Entering the Diamond Kingdom 

The Blue rose camp:

It was a cloudy afternoon

All the female Magic Knights stared at the three people who entered their camp with caution.

A young man wearing the Black Bulls robe walked amongst them preceded by two more members of the Black Bulls, another young man, and a woman.

Nobody made a move or question as the entire camp was covered in an invisible pressure released by the young man in the front.

The pressure was not overbearing but enough to make everyone realize his presence.

Julian, who their Captain had ordered not to provoke and give him the information he needed entered the main tent.

The pressure that had descended upon the camp was eased off after Julian entered the main tent making everyone sigh in relief.

******

"Welcome to the Blue Rose Camp.

We humbly appreciate the Black Bulls for taking this risky mission," a woman named Sakura said to Julian, Finral, and Secre who sat opposite her.

Julian could tell with a glance that she was an experienced mage based on the quality of her mana and the way she carried herself.

Sakura was a short pink-haired woman with a slender body with firm muscles visible in her arms.

In the tent, Annie too was there observing their interaction.

"I am Sakura, a 3rd class Senior Magic Knight…

I am responsible for the intel you need to know" the woman said with seriousness in her voice.

Sakura marked the last location the main spy responded from along with some inner details of the Diamond Kingdom they needed to know.

She handed Julian a device that would respond if they reached the spy if they were still alive.

"When are you all entering the Diamond Kingdom?" Sakura asked.

"In the night " Julian replied.

"There is risk in your plan…

Although it is easy to blend in with the darkness, security increases at night too.

I know you possess Mana Pressure but the Diamond Kingdom has developed a technology that alerts them if mana pressure is used and can even counter it to a certain degree"

"I have the power to survey the camps without alerting anyone so you don't need to worry about it"

"It's good to hear….

Please maintain maximum stealth as if the news of Clover Mages reaches the higher-ups, there is a chance that our spies will be killed. "

"I will keep that in mind "

With all the planning done, Julian and the others prepared to leave the camp when Annie spoke up.

"Take me to his mission too! "

"What are you talking about Annie!? This mission is beyond your qualifications!" Sakura harshly replied back.

"Clair was my mentor and like my elder sister…. I can't stay still knowing that she is in trouble "

A transparent barrier surrounded Annie as her figure transformed to look like Sakura.

"Look! I can use the same ability as her " Annie said with desperation.

"I know Clair has taught you quite well but there is something called experience that you can't gain overnight.

Try to understand this…Annie."

Secre didn't say anything as she somewhat felt Annie's pain.

Finral was helpless in this situation and could not form words to say.

On one side he wanted her to come considering her ability to transform but he was not the leader in this mission.

Julian approached Annie, making her flinch.

"You're Yuno's girlfriend, right? "

"What! How-"

Julian stopped her before she could speak further.

"I know a lot of things regarding the lives Blue Rose members live outside their duty but that's beside the point.

Yuno must have told you about me right? You can think of me as a brother too.

So I will make a promise as an elder brother that I will bring your mentor back.

Just trust me okay ?" Julian said in a comforting voice.

Hearing that Annie calmed down a bit.

Surprisingly Julian didn't look intimidating at all when she said that.

"Your captain trusted me with his mission for a reason so just believe in us and do your duty tension free.

We will be back faster than you realize...

Okay?"

"Okay…."

"Good"

Julian gave a nod to Sakura and left the tent with Finral and Secre.

*******

"Did you just sister-zone another girl ?" Finral asked in disbelief as three of them flew on a bird of flames.

"I believe today was the fifth time, " Kirin said after coming out of Julian's Grimoire.

"People out there are desperate for a girlfriend and you are here sister zoning girls !" Finral almost shed some tears.

Secre was satisfied with the outcome so she didn't say anything. She didn't have to worry about rivals for now.

Julian increased his speed and entered the Grand Magic zone.

"Kirin !"

"On it !"

[Spirit Dive]

Kirin assimilated into Julian's body as the bird made of flames turned into a bird made of black lighting.

"Hold on tight...I am increasing my speed" Julian said as the bird they mounted turned into a blur flying across the Grand Magic zone.

Even in the Grand Magic zone, the vegetation was very different from the Clover Kingdom as most of the trees appeared to be dried out.

The bird kept flying for a while till they reached the border of the Diamond Kingdom where Fanzell told him to enter from.

Julian could already feel the changes in the air as the amount of natural mana present in the atmosphere had decreased significantly.

In Clover Kingdom, every single plant had mana but here he didn't feel a single ounce of mana in the trees.

In contrast, he sensed mana from the common stones lying on the ground.

As they reached the areas where the Diamond Kingdom started, they encountered patrol mages of Diamond Kingdom but they froze in their spot as they made eye contact with a bird with red eyes.

It was one of Julian's powers in which he could share his vision with his animal summons and use the powers of Sharingan remotely.

Using this he paralyzed all the patrolling Mages without even making them aware of their condition.

Julian made sure to extract as much information as he could from them and continued to move till they reached their first Diamond Mage camp.

It was in the shape of a fort with giant walls made of multicolored stones.

There were patrolling mages on the wall with binoculars making rounds.

Although it was night,the camp was well lit as there was a shining stone floating in the air that was reflecting light all around.

With Sharingan, Julian could tell that the stone was some kind of surveillance device that would ring an alarm if something entered its range.

"Why are we attacking their camp? We could have just gone around them" Finral asked.

"We need more information and supplies to blend it.

The dialects of Clover Kingdom and Diamond Kingdom are different so I need to learn that.

Moreover, we need clothes that the people of Diamond Kingdom generally wear.

Lastly, locations of information centers and the location of a shining general."

"How will we enter this camp?

Your mana pressure will not reach even the first image, moreover shooting from afar will alert them. " Secre asked.

"I have a solution for that…"

Using Lightning Magic Julian created a black bird that looked like a hawk.

"Poison Hawk? " Finral asked to see the bird.

"Yes.

If you have noticed properly, we saw a lot of these birds on the way.

These species of mana beasts sleep through the day and come out at night so it is perfect for the tasks I want. "

Finral was surprised to hear about Julian's observation as their journey until this point was too fast for him to notice anything.

"Let me lay out the plan now…

I will use this bird to take the mage at the top under my control and ask him about the surveillance system.

If things go according to plan, Finral will open a portal near the device for Secre to disable the device.

After this is done, I will use mana pressure to take down the entire camp"

"Ano~.... sorry but I can't make a portal that far. " Finral said with embarrassment.

"Didn't you say that you were training to do that? " Secre asked.

"Captain Yami assigned me to work so I couldn't do it "

"Fine I will find some other way but remember I am going to train you after we get back," Julian said making Finral flinch.

*****

Slap!

"Damn these mosquitoes !!"

A mage standing on the top of the fort slapped his hand with frustration.

"If I am physically required to survey my surroundings what is the use of the machine anyways"

*Ring *

A loud siren resonated in the camp making the mage more annoyed as he looked at the sky to see a hawk approach the camp.

"Why the hell did they even make a siren that will respond to everything?

Sometimes I wonder if the higher-ups are on crystal meth. "

As soon as he saw the Hawk again, his body became sluggish.

The Hawk sat on his shoulder and asked," Who are you ?"

"...Vice-captain of the 5th squad under general Mars….."

"Where is your captain and general ?"

"...The captain is in the city...don't know about General..."

"Is this your regular job ?"

".....No…..special orders to increase the security of the borders…..objective unknown….."

"Tell me about the surveillance system"

"...Invented by the higher-ups….one ring for animals….two rings for one unfamiliar person….three rings for more than one unfamiliar person….."

"Does anything special happen after three rings?"

".....Traps outside the camp become active and a strong barrier is created around the camp which will explode when broken but the inside of the base will be unharmed…."

"Does your camp have more surveillance devices?"

"....No…but a different device....One at the center to block mana pressure and inform the nearest camp for reinforcements...."

"Will anything happen if I break the device ?"

".....The same outcome as the previous one…. nearest camp will come as reinforcements….."

"Is there a way to disable it ?"

".....I have no idea….."

Julian decided that he would question him later after taking care of the rest of the people so he destroyed the bird with the mage still under his influence.

"We are changing the plan a bit…

Finral and Secre will disable the device at the center while I will disable the surveillance device.

The alarm will ring the moment we touch the barrier so don't panic as it will not do anything.

*********

Secre turned into her bird form and sat on Finral's shoulder who held Julian from behind.

Julian took out his dagger and threw it aiming at the spot near the surveillance device and immediately switched positions with it.

As expected the alarm rang three times as a yellow barrier was erected outside the camp.

He dropped Finral who created a portal to the ground and landed near the Mana pressure-canceling device.

The machines looked like modern-day satellites with multiple gemstones embedded in them.

Both Secre and Julian used Sealing magic to disable the devices but in the case of Julian it did not turn off the barrier.

Mages rushed out of all directions and showered spells at the two intruders at the center of the base but Finral created a portal around them reversing the spells back to them.

This is when a terrifying pressure washed over the entire camp as people started falling down one by one clutching their heads.

Julian landed near Finral holding the mage that he questioned earlier.

"With this, we have taken our first step towards our mission"