?"Elizabeth?" I couldn't help but express my surprise at seeing her there.
"I've never seen such a beautiful girl before…"
"She's freaking hot, right?!"
"Forget, dude. It's obvious she is a high-ranking noble!"
Elizabeth attracted a lot of attention with her choice of attire. Unlike the usual academy uniform, she had opted for a summer dress, which, rather than toning down the attention, seemed to amplify it.
I tilted my head to get a glimpse of another person slightly behind Elizabeth. It was Cain Redgrave.
He's following her again...
I wasn't sure what to make of this.
Glancing down at the card in her hand, I inquired, "Your target is in this area as well?"
It seemed too much of a coincidence otherwise.
Elizabeth looked at her card before nodding. "You as well, I suppose?"
"Yeah," I showed her my card. "But it's unusually inaccurate. Don't you think so?"
"Yes, it's probably the teachers' way of testing us again, but it's quite simple to understand," Elizabeth said with a smile.
"Oh? Do you understand it?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"Lady Elizabeth, I don't think it's wise to help other students. We are on our own in this exam…" Cain whispered to Elizabeth.
"Individual exam, and yet you are hanging with her?" I asked, raising a brow.
Cain's crimson eyes looked at me coldly. "We are in foreign territory, and I'm from the House protecting the Tepes House for centuries."
"Nice excuse you got there," I said, approaching them. "But I don't give a..."
"But I'm merely seeking the assistance of my groupmate," I said with a congenial smile, casting a quick glance at Elizabeth. "Would you be willing to help me?"
Elizabeth, after sharing a silent exchange with Cain, nodded at me. "Certainly. Considering you're not from Sancta Vedelia, it's reasonable that you might not have grasped it." She took my card, deftly tracing a circle on it with her index finger before pressing her fingers on the red cross.
My card illuminated in red, transforming to reveal a more precise map.
"Impressive," I remarked, genuinely taken aback. "Is it this straightforward for all those from Sancta Vedelia? And why provide this advantage in an exam?" I pondered aloud.
"No," Cain asserted, shaking his head. "Revealing a hidden message has multiple methods. Lady Elizabeth succeeded on her third attempt. Others might spend hours to find the right one."
Then was I quite lucky to meet Elizabeth?
How John is going to deal with that?
He is quite familiar with mana circles so maybe he knew from start?
Then he hid it from me?
Looks like I need to rattle him even more with Amelia.
"Interesting and what about you?" I directed my inquiry to Cain.
"Twelfth," he replied.
While twelfth might be commendable for Cain, it only underscored to me that Elizabeth was in a league of her own. I should have expected that from a Main Heroine, but something about Elizabeth still felt off.
She seemed almost too perfect.
In her perfection, she reminded me of Aurora, but there was something even more enigmatic about her.
Regardless, I focused on the task at hand, examining the now accurate map. The red cross pinpointed a smaller structure.
"May I?" Elizabeth inquired, gesturing toward my card.
I nodded, and we compared our cards. "The same location?"
"It appears so…" Elizabeth responded thoughtfully. "Cain's target is also there."
"Oh, so that's why he's trailing you? I assumed, as usual, he was following you because he was into you. My bad," I remarked with a sympathetic expression.
"You…!" Cain ground his teeth, shooting me a glare that failed to conceal his flushed cheeks.
"Is that anger or embarrassment reddening your cheeks?" I asked, genuinely curious.
'Just being honest here, Cleenah.'
"How about we go together to this location?" Elizabeth interjected, stepping in to rescue the fuming Cain.
I looked at her, and she offered a benevolent smile.
Not a trace of embarrassment or awkwardness.
As expected of a Princess of the Tepes House, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Cain.
He was unmistakably in the bodyguard zone.
"Of course, thanks for the help," I expressed gratitude, and the three of us set off together.
Drawing quite a bit of attention due to our distinctive appearances, we hardly noticed it anymore.
"It should be on this street," Cain stated.
"Which building?" I inquired, scanning the area. Three buildings seemed potential candidates, all clothing stores.
'How about a bit of encouragement?' I sighed inwardly.
"Should we split up?" I suggested.
Cain nodded immediately. "You can go alone there, and we—"
"Must we?" Elizabeth interrupted. "It would be quicker and safer to do this together."
"You're right, Elizabeth," Cain concurred.
I shot a wry expression at Cain for his sudden change of stance before agreeing with Elizabeth. "Then let's try this one." I gestured toward the farthest building.
"Are you certain?" Elizabeth asked.
I nodded. "It's unusually empty compared to the other two."
Though it was merely an assumption, they seemed to trust it, and we entered. The store appeared to be a typical clothing outlet, bustling with customers.
How were we supposed to locate the target in this crowd?
Unable to use my mana, I attempted to sense the ambient mana. It was undeniably more challenging for me, but it served as a valuable exercise.
"The target is here," Elizabeth declared in a serious tone.
"You've already found him?" I questioned, surprised.
"Yes… I can sense an unusually powerful mana among the clients, but I don't know where exactly," Elizabeth nodded.
"There are three floors; let's take one each," I suggested, confident that we had identified the target's location. He was somewhere in this building.
They agreed, and I took the highest floor.
Only ten people here.
Not being an expert, I judged based on facial expressions and their mana…
Let's disregard the family of four.
The two clerks as well.
Which left the elderly woman and the middle-aged man shopping alone.
I approached the woman but halted suddenly, feeling a piercing gaze from behind. It was the man.
"Found you!" I grinned and walked toward him, but suddenly, the man put on his hood and started to run away.
"Hey, I found you, give me the location—"
"Amael! She's here, come down!"
Elizabeth's voice interrupted my words.
"Huh?" I looked back at the man making a getaway and narrowed my eyes.
Kicking off the ground, I attempted to catch him, but when he darted past a set of clothes, I completely lost sight of him.
"Yeah…" Frowning a little, I quickly descended the stairs, rejoining Elizabeth and Cain.