I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

She relaxed and casually asked, "How are you feeling? Are you getting used to it?"

Her response was met with an awkward silence from the four girls in Arius's squad.

Sensei was watching from the side...

So shameful...

Yuriko didn't care about the lack of response.

She clapped her hands and coughed lightly.

"I know you're not comfortable... so I'll keep it short."

"Before we set off... let's go over the precautions for this operation one more time."

Chapter 72 The good days for Huaye are numbered.

"Before we set off... let's double-check the precautions for this operation."

Yuriko's words were completely 'unserious', even carrying a hint of languidness that wasn't quite proper.

Pressure is sometimes necessary, but sometimes not.

Firearms can explode if they overheat, electronic devices can be damaged if they are overloaded... The same applies to people when they are "overloaded".

Yuriko, who was in charge of giving the Arios squad an emergency crash course in their knowledge, knew all too well what they had learned and what they had accomplished during this period.

Although Arius's team lacked sufficient expertise... they were more than capable of completing this mission and subsequent operations.

With so much buildup, even...

Yuriko glanced at Amamiya, who was leaning against the car with her arms crossed, and knew that this event would also require the help of 'mystical tools'.

With the help of occult tools...

If Arius's squad can still make mistakes in their operations, then they might as well go back to "Lady's" command and start over.

What a waste of the title 'Ace'.

After clearing her throat, Yuriko used the remote control to lower the passenger window, then bent down and climbed inside to take out a suitcase and open it. She then handed four matching "fixed asset scanners" used for scanning goods to Saori and her party.

"This is a fixed asset scanner. We have already explained how to use it to you in detail."

"One of them was slightly modified, with a short-range penetrating radar and imaging system added inside."

"After all, different types of munitions are stored in different ways... such as crates and metal-sealed canisters for ammunition."

"This kind of packaging cannot be restored or cannot be restored quickly once opened... so this is what we need."

"Then comes the mission objective..."

While the members of Arius's team were checking the equipment, Yuriko paced back and forth, beginning to explain the upcoming mission.

"This is a 'reconnaissance' operation. You just need to record the route map, get a general feel for the environment, and mark any suspicious targets."

"My task is to accompany you under the guise of an inspection into the armory where the Valkyrie Public Security Bureau stores weapons... and to assist you in marking suspicious targets that need to be inspected in advance."

"The real inspection will have to wait until the following night, after you've completed the 'normal inspection,' then you can proceed quietly..."

"Do you have any other questions?"

To be honest... such a 'simple' plan doesn't need any additions, and there's no need for real-time monitoring and command of the steps.

The main reason Yuriko asked this question was to hand over the power of discourse to Amamiya.

Amamiya straightened up, ending her 'lazy, slouching posture with her arms crossed'.

"It's a very simple plan... I have nothing to add."

"There's nothing to add to the plan, but to make it easier for you to mark suspicious targets more efficiently..."

Amamiya, who was 'well prepared', took out a stack of tarot cards with gold-plated edges and engraved occult runes from the pocket of his shoulder bag.

Without even looking at them, he tossed the tarot cards into the air with a flick of his wrist.

After the tarot cards ascended into the air, they were enveloped in a faint silver starlight. Instead of scattering randomly, they spread out in a pattern similar to a 'sequence of stars,' illuminating the open-air parking lot, which was clearly in the morning light, as if it were the night sky.

"To prevent any one-in-a-million accidents, I've prepared some 'occult tools' for you."

"Take one, everyone can take one."

The girls in Arios's team were quickly drawn to the tarot cards that were scattered like stars.

They can clearly see the numbers marked on each tarot card and the corresponding card face, and when they look at the card face, they can vaguely feel what the card can be used for.

Of all these magical tarot cards, the most familiar... is undoubtedly Saori.

Long before... before the real world was corrupted by Adoriche's temple, Saori, who was in charge of issuing the announcement, had seen and used tarot cards.

At that time, Saori, who went to deliver the notice, was already prepared to face death.

However, the Magician tarot card granted her the possibility of 'instantly teleporting back to the safe zone,' a miraculous turn of events.

Almost instinctively, Saori looked at the "Magician" (I.The Magician) floating in the air, radiating light.

What follows is... a glorious redemption.

'Oh…you have embarked on your own path, no longer the fool who had nothing, and need no help from me.'

Saori's portrait briefly appeared on the "Magician" card, before quickly reverting to its original form.

Just as Saori was feeling a little confused, a soft, dim star fell from the sky and slowly landed in her palm.

'Never forget, in your own affairs... even when you have creative ideas, you should exercise restraint.'

[X.Tempance: 'Learn to control your own weight... You have to understand that sometimes, keeping someone rational is a luxury.']

[Use: Keep all friendly units sanity until all cards are used up.]

Saori blinked, somewhat surprised.

So it turns out that it wasn't the person choosing the cards... but the cards actively choosing the person?

Holding the word "moderation" between her fingers, Saori looked at her three teammates.

At the same time, Misaki tilted her head slightly and noticed the red 'ominous star' falling towards her from the sky.

'Having eaten the fruit of wisdom, one becomes a destined traveler, following the path shown by Arcana, with a faint hope for the future.'

Death does not symbolize an end, but rather heralds an end and a new beginning.

'You should now no longer be facing death, but rather possess a heart reborn.'

The death knight on the card, riding a white horse, clad in black armor, and waving a black flag, gradually dissolves, transforming into a portrait of a girl with dark red eyes, holding a bunch of thorny roses, her wrists bearing various bloodstains.

[XI.Death: 'Death is not just death. It is part of the cycle of life. A brief death may allow one to see things that were never noticed before.']

[Use: Before you run out of cards, you can "spiritize" yourself and any equipment associated with you. After the time expires, you will "reborn" back to the position where you used the skill.]

Seeing that the portrait on the 'Grim Reaper' in Misaki's hand had changed, Saori then looked at the 'Temperance' in her own hand—and then she discovered that the Temperance in her hand had also turned into her own portrait.

On the card, she has her eyes closed with a peaceful expression, holding a ball of soft light in her hand.

Looking at Hiyori, Saori noticed that Hiyori was trying to reach out to the "judgment" that was closest to her.

'Heh... You haven't yet witnessed the collapse of that "tower," so it's still quite a distance from my reach.'

The "Shenqun Si Ling Qi Er E Si VI Shi Pan" card chuckled lightly, like a butterfly that hesitated to accept, slipping through Hiyori's fingers just before she could catch it.

Instead, another card was played.

Your suffering is not yet over.

But the end isn't too far off.

'Tear down the "tower" before you... and you will be reborn.'

[XVI.The Tow: 'Destruction brings creation. When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve, strains their muscles and bones, and starves their body.']

[Use: The collapse of the tower will bring misfortune. But it will also inevitably 'boost what it lacks' (significantly reduce Luck, compensating for its weakness with Luck. Luck recovers after the effect ends).]

"Eh?!"

Hiyori, whose card had been swapped, looked completely bewildered. She stood there for a moment, then let out a soft, bewildered gasp.

Finally, there's Ajinko.

She didn't even need to look up; the many stars covering the sky naturally parted to the sides as if 'parting the Milky Way'.

Then, a particularly bright morning star fell upon Yi Yanwu's head.

'To become the hope of all living beings on earth, incredibly powerful and highly anticipated. Symbolizing fleeting glory... one day it will fall to the ground and vanish... This also evokes a sense of melancholy.'

You have grasped the starlight that belongs only to you.

'So... a different wife "six? (?1鏾栮.陾揪尔..."'

'Stars will fall and become the power to help you achieve your wishes.'

[XV.The Star: 'You will become the hope of all living beings on earth. But your brief brilliance will one day fall to the earth and vanish.']

[Use: May your wishes come true at the moment the star falls. (Limited to one time: grants one reasonable wish that is within the current circumstances.)]

This scene, which was nominally about people choosing cards but actually about cards actively coming to choose people, struck Yuriko as quite novel.

How interesting... Is this some kind of 'mysterious' attraction? Or...?

"Sensei, do I have one too?"

Amamiya crossed her arms and nodded: "Yes, Yuriko has some too."

So, Yuriko turned her gaze to the 'starry sky' formed by the tarot cards.

Then, she heard a voice coming from a star.

'Unknown to others...inner wisdom. Everything about you is so special.'

'You wouldn't have expected our help, but out of interest, you've requested communication with us… In that case, I will temporarily assume your role and let you witness the limits of inner wisdom.'

The Priestess: 'Inner wisdom and keen insight. When overwhelmed by information, deep thinking is essential to avoid misjudgments.'

[Use: Greatly enhances intuition and insight before all cards are used up.]

"interesting……"

Yuriko tried stroking the card, which was neither metal nor ordinary paper, and felt the elusive 'mystery' emanating from it. While surprised, she could also feel the 'mysterious charm' of these occult items.

The "mystery" gathered on this card is unprecedentedly powerful and unique.

But it doesn't seem to be the kind of mystery that the 'nameless priests' pursue, the so-called 'mystery of the nameless gods'.

Because of her own unique "mystery," Yuriko sensed a little more.

She thought of the scientific concept of "technological singularity".

If science has a singularity, then mysticism should also have a theoretical basis...

Once a certain boundary is crossed, the ways in which magic, mystical creations, and other mystical practices achieve their goals become completely unpredictable, much like a scientific singularity, and can even shake the most fundamental concepts of the world.

Crossing the "technological singularity," and even altering common-sense knowledge like "1+1=2," changing the result after the equals sign to any other number and using it to influence the world, has all changed from "impossible" to "possible."

These tarot cards are theoretically a product that stands at the end of the singularity, influencing the world in the simplest and most unpretentious way.

You don't need to try to understand how it works... they just do it, and you can use them to achieve your goals.

By tucking the tarot card into her brooch, Yuriko already knew what she could do with it—

During the reconnaissance phase, help Arius's team mark targets they deem suspicious and need to investigate in advance, thus helping the team members narrow down the search area.

"So……"

After putting away the tarot cards, Yuriko clapped her hands, signaling the members of Arios's team to concentrate.

"lets go."

After watching Arios's team and Yuriko drive away, Amamiya reached out and gathered all the remaining tarot cards into his hand, reassembling them into "The World".