The Star Seekers did have a few things to say, but it was mostly just Ralph grumbling about how their Captain was trying to work them to their death, with Zain adding in his own views on the matter from the side. No one had anything to add about their plans. So, after a brief discussion, and prompt dismissal of Ralph’s complaints, the Star Seekers resumed their exploration.

  Cecilia, as usual, led their team in front, with Alnea and Norren following right behind her, forming the arrowhead of their team. Though, unlike a usual arrowhead, the arrow of the Star Seekers was a little skewed, with Alnea lagging behind Norren, staying somewhere in between the dual sword wielding vanguard and the support squad formed by Ralph and Aren, acting as their guard.

  Further behind them, Vestia and Yuri formed their second line of support, and a second line of defence against sneak attacks, making full use of the long range and versatility of their attacks. Just as Zain and Karl used their large repertoire of Arcanas and Glyphs to form their last line of support. Filling in the gap left by Fran’s absence was not as hard as they had thought it would be.

  The only Star Seeker truly affected by the change in their formation was Alnea. But that was also on his insistence. It was the most logical choice, after all. Not to mention that by focussing more on defending his teammates, he could also assure the girls that he would not do something stupid once again. Though he still considered his choice to be the most logical one.

  Regardless, while they were still in the Final World, Alnea promised the girls that he would not do anything suicidal. Then again, with his master’s protection, nothing he did could be considered suicidal. Not even poking a hole in the Final World’s barrier. Or jumping straight into a Spatial Storm. But his reckless actions were bound to affect the rest of his team. And he was not sure if his master’s Roots could save them too.

  So, suppressing the urges that came jumping in his Heart from time to time, Alnea kept fulfilling his duties as their team’s vanguard and guardian, intercepting the attacks coming their way, and defending their support line. At the same time, as their Captain, he led the Star Seekers to charge through the forest, taking down all the obstacles that came their way, be it Oren Beasts or Wanderers.

  The only thing that the Star Seekers could do nothing against, was the forest. And that, they left alone. It did not matter how the forest was changing, or what kind of dangers it hid. Those dangers were not going to surface anytime soon. At least not before their stay in the Final World came to an end. And as for what would happen after they left, it would not be their headache. Though it was not as if things always went according to their wishes.

  As the Star Seekers were rushing through forest, Alnea spotted a group of birds, each roughly half a metre tall, and a quarter as wide, all flocking to the same tree. And as if that was not strange enough already, the entire brood of crows, sporting greyish black feathers and pitch black beaks, had its blood red eyes trained on the Star Seekers, following all their movements.

  Thankfully, the crows were about a couple hundred metres away. At that distance, the birds were not much of a threat. After all, for their Innate Ability to work, Phantom Crows could not be more than ten metres away from their targets. Yet, despite the distance between them, Alnea still raised his hand and called for his teammates to come to a stop.

  “What is it?” Cecilia said, not bothering to hide her excitement. “Do we finally have some enemies?”

  “…We do, but I would not be so excited if I were you.”

  “It is alright. As long as it is something I can fight. I would not mind even if—

  Cecilia paused, as if recalling something, and then gnashed her teeth, before adding, “It’s not those crows again, right?”

  “…It’s the crows.”

  “Inkah take those cretins,” Norren said, as he unfurled his Spirit. “Why won’t they leave us alone?”

  “You know why,” Karl said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Who told you to smash their nests?”

  “How was I supposed to know that they would build their nests right under my seat?”

  “They did not build their nest under your seat, you chose to sit on their nest.”

  “It’s the same thing. And what kind of birds build their nests under the ground anyway?”

  “The kind that have too many enemies roaming around their territory,” Zain said, glancing at Norren with disdain. “If you would have taken some time off from swinging your swords all day long, and spent some time trying to study, you would have known that not even Oren Beasts are stupid enough to leave their infants out in the open when they go out to hunt.”

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  “…I thought that Oren Beasts leave their infants to fend on their own.”

  “Some do, but not all Oren Beasts are the same,” Vestia said, as she slipped her bow into her hands, and turned towards the crows. “The usual?”

  “…No,” Alnea said after some thought. “No warning shots this time.”

  “So, we leave them alone until they go away?”

  “And then come back to harass us after a few hours once again?” Ralph mumbled. “How are they even tracking us?”

  “Probably through smell,” Aren said, glancing at Norren. “Since the fog cannot block their sight, it should not be able to block the breath of their children’s death on our bodies either.”

  “Smell death? Isn’t the Innate Ability of these crows related to illusion and phantoms?”

  “It is, but do not forget that all Crows have relatively higher affinity with the Mysteries of Death,” Karl said, answering for Aren. “I do not see why Phantom Crows should be any different.”

  “But Oren Beasts cannot use the Mysteries of the Origin Sea other than what their Innate Abilities give them until they their Adult Stage.”

  “That’s true too, but it should not be difficult for them to simply track the breath of their kin’s death.”

  “…So, we cannot do anything about them?”

  “Unless…” Zain mumbled, trailing off towards the end, but everyone understood what he meant.

  “…Forget it,” Aren said after a few moments of silence, shaking his head. “Captain said not to kill unless necessary…”

  Silence descended on the Star Seekers once again, as they sneaked a glance at their Captain, but they could not glean his intentions. So, after a while, and some prodding from Ralph, Norren said, “I think we should be able to make an exception…”

  “Will you people stop mumbling and glancing at Alnea like girls?” Cecilia said when she noticed the strange behaviour of her teammates. “If you want to kill those crows, then just ask him directly…”

  Cecilia trailed off towards the end, trying to sneak a few glances at Alnea, all the while trying to be as nonchalant as she could, as if the words she said had nothing to do with her. Those stupid crows? What did their life and death had to do with her? It was not as if she was so annoyed by their repeated harassment, that she wanted to beat them senseless, and pluck all their feather. No, she was just trying to help out her teammates. As any good Wanderer would. If only her gaze at the crows had not been the fiercest of all the Star Seekers…

  “Alright, I get the point,” Alnea said, letting out a wry smile. “Everyone hates the crows.”

  “Hate the crows? Who? Me? Who said that?”

  “…Don’t worry, I am not going to give you a speech about the dangers of wanton killing in the forest.”

  “…You should have said that at the beginning,” Cecilia mumbled, before glaring at the crows. “So, what are we going to do with them?”

  “…I did not want to cause any unnecessary slaughter, and thought that killing a couple of them should be enough to scare them off—

  “Clearly, it is not.”

  “…Since the situation has already developed beyond our control, there is no point in holding back now,” Alnea said with sigh, before putting on his solemn face. “It is time we got rid of these crows.”

  “Finally,” Cecilia said, cracking her knuckles. “We should have done this long ago.”

  “Are you sure?” Yuri said, glancing at the crows, before turning back to Alnea. “If your guess is not wrong, then this place should not be far from where the Lotus clan laid out their traps for us.”

  “It is exactly because I think that we might have to face Lotus clan next, that we must get rid of these crows right away. Or else, with how cunning these crows are, they might take advantage of us being ambushed to harass and distract us in battle. And if that happens… In any case, we must get rid of these crows before we face the Lotus clan. Of course, we must also be ready to the face the Lotus clan before taking these crows down… Yuri, Lia, Vestia, do you remember the ‘surprise’ I gave you?”

  “…The tokens?”

  “No, the other one.”

  “…Is it finally time to use that?”

  “…Maybe. I am not sure. But we should prepare it just in case. It is not easy to use in midst of battle after all…”

  While Alnea was discussing how to fend off the sudden attacks of their enemies with the girls, the rest of the Star Seekers were looking at them with confusion.

  “…Do you understand what they are talking about?”

  “No, but whatever it is, it sounds like it is very troublesome to prepare.”

  “Maybe they are talking about a Glyph Array?”

  “What kind of Glyph Array would need four people to work together?”

  “…Are they trying to burn down the forest?”

  “…It does not sound like a bad idea…”

  “But the thing that the forest is sealing…”

  “It will be burned down with the fores—

  “Stop!” Alnea said, marvelling at the audaciousness of his teammates. “What are you doing?”

  “…Discussing what you and the girls are preparing.”

  “And have the forest bury us in the process?” Alnea said, before waving his hands, signalling his teammates to resume their formation. “Stop thinking so much. You will know what we are preparing if and when we are forced to use it. For now, you just need to prepare yourselves to deal with these crows. Is that clear?”

  “…Yes.”

  “Good, then, when I give the signal…”