Chapter 105: Old Memories


    "So, how do you like the idea of working for the Emperor, Hugo?" the overweight man with a light stubble on his chin asked as soon as Hugo sat down in front of him.


    "Oh, it- it sounds wonderful, to be honest," Taken aback by the sudden question, Hugo replied with a flustered expression, desperately trying to find the right words. "For me, it would be a dreame true. To support the Emperor on his quest to fulfill the wishes of God is everything that I''ve ever wanted in life."


    "Well then, it appears that you''re right where you want to be," The man replied with augh.


    "Oh?" Hugo looked at the overweight man with a confused expression on his face, waiting for him to exin his words.


    "Ha ha ha It appears that you''re still skeptical about our group. You are, aren''t you?" The overweight man let out a short chuckle as he noticed the hint of cautiousness in Hugo''s eyes and rubbed his stubble as he leaned back.


    "Oh Um, N-No.. I was just.. ask-asking for, uh.." Hugo, who was taken off guard by the man''s words, tried to exin his actions, but the question had made him extremely self conscious and as a result, he couldn''t string together a sensible sentence, which made him even more embarrassed.


    "Ha ha ha you don''t need to be so polite about it young man. We know how it might look to someone who has never even heard of our group before," the man immediately leaned forward and stared at Hugo''s face, startling him. He then stretched both his hands wide and continued, "You think we don''t know how sh*tty and suspicious this ce looks? We''re not a group made up of idiots, Hugo. An old and abandoned building for a top secret military organization? Yeah you''d be a total buffoon if you aren''t cautious for even a second."


    The man dropped his hands down gently, letting out a heavy sigh as he said, "Unfortunately, this is what the higher ups decided on, and I wasn''t going to get involved with that. Location scouting wasn''t my forte anyways, and they did tell me that this was the best choice to run a secret project as no one will even remotely suspect that an old and abandoned building in the shady part of town would be the main base of a top secret military organization. And not going to lie, they''re right about that."


    "Well, As long as I get paid really well for just doing paperwork, then I have noints with where my workce is located. And the location does fulfill its purpose, so it all works out. Anyways," The overweight man sat up in hisfortable chair. It was time to change subjects.


    Fwip!


    He lowered his hand under the desk, causing Hugo to tense up for a second. The man then pulled out arge brown coloured envelope, and ced it on top of the desk, within Hugo''s reach.


    "The envelope will have all the information you will need to know about the mission that you''ll be assigned to; if you choose to ept it, or course. It also has the necessary verifications with the signatures of the Emperor himself, so you''ll know that we''re the real deal and not some shady group of soldiers who want to engage in illegal activities."


    He then lifted his left hand and ced his right on top of the envelope, pressing down on it, and continued. "But that''s only if you choose to ept the mission. If you don''t, then I''m afraid this will be the end of our conversation, and you''d have to leave; without the envelope, of course."


    As he nced at the envelope, Hugo''s eyes sparkled for a brief second, and he shifted his gaze towards the man and asked. "Am I allowed to ask what kind of a mission it is?"


    "Undercover. That''s all I''m allowed to say about it." The man replied as he leaned back and folded his arms, waiting for Hugo to make a decision.


    "Can I ask why your group picked me?" Hugo asked another question. "I mean, I''m just an average soldier. I''m sure there are many candidates who are far more qualified to take on this operation. So, why me?"


    "Honestly?" The man paused for a second, contemting on his answer, and continued. "It''s because of your looks."


    "... What?" Hugo, who didn''t know how to immediately reply to the man''s words, just sat in front of him in silence for a few seconds before eventually responding.


    "Like I said. We picked you because of your looks," The man said with a smile. "You''re twenty three, but you look fifteen. You''d most definitely pass for a teenager, so we picked you for an undercover operation. That''s it."


    Another brief period of silence.


    "....Let me get this straight. So you''re telling me that the reason you picked me for a top secret operation was because I looked like a kid?"


    The man nodded. "Yup. Kids are less suspicious than adults. You have the face of a kid, so might as well use it to your advantage. This operation may go on for a long time, so it''ll be important to build trust with your enemies. It will be much easier to do so if you start off as a kid."


    Hugo, who was still having trouble grasping the situation at hand, looked at the envelope on the desk and then shifted his gaze to the man in front of him, and asked. "So I''ll have to pose as a teenager?"


    "Not the whole time," The man shook his head. "Like I said, this operation mayst a very long time, and so you''ll eventually be an adult in less than three years."


    "Uh... I-I don''t know what to say," Hugo scratched his cheek as he spoke and the man got up from his seat, walked towards Hugo and ced his hand on his shoulder and said, "Say yes, kid. I read your report. You wanted to prove yourself to our Emperor, right? Well, I''m giving you a chance to prove your worth. Trust me, this is the way."


    "... Do you mind if I ask about my new identity?" Hugo let out a sigh as he turned to the man and asked.


    "Like I said, all the information you''ll need is inside that envelope," The man said as he walked back to his chair and sat down. "But I suppose I''ll give you a hint. You heard about the news of a terrorist attack in Argria, the one where an entire town was destroyed  everyone was talking about it, remember?"


    Hugo vaguely remembered it, and he nodded his head. The man continued. "A lot of families were killed in that attack. We''ll use that as a cover."


    Thud!


    The man ced his hand on the envelope again and slid it towards Hugo, and said, "Look, I know that this might be a difficult decision to make, but I need an answer, kid. Are you going to give up on your dreams, or are you willing to start a fake life for your country?"


    "...I-"


    "Are you feeling alright, Calvin?" Calvin''s thoughts were interrupted by the voice of King ke Bancroft, and he immediately snapped back to reality.


    "Ah! Yes, I am fine, your majesty," Calvin turned his gaze towards the king and replied with a smile. "I was simply remembering my past..."


    ******************


    Sometimes Edward wondered whether he made the right choices in life. Before he opened up his medicine shop in Dawsbury city, he used to be an assistant who was working under David Harrison, who ran a very famous medicine shop in the city of Zambiana named ''Harrison''s Medicines''.


    It wasn''t like he didn''t get paid much or anything. He did get paid for his work. And his boss was a kind man who cared for his employees. Back in Zambiana, Edward had a stable life. But that was it.


    He was, just like everyone else, normal. And he wasn''t content with it. Edward wanted to be more than a somebody. He wanted to be his own person, to start his own business, which is why he bid farewell to his hometown and moved to Dawsbury city; to start his own medicine shop.


    It certainly didn''t pay as much as his old job, but Edward knew that he was much happier now than before. At least most of the time. There are certainly times, like today, when he bes unsure of his choices.


    BAM! All of a sudden, the door of the medicine shop swung open, startling Edward, and a figure stepped inside.


    "Good evening, Edward," The figure spoke, and Edward''s eyes widened for a second as a huge grin appeared on his face.


    "Good evening Mr. Rayforth," Edward rubbed his hands together as he walked over to his customer, and the unsure thoughts that he had had melted away.


    That''s right, of course he made the right choice! Edward thought to himself. He had a customer who had connections with the king himself!


    Which meant that the more he became friendly with this young man, the more chance he had of improving his business.