Tracking the Evidence One Explosion at a Time

The trio started to follow the direction of the magical compass spell Fei used. Unlike any other compass, it doesn't point to the true North, instead, it points towards the object you are looking for. This magic was handy in situations like finding a specific book in a library or searching for a lost toy in the orphanage, things like that. Since Fei cannot learn any attack spells, she decided to learn all other kinds of spells. Thankfully, for this situation, they have a clue of sorts, a bundle of fur, left behind by the monster.

"Are you sure this spell is working? We are almost out of the school grounds now, Ms. Fei"

"Yeah. I have used this spell many times to track monsters outside Ancdam, so don't worry,"

Fei assured Cybel that the spell works, and that they are heading in the right direction. As a student studying magic, Cybel cannot help but be doubtful of the effectiveness of this everyday spell. She glances toward Sofia, checking to see her reaction. Sofia caught her glances but simply shook her head.

"Just let Ms. Fei do her thing. It may not look like it, but she is the most skillful mage I've ever encountered," Sofia said to her.

The two are both her seniors in the academy. Even the principal held them in high regard, even as far as requesting them to investigate the mysteries happening in their alma mater, so Cybel decided to believe in their words as they walked their way further.

Soon after, they are outside the school grounds and are now within the small communal forest behind the school. Unlike real forests, this one is made for leisurely walks and for other recreational activities, so there are no signs of monsters. To add, it is well-maintained by the school staff that if by chance, a monster happened to be hiding inside of it, the school would immediately take care of it.

"We're getting closer," Fei said. She started walking in a certain direction, her spell vibrating, indicating that they are close to their target. They strayed off a bit from the usual pathway, heading towards the nearby bushes and hedges. Cybel's wariness is showing, being in an unfamiliar place, but looking at the duo's calm demeanor, she encouraged herself to push past her limits.

The magical compass started pulsating from yellow to a hue of deeper red as they walked further into the woods.

"Closer, closer, and - *ack*, ow!" Fei exclaimed. "Who placed a wall in here!? Huh?"

She was the one leading the group, so obviously, she was at the very front. As she followed her spell, an invisible wall of some sort was blocking their path. Rubbing her swollen nose, the trio started to inspect the obscured object. They felt their way around it, before finally meeting with one another at the opposite end.

"It's like a building," Sofia concluded after making a complete turn around the object. Since it is invisible to the naked eye, they relied on their sense of touch to figure out the nature of the structure.

"It seems so," Cybel agreed with her. "But what to do, we cannot proceed with the investigation if we can't see what we are investigating," she added.

"Don't worry, I just have the perfect spell for this,"

Holding her staff up high, Sofia started channeling her magic into it. The orb at the end of the staff started to glow, before slowly merging into a single point. With her staff fully charged, she pointed it toward the invisible object.

"Wait, you're using THAT!?" Fei exclaimed, having figured out what spell Sofia was preparing for.

"Explode!" with a single chant, a bombardment spell was unleashed toward the invisible structure.

A gust of dust and smoke billowed out from the structure. The surrounding scenery was heavily damaged, with the bushes and trees cleared within a twenty-meters radius. After unleashing her spell, Sofia went to check its effects on the invisible structure.

"Hmmm. It's sturdier than I thought. Perhaps, I need to use a higher-level spell, like Explosion? What do you think, Ms. Fei? Huh?"

Sofia looked around, but Fei and Cybel were nowhere to be found. A short distance away, a pile of rubbles started to move. Slowly, Fei and Cybel emerged from the debris.

"Ms. Fei, Cybel! What are you doing over there?" Sofia asked, clueless as to what have caused them to be buried in the dirt.

"What do you mean WHAT? YOU caused this! Good thing I had my Terra spell at the ready. If not, we could have been blown away as well!" Fei complained to her companion.

At the last minute, Fei managed to conjure her Terra spell, forming a wall to safeguard both her and Cybel from the explosion magic that Sofia was using. It was a lucky save, at best.

"Next time, be sure to warn us before using a spell like that again. Understood?" she told Sofia while dusting away the dirt and debris from their dresses.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Ms. Fei, Cybel," Sofia was apologetic. She didn't mean any harm, but realizing her shortcomings, she immediately realized her blunder and quickly reflected on it.

Seeing her junior's apologetic expression, Fei cannot help but feel guilty about lecturing her. She approached Sofia and patted her on the shoulder.

"Welp, 'all's well that ends well', or so they say. Just be careful next time," she said. After hearing her words, Sofia's face brightened up, and her cheery expression returned.

"Yes, Ms. Fei!" she responded.

"Good. Now, let me handle this. An explosion is good and all, but what will we investigate if you've turned valuable evidence into smithereens, right? There are certain spells for certain occasions, same for this particular one,"

Fei started gathering mana towards the palm of her hands, creating a small stream of golden light. Cybel and Sofia were mesmerized by the beauty of the spell.

"Provoli!" she shouted the name of her spell.

Provoli is a revealing spell, used to reveal hidden passageways and writings. It is also used in detecting hidden writings in contracts, so this skill is a must for every merchant. Fei mastered this spell in order for her to reveal hidden writings in her reference books, among many other things.

As soon as she used the spell, the once-invisible wall started to reveal its true form. What appeared first was a roof, followed by a set of windows, and finally, before them, a door. Fei turned the knob, prying it open.

"Now, let's continue our investigation," she said to the two.