A few weeks had passed since the kidnapping incident.
They passed the information they got to the IAI Department and reported what had happened in the cave with their superiors.
They even got a bonus for the information that they got from the young man.
The other teams were not able to dig through any information about the ritual, only their team.
It was also because their opponent was a talkative one and looked down on the three of them.
For Eiji and the others, what happens next was not their job, they just need to kill and then be done with it.
The politics and schemes were for the other departments and the higher ups to play with.
---
At the training grounds, Eiji felt a sense of urgency.
He felt that he was still way too slow and because of that, he was not able to save the people that were kidnapped.
And so, he decided to refine his movement technique!
Ghost Walk!
This was a Rank B movement technique.
This technique was created and given by his master, Takazawa Muri!
He created this technique when he was still 15 years old and refined it over the years.
The main thing about this movement technique though isn't its speed, but rather its minimal sound effect and it's sudden bursts of speed.
Because of this sudden bursts of speed and very low to nearly no sound, Takazawa Muri gained the nickname of the Ghost Blade Of Masamune Kingdom.
Although only Eiji, and the higher ups of the kingdom knows who the Ghost Blade was, because he was part of the Assassinations Department which protected his identity.
---
*SWOOSH!!
Eiji's figure vanished and appeared ten meters ahead.
It was very fast! Unbelievably so!
He was already fast naturally because of his training foundation he had done in his earlier years, but along with the movement technique, he became nothing more than a blur!
But still, Eiji frowned.
'Loud! Still too loud!'
He mused internally.
He had gained mastery of this technique a while back, just before the final exams, but now, Eiji felt he was still lacking in proficiency!
He still needs to be silent and fast!
And it didn't help that his master, who he told that he wants to be even faster, had given him the task of putting on big wavy robes as well as bells in his ankles.
Along with weights in his body!
It was already very impressive that he didn't make any sounds from the bell, but the rustling of the big robes still creates a swishing sound.
And he, as an assassin, had a cloak as a uniform of sorts.
Although it has a mute function, there still was a rustling sound of the wind.
"Huuuuhh!!"
Eiji took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
He remembered what his master had told him about this technique.
"Like Phasing through a fabric... Phase... Phase...."
*Crack!
As Eiji closed his eyes while stepping, he heard the sound of a branch breaking in his step.
When he opened his eyes, he was already more than twenty meters from where he had been before!!
And he had not created any rustling or swishing sound!!
"YEESS!!!"
Eiji happily clenched his fists.
"Huuuhhh!!
Taking a deep breath once again, he closed his eyes and try doing it once more.
He knew that it might have been just a fluke the first time.
So he needs to remember that feeling of phasing through and then make it a part of his instincts and natural movements!
---
A week later
Eiji who was training in his movement technique was given a summons from the Department.
Arriving at the Commander's office, Marco and Akai was already there waiting.
"Good! You're here!"
Commander Sadou nodded at Eiji.
He then took a scroll from his desk and handed it to Akai.
"You have a new mission. This time would also take weeks maybe a month or more to complete! So be sure to be ready! Anyway...
A researcher from the Scholar department had betrayed the kingdom and is now on the run.
The Sword Oath did not activate meant that he had a treasure that was able to erase the Oath from his heart.
This man is named, Eden Dugby.
He took various research scrolls and materials from the headquarters of the Scholar Department and even took the current research project of the kingdom.
The task this time is not just to kill him, but to retrieve all the scrolls and research items. And even if its not everything, the unfinished magic sword core needs to be retrieved!"
"Magic sword core!!!"
The three widened their eyes at those words!
There were various kinds of Magic swords in the world.
But most of them were relics from past legendary blacksmith that created them!
In the last 200 years, there has only been 3 Magic swords that were successfully created!
And the hardest part of its creation was the magic sword core!
With the core, you only need a suitable and strong sword vessel and it will become a magic sword!
"Haaiiz!! The IAI Department will be giving you updates on his whereabouts via a falcon messenger.
It has actually been three weeks ago since Eden was on the run. But because the people in the Scholar Department are research obsessed, they did not took notice of Eden being gone for a long time, not until the supposed day of the Core being synthesized to its sword vessel..
And as you know.. it was already too late...haaiizz!!"
Commander Sadou sighed repeatedly as he told them the information.
The three of them couldn't help but smile wryly and shook their heads at the misfortune.
"Anyway, you know the importance of this mission, and you should head out now, from the IAI Department's reports he is heading west, so he should be At the Breeze City by now or if he is desperate, he should be approaching the kingdom border city of Gale.
So the three of you should hurry up... We'll also be giving a message to other teams near or in those city to help.
Now dismissed!!"
*SWOOSH!!
*End Of Chapter.