Ben's sudden invitation to travel the world surprised Mira and Elfman. They don't know each other that well because they've encountered each other 3 times over the last 2 years after meeting for the first time. But Ben already invited them to go on a big adventure with him.
"No need to be that surprised. I know we aren't that close yet, but we can work on it. Getting closer to someone takes time and we have it. I don't plan to do it that soon, so we will have time to get to know each other." Ben said.
"When will you start your journey?" Elfman asked Ben.
"Maybe in 3 years when I turn 18. I want to make sure that everything is fine while I'm not there. In 3 years, Wendy will turn 13 and I'm still not sure if she can handle herself at that time. It's my biggest concern right now." Ben confessed.
"What about the cats?" Mira asked while looking at Bella who was sleeping soundly on Ben's lap.
"Bella will join me, but Carla will stay with Wendy. I've discussed this with them already and they agreed." He said.
"Are you seriously about inviting us? You can take Wendy with you, why are you inviting us?" Mira asked.
"I'm serious. As for Wendy, she's still too young for this. Leaving her with the guild is the best choice because the old man can take care of her." Ben replied.
"But what's your reason for inviting us?" Mira questioned.
"Because you've changed significantly. Your mind has matured over the last 2 months. I wouldn't invite you if you were still the irritating, bratty Mira." Ben said with a smirk.
Mira pouted after Ben said that. She knew she was irritating in the past now after she changed. But it was still annoying when Ben reminded her about that.
Ben just laughed after seeing Mira pout like that. He always wanted to tease her since she had a funny reaction after they parted ways last time.
Besides, he liked to tease people in the past. He teased Wendy and the cats, but their reactions weren't that good. Wendy would apologize immediately, Carla would get angry and ignore him, while Bella never understood it.
That's why getting a funny reaction from Mira really made him happy, so he wanted to continue teasing her. Besides, he didn't have another target to tease.
They remained silent for a minute.
"We will think about it. For now, we want to focus on a way to heal Lisanna. Right, Elfman?" Mira said.
"Yeah, we can't leave Lisanna before she recovers." Elfman added.
"Alright, we still have 3 years, so there's no need to rush it. But I need to tell you this. You might find the cure for Lisanna's condition while roaming around the world. So if you can't find it here, try searching other places. I will help you find it, so don't give up if you can't find it here." Ben told them.
Mira and Elfman smile after hearing that and thank Ben. They always receive words of support from their guild mates, but it felt different when Ben said it. Maybe it's because he was there when the tragedy happened and saw what happened personally.
They stop discussing it and talk about less stressful things. It took them 2 hours to reach the job's location in the southern forest. Ben could drive faster, but the car would take too much magic power, so he drove rather slowly.
In the forest, the three of them talk about their job. It was to find and subdue a Dark Guild hiding in this forest. That's also why they cooperated because their enemies are mages.
The Dark Guild has stolen some magical items from the National Council Branch. Their leader is a member of the Council and he had planned it for a long time. He is also a strong mage and has strong partners. That's why this is a S-Class job.
Ben tried to track the Dark Mage's trail in the forest. Mira and Elfman try to help him, but they don't have tracking abilities and can't find anything. So Ben told them to focus on their surroundings for any danger.
It wasn't easy trying to find their targets in this wide forest. They searched for 3 hours and didn't find a thing. The forest is just too wide and they don't have any clues.
They kept walking and try to find any trail of their targets. But Ben suddenly felt something strange and stopped walking. He looked around and spread his magic sense.
"Why'd you stop?" Mira asked.
Ben placed his index finger to his lips as a gesture for Mira to be quiet. Mira did as he asked and kept quiet. Ben continued looking around while spreading his magic sense.
"Tch, they got us." Ben said, annoyed.
"What do you mean?" Elfman asked.
"Did you notice that we were here an hour and a half ago?" Ben asked back.
"What?!" Mira exclaimed in surprise.
Mira and Elfman look around and finally realize that they've been there before. It looked a little different because they were looking in a different direction. But if they look carefully, they will notice that they've been here before.
Both of them were confused about why they came back to this location. They're sure that they walked straight to the center of this forest. But now they realize they're close to the border.
"They used magic or a magic item to make us lose our way and walk in a circle. I don't know when we were affected, but I know how to counter it." Ben said.
"You know how to counter it? Do you have an idea what magic was used on us?" Mira asked.
"Yeah, I know. They used Sound Magic that has a low frequency, so humans can't hear it. But even if humans can't hear, they are still affected by it." Ben explained.
Ben can hear the sound, albeit it was very faint. But as a Dragon Slayer, his 5 senses are strong. So he can still hear the low frequency sound if he focused.
"Close your ears and make sure you can't hear anything." Ben instructed.
The siblings do as he said and cover their ears with their fingers. But the sound will still enter it, so they need to rely on another method. Now they cover their ears using leaves and their hands that have been covered with Ethernano.
Unlike the siblings, Ben didn't cover his ears. He tried to find the sound's source, so he concentrated. He finally found it after a minute and gestured to the siblings to follow him.
They walk deeper into the forest and follow Ben's lead. The sound got clearer in Ben's ears as they walk further ahead. Now he can ascertain the source of the sound, a bell.
ding~ ding~ ding~*
The bell rang frequently and the frequency was really low that Ben almost can't hear it. If he wasn't a Dragon Slayer with sharp hearing, then he wouldn't hear it at all.
The bell's sound seems to affect someone's mind and mess with their sense of direction. It's a perfect tool to be used as a defense in a wide area like this. The Dark Guild really had planned all their steps after stealing the magic items.
After walking for a half hour, Ben finally sensed the presence of some humans through his magic sense. They've finally found their targets' hiding spot.
"Are you guys ready?" Ben asked.
Mira and Elfman look at each other before nodding.
"Yeah." They said.
Ben nodded as well.
"Let's do this."