"Alright, let's get down to business. I infiltrated this place to uncover Academy City's trump card, the nuns." Arata said, looking at the pure and timid Agnese with clear eyes. At the same time, he activated Void Star: Tai suu, isolating himself from the surrounding world.
At that moment, the cross in Agnese's hand lost its function entirely.
"We've uncovered Academy City's trump card. The cross." Agnese blinked in shock, then gasped as she realized the cross had completely lost its tracking ability.
"Don't look so surprised. I'm simply concealing my saint's aura." Arata gently ruffled her red hair, which was tied into thick braids like rigid rods, his tone like that of a kind priest. The texture of those braids was stiff and not pleasant to the touch at all.
Agnese's face flushed red as she said shyly, with a hint of stubborn protest, "Don't touch my head."
"I deliberately lured you here. Otherwise, no one would have been able to find me. From now on, I will keep my saint's aura hidden." Arata smiled faintly, a trace of amusement flickering in the depths of his eyes.
"Lured us here?" Agnese's expression turned wary. Why would a Saint deliberately draw them out? And more importantly, he possessed magic capable of concealing a Saint's identity.
That kind of technique was extremely rare and demanded an exceptionally high level of magical mastery. In other words, his power far exceeded expectations, yet there was no record of him among the fewer than twenty Saints known to the world.
"I need you to deliver a message to the Pope. For the sake of maintaining stability in the world, we need to establish contact." Arata said, handing her a tarot-like card.
"A communication rune?" Agnese examined the card in her hand with a serious expression.
"You can consider me a spy within Academy City." Arata said casually. Given his identity, a Saint on the magic side naturally possessed the authority to communicate directly with the Pope.
"I understand." Agnese replied earnestly, looking at Arata with newfound respect. A Saint secretly acting as an informant within Academy City for the sake of world peace was, in her eyes, an existence worthy of admiration.
"I'll entrust this matter to you. You must personally deliver the message to His Holiness." Arata said, proceeding to embed false intelligence into the information he provided, regardless of whether the Roman Catholic Church would believe it or not.
Continuously feeding false intelligence about Academy City to the Roman Catholic Church while simultaneously observing their reactions was, in its own way, quite entertaining.
"I see. Then we will return immediately to report, Lord Arata." Agnese stood up respectfully and gave a slight bow.
She was genuinely shocked. She had originally believed their mission was to retrieve a newly born Saint. Instead, they had been deliberately drawn out by a hidden Saint to serve as intermediaries in contacting the Pope.
The idea that there were infiltrated Saints secretly gathering intelligence within Academy City was a revelation.
His Holiness the Pope and the Cardinals had repeatedly sent operatives to infiltrate Academy City, yet none had ever returned. This had greatly angered the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.
If Arata truly cooperated with them from within, they might finally be able to uncover Academy City's true strength.
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work." Arata said gently.
"May God bless you, Lord Arata." Agnese said devoutly, holding the cross with both hands.
Although the situation was unexpected, his direct request to contact the Pope left little room for doubt.
"Be careful. It would be best if you left Academy City today. I am concerned for your safety." Arata said with the calm smile of an experienced priest.
"We will remember your warning and deliver everything back to headquarters." Agnese replied seriously. After speaking, she quickly turned and left, while Angelene and Agata exchanged glances with Arata before following closely behind.
They were indeed in danger now. If their movements had been monitored from the beginning, their contact with a hidden Saint within Academy City could already have exposed them. Leaving immediately was the safest option.
Arata watched Agnese's retreating figure, a faint smile forming on his lips.
" nuns are surprisingly easy to deceive. Intelligent, yes, but still too easily swayed by authority and information that appears credible."
If the lie were exposed, she would realize it instantly. But as long as it remained unchallenged, it would continue to function as truth.
At that moment, Arata's phone rang. Aleister's voice came through from the other end, mechanical and devoid of emotion.
"What are your intentions regarding contact with the Roman Catholic Church?"
"Oh?" Arata raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. "Are you worried I might defect to the Roman Catholic Church, Aleister?"
"I do not consider that a realistic possibility. The Church is incapable of accommodating your existence."
"There are things within the Roman Catholic Church that interest me. What do you think of that?" Arata replied with a light laugh. Aleister, believing himself to be omniscient, was likely probing for his true intentions.
"My plan has reached a critical stage. Academy City must maintain its current balance." Aleister stated.
"Relax. Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church won't come into conflict for now. You already understand that much, don't you?" Arata shrugged.
Neither Aleister nor anyone else could truly grasp the scope of his plan. When it finally unfolded, both sides would be left stunned.
"As long as it does not interfere with the core of my plan." Aleister concluded.
Meanwhile, Agnese's forces regrouped quickly, preparing to depart from Academy City that very day to deliver the information back.
"Time to head to class." Arata said casually, slipping his hands into his pockets.
At the same time, he communicated with Aiwass within his mind.
"Aiwass, conceal the Holy Marks on my body and block any tracking."
Tracking a Saint relied on locking onto their existence through the phases of Heaven. Since the Holy Marks were directly connected to those laws, locating a Saint was normally straightforward, making their positions effectively transparent.
"Understood, Arata. You may now begin your systematic study of magic." Aiwass's voice echoed, distorted like an old radio transmission.
"That plan should begin soon." Arata thought to himself.
To locate the phase of Heaven as described in biblical systems, enter it, find the supreme throne, and claim it.
The Stigmata served as an anchor. All that remained was to discover a method of entering that phase.
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.