle.

"So what of the magic of Ferrum now?"

Now she's not alone.

I'd be ashamed if I'm the only one who thinks so, but if she thinks so too, then ...... if Ferm's magic is restored, will its dark magic remain the same as before? Or..,

WATCH!

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I almost ran into the door of the Commander's office.

Let's put aside for the moment what I've been thinking about until now. I must now turn my attention back to my conversation with Rose.

Commander, it's Usato.

"Oh, come in."

Excuse me.

After saying no, I enter the Commander's office.

Rose, who had been sitting by the window looking out, looked back at me, sat down in a chair, and crossed her arms.

"You sit down, too. It's a long story.

"Huh. ......."

He sat down in a chair that was placed across from Rose.

Is this a long story, or is it something important?

"First of all, you know that I was summoned to the castle yesterday? 

Yes, is it something to do with me?

Yes. You may have only heard about it, but it has been decided that a meeting will be held in the near future in the magic city of Lucvis between the four kingdoms of Lingle, Samariar, Calm Helio, and Nirvarna. As representatives of the Kingdom of Lingle, Sigurth the Knight-Captain, Welshy the resident wizard, Suzune and Kazuki the heroes, and you have been appointed to go there."

The decision came sooner than I expected, but I guess I'll be going too.

Well, it's only natural since I'm the one who gave the letter to Samaritan. I guess they need someone to bridge the gap between Samaritan and Samaritan.

When do you leave?

"The letter has already been sent to all the countries where the meeting will take place. We'll leave in a week at the latest.

A week from now, that's less time than I thought.

Maybe they took into consideration the time it would take to get from the Kingdom of Lingle to Samaliar by horse-drawn carriage.

"Master Lloyd says he won't force you if you refuse."

"No, I'll go. I gave the letter to Samaritan, and I will be responsible for it until the end.

We can't just throw it away on the way.

Besides, Senpai and Kazuki will be there too. If it were just me, I would have been worried, but with the two of you, I'll be fine.

Rose nodded at my answer.

"Then you can't keep on calling yourself a mere lifeguard.

"Heh? What do you mean by that, ......?

I was about to ask a question when Rose threw something at me.

I quickly caught it and saw that it was a cloak with a bright white hood that I hadn't seen for a while... a troupe uniform.

"Ah! You fixed it!

"It's a good thing I asked you to repair it earlier. We can't just wear some random cloak to the meeting.

Nodding at Rose's words, I slip into my troupe uniform.

I ask her about her earlier words, feeling glad to feel the familiarity of the garment.

"Thank you for fixing it. So, what do you mean by your title?

"It means exactly what it says. You're not just a lifeguard anymore."

More and more I don't understand.

Not just a lifeguard? What does that mean?

I'm called a lifeguard because I belong to the lifeguard squad, and if I'm no longer a member of the lifeguard squad,......, does that mean I'm going to be transferred from the lifeguard squad to another place,......?

I was horrified at the thought that I had arrived at, and Rose smiled her usual belligerent smile.

"Actually, I've had a hunch about this ever since I trained you, chick. No matter how hard you are beaten, you have the stubbornness to stand up. No matter how many times you've been abused, you've never broken down, you've always had the cheek to bounce back at me."

Am I really to blame? Or am I being praised?

It's a strange situation, though, as I am being appreciated for my stubbornness and cockiness, even though they seem to be happy about it.

"When I first saw him, I thought he was just a kid from anywhere, but when I opened the door, he turned out to be a hell of a guy.

"Please don't make it sound as if he was a bad guy to begin with. ......"

How could a normal kid survive my training?

Why should I be treated like an a**h*le by the person who put me on this training program?

That's why you're the best choice.

Rose's smile deepens at my confusion.

I wait for her next words, being engulfed by the different atmosphere.

"Usato Ken. From now on, I am appointing you as the vice president of the rescue team.

"...... what?"

The words were delivered so abruptly that my mind went blank.

After a few seconds, I finally recognize her words and stop thinking again.

Deputy Commander.

I didn't even know such a title existed until now.

No, to begin with, I had never even thought that there was a rank other than that of the leader of a lifeguard corps.

Can't you even speak out of surprise?

Isn't that too sudden? You're suddenly ...... the deputy commander?

"Oh? I told you before the simulation. . As it turns out, you've exceeded my expectations."

I did say "evaluate," but there was no way I could have thought that he meant to evaluate whether or not I was worthy of the vice commander.

Rose smiles amusedly at my complete panic, but she doesn't seem to take it as a joke at all.

She's really going to make me the vice president of the lifeguard corps," she says.

"This was the plan all along," he says. From the moment I started training you. Didn't I tell you? I'm going to make you my right hand man."

He did say that.

But I thought it was a joke. .......

"So, but I don't think I'm the right person to be deputy commander. ....... I mean, would those tough guys even accept me as deputy commander? I'm sure they'll try to overtake me immediately.

"...... ha, totally."

Rose, with a somewhat dazed smile on her face, got up from her chair, walked up to me, and slapped me in the forehead with a decapitating punch.

The stars burst into my vision and I almost fell over from the powerful blow, but I held on and looked up at Rose.

"You think I'm going to appoint an unworthy person as the vice president? Usato, of course I chose you because I thought I could trust you with the job.

"What would I do?"

"Besides, Alec and the others recognize you more than you know. If you still don't believe me...

He pauses and raises his fist in front of me.

"Make him admit it. Make me admit it, just like you made me admit it.

"......"

Deputy Commander is too big a title for me.

But on the other hand, it means that Rose thinks highly enough of me to entrust me with such a title.

To be honest, even now that she's told me to my face, I'm not sure if I'm the right person to be the deputy leader.

But still...but still... It's not like me to be stuck in this position for a long time after being told this much.

I accept the position of deputy commander.

"Oh."

Rose nodded in satisfaction at my words.

I sat down in the chair in the Commander's office and leaned back against the backrest.

"From now on, I want you to behave in a manner that puts the title of deputy commander to shame. You may return."

"Yes."

I bowed to Rose and was about to leave when I remembered what Rose had said to me during the battle today.

<>

Rose, who could not be attacked without unleashing her one-time hidden gem, the Healing Rengage Fist, was attacked by an opponent who had attacked her.

How could I not be concerned?

I lowered my hand on the door and turned around to ask him about it.

"Um, I have a question. ......"

"What?"

"Who was the one who attacked the Commander before me?"

"!"

Rose's eyes widen slightly at the question, and I think I've lost it.

Is there a reason for this? No, it is someone who is capable of attacking Rose. In fact, even the assumption that it is a humanoid creature may be wrong.

It is even possible that it was bigger than the evil dragon.

After several tens of seconds of silence, Rose nodded her head and finally opened her mouth.

"...... I'll tell you a little bit about it."

The tone is somewhat grave.

The atmosphere was completely different from before, and I was puzzled inwardly.

"The man who attacked me was a demon.

"You mean you were wounded during the war with the Demon Lord's army?"

No, no. We met him before the Demon Lord awakened from his spell.

Before waking up from the seal ......!

Isn't that before the lifeguard was created?

Rose continued to speak, not caring that I was having a hard time thinking. 

"The man's name is Nero Agens. "His name is Nero Agens, the Mage who rules the wind. And ......."

After a pause there, she meditated once, looked at me with her strong-willed one-eyed gaze, as if she was going to shoot me, and said those words.

"That is also the name of the man who scarred my right eye."



"Nero Agence ......"

After Rose told me the name, I left the Commander's office. Or, to be more precise, Rose did not tell me any more.

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling and muttering the name of the swordsman who had wounded Rose's right eye.

The wound in Rose's right eye had been bothering her for a long time.

She sometimes put her hand on her right eye as if it was a habit, and somewhere in her mind she wondered why she kept the scar on her right eye when she could use healing magic.

"......And..."

When I heard his name, I remembered that the flame-controlling leader of the Third Legion whom Mr. Aruk fought in Hinomoto, the Land of the Beastmen, claimed to be the man's apprentice.

I fought against Koga and could not see Mr. Aruk's battle, but I heard that this Third Legionnaire wore flames like armor and had overwhelming firepower and strength.

I cannot measure the strength of a man who has a disciple who is powerful enough to become a corps leader.

I wonder what happened to him.

When she revealed Nero Agence's name to me, I had the feeling that Rose was a little ...... different than usual.

"I'll wait for you to tell me."

As we left the office, Rose told me that she would tell me everything in due time.

I guessed that she was more concerned about my upsetting her so that it would not interfere with the upcoming meeting than that I would not make up my mind to tell her.

If that is the case, I should not think too much about it and concentrate on what is in front of me.

"......"

Suddenly, I look at the repaired uniforms hanging on the wall.

It looks the same as before, but now that I am the vice-commander, I put my sleeves on it and the weight of being the one who stands on top of the group weighs on me at once.

Expectations from Rose.

Anxiety about myself.

The weight of the title of deputy leader.

I felt as if I would be crushed by all of them, but I still decided to carry the weight on my back.

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