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"Seriously, it took me so long to catch up," Isabella grumbles in a low voice, massaging her temples as she takes a seat. 'They kept walking away from me, and so many damn barbaric commoners kept attacking me on the way,' she thinks, her gaze lifting to meet the group with tired eyes. "Are you serious? Isadora lost?" she inquires, disbelief painting her features.

Aira nods calmly, her fingers running over her blade in a reflective motion. "According to Sera, they were both caught by some tornado spell while mid-air. They didn't have a way to avoid the attack," she explains, her voice steady and composed.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Isabella scoffs, "Seriously? To that?" 'If he hadn't caught me off guard, I would've killed that damn criminal,' she complains internally, her fist clenching in silent frustration.

"Okay, enough chit-chat, we have work to do," Kael declares, clapping his hands to gather everyone's attention. 'Since they haven't found me, they most likely spotted Lú. I'm not sure if they're going to torture her, but we need to find them right now,' he thinks, scanning the group with determined eyes. "Biana, you need to track Kaida or Isadora's location. There's likely more than one criminal, and since they're after me, they probably plan to use Isadora and Kaida as hostages."

Isabella rolls her eyes, 'Why does this man get to make the plan? Hmm... Let me have some fun,' she contemplates, standing up with a mischievous smirk. "So we just need to hand you over? What a great solution. I mean, this is your fault after all, isn't it?" she challenges, her tone dripping with sarcasm and provocation.

Kael smirks, 'Why is she acting up right now?' he wonders internally before raising his hands in a mock surrender. "Go ahead, tie me up and hand me over. I wonder who's going to help you research magic. I certainly won't since I'll be six feet under," he counters, stepping close to Isabella, face to face, their tension palpable. "Come on, Isabella, do it right now."

"H-huh, so you agree?" Isabella stutters, taking a step back as Kael's confident smirk unfurls. "Of course, I don't like the idea, but if you want to solve this quickly, go ahead. Hand me over, oh wise one~" He extends his hands theatrically, watching her reaction closely. "What happened? Come on, Isabella, don't get cold feet now," he teases, enjoying the moment.

Isabella rubs her forehead in frustration, "Okay, I get it. I was just joking, you bastard," she mutters, clicking her tongue and taking a seat. 'Ugh... this guy is horrible,' she thinks, her irritation palpable.

Ignoring her retort, Kael turns back to the group, outlining their makeshift strategy. "The mage you met will be dealt with by Aira and Isabella, any sword-based criminals will be handled by Sera and Saelin. The rest of you will support everyone from a distance. If there's a third criminal, I'll have Lysandra fight them. Biana, I'll leave Isadora and Kaida to you," he instructs, tapping his chin thoughtfully. 'This isn't really a plan, but it's the easiest way to deal with this situation. If I'm correct, he won't let any of us die,' he muses, glancing at Biana. 'To think she'd want to save Isadora herself. This is an unusual outcome; in the original story, Biana and Isadora didn't get along, and they ended up as enemies. I was hoping I could keep them neutral, but this is even better.'

Biana yawns, rubbing her eyes, and catches Kael staring at her. "Oi, I know I'm beautiful and all, but you gotta stop staring at me," she groans, stretching languidly.

"Don't delude yourself," Kael responds bluntly, flicking her forehead and pushing her gently back into reality. "You're actually going to help, right? I don't want you complaining about sleep, got it?"

Biana clicks her tongue, rubbing the spot where he flicked her, but her smirk returns quickly. "Trust me, I don't plan to sleep this through," she declares mischievously, her thoughts drifting. 'Hehehe, Isadora, you're mine~ Blame your overconfidence for letting this happen~' 

"This plan of yours doesn't seem very..." Saelin begins, her voice trailing off as she debates the wisdom of her words internally. 'Should I say it? This plan is horrible, but he seems confident. Ugh... there's no point in mentioning it; I doubt I can make a better plan.'

Kael approaches her, seemingly reading her hesitation. "I know what you're thinking, but trust me. They won't be able to kill anyone," he reassures her with a level of certainty that belies the risk involved.

She shrugs and exhales, resigning herself to the unfolding strategy. "This is going to be a painful day," she mutters, her skepticism thinly veiled.

Tapping on his screen, Kael contemplates a contingency plan. 'Hmm, if it comes down to it, I can shoot them myself. It shouldn't be long before countries start selling their guns. Eira said my baby is one of the best handguns she's made, so these criminals wouldn't stand a chance,' he thinks, his mind racing through the possibilities.

"Alright, let's get moving," Kael announces, and with that, everyone stands up and begins to move. "What a neat trick," Aira comments, smirking at Isabella as she follows, controlling the stick she's standing on with ease.

Isabella sighs, downplaying her skill. "It's not that impressive. I learned it from that damn mage. However once I reach rank 5, mother will show me her movement technique. This method is barbaric compared to what mother can do," she explains, her voice a mix of pride and anticipation as she flies around trees, eyeing Aira.

'As expected, she's the fastest one here. The royal family has some of the most complicated techniques; it's impressive Aira is willing to learn them. This is exactly why she's more suited for the throne.'

"Dammit, V! I'm struggling to hold my stuff, hold up!" Biana complains while Kael carries her like a sack of potatoes. Clutching her talismans, she scrambles to find the correct ones, her frustration evident. 'Ugh... this is annoying, do I have to make another one?' Diving into her pouch, she pulls out a pen with determination. "Tsk, what a pain. Don't shake so much, damn it, I need to write something down, you moron!" With a slap, she places a piece of paper on Kael's back and presses her pen firmly down.

Kael flinches, "What the fuck, Biana! That stings!" Despite his complaints, she pushes down, tracing a runic pattern with focused precision. "Stop acting like a damn baby and wait for a second." 

Kael clicks his tongue, feeling the sharpness of her pen. 'That tip is sharp as hell; if I hadn't coated my back with aura, she would've made a hole in me,' he thinks, wary of the pain.

After a couple of seconds, Biana finally announces, "There we go." She grabs a small piece of Isadora's clothing and places the talisman on it, causing a mana arrow to appear and point in a direction. "Okay, so we just need to keep heading this way for now," Kael mumbles, adjusting his course according to the new guidance.

Sera nods in admiration. "Biana, you're amazing," she declares, her voice laced with genuine awe. 'I've never seen anyone do something like this. Now that I think about it, no one really uses runes, I think only researchers use them. But why? They seem pretty useful,' she muses, pondering the potential of runes while following the group.

"Ugh... I need to make a couple more," Biana groans, already anticipating the effort required for their journey ahead. "Hey, V, you better cook me something when this is over," she grumbles, continuing her rune work with a mix of diligence and demand.

Everyone else nods in agreement, saying "Yeah," in perfect unison, as if the promise of Kael's cooking was a foregone conclusion.

Kael exhales, bewildered by the sudden expectations placed upon him. 'Do they think I'm their exclusive chef?'

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Dammit! What happened to her!?" Lúthien clenches her fist, her concern for Taelia coloring her thoughts as she leaps from tree to tree. 'Dammit, they caught up to us? What happened, Taelia?' she ponders, her worry palpable in the tense silence between her movements.

"Don't worry about it, she's not dead," Ardalos assures her in his characteristically soothing voice, touching his forehead as he taps into his connection with his pet birds soaring above. "It looks like she lost, but they didn't finish her off. They're specifically after you," he explains, his calm demeanor contrasting sharply with the chaos below.

BOOM! They narrowly evade a devastating blow, managing to jump away just as the tree they were on shatters to pieces. "W-what the heck, why is this demi-human so strong!?" Lúthien exclaims, disbelief lacing her voice as another punch from Ri sends vibrations through the forest, shaking all nearby trees and thwarting Ardalos's attempts at control.

"Stop running, there's no point. I'll catch you sooner or later," Ri calls out with a husky voice, his pursuit relentless.

"Dammit! Hey, demi-humans, why are you after me!?" Lúthien shouts back, pushing herself to run faster, her fear and frustration fueling her desperate flight.

Nia, still trapped within the tree, pleads mockingly, "Come on, let me out~ I can catch them way quicker than that dumb dog~" Her captor, the nameless man, carries the tree with a resigned demeanor, his mana slowly releasing from the wooden prison.

"Go easy on them, they're weak," the man mumbles, his instruction barely audible as he sets Nia free.

Nia giggles maliciously as she breaks out of the tree with ease. Stretching back, her body bends all the way back and under her legs, with a satisfying pop marking the release of tension. "Oh, that's good~" she murmurs, a wicked gleam in her eye as she steps forward, appearing in front of Ri from the side of a tree. "Hey you dirty dog, it's my turn to play," she declares with a deliciously mischievous tone, her anticipation for the ensuing chaos evident.

Ri exhales and takes a step back, his interest evidently waning. "I was getting bored anyways," he replies in his deep, husky voice, turning around and leaving the scene to her, his departure as nonchalant as his entrance.

'A different one? She doesn't look like she's physically strong; is she a mage?' Lúthien wonders, pushing herself to run at full speed as she starts losing sight of them. 'We might be able to get aw—' Her thoughts are abruptly cut off as a voice purrs, "Hello there, darling~" from directly in front of her. Turning, she sees the same woman she had just seen behind her, her pink eyes glowing ominously under the shade. Lúthien jumps back in shock. 'When did she get in front of me!?'

As soon as she lands, Nia emerges from behind a tree, whispering into Lúthien's ear while massaging her shoulders, "Are we hiding from someone?"

Lúthien's skin crawls at the contact; she flicks her elbow back in a reflexive attempt to hit Nia. "Why are you after me!?" she demands, her voice echoing with both anger and fear.

Nia, jumping back before the blow lands, feigns hurt, "Ouch~ that's not very nice~" Her tone drips with malice, adding an unsettling edge to the encounter.

The trees around them seem to come alive, their branches lashing out in an attempt to ensnare Lúthien, but Nia moves with supernatural agility, dodging each assault with ease. "Boy, be grateful I can't kill you," she remarks coldly, appearing behind Ardalos and running her finger along his cheek, her presence imposing and her intent unclear.