The moment Sylwen finished speaking, the atmosphere shifted.
It wasn't something the other volunteers noticed. Around them, students continued working, adjusting structures, carrying materials, and following instructions as if nothing unusual was happening. But within that small circle, tension had tightened, subtle yet undeniable.
The student didn't panic.
That alone was enough to confirm everything.
Most people, when suddenly cornered like this, would show something—fear, confusion, irritation. Even if they tried to hide it, there would be a crack somewhere in their composure. But this one remained steady, his expression unchanged, his breathing even.
Too calm.
Alaric tightened his grip on the student's wrist, his tone losing its earlier casual edge.
"Answer properly," he said. "What were you doing?"
The student looked at him briefly, then let his gaze drift across the others. It lingered on Sylwen for just a moment longer, as if assessing her.
Then he sighed.
"…You're sharper than I expected," he said.
Roderick scoffed.
"That's your excuse? If it is, it's not working."
The student ignored him completely. Instead, he shifted his wrist slightly, testing the grip—not enough to escape, just enough to understand it.
Strong.
He didn't try again.
Seraphine's gaze narrowed as she watched him.
"You're not even surprised," she said. "That means you expected this outcome."
The student gave a faint smile.
"Eventually," he admitted. "But I thought I had more time. And time is precious, every second is precious."
That confirmed it.
Thalia stepped forward, her stance relaxed but ready.
"You've been adjusting multiple circuits," she said. "Why?"
The student tilted his head slightly, almost amused.
"Would you believe me if I said I was improving them?"
"No," Thalia replied immediately.
"Good," he said. "At least you're honest."
Sylwen remained silent for a moment longer, studying him. She wasn't focused on his words alone, but on how he spoke—the rhythm, the pauses, the subtle shifts that revealed more than he intended.
Then she spoke.
"You're not trying to destroy the event," she said.
The student's smile deepened just slightly.
"Oh?"
"If you were," Sylwen continued, "you would have done it directly. What you're doing is controlled. Precise."
There was a pause.
"…Go on," he said.
Sylwen met his gaze.
"I am not here to satisfy your answers. But sure let me humour you. You're testing something," she said.
Silence followed.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then the student laughed softly.
"…Impressive."
Roderick stepped forward, clearly losing patience.
"Stop playing around and answer the question. You are testing my patience."
But Sylwen raised her hand slightly, stopping him.
"Wait."
She took another step closer, her voice steady.
"You're mapping the system," she said. "Learning how it reacts under different conditions."
The student didn't deny it.
That was answer enough.
Alaric's expression hardened.
"…Why?"
The student glanced down at the mana circuit beneath him, then back at them.
"Because I was told to," he said simply.
That answer revealed very little, but it confirmed something important.
"You're not acting alone," Seraphine said.
The student shrugged lightly.
"Did you really think I was? I mean I am not that good, not even third year students are right now."
Roderick's tone dropped.
"Who sent you?"
The student smiled again.
"You ask that like I'd answer."
Before anyone could react further—
He moved.
Fast.
Faster than before.
His free hand struck the mana circuit beneath him.
For a split second, nothing happened.
Then the circuit flared.
Light surged violently through the lines, the carefully controlled flow suddenly distorting into something unstable.
"Back!" Thalia shouted.
Everyone reacted instantly, stepping away as the mana surged unpredictably.
In that moment of distraction, the student twisted his wrist sharply, slipping free from Alaric's grip.
Roderick lunged forward, but the student was already moving.
He didn't run.
He didn't even try to escape in a conventional way.
Instead, he stepped directly into the unstable mana flow.
And vanished.
The light flickered once, then settled.
The circuit stabilized as if nothing had happened.
Silence followed.
Alaric exhaled sharply.
"…We lost him. This is the reason he was so calm."
Sylwen didn't respond immediately.
Her gaze remained fixed on the ground where he had disappeared, her expression unchanged.
"No," she said quietly.
Everyone turned toward her.
"We didn't lose him," she continued.
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"We just learned how he moves."
The clearing returned to normal far too quickly.
The mana circuits stabilized, their glow returning to a steady rhythm as if nothing had happened. The volunteers nearby resumed their work, some glancing briefly in their direction before losing interest. To most of them, it had only been a minor fluctuation—nothing worth worrying about.
But for the group standing there, the situation had changed completely.
Sylwen stepped forward and knelt where the student had vanished. Her fingers hovered just above the circuit, not touching it, as if she were sensing something beyond what could be seen.
Thalia moved beside her and crouched down as well.
"He didn't teleport," Thalia said after a moment.
Sylwen nodded slightly.
"No," she replied. "That wasn't teleportation."
Alaric frowned.
"Then what was it?"
Seraphine stepped closer, her gaze focused on the circuit.
"He used the system itself," she said.
Roderick raised an eyebrow.
"You're saying he jumped into the mana flow?"
"Not exactly," Seraphine replied. "But close."
She traced a line in the air above the circuit.
"The flow was already altered. When he triggered it, it created a temporary pathway."
Thalia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Like a tunnel."
Sylwen nodded.
"Yes. A very short one."
Alaric crossed his arms, thinking.
"So he's been setting up escape routes this whole time."
"Not just escape routes," Sylwen said calmly. "Movement routes."
That made more sense.
Liora looked uneasy.
"So he can appear anywhere connected to these circuits?"
Seraphine shook her head.
"No. There are limits."
She pointed toward her earlier notes.
"The adjustments aren't everywhere. They're placed at specific intervals."
Thalia stood up slowly.
"…Which means he can only move between certain points."
Sylwen rose as well.
"And those points form a path."
Alaric's expression sharpened.
"Then we track the path."
Sylwen nodded.
"Yes, we can."
They spread out again, but this time with a clear objective. They were no longer just observing—they were tracking.
Thalia moved along the outer edge, following the circuit lines step by step. Her movements were slow and deliberate, her focus entirely on the flow. Every few meters, she stopped, checked, compared, and then moved again.
Seraphine stayed closer to the center, constantly cross-referencing what she observed with her notes. Her mind worked quickly, connecting patterns and eliminating possibilities one by one.
Liora stayed with Sylwen, quietly noting each confirmed location.
"Three points," Liora said after a while. "Maybe four."
Sylwen nodded.
"Mark them."
Time passed slowly, but progress was steady.
Then Thalia stopped.
"This one's different," she said.
Everyone turned toward her.
She was standing near a section closer to the center of the arena. The circuit there looked perfectly normal, untouched and stable.
Sylwen approached.
"What did you find?"
Thalia stepped aside slightly.
"Look at the flow."
Sylwen focused. At first, everything appeared correct, but after a moment, she noticed it.
"…It's stable," she said.
Seraphine frowned.
"That's normal."
"No," Sylwen replied slowly. "It's too stable."
That made everyone pause.
Alaric stepped closer.
"What does that mean?"
Thalia answered.
"It means this point hasn't been altered and was actually reinforced."
Roderick blinked.
"And that's a problem?"
Seraphine's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait…"
She stepped forward quickly, examining the circuit again.
"If every other point was adjusted… then this one should have been too."
Sylwen nodded.
"But it wasn't adjusted in a normal way."
A quiet realization settled over the group.
Liora spoke softly.
"So this was intentional."
"Yes," Sylwen said.
Alaric's expression hardened.
"Then this point matters."
Thalia stepped back slightly.
"More than the others."
Seraphine looked at Sylwen.
"This could be the center."
Sylwen didn't respond immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on the circuit, her thoughts clearly moving ahead.
Then she spoke.
"Not the center."
There was a brief pause.
"The destination."
Silence followed.
The wind moved faintly across the arena, and the circuits continued glowing beneath their feet. Everything still looked perfectly normal to anyone else.
But now they understood.
And somewhere within the academy, the one they were looking for had just lost part of his setup.
But not the most important part.
The moment Sylwen said it was the destination, the direction of their investigation changed.
Until now, they had been tracking movement, identifying altered points, and trying to understand the pattern behind the sabotage. But this… this was different. If the previous points formed a path, then this location wasn't just another part of the system.
It was where everything converged.
Alaric instinctively looked around, his gaze sweeping across the arena as if expecting something to happen immediately.
"…Then this is where something is supposed to happen," he said.
Sylwen nodded.
"Yes."
Roderick cracked his knuckles lightly, already anticipating action.
"Then we just wait here and catch him when he comes back."
Sylwen responded immediately.
"No."
Roderick frowned, clearly confused by the refusal.
"No?"
"If he comes back," Sylwen clarified, "it won't be like before."
Seraphine stepped forward, her eyes still focused on the circuit.
"She's right," she said. "He already knows we've noticed something."
Thalia added calmly, "Which means if he returns, he'll be prepared."
The realization settled over the group. Waiting passively wouldn't work anymore.
Liora looked uneasy, glancing between them.
"Then… what do we do?"
Sylwen didn't answer right away. Instead, she stepped closer to the circuit again, examining both the mana flow and the surrounding structure with careful attention.
Then she spoke.
"We don't wait for him."
Alaric raised an eyebrow.
"Then what?"
Sylwen straightened, her gaze steady.
"We make him come to us."
That shifted the mood instantly.