Kairo started going through the pages one after another. Knowing exactly what he was searching for, he didn't waste time with anything that had nothing to do with body modification. "There are a lot of cards that can alter the body to increase the wielder's abilities. Some offensive, others defensive, and others still tactical. But the type of modifications I'm looking for is a little more abstract."
"I doubt we would find anything working like this, Kairo. I could use Echo of Memories to get a glimpse of how the books were classified in here. This way it would facilitate your work," Leli proposed, unwilling to start reading the huge book in hand.
"No, I will be fine. You still need to rest from all the effort expended today. Why don't you go and meet your family or friends like the others?" Absorbed in his book, Kairo didn't notice the shift in Leli's expression.
"Not everyone has the chance of getting appreciated. Sometimes it is better to be ordinary—just normal like everyone," Leli's voice sounded distant, a little timid and restrained, far from her usual one. Drawn out of his trance, Kairo took a peek at her face. Within the dim room, she looked even more dazzling—albeit lonely.
"Everyone appreciates you in here—me, Nyx, Danzan, and even your Mirelle jewel. So why do you have such an image of yourself?"
Leli laughed bitterly. "Growing up, everything was perfect. I had a loving family and amazing friends. I would have grown into the daughter of a wealthy businessman, but at last, I had to awaken to card magic. The habit of giving orders didn't pass very well with the others. For them, I'm just a lucky bitch born with a golden spoon, who likes bossing others around. I do try not to sound like that. But I can't help it. Sometimes I think if I didn't have card magic, maybe I wouldn't have changed like that."
Kairo fell silent. Could cards really alter one's personality? That sounded too far-fetched for him. It was hard to argue—all people from the Card Mage Police had something unique about their personalities—but still. Kairo believed it was just their way of being, and not something they became. I haven't changed, from what I know. Still, I use card magic exactly like them.
Setting his doubts aside, he said, "Not everyone likes to be given orders, that's true, but this quality is what made that second shine on your insignia."
Leli's face brightened. "Then would you come see a movie? There is nothing you'll find in here. These records have been long outdated and some long lost. Giving yourself permission to rest doesn't mean you take the girl's plea for granted. Move—get off that chair now, Kairo, and follow me." She clapped her hands excitedly and started moving away.
Speechless, Kairo took a last glance at the book. He had been searching for hours already but found nothing. She was probably right—getting some rest wasn't the same as running away. Thus, the duo left the library to get a movie.
…
The next day, Kairo was the first to arrive at the meeting room. He didn't have to wait long for Danzan and Nyx to join them. This was the Investigation Department. Leli worked at the Intel Department and thus could not take part.
"Good morning, Kairo. Hopefully, you look in shape. I have a plan to get some clue. You would hate it, but Danzan and I will love it," she said. The intriguing smile on her face left him perplexed.
At least she looks to be back, Kairo commented. This was the Nyx he knew. Yet the fact she said he would hate her idea made him apprehensive. What had she imagined in that brain this time?
"What have you thought of, little devil? I'm all ears. I hope it's crazy enough—otherwise, you'll regret wasting our time," Danzan felt even more eager, first to get on his dangling seat. Kairo wondered how he even managed to stay straight on that thing.
"I made extensive research on all the cards that had ever existed about body modification but limited it to just a year earlier," Nyx placed a few documents in front of them. "This was the time frame in which the first cases had appeared. Still, I didn't focus on the cards related to the awakening ceremony but instead on the cards of all the officers that have had their licenses to use card magic revoked."
"But why?" Kairo was curious. He had assumed the mastermind must be old, at least mature, because the doctor said he had extensive knowledge about the body and the aura. A newbie to card magic would never be able to pull that off. That's why he went to search the old records instead and not only the new ones later.
"Licenses can be revoked only under circumstances where the officer abuses his power for personal use. If the mastermind is not in the old records, it must be that he is among the newly awakened," Nyx added.
"The mastermind looks like someone who loves to play with his victims. It makes sense that if he was part of the newly awakened, his license must have been revoked long ago, since it is almost impossible to use card magic without being detected. But this doesn't tie with the doctor's words. How did he get the years of training with the aura and card magic if he had just awakened a year ago? Although you know a lot about card magic, Nyx, I doubt you can rival Danzan's knowledge about the system. Thinking this way makes your assumption flawed," Kairo analyzed.
Going the logical way, there was no way Kairo was going to find the answer. Just like with the walls at the old building. What if everything was flawed? What if not Nyx, but the doctor's assumptions about the mastermind were flawed? Might he have had no training at all and knew nothing about the human body or the aura? But was that even possible? And if it was the case, what kind of frightening card could do that?
Until he confirmed his guess, Kairo decided to keep this for himself. They might think he was even crazier than Nyx with his guesses. The doctor was not only a professional but had been working on this kind of case before Kairo even learned how to walk. How could he be wrong?
"I can affirm to you with certainty that he awakened just a year earlier. Call it a hunch or whatever you want, but I think it's the right way. I fell on a name, Harid Din—an old folk from the espionage department and childhood friend of our old acquaintance Jed," she said.
Seated on the side, Kairo leaned slightly back, unknown to Danzan and Nyx. Underneath the table, the Eye of Truth had been ejected from his wrist and was activated. Kairo still had no full understanding of how it worked, but from what he had seen, it wasn't just a hunch—it was almost like Nyx knew the culprit but without knowing him. It felt absurd, but that was all the Eye of Truth had revealed to him for now. Why does nothing make sense when card magic is involved? he complained inwardly.
Danzan coughed, slightly dragging back their attention to him. "This is getting lengthy with too much talk. Get to the point, Nyx. Whether your assumption is broken or not, I don't care. Whether we beat the crap out of the mastermind—I do."
"Okay, sorry. Kairo is too rigid; he wants to be certain about everything," Nyx sighed. "I tried talking to Jed this morning, but he was very vague and simply said he had lost contact with Harid long ago—but I bet it's just a lie. If we find Harid, we might find the mastermind, and for that, we need to follow Jed."
Kairo frowned, now understanding where she was going. She wanted them to tail Jed without his consent. This was illegal and forbidden. If they got caught, they could get their licenses revoked, and who knew what kind of problems it would bring for the investigation department.
"You're asking us to tail someone from the espionage department? It's their job to tail people—don't you think they would be masters at not getting followed?" How could they even think of tailing a spy? It was like trying to teach a samurai swordsmanship.
"That's illegal. I know the risks are huge for us, but if we are right, things might get clearer way faster. Danzan, what do you think of this fantastic plan?" she asked confidently, as if she was certain he was going to accept it.
Kairo, on the other part, dreaded the answer. Danzan had a huge smirk on his face and then stood up. "It's illegal only if you get caught. Apart from that, I can't even remember what we were talking about. If you get caught, you will be eliminated—that's the implicit rule in the Card Mage Police. We work on the principle of absolute trust. That's what keeps us together. Even if you're Magnus' son, the moment you embark on this path, Kairo, if you're wrong, you will get all the spies on your back—and believe me, Fabian Fabregas is not exactly an evangelist. That said, if things get to the worst, we will all get killed, but I wouldn't go down without taking at least half of them with me. So good luck, guys. You were right, Nyx—I love your plan."
"Very encouraging-like speech," Kairo said to himself. His hands trembled slightly, reeling at the possibility of things going wrong with all of this. The Card Mage could be said to be archaic, working on such principles. Yet the implicit rule was enough to dissuade any thoughts about betraying. This simply meant the moment one was caught betraying the Card Mage Police, every single officer they met had the green flag to assassinate them without a single thought. This made chills run down his spine. How many officers were there in here? All adept at all kinds of skills. In Terms of deterrence this rule had no match.