"There's a third matter. The 'Red Gloves' team from Backlund received Tingen City's request for assistance. They'll arrive in Tingen tomorrow... Hmm, it's already today. They'll arrive this afternoon to search for traces of that Aurora Order member."
Red Gloves... that elite force where every member was Sequence 7 or above... The captain had only sent a telegram to Backlund yesterday afternoon, yet they would arrive this afternoon. Their efficiency far surpassed the previous operation at Enmat Harbor.
Unaware of Angel's swirling thoughts, the translucent face representing Daly continued:
"They're a three-person team and usually carry a Sealed Artifact. Heh, that's the standard Nighthawks assault configuration. Depending on the situation, they may add one or two people or change the number of Sealed Artifacts. You should have noticed that in your many battles as well."
"The key is that you need to find an opportunity during this operation to display the Mystical Item from the Machinery Hivemind—the one you just used. By voluntarily revealing the truth and having it appear in the Red Gloves' mission report, based on my understanding of the Church's internal code of conduct, no one will mention it again before the Machinery Hivemind discovers it and actively asks you to return it."
Was this some unspoken rule born from the Churches' open and covert rivalry...? Angel guessed, recalling that Dunn had mentioned this "little trick" before.
"So you're the 'acquaintance from Backlund' the captain mentioned. He told me about this yesterday, including the significance of using the Mystical Item in front of the Red Gloves."
"An acquaintance from Backlund..." The translucent face revealed a bitter smile, and a trace of melancholy colored her voice. "So that's how he sees me?"
Cold sweat broke out on Angel's back. She suddenly realized that she had likely made a