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The soles of shoes crunched dry branches, making crisp sounds in the silent forest.
"Ah haha~ Snow leopard is here~ rua~"
Its fur was as white as snow, adorned with colorful black patterns, yet it wasn't a spirit from the high mountain snow, but a cute little cat using Wing Magic.
Cheese, holding the hamster Snow who was "squeaking," landed on the white-haired young man's shoulder and eagerly looked at him: "Noah, does my snow leopard imitation sound realistic?"
Noah took the round Snow and kneaded her in his hand. He'd never seen a snow leopard—only read about them in books—and their calls were similar to a cat's meow.
Although Cheese was a magical cat that could speak human language, he was still fundamentally a cat, so Noah perfunctorily nodded.
The little cat, having received approval, proudly put his paws on his hips. However, Snow the hamster beast kept "squeaking" at Noah. Even if he couldn't understand hamster language, Noah knew she was cursing pretty harshly.
As a magical beast that had lived in the snowy mountains for hundreds of years, Snow had probably seen real snow leopards, and she was likely scolding Noah for misleading Cheese.
Since he couldn't understand anyway, Noah didn't care—he had something else to worry about right now.
Noah looked at his elder brother, Mystogan, who was leading the way in a black robe, and at the crooked-necked tree he'd marked for the third time. He helplessly stopped and called out to Mystogan:
"Big bro, if you're lost, just say so. I'll let Cheese fly up and show us the way."
"Otherwise, I'm seriously afraid we brothers will end up hanging ourselves on this crooked-necked tree."
Originally, Noah had been in good spirits, following his elder brother to visit his adopted younger sister. Who knew that after arriving at the mountain forest where Cait Shelter was located, Mystogan—who should've been familiar with the route—couldn't find his way.
After going in circles several times, they were back at the starting point again.
Listening to his younger brother's complaints, Mystogan remained expressionless (though nobody could see it anyway) and walked towards the tree he'd marked three times.
Reaching out to touch the faint carvings on the tree trunk, Mystogan said calmly: "Even if Cheese shows the way, it's useless. Someone's covered this area with Magic—they don't want people getting into the depths of the forest."
The depths of this forest were where Cait Shelter was located. Mystogan had never run into this kind of thing when he used to secretly visit his younger sister.
So it was very likely that the Magic was set up by outsiders.
However, the newcomers were clearly hostile. Mystogan intended to forcibly break through the Magic preventing them from reaching Cait Shelter. His black robe billowed without wind, and five staves glowed behind him.
But was this Magic an illusion? Or…
"It's Space Magic."
As if knowing what his elder brother was thinking, Noah directly gave the answer he'd already figured out: "Someone's bent the light in this space, creating illusions."
"You really figured it out first and just watched me make a fool of myself. Master was right to beat you—I should've kicked you a couple of times too."
He said this, but Mystogan's actions didn't stop. Knowing the principle, breaking this "space distortion" was a piece of cake for him.
Mystogan suddenly threw three staves into the ground. Three Magic circles overlapped and expanded, forming a clear, mirror-like surface of water.
Triple Magic Circle: Mirror Water.
This Magic could help Mystogan block or reflect other Magical attacks, and reflecting light was naturally effortless.
The moment the Magic circles began spinning, the surrounding scenery suddenly rippled and shook violently. Mystogan swayed, and the staff in his hand conjured a whirlwind, tearing apart the surrounding illusion.
The repeatedly seen forest and paths shattered like foam, revealing a small village deep in the forest. On the village gate was a cat-shaped sign, with the four characters "Cait Shelter" carved on it. That was Noah's destination for this trip.
Cheese saw the sign from afar and excitedly picked up Snow, about to fly over. They'd been willing to come out with Noah this time entirely because of the name "Cait Shelter."
He could talk, use Magic, and walk upright, so Cheese believed himself to be a monster. And from the name "Cait Shelter" alone, he could tell that this Guild must have tons of magical cats like him.
Thinking of meeting other cats besides Happy, Cheese couldn't wait to activate his Wing Magic.
However, a hand suddenly grabbed the scruff of the cat's neck, holding his fate. Looking at the stunned and motionless Cheese, Noah thought that the method for dealing with ordinary cats also worked on magical cats.
After holding Cheese back in his arms, Noah explained: "Something's wrong over there. Cheese, you and Snow stay here. Big bro and I will go ahead and scout."
Cait Shelter.
A Magic Guild so ordinary that you might mistake it for a small village.
In fact, that was exactly the case. Calling the Guild members ordinary people might be an exaggeration, but they were only slightly stronger than regular folks.
Living in a mountain forest far from the hustle and bustle of cities and the disturbances of the mundane world, the people here lived a life completely unlike what Mages should have.
They worked from sunrise to sunset, free from financial worries, just like a real small village.
However, today, a group of uninvited guests arrived.
A member of Cait Shelter screamed and collapsed as blood splattered from his back. Not far from him lay his companions, their fates unknown.
"Hmph, such trash..."
The tall, thin man with long bangs dismissively wiped the blood from his large scythe, stepped on the obstructing Cait Shelter member, and turned to look at a dark-skinned man with his hair slicked back.
"Brain-sama, did we come to the wrong place? The Mages here are no different from ordinary people. Is the person you're looking for really here?"
Brain, one of the Oración Seis—he merely looked indifferently at the scythe-wielding man he'd promoted from a subordinate Guild.
"Erigor, are you questioning my judgment?"
Just one sentence made Erigor, who'd originally belonged to Eisenwald, break out in a cold sweat. Although he had the intimidating title of "Shinigami," Erigor knew his own strength.
Bullying the weak was nothing—after all, they were just ants. But facing a truly strong person, Erigor was just an ant himself.
"You... let go of Uncle Bel!"
Just as Brain was scolding his subordinate, a small girl with long blue hair and wearing a dress ran out. Behind her followed a thin old man and a white cat wearing a small skirt.
Seeing the old man and the little girl appear, the Mage under Erigor's foot desperately hugged Erigor's thigh. "Guild Master, Wendy, Carla, run! Wah!"
The giant scythe swung again, and Bel fell into a pool of blood.
"Don't scare the children, Erigor."
Brain walked around his subordinate and showed a kind expression to the little girl Wendy. "'Sky Maiden,' I want to ask you to save someone."