Putting aside these thoughts, I decided to focus on the task at hand. I was there to help her, nothing more. She was a member of my group and needed my support. There was nothing beyond that fact. With this clear resolution in my mind, I turned to Ilya and said.
"Ready?"
As I asked, Ilya nodded slightly without turning to me. With her confirmation, I directed my gaze to Ellen, who was positioned just below. She watched me with a mischievous smile, clearly aware of the awkward situation. I chose to ignore the teasing and simply nodded back at her. That was the signal we had agreed upon.
Upon seeing my signal, Ellen's expression instantly changed to seriousness. She placed a firm hand on Noelle's shoulder, who stood beside her. Our plan was set in motion. As usual, Noelle summoned her earth spirit, transforming the ground around into deep, sticky mud. The process remained a mystery even to Noelle, who never explained how she managed to do it.
