The boat had long returned to calmer water. But silence didn't feel empty anymore.
It felt… watched.
"We should report what happened," Jude said finally.
"…To whom?" Lunivara asked.
A pause.
"Good question."
Leontius guided the boat toward shore.His expression unchanged.But his grip on the oar was slightly firmer than before.
"It was not a natural current," Lunivara said quietly.
Jude glanced at her.
"…You noticed that too?"
"…Yes."
Leontius spoke after a moment.
"…It responded."
Silence.
"…Responded?" Jude repeated.
"…To presence."
Jude frowned slightly.
"…That's not a normal answer."
Leontius didn't react.
"…It is accurate."
The boat hit the dock with a loud crack of wood, they stepped out one by one. But before they could completely walk away, they stopped.
Lunivara paused.
Her gaze lowered briefly toward the water again, she observes.
"Something must be controlling it," she said.
Jude blinked.
"Controlling?"
Leontius answered immediately.
"…Indirectly."
A pause.
"So someone was there?" Jude asked.
Leontius did not confirm.But he did not deny it either.That silence answered more than words.
Lunivara narrowed her eyes slightly.
["What could have be?."]
"We should leave this area," Jude said more seriously now.
Leontius nodded once.
"Agreed."
They began walking back toward the academy path.
But then—Lunivara stopped.
"…Wait."
Both turned.
She looked down at the damp edge of her sleeve.
Something faint.A dark residue.Barely visible.
Jude noticed immediately.
"What is that?"
Leontius stepped closer, his eyes locking onto it with sudden, sharp intensity. Reaching out , he traced the surface with two fingers, the contact lasting only a heartbeat before he drew away.
"It is not from water," he said.
Silence.
Jude's tone lowered slightly.
"…Then what is it from?"
Leontius looked ahead.
Not at them.
Beyond them.
"…A binding trace."
Lunivara's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Magic?"
A pause.
"Controlled release signature," Leontius said. " An old method. Rarely used now."
Jude exhaled slowly.
"So someone marked the area?"
Leontius finally nodded.
"…Yes."
Silence stretched.
Then—
Jude scratched his head.
"…Okay… that's officially not just a fishing trip anymore."
No one argued.
Lunivara looked back toward the water once more.
["As I thought it was not the sea....It was the story or the system of this story beneath it"]
Leontius spoke quietly.
"This was not meant for civilians."
A pause.
"It was observation or testing," he added.
Jude frowned.
"…Testing what exactly?...And how are you able to know that?"
Leontius did not answer immediately.
Then—
"That is unclear."
But his eyes suggested otherwise.
Lunivara turned away.Calm but different.
"We must return now," she said.
Jude nodded.
"Yeah. Good idea."
Leontius followed without hesitation.
But as they walked—
a final line lingered behind them.Not spoken but implied.
Something had already seen them.And now—it had proof.
End of Chapter 20