A thin sheet of ice rose like a wall between Victoria and the depths of the grand hall.

Madelynn unsheathed two daggers and positioned herself in front of Victoria.

"What's going on?" Nia asked, readying her magic while scanning their surroundings.

"An attack," Alec answered, his eyes narrowed. He walked up to the sheet of ice with a frown.

He turned to the side and pointed at something stuck halfway through it.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ticka asked with a frown and crossed arms.

"It looks like a needle?" Maura suggested. A polished, glossy, white needle-like object was lodged in the ice wall.

As Nia walked up to touch it, Alec grabbed her wrist. He instantly felt at least three glares drill into him. He removed his hand.

"I apologize, but I would caution against touching it."

"Why…?" Nia asked with a frown.

"I think that's what killed the spiders. And I think it is laced with poison."

"..."

"Although, considering it penetrated Lady Victoria's ice wall, it should have the strength to penetrate the spiders' heads as well, I don't think they would have stayed in the ceiling if that were the case. I think it's more likely that this needle-thing is coated in a poison with paralyzing properties."

"Are you certain?"

It didn't look like the needle had any poison on it or a way to dispense poison.

"Of course not. It is just a theory, Lady Lason. If you wish to test it, I have no reason to stop you."

Nia didn't answer. But she pulled back the hand that had been slowly creeping through the air toward the needle again.

"What he says is reasonable. Thank you for saving my attendant, Alec." Victoria nodded toward Alec, to Nia's and Ticka's surprise.

"No, not at all. I apologize for showing such disrespect."

"Think nothing of it. Instead, I would like to hear your thoughts on what we are dealing with."

Alec scanned the ceremonial hall. It was a large, round room with a domed ceiling, where most of the glass beads were. The distant walls and the corners between them and the floor were veiled in shadow.

The wooden tags with the Academy's symbol on them hung on the opposite side of the wall on rows of metal hooks drilled into the wall.

"It's small."

There weren't many places for the monster to hide. If it were small enough, it could even hide behind the tags or in the furrows in engraved spell formation on the ground.

"It shouldn't have any upfront combat ability. If it did, with a monster's intelligence, it would have attacked us already. Since it's hiding and launching attacks, that should be everything it can do.

"Given the environment, it's likely to be an insect. Instead of growing in size when it became a monster, it developed a poison-dart-shooting ability. I can't think of any insects that naturally possess such an ability in this region, after all.

"Probably a second-stage." Alec racked his brain for clues about what it could be, but could only find general traits. Still, he had a nagging feeling that he had read about something like this. He just didn't know where, when, or in what context, so he couldn't find it.

"That is similar to what I was thinking." Victoria nodded.

Victoria turned to Maura.

"How do you think we should deal with it?" While Alec had spoken, the ice wall had spread to shield them all. There was no rush. They could take their time thinking about it.

"Can't we just burn it?" Maura suggested with a pure heart.

Victoria tilted her head, and the others frowned.

Noticing their looks, Maura explained,

"We seal off the other exits, prepare a bunch of fire, and then retreat into the last exit before sealing that one as well. The monster will die from the heat or suffocation."

Maura might be a little mad for fire, but she wasn't stupid.

"That is not a bad idea," Nia admitted with a nod as she considered it.

"How do you propose we seal off the other exits?" Victoria asked.

"And what about the tags?" Ticka added before Maura could answer the first question.

"I…was thinking that you could use your ice walls for the exits, Lady Fosra. As for the tags…" Maura turned to Alec with a hopeful expression, asking for his help.

"An incomplete Earth Dome should do the trick."

"Good thing we have two earth mages with us." Victoria smiled and looked at Ticka and Nia.

"Who wants to do the honors?"

Ticka glanced at Nia. It was an opportunity to curry favor with Victoria. But there was one problem.

"Won't the monster attack us?"

"Alec will protect whoever agrees to do it."

Ticka wrinkled her nose.

"Why are you even acting like there's a choice. You don't know Earth Dome, Ticka," Nia said with a frown.

"I'll go." Nia turned to Alec, who nodded.

He cast Simple Barrier twice, both barriers big enough to cover them both. One big with two layers was better than two smaller ones.

Nia's eyebrows rose slightly as she inspected the barriers. They were well-done, and Alec had cast them quickly.

"Let's go," She said simply. Entrusting her safety to him, maybe, wasn't so bad.

Victoria brought down a section of the ice wall and let them pass before restoring it behind them.

Nia and Alec walked across the floor in silence, warily looking around. Well, Nia was looking for the monster. Alec was looking at the floor. He was curious about the effects of the engraved spell formation.

It had been impossible to tell with the fraction from one of the chambers. But now that he was getting a better look at the whole, it felt like he could figure it out with just a superficial look with [Reader]. He might not be able to decipher it or the runes, but he could at least tell what the goal was.

However, a thwanging sound interrupted him.

A needle had hit the barrier surrounding him and Nia before bouncing off.

"Did you see where it came from?" Alec asked.

"I didn't even see it. It is too fast."

"It is a shame that detection spells are so rare. Otherwise, we could have found this sneaky thing and attacked it head-on."

"Have you heard of Tremor Sense?"

"No?"

"I'll teach it to you when we return."

Alec's eyes widened.

Most spells not available on the first or second floors that could still be learned and reliably used by first-circle mages were usually kept private for a reason.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. It's a spell from my family. I'm free to share it with whoever I want. Since you have saved me once, maybe twice, I think it is more than fair."

"Oh, wow. Thank you, Lady Lason." Alec was stunned. He had not expected such generosity from a noble.

Nia rolled her eyes.

"Nia. Just Nia."

"Alright. Nia."

"I'm starting."

"Mhm."

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