I! Cleaner!

"Have you understood the situation?"

Glancing at Ryan and Emma holding hands, and waiting until he let go, the red-haired director curled his knuckles and knocked twice on the intelligence board beside him.

"According to the information from the Watcher's Palace, the Bai Ye Sect will deploy over 700 followers. Starting tomorrow, they will set up a total of 35 strongholds one after another.

Five days later, when the 'overlap point' between the Demonic Soul Abyss and the Kingdom aligns, these 35 strongholds will hold rituals simultaneously, providing coordinates for the King of Nightmares, allowing it to squeeze into reality with the Demonic Soul Abyss.

And our task is to clear all these 35 strongholds before then, or at least clear 33 of them. As long as we leave fewer than two strongholds, the King of Nightmares won't be able to fully enter reality."

After stating the mission objectives, the red-haired director lifted the intelligence board again, pointed to the dozen or so maps pinned on it, and said seriously:

"The locations marked with red crosses on these maps are where the headquarters, in accordance with the Watcher's Palace's information, has pre-marked as stronghold locations. These include 12 counties in the Kingdom, two across-county mountain ranges, and the sea to the east.

I've just requested support, and the nine strongholds in Merino County, Welsh County, and Pav County will be dealt with by the Lion Sub-bureau;

The six strongholds in the eastern sea area and the Hesperito Volcano Cluster will be taken over by the Aquarius Sub-bureau. We only need to handle the remaining 20 strongholds, so let's assign the tasks."

Twenty strongholds, huh...

Looking around the meeting room, apart from himself, Leon quickly calculated.

Three times seven is twenty-one, so if the director stays at the capital as expected, each of us, including myself, will likely need to address three strongholds.

Considering that among the cleaners present, only I am a Level 3 Cleaner while others are Level 2 or even Level 1, I might be assigned one less, or perhaps only one stronghold."

"Emma, the seven strongholds in Ryan County and Coast County are yours. If time is tight, you can be more ruthless."

"Okay."

Huh? Just like that, seven tasks are gone?

In Leon's slightly surprised gaze, the map with the most red crosses was removed by a strand of red hair and placed on Emma's table. Emma nodded unsurprisingly, frowning as she examined the times and locations marked on the map.

"Next is Tom... You're responsible for the four strongholds in the Schedern Mountain Range. Be mindful of your actions when you work; the snow hasn't melted there yet, so don't cause an avalanche!"

"Uh-huh, I'll try!"

"Not just try, you must!"

Giving Tom a stern warning glance, the red-haired director continued assigning tasks:

"Next is Pioni, you're headed to Pav County and Belleray County..."

"Ameen, this one for Belleray County is yours... Be mindful, no unauthorized drug use this time..."

"Harry, these are yours..."

"Spike, and you... if you're overwhelmed, you can summon the stationed army, but remember to report afterward..."

Wait... aren't all the tasks assigned already?

When the last two maps were bound together and handed to the burly colleague opposite, Leon stood up in disbelief and asked:

"Director, what about me? What do I do?"

"You stay behind to guard the house."

"..."

Seeing Leon's somewhat speechless expression, the red-haired director pointed towards the palace, calmly explaining:

"The King of Nightmares has a grudge with the royal ancestors, and there's a possibility it might seize this opportunity to attack royal members, so we must be on guard.

Your unique identity makes you ideal for moving in and out of the palace without issue, and you are familiar with the princess and prince, making you perfect for this role. If I'm caught up by any unforeseen events, you'll be responsible for protecting the royal family. If there's any trouble, remember to seek help from headquarters."

Unforeseen events?

Though the red-haired director didn't say it outright, after exchanging glances, Leon immediately understood her implication, realizing she was concerned about that female reporter from the Gemini Sub-bureau.

After pocketing the director's wallet, the reporter named Nicole hadn't been seen since, but she was indeed a genuine Level 1 Cleaner with a tail capable of camouflaging her presence, making her a potential threat.

So the talk about protecting the royal family was probably an excuse. The real reason the director wanted me in the palace was likely to keep me close to the royal family's [Syllabic Stele]. If any trouble occurs on her end, I can immediately contact the headquarters for assistance through royal channels.

"Got it."

Nodding knowingly, Leon sat back, feeling reassured about his assigned task, while the red-haired director, having completed the task assignments, clapped her hands firmly and concluded crisply:

"If there's nothing else to add, let's set off now!

Additionally, considering the involvement of two other sub-bureaus this time, and the uncertainty of how far they'll go or if they'll make mistakes, it's best for us to take down all 20 strongholds for which we're responsible with no room for error!"

...

The next night, the palace.

Having had a busy day, hosting six or seven batches of guests with patience, Prince Joshua had just fallen asleep when a knock sounded from outside the bedroom door.

"Knock, knock, knock"

"..."

After a long, exhausting day, Prince Freckles was in a deep sleep, but after a while without any response, the knocking against the wooden panel suddenly intensified, becoming more rapid, forcibly dragging him from his dreams.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

???

Who? Who dares knock on my door like this? Are they seeking death?!

Awakened forcefully by the persistent knocking, Prince Freckles got up angrily, rushed off his soft bed, and yanked open the bedroom door.

"Damn it! Today, I swear... it's you?"

Seeing the visitor's face, Joshua, who was about to start cursing, went pale, promptly shut his mouth, instinctively stepping back, but feeling he seemed cowardly, he braced up and stepped forward, sternly reprimanding:

"Who let you in here! Get out of my... go! You, get out!"

"Move aside, thank you."

Glancing sideways at the intimidated Joshua, Leon, hugging a pillow and a thin blanket, directly pushed past the obstructing Prince Freckles and entered the room, placing the pillow against an armrest.

"Don't you understand human language?"

Feeling ignored, Joshua gave a fierce glare and rushed over to try and kick the sofa and the man on it over, but after being stared down narrowly by Leon, he ultimately lowered his foot, his cheeks twitching as he angrily retorted:

"Get out! This is my room! Don't push your luck! Or else I'll..."

"I'm here to protect you."

Cutting him off, the weary Leon yawned, lay down on the sofa, and unenthusiastically informed him:

"There've been incidents recently, and you might be in danger, so the bureau assigned me to protect royal family members.

But I'm only one person and can't protect everyone, so I thought I'd guard your father, mother, and sister during the day when I'm awake, and come here at night when I'm tired to protect you. This way, I'm being responsible...

Well... If you have no objections, let's stick with this plan. I'm going to sleep first."