'H......? What just happened?

Satsuki shouted in surprise as I used the magic missile spell to destroy the enemy's magic.
Cyril and Mee were also blinking their eyes.

To them, it must have looked as if I suddenly started chanting a spell, then shot an arrow of light at nothing, and the arrow of light exploded in the middle of nowhere.
But I felt a definite response to it.

I was able to break through the alert membrane that Alice had set up.
As I climbed up the path between the trees, I saw a small glowing red light of magic in my vision.

The light was smaller than my fist, and I guessed it was the 'eye' from the wizard eye Alice had used.
I then used the magic missile spell to destroy the magical light.

At this time, I limited the number of arrows I could fire with the magic missile to one.
The Magic Missile is the most basic attack spell that shoots arrows formed by magic power and hits the enemy, but the higher the basic ability of the magician, the more arrows the spell can shoot.

With my ability, I can usually create and release three arrows of light at the same time, but here I have chosen to use only one.
This was done in the hope that Alice would underestimate my ability.

The sense magic and magic missile that we needed to intercept her were both first-level spells, and if we only fired one arrow, Alice might mistakenly believe that we were a beginner mage.
Furthermore, it would be best if she assumes that our entire party of adventurers is a beginner.

But in any case, it is certain that Alice is already aware of our presence.
It means that the insensibility we used earlier did not work.
This was done with the possibility of that happening in mind, so there is no problem.

I switched directions and headed towards the side, quickly explaining the situation to my friends.

'It's better to move from this place for now. That was probably Alice's wizard eye. We've crushed it, but it's already aware of our presence and location. I have another plan, but I don't know if it will be effective. In any case, a sudden magic attack is possible.

When I switched the direction of my movement, Mee immediately reacted and caught up with me, and Satsuki and Cyril followed a beat later.
Mee, who was the first to reach my side, called out to me.

'Mee is doing her best to understand what's going on.

'Magic warfare is generally a battle of wits, you know. It would be difficult for the rest of us who don't know the cards in each other's hands to understand the details of the game. However, I have never been defeated by an opponent of the same rank in a mock battle in my academy days. You can trust me as much as I can trust you.

'That's no problem. Mee trusts William a lot to begin with.'

Mee smiles at me.
She is small and lovely, and I think her smile has a magical power that makes people want to nod their heads.

I ruffle her hair, lightly because of the situation.
As usual, Mi squinted her eyes like a cat and looked comfortable.

Then the four of us moved to a place some distance away from where we were, where we hid and waited for a while.

This is a great way to make sure that you don't have to worry about your own safety.

'...... That's strange. They don't do anything, they don't come to scout?

'Maybe he's waiting for us at his home base over there?'

Cyril mentions one possibility, but it doesn't quite ring true to my senses.

'No, it depends on what kind of preparations they have at their base, but in a normal magic battle, having your location identified by the opponent is a fatal blow. A normal sense would tell you that if you have captured the opponent's position, they will try to take you by surprise. ......'

I can't help thinking about the reason.
I have a few options in my mind for my next move.

Using the wizard's eye or see-through vision to find out the enemy's location is a good idea.
There are also several other spells that can be used to find Alice's location.

The only problem is that I don't have much magical energy left, and these spells for obtaining information are all high-level and require a lot of magical energy.

I've already cast quite a few spells today, consuming sixty percent of my total magical energy.
Considering that we can compete with the remaining 40% of magic elements, these spells that require about a third of the remaining amount are a little too costly.

'William, why don't you let Mee scout around?

Mee, who was lurking right next to me, suggested that.

I think about it and come to the conclusion that it's a good idea.
It might be more effective not to use magical means here.

Besides, I can still communicate telepathically with Mee now.
In that sense, the risk is also low.

'Okay, please, Mee. Make full use of telepathy.

'Yes, sir. I'm off.

Then, using her stealthy skills as a thief, she headed in the direction of our original destination.

A little while after we lost sight of her, we received a telepathic message from her.

I found a building that looks like a mountain hut. I'll get closer.

Please. But take it easy.

I understand.

Then for a few tens of seconds.
I get another call from Mee.

There doesn't seem to be anyone around. I've been listening in and out of the cabin, and it doesn't look like anyone's home.

All right. We'll join you. Wait for us there.

"Understood."

And so, Satsuki, Cyril, and I joined up with Mee.
Just before we met up, the trees in the forest suddenly opened up.

There was a part of the forest that had been carved out like a square.
In the center of the square, about ten meters across, stood a small wooden hut.

We moved to the entrance of the hut, in front of the door,

'Let's open the door...ready!

With Satsuki in the lead, we opened the door of the hut.