Two days later...
It was an afternoon in Ironcrest, and the sky was without a single cloud over the city, making it a great day to go to the beach and relax.
The local beaches were more beautiful this afternoon, with emerald green waters and a calm sea, just right for ordinary people to go into the water without danger.
But most of the local people were going about their normal routines without paying any attention to this beautiful day.
Amidst the bustle of carriages, wagons, and people in the city center, Layla was in a local cafe, sipping a cold drink while sitting on a beautiful balcony.
She had a large sheet of newspaper in front of her and seemed to be calmly reading the kingdom's monthly magazine.
In the Seidel Kingdom, news agencies reported on the most important events in a particular state or region. It wasn't like Earth, where the average person could learn about small things that happened even on the other side of the world. But it was possible to keep abreast of relevant information within a given area on that continent.
In the case of Scott Province, there was a monthly magazine that contained news from the province and the kingdom as a whole, usually about more relevant things such as the deaths of nobles or members of royalty, changes in laws, the army, or the Martial Court.
It wasn't something that would bring life-changing information to ordinary people. Still, it could keep nobles and businessmen minimally up to date.
But Layla wasn't reading the newspaper in front of her right now because she was paying attention to something else.
While she seemed to be reading the paper, her eyes were drawn to a beautiful, grand building in the center of Ironcrest, where several members of the organization she belonged to were coming and going.
Looking at the local Awakening Temple from under her mask, Layla had a slightly curious expression, sensing that something wasn't right.
'Have the investigators sent here found anything?' She wondered.
Layla didn't know about Vicente's involvement in the deaths of the three Mages who had previously been the main names in the local Awakening Temple. But she did know that three major figures in her organization in this city had recently fallen.
Practically all the organization members in the province had been talking about it lately, so even she knew about her religion's investigation into their deaths.
Noticing an unusual commotion in this temple, she pondered the obvious and feared that Vicente intended to act tonight.
'I will look into it. Vicente will act tonight, so everything must be in order by then.' She thought before leaving some coins on her desk and leaving the cafe.
...
Hours later, the night was already falling over Ironcrest, and Vicente was standing next to Sarah Mercer in a dark alleyway in the north of the city.
He and she were dressed in dark clothes that completely covered their bodies, while this woman had no items that could limit the movement of her hands and feet.
However, she still had her mana sealed, so she couldn't use her powers until Vicente freed her from the Seal of Spirits.
He could stop her if she tried to escape, so Vicente left her more free, partly so he wouldn't have to take care of her 100% of the time, but also to fool his enemies.
While her wrists and heels were free, a metal piece was missing from her jaw under her mask so she wouldn't talk.
If someone saw her from a distance, it wouldn't be hard to think she was an ally!
Meanwhile, Vicente looked at the three-story building in front of him where Jasmine was being held hostage.
Over the past few days, he had investigated all the outposts of The Faceless Ones in Ironcrest. He discovered the faction's power level as well as Jasmine's location.
With his current abilities, he could easily sense the presence of people around him but also move discreetly. Combined with the woman at his side, he had managed to do so without attracting the enemy's attention.
Now, he was ready to act and finally free Jasmine from the clutches of the greatest threat to the Mazzanti family's operation in recent memory!
He watched the post where 50 people were standing around, including 35 Acolytes between levels 3 and 5, 12 Low-level Mages, 2 Mid-level Mages, and 1 High-level Mage.
But as he watched some men changing shifts, he suddenly felt his communicator with Layla vibrate.
"Hi..." He said as he answered the call, thinking she was calling to say she was ready.
"We have a situation with our targets." Layla got right to the point after taking a risk to find out why the local temple staff had moved suspiciously earlier.
She continued when she heard Vicente's silence. "The personnel sent by my organization to investigate the deaths of the three Mages from the local temple seem to have uncovered clues about their deaths. It seems that The Faceless Ones were involved, along with soldiers from the kingdom."
"Oh?" Vicente's eyes opened wider as a gleam appeared in them.
"I don't know exactly what's going on. But it looks like the investigators who are in Ironcrest are trying to make a move against The Faceless Ones. Given the strength of this group, it won't necessarily be an all-out assault. But there will be some kind of pressure or even assassination attempts.
Let's keep an eye on the movements of the local investigators. Anything they do could create better opportunities for us to act."
Vicente couldn't disagree with Layla's thoughts and immediately dampened his mood by turning his attention to the surroundings of the area he was in, looking for other observers like himself.
While doing so, he spotted some Acolytes acting a bit suspiciously about 100 meters away from the enemy post.
'It looks like there really are people watching this place...' He thought to himself.
Torne confirmed it. 'Yes, those three Acolytes are watching the same place as the master. Maybe you should wait another day or two. If the members of this religion at least try to intimidate this group, it will be enough of a distraction to greatly increase your chances of success.
He said to Layla. "Okay. Let's wait a little longer before we act. In the meantime, try to find out more about the interests of this group of investigators. As much as they might subconsciously help us, we have to be careful. Jasmine definitely can't be seen by them. Otherwise, we'll have problems."
"I will do my best. Wait for my return." She said before the call ended.
The plans for tonight changed for both of them!
