It had been two days since Rae had arrived at the mansion, and she had discovered that the dark elf was also staying there. Merle was eager to introduce her, her voice brimming with joy as she described the girl's abilities. Rae understood why—her curiosity was piqued. Merle knew her well. The idea of meeting a high elf in person was irresistible.
High elves were rare, shrouded in mystery and rumor. It was said they were so intertwined with nature that they could manipulate it without relying on spells or magic circles, using what was known as spirit circuits.
"Hello, I'm Rae. What's your name?" Rae began.
"I am... Violet."
"Hey, Violet. That's a wonderful name."
"And Rae is a beautiful name, too. I hear you're a princess."
"Well... just found that out myself," Rae said with a chuckle.
"Oh, what a coincidence, I've just found out I'm also a princess."
"Wait, are you the princess Helen has been looking for?" Rae asked.
"Yes... Wait, you know Helen?"
"I do. We were together as a party for a while, but we split up when we got to Carmine Village. She said she'd look for you here and, if not, move on to the next village."
"What a great coincidence..." Violet hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I... I'd like to ask you a favor, Rae."
"A favor? What kind of favor, Violet?"
"I'd like you to help me track down Helen. With your help, I think I can find her more easily."
"Okay, sure thing, Violet—but on one condition: you have to show me your magic when we find her."
"Deal."
"But I'm still curious—how didn't you know you were a princess?"
"Well... my memories are jumbled. There are things I just can't remember. What about you?"
"I was adopted by this town's Lord after my birth parents abandoned me."
"I'm so sorry. That must have been horrible."
"It was rough, but my adoptive parents are caring."
"Oh, that's wonderful. From what I remember, I didn't have an easy past either. I was exiled for having fire magic, so I kind of understand how you feel."
"Thanks, I appreciate that. So, to find Helen, we'll need to use search magic," Rae explained.
"Search magic? How does that work?" Violet asked.
"Well, there are several methods. The first is imbuing your mana into an object to track the mana it emits."
"Sort of like a tracker," Violet whispered.
"Exactly. The second method is mana sharing, where you still track your own mana. The third isn't as precise—it just gives the number of living beings nearby. The fourth is an advanced version of the third, which identifies the type and amount of mana. It's mostly used for analyzing monsters but is taxing because it requires matching every living thing to its mana signature. We'll use the fourth method to find Helen."
"Oh, okay. How do we start?"
"You'll need to let your mana flow out through your circuits," Rae instructed.
Violet closed her eyes, her face a mixture of awe and uncertainty. "Wow, this feels... overwhelming."
"It's normal," Rae assured her. "When an area is flooded with mana, living beings feel a pressure. If too much is released at once, it can cause a mana storm—a terrifying phenomenon. That's why mana needs to be released slowly to diffuse properly."
"That's fascinating. You must have a massive mana reserve to cause something like that."
"We both do, so we have to be cautious," Rae said. "Now that we've released our mana, try to identify all the living creatures it's touched."
Violet furrowed her brows, concentrating. "I... I can't sense anything."
"Calm down. It might be because you're a spirit user," Rae suggested.
"Maybe... wait. I feel something!" Violet exclaimed.
"What do you feel?"
"The trees, the grass, the ground—it's like I've tapped into some kind of network."
Rae's eyes widened. "Extraordinary. Maybe you've connected to the world's veins."
"World's veins?"
"The pathways through which all the world's mana flows. I have a strange request," Rae admitted.
"What is it?"
"Can I touch you? Maybe if I connect to you, I'll feel the pathways too."
"Okay, but are you sure it'll work?" Violet asked hesitantly.
"I'm not certain, but I have hope," Rae said with a faint smile. She reached out and touched Violet's hands, but immediately frowned. "I can't feel anything—it's like there's a barrier around you."
"Maybe it's interference from my spirit circuit," Violet suggested.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Rae's mind: "An anomaly detected. The current occupant of the body in contact has two different energy signatures. One seems not to be native to this world. It slightly matches your energy signature."
Rae's heart skipped a beat. My energy signature? Does this mean... I'm not the only one reincarnated into this world? She turned to Violet. "Violet, can I ask you something?" But Violet didn't respond. "Violet? Can you hear me?"
"Warning: a large amount of energy is being pumped in and out of the one named Violet."
"What's happening? How can I stop this?" Rae's voice trembled as Violet's body began to surge with mana.
Inside Violet and lenna's mind, Violet's voice surfaced. "Lenna, I'm scared. What's happening?"
"I don't know, but I'll protect us," Lenna promised.
"Lenna, can you hear that? The trees... they're talking to us. I can see her. I can see Helen. The trees are showing us the way."
Back in reality, Violet's eyes fluttered open. "Rae?"
"Violet! Are you okay? What happened? You started surging with mana."
"I'm fine. I don't know what happened, but... I think I know where Helen is."
"Really? How?"
"The trees told me."
Rae blinked, surprised. "You just keep getting more interesting. Lead the way."
"Sure," Violet said
"Oh, before I forget—have you ever heard of Earth?" Rae asked
"Well..." Violet hesitated.
"Never mind," Rae said quickly. "Let's go."