While Lurat is most famous for its emerald-colored beaches, the hidden gem of Lurat was actually the vast walking trails surrounded by lush forests.

The walking trails, designed for people to comfortably explore the forest, were popular not only with tourists but also with locals.

However, only a small portion of the dense forest area was open to the public, and there were many who worried about accidents as there was a dangerous area inhabited by all kinds of rare magical beasts beyond the restricted zones.

But since the habitats of magical beasts were blocked by special barriers, neither ordinary people nor wizards could carelessly approach them, so it couldn’t be considered too dangerous.

“You know what, Riley? All the trees and plants beyond that barbed wire in the restricted area are said to be imbued with magical power.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that restricted access area is the habitat of magical beasts, right? It used to be a no-access zone here too. They drove out the magical beasts and made walking trails here. Anyway, the plants here are said to emit magical power along with oxygen, perhaps because they grow using the excrement of magical beasts as fertilizer. That’s why the magical concentration here is much higher than elsewhere.”

“That’s fascinating.”

“There’s a reason it’s especially popular with wizards. Since this place is overflowing with magical power, it’s naturally famous as a resort too.”

Maybe it’s because the surroundings are full of magical power. It certainly felt refreshing.

“They say it has the effect of making your mind sharper. That’s why people who have important exams coming up often come here.”

“Really?”

“But I’m not sure if it really works. Still, doesn’t it feel like your head has cleared up, even if it’s just psychological?”

Becoming smarter, huh.

There’s an exam next month. If you get even one failing grade, you can’t take the next semester’s courses. Since getting failing grades in 3 or more subjects means expulsion, you have to be very focused and do well on the exams.

If I stop by here the night before the exam, will I be able to do a little better on the test?

Riley slowly looked around, savoring the refreshing feeling.

The cool breeze, the chirping of birds, the chatter of people. The rustling sound of leaves scattering in the wind… Just walking made her heart peaceful, and she was absorbed in it without realizing. It was her favorite place among all the places she had visited today. How happy would it be to build a house and live in a place like this?

It would be a perfect place if only there weren’t so many people.

Riley, who had been walking for a while, suddenly stopped.

‘What is this feeling?’

The refreshing feeling disappeared and she suddenly felt a chill. Her spine tingled and her hair stood on end. For a moment, her vision blurred and darkness came. It was a very brief instant.

As soon as her vision returned, the confused Riley turned around hurriedly.

“Hila, just now… Hila?”

She tried to go back, but Hila was nowhere to be seen. Not just Hila, but the many people who had been strolling on the walking trail had also disappeared.

Until just a moment ago, it was noisy with the chatter of people, but now… she couldn’t hear any sound except for the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The lush forest was just quiet. No, beyond quiet, it was eerie. Riley realized something was wrong and huddled up, wary of her surroundings. Looking closely, the environment was a bit different.

The walking trail had felt like a path groomed for people to stroll on, but this place was full of untrimmed trees. The trees were so dense that even sunlight barely filtered through, giving an ominous feeling even though it was broad daylight.

Something’s wrong.

‘…I’m alone.’

In this vast forest, I’m all alone.

Fear swept over her.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Riley? No, where did she go in that short time?”

At first, she didn’t think much of it. She thought Riley might have gotten lost in the crowd for a moment, or gone somewhere briefly.

But after about 20 minutes, Hila started to get anxious.

‘No, how can someone who was right next to me disappear so suddenly? It’s like she just evaporated by herself.’

The eeriness grew stronger as time passed.

“Riley!”

Hila desperately called out for Riley, looking in every corner of the walking trail. After searching for an hour without finding Riley, Hila slumped down.

‘What should I do? What should I do, she suddenly disappeared… Could something have happened…’

Hila’s face turned deathly pale.

She jumped up and ran to the hotel.

‘I need to get help!’

[This is the timeline separator]

“Hello? Is anyone there? Is there no one here?”

She wondered if the world could be this quiet. Nothing could be heard. It felt as if time had stopped except for her.

It’s too unrealistic. She pinched herself wondering if it was a dream, but judging by the sharp pain, it didn’t seem to be a dream. Even if she thought she might have gotten lost, it didn’t make sense. It’s not like she was alone, she was with Hila, wasn’t she? It didn’t make sense to get lost in just a few minutes.

‘This happened right after I was gripped by that unpleasant feeling… What is it, could it be magic?’

To become a lost child on a crowded walking trail.

She thought maybe if she walked anywhere, she might find an exit? Maybe she could find people? But on the other hand, it felt like a waste of energy.

She had a vague conviction that no matter how much she walked, there would be no people. Wouldn’t it be shortening her lifeline to waste energy unnecessarily in a situation with no food or anything?

Besides, by now, Hila must have realized something was wrong. She probably went to ask people for help. To be safely rescued, shouldn’t she stay put? They say if you stay still, you’ll at least break even, right? It would be a disaster if they missed each other unnecessarily.

Riley decided to stay put. While doing so, she listed hypotheses that could explain this situation.

First, this might be a hallucination.

She had read about it in a book. Special plants imbued with magical power have unique abilities. She didn’t know exactly what species lived here, but she had heard there were plants that could make people hallucinate. Then, could this be a kind of hallucination?

Second, maybe this is a completely different place.

Could she have been moved to a different place for some reason? She didn’t know much, but there might be cases like this. Considering the era where space movement magic has become commonplace, it’s not entirely impossible.

Third, could it be harassment from Blestage graduates?

Of course, she knew she would become a ‘cursed freshman’ and be shunned by them, but hadn’t they already done something ridiculous? When she thought about who might have taken a dislike to her, they were the only ones that came to mind.

Fourth, or there might be another enemy.

This enemy might be Givnen’s enemy. Considering that a bullet flew at his head when he visited Lurat before, it was quite a plausible story. Moreover, he had recently been threatened with poisoning.

Given the situation where news about the marriage had spread, it wasn’t strange at all to become a target.

‘Of course, my personal information wasn’t revealed in the article, but… there might be someone who knows about my existence. Like Count Ermeints… Could it be his doing?’

Count Willow Ermeints!

Riley recalled that old, plump face after a long time and was shocked.

‘No matter how I look at it, he’s the only one who could do such an outrageous thing.’

She fell into a panic state in an instant. It felt like her head was about to explode.

What if this situation is Count Ermeints’ doing? Isn’t it crazy to just sit here quietly? What if he comes rushing in with assassins like last time? But if I leave here and end up going deeper into the forest? What if I get lost and miss the rescue team while wandering around?

What should I do? What should I do in this situation?

Because it was something she had never experienced before and had never even thought about, she couldn’t get her bearings on what to do.

‘No, stay calm. Let’s stay put for now, we’re not sure if it’s really Count Ermeints’ doing.’

It was terrifying not knowing when assassins targeting her life might burst in, but in fact, even if she moved from here, it probably wouldn’t make much difference. If there were enemies to encounter, she could encounter them while moving too.

Riley hid her body behind a tree trunk while keeping watch on her surroundings. Fortunately, there were many trees and grass around, making it perfect for hiding.

‘I have to wait for rescue.’

Hila will bring people.

Until then… she had to endure by any means necessary.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Are you going to just keep watching?”

To his subordinate’s bored-looking question, Reynold leaned slightly against a tree instead of answering.

For two hours now, the sight of the woman silently holding her position was indeed tedious and boring.

Whether she’s an exceptionally cautious character or not, she’s enduring while being on high alert and watching her surroundings, but she doesn’t move or relocate no matter what. That’s proof of how cautious she is.

If she were of a curious nature or proactive type, she would try to do something to resolve the situation, but seeing her just endure suggests that she’s probably passive in everything and waiting for rescue.

“How long is that woman going to stay like that…”

“How does she look to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“That woman.”

To Reynold’s question, the subordinate answered with disgust.

“She looks foolish and stupid. No matter how scared she is, how can anything be resolved by just sitting still and trembling?”

“She could be cautiously waiting for rescue.”

“Wasn’t that woman supposed to be a wizard in the first place? Normally, wouldn’t it be common to try something with magic? Of course, this environment is difficult to use magic in, but if she’s talented enough to enroll in Horizon, she should be quite capable, right? Then shouldn’t she easily escape using magic?”

“That’s right.”

“Count Ermeints or whoever must have deceived us. How can that be the daughter of Archmage Ryston? She looks like just an ordinary person.”

Certainly, judging by appearances, it does raise doubts about whether she’s a woman who inherited the bloodline of an archmage.

Space movement magic was the most basic magic.

Of course, the difficulty increases as the distance of movement gets longer, but generally, ‘geniuses’ who continue the lineage of archmages have such good magic application skills that long-distance space movement magic is a piece of cake for them.

Even though this is a restricted area and the environment is difficult to use magic properly due to the concentration of magic emitted by plants being too dense, it’s still broad daylight now.

At night, the concentration of magic emitted by plants becomes denser, making it more difficult to use magic. There’s a greater risk of falling into hallucinations, and you might become prey to magical beasts that become active at night.

This is very basic common sense, but sitting still and wasting time certainly looked stupid. If she were an ordinary person who couldn’t use magic, it would be understandable behavior, but seeing that she was admitted to Horizon, she’s definitely a wizard, so such stupid behavior…

“If she were Ryston’s daughter, she wouldn’t do such a foolish thing, would she? Being the daughter of an archmage… at this point, she just can’t use magic. We must have barked up the wrong tree.”

Reynold agreed with his subordinate’s words, but there was always a possibility of being wrong.

“Soon it will get dark and magical beasts will become active. She can’t just keep holding her position like that.”

“…Are you going to continue doing this?”

“People tend to reveal their true nature when in danger. We can’t make hasty judgments because we don’t know whether that woman is really an ordinary person who can’t use magic, or if she can use magic but is intentionally hiding it.”

“Why would she intentionally hide it if she can use magic?”

“She might know that her father was chased and killed by us. Moreover, Givnen Lianster has many enemies. If that woman is in a relationship to marry Givnen Lianster, she must have received such threats quite often. Maybe she’s deliberately doing this to make us reveal ourselves.”

Reynold just planned to watch her from afar.

If she’s an outstanding wizard, she should be able to survive in this forest teeming with dangerous magical beasts. If she’s Ryston’s child, dealing with numerous magical beasts alone would be a piece of cake. If not, she’ll just become food for magical beasts.

In the latter case, it would be a bit sad for an innocent person to be sacrificed, but there was no other choice. Without this method, it wouldn’t be easy to confirm how powerful she is and whether she’s really the child of Archmage Ryston.

However, he didn’t intend to watch for long. The longer they dragged this out, the higher the probability that Givnen Lianster’s side would grasp the current situation.

Now is the opportune time while Givnen Lianster is bedridden.

They absolutely had to gain something.

“For now, we’ll continue to watch.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Givnen, who was leisurely reading a book, put down the book with a start at the sudden chilling sensation.

He immediately sent a telepathic message to Sack.

− Sack, track Riley’s location right now.

After about 5 minutes, a reply came from Sack.

− The young lady’s location cannot be traced.

−…What about the shadows?

− The shadows are also out of contact.

Givnen frowned while fiddling with his earring with one hand.

It was an earring identical to the one he had given Riley, specially made with the function of detecting the wearer’s psychological state and location.

Of course, the location tracking function was not usable for long distances and only for short distances, but when the wearer felt psychologically in danger, the resonance function between the earrings was effective regardless of distance.

Though her location couldn’t be pinpointed, he realized something had gone wrong through the raw emotional state being transmitted.

He already knew her schedule well in advance. The fact that there would be a welcome party in the hotel’s underground banquet room at 7 o’clock was also information he had received from Sack beforehand.

Was there a change in the schedule? No, that couldn’t be. From the moment the sudden anxiety was detected, there had been a problem with Riley’s safety. After all, this earring is only strongly affected by the wearer’s emotional state, and only in very intense states.

It doesn’t easily resonate between earrings for just any state. So the probability of malfunction was also low.

Givnen checked his watch, trying to maintain his composure.

The fact that not a single one of the shadows he had attached around her could be contacted meant that the shadows had been taken out.

It was impossible to subdue not just one, but all of the shadows unless it was someone of considerable skill.

− Sack, prepare a teleport to Lurat immediately.

− W-wait a moment, Master. It doesn’t seem like a good idea for you to go directly when your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.

− Stop talking and prepare it.

− But…

− The shadows have been taken out. How can I trust sending other people?

− But it’s not right for you to go directly, Master. It’s not like Horizon lacks talent, there are plenty of wizards who could go search for the young lady in your place.

− I can’t trust them.

− …

− What should I trust and leave it to them? Have you already forgotten that my teacher was murdered inside Horizon? Do you think that would be possible without the cooperation of an insider?

She’s trembling with anxiety. She’s scared.

Just like that time…

So he had to go himself. As far as this matter was concerned, he couldn’t trust and leave it to anyone else. Because his teacher had been murdered by a traitor inside Horizon.

Givnen didn’t want to see that face crying in a mess again. Once was enough for such a terrible experience.

Givnen raised his body, heavy as iron, and gathered his outer clothes. Then he left the mansion without a moment’s hesitation.

− Prepare it, we’re going to Lurat right away.