Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst-Chapter 150: VOL 2 - 95: Maybe Erik is a little better.

The issue of a possible traitor had been a constant concern for the three girls. After all, it was too much of a coincidence that the three students who ended up eliminated were the strongest in the group below them, the direct disciples, and also the most loyal, as they were part of the same fraternity at the university.

Although the students weren't particularly talented—since they were all around 300 years old and only one, the water-affinity mage, was an Ascended-Expert, while the others were merely Ascended-Advanced—they were still a force to be reckoned with in their current situation, as they had good technique and vast combat experience.

Moreover, since they belonged to the same fraternity—a social group that represented high status and great opportunities at the university—it was unlikely they would commit betrayal. If they did, they would be automatically expelled, and it would be difficult for another fraternity to accept them, as the most valuable asset of any fraternity was its direct disciples. Losing them had been a heavy blow.

But since they had imagined that something like this could happen, especially with that blue-haired fox competing against them, the girls had remained cautious from the start, refusing to fully reveal their plans. Not even to Ethan, who was the new direct disciple of the Order thanks to his master recently joining and the director granting him recognition. As a result, they were the only ones who knew the location of the refuge, which could only be accessed through tunnels created with the help of several magical artifacts, primarily from Liliana and Elara.

The magical artifacts not only created complex tunnels that prevented ethereal projection beyond their walls but also, without the key, the marks left in the tunnels would disorient anyone who tried to navigate them. This ensured that no one could find the path to the refuge, even if they knew the way beforehand, allowing them to maintain relative calm despite the suspicion of a traitor in their ranks.

"Yes, although until now it was just baseless suspicion, some strange things happened in the last fight, so it's better to be even more cautious and control the information we reveal." Liliana commented with a dark expression similar to Zoe's, to which Elara added with a serious look.

"But we also have to consider the possibility that it's just a coincidence, as being overly cautious could backfire, especially when we're in a race against time with people searching for us everywhere."

"You're right about that too. Maybe we're just being a bit paranoid, but it's better to stay cautious, as we have been so far. This is a delicate moment, and we could fall victim to an ambush at any time." Zoe added seriously, elegantly sipping her cup of tea, at which point Liliana asked in a calm tone.

"I completely agree, but what are we going to do about the three openings we have?"

At Liliana's question, Zoe and Elara could only sigh heavily, as it was a truly complicated problem. Elara then commented in a slightly tired tone, bringing her teacup to her lips.

"It's a tricky issue. At this point, it will be hard to replenish our numbers. Almost all the other participants are already organized, especially those with strength similar to the members we lost. Besides, at this stage, it's hard not to be suspicious of any new person who joins."

"Elara's right. We already suspect a traitor in the group, so bringing in more people now would only worsen the situation, which could be more harmful than beneficial." Zoe agreed with Elara's words, who added with a smile, looking at Liliana.

"So, we have no choice but to continue with reduced numbers. It seems we'll have to rely on you and Disciple Williams."

"Yes, I suppose that's the only way..." Liliana nodded with understanding and a serious demeanor, to which Elara smiled softly and asked in a cheerful tone, changing the subject to something less serious.

"By the way, what do you think of Disciple Williams?"

"Honestly, nothing special. Although his illusion affinity is quite rare and useful, he doesn't stand out that much." Zoe replied without much interest, bringing her cup to her lips, to which Liliana responded with a slightly surprised look on her face.

"Are you serious? He was a vital part of our success. If he hadn't infiltrated the enemy group with his illusions to take out one of their mages, we wouldn't have been able to obtain the staff, not to mention that his illusory fog matrix was what allowed us to retreat safely."

"I see your point. Disciple Williams was indeed a crucial part of the operation, but I still don't feel like he stands out particularly. It's like he's missing something..." Elara commented thoughtfully, wondering about the precise reason behind her assessment, but Zoe, who spoke right after, gave her the answer.

"Elara's right. Although Disciple Williams is quite good, compared to Disciple Erik, he still has a long way to go. Even though they're at the same level, the disparity in their ages shows who's more talented.

"But even without that, Disciple Williams' behavior and attitude are too childish compared to the mature and elegant style of Disciple Erik. It really makes you think that the older one is Disciple Erik, when in reality, he's a third of Disciple Williams' age."

"That's it! That's why I feel like he's missing something. He's much worse than Disciple Erik!"

Zoe's words illuminated Elara, who nodded vehemently and commented excitedly, finally understanding why she felt he wasn't good enough. Disciple Erik was too outstanding, and comparisons were inevitable.

Meanwhile, Liliana looked at her friends in surprise, who were exchanging satisfied and understanding glances, wondering where they saw the "mature and elegant" in that fool Erik, who spent his time eating cookies and playing with his wolves like a little child. This inevitably led her to ask incredulously.

"You can't be serious, can you?"

"Of course we're serious. Disciple Williams isn't bad, but he still has a lot to improve compared to Disciple Erik."

Seeing Zoe's serious expression as she responded, Liliana began to reflect a bit on the topic, realizing that they were partly right. Setting aside the "mature and elegant" part that she couldn't see anywhere, Liliana couldn't help but agree that, in terms of pure talent, Erik was a damn monster.

Erik's talent was so terrifying that year after year, he achieved increasingly absurd feats. Ethan, on the other hand, could only be called a rare genius with great potential but no real achievements to show for it, and he was almost a century older. Meanwhile, that fool was already as strong as him and had achieved admirable academic accomplishments, and the most exasperating part was that the fool barely even attended classes lately.

"Well... maybe Erik is a little better..."

With some reluctance, Liliana let out an admission that was somewhat hard to make, as knowing it and putting it into words were two very different things. But wanting to quickly change the subject, she added seriously.

"But let's stop wasting time and focus on solving the riddle."

"You're right. We've rested for a while. Let's not waste any more time and get to work."

After saying that, Zoe activated the staff, and several holographic screens containing images of the staff, overlaid with the actual recordings from that night, appeared in front of each of the girls. They immediately began adjusting the discrepancies between the two, while noting the changes they had to make in holograms that resembled spreadsheets.

...

...

...

A few hours later, the girls finished adjusting the images of the staff, ending up with a long list containing information about all the changes each star had undergone to align with the real images of the night sky.

"Well, I think this confirms that the star charts aren't deliberately distorted but are actually slight changes caused by different observation points." Elara commented with a focused expression as she analyzed the list of data on a holographic screen.

"Yes, it seems there are exactly four different viewpoints. I guess we'll have to calculate the distance of those points using our current position as a reference..." Liliana sighed, a bit tired, as she made the magical teapot brew more tea and took out a couple of desserts from her storage ring. At that moment, Zoe commented with a tired smile.

"It's most likely that the palace is located at the intersection of these four points, so let's not wait any longer. Let's find the place."

With tired smiles on their faces, the girls immediately began calculating the observation points of the different star charts. But since all they had was a very rough and basic map of the planet, with many blank and unexplored areas, when they finally found the intersection point, they realized they had no idea what the area was like.

"It seems we'll be in uncharted territory... this is going to be problematic..."

As she looked at the map on a holographic screen, which showed a pin in a blank zone, Elara commented with some concern. Zoe responded with a slight sigh and said while extending her hand for the floating teapot to refill her cup.

"We have no other choice. Sending a scout ahead could alert the other participants. Besides, we're short on numbers, so we need to be extremely careful."

"I guess that's all we can do. How troublesome..."

Setting her cup down, Liliana commented in a complicated tone, to which Elara and Zoe could only sigh in annoyance as they tried to calm their mood by sipping from their own teacups. They then did a few more checks to ensure they hadn't made any mistakes in their calculations.

After a while, having reviewed all the calculations a couple of times, Elara stretched out on the couch and then rubbed her eyes gently, visibly tired. At that moment, she spoke while lazily stretching.

"Well, I think it's better to get some sleep before midnight. It's been an exhausting day."

"...You're right. But, by the way, what are we going to tell the others at midnight? Will we look at the stars or leave immediately to take advantage of the element of surprise?"

After a tired yawn, Liliana asked while stretching similarly to Elara. At that moment, Zoe covered her own yawn with her hands and commented in a soft voice.

"I think it's best to leave at midnight. If there are traitors, they won't know what's happening until the last moment, which will give us some room to maneuver."

"I agree. Let's sleep for a couple of hours and leave at midnight." Elara nodded and let herself fall tiredly onto the sofa, at which point Liliana commented as she stood up.

"Then that's what we'll do. And are you planning to stay here or go to your own tents?"

"I'll stay here. This couch is calling me..." Elara said in a somewhat funny voice, already almost asleep, which made Zoe shake her head. Zoe then commented as she got up from her sofa, holding the staff in her right hand.

"Yes, it's better if we stay together, though I'll sleep in a bed."

"I'm not sharing my bed, but I'll leave a couple of beds here if you want to sleep."

Liliana spoke in a casual tone, pulling out two beds similar to the one already in the room. She then headed to her own bed with a tired step, falling asleep almost instantly. This made Zoe laugh amusedly as she quickly picked up the sleeping Elara in her arms and placed her on one of the beds. She then let herself fall onto the other bed, also falling asleep instantly while firmly holding the staff in her hands.

***

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