"Meaning?" Mira asked.

"They didn’t chase us," Ronan said. "They stayed around Darius. That means they either can’t afford to move away from him, or they don’t care enough about us to follow."

Cole frowned. "That helps us how?"

"It gives us a window."

"A small one," Mira said.

"Yes."

Ronan glanced at her. She understood faster than Cole did.

"Class S thinks we’re running back to base," Ronan continued. "If they’re competent, they’ll assume we’re either heading for Class A or trying to reorganize. They won’t expect us to return this quickly with only three people."

Mira’s fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her bag. "And if they do?"

"Then we run."

Cole scoffed. "That’s the plan?"

"That’s the failure plan," Ronan said. "The actual plan is not being seen."

He lowered his voice further.

Ronan kept his tone even, but his attention stayed on the forest around them. Every second spent explaining was another second Class S had to secure their objective, but sending Mira and Cole in blind would be worse. Panic made people improvise, and improvisation made people get sloppy. If they understood only the narrow shape of the plan, they were less likely to ruin it by trying to be heroic.

"We approach from the rear-left side of the clearing. Not the same path we left from. We move separately, but close enough to see one another. If one of us is spotted, the other two do not help unless I signal for it."

Cole stared at him. "You want us to abandon each other too?"

"I want us to avoid turning one failure into three of them."

Mira nodded slowly. "What signal?"

Ronan crouched and picked up a thin branch from the ground. He snapped it into three uneven pieces, then placed them in the dirt. He signaled for them to pay attention.

"The statue is here. Class S will be centered around Darius. Irene will likely be facing outward, but her attention will be on interrogation most likely."

He dragged one piece along the edge.

Mira leaned closer, following the rough diagram.

Cole sneered.

"You’re terrible at making this sound reassuring."

"That’s because I’m not trying to reassure you."

Cole looked like he wanted to argue again, but Mira spoke before he could.

"What do you need us to do?"

Ronan pointed to the two outer marks.

"You two create noise away from the node. Not loud enough to start a battle. Just enough to draw eyes. A branch snap. A thrown stone. Mana disturbance only if you can manage it without exposing yourselves."

Mira frowned. "That won’t pull all of their attention."

Ronan nodded. "I know, but it will be enough."

"Then who goes for the node?" Cole asked.

Ronan stood.

"I do."

Cole looked at him like he’d lost his mind. "You?"

"Yes." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"I’m not trying to be rude, but you’re the weakest one here."

Ronan’s gaze didn’t shift. "Then they’ll underestimate me."

"That only works if they’re stupid."

"No," Ronan replied. "That’s not all. It will also work if they’re distracted, and they have bigger priorities"

Mira went quiet for a moment.

Then she nodded.

"I can do it."

Cole looked at her. "You’re serious?"

"We already agreed to come," Mira said, though her voice shook slightly. "Arguing now wastes time."

Ronan looked at her with mild approval.

She was scared, but not useless. He had a feeling she would be more useful than Cole here.

Cole cursed under his breath and looked away. "Fine. But if Darius is right there–"

"We are not saving Darius," Ronan said again, his voice cold.

Cole’s hand curled into a fist.

Ronan stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"You want to help him? Then don’t get captured next to him. If we bring the node back, Class B will have leverage. If we lose the node and get captured, Darius becomes an irrelevant variable because Class B will collapse."

Cole didn’t answer.

Whether that was because he understood or because he realized the urgency of the situation, Ronan didn’t know, nor did he care.

He activated [Stealth], and he felt his mana draining.

"We move now."

The three of them left the path Class B had taken and slipped back into the forest.

Mira moved first.

Her footsteps were light, careful, and better than Ronan expected. She kept low without dragging her feet, avoided loose leaves, and slowed near roots before stepping over them.

Cole was worse.

His shoulders were too tense, his breathing too forceful. He moved like someone trained in theory and was eager to prove he could apply it.

Ronan noted both without comment.

They didn’t have time for corrections.

The forest thickened again as they circled back.

The path they had used before would be watched if Class S had any sense. A longer approach cost them time, but it gave them angles, cover, and the chance to strike first.

The light shifted through the trees. The distant sounds from the area were faint now, nearly swallowed by sounds of wildlife.

Then Ronan heard it.

The statue.

He raised a hand.

Mira stopped immediately.

Cole stopped half a step late.

Ronan looked back at him.

Cole looked away.

Ronan crouched and moved forward alone until the clearing came into view through the trees.

Class S was still there.

But less outwardly focused than before.

Most of them had pulled closer to the statue, exactly as he expected. Their attention was centered inward, toward Darius, Irene, and toward the student maintaining the construct.

Ronan’s eyes moved.

One guard near the left.

Two near the front.

Another beside the statue.

Way too many to fight upfront.

But not enough to make the attempt impossible.

Then he saw it.

The node.

It wasn’t in Irene’s hand.

It wasn’t in anyone’s hand.

It was embedded near the base of the statue, faintly glowing inside a shallow circular socket.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

The trap had accepted the node and integrated it into the statue mechanism. That meant removing it might destabilize the construct.

His gaze shifted to Darius.

Still trapped.

Ronan almost smiled.

Class S wanted Darius.

The node was part of what held him.

Then removing it wouldn’t just mess with the statue.

It would force a reaction, which was exactly what they needed.

He slipped back toward Mira and Cole.

Mira leaned closer. "Did you see it?"

"Yes."

Cole’s eyes sharpened. "And Darius?"

"Still captured."

"Can the node free him?"

"Most likely. I have a feeling the statue works by using the mana node’s mana to power it. No student our level should be able to command a statue like that yet. That means if we remove the node, the statue will likely crumble."

It was an interesting strategy, and Ronan thought it was pretty impressive. Instead of using their own mana to power the golem, they used the mana nodes provided by the academy, knowing they have more than enough excess mana.

Cole’s expression changed.

Ronan immediately cut that hope apart.

"But ’most likely’ is not a plan. We take the node and leave. If the statue weakens, and we can save Darius, that’s a bonus. Understood?"

That was a lie. He would make sure class S got Darius here.

Cole looked like he wanted to say something, then thought better of it.

Instead he clicked his tongue and looked away.

Ronan pointed to Mira.

"You take the left side. Create the first distraction."

Then to Cole.

"You take the rear. Wait until they turn toward Mira’s side, then create the second one."

Cole frowned. "And you?"

"I move after the second distraction."

Mira’s lips pressed together. "What if they don’t move?"

"Then I don’t either."

"And if they spot you?"

Ronan’s expression remained flat.

"Then escape."

Cole looked annoyed at that. "Tch. Fine. But if I can save Darius, I will."

Mira stared at him for a second before realizing he was serious.

"All right," Ronan said.

They separated without another word.

Mira disappeared first, slipping through the trees toward the left edge of the clearing.

Cole moved after her, circling farther back with more confidence than silence.

They were better than he was. His stealth skill had gone up to level 2, but it was still subpar compared to their abilities.

Or at least compared to Mira. Ronan and Cole were around the same level.

Ronan waited, watching them go.

He watched the scene. Irene, his sister, was trying to talk to Darius, but he remained silent, refusing to answer anything.

At least he’s loyal.

That alone wouldn’t get him far.

The two of them made their first move.

From the left side of the clearing, a branch cracked.

Not too loud, but not too quiet either.

One of the S-class students turned.

Then another.

Irene didn’t, staying focused.

A second later, from the rear, a faint pulse of mana flickered through the trees.

Far less subtle.

Cole, this time.

Three students turned up this time.

One stepped away from the statue.

The guard beside the base shifted.

This one made even Irene turn in suspicion.

Now.

Ronan moved.