The others all retreated, and all that remained were Lily and Olivia.
"So… what are you going to do if they come here again?" Olivia asked.
Lily, who had been muttering something under her breath, looked up briefly before replying, "It's fine. They won't. I made sure of it." Then she lowered her gaze again and continued muttering.
"Eren — primarily wind. Kane — uses neutral magic and also wind… probably capable of other elements. Seraphina — mainly fire magic, but she can use other elements too… just not as well."
At the southern side of the forest, Kane landed on a random tree after flying a great distance.
"K–k-kane! Where are you?!" Eren's voice echoed through the area.
Kane shouted back to signal his location. Right after doing so, he realized Eren could have simply found him using his magic.
A moment later, Eren arrived and sat down under the tree Kane was on.
"We're far from the others… and Lily's team and Seraphina's team are near each other," Eren said, still stuttering slightly as he spoke.
Kane let out a long sigh. "Haaa… guess I was wrong. I thought Lily would be an easier target, but she's stronger than I anticipated."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"This time, it's our turn to watch. Eren, let's go observe them. We'll learn their patterns and spells."
Eren, who was still tired from running all this way, replied, "S-sure… but I need to catch my breath first."
In a small cave, Seraphina and Darius were hiding together.
"Hey. You almost died," a husky voice said.
"Well, it's not like I'd actually die anyway," Seraphina retorted immediately.
Darius, who had used a lot of mana to transport her there, was still visibly tired.
"Let's go get revenge!" Seraphina declared proudly, pushing herself up.
"No!" Darius quickly shut her down. "You literally lost in like three moves. How do you expect me to let you leave and go toward your death?"
"Pfft, stop exaggerating," she scoffed. "I was caught off guard before, but now that I know her abilities, I can defeat her with my eyes closed."
"I also watched that fight," Darius said, frowning. "You have no chance. She can use all four elements. Even if you can too, you're more dependent on flame magic. All her other elements outclass you. I even heard she can use advanced spells."
"Hmmph! I don't need your concern!" Seraphina snapped. "Worry about yourself. Who says I'm going to lose to a commoner?"
With that, she stormed off in Lily's direction.
Meanwhile, Darius remained where he was, staring at the cave entrance.
"…why did I even try?" he muttered.
After a moment, he sighed and stood up.
"…guess I'll go after Kane's team."
While walking peacefully, Lily and Olivia chatted about various things.
"They're probably starting to attack again," Lily said.
"So fast? It hasn't even been 30 minutes!" Olivia looked at her in surprise.
"Yeah. I've heard that people like Seraphina, who come from esteemed noble families, tend to be arrogant and egotistical. So by now, her pride is probably hurt, and she'll come for us," Lily replied calmly. "I'm not sure about her teammate, though."
Just then, they heard a rustling sound from the bushes nearby.
"Is it an enemy?" Olivia turned instantly and rushed toward the bush.
She threw a punch straight through it—
Only to see a frightened rabbit beside her fist.
"Oh… it's just a rabbit," Olivia realized.
She turned back and told Lily there was nothing there.
Elsewhere, Kane and Eren ran swiftly through the trees and bushes. As they moved, Kane spoke.
"Hey, you. Go to Seraphina's team and watch them," he said coldly. "If you see a chance, attack. Otherwise, wait for me."
"O-o-okay," Eren replied.
With that, they split up.
When Kane reached the area where Lily was, he hid himself first and began following them from a distance.
"If I observe them long enough, I should be able to find some kind of weakness," he thought.
While trailing them, he noticed a rabbit on the ground.
It was running toward Lily.
"Shit… it's going to alert her," Kane thought.
Without hesitation, he reached out to grab the rabbit.
Kane swung his arm—
But instead of feeling soft fur, his hand cut through empty air.
The rabbit slipped away and began running, making loud rustling noises through the bushes.
"…ah. I'm screwed," Kane thought.
Just then, Olivia rushed toward the source of the sound.
Kane raised his wand but stayed hidden within the bushes.
Olivia threw a punch with such force that the surrounding leaves were blown away—
But what she hit…
Was a rabbit.
At that same moment—
Kane remembered being sent flying by Olivia's monstrous strength.
His body froze.
The instant she raised her hands again, every muscle in his body tensed.
He didn't dare move.
Didn't dare breathe.
The air around him felt heavy.
Even the smallest movement felt like it would give him away instantly.
He stayed completely still, gripping his wand tightly.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
If she noticed him—
It would be over.
Olivia looked around for a moment, slightly confused.
"…weird," she muttered.
She stepped closer.
Each step felt like it echoed in Kane's mind.
Closer.
Closer.
Kane held his breath.
Then—
Nothing happened.
Olivia lowered her hands slightly.
" Lily! Its only a rabbit" olivia shouted behind her
Kane didn't dare relax.