Cathedral. It was a word Nero knew and understood the meaning of, but it was also strangely alien. Religion as a concept was something Nero understood, but no one in the world of Neire was religious. Or rather, there were no largely followed religions in any of the countries.
There was the odd cult here or there, worshipping curses or sages or whatever else they wanted, but those were in the minority.
There was no particular reason for it either. It was just that in a world where death was around every corner, all anyone could focus on was finding ways to grow stronger. Sure, some religions cropped up over the years, and people prayed for strength, but since there was no one to answer those prayers, most of those people died, and those who survived stopped believing.
Then again, there were also documented cases of people praying to curses, and then getting corresponding responses. That led to a surge in believers, and when the numbers were large enough, the curse would eat them all, thereby ending the newly formed religion.
In summary, Nero's perception of religion did not match up with that of the Eldrim race, who were supposedly mighty and powerful, and extremely knowledgeable.
But then again, he also noted that the major said that they were only 'calling' it a cathedral, so there was a decent chance they too had no idea what the building's original purpose was.
"The cathedral is in the part of Lumina that we have already explored, but the issue is that none of our agents have been able to go deeper than the first floor. Yet we have reason to believe that some extremely crucial and valuable artefacts are stored in the lower levels."
Nero took the map and studied it seriously.
The layout was… surprisingly straightforward. He had been expecting a maze of some sort. But then again, maybe that was just his youthful imagination running wild.
The stairs leading to the first level of the basement were clearly marked, and the stairs leading to the level further below were right next to it, as one would expect from a building with a sound architectural design. But if that was the case, why hadn't they been able to proceed lower?
When Nero looked up, waiting for the major to explain, he saw the major holding out his hand.
"Everything you're about to hear from now onwards is highly confidential. An oath of secrecy needs to be administered before we proceed."
Nero nodded, and extended his still bound hands to the major and clasped his hand. He felt something warm enter into his body.
"Private Nero, under my authority, you are bound to secrecy in all matters relating to the missions you are about to receive. You may not divulge the information regarding this mission to anyone unless authorised by me, or unless someone bearing authorisation superior to mine comes alongside a declassification directive issued by Felix corp.
For the duration of your mission, you may discuss relevant details only with your team members should the situation call for it."
"Yes sir!" Nero acknowledged, completing the oath.
Oaths of secrecy were a very standard issue practice, and required specific cards to administer. It was more or less the best way to ensure that secrets are not revealed by soldiers, either on purpose or by mistake. To a degree, it even protected soldiers from being interrogated.
The general belief was that an oath of secrecy was impossible to break, and Nero had always been sceptical of that, but now he was almost certain that wasn't so. He was sure that, considering all the spells out there, at least someone had devised a way to break them.
"Getting into the basement is not hard, even though it is filled with fog. In fact, on the first level, even all the curses have been cleared out. The issue is that to proceed further down, you need to have access granted by the mechanism that is still operating within the cathedral.
Even though there is a way to gain that access present right within the cathedral, everyone gets only one chance to do so. Although we already have some Neophytes who have gained access, they are not enough to face the dangers on the lower levels.
"The first part of your mission is to successfully gain access to the lower floors. We do not anticipate that will be an issue for you. All you have to do to gain access is pass a competency test, which we believe you are more than qualified to pass. The second part of your mission is to get your hand on the artefacts. We believe there will be at least two important artefacts in the lower levels."
"How do I identify these artefacts? Are they all of the same kind, or are they different?"
The major pursed his lips. Clearly, this was a question that troubled him as well.
"I will give you a file depicting the images of some artefacts that we have already uncovered. The artefacts may be the same or different, we cannot be certain. But I believe they will be easily identified since they should be placed on pedestals, or behind protective glass barriers. At least, that has been our experience."
"Are the artefacts dangerous? Are there any precautions I need to take when handling them?" Nero asked. The surprising lack of knowledge about the artefacts was just as curious as how much importance was given to them. Nero could not help but wonder what the purpose of these artefacts was.
"Different artefacts have different purposes, and they may react to aether. But you will be given special seal cards which you can use to render them inert and thus easy to carry. That won't be a problem. The problem… will be the next part.
"Besides you, there will be other teams with the same mission. The third part of your mission is to ensure that you come back with the artefact, not the other teams."
This time, Nero was genuinely and properly stunned, so much so that he could not even hide it.
"I don't understand. Are we cooperating with foreign teams for these missions?"
"No, the teams will be all from Kolar. But each team will be representing… a different segment of the army. They each have their own ideas about the artefacts."
The major and the sergeant both stared at Nero seriously. In actuality, it was this part of the mission why they were so eager to implement the oath of secrecy, though to be honest even the earlier parts of the mission qualified for it.
Nero was genuinely stunned into silence. Was the army competing with itself? Or more precisely, were the different factions in the army actually competing with each other?
Given the fact that they were currently at war, being invaded from all sides, was the army actually prioritising personal gains?
He didn't know why he was surprised by that. He shouldn't have been. He had already seen their hypocrisy. But maybe, deep down, he still believed there were some good left in Kolar. Maybe that was all just childrens fairytales.
Nero's expression hardened, and his eyes became slightly colder.
"To be clear, are you telling me to eliminate the other teams?"
"Lethal force is not necessary," the major clarified. "No matter who gets the artefacts, the beneficiary is still Kolar. It's just that different factions have differing ideas about how to use them. I believe none of the other teams will use lethal force either, since that is not something that can be hidden from everyone.
Once they come out, if word is leaked that friendlies were killed, then let alone the teams, even the ones backing them will not be able to escape disciplinary action.
"But in a way, that only makes your mission harder. Overcoming other teams without killing anyone will prove a greater challenge. But you have displayed consistent superiority against your peers, which is one of the reasons you were selected for this mission to begin with. It's also why your previous partner, Wendy, is still on your team. You two displayed commendable teamwork."
Nero's expression eased a little. He supposed a little competition was still comprehensible. He just hoped that they hadn't actually fallen to the point of outright ordering elimination of teams from various factions. If that ever happened, then Kolar wouldn't be far from civil war, one way or another. After all, at the end of the day, the backer of each faction was a sage.
If they started openly killing each other's soldiers…
"How many other teams will there be? And speaking of teams, who else is on my team? It would be for the best if I can choose the members myself. I know you might have better options lined up, but my history with my teammates will only improve our teamwork, as you've already noticed."
The three began discussing the finer details of the mission, spending nearly an hour without even managing to breach the topic of the other two missions.
Before they got a chance, the door to the room was suddenly pulled open, and a very familiar face walked in with a grim expression.