Chapter 62

Mission 62 (: 62) is the sixty-second chapter of the SPY x FAMILY manga, written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. It was released in three parts, the first of which was released on April 4, 2022, the second was released on April 18, 2022, and the third was released on May 16, 2022.

Part 1
In Luwen, Eastern Westalis, four boys pretend to be soldiers fighting a war. While their trench goes under fire, one of the boys, 'Advisor', quickly turns the situation in his side's favor. He uses some string to drop a pot on the head of 'Major,' knocking him out. While 'General' gets distracted by this, Advisor sneaks behind him and points his gun at the boy's head, telling him that he dies if he turns around. General refuses to back down and gets shot in the head with a rubber band. While Major and General complain about losing again, Advisor is told that he gets intense when they play war games. Advisor, who will one day become Twilight and Loid Forger, replies that when he plays a role, he gets pretty into it.

General tells Loid that he will not get a rank until he gets some proper military gear, to which Loid says that his father is strict about that stuff. 'Corporal' tries to reason with General, reminding him that Loid found their secret hideout, an old army storage depot. While playing cards, the boys plan a sleepover in their hideout. Afterward, the children march back to the town and go their separate ways. Loid returns home and sees his father inside. With his toy gun still in hand, Loid tries to hide it behind his back. His father chastises him for playing soldier and tells him to focus on his studies and future. Loid says he plans on joining the army with his friends, and his father refuses the idea, calling him a coward. After Loid proclaims he will kill all the monsters from the East, his father slaps him. He asks if Loid knows anything about the 'Ostanian monsters' and tells him there will be no war and that he should be hoping for peace instead of conflict. Upset, Loid breaks his toy gun and runs to his room. Loid's mother argues with her husband, questioning his treatment of their son, while he justifies it for Loid's own good. In his room, Loid calls his father out for speaking about peace while fighting with his mother.

The next day, Loid and his friends hang out at the town square. While buying croquettes, the adults ask the boys to help prepare for the upcoming town fair. While helping out, Loid asks if there really will be a war. The adults assure him that the new pact the East and West put together has ended such conflicts. General then teases Loid, saying whether there is war or peace, Loid will not be let in the army for not having a proper soldier uniform. When Loid protests, he gets reminded of the toy gun he just broke and is embarrassed. Returning home, Loid sees his father who is preparing to leave for a work trip. Loid tells him about a reference book he needs for school and asks for pocket money. His father is happy to hear his, which stirs Loid. After Loid receives the money, his father promises to take him to the town fair when he returns. Feeling guilty about his lie, Loid calls out to his father but stops himself.

After buying the soldier set, Loid goes to the secret hideout and shows it off to his friends. As the boys get ready to play, Loid gets overcome with guilt and decides to help set up the fair, leaving the hideout. At the croquette stand, Loid talks with the croquette lady about war and the people of Ostania. Loid starts feeling conflicted, realizing how different things are from what he thought they would be. Loid asks the croquette lady if he can make ten dalc in a day if he helps out at her shop, hoping to pay back his father. Loid then thinks about apologizing to his father and asking his friends if they can play a different game.

Suddenly, a bomb is launched into the town and destroys the secret hideout. Meanwhile, the radio broadcasts a special alert, with reports that the Ostanian Army has crossed the border and is launching its attack on the eastern provinces of Westalia.

Part 2
Loid sees the bomb's smoke on the horizon and is confused. Another bomb is dropped on the town square, and Loid is caught in the explosion. During the blast, a chunk of rock hits his head, knocking the boy unconscious. Loid reawakens with minor injuries, having been protected by his helmet. As he gets up, he asks the croquette lady what happened. However, he is met with the collapsed croquette stand and the destroyed town square. Loid stands still in shock and disbelief until he hears another explosion go off in the distance. Two people run past him, telling him that the Ostanian army is coming and they have to evacuate. Loid is puzzled, remembering the adults saying there would be no war.

Loid's mother arrives and is relieved to see him safe. She takes him home to gather their things, as they will be staying with her uncle in Kielberg. Loid objects, saying he still has school and that the town fair is tomorrow, and his mother tells him there will be no town fair. After packing up, Loid takes one last look at what is left of Luwen as he evacuates with his mother. At Kielberg, Loid and his mother grieve over his father's absence. Loid tells himself that grown-ups are liars. He cites the people who said there would not be a war, including his father, who promised to take him to the town fair when he came home. Loid admits to also being a liar for lying to get ten dalc from his father and vows to tell him the truth when he returns. Loid hears another explosion and runs to his mother in tears. His mother comforts him, assuring him that everything will be okay.

Sometime after, Loid sits by a bridge and excitedly catches a fish for dinner. As he returns home, he hears sirens go off as the town is about to be hit by an air raid. Loid is carried to the shelter, and despite the people's protests, he rushes outside to find his mother. Loid goes to his family's house, where he discovers the remains of his mother. Alone, Loid cries out, standing in the rubble of the town. From that point onward, Loid spent his years surviving on his own amidst the chaos.

Having lost everything he ever cared about and left with the things he despised, Loid decided to join the army. Taking the identity of 'Roland Spoofy' and lying about his age, Loid fought in the East-West conflict, using his skills as a tactician to win his battles. During this time, Loid wonders how many more corpses he must pile up before finally seeing the light of dawn on the horizon. On one of his posts, he hears a man get caught in one of his traps. Loid fires at the scruffy-looking individual, who calls for a time-out and begs him not to shoot.

Part 3
Loid recognizes the man as an Ostanian soldier. The man surrenders and explains that he is a deserter who got lost wandering the mountains. He begs for something to eat, but Loid ignores his pleas and prepares to shoot. The deserter pleads with him again, saying he does not want to die without ever being with a woman. Loid is amused and wonders how even the enemy can seem human. He gives a cigarette to the deserter, who starts talking about a research experiment at a university. In it, the test subjects were shown something unpleasant while unaware of the context, but when a certain idea was placed in their heads, they had a complete shift in opinion. Loid tells the deserter to get to the point, so the deserter explains that the whole war is pointless, caused by a diplomatic fiasco, and forcing regular people to fight each other.

Loid strongly believes that Ostania started the war, but the deserter tells him that Ostania says otherwise. The deserter then talks about the bombing of Luwen, saying it was a false flag operation. Loid gets riled up and points his gun at the deserter, saying that those bombings took all his friends, and the deserter retorts that he is in the same boat. Loid kicks down the deserter and prepares to shoot him, blaming Ostania for taking everything from him. He recalls his father's words, asking him if he knows the 'Ostanian monsters' and has seen their evil deeds. Loid says he has, which is why he will do the same to them in order to avenge everyone's deaths. Loid hesitates to shoot and is promptly shot in the head, only being protected by his helmet. His attackers are the Ostanian army that had been pursuing the deserter. Not wanting to get caught, the deserter flees. Loid also makes his escape, and as he stumbles down the mountains, he wonders what he is doing. After suffering multiple injuries, Loid gets sent off the front lines to recover. While recuperating, Loid reunites with General, Corporal, and Major, who had survived the bombings. While they are happy to see him alive, Loid starts to tear up, having blamed himself for their supposed deaths. The boys reveal that they chased after him right before the first bombing. With the friends now together again, an excited Loid invites them out to a restaurant. However, the others say they will be deployed that night for a military campaign but promise to hang out once they return. However, Loid would learn that the operation they were assigned to was planned recklessly, and all that came back from his friends were their dog tags.

With this loss, Loid contemplates the power of knowledge and how he truly knew nothing from the beginning. Without knowing the reason why and making to his own conclusions, Loid picked up a gun and obeyed his country's orders to fight his enemies. He concludes that "Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is weakness. Ignorance is a sin."

After some time, Loid is approached by a man who knows his real name and that he enlisted with a fake name and age. The man reveals himself as military intelligence and has come to recruit Loid, stating that his skills were better suited for information, the strongest and essential weapon of all. The recruiter adds that Loid would be court-martialed if he refuses to join them. He then instructs him to pack his things and meet him at the station at noon on Tuesday. Loid sits with his friends' dog tags in hand and tells himself that all the information in the world will not bring them back and that nothing he does will allow him to return to the days of his youth. Loid arrives at the station and realizes the man is who he claimed to be. The recruiter takes Loid's belongings and tosses them into a fire. He then tells Loid that he must throw away his name and rank and become a shadow for the sake of his country. Loid does not care, as there is no one left that knows his real name, nor does he care about his country and winning the war. The recruiter asks what Loid's reason is, and as a youthful group of children pass them by, Loid says there is no reason. Upon joining military intelligence, Loid meets his new commanding officer, Sylvia Sherwood, whose orders are to turn him into a first-rate intelligence operative through the harshest means necessary.

Reliving his training days, Twilight jolts up in a cold sweat. Yor is happy to see him awake, commenting how he was tossing and turning. Twilight remembers he is in "Loid's" house and tries to collect himself, thinking about what he just dreamt of. Anya asks if he had a bad dream and tries to read his thoughts, but Twilight's mind is cloudy as he says he does not remember. Anya pats her father's head, assuring him that there is nothing to be afraid of, which embarrasses him.

Loid wonders why he was asleep on the sofa, and Anya reminds him that he fainted after she got a Tonitrus Bolt. Loid thinks about how this damages Operation Strix, and Anya apologizes for messing up. Loid then asks Anya if it brought her closer to Damian, which she confirms. Loid says it is a good thing, telling her that friends are important and to cherish them, thinking back to his old friends. The silence is interrupted by Bond, whose stomach starts growling. Loid decides to prepare dinner, and upon Anya's request, he makes hot onion soup. Afterward, the Forgers sit in the living room to enjoy their meal.

Trivia

 * Page 2 of this chapter has a callback to page 59 of Chapter 1, in the form of Twilight having his target at gunpoint from behind.
 * In page 19 of Part 2, Loid and the other soldiers are in the exact same position as young Loid and his friends were in page 1 of Part 1.
 * The password used by young Loid and his buddies on page 14 is a reference to Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. "Flash"-"Thunder" was a sign-countersign pair used by Allied troops to identify friendly forces during the first 24 hours of the operation.