Kane held his breath, completely still, not daring to move even a single muscle.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly.
Only when Lily finally turned and walked away did the tension ease, even if only slightly.
Kane waited a few more seconds just to be sure.
Then—
The moment Lily was far enough, he bolted.
Without making a sound, he dashed through the trees, heading straight toward Eren's direction.
Meanwhile, Lily and Olivia continued walking as if nothing had happened.
"I want to try something," Lily said suddenly.
Olivia turned to her, curious. "What is it?"
"I'm going to try to find people with magic," Lily replied calmly.
Olivia's eyes widened. "Mana sense?!"
Mana sense was a technique that involved releasing one's mana over a certain radius and detecting everything within it that possessed mana. It was a particularly difficult spell, as it depended heavily on both the mage's mana reserves and their control over it.
Lily shook her head slightly. "No, not quite. But after seeing that boy, Eren, I think he used some kind of detection spell to find us. Otherwise, how would he have come directly to our location at the start?"
Olivia blinked.
"So I think his spell is wind-related," Lily continued. "Something that allows him to locate people. I'm not sure if I can replicate it, though. I didn't even see him use it."
Olivia looked at Lily in awe.
"…you figured all that out from just that?" she asked.
Then another thought came to her.
"What about Kane? Isn't he the most adept at using mana? What if he used mana sense instead?"
Lily replied without hesitation, "No. Kane was following Eren when they first rushed here."
Olivia frowned. "But I didn't see him though?"
"He was hiding in the trees," Lily answered simply.
Olivia's eyes widened. "What?! Since whe—"
"Just let me try the spell first," Lily interrupted.
Olivia immediately quieted down and stepped back, giving her space.
Lily held her staff tightly.
She began thinking.
What's the best way to find someone using wind magic?
By her standards, the spell she was trying to create would be a weaker version of mana sense. True mana sense could determine a person's gender, height, weight, mana reserves, and even their approximate age.
That was far too complex.
So Lily simplified it.
Gender and weight… no, even that might be too much.
She refined her goal further.
Just locating people is enough.
At first, she considered releasing multiple wind blasts in different directions to "feel" the surroundings.
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
Too messy. Not precise. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between trees and people… let alone anything more detailed.
Then—
She thought of a simpler spell.
"Breeze."
It was a basic wind spell that released a gentle gust of air. It was easy to control and manipulate.
If I guide it carefully…
Without wasting time, Lily activated the spell.
A soft, controlled wind spread outward from her, weaving through the forest.
It slipped between trees, brushed past leaves, and flowed through open spaces.
Lily focused, trying to "feel" everything it touched.
Slowly…
Shapes began forming in her mind.
Not clear details—
Just presences.
"I found them," Lily said.
Olivia leaned forward slightly. "Where?"
"There are four people," Lily replied. "I can't tell exactly who they are… but I know they're human."
She paused briefly.
"One person is alone. The other three are together."
Olivia thought for a moment. "Then the one alone should be Darius, right?"
"I think so," Lily nodded.
"Then should we go to him?" Olivia asked.
"…okay. Let's go."
Lily immediately began moving toward the direction of the lone presence.
Olivia followed closely behind.
They moved quickly through the forest, weaving between trees and bushes.
After some time, they finally reached the location.
But when Lily looked ahead—
She froze for a split second.
"That's not Darius…"
Standing there was Seraphina.
The flame mage.
Lily didn't expect that.
But instead of concern—
A small smile formed on her face.
This is easier.
Compared to Darius, Seraphina was much more straightforward.
"Olivia, hide first," Lily said quietly.
Olivia nodded and slipped into the bushes.
Without hesitation, Lily raised her staff.
"Water Jet!"
A concentrated stream of water shot forward at high speed toward Seraphina.
Seraphina turned the moment she heard Lily's voice.
"Flame wall!"
A wall of fire rose up in front of her, blocking the attack.
The flames weakened slightly as the water struck them, steam hissing into the air.
Seraphina panted lightly.
"So… you finally showed up," she said. "I was going to come find you anyway. Nice of you to walk into your own demise."
In reality, Seraphina had been lost ever since she separated from Darius.
She had tried retracing her steps—
But ended up going in circles.
Lily, hearing her words, replied calmly, "You were walking in the opposite direction from us. Then you turned back, then went even farther away. We had to run quite a distance just to find you."
Seraphina froze.
Her pride took a direct hit.
"How dare you!" she snapped. "I was just taking a detour! A-and you think that I—the great Seraphina of the Valcrest family—would get lost?!"
Her voice rose.
"Take this! Flame Pillar!"
A pillar of fire erupted from the ground beneath Lily.
Lily dodged to the side—
But Seraphina didn't stop.
More flames followed.
Lily stayed calm.
"Who said anything about you being lost?" she said. "I never assumed that. So… are you saying that you were?"
That was enough.
Seraphina exploded in anger.
"Flame Fist!"
"Flame Bullet!"
"Flame Spiral!"
She kept launching spell after spell without stopping.
The attacks became faster, more reckless.
She didn't notice.
Didn't notice Lily's slight movements.
Didn't notice the signal.
In the bushes—
Olivia moved.
Quietly.
Carefully.
Step by step, she closed the distance.
Seraphina raised her hand again, preparing another attack—
But before she could release it—
Olivia burst out.
With a single motion, she slammed her fist straight down onto Seraphina's head.
The impact forced Seraphina to the ground instantly.
Her body went limp.
Olivia didn't hesitate.
She reached for Seraphina's nameplate—
But just as her hand got close—
Seraphina's eyes snapped open.
"Giant of Flames!"
A massive figure erupted into existence.
A giant made entirely of fire—
Three times Olivia's size.
The heat radiating from it distorted the air.
Even Lily, watching from a distance, felt the intensity.
An advanced spell…
It was far beyond anything she could currently replicate.
Olivia froze for a moment in shock.
Too late.
The giant swung its arm.
The impact sent Olivia flying backward into a tree.
She crashed hard against it.
"…ugh!"
She tried to get up.
Tried to heal herself.
But the giant was already charging toward her.
Olivia's breath hitched.
This is bad…
she gave up.
it's not like i'm dying for real anyway
She closed her eyes.
And accepted it.
…
Nothing happened.
Olivia slowly opened her eyes.
The heat was gone.
The pressure was gone.
In front of her—
She saw Lily.
Standing calmly.
Holding a nameplate.
"…I thought if she was unconscious, her spell would be canceled," Lily said simply.
For a moment, Olivia just stared.
Then—
"Wahhh, Miss Lily!"
She rushed forward and hugged her tightly.