"Tris is trustworthy."
"Yeah, there's no one with more experience than Tris..."

The Silver Adventurers showed little resistance to Tris volunteering to lead. The mix of relief and agreement on the faces of the usually rough adventurers suggested that Tris's reputation was strong enough to garner such unanimous approval.

In this atmosphere of consensus, Tris turned to another middle-aged man beside him and asked respectfully,

"May I take on the role of leader?"

The middle-aged man, wearing a wide-brimmed hat that shaded his eyes, squinted slightly and nodded.

"Go ahead. I hate dealing with bothersome tasks."

His appearance was unmistakably that of a magician. Leon, curious, used a detection spell to gauge his rank.

He was an Apprentice 3rd Rank.

"Thank you."
"But don't get too cocky and think you can give me orders..."
"I wouldn't dream of it."

The magician looked down at Tris with an air of superiority, but Tris remained calm and humble, keeping his head bowed respectfully. After a moment, Tris turned and slowly made his way toward Leon, who noticed that the magician's gaze also shifted to him, assessing him with a sharpness that suggested he was evaluating a potential threat.

...But the magician's intense scrutiny didn't last long.

"Are you Teo, the Apprentice 3rd Rank?"

Tris's tone was just as respectful when he addressed Leon as it had been with the older magician.

"Yes, that's me."
"Would it be alright if I took on the role of leader?"
"Of course."

Leon had no reason to refuse someone willing to take on the responsibility, so he nodded in agreement. Tris smiled with relief and turned to face the gathered adventurers. He placed one hand on his hip and ran the other through his brown hair—a habitual gesture—as he addressed the group.

"As many of you seasoned adventurers know, our first challenge will be the monsters that lurk at the entrance to the Rebein Mountains. We must prepare thoroughly and remain vigilant. We cannot afford to let our guard down."

Tris spoke with a serious tone, and despite the group's earlier restlessness, they listened intently.

Meanwhile, the older magician approached Tris. Though he had previously been haughty, his demeanor softened as he neared.

"Hello. My name is Medriga."

Leon, who had adjusted his aura to appear as a Secret Arts Beginner using the Veema Bracelet, knew that Medriga couldn't truly gauge his strength. Yet the fact that he couldn't sense Leon's full power might have already led Medriga to form an opinion.

Medriga's gaze flicked briefly to Kito.

"A beast... I mean, my apologies."
"Hmph."

Kito, lying lazily on Leon's head, glanced at the magician with disdain before turning her head away, clearly uninterested.

Medriga looked slightly confused.

"Uh, I heard you're an Apprentice 3rd Rank..."
"I was fortunate to have a breakthrough, so my progress was swift."
"I see... very impressive."

Medriga's long mustache twitched slightly. Though he tried to maintain eye contact with Leon, there was a hint of unease in his eyes, an apprehension about something he couldn't fully understand.

Tris efficiently organized the adventurers into groups to ensure the 20 wagons were well-protected. Scouts, front and rear guards, and others rotated shifts to allow everyone some rest.

Leon and Medriga, as the two magicians, took turns standing watch.

Medriga primarily used earth-based magic. During the journey, he dealt with occasional monsters they encountered, demonstrating the typical abilities of an Apprentice 3rd Rank magician. He prepared spells with long incantations and responded quickly to emergencies using pre-memorized spells. Though he could only store three spells, they were still a significant help to the adventurers. Each time Medriga cast a spell, the ground rumbled, and pillars of earth shot up to disrupt the monsters' movements.

"As expected of Medriga!"
"It's nothing."
"You're too modest! Without you, we'd have already suffered casualties and delays."
"Ahem, no need to flatter me so much."

Medriga seemed to enjoy the adventurers' praises. Though he often displayed arrogance, his expression softened when complimented.

At least, that was Leon's impression. If Leon could pick up on it, the more seasoned adventurers likely had Medriga's personality figured out long ago.

When it was Leon's turn to stand watch, he sat cross-legged atop one of the wagons with Kito still resting on his head. Having seen Medriga take a similar position earlier, Leon mimicked his behavior.

"You, uh, get some rest first."
"Sure."

Medriga nodded politely before retreating into the wagon. The sound of the door closing echoed softly.

Leon took out the compass and checked the needle. It pointed calmly in the opposite direction, reassuring him. He put the compass away and cast a wide-area detection spell.

A week had passed since the caravan set out. They had traversed open plains and entered a dense forest. Although they hadn't reached the Rebein Mountains yet, the forest was home to various monsters.

"..."

Erika was patrolling near the wagon where Leon was stationed, silently keeping watch. As they continued in silence, Erika suddenly turned to Leon.

"May I ask how old you are?"
"I'm fifteen."
"...I see."

Silence fell between them again.

Leon didn't feel the need to fill the quiet with conversation.

Erika appeared to be around Daife's age—just past adulthood, with a youthful look still lingering in her features. She was clearly older than Leon.

Leon knew Erika was a magician, and Erika knew that Leon knew. However, neither of them mentioned it.

At that moment, Leon's detection spell picked up the presence of monsters.

"Prepare for battle."

Leon’s voice rang out, and the adventurers quickly sprang into action, drawing their weapons and moving into their positions.

The tension in the air was palpable.

In response, Leon summoned his familiars: a blue dragon, a firebird, and a turtle—each corresponding to water, fire, and earth elements, and all at the level of Secret Arts spells.

Moments later, a pack of wolves emerged from the shadows of the trees. Their gray fur, glinting eyes, and bared teeth made them look menacing.

The situation escalated as another pack of wolves approached from the rear.

Leon sent the blue dragon to deal with the wolves blocking their path.

The dragon unleashed a powerful jet of water that blasted through the wolves, freezing them into statues in an instant.

The firebird spread its crimson wings and flew to the rear, spewing flames that engulfed the wolves. Their pained howls echoed as the fire spread.

And whenever any wolves managed to escape the range of the spells, the turtle raised stone walls to block them.

In the blink of an eye, the battle was over.

Leon had called for battle readiness, but he had single-handedly resolved the situation.

"..."

"..."

The adventurers were left dumbfounded, standing with their weapons drawn, looking almost ridiculous as they realized the fight was already over.

Kito chuckled from atop Leon's head, her voice tinged with amusement.

"Perhaps you should ease up a bit."
"...You're right."

Leon realized that he had overreacted, hastily responding because he feared he lacked sufficient area-of-effect spells.

The door of the wagon opened, and Medriga emerged, his face a mix of shock and bewilderment. He met Leon's gaze.

"Oh… my apologies, I didn’t realize you were a Secret Arts magician."

His mustache trembled as he spoke.

"What?"
"I… I didn't know you were so powerful."

"There's no need to apologize."
"S-Sorry…"

Leon understood Medriga's discomfort. He knew he would feel similarly if he encountered a high-level Mystic magician.

"There's no need to be so tense. We’re just here to escort the caravan."
"Thank you."

Medriga bowed repeatedly before retreating back into the wagon.

As Leon watched him go, Erika quietly spoke up.

"You know I'm a magician, don’t you?"
"...Yes, I happened to notice."

Her statement caught Leon off guard. He hadn’t expected Erika to bring up the topic, especially after she had previously avoided mentioning anything about magic. Her sudden change in behavior was puzzling.

‘Wasn't she hiding it for a reason? Why is she bringing it up now?’

Given that they had already spent many hours in silence during their shared shifts, the current conversation felt awkward and uncomfortable.

Erika wasn’t the type to initiate conversation so easily. Her sudden, awkward approach made the situation even more uncomfortable.

‘If she had a reason to hide her magic, why approach me now? Does she want something?’

Leon’s suspicions began to grow.