— 12:00 AM - Daniel's Secret Base - Command Center —
In the heart of the night, the command center of Daniel's secret base buzzed with relentless activity. The dimly lit room stood as a testament to advanced technology, with rows of sleek computers displaying intricate data and constantly monitoring various statuses across multiple screens. The soft glow of the monitors cast an eerie light over the room, shrouding it in an atmosphere of intense focus and secrecy.
Penthesilea, the director of the secret base, occupied the central seat, her gaze fixed on the main screen while occasionally glancing at her personal computer on the desk. She anxiously awaited a response from the team she had dispatched to locate Lucian.
"Have you found the bastard yet?" Penthesilea's voice resounded through her headset as she scrutinized the screen displaying Maria's position—a trusted friend and the most skilled field operative in gathering information.
"No, we've thoroughly scoured the vicinity of the 'Sacred Unity Church,' but we've come up empty-handed. The church itself is impenetrable; guarded heavily by priests, and its surroundings are protected by potent holy wards, preventing any supernatural beings from entering undetected. If I attempt to infiltrate, the entire church will be alerted," Maria reported with a hint of frustration in her voice.
The operation commenced as soon as they received a clue about Lucian Blackscar's last known location from their lord, Daniel. Having already searched the neighborhood, they were now contemplating whether to force their way into the church.
"We can't be certain if he's still there or not unless we search the place. Permission to gather the strike force and go in," Maria pleaded, eager to take decisive action.
"No, we cannot rush in blindly. We must consider the Vatican's involvement and their relationship with that archbishop. We can't afford to jeopardize our lord or allow them to exploit this situation to their advantage. Set up observation outposts around the vicinity and meticulously record the comings and goings of the church's visitors. Uncover as much background information on them as possible," Penthesilea commanded firmly.
"Affirmative," Maria replied, acknowledging the order before ending the communication and setting out to carry out her instructions. The tension in the command center remained palpable as they continued their vigil, determined to find Lucian and uncover the truth behind the Vatican's connection to this elusive mage.
– Tuesday - Morning - 5 Days before the status reinstated –
Daniel entered the command center, which was still operating around the clock, with Penthesilea hard at work since the previous night.
They had managed to gather some information from the surrounding public cameras, confirming that Lucian had indeed entered the 'Sacred Unity Church' multiple times. However, two days ago, after his last visit, he never emerged.
Daniel glanced at Penthesilea's side profile, observing the androgynous-looking woman with flowing blond hair, tirelessly handling the demanding role of base director. He felt a sense of gratitude for her dedication, knowing the headaches that came with her position.
"How is it, Penthesilea? Have you found him yet?" Daniel asked, eager for the latest update.
Penthesilea turned to find Daniel standing beside her. "Ah, my lord. It's like this," she greeted him before briefing him on their current situation. They had discovered that Lucian hadn't left the church since his last entry, and they were deliberating whether to storm the place.
Daniel listened intently to Penthesilea's report and pondered the options for a moment before making a decision.
"Then I'll go there and ask them myself. If I go in as a guest, they might not cause a commotion," Daniel said, determined to handle the situation personally and was about to walk out of the place then stopped.
"By the way, prepare a few assault teams for me, just in case," Daniel instructed before leaving the command room.
– Sacred Unity Church -
Nestled in a quiet suburban neighborhood, the tranquil church stood, as Daniel arrived in an armored limo. Stepping out of the car, the vehicle drove away to a nearby parking lot, poised to return at Daniel's command once his business inside the church was concluded.
Inconspicuously, Daniel walked into the church, donning luxury brand clothes and glasses that added a touch of charm to his appearance, resembling a delicate and wealthy scholar. The elegance of his attire caught the attention of onlookers, and some girls, either familiar with Daniel or recognizing his designer clothing, attempted to catch his eye or even offered their numbers. Their boldness didn't escape the disapproving glances of older individuals present.
Amused by the attention, Daniel strolled deeper into the church until he encountered a gentle-looking priest standing near the confessional booth.
"How may I help you, child?" the priest asked, smiling. However, Daniel's hunter instinct sensed something amiss. The priest seemed to be concealing a significant amount of mana—an energy source typically associated with mages, not ordinary priests.
"Yes, father. May I use a confession booth?" Daniel asked, maintaining the facade of a devoted churchgoer. Deep down, he knew the priest recognized his true identity, evident from the subtle reaction in the man's body language.
"Certainly, child. Please, this way," the priest led Daniel to the confession booth, and Daniel followed obediently.
Once seated in the booth, Daniel took a moment to feign relaxation, as if preparing to share a dark secret or confess his sins. However, in his mind, he initiated a telepathic message to one of his people.
[Maria… are you keeping an eye on me around here?] Daniel sent a telepathic inquiry to Maria, stationed at the observation post nearby.
[Yes, my lord. How may I assist you?] Maria promptly responded through their telepathic connection.
[Keep note and tell Penthesilea in the HQ that, The priest here tried to conceal their mana] Daniel gives the information about the priest through their telepathic link.
Hearing that, Maria was startled and quickly noted down the information and gave it to her aid to pass it to Penthesilea. She was hidden within one of the houses on the second floor nearby that have a clear view of the church.
In the confession booth, Daniel started.
"Let's be frank, father. What is your relationship with Lucian Blackscar, I heard that the Vatican to us mage wasn't that nice for the vatican to provide a mage their refuge." Daniel directly asks without bother keeping their civility since within this booth is concealed from prying eyes and ears.
"Oh… I'm afraid I don't understand what you're trying to convey, child." The priest answered but his stumbling at the start of sentence wasn't unnoticed by Daniel.
"Really? Then can you explain why I sense mana from your body? Father? I wonder what would happen if Grand Paladin Christopher Ward heard that one of the Vatican priests used mana as their energy source instead of faith power?" Daniel said with a threat mixed with a little bit of satire.
The priest didn't answer, he went silent for a few minutes. As for Daniel, he had prepared and sent a message to the base to standby sending in the assault team if things go south. Since he had already collected the evidence. The first moment he entered here, he already record the priest mana signature which should be impossible to a priest unless this priest is a mage disguise as a priest or an ordinary priest that had accidentally awoke their magic power, but that was not possible since all the priest that know about the Curtained World use faith power.
Since this priest has mana and had a reaction that was clearly not the reaction of the one who saw him in the press conference but someone who knows him as the people in the Curtained World. This priest should know about him.
While Daniel was thinking about how to proceed, an alarm was heard and the steel shuttle was quickly shut down within the confession booth, preventing him from going outside or breaking out but he was still smile as this is one of the scenario that he had prepared.
"Brothers! The heretic is here! He is the Magitek! Let's captured him and send him to the archbishop!!" The sound of the priest shouted.
"Ugh… typical…" Daniel let out a sigh and touched the glasses to change the mode from mana signature collection to video record.
He tried to test the steel shutter by knocking it a few time and found out that it made out of Vatican blessed steel, the same material that use to make the weapons for the Secret Exterminator Unit. He also noticed that the confession booth that he stayed is very tight and he couldn't swing his arm or use tool to cut it out.
So there's only one solution, Daniel mind sinked into his mindscape and found the card he wanted.
Card: Disassembling
Picture: The picture of an Artificer waving his hand and all of the golem parts crumbling down from its skeleton.
Rarity: Common
Type: Quick Spell
Mana Cost: 2
Description: Destroy the target Artifact its controller gains half of its mana cost. This mana will be in the player pool until it is used.
Flavor text: It is a waste of resources, you better recycle it.
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