In a part of the forest where Sai was resting with his two unconscious companions, he finally grew tired of sitting around doing nothing and stood up.
"Where are you going?" one of the three others with him asked. Sai looked back and sighed.
"I'll just be gone for a moment." He excused himself and left.
He walked alone through the thick forest, and when he found the tallest tree around, he decided to climb all the way to the top.
Up there, he could feel the heat and the breeze of the entire area more clearly. From this height, he could also see the spots where smoke was rising from different corners of the forest.
These were most likely signs of completed or ongoing battles as the others did their best in the competition.
Sai watched silently until they all heard the headmaster's voice echo through the forest using magic.
"I wish to announce that someone has claimed the first badge from the ten teachers in the forest. And that point now belongs to none other than Emrys Valestron. Only nine badges remain. I expect great success from all of you."
When the voice faded, Sai clenched his fists. He took a deep breath and climbed down the tree.
They had moved earlier than that boy, and even though he had been walking alone, he still managed to get ahead of everyone and earn points first. For Sai, it was not something he could simply accept. Emrys had already scored, while they had been sitting around doing nothing.
So when Sai returned to his companions, Loan and Eris had just woken up from their rest.
"We need to move now."
Everyone turned to Sai. Loan stood up, scratching the back of his neck.
"S-sorry. We fell asleep."
Sai glanced at him.
"That's not important."
"We heard the announcement from the headmaster just now," Eris said, already sitting up and watching him.
Sai shifted his gaze to him.
"Which is why we need to act now. If we work together, we can definitely earn points too."
One of the other three stood up.
"You're right. It's not too late. We can still catch up."
Sai looked at him. He lifted his chin and smiled.
"Thank you for cooperating with us despite everything. We're the reason you haven't been able to move until now."
The other replied with a smile as well.
"We should be the ones thanking you, Sai Floshen. You're brave."
Sai couldn't hide the genuine joy in his expression. He looked at all of them and began walking.
"Let's get moving."
By the riverside, Magnus had stopped scooping water with his hand the moment he sensed someone approaching.
When he lifted his gaze and saw two people standing on the other side of the river, Magnus simply continued what he was doing without showing any emotion.
"What do you want, Rein Flamio?" Magnus stood up and wiped his wet hands with a handkerchief before turning away.
Rein kept both hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the sky.
"You heard the headmaster's announcement, didn't you?"
"We all heard it, and I didn't like it. What exactly do you want?"
"Nothing much. I was just passing by and thought I'd check on you for once."
A slight smirk appeared on Magnus's lips.
"Is that so?"
Right after that, threads wrapped around Magnus's body, but just as they tightened to capture him, he vanished in an instant. Only the handkerchief he had been holding was caught by the threads—shredded into pieces that fell into the river and drifted away with the current.
A faint, frustrated grunt followed before Xin appeared from behind a tree, smiling.
"Too bad, I almost got you. I still can't keep up with you at all, Magnus. You're still so fast!"
Magnus, now standing at a distance, let out a sigh. He was clearly irritated, but he refused to show it to them. He stared at Rein, who quickly raised both hands and explained,
"Believe me, Magnus. I'm not in on this. I really was just passing through to talk. That's all—nothing more."
"Oh please, you sure throw your allies under the bridge quickly, Rein. You're really not fun to work with."