Later that afternoon, the castle courtyard buzzed with the normal energy of student life.
Spells were being practiced.
Books floated through the air.
Groups of students laughed on the stone steps.
And among them walked three figures who didn't belong.
Banko.
Quinton.
Cruise.
But today they wore ordinary student robes.
Their cloaks were gone.
Their faces are calm.
They blended perfectly into the crowd.
Julian noticed them first.
His eyes shifted slightly toward Noah.
"Three o'clock."
Noah followed the direction casually.
He saw them immediately.
Lake whispered,
"Yeah… those are definitely Naomi's people."
Oliver leaned casually against a stone pillar.
"Play it normal."
So they did.
They walked past the servants like nothing was wrong.
No staring.
No confrontation.
Just students crossing the courtyard.
Banko glanced at them briefly.
His silver eyes flickered with recognition.
But he said nothing.
Quinton continued flipping through a book like an ordinary scholar.
Cruise sat silently on a bench, watching the sky.
To everyone else…
They were just new students.
But the tension in the air said otherwise.
Because both sides knew the truth.
They were watching each other.
Waiting.