No way... Does Aquarius have a screw loose or something?!
After hastily calling over "Miss Break-in" and thoroughly questioning her from beginning to end, and confirming the information she stumbled upon, even the well-experienced red-haired chief couldn’t help feeling a bit overwhelmed.
If what Layla saw is real, then this matter could be... Damn it! What is he really trying to do? He even abandoned the dream of replacing the Director of Taurus to ascend to the palace and is instead causing trouble for our Virgin Branch?
The red-haired chief, utterly puzzled, clasped his head in his hands, messing up his smooth and shiny red hair, then firmly pursed his lips and said:
"Leon, the news that Layla heard, I must report it to the Directors immediately, and maybe there’ll be meetings afterward. You... uh... you’ve worked hard recently, so I’ll give you a few days off, but during this time, I hope you can try to..."
"I won’t leave the Royal Capital."
Understanding his chief’s style well, Leon spoke calmly:
"If the headquarters comes up with a decision or if there’s anything else they need me to do, just have Senior Jerry contact me through the mirror world, and I’ll come back right away."
Hearing Leon’s response, the red-haired chief couldn’t help but feel slightly warmed, then nodded toward him before pulling out the from a nearby cabinet to make a "call" to headquarters.
Having been granted leave, Leon comforted a somewhat bewildered Layla with a few words, then pushed the door open and left the red-haired chief’s office, only to bump into someone in the corridor with a thud.
Darn it, was there really someone in the corridor?
Looking at the stranger he knocked to the ground, Leon was momentarily stunned and didn’t immediately help him up but instead looked at him curiously.
This ordinary-looking young man, with average build, ordinary clothes, and ordinary appearance... someone who would be lost in the crowd, seemed used to being treated this way. He just got up himself, then nodded amicably yet ordinarily, and apologized to Leon:
"Sorry, Senior Leon, I was just lost in thought and didn’t notice you coming."
Upon hearing this unusual address, Leon finally realized that besides "Miss Break-in" Layla, there seemed to be another person on the new member list given by the red-haired chief. And this person’s name... um... what was it again?
"My name is Matthew, Matthew Notermely."
Not sure if he noticed Leon’s embarrassment or was used to people forgetting his name, the ordinary young man introduced himself, then smiled and asked:
"Senior Leon, it’s been a few days since I joined the branch, may I know where my office is?"
Sorry... After handing in the list, I completely forgot about you, and if it weren’t for bumping into you just now, I wouldn’t have remembered you at all...
After repeatedly going over this not-so-hard-to-remember name that mysteriously always slipped his mind, Leon embarrassingly confessed:
"Your office hasn’t been arranged yet... um... I’m really sorry..."
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The exceedingly ordinary young man seemed to have a good temper, not getting angry at being forgotten for several days, and politely inquired about the work at the Clean-up Bureau and tips for newcomers.
Through ongoing exchanges with him, Leon’s memory, previously shrouded, gradually became clearer with the deepening impression.
Being one of the two newcomers joining the Clean-up Bureau along with "Miss Break-in" Layla, the Contamination Value of this Ma... Matthew guy was a bit lacking, yet he had a "Great Perfection" Level 2 Cleaner’s level.
His ability, in stark contrast to Layla’s, was complete opposites. If Layla’s ability made her "always at the scene," his ability was such that "no one ever knows he’s there."
This Matthew guy, hailing from a minor noble family, had an astonishingly weak sense of presence, naturally ignored or forgotten by everyone.
Before managing to pass the review to join the Clean-up Bureau, he had worked in the security bureau for a full five years, yet not once was he assigned any guarding duties, effectively heading a five-year-long salary thievery.
Although getting paid without working sounded nice, unfortunately, his salary, like his work assignments, was often overlooked, and if late for work occasionally, even his resting bed and personal locker would be reassigned to new guards thinking no one used them.
In what might be described as a career neither started nor failed, his one and only assignment was to guard Princess Veronica against rebel assassinations.
Yet, his doom arrived when the princess’s close guards overlooked him during a "sweep," leaving him with a nail gun standing within ten paces of Princess Veronica, only to be knocked over by rebels charging in, unable to escape in time.
Consequently, this unlucky Matthew guy was mistaken for a rebel due to holding a dangerous hot weapon in an inappropriate place and was promptly thrown into prison...
Then, of course, everyone forgot about him.
The guards who tossed him into prison forgot about this would-be assassin, the judge responsible for trying rebels didn’t remember there was an unexamined individual, and even rebel jailbreakers failed to notice they missed a "comrade."
Having been forgotten by everyone, he often went hungry due to his extremely low presence, forcing him to repeatedly jailbreak when wardens, believing his cell to be empty, placed new inmates inside, only to return home to fill his belly before turning himself in again.
This incredibly bizarre imprisonment lasted eight months, during which he repeatedly broke out over ninety times avoiding starvation, continuously adding years to his sentence until finally accumulating enough for a death penalty, thereby making it onto the Clean-up Bureau’s roster...
Well... I think I remember now, this guy is a natural-born holy assassin, but the big issue is getting someone to remember his existence and assign him tasks.
Gradually recalling the entire resume of the ordinary young man, and why he was invited to the Clean-up Bureau, Leon’s tense body finally relaxed. Embracing the spirit of "passing the torch," he began explaining his compiled [The Emma Remnant Scripture] to this promising newcomer.
The good-tempered ordinary young man promptly took out a small notebook, much like Leon once did, soaking up the precious knowledge like a sponge.
After Leon shared all of the [Remnant Scripture], the ordinary young man carefully packed away his notebook, then inquired with admiration:
"Thank you, Senior Leon! I will surely remember this well... By the way, what you just explained, was it all summarized by Senior Emma?"
Upon hearing this, Leon nodded and replied kindly:
"These were all things I learned from Senior Emma before, so there’s no need to thank me. When Senior Emma returns after completing her tasks, just thank her directly."
On hearing this, the ordinary young man was momentarily taken aback, then asked somewhat puzzledly:
"Senior Leon, hasn’t Senior Emma been back for several days already? Didn’t you notice?"