Chapter 313 Magitek’s Information Declassified
"That is... very enticing, Ms. Pride." Daniel nodded, expressing satisfaction with Pride's offer, yet withholding a definitive acceptance or refusal.
Observing Daniel's response, Pride recognized that he was still deliberating, perhaps waiting for a more concrete and appealing proposition.
"How about I show you my sincerity, Lord Emberweave," Pride suggested, then shifted her attention to Gluttony. "Gluttony, may I borrow your phone for a moment? Mine broke, and I need to make a call." She requested.
Gluttony handed her phone to Pride. "Thank you," Pride acknowledged, expressing gratitude to Gluttony as she dialed a number with a specific destination in mind.
"Excuse me, let me step outside to use the phone. Our conversation might be too sensitive for outsiders to overhear. Please understand, Lord Emberweave," Pride said, excusing herself to talk outside of the apartment. She wouldn't take any chances within the building, considering it was Gluttony's Sanctum Sanctorum.
— Confederacy of America - Washington DC - White House —
In the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC, an atmosphere of power and prestige permeates the room. The oval-shaped space is adorned with rich, mahogany-paneled walls that exude a sense of timeless elegance. The intricate patterns of the presidential carpeting create a regal pathway leading to the Resolute Desk, the focal point of the room.
Large, stately windows allow natural light to pour in, casting a warm glow on the room's furnishings. Heavy, velvet curtains frame the windows, adding a touch of grandeur and offering a glimpse of the iconic White House lawn. The overall ambiance is one of sophistication and authority.
The President's high-backed leather chair behind the Resolute Desk radiates authority, embodying the gravity of the office. The space is well-appointed, conveying a blend of tradition, power, and the enduring responsibility associated with leading the Confederacy of America.
The President's eyes are full of ambition and determination. He is Count Reginald Aldenmere, the leader of the Confederacy Triumvirate and the current president of Confederacy of America. As he works in the office, a phone reserved for special occasions rings, and he quickly picks it up.
"Yes? Sera? What do you have to report?" The president asks.
"No, Father. In contrast, I need two things from you and our forces to do," said Pride from the other side.
"That's rare. What do you want? Some new magic material or mage subjects for you to experiment on?" The president asks, curious about his daughter, who rarely shows her interest in asking for her reward.
"First, declassify the information about Magitek, or Daniel Emberweave's power, for all the mages in the Path of Knowledge faction to access," said Pride.
"Oh? Has the plan to hound him to death by Lord Cyrus gone wrong? Or have you made a deal with Magitek?" Asked the president.
"None of that, Father. This is just me showing him our sincerity."
"Tell me you have several good reasons." The president asks, his tone practical and without any warmth that should be present when fathers are talking with their daughters.
"Just two, Father. First, he seems to be very well-versed in time magic," Pride answers without any change in her voice, as this is a matter of fact to her. They are discussing business, and there will be no familial factor in play.
"That's interesting. How well-versed is he in time magic?" Inquired the president.
"That brings me to the second reason, Father. Please stay calm and listen to what I'm going to tell you," Pride said, then began telling her father about what she had witnessed in Daniel's room. The moment when Daniel used his magic to break the integrity of Gluttony's Sanctum Sanctorum and reverse all the materials used in the process of building the controlling mechanism.
After hearing Pride's report, the president was stunned. As a mage himself, he knows how absurd this feat is. To mages, this feat is as absurd as walking on the surface of the sun is to scientists. It requires extensive materials, preparation, and study.
The president understands that it's nearly impossible, but mages know that there is a magical means to achieve it, such as creating a thin dimensional shield between the person walking on the surface of the sun and the sun itself.
The president asked once again to make sure, "Are you sure you haven't fallen into some kind of illusion?"
"Please refrain from asking stupid questions, as you taught me, Father. You know it's impossible. You should know about my eyes," Pride answered, with a hint of disappointment in her tone.
That's right, aside from her Curse/Blessing of sin, Seraphina also possesses an innate gift. Her eyes have a special magic perception and can see through any magic structure. She can utilize this ability to engage other mages by destroying her opponent's magic main structure integrity, causing her opponent's magic to collapse on itself.
This ability is one of the reasons why Pride is so formidable and can be considered one of the top combatants of the Hightower. Apart from the magic structure of the Sanctum Sanctorum, all other types of magic can be dismantled by her.
"Ah… sorry, but… you should know, this matter is very hard to believe," the president responded and then continued, "Consider it done. Then, what about the second thing you wanted me to do?" asked the president.
"The second thing. Can you check on which clan or family is behind buying the slave that came from the south of Japan? The area is south of Naha state, Okinawa," said Pride.
"May I ask why?"
"It seems that Japan somehow has some magic formation or ritual that can negate all magic. I don't know the specifics since mana does not exist on that island, and I can't see its structure. But I guess that it should have something to do with Orochi, Japan's secret weapon against us." Said, Pride.
"Very interesting. But why do you want me to check those providers in Japan? Don't tell me…" The president asked, then arrived at one of the most absurd conclusions.
"Yes, it is as you think, father. My plane crashed onto that island, the pirates came, and without magic, my combat capabilities were limited to only the enchantments on my body that I had applied before the plane crash.
As a result, I nearly got caught and almost became a slave. Also, I think it was a deliberate act by Hojo Shogun. Before the crash, I felt a strong mana surge, and then a strange lightning struck us," Pride reported to her father.
"I see. It should be a coincidence, as after the marriage announcement, he should have known that he would be inviting Daniel to cause trouble in his land. I think what happened to you is just the result of crossfire or collateral damage in his attempt to prevent Magitek from coming to his country, which miserably failed," the president analyzed.
"Even so, he needs to learn the term IFF; if he can't even know that, there's no need for us to ally with him. He can die for all I care. We can also support someone in his family to be the Shogun, as long as it's not the Tokugawa. Besides, I think he was also hiding something from us since our people mysteriously vanished. He must be hiding something he doesn't want us to know."
"I see. I'll arrange all of that. Take care of yourself, Sera," the president said with warmth in his tone.
After the president hung up the phone, he quickly arranged all the tasks requested by his daughter.
— Three hours later - Europe —
Within a few hours after the information about Magitek was declassified, many mage clans and families in Europe swiftly changed their stances. Those who held hostility or malicious intent against Magitek and had plans quickly abandoned them.
Ongoing operations were canceled, and operatives were mercilessly purged, in fear of leaving any evidence or trail about their intent behind.
Fence-sitters hastily aligned themselves as staunch allies of the Magic Harmony Faction. Believing that Magic Harmony was always at odds with the Path of Knowledge, they thought aligning themselves with it would spare them from the fate of those who chose the wrong side in the war.
Unfortunately, the information about Envy aligning herself with Daniel and abandoning the Hightower was still not public knowledge. If it were, the Hightower would have faced severe consequences, proving to all mages and supernatural beings that the current state of the Hightower was nothing more than a paper tiger, as they no longer held the power to sway the masses within the Curtained World.
"Hey, do you know about the latest information that has been declassified by the higher-ups about Magitek?"
"No? I just finished my new experiment today. What about it? Isn't he just a gifted artificer?"
"Shit! For real!? Is he that powerful!? He can even close the Hell gate! Even those fanatics in the Vatican can't easily achieve that feat!"
"This is bad, this is bad. I just sent some spies to work in his Astral Tech Company. Should I purge them? But they have been loyal workers to me for decades… Hm… No, let's purge them. They are just ants anyway. My safety takes priority!"
Conversations like these were spoken all over Europe, as no sane mages dared to cross paths with Daniel at this point.
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