Hisae Omine, the head of the Japanese branch of the World Ability Agency, woke up in the middle of the night to a call on her cell phone. She unconsciously glanced at the clock and saw that it was already the time the date had changed.
　Hisae identified the caller as her secretary, Kakitate Shima, and answered the phone with a still-unsettled awareness.

'Yes, what's up?　Shima-chan, this late~. Are you still working?

"I'm sorry for the late hour of the night, Master Omine!　It's an urgent matter."

　Hissae felt a sense of urgency in her tone alone, as well as what Shima was talking about, and she immediately sat up.

'What's going on?'

"Yes, I have just confirmed the report from Mizuho-san. If the contents of the report are true, it is a case of the highest level of protected information at the agency, and one that is required to be reported to Rome headquarters!"

What?

"In the meantime, we don't know if it's true yet, but we have already reported it to the Rome headquarters at the higher emergency case home as per the agency's regulations. As soon as possible, we will connect the hotline in the next few hours. I'll let Oho-sama know......."

All right, I'll be right there!　I'll ask you for the details on the move, so be ready to pick up the phone. And.....

"Yes, sir. I know, I've already sent the engine car over there."

Yeah, see you later.

　Hisae hung up her cell phone and quickly got out of bed and hurried to prepare to leave for Shinjuku, where the Japanese branch of the World Ability Agency was located.

　When Nissae walked out the front door of her home, a high rise apartment building, the car of the Ability Agency was waiting for her. Nissae quickly climbed into its back seat and called back again to Shima's cell phone.

"Yes, Oomine-sama, have you left yet?"

He just got into a car. So tell me what's going on. What did Mizuho's report say?

　Shima explained what happened. That there was an emergency home email request to investigate in Mizuho's report. He also told her that he had caught some information in it that he thought was the name of an enemy psychic and wanted her to find out what kind of people they were.

'Hmm, so those enemy abilities were a bad bunch, huh?

"Yes, sir. I checked the agency's database under the name of that needsbeck, Lokialum, and I was told to contact the Rome headquarters as soon as I had this information, as I mentioned the agency's top information case."

Needsbeck?　Lokiarum ... yeah?　Lokiarum ... somewhere.

"Did you know?"

'No, I can't remember. It's just that I think I heard it somewhere...

"Well ... oh, only the name of that enemy's organization was disclosed."

Organization?　Is that...?

"Yes, the Sword of Surt," it said.

'Surt's...Surt's sword!　No way!　Oh, my God!　Shima, contact Mizuho and the others!　Get ready to clear out now!　If that's true, then Mizuho-chan and the others are in danger!

"What?　Mr. Omine, well, that would be a breach of the agency's contract since you asked for it!　What do you mean?　What the hell is the Sword of Surt?"

'Don't tell me that both the Chinese and Indian branches got this information, suspected the possibility and asked the Japanese branch for support... No, it's too soon to think about it, it would leave them with a huge geographical problem...'

"Oho-sama?"

Oh, I'm sorry, Shima. I'll get more information from the database over there. Just consider that if Surt's sword, if it's true, that's a level relative to an S-class Demon God.

"Nah!　No way, what kind of people are they........"

'Shima-chan, you know about the horrific battles between gifted people a hundred years ago, right?

"Yes ... when I joined the end of the agency's executive ranks, I received a training course on classified information about, as I recall, a conflict between us gifted individuals on the other side of the First World War."

''Yes, it was. I only know about it from information from the agency and stories passed down to me by my grandparents, but I heard that it was something that can't be described by words like "conflict". And this battle was the genesis of the forerunner of this agency, the Guild of Gifted People.



'In fact, I'm told that the idea took shape at this time. 'No, to be exact, the idea was there before that. However, there were a number of gifted people who didn't like the idea. These two groups of disagreements were so close in power, they were sort of balanced. However, as time went on, these two different groups had a series of small differences that grew and grew until they began to violate the benefits of each other's ideas...

"........."

The world war broke out at that time, a world war under the surface........ I've heard that the gifted who were working behind the scenes finally exploded in frustration with each other in the wake of that world war................until it became a bloody battle.

"That's not possible...."

''You must remember this, Shima. That we gifted people and institutions can't maintain our current state without effort....

"...Yes, sir."

'So, that sword of Surt. It was the spearhead organization that stood on the side of the anti-Guild in the battle between the abilities of a hundred years before that. They were some of the most radical thinkers on the anti-guild side... and I remember that they were one of the best in the group in terms of their abilities.

"!　No....."

　Shima was startled and speechless by what Nissae said.

"Then!　What about Mizuho-san and the others!"

''Yes, if this enemy information is true, even two rank A's would be a tough, high-level danger case!　Even though I didn't know it, I sent a rank D Dou Dou-kun there as well. A rank D is such a worthless opponent.''

"I'll give you the order to clear out at once!　This is the newbies!"

''Calm down, Shima-chan I said that earlier, but it's true that Shima was right earlier, it's hard to defy the request for this reason. So, we have no choice but to replace the dispatchers' abilities.

"A replacement?　It's....."

''I'm sending in a rank S or higher capable person. Request Yi Cheng-sama to go to work immediately. Also, this is an agency-wide issue. I'll send a call to each of our branches directly under my name, asking for their support at the emergency home. I'll make sure that Rome HQ gets my post-mortem approval!　In some cases, our precious recruits are in danger at this very moment!　And, of course, we ask that they be instructed to be on maximum alert.

"I understand!　I'll be ready soon.

What's he saying?

　Headquarters says almost exactly the same thing as Master Omine!　The headquarters will be sending out notices to the branches in each country. And......................Oho-sama!　He says he's already sent out a request to one of the SS-ranked abilities!"

'What!　Who!

"This is........China Branch's..............Wang Junhao (Heavenly clothing)!　They can move on the terms immediately!"

'It's true!　Is that [Ten-i-kinda] coming out?　That's.......messy.......

"Yes, it says so. It just says that it depends on the conditions... what are these conditions?"

''Oh, you don't know Shima.......Wang Shunhao has another one, two names. Well, it's just what people are saying.

"Is that...?"

It's an easy call. This guy, they say, is just a [miscreant]. Well, some would call him extreme money-worshipping.



''The compensation this guy asks for is always off the charts. Of course, the projects that the highest SS ranks deal with are originally provided with a reasonable reward....... But even with that, this Wang Shunhao has to be paid nearly ten times that amount to make a move.

"Juju, tenfold?"

''Only in terms of ability........he's a true rank SS. I saw that guy once during the battle to defeat the Dortmund Demon God. When I saw him fighting the Dortmund Demon God with only a spear from behind, I wondered why he didn't come earlier.

"You didn't come right away?　An SS-rank is on that one occasion... no way!　Even then?"

'Well this guy was mentioned in the terms of the contract when he acquired the agency's rank, but he was also difficult to get a sum of money for the mandatory request that the agency issues in an emergency, and he didn't come right away.



Oh, Shima-chan, I'm on my way. I'll tell you the rest in person.

"Awe. Oh, Oho-sama, they're going to connect the hotline in 30 minutes from headquarters!　Headquarters is also very quick to respond."

Yeah, I get it!　If it's a possibility that it's Surt's sword, then... yeah?　That's fast even so......... Considering the speed at which you're sending out requests to Rank SS, I'd say this should be seen as a fact already.......

　Hisae hangs up her phone and looks out of the car window at West Shinjuku in the middle of the night and thinks of the newcomers she herself sent out to Millamar.

'Everyone be safe...'

　When the car arrived in front of the building where the Japanese branch of the World Ability Agency was located, Nissae quickly got out of the car and headed to the branch manager's office where Shima was.