The Strongest Curse Master

Chapter 327 327: Brewing Storm

"I knew he had his eyes on those Apaches, but I didn't think he'd be so blatant about stealing one," Matthews muttered as she reviewed the videos and images sent by the agents assigned to guard the Apaches. She did not appear to be all that surprised to learn that it hadn't even been long, and one of the Apaches was already stolen in daylight. The prime suspect was Ace Lander.

"Given the current situation, I don't think he needs to be discreet," Special Agent-in-Charge Sugarmite said. "He knows we need him and that we won't make a move against him until this is all settled. He's taking full advantage of that. Still, it's a very reckless move. But from what I've learned about him so far, he's not just daring—he's also meticulous. So there has to be a good reason for his boldness. I wonder what it is."

"He wants my recommendation for the National Asset Program," Matthews revealed, her gaze drifting toward the county prison where her daughter was being introduced to a cruel reality of the real society.

Sugarmite nodded in understanding and then asked, "So, what do you think he used to modify the stolen Apache? A curse tool or a curse spirit?"

"My bet's on a curse tool," Matthews replied. "He's got an arsenal of bizarre curse tools—so unusual that even the Cyclops took notice, starting with that rifle of his," She added, recalling the deal between Ace and Cyclops.

"Is he a curse crafter? Folks up in the capital have been

"Sir, our most reliable and fast channels to contact the cult members were those two camps. Now that both have been bombed, we've lost the ability to monitor them or feed them updates. We tried leaking information to the captured cult members, pretending it was a clumsy mistake, but they're too cautious now—they're not falling for it," the curse user reported grimly, explaining that the attacks on the two cult outposts on the outskirts of Ace's town had effectively cut off all communication with the cult.

"Wait, I know this is on short notice, but there have to be other contacts, right?" an old curse master asked the staff eagerly.

"There are, but due to the limited time, we were not able to build trust to a satisfactory level. Also, we can't depend on them to relay the information to the cult elders asap. They're all being cautious and skeptical about the information they receive, especially with the entire country's curse community working to purge the cult. We're concerned that by the time the information reaches the cult elders and they make a move, Ace will already be home safely," the staff explained, emphasizing that the remaining cult contacts were too wary to respond quickly for fear of falling into a trap.

"Damn it," another elderly curse master cursed aloud.

"I guess it's up to the cult elders now," the first curse master said with a sigh. Then, turning to the staff and other elders, he instructed, "Go and make arrangements near the airport and along the routes leading back to town. If the cult elders show themselves, great. And if one of them turns out to be the Overlords' descendant, then we've hit the jackpot."

"Yes, Master," the staff and elders replied in unison, hurrying to carry out his orders.

…

"Damn it, Delores! How could you let him go alone?" Janice shouted, storming out of her temporary workshop the moment she heard that Ace had left the estate alone to pick up his sister from the airport.

"I thought we agreed we were only doing what we were paid to do—protect the Landers," Delores replied, confused and beginning to wonder if Janice was experiencing memory issues.

"Ace is a Lander too," Janice said, clearly in disbelief.

"Well, he's our employer. He specifically hired us to protect the other Landers," Delores argued, thinking Janice was overreacting. If Ace chose to go alone, it wasn't their place to interfere. The incident last night had already proven that. So, Janice trying to decide for Ace baffled her.

Janice glared at Delores, but before she could respond, Elinor chimed in, "Ace's elder sister is a Lander. We need to go protect her." Her tone was dead serious. After all, she was the one who had accepted the payment from Ace, and she felt it was her duty to protect the Landers.

"That I agree with. Do you need a lift?" Delores asked, summoning her innate curse tool, ready to send Elinor to the city airport. As for herself, she knew Ace needed her to stay and protect the estate.

"No, she's not going anywhere. She'll be killed on sight," Janice said, rushing to grab Elinor's waist before she could jump onto Delores's board.

Yes, Elinor's curse spells were unparalleled, but her tier made her an easy target. She wasn't equipped for a battle of this scale.

"Why?" Elinor asked, frowning in doubt.

Janice shook her head and replied, "Asking why only proves me right."

"If Ace can go, so can I," Elinor said, easily breaking free from her cousin's grasp and leaping onto Delores's innate curse tool. After all, she was a Knight-tier curse-caster, while Janice was merely a Mortal-tier curse-crafter.