The journey from the guild to the forest west of Magnolia took only a little over half an hour.
By the time Darwin and Erza arrived, they were already lagging behind many others from the guild.
However, they were not in a hurry. After all, there were currently no clues regarding either the "Golden Lion Coin" mentioned in the first stage or the Question-Setter for the second stage; finding them in such a vast forest would be no easy feat.
Rather than wasting stamina rushing here only to charge around the forest like headless flies, it was better to take things slow.
"I don't seem to see anyone else around."
"Didn't everyone just rush over here?"
After entering the forest, Erza began to look around, searching for any sign of their companions.
She had expected the place to be crowded with guild members, but to her surprise, not only were there no people, but even the ambient noise was minimal.
Darwin explained: "The ones who 'jumped the gun' earlier are definitely already deep in the forest looking for clues about the 'Golden Lion Coin.' As for those who, like us, chose to take it slow and save their energy, they naturally won't be making much noise."
"I see..."
Erza realized he was right. She turned to look back and saw a few other guild companions coming down the road in groups of three or five, but Chris was not among them.
"Chris doesn't seem to have come over. Could she be walking at a leisurely pace just like us?"
Darwin's brow furrowed, his features scrunched in confusion over Chris's actions.
Usually, after accepting a challenge, she would be very proactive...
"Who knows what she's thinking..."
"Anyway, we just need to do our part!"
"Let's go, we should head into the forest to look for clues too!"
"Okay!"
The two picked a random direction and started walking.
Twenty minutes later.
"Hey, Darwin."
"What is it?"
Erza stopped in her tracks, tapped a large tree beside her, and suddenly asked: "Have you noticed that this tree looks very familiar?"
Darwin was stunned. He hurriedly looked up at the roots and the pattern of the branches but couldn't see anything special: "Don't all the trees around here look pretty much the same?"
"They're different!"
Erza looked up and pointed: "Look closely over there. This tree has two bird nests; the other trees don't."
Bird nests?
Darwin widened his eyes and looked again. Indeed, as Erza said, there were two nests in one spot on this tree, though they were built on different branches.
"Bird nests in trees aren't usually noteworthy in a forest, but two nests on the same tree is very strange!"
"I once read in a book that birds have strong territorial instincts, so they won't allow other birds to build nests in their area."
"Unless the birds themselves are 'collectivists,' or they are different species occupying different parts of the tree—for example, one nesting on a branch and the other in a hollow, achieving niche separation."
"These two nests, while on different branches, are extremely close to each other. It's clearly not a case of 'different species niche separation.' But to say they are 'collectivist' birds, two nests are far too few!"
"Of course, multiple nests on one tree could also be the reuse of old nests!"
"However, considering our current situation, I think the probability of it being man-made is higher. Someone intentionally created this 'flaw' to make us realize we've been trapped in this 'Forest Labyrinth'!"
"If I'm guessing correctly, the 'Interferer' for this first stage is Uncle Warrod, because his magic can manipulate plants!!"
Darwin was rendered speechless by Erza's analysis, his face pale with shock and cold sweat.
"Wait... you..."
This is definitely a cheat...
No, she must have seen the answers beforehand!!
How could a normal person guess so much from a simple bird nest?!
What terrifying powers of observation, association, and logical reasoning!
He suspected that even his mother, who caught him playing mobile games in the middle of the night every day, would have to admit defeat!!
"It's just a few minor thoughts!"
Erza was very satisfied with the expression on Darwin's face and gave a slight smile.
Looking at that bright, smiling face, a thought suddenly rose in Darwin's mind: If I eventually get my wish and marry Erza, I won't be able to hide a single cent of private pocket money under her nose...
Darwin blinked: "If your guess is correct, then we are already inside the labyrinth."
"But when and how did we step into it?"
Erza thought for a moment, and her eyes suddenly lit up: "Walking all this way, there were no traces of magic on the path, right?"
"This indicates that the labyrinth wasn't made with magic, but formed through means like 'moving plant positions' or 'changing paths.'"
"By using this method, they created a visual bias, making us think we were moving forward when in reality we were just circling around a specific area!"
"I remember hearing Uncle Warrod say that many years ago, he, the Guild Master, and Auntie Mavis participated in a war. In that war, he used this trap to split up enemy troops and defeat them one by one!"
Darwin sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Eh?? Such a thing actually happened?"
"Hmm... now that you mention it, I seem to have some impression of it too. I think I heard Mama mention something similar before..."
He had heard the same stories, but he had listened to them as bedtime stories. He hadn't remembered much to begin with, and after a night's sleep, he had forgotten most of it.
"Since you've seen through the trap, there must be a way to break it, right?"
"What should we do now?"
Erza's words had Darwin's mind in a jumble; he lost his train of thought and decided to hand the decision-making over to her.
"That's simple!"
Erza said: "Mama once taught me: if you're lost in the wild, head for the mountains; if you're lost in the woods, climb a tree!"
"Since this labyrinth isn't made of magic, we just need to climb to the top of a tree to see everything clearly!"
Makes sense!
"In that case... Take Over Magic: Soul of Pegasus!!"
Darwin gave a low shout, activating his "Imaginary Take Over" magic to take over the legendary creature, the "Pegasus."
In an instant, his body from the waist down turned into that of a horse, his feet became four hooves, a tail grew from his rear, and wings sprouted from his sides.
Overall, he looked like a winged "Centaur."
"Get on my back, Erza!"