Jaime's looks started changing right after he crushed the bottle of Polyjuice potion.
His golden hair turned light brown and his eyes turned black. His ears were elongated, indicating his original lineage. His facial structure and the color of his skin changed as well.
When the revert to his original appearance was complete, Jaime's mana signature was completely changed. Instead of having a scholarly vibe around him, this man exuded the presence of a warrior.
The elven masks were not the only tools of infiltration the kingdom of Layos had employed. The elves had used their superior skills of the potioneering arts to concoct Polyjuice potions for their deep assets inside the enemy kingdom.
With Polyjuice potions, rankers could assume the identity of others. To make the potion, they needed victims' bodies whose identities would be used by the users.
Layos' Polyjuice potions existed even before the eleven masks were created. It was just that the potions required consistent consumption from their users. They also gave some side effects to the users, preventing Layos from using the potion on a much larger scale.
To avoid the side effects of the Polyjuice potions, eleven masks were invented. Masks provided users with a reliable way to change their identities for an extended period without experiencing any major side effects. As a result, Layos created the eleven masks en masse and used them on a much larger scale than the Polyjuice potions.
By the time the eleven masks arrived, the deep asset known as Jaime had already gotten used to using Polyjuice potion. Plus, switching to the eleven mask midway meant some changes in his mana signature, which he didn't want to make apparent to anyone belonging to LA.
***
"I'm afraid Jaime Lancaster is a made-up name, Linda. I'm surprised nobody found it weird when they first heard my name here in this kingdom.
My real name is Adam. Now that it has come to this, you should at least know my name before… you know."
The man who Linda knew as Jaime spoke in a calm and caring tone. He was standing only a few meters away from Linda, holding a weird-shaped weapon in his right hand.
Adam Loyroost AKA Jaime took a careful step towards a seemingly surprised Linda as he spoke up in a tone coated in sadness.
"I wish things had stayed the same, dear. In all honesty, I would prefer to remain an inactive deep asset. But… you know how it is when it comes to wars.
The parties directly involved in the war don't want to come to the table to talk. And those who come on their behalf end up worsening the situation for everyone."
By this time, Adam's men were almost done dealing with Arthur's men who were supposed to control the outflow of information in the Duke's favor.
Adam looked at Ronald and Verna's bodies and took another deep sigh. It was as if he was not responsible for their deaths at all.
Linda was too shocked to speak for a while after seeing Adam's transformation. She couldn't believe that the man she had worked under for so long was actually a deep asset from the enemy kingdom.
After the initial shock, Linda's heart was filled with anger at the man in front of her. She was angry at Adam for killing Ronal and Verna. She was angry at him for not even giving them a chance to fight him. What was even more infuriating was the fact that he still spoke with the same calm and caring tone as he used to speak when he was Jaime.
"You fucking maniac… why did you…"
Linda was about to share her feelings with Adam. However, it looked like the elf just wanted to be done with his assignment. He disappeared from his position and appeared right behind the injured Linda. The time-element ranker was already on her knees due to her severe injuries, making her an easy target for Adam's attacks.
Swoosh. Zoom. Clang.
A metallic sound was heard as Adam's weapon clashed with an obstacle. Someone else had intervened between Adama and Linda, protecting the time-element ranker with the shield-type artifact.
Adam quickly used his movement spell to create a distance before looking at the newly arrived ranker at the scene. Another LA professor had decided to save Linda– his ex-colleague– Lin Karr.
To Eren, Lin Karr was nothing but an award-winning cockblocker. His cockblocking performance had given the butcher bluebells many times. But that didn't mean that the man didn't have other talents.
Lin Karr was the same man who had led Nina into the Osan Woods' along with the rest of his party. It was he who had found Eren's second crime scene inside the Osan Woods.
Adam raised his eyebrows as he looked at a relaxed-looking Lin Karr. He knew that Arthur had close ties with Lin's parents who had become experts in Seer arrays.
Duke Arthur Renar had made use of Lin Karr from time to time even though the latter was not directly or indirectly serving the Duke.
Lin Karr also used his connections with Arthur to save himself from Isen Osan's wrath. One could say that the relationship between Arthur and Lin's family was based on mutual benefits.
"It is strange finding you here, Lin. But now that you are, STAY HERE FOREVER."
Adam wasn't scared by Lin Karr's sudden arrival. He knew that the guy was not as impressive as his parents. Plus, he needed to wrap up the disturbance in the broadcasting tower fast if he wanted to do his job peacefully.
After all, Lako was counting on Adam to take care of chief moderator Rufus Rodriguez. Therefore, the latter did not have any time to spare to talk with Lin.
Lin was about to say something heroic to Linda after supposedly saving her from a fatal attack. He wanted to say something menacing to Adam as well, which would make him sound cool in Linda's eyes.
After all, Lin really wasn't supposed to be in the broadcast tower. He had only sneaked in here to flirt with Linda. The guy had developed feelings for the time-element ranker after spending such a long time with her in LA. One could even call it an office romance.
Alas, Lin wasn't given the limelight to be viewed as a knight in shining armor by Linda. The elf attacked Lin as soon as he made an appearance. He cursed Adam in his head before engaging in mortal combat with him.
'Damn it. This alcoholic broad will be the death of me.'
Lin cursed Linda as well for making him embroiled in a conspiracy that was above his pay grade.
AN: Adam Loyroost is an anagram for Alastor Moody. ;)
