“…This is a world where you can use magic, so I suppose these kinds of things are possible…”
I muttered as I watched through Shared Vision with the slimes .
There was clearly someone there, but I couldn’t see them .
It must have something to do with magic .
Well, for a harsh test, the instructor had been very easy to spot .
Maybe this is where it got harder .
‘I’m going to transfer some magic now . ’
‘Okay . ’
The slime agreed, and so I sent magic called ‘Flash’ to a slime that was closest to the intruder .
This was one of the spells I read about in the book .
My reasoning was that if this person was using some kind of optical camouflage, then flas.h.i.+ng a very bright light might make them visible for a second…
“…I guess not…”
Apparently, that was not the case .
Perhaps the stranger was surprised by the light, because the footsteps seemed to stop for a moment before continuing .
…If anything, the intruder was more cautious now, as the movements seemed more careful .
In any case, I now knew that light was pointless .
So then…I would either have to use something else to see the intruder, or I could use an attack that covered a wide area .
But I was pretty sure it was the instructor and not a real enemy, so I wanted to avoid attacks that would get him injured .
…So I decided to try a different method for now .
Like temperature .
I had so many spells at my disposal, so there must be something that allowed me to see temperature .
I thought as I looked through them…
“No…there isn’t . ”
Unfortunately, I did not have any magic that allowed me to see heat .
What I found instead was…
“Hm? Am I supposed to use this?”
It was magic called ‘Magic Creation . ’
Apparently, I was able to make magic .
Thinking this, I activated ‘Magic Creation . ’
“Woah…this seems like it’s going to take a long time . ”
A very complicated looking screen had appeared .
I could understand most of what was written, so I would probably be able to use it if I had enough time…but I doubted it would finish before the intruder reached me .
And so I decided to use it later and deal with the present problem with magic I had now .
‘Everyone . Gather around . ’
‘We can stop watching the area now?’
‘Yeah . I want you to make a 5-meter circle around the tent instead . Then look outward . ’
‘Okay!’
I gave the order and the slimes all gathered together without making a sound .
‘Alright, here it goes…Detection Barrier!’
And then I used the barrier magic I had found instead of the temperature detection magic .
This created an invisible barrier that let you know if something touched it .
Unlike temperature detection, it did not allow you to see the person…but at least I would know if he got close to the tent .
Then I just had to use the slimes to cast some binding magic .
‘…He should be here soon . ’
Judging by the pace at which he had been moving and the distance, he should arrive soon .
Just when I thought this–the Detection Barrier alerted me .
‘Attack Transfer—Magic Throwing Net!’
As I did not want to have my location known, I sent the name telepathically to the slimes and activated it .
It went to the slime who was in front of the place where the barrier had been disturbed .
“…!”
At the same time, I heard a gasp from the same area .
And with that, the invisible person had been caught in the net .
“Don’t move . ”
I took out my sword and pointed it towards the net .
And then…
“Oh, d.a.m.n it . I didn’t expect you to be able to see me . ”
As he said this, a certain man appeared from inside of the net .
He was thin and had a sullen expression…but there was something powerful there as well .
“Can you take this net off of me now? This is just a lookout test, so there is no need to fight . ”
“Sure . ”
And then I deactivated the magic .
It felt very strange that I didn’t even know all the magic that I had, but still knew how to use it .
Once the man was free, he looked at me with a troubled expression and said,
“I guess I should introduce myself . I am Eeth . …But, really…I’m going to have to talk to my superiors…”
“Your superiors? …Is there some trouble?”
“Yes . …I mean, the fact that I am caught like this means trouble . ”
…Being caught meant trouble?
“I thought this test was about finding the instructor?”
“Yes . That is true, but not really . Me being caught is not part of the test . ”
“…In other words, I would have pa.s.sed even if I didn’t capture you?”
So I had apparently gone through all of this effort for nothing .
Well, it was at least a little fun .
“That’s what it means . Besides, it’s not usually possible to catch me . I used to be one of the best at hiding in the whole guild . There are only about ten people in this country who could find me in a forest, you know?”
I had thought he was very good at hiding . So that explained it…
No, wait…
“So why are you here then?”
I asked . It was the question that had been bothering me .
Eeth answered immediately .
“Ah . Well, my job is to sneak into people’s tents without them noticing . It shows them how hard keeping watch really is . But then you found me . ”