When they landed again, Ronald and the others were not attacked.

Based on what they initially saw from high altitude, they chose to approach the north side of the island's high point to minimize the chance of being discovered.

During the subsequent process, the sea below them remained unchanged.

Ronald thought that getting close enough would lift the concealment.

However, even when they were quite close to the island's surface, they were still unable to observe it.

"...…"

Ronald frowned, worried, yet his actions didn't slow down.

The decision already made had no reason to change at the last minute; continuing to advance was necessary to verify the real situation here.

Clap—

Then, there was a real sense beneath their feet.

This bold move eventually let Ronald's body touch the ground.

At that moment, the scene before Ronald's eyes flickered; from the spot he landed, the island's surface began to be painted with color rapidly, like ink wash painting, sweeping across the entire land.

It took only a few breaths' time.

Ronald quickly transitioned from the cautious descent, standing solidly on the back of the island.

Clap, clap—

Costate and Anthony followed closely, landing as well.

The changes that occurred to Ronald were experienced by them as well.

Though initially startling, the feeling quickly subsided.

——Because it was too calm here.

Aside from the island's ability to conceal itself, there were no other surprising discoveries when they landed.

This island was exactly like an ordinary one.

There were no remarkable features or unusual structures that stood out.

It just looked like an island, because that's what it was.

As a precaution, Ronald decided to start with gathering information:

"Be mindful of your movements, let's go check out the shallows."

From the island's rear side, the three of them moved cautiously towards the shallows, confirming other details along the way.

The island could be detected by whether contact was made. No matter what brought them here, as long as you touched the island's ground or the plants growing on it, the presence of the island would immediately become apparent.

Conversely, flying in the air, or even leaping high with both feet, made it difficult to perceive the ground's state.

This applied to those standing on it as well.

"Whether one can perceive the island's situation actually depends on standing on the ground or not?"

A quarter of an hour later, the three arrived at the shallows.

The [Nine Commandments]'s ship was quietly anchored there, and thanks to standing on the ground, Ronald's spell returned accurate information this time.

By the ship, only seven ordinary elite casters stayed behind.

The truly powerful casters were deep within the island beneath their feet.

Costate stepped forward and volunteered:

"Sir, shall I capture these guys?"

Ronald neither agreed nor disagreed, instead posing another request:

"Costate, destroy their ship."

"We do not need the ship for our travel; it's only necessary for the [Nine Commandments] personnel."

The maid nodded slightly and approached the ship.

As her footsteps left marks on the shallows, gentle yet massive winds began to converge here, causing the island's bushes to rustle, and the whistling in the air grew clearer.

Costate was mobilizing magic power to form a storm.

However, she well concealed the magic fluctuations, making it difficult for casters of slightly lower level to uncover the secrets.

By the time the gale started to raise waves, the sky changed color, and the ship began to destabilize.

The [Nine Commandments] casters finally exited the cabin.

By then, it was too late.

The few who stepped out looked up to the sky, finding it so heavy and dark it seemed ready to collapse, with the entire beach engulfed by powerful winds.

Not far from their ship's berth.

A lone figure was slowly walking towards them.

The terrifying storm shielded the person, making it impossible for the casters on the ship to discern their build or appearance.

"Who is this esteemed person?"

"Weren't they at the ruins? What's happened here?"

"Wait, this isn't the spell of the seniors!"

"An outsider has broken in!"

Initially, some thought the storm was conjured by the [Nine Commandments] leaders, acting to address an unexpected event.

But when the knowledgeable members realized and alerted others...

Crack, crack, crack—Boom!

The storm's power suddenly intensified——or rather, concentrated.

The strong wind, originally covering the entire beach, abruptly focused on the ship, with only a few creaks from the planks before shattering, releasing a sound as explosive as gunpowder.

The airflow, though invisible, possessed enough power to shake the heavens and earth.

The ship at the shallows emitted constant dense sounds, being harshly twisted and crushed, as if grasped and clenched hard by a giant, unseen hand!

Bang, bang, bang!!!

In a blink, the ship that was docked by the shore completely vanished, leaving only scattered wooden fragments. Looking out across the sea, more debris was floating away, drifting further.

The ship used by the [Nine Commandments] for expeditions was by no means an ordinary wooden sailboat.

It was equipped with quite effective defense spells and guarded.

However, under Costate's actions, such ships had no resistance at all. Within minutes, the ships built with considerable resources were reduced to useless waste.

Meanwhile, Costate continued moving forward.

Although the ships were destroyed, the storm summoned by the maid did not subside, hovering over the shallows and continuing to dismantle the remnants of the ships.

A few seconds more passed.

The fragments on the beach spread evenly.

Costate then decreased the storm's power, conducting more precise operations. Subsequently, several figures floated out from the tattered wooden ruins, hovering around the maid.

Some were unconscious, while others were conscious.

Due to the storm's rampage, they all had one thing in common — no strength to move at all.

"One, two... seven."

"All captured, none left out."

Costate counted them softly.

Confirming she had perfectly fulfilled Ronald's task, she turned and walked back in the direction they came from.

Meanwhile.

The seven [Nine Commandments] casters, bereft of resistance, were suspended in the air by the strong wind, swaying towards Ronald like lanterns with subtle trajectories.