Emma watched as James left with Black and his new secretary, she pondered over the matters they had talked about, her hands gently going over her womb. Desire flickered in her eyes but she quickly repressed it.
"Let him have his fun, the fish has yet to take the bait… for now… I guess I'll wait"
She smiled in satisfaction before turning around, the thoughts in her mind known only to her.
Back in the Sedan, James was seated in the front seat, behind, Black was busy instructing the newly recruited secretary, Rachel Leighton.
Initially, James was planning to have a longer discussion with Emma, a mix of true business and business. This all changed though with the appearance of Rachel Leighton.
Black had noted that she had some rather- peculiar energies surrounding her being and Emma noticed this as well. She showed significant strength, superhuman strength, as well as a certain knack for finding weaknesses in her opponents.
According to Emma, Rachel was caught by her when the poor lass had tried breaking into her manor. She was apparently searching for food and when she learned of her ability she tried to take over the richest house in the neighborhood.
Unfortunately for her though, the house just so happened to be the property of Emma Frost, one of the strongest mutants alive with one of the most extensive amount of connections. She had the ability to make local mayors disappear without even using her mutant ability, much less a vagrant with mutant abilities.
Though, fortune favored the bold this time as Rachel, despite showing what Emma believed was a mutant ability, did not have the X-gene. Studies on mutations have long been done and Emma had access to devices capable of detecting and analyzing the X-gene of mutants.
Interestingly, Rachel did not show any sign of an X-gene, yet her abilities were real. This led to Emma recalling James, as such, she chose to give Rachel to her business partner. Of course, it did not come for free.
'Though it was a steep price, the research value of Rachel Leighton far surpasses that of any mutant in the world'
James thought as he looked at Rachel Leighton, his eyes flashing with a bright azure glow.
Seoul, South Korea.
Frank Castle and his "trainer", Hilda, walked through the busy streets of the large Asian metropolis. Dressed in battle gear, the two individuals stood out in the crowd wearing fashionable clothing yet, none seemed to notice their presence.
"The nameless cloak sure is convenient"
Frank commented as he once again gripped the cloak that was draped over his head. Not only did it prevent him from feeling the scorching heat, it also prevented people from noticing him and the blonde woman who wore a similar, yet more… aesthetic cloak over her head.
"It's magecraft that is convenient and if you had the knowledge and ability, you could have walked through India's most crowded city without anyone even touching you."
Hilda did not praise Frank's frank words, instead, she gave him a weak scolding but her words seemed to cause Frank to recall a painful memory as he winced while saying-
"That was… a mistake"
Hilda paused her steps, she turned towards Frank and said-
"Three hours to track the perpetrator, two hours to find where the mystic code was, we spent 5 hours to retrieve the only offensive item you had"
Frank did not say more, he simply accepted it, the memory of that time was torturous. He, a proud marine, had been forced to endure the scolding of the blonde haired maid since that day.
Some may have cried their hearts out, demanding that "it should have been them" but Hilda, Frank's "trainer" was not in any way "kind" in her scolding.
At least, in public, she would end things with verbal abuse, nothing new to a man who spent years in the military. But what Frank dreaded was the follow up, the things Hilda would do to him…
They were not pleasurable, they were not what people would think a maid would do.
Honestly, Frank was amazed at the power of Magecraft, he desired the power and was ecstatic when he was given the ability to wield it.
When he first used the power of magecraft to take down his enemies, hunt down the people who caused him to lose everything, that was the happiest time of his life.
Alas, all things come at a price and he was now an "Enforcer", for the organization called "Mage's Association".
Apparently it was an organization build by mages to "hide" the mysteries from the common man.
Others may call it BS after seeing the power that magecraft had but the "nameless cloak", a common, low level "mystic code" as the organization calls it. An item that allows him to prevent non-magi from observing him. It was a powerful tool that allowed him to literally walk up to a normal man, shoot him in the head and everyone would think that a sniper was shooting from somewhere.
Frank could still remember the scene where he watched as the whole army of gangsters took over after their leader was shot in the head. They hid behind walls and cars, ruefully unaware that the killer was standing right next to them.
They all believed that their enemy was a seasoned sniper who plagues the rooftops and shoots them from blindspots and at angles no one would expect.
The tales of the "Black Death" that strikes whenever, wherever, leaving nothing but darkness and death, had long been spread amongst the underworld of New York.
Frank felt like he was a true "God of Death" at the time. But things really changed when he was made to understand the true extent of magecraft.
'Brainwashing, memory manipulation, zombies…'
Recalling the many mystical things he was made to witness, Frank knew that the group he had joined was not simply a "secret organization". No, the moment he had accepted that deal with the white haired man, James Barthomeloi, he had stepped into "another world".
When he learned of James', his boss' identity in the "real world" and all that he had done, Frank, unlike many others did not see an issue with it.
After all, he knew the kind of power James held, especially the most mystical power of it all-
'Artificial humans…'
Franked shot a quick glance at his trainer, the maid named Hilda. She was but one of the many maids named Hilda. Bearing the same face, physique, clothing and name, "they" were all beings that could not be compared to "test tube babies".
He did not see the place where they were made but what he knew was that these maids and the many manservants and "soldiers" were all "born from eggs". After which, they would "incubate" in a "capsule", this is where they would obtain "memories".
Their personalities molded depending on their actions, from what he gathered, the "capsule" would simulate a life for them. It would start them off from the moment they were born as toddlers all the way to the age of 18.
It was a life simulation that directly affected their body and in that simulation, they were free to do what they wished. Their lives were "programmed" in a way but their personalities were molded by decisions they made within this "program".
These beings take less than a year to be conceived as an egg and "age" to 18.
Frank had once questioned his trainer what would happen if he were to enter the capsule and the answer was-
"You'll die"
She answered him with an apathetic expression, Frank did not see this as an inhuman action though. After all, he had met a different "Hilda" who was more outgoing. She was more playful but a lot more- dangerous.
Seeing individuals with the same face, same body, same clothes and same name all act like different people scared him. But as time passed, he got used to it.
Now, Frank was being "trained" as an Enforcer.
His main task was the "enforcement of magical laws", James Barthomeloi, a Lord of the Clock Tower, one of the branches of the Mage's Association, had tasked him to hunt down the perpetrator of the "mystical phenomena" that had occurred in South Korea.
His first task was in Africa followed by one in India, this was his third task and by now, Frank had a good grasp of how to detect the mystical existences and phenomena in this world.
"The easiest way to discover them is to see anyone who is able to "see" us-"
Frank muttered, his eyes scanning the surroundings, as he did he suddenly paused-
"Three o'clock, female, white hair, high school uniform"
As he finished his words, his trainer, Hilda had disappeared, Frank did not make a move assured that his trainer would catch the target but-
"Huh?"
The individual who he spotted suddenly grew a white tail, a white mist enveloped her but Hilda was nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, Frank knew-
'Crap! This is a test!'
Hilda is a skilled fighter, she's a powerful magus who is capable of various mystical acts. If she took down the kid, before he was even able to finish his words the white haired teen would have already been caught.
When Frank noticed Hilda disappeared and the kid was still fine, he quickly understood that his trainer had left him to deal with this matter. It was a test, after all, Frank was given weapons, tools, everything needed to subdue mystical threats and dangers.
What use are all these items if all he did was "search for enemies"? Moreover, Hilda was leagues faster than him at discovering mystical phenomena.
In essence, Frank was a dead weight and now he was being tested if he could do something with all the benefits he was given.
Unfortunately, the white haired girl seems to have noticed him as well. The moment their eyes met, the white haired girl had quickly used her abilities and started to run.
Frank did not hesitate as he chased after her-
Golden lines shone underneath his combat gear, he imbued magical energy into his gear which caused blue, nerve-like marking to glow atop his gear.
As these azure nerves started to glow, the world around Frank seemed to slow-
No, it was not the world slowing down but Frank speeding up.
The great he wore was enchanted with multiple spells that allowed the user to enhance his physical abilities to untold levels. Right now, Frank was using a spell called "Accel". It was one of the many spells on the suit, its main function is to increase the user's physical abilities allowing for rapid movement.
Although it sounded like a mere speed enhancement spell, in fact, it was a full body enhancement.
After all, what's the use of speed if you can't properly grasp your surroundings? If all you see is a blur how would you use your speed efficiently?
His senses were heightened, his body strengthened and his muscles enhanced, all of these were done simultaneously, at a level that matched each other in order to give the user a massive boost.
Of course, it did not come without drawbacks.
Exertion led to fatigue and although Frank was capable of reaching speeds impossible for normal humans, his body was still, ultimately, human.
He was somewhat enhanced by the awakening of his magic circuits but that enhancement was not at the level of a super soldier.
Frank could not keep using the enhancement for long, his current maximum is 1 minute before he collapses. If he does, his magic power would already be at zero and his own stamina would be in the negatives.
At that point, even maintaining the "invisibility" with "nameless cloak" would be impossible as even that mystic code needed magic power to work.
This is why Frank was fearful of the maids and other servants of James.
Even the weakest of them had more magic circuits than him, those magic circuits being of superior quality to his.
Simply put, those servants of James had superior abilities compared to Frank.
When thinking of it that way, even Frank could not help but ask-
Why him?
Why recruit him when he had access to manpower with greater talent and could be mass produced in a year?
It was simply hard to comprehend why James would do it, but Frank, already bound by a magical contract, could only suck it all up and follow orders.
Not that he wasn't used to it and hey, he did have access to some interesting toys…
Yet, after 30 seconds, Frank found himself unable to chase after the girl. Although he wanted to push his limits, he found that the girl was simply running around the city.
'She has a way to avoid detection… yes, she probably has more magic power… I can't keep up, I need help'
Assessing the situation, Frank knew that he was, at this moment, outclassed. Although he did not want to admit it, he had lost badly.
"I can't chase after her"
Frank stopped his steps as he said those words and as if on cue the voice of his trainer replied to him.
"Good assessment, you understood your limits but in terms of detection you fail"
Frank turned around as he asked-
"Why?"
And the response he got was an apathetic face that simply said-
"That was not the target"
When he heard those words, Frank felt a chill run down his spine-
"Article 16, section 12"
Hearing those cold words leave Hilda's mouth, Frank's face paled, but he still responded-
"During investigations, enforcers must not take preemptive actions without confirming the target"
It was in the rule book that had a comical image of a man wielding a gun. But the rulebook was like a doctrine that had to be followed.
Not only did it detail all the things that had to be done during an Enforcer's investigations, it also detailed the amount of force they were permitted to use.
Frank was told that the rulebook was made so that enforcers do not expose magecraft. To maintain its secrecy and in order for them to preserve their strength.
The article in particular was focused on self-preservation.
After all, magi are difficult to deal with and they have methods that are impossible to fully prepare against. Unless the enforcer had complete knowledge of the target's magecraft and limits, they must always act carefully and with maximum preparation.
Recalling his own actions, Frank knew that he fucked up.
But he was not worried about being called into a tribunal or anything. After all, from what he knew, he had not exposed magecraft, though-
"Later"
Hilda left with one word, but that one word was enough to cause a deep fear to consume Frank. His face twisted, his expression undecipherable as it was a mix of fear, anguish, sorrow and an attempt to look calm-
"Ha…hahahaha…. I'm in danger"