"You are a strange kid," Verkan said. "Most people like you wouldn't be a pain in the ass since they have been trained and disciplined by their fathers, but even compared to others, you are pretty… relaxed? I guess that is the word, most highborn kids even despite their training and discipline wouldn't come this far in a such small group, much less offer themselves as a bait."

"I can think of another strange kid who would accept this type of work…" Zaos said.

Using his magic, Zaos easily created a fire to cook the rabbits. While their breakfast was getting ready, Verkan made sure to keep the smoke of the fire as thin as possible. Although the snow didn't let up at night, just like the cold, at least the weather helped them mask their traces.

Although that was the other way around, Verkan and Zaos made sure to stay on guard duty at different times of the day. They would move as soon as the night comes, so they needed all the rest they could get.

Resting in such conditions wasn't easy, but in the end, the day passed really fast, and they didn't notice anything out of place in the region. The snow let it up a little bit after sunset, but the cloudy sky still was a problem. Even Verkan, who had worked in the mountains in such conditions so many times, was having a hard time moving around. However, despite that, around midnight, when Verkan was crossing a certain path, he noticed that some parts of the snow were strangely soft. When he looked at it with more caution, he found traces of footsteps. Several of them…

"It looks like a group passed by here around morning," Verkan said.

"Which direction they are going?" Zaos asked.

"Home…" Verkan furrowed his eyebrows. "This might be bad, they will reach Salide around midnight. Even if they don't do anything, they will notice my absence and the fact that the number of guards increased thanks your squad. It has been a while since a merchant has been attacked, so our people have been getting lax, one of them certainly will be targeted."

That seemed like a problem. Zaos and Verkan already were at least six hours behind that group. Perhaps following their footsteps in the opposite direction was the best option in order to find their camp. Still, they couldn't just ignore the possibility that some merchants might be attacked and killed. Verkan already failed, and that happened a few times. He wouldn't let the same thing happen without trying to stop it.

"We will rush and try to attack them from behind before they can get the chance to do anything," Verkan said. "Pick up the pace. Considering their footsteps, they are only walking. If we try hard, we can reach them before sunrise."

"Yes, sir," Zaos said, and then he began to run alongside Verkan.

Although they were running, the sound of their gear was barely making noise. They also had been training to avoid that, but as expected, Verkan was at another level altogether. After a couple of hours, even Zaos began to see the traces of their footsteps more clearly. At that moment, Zaos had an idea. Could he feel the magic presence left by his enemies? Learning how to feel the presence of other mages was hard without a mage nearby. For the time being, that was the best option he had. However, even though he could concentrate quite well while he fights and runs, Zaos didn't feel anything. 

Despite that, Zaos didn't give up. As the footsteps on the path became more obvious, Zaos stepped on them. Maybe if he tries to do the same thing as them, he will understand something new, and that will give him some insight.

"I have to think more like a mage and less like a warrior," Zaos thought. "That is probably the key to solve this matter."

After a while, Zaos had another idea. What if he tries to feel the magic within himself while he uses a spell? Holy Light could last longer, but that would reveal their position. In the end, Zaos enveloped his right hand with wing magic and then closed his eyes as he ran. He could feel thanks to his hand, the power overflowing, but he couldn't sense anything with his spirit alone. That was how he imagined the followers of the demon god managed to notice his presence a year ago.

"Maybe I am trying too fast something complicated that isn't even common magic knowledge," Zaos thought after a while. "I have to focus my senses on the mission…"

The very moment Zaos thought about that, something inside his head clicked, and then he stopped running and looked to his right side. He felt that something was there… he could feel it… traces of mana. That was weird. Why so sudden could he feel it when he didn't do anything differently?

Your Magic Perception has reached level 01

"What is wrong?" Verkan asked when he noticed that Zaos stopped. "Is something in that direction?"

"I think it is…" Zaos frowned. "I can't say exactly what it is, though."

When Zaos and Verkan went to check it, they found traces of a small campfire below a small group of trees. It was a pretty decent spot for a fire since the snow would be stopped by the trees, and the ground wasn't that wet.

"They stopped here… a few hours ago," Verkan said. "As expected, we really can catch up to them before sunrise. Nice job finding this… how did you do it?"

"I just felt some traces of mana, it is almost the same feeling that I have when I use Ignite," Zaos rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can't understand why suddenly I felt this…"

"Maybe it is because they used a spell that you know," Verkan said as he looked around. "It must be a similar feeling have when they find someone strong despite the appearances."

"I really can't understand that…" Zaos said.