It finally occurred to Emery that the wolf patriarch had gone missing on his quest to look for the missing Altus Dresden. It turned out the man had spent the last three years investigating the matter, following the clues that led to the former headmaster's whereabouts.
"I found out that Master Altus was locked up deep inside the elf headquarters. But just weeks ago, he was transferred to this abandoned planet." The patriarch's face turned dark as he said, "Only later, when it was already too late, did I find out that his transfer was related to and had a significant role in the elves' plans of destroying the Magus Academy."
Unfortunately, the patriarch was behind the enemy lines at the time, so he was unable to warn the Alliance or the academy about this. It was only with the help of the serpent clan, who play neutral between the two sides, that the patriarch managed to get the intel out.
Now that this information had been revealed to all of them, Delbrand was ready to explain the remaining parts. As he took out a familiar golden[Headmaster Staff], the man took a glance at the monk Mahinder before saying, "The reason why the elves were able to use this staff on the arena that time was because they have gained control over Master Altus. It's also the reason why no one thought that the recall could be used by the enemy."
What the headmaster just revealed was a revelation that shocked them all without exception. It even prompted Olivier, who usually remained quiet, to speak up.
"Does the alliance know about this? Is this the real objective of the mission? To save the supreme magus?"
There was a long sigh that echoed in the air for quite a while, before Delbrand's answer followed suit.
"Of course they know. There is no other way that would allow this infiltration. However, it would take days or even weeks of bureaucracy before the mission would be officially authorized. Plus we know there are still enemy spies lurking within the academy and alliance, hence our mission."
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "As for your second question; with Master Altus' character, he would always put the safety of his acolytes first and foremost. I even believe he would not be willing to leave that place without the acolytes. So the answer to that is no, the objective of our mission is indeed to rescue as many acolytes as possible."
After staring and seeing the reactions of Emery and the others, he spoke again.
"Actually, the fact that we know he's locked somewhere in that compound is also one of the reasons I think this mission is feasible."
Seeing the confused looks, the patriarch added, "Don't you all get it? If you manage to liberate Altus, the supreme magus, you all would not have to worry about all the threats that are in that place!"
Noticing that the others' opinion began to shift at those words, Silva quickly said, "Elder, what about Headmaster Altus' condition? Is he in the condition to be of help or is it the other way around? After all, you yourself said the elves had gained control over him. And also, do we know how to free him if he really is there?"
The question the white-haired girl threw swiftly made everyone turn their heads towards the Wolf patriarch. Seeing the stares waiting for an answer, the half-blood grand magus could only exhale a faint sigh as he said, "No. We have no other information apart from confirmation that he is there."
Hearing those words, Eeshoo, the chosen leader of the group, stepped up and said, "I propose a discussion in which we work out the details of the mission together, given all the facts we know so far."
Agreed by the suggestion, both Delbrand and Lucius lay down all the intel and preparation they have to form a detailed strategy for the mission.
There were many various pieces of equipment that had been prepared by Delbrand. State-of-the-art invisibility cape, radar, weapons and potions. There was also the same combat suit from the latest Magus Mid Test that was capable of teleporting them away in moments of danger.
Even though such a feature couldn't be used until the protection barrier was destroyed, it would still be an option to create a safer escape plan for them.
Delbrand also added, "There will also be a diversion, set up to ensure minimum to none reinforcements from the elves base and outpost near the planet to come."
"Good, Who are you asking for help?" Patriarch Lucius asked curiously.
"Who else? Someone who will agree to come on such short notice and with resources strong enough to create such diversion"
"Alduin? Really!? That's great news. I guess he still has not forgotten the old times."
Meanwhile, Emery was surprised to find that King Alduin, a supreme magus figure, would come to provide help in this mission. After all, the arrival of a supreme magus to battle would drag the full attention of the elven armada and might even pull a supreme magus elf to come.
Thinking about this matter. Emery remembered that the Zodiac king once said that he, Zenonia and Lucius used to be in the same squad, learning under the tutelage of Headmaster Altus.
It seems that many things had been prepared for this one mission to succeed.
With all this information gathered, Eeshoo was willing to proceed with the mission. Atlas was also ready to support the Nephilim genius. Ever since their duel in the Magus Tournament, the relationship between the two had started to improve.
Anzi, who did not fear death, quickly agreed with the plan, while Mahinder the monk had no objection as he was committed to whatever was prepared for him.
Olivier took quite some time to contemplate the matter, the last few days they had spent together showed that the Sword Saint felt responsible for that time in the arena, when he was unable to prevent the recall spell from taking effect. Hence why he apparently decided to join this matter.
Emery himself knew for sure what his answer would be, especially when he found the number of acolytes dwindled with every passing moment. Right now, he only hoped to arrive quickly enough to save his friends in time.
This only left Silva as the one who was still undecided. Seeing Emery's decision to join, she said,
"If you all wish to die, I won't stop you... Don't count on me to join either!" said Silva before leaving the briefing.