n

n

nAaron felt something amiss upon arriving at the door where they assume Yumi was in.

n

"Did you feel any presence together with her just now?

" Aaron asked his subordinates beside him. They were standing in front of the room but a few were scattered to surround the whole area.

n

"No.

" One answered behind and some nodded in agreement but Aaron was still skeptical and asked one of the high officials of Lucent Force he brought together with him.

n

"How about you, Griffin?

"

n

"I'm not sure a while ago. But it feels like a remnant Mana was left by a strong magician just now.

" Now that Griffin had gotten closer, he felt that the Mana density in this room's area was thicker than anywhere else.

nAaron nodded at this. He wasn't stronger than anyone here but his status allowed him to equip exclusive Mana artifacts for himself.

nOne of his silver rings, a Mana Artifact he wore on his left middle finger had a magic structure called Life Source Prober. As the name implies, it's capable of detecting life force in a certain area.

nA few seconds ago when they detected Yumi's presence, Aaron had activated the ring and probed her surroundings. It probably just took milliseconds where he felt another presence beside Yumi then it suddenly vanished into thin air.

nHe hadn't thought too much about it since he was focused on confirming Yumi's state but now that he was about to open the door, he remembered the life force that has disappeared a few seconds ago.

nAaron looked at Griffin who nodded in return indicating that it's alright.

nThe former made up his mind and opened the locked door using basic mana manipulation. The inn doesn't have any protection against Mana interference but it was normal with this cheap inns within the city.

nAs soon as the door was opened, Yumi woke up and opened her eyes as she carefully analyzed her current situation.

nShe was in an unfamiliar room lying in a soft bed that was made for couples. She felt the familiar presence of the Lucent Force members near her so she calmly tried to remember what happened before she was made unconscious.

n

"I just asked that armored being about Wallace and...

"

nYumi was trying to remember the scene prior to this and could only recall that she was brought inside the aircraft. The place was something she had never seen before. The patterned lights that flash at the controls panel, the exquisite metal craftsmanship that exudes unknown energy, piles of unfamiliar weapons, and the unfathomable being itself was something she couldn't just forget.

n

"Miss Yumi Juria. Please, pardon our intrusion. I'm Aaron Schmidt, a member of Lucent Force. We have used all means to locate your presence here, we thought that you've been captured by the enemies in the Araceli Island.

"

nYumi glanced at the young man in front of him and assessed his bearing. She didn't have that much of an impression of the man but his last name made her remember the undying old monsters being kept by their country out of the public eyes.

nThey were the hidden officials of Zairus that were not leaving the capital city and were only being called when a national level threat was identified 35 years ago in a certain incident involving Aeolia's project...

n

"Miss Yumi, are you hurt? Do you need any medical attention?

" Aaron worriedly asks upon seeing Yumi's blank expression. He brought a magician focused on the study of medicine, so he was about to instruct someone to call him. He just wanted to make sure that Yumi was in the best condition.

nAlthough she still looked like a kid, the aura she exudes made Aaron careful with his words. He was well aware of the identity of this young-looking girl with an abnormal gift that was being treasured by NMTI. Although she doesn't possess destructive power as an Adept Mage, she was someone who had an ability above the average Adepts, excels in her agility, tracking ability, and sensory aside from her hobby as a Magic Engineer.

n

"No need. I just needed a rest.

" Yumi calmly answered.

n

"That's a relief. If you don't mind, can we ask how did you end up here? Actually, we still have people on standby and observing the vicinity of Araceli but they hadn't reported any sightings of you escaping the place.

" Aaron asked curiously. Only him, Yumi, and Griffin were present in the room as the latter instructed the others to guard the place outside. Griffin tensed up as he was curious to know how the heavily fortified island was easily escaped by a single woman. He had a talk with Owl and Eagle so he had some impression about the magicians that were staying at the place.

n

"Well... Before that, how were the other members that joined our expedition?

" Yumi was still undecided about what to tell them. Aaron was heavily tied to the Zairus military. So if she mentions the uniqueness of the aircraft, it may lead to war. The interest of the strong people in the seat to obtain more power and a very peaceful atmosphere was like a fragile glass that could easily be broken with a tease from a devil.

nMaybe a stronger expedition force will try to forcefully take over the island. This won't just affect Zairus and Z-Company as the royal clan of Montego would not allow a large force of army to take claim on one of its islands especially they were supposedly an Allied Nation.

n

"Don't worry. Everyone was able to escape successfully. Although some of the magicians involved in aerial bombardment were injured, they were saved by Eagle and Owl's ability. They just had to take a rest for a while.

" It was Griffin who answered the question as Aaron had given him a cue. Aaron just arrived recently and specific details about the situation of the people involved were better to be discussed by a stationed official of this branch.

n

"I understand. In truth, I can't remember that much as well since I'm in a hurry to escape. By the way, is there any news about Wallace?

"

nYumi replied in which Griffin and Aaron had their eyes glanced at each other.

n'She wasn't telling the whole truth. Why does she need to hide something from us? What in the world happened there?'

nThe two felt Yumi was avoiding the question and felt abnormality. But they can't force her to tell everything she knew.

n

"We still don't have any news from him. But rest assured, our people were already scattered in places that he might visit so we'll receive good news in a few days.

" Aaron tried to bring hope as he was also doing his best to assist in locating Wallace's whereabouts.

nBut after finishing his words, he noticed that Yumi seems to be dazed. Aaron glanced at the place where Yumi was staring at. It was television where the coverage for the international or Young Magicians Competition was being shown.

nGriffin also watched and didn't notice anything amiss at the match.

nBut right now, Yumi's mind was lost in thought as she was analyzing all the information she had gathered so far. The traces she followed when she was traveling in Kharvatt Sierra, the two large suitcases Nortrom was carrying, the armored being who protected her and even brought her inside the unknown aircraft, losing consciousness after interacting with that same armored being, waking up in a safe place and was kindly left under the protection of the Lucent Force.

n'Perhaps...' Yumi didn't dare to say out loud or think anymore. She'll just probably have a huge headache thinking about it.

n***

nWallace was now on a bus on the way to the city where the competition was being held at. He wasn't hurrying so he didn't use his Void Phasing steps to attend the competition as he could only do so much with the skill. It was better to ride a bus in this situation where he requires to spend a long time traveling.

n

"I wonder if I can still join. They might be worried a bit if I'm not seen participating in the competition.

" He was referring to his family that was probably watching the competition on the television.

n

"Anyway, they shouldn't be worrying that much.

" Wallace finally said to calm his mind as he remembered something. He will just contact his family later to inform them about his well-being.

n

"That's right, they even made such a request thinking that I could survive that...

" This made him remember the request that his parents made before attending this competition. He remembered that under the bright moonlight before he returned to Tanza City to be escorted by Yumi, both of his parents, Elaine and Chase said some words that almost sounded like a whisper...

n

"We have a request for you... Maybe it was fate or luck but you can try to visit this person in Montego. He'll surely be involved in the competition so you will have plenty of chances. Tell him you are Elaine Mavis and Chase Ravencroft's son.

" Chase said seriously which baffled Wallace.

n

"I don't think it's something that serious for you to have grave an expression. Is there a catch?

" Wallace still doesn't understand the situation.

n

"Maybe it's time for you to know why our Ravencroft Family and Mavis Clan had somehow isolated our small family of five... Well, this man you will have to find is a magician named Julian Esmeria and he doesn't like you.

"

n