552 Prelude (1/2)

”How did they go missing?” Lucien calmed himself down and asked.

Thompson browsed through the reports in his hands for final confirmation, and the noise of paper being turned entered Lucien's ears. ”They were monitored by a senior-rank battle sorcerer and two middle-rank sorcerers. It was discovered that they entered a small church on the west side of Rentato but never left.”

”The senior-rank sorcerer thought that it was just a regular case of Sard's marginalization on the radical clerics and night watchers and did not think too much. Today, when he saw neither Juliana or Minsk, he was puzzled and entered the church as a mouse, but nobody was inside.”

This place was the Kingdom of Holm, where sorcerers were multiple times more than clerics. That was why Thompson was extravagant enough to deploy a senior-rank sorcerer for surveillance.

”Did they notice the followers and use the church to escape?” Lucien thought of another possibility.

Thompson knocked the table softly. ”That's possible, but the odds can't be high, because the same surveillance had been conducted in the past several months, during which time they showed no sign that they detected any anomaly. Also, they were acting the same as usual yesterday as they did before.

”What about the clerics and night watchers that have been marginalized by Sard?” Lucien expanded the range.

Thompson chuckled and said gravely, ”If they also went missing, I would've reported it to the Highest Council because it would suggest that something was wrong with Sard and our plan had to be changed. However, only the two of them are confirmed to be missing.”

Lucien brushed his eyebrow. ”There are twelve days to go until our operation. Let's try to find them without raising Sard's attention.”

Thompson did not object to Lucien's advice or reminder. Everybody in the Congress of Magic was guessing when he would become a grand arcanist and enter the Highest Council. Also, his permission was already above the Affair Committee and on par with that of the ninth-circle archmages such as Raventi.

”The extremists are rather steady despite their anger. Sard, as 'the great prophet', is truly good at enchanting people.” Thompson briefly described it. As a member of the Affair Committee, the Lord of Storm's student and a senior-rank sorcerer whose faith had been tested, he knew about the cooperation but was unaware of the specific plans.

Lucien played with his quill, not sure what secrets were lying deeper in the matter, but in any case, Minsk and Juliana were the night watchers who hated him most, both for 'public justice' and personal grudge. They could resort to any methods. Therefore, he asked Thompson to increase the protection for Joel's family.

After the communication, Lucien looked at Arcana before him but failed to concentrate his attention after a long time because of anxiety. The upcoming operation was too much pressure for anyone who was aware of the matter. Even though he was good at keeping calm, he still feel highly concerned now that he was faced with unknown dangers and changes. Of course, more important, he was not alone now, and he needed to consider more. He had his love, his teacher, his students, his friends and his family. There would be dire consequences if the plan failed.

”I need to remind my teacher and inform him of that plan.” Lucien knew that Thompson would report it to Fernando but still decided to go to the Thunder Hell in person.

He was about to leave his office, when Chelly knocked on the door and entered. She asked uneasily and gloomily, ”Master, do you have a minute?”

”What is it?” Lucien asked back peacefully.

Chelly shyly sat on the chair in front of Lucien's desk and crossed her hands. ”Master, I have a boyfriend named Jacques. You should know him, right? You signed a magic contract with him before.”

”I do. Is he here to claim the drug to activate his blood power?” Lucien nodded his head.

Chelly said with a smile of embarrassment. ”He was very talented and could've turned into a knight on his own, but after signing the magic contract, he found it impossible to significantly increase his willpower. His efforts did not pay off after years of work. So, he plans to use the contract as a last resort.”

”If he uses the contract, there will be no turning back or hope for him.” Having found the love of his life, Lucien was rather sympathetic with Chelly and her boyfriend.

Blushing, Chelly said, ”That's why I want to ask for your help, master. I've saved a lot of arcana points in the past few years. My father also gave me abundant Thales and materials. Plus the wealth that Jacques earned through mercenary missions, they should be enough to buy the 'Origin of Blood' of a senior-rank vampire, but I do not have permission to do so.”

”That's easy. Also, we signed a magic contract before. I'll buy it for you when I come back later.” Said Lucien gently.

Chelly took a long breath in relief. She had been too gentle and proud to ask for it, although it had been on her mind for a while. Now that she got a satisfactory reply after she finally summoned her courage to ask, she was naturally excited. ”Thank you very much, master.”

Lucien smiled. ”Is he going to complete the ceremony himself after he buys the Origin of Blood. Speaking of which, Jacques is not bad at all. He earned his money through mercenary missions instead of only counting on you.”