"So, it's settled then. Z of the Blizzard Faction and Rina of the Spearman Pillar will be engaging in the task of finding the Crystal Princess. While Bryan and I will be entering battle with the Queen Of Sand in Briton," announced Ysabeau, on behalf of the Headmaster.
"But, Lady Ysabeau, are you sure your body can handle the stress of going for a mission?" asked Rina, concerned for the mother figure of the Arks.
"Yes, I agree with lady Rina. You are supposed to be on bed rest," agreed Z.
"I should be alright if the enemy isn't too experienced in combat. And besides, I've got the Slayer Pillar beside me to help out, so I'm sure I'm good hands," said Ysabeau, winking at Bryan.
Bryan Verna Orlatih felt a sudden urge to puke out whatever he had been eating right there as Ysabeau winked at him. But he choked back the vomit to save Mavislin from embarrassment in front of the family.
"I promise to fight the target, and like my colleague, I will bring back the opponent's head. But, this time, I will not fail," stated Bryan, looking away.
The group nodded and focused on the next target, the Lightning Mage of the Campania, Fujimaru Raijin. He was also known as Stormbringer, Raijin's appearance of a teenage man with spiked, yellow hair and amber eyes.
The teenager looks burly with his bulging muscles, and another notable feature is the scar running across his right eye. But the vision does not look affected by the fault. Now, it was time for the Time Mage to speak up about the matter and the target. Tomoe was going to help as well.
"That brat... I didn't expect him to be alive after what I've done to him in the past. My solo program from the Congregation was called Operation Zeus. Unlike some of you presumed, I entered the Congregation's ranks over two decades before they fell."
"I may not look like it, but my age is considered undefined since I am a Time Mage. Operation Zeus was launched as we found Teuton's weather unpredictable one year. There were so many thunderstorms in that area, and Old Man Pond sent me to investigate."
"When I was there, I found a group of fourteen Mages going berserk. They were all Lighting Mages, using their powers to scare the locals away. Many people fled due to the torrents of rain and the severe thunderstorms. When I got there, I got a chance to shut them down."
"Amongst the fourteen, a young boy with masculine built outright proclaimed himself to be the 'God Of Lightning.' That was Fujimaru Raijin. He then boasted, saying that he had created the Lightning Element. The rest of the Mages were worshipping the man like some deity."
"I reported back to Old Man Pond about my findings, and he gave me two options I could choose from. One was to persuade them to join the ranks of the Congregation and enter battle with them to test their abilities as a Mage."
"But judging by that boy, I doubt negotiations are an option. I'm not going to waste my time talking to people who pledge loyalty to some kid acting like a God. Do they want to play God? Hah, what a pathetic sight. I loathe and look down upon people who do so. It makes my blood boil."
"The next one determines my willpower and loyalty as a member of the Congregation's finest Triplet Holder. As one of the three main assassins of Triplet Holder Department, Old Man Pond commanded me to slay all fourteen of them if they do not comply with the earlier choice."
"By doing so, I will establish respect amongst the villagers, seeing that those lunatics destroyed their homes. And the local church would see the Congregation as a neutral group after witnessing that they can eliminate their kind to uphold peace within the lands."
"I would be lying if I didn't feel any anger or conflict within myself to make that injunction. But in the long run, it was the better choice for me to make. Teuton was where I was stationed since the Triplet Holders' Headquarters were there. Unlike Z or Ysabeau's decision..."
"I didn't falter when I killed them all when I showed that their God has been a fake all along," said Raiyen darkly as he retold the tale of the time he used to be an elite assassin within the Congregation.
The Time Mage's words sent a shiver down Clement's spine. To know that this was the same Mage that the chef thought was better than the Founders of the Arks. Raiyen seemed more human and easy to get along with than the other members. That's how he gained the trust of others.