Montgomery spoke with a mixture of truth and deceit in order to avoid raising any suspicion. "I apologize, but I only know that she has traveled abroad. I'm not certain where she is currently located," he said.
Ragnar was taken aback by Montgomery's lie, but he quickly concealed his surprise. He couldn't understand why Montgomery had chosen to deceive Daniel.
As the Archangel, Michaela could tell if anyone is lying or not. She reached out and touched Daniel, sending her telepathic message directly to him.
[My lord, he lies about not knowing Miss Wrath's location.]
Unless it was about his girlfriend's well-being, Daniel wouldn't show any sign of change on his face. Right now, he still didn't know that Wrath was in the middle of her recuperation due to the loss of her magic and blood essence.
"Mr. Montgomery," he started. "During my short experience as a businessman, I've learned that trust built on lies does not last long. What do you think of this phrase?" Daniel probed Montgomery, who remained unfazed.
"That's a good phrase, but I think trust alone would not make our business last long. We need to have our priorities in mind," Montgomery replied.
"Oh?" Daniel was intrigued. "And what is your priority right now, Mr. Montgomery? Because if you're here to make a friend, I'm afraid your approach is flawed. But if you're here to make an enemy," Daniel paused, his voice turned cold and unfeeling.
"You're doing it right."
Daniel didn't use any spells to intimidate Montgomery, as he only had access to attack, kill, and restriction spells in his mindscape that are using the combat deck. The spell "Frozen in Fear," which he often relied on to intimidate others, was not available to him at the moment.
This is one of Daniel's weaknesses, as his power of actualizing cards is based on the game rules that he created. The rule of having a maximum of 7 cards in hand strictly applies to him, and sometimes he can't even draw the card he wants to actualize.
In that case, he needs to repeatedly change his deck in the hope that the first 6 cards he draws in the first hand will have his desired cards. This is the only rule that was strictly inherited from the game. As for the other rules, they can be bent, and some rules do not exist as they contradict how the real world works.
There are two solutions that Daniel could think of: first, the Archmage Profession card from the set related to the Arthurian legend, and second, the legendary unique Artifact card in the Atlantean set. These two cards would allow him to constantly search for the cards he desires in the deck he had prepared.
Despite Daniel's unfriendly demeanor, Montgomery remained unfazed. He believed that his status as a Hightower councilor, along with Ragnar's backing, made him untouchable.
Additionally, data obtained from Klause suggested that Daniel was not the rash or impulsive type, which emboldened Montgomery to push his luck.
Montgomery also saw Daniel as a talented Artificer, and he knew that these types of individuals often had a haughty attitude. Thus, he felt the need to knock Daniel down a peg in order to make him more compliant when he eventually needed something from him.
Seeing Montgomery's unfazed attitude, Daniel couldn't help but let out a smile. Based on the information he had gathered from the minds of the mages he had defeated in the past five days, he knew that Montgomery held the position of Hightower Councilor, which made him practically untouchable. Killing him would only provoke the Hightower enforcers, which would be troublesome.
Furthermore, Daniel was aware that Wrath knew Montgomery, so he didn't plan on being rude to him unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Mr. Montgomery, out of respect for Miss Wrath, please…" Daniel pointed towards the door leading to the outside. "Help yourself," he said calmly.
"Oh? And what if I refuse to leave, Mr. Magitek? What would you do?" Montgomery taunted Daniel.
Montgomery was confident that Daniel wouldn't be able to do anything to him, even if he refused to leave. After all, he was a Master Rank mage and a Hightower Councilor. Additionally, Ragnar, the top combatant of the Hightower and also a High Councilor, would protect him. He also had a mana disruption artifact on him, making it difficult for Daniel to even touch him. He wondered what Daniel could possibly do to force him out.
"Montgomery!" Ragnar's voice rang out, his tone admonishing. This old fox started to recklessly push his luck.
"Oh, I'll do this." Daniel raised his hand for all to see and then snapped his fingers. "Goodbye."
As the word left his lips, a bright blue light enveloped Montgomery's body and he disappeared from the room. Ragnar was startled by what he witnessed and immediately put on his guard. The red light on his glove began to glow as its rune stone was activated.
"What did you do to him, boy?" Ragnar asked warily, sensing danger in the air. He noticed that the silver-haired girl was staring him down, and he knew that he had to be careful with his words and actions, or he might get into real trouble.
Of course, Ragnar sensed that if he were to go all out and use his forbidden spell and trump card, he was confident that he could fight the silver-haired girl toe-to-toe.
However, he knew that doing so would result in massive collateral damage and expose the curtained world to the outside world as the appearance of his trump cards was not known for their discreteness. He couldn't afford to do that, so he decided to play it safe and not make any rash moves.
Daniel didn't sense any of Ragnar's hostility, and he found it strange as one's bodyguard. Shouldn't they feel hostile to the one who made a move on their employer? But since this muscular old man didn't become hostile he wouldn't bother with him either.
"He became more and more unbearable, so I teleported him back to where he thinks it is the safest and most comfortable for him," Daniel answered with the reason that Ragnar could accept.
What Daniel just did was use the power of his spell card on Montgomery.
Card: Forceful Eviction
Picture: An illustration of a person with a surprised expression being teleported out of a magical shop
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Quick Spell
Mana Cost: 1 Water, 1 Non-Element
Description:
Return target creature to its owner's hand. If used outside of combat, reveal the top card of your deck. If it's a spell or quick spell, add it to your hand.
Flavor text: "There's always an emergency exit for a rude guest."
"Huh?? Teleport!?"
Ragnar was stunned by the sudden teleportation. He couldn't believe that such an ancient magic as teleportation could be used in modern times. Just to be sure, he quickly grabbed his smartphone and dialed Montgomery's number. The call connected immediately.
"Hey, Baldy, you okay?" Ragnar asked through the phone.
— Meanwhile - Prosperity Auction House - Safety Room —
Within the luxurious room filled with various high-end amenities such as a personal computer, refrigerator, and mini home theater, a pale-faced middle-aged man sat on a long black sofa. It was Montgomery, still reeling from the sudden teleportation that had just occurred.
His body was trembling with shock and disbelief. Teleportation was an ancient magic category that had long been lost to the modern-day mage.
He couldn't fathom how Daniel had managed to forcefully teleport him into his safety room. The realization that he was not as safe as he thought he was hit him like a ton of bricks. His mind was racing with questions and fear. He didn't even notice his phone ringing until he picked it up and heard Ragnar's voice on the other end.
"Yeah... yeah... I'm okay, just a little shocked," Montgomery managed to answer, his voice lacking his usual pride and arrogance.
Montgomery couldn't believe it. Daniel had just forcibly teleported him into his safe room using ancient magic.
He felt ashamed and embarrassed that he had underestimated Daniel. The fact that he had tried to belittle him earlier now seemed laughable. If he had known that Daniel could use ancient magic, he would never have dared to push his luck and would have been courteous as much as he could.
The reason why ancient magic was considered lost was not because it was hard to use, but because it required an absurd amount of mana or mana that was so pure that it was only present during the middle ages before the pollution and interference from modern technology and scientific mindset. Montgomery couldn't help but wonder how many sets of magic veins Daniel had to be able to sustain that much mana to the point that he could use Ancient Magic.
— Veneziale Estate - Guest Wing - Common Room —
Daniel stood patiently beside the muscular old man, waiting for him to finish confirming Montgomery's safety over the phone.
After a few minutes, the old man ended the call and turned to face Daniel.
"Okay, Mr. Magitek, now that Baldy is safe, let me tell you why we're here," the old man said, his tone slightly awkward. He never expected Montgomery to be slapped in the face like that.
Ragnar cleared his throat and quickly adjusted his necktie and suit, trying to regain his composure after his sudden movement due to Daniel's show of power.
"I'm Ragnar Stenmark, the Patriarch of the Stenmark Clan and the High Councilor of the Hightower. On behalf of the Stenmark clan, I would like to extend an invitation for you to attend the auction event tomorrow at the Prosperity Auction Hall," Ragnar said courteously as he extended his hand towards Daniel, who was still a little confused by Ragnar's sudden change in demeanor.
Ragnar couldn't help but think to himself, "Heh, you old thing Montgomery, since you messed up your plan to bring this Artificer to your side, don't blame me for being opportunistic."