Nero knew full well what the accusations would be. Since his killing of Herbert had been witnessed, it was only a matter of time before the army found out. The fact that he hadn't been immediately arrested was a testament to how much they needed manpower. Of course, by letting him know that the accusation had been made, it was like informing him that he was under supervision.
It was either to make him do something like trying to escape, which would solidify his guilt, or to make him behave during his mission.
Either way, they were able to serve some purpose.
"Accusations?" Nero asked, pretending like he didn't know what she was talking about.
"Certain soldiers have reported that they saw you killing and looting a friendly soldier," she said slowly, staring at him. "Until an investigation, you will not be judged guilty but the accusation does put you under supervision. You should know that an accusation like this, under normal circumstances, would see you in a prison cell until the investigation was completed.
The only reason you're not is because of the special circumstances of the current situation."
Nero pondered if he should defend himself right now. But even if he made the claim that there was an assassination attempt on him, for the time being, he would be admitted to killing Herbet one way or another. Considering that he was being sent on another mission, it might not be the best idea to make any such claims.
More importantly, the more this matter was delayed, the better he could prepare. He needed to get word out to his parents, as well as the folk from Whisper Guard.
"I have nothing to hide," Nero said without breaking eye contact. "I am ready to cooperate fully when the investigation is launched."
Nero also had to mentally prepare for the fact that words of him entering the Vault might spread out. If that were the case, whoever targeted his brother might target him as well. Friendly fire was a very good excuse to have Nero sent away to a cursed zone like Patrick. Away from the view of society, in those zones with a very high fatality rate, who's to say what might happen to him?
Fortunately, Nero was no longer just dependent on his parents. He had a few contacts of his own now.
The Ascendant only nodded, as if this were a mundane concern, and then lifted her finger and tapped Nero's forehead.
"As I understand it, you had already been given this mission even before you arrived in Lumina," she said. "It's just that circumstances have changed drastically, so I need to trigger the mission myself."
Nero recalled that major Liam had given him a few missions, with the last one being sealed within his memories. The mission details would have revealed themselves to him under the right circumstances. It seems like the army could no longer wait for the right circumstances.
A stream of information softly entered Nero's mind, filling him in on the details of the mission. To his immense surprise, it was a rescue mission.
According to the details, the mission would be triggered if the targets used an emergency evacuation device, or if they disappeared for 24 hours without contact. As more details filled his mind, Nero's expression suddenly changed.
"I need to update you on the changes to your mission," the Ascendant said, ignoring Nero's surprise. "As you are already aware, the target for your rescue mission is the team led by Bael Thomas. They were sent to retrieve a high value object from a library within the city, but we lost contact with them several hours ago.
According to our last communication, using underground tunnels found in the library, they entered an unknown building. Since then, we have lost contact with them. It has been about 18 hours since then."
The Ascendant paused, took a deep breath, and then sighed.
"The library stands right on the edge of where the fog usually comes till, and we cannot be certain of the direction the underground tunnels went. If they went in towards the fogged city, then there is, at most, two hours left before the fog rolls back in.
We have a sage slowing down the return of the fog to facilitate evacuation efforts, but even then it's not possible to delay any further than that.
"That means you have, at most, two hours to find them and bring them back. Or rather, your objective is to ascertain the condition of Bael and his team. If they're alive, bring them back. If not, your objective is to locate a book in their possession. Retrieving that book is of the utmost importance."
Nero understood the mission, and its urgency, but there was a look of confusion and hesitation on his face.
"What is it?" the Ascendant asked.
"I understand the mission but… wouldn't it be much more effective to send an Arcanist, or just someone stronger for the rescue mission. The restraint of the fog is basically gone. Now I'm not saying that I can't do the mission, but the chances of success will be much higher if you send someone stronger."
Oana shook her head.
"I don't blame you for thinking like that. But the fact is that with the Fair Weather card, our future exploration of the ruins will be much easier. As such, the card has been declared a national treasure, and cannot be used without the approval of a sage.
Using the card for a rescue mission for soldiers that might or might not be alive, reducing the card's durability by an unknown amount of time… unfortunately, regardless of the identity of the soldiers it's not worth it.
"The item can, at most, be retrieved next year when the winds push back the fog again. But if a Fair Weather card is used up, there's no way to replace it. So, for better or for worse, this mission can only be assigned to a Neophyte. But I've seen your work down in the basement. I have full faith in your ability to find the targets, and bring them back if they're alive.
Or, at least, retrieve the book if they're not."
Nero hadn't forgotten that Silas was on Bael's team. He didn't want to think about what might have happened to his artisan friend, but he was certain that if Silas faced a berserker or dark berserker, he'd be done for. That was not even accounting for any other curses they might face.
Without reservation, Nero pulled the various drips attached to his hand and jumped onto his feet.
"If I can get my gear back, this will go a lot faster."
"All your personal equipment will be returned to you, and you will be provided new armour as well. You may even use the dagger you brought out from the Vault, although you will be expected to return it once the mission is over. You will not however get any of the unranked cards, or liquid aether. You will have to make do without them."
Nero didn't argue. Getting even the dagger back, temporarily though it may be, was a great boon already.
Nero walked quickly behind the Ascendant who led the way.
"You will be going alone," she said. "We have no one else who can accompany you, and even Gabriel and the rest have not recovered yet from the effects of their treatment."
"It's not a problem," Nero said calmly as he controlled his aether and checked it. It was back to perfect, without the slightest hint of sluggishness. In fact, it actually felt like the total amount of aether he had had increased.
They walked into an armoury where a soldier stepped forward and presented Nero with his own card case as well as his own dagger, alongside the one he brought from the Vault.
Nero quickly went through all his cards and was relieved to find all his Radix Augmentation cards in place, as well as Snowflake and all the others.
He kept the case back and went to put on his armour, slipping in his cards in all their set positions. As much as he wished to grab a new spear, it was a simple fact that no spear he could wield would be as sharp or deadly as the dagger from the Vault, so he chose to go without it.
In exactly a minute, Nero was fully back in gear and ready to go.
"Do you have a map of the library?" he asked.
"Not of the lower levels," the Ascendant replied, giving him pretty much the answer he expected. "Hold on tight."
Nero felt an invisible force wrap itself around him, which was immediately followed by the familiar sensation of being dragged behind while the Ascendant ran around at unbelievable speeds. He saw the world blur past him, but because of how quickly everything was moving, Nero didn't notice anything odd.
It was when they finally stopped in front of a large, rectangular building that Nero felt something strange. He looked at his hands and saw that a silverish light was shining down on him. Nero looked up and was stunned when he saw a silver full moon hanging in the sky.