The Strongest Curse Master

"Matthews, are you sure that man is still in your custody?" Delores asked, keeping her tone neutral, refusing to jump to conclusions just yet. Elinor’s father, however, simply smirked smugly, his eyes practically sneering at Ace.

"Let me check," Matthews replied, momentarily pausing her work.

She frowned, her mind racing, ’What am I missing here? Was this man somehow important?’

With big names like Senior Atticus and the McSuile family’s second prince involved, Matthews felt she needed to get a better grasp of who this person was and how he fit into the picture. She liked to be in control and prepared for anything, so she did not like being in the dark about this.

Meanwhile, Ace—completely unbothered—started whistling. Both Delores and Elinor’s father immediately shot him annoyed glares. Ace ignored them. Instead, he tilted his head up to the moon and whistled even louder, acting like none of this had anything to do with him.

That was when Elinor’s father finally addressed him directly for the first time since their meeting, saying, "You’re awfully confident for someone caught in a lie." He was targeting Ace mostly because of his dissatisfaction with Delores.

"Since I spoke the truth, I have nothing to fear." Ace didn’t give Elinor’s father the satisfaction he sought. He just kept enjoying the view, mentally sketching out a new toy summon—something with flight capabilities this time.

Elinor’s father felt his irritation shift into genuine hatred. He already resented Delores for siding with this boy over him. But watching Ace act so smug and carefree, he found himself seething. Still, despite his growing anger, he had to admit—he was curious, ’What the hell is going on inside that lying parasite’s head?’

Just then, Matthews’ voice crackled back over the line.

"What the heck are you on about?" she asked, clearly confused. Elinor’s father stiffened, realizing she had misunderstood.

"Not you, EAD Matthews," he clarified, a little embarrassed. "I was talking to this arrogant kid here."

"Is it Ace?" Matthews asked, her tone shifting slightly before she abruptly demanded, "Ace, have you signed the employment contract? If you have, hand it to Layla. She’ll get it to me."

Ace blinked. ’God, she’s shameless,’ he thought, shaking his head. Experience tales at Freewebnovel

He knew for a fact that Man Hunter had already relayed his issues with the employment contract Matthews had prepared. Yet here she was, pretending like nothing had happened.

That made him wonder—’What happened to Man Hunter, anyway?’

’Did the Void-tier Curseling get her?’

Ace quickly dismissed the thought. He knew for a fact that she hadn’t been near the building when it was attacked. But then again, she hadn’t shown up later either—not even while he was helping the injured mortals. Even Dame Wasp, who had been scanning the area for survivors, hadn’t spotted her. He could only assume, ’Did she just give up and leave? Maybe she went to help her comrades instead…’

Elinor’s father narrowed his eyes at Ace, carefully observing the way Matthews addressed him, the shift in her tone—and more importantly, how Ace blatantly ignored her.

He didn’t get it. Why were Delores and Matthews both fawning over this lying parasite? Delores was one thing, but Matthews? That could only mean one of two things: Either Ace was seriously connected or he was skilled enough to earn Matthews’ respect.

He believed the former was most likely. After all, how else could a mere teenager afford one of Aurelian Eye’s curse tools?

A few seconds of awkward silence followed. Then, Matthews’ voice crackled back over the line—though this time, she wasn’t speaking to them.

"Agent, where is the man I locked in here? Did someone transfer him to another holding cell?"

After a brief pause a faint voice—barely audible, but still clear enough to make out—responded: "Ma’am, let me check… The records show this holding cell was empty."

"Shit!" Matthews cursed before responding through her cursed phone, "The man is missing. He’s not in the holding cell I left him in. I need to check the security tapes to figure out what the hell happened. Is there something I need to know?"

"We think he escaped. Ace saw him last leaving the city—" Delores started, but Elinor’s father immediately cut her off, "EAD Matthews, please check the security tapes first. We can’t just take this boy’s word for it."

"I’m already on it," Matthews said, rolling her eyes as she pulled up the footage.

She couldn’t help but wonder—what the hell did Ace do to piss off Elinor’s father this much? Then again, knowing Ace’s usual smart-ass attitude, it didn’t surprise her.

Meanwhile, Ace completely tuned out the chaos around him. Instead, he focused on the scenery, stealing occasional glances at the clouds below. ’Damn, I wish I could just sleep on them…’ he thought wistfully, soaking in the vast, starry sky above.

Today had been the longest, most exhausting day of his life. He still couldn’t believe everything he’d been through in just one day.

Suddenly, Matthews’ sharp exclamation snapped everyone’s attention back to her.

"He just vanished from the holding cell."

Both Delores and Elinor’s father stiffened at her words—especially the latter. He had just been proven dead wrong.

"What do you mean, ’vanished’?" Elinor’s father demanded, his frustration bleeding into his voice. "With the holding cell’s array, it should be impossible for him to access his curse core—unless someone let him out."

Matthews’ expression darkened.

"Sir, what exactly are you implying?" Her voice turned ice-cold.

Elinor’s father’s words painted a dangerous picture—one that put her and her agents in a very bad light. Especially considering the Samsara cult incident…

"I’m not implying anything—I’m asking you how the hell someone just vanishes from your holding cell. And why are you only finding out about it now? What the fuck have you been doing this whole time? No wonder your branch was attacked of all the—" Elinor’s father shouted at the top of his lungs. His frustration only grew as he continued to lash out at Matthews, but he paused in sheer disbelief, hearing the call disconnected.