Kairo blinked in surprise; he hadn't noticed the letter when he first entered. Carefully arranged on one part of the table, it stood there with another metallic box. From the box, there was some sort of soothing feeling that seeped out of it.
"Is this a gift?" Kairo wondered, getting closer. He pulled the chair backward, dragging it on the floor before taking his seat. Reading the letter, Kairo couldn't help but smile.
"Your performance during the last mission was somehow acceptable. Not extraordinary, since you almost killed everyone, but it wasn't that bad," the letter opened.
Kaior's face darkened. "This is definitely Danzna. Only he would say something like this in a letter supposed to be for recognition…tsk," Kaior shook his head.
Then he continued reading. The letter was a mixture of his rambling about the mission outcome and some important details. However, what caught Kaior's attention was the part where he was talking about a deal.
"A deal with my father?" Kaior asked loudly.
According to the letter, Danzna had made a bet with Magnus, affirming they could get the Surgeon not in a month, nor two, but in barely two weeks. If Danzna and his team succeeded—fine. But if they failed, then Danzna himself wouldn't get any assistance from the Card Mage Police for over a year.
"This guy is a real madman. Why would he do something like this? This is basically cutting any form of power-up for so long," Kaior said.
Either Danzna was very confident in his abilities, or there was definitely something wrong with his brain somewhere.
For most Card Mages, they relied on magical helpers like aura boosters, which could increase one's aura mid-combat. This was particularly effective for prolonged fighting.
"With the aura draining caused by using and activating a card, they are essential parts of our arsenal. Only provided by the Card Mage Headquarters. There is no other way in this world to get them," Kaior analyzed.
This was the same for the mysterious card holders. These little objects stored their card magic. They were only available in the Card Mage Police and nowhere else. Without them, Kaior wouldn't even have something to awaken—thus making his card magic stagnant. Card holders were obtained after contribution or major discoveries—like when Kaior defeated the Surgeon. He had the opportunity to awaken Wind Breaker / Wind Slayer.
What Kaior found more peculiar in this arrangement was that there was no apparent reward from what he could read. As if Danzna did that just for fun—or maybe to prove he could do it.
"This is a little reward from my personal collection. Hope you will make good use of it.
—Danzna"
Kaior folded the letter, setting it to the side. He had enough of his rambling and was more interested in the reward. Clearly, it had something to do with the box.
Kaior opened the metallic holder. With a soft clicking sound, its contents became visible.
"Aura boosters, healing boosters…" Kaior muttered with sparkling eyes.
In the box were lined several little vials, arranged per category and function. Kaior picked up one of the little bottles—the crystal-clear green liquid was floating back and forth inside. This was one of the healing boosters.
These ones were used to improve the regenerative abilities of Card Mages in combat. An essential tool for prolonged missions—exactly like this escorting of prisoners.
However, these were not given randomly to any officer. Only three-star officers and above had the privilege to get these things. And many could barely get more than five.
Right now, Kairo had an entire box full of them.
"They can't instantly heal mortal wounds but are effective at keeping a Card Mage in combat, healing minor injuries," Kaior thought, examining the box.
He already knew of aura boosters—ideal to circumvent the aura drainage caused by using card magic.
Kairo sighed with a happy smile; this box would be invaluable for him in the mission. But that was given they got into any trouble. Far from the excitement Kairo had expected, transporting criminals was calm—almost too routine at some point.
"Don't get addicted to fighting yet, Kairo," he slapped himself. He knew all too well that calling for a breeze of excitement could bring an ouragon of chaos.
Kairo then took out his deck and placed it on the table. This bronze holder was where all his cards were currently stocked, including all those he wasn't carrying on him. Within were Tactical Brilliance, Sand Paladin, Eye of Truth, Animate, Wind Breaker / Wind Slayer, and Animate.
Kaior arched his brow slightly, looking at all of these cards. Deck composition was a crucial part of Card Mage responsibilities. They had to make sure that in every situation, they had the most effective card for the mission.
In the past, Kairo would not have cared about all of that, since he only had three cards. But as his achievements grew, his cards—and will—also increased, making it harder and harder for Kairo to select the best combination for his missions.
"This one—I almost forgot you," Kaior's hands flickered with the card Promised Result. This was the card he took from the Surgeon. Despite all this time, Kairo didn't feel like handing it to the Card Mage Police. At first, it was just an issue of trust, but now Kairo could hardly find any reason for keeping it with him.
"I can't even use it. It's locked with the aura of the Surgeon," he mused. His findings had led him to believe that the Card Mage Police had a way to circumvent this limit; however, Kairo had never heard of anything like that until now, and for the moment, it was just a very wild guess.
Kairo then began arranging his cards. Card Mages could only carry three awakened cards in their card launcher at any given time. Thus, he needed to be selective. Looking at all the cards on the table, Kairo's finger moved to the first one. He picked it up without hesitation.
"I love this one. I'm definitely keeping this baby," he said, taking up Animate.
This card, which he obtained after defeating Jed and his partner, was one of the most beloved cards of Kairo. First, because it was an auxiliary card, and keeping it with him wouldn't drain him to death like the others. Furthermore, when used creatively, Animate was probably the most powerful card in his entire deck. Thus, Kairo first selected it. He kept it in its designated belt pocket.
Their uniform had been created to accommodate all their equipment at the level of their belt, with only the wrist launcher for cards on the arm. This way, Card Mages could deploy their magic rapidly without being hindered by any extra artifice.
The next card Kairo picked up was obviously the Sand Paladin. This was his main offensive card and most versatile one at that. This summon, although stubborn sometimes, was indispensable to his fighting style. Thus, Kairo loaded it first into his card launcher.
Next came Tactical Brilliance. Relying on the Sand Paladin was part of his strategy, but if Kairo couldn't react fast enough to danger, he would be out of combat in no time. This one was the base of his style. Thus, it came next.
Finally, there was one spot left in his card launcher for a card. Right now, there was still Promised Result, Wind Breaker, Wind Slayer, and Eye of Truth. For the card of the Surgeon, Kairo simply discarded it directly, keeping it in one of his belt pockets. Although he couldn't use it, he had gotten used to moving around with it.
"Now which one should I get? The Eye of Truth is still an enigma to me… its bizarre description with just a single phrase… 'He who sees the time must decide on what not to erase.' What does that mean?" Kairo murmured, taking it up between his fingers.
Of all his cards, it was the only one he could not piece the hidden mechanic behind. At first glance, it was nothing more than a simple ability to see past events or something like that, Kairo thought—but he was clear there was probably more to this card than he could figure out now.
"Sigh… I guess it will stay in the white box for now." Kairo decided to give the last spot to his newly acquired card: Wind Breaker / Wind Slayer. With this in his arsenal, firepower would not be a problem, he thought.
Then, at the end, he added Healing Booster and Aura Booster to the designated pocket in his belt.
With all of that done, Kairo was ready.
"Well, I think I'm ready for whatever comes to me now," Kairo said with a smile. His equipment set up, he returned to his bed for a little nap. These days, this was a luxury he could not miss.