"Ah! Miss Mary! Mr. Grey! You came to the festival too!"

I was intently carving a pumpkin, head bowed, when Sylvia's lively voice suddenly reached me. She came running over, waving. Adam followed behind her. It seemed the two were indeed exploring the festival together.
...The progress between these two seems quite a bit faster than Grey anticipated.

I temporarily stopped my work and bowed slightly to her. "Regarding the church incident, thank you for your assistance."
"That was the least I could do!" Sylvia answered readily.

Grey also put down his carving knife, still smeared with pumpkin guts, stood up, and greeted her with a smile:
"Miss Elf, hello there. The flower crown suits you."
Sylvia was stunned for a moment, a blush flitting across her face before she pulled the wheat stalk flower crown off her head. She said,
"...Thank you. Have you heard of the 'Star God's Eye'?"
Grey raised an eyebrow, looking surprised.
"Of course. That little game the Baron is hosting? You're actually interested in that?"
Sylvia cautiously glanced around, then quickly stepped closer to Grey, lowering her voice.
"We're doing someone a favor. Adam and I suspect the 'Star God's Eye' is near this stall."
"Tell me, have you found any clues here?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Adam beside her immediately reached out and subtly pulled her back to his side.
Grey narrowed his eyes, revealing his usual teasing, somewhat malicious smile.
"The 'Star God's Eye'... Regrettably, it's not in this stall. However, I did indeed discover the second clue here."
Sylvia's eyes instantly lit up. "Really? That's great! Could you please—"
"No, no, I won't be sharing it with you two."
Grey wagged a finger.
"To be frank, Mary and I are also searching for traces of that crystal. How could I just hand over a valuable clue to competitors?"
Sylvia was taken aback, her brow furrowed in confusion. She asked,
"If you have something you want the Baron to help with, you could just ask him directly... Why participate in this activity?"
Grey smiled gently and said,
"Of course, it's because I want to see the look on your face when you fail."

Sylvia's fair skin visibly flushed a deep red almost instantly, and her delicate fists clenched tight.
If Adam hadn't been quick to reach out and place a restraining hand in front of her, Grey might have had to perform his resurrection act again.
...Though she looks delicate, I still remember clearly how she casually tore through walls and floors back at the church.
"Alright, please excuse us. Mary, onward to the next stop!"

However, Grey showed no tension. He just let out a few tasteless laughs, then beckoned to me and strode away from the stall with light steps.
"Sylvia, sorry!"
I had no choice but to put down the half-carved pumpkin and follow him.

After we were some distance from the stall, I said to Grey, who still looked quite pleased with himself,
"Adam and the others seem to genuinely have urgent business."
"Ha, if that's the case, I'll just give them the crystal after I get it. But a chance to tease that elf is not to be missed."
Walking beside me, yet speaking without any restraint about his interest in another woman... This person, really.
Though, Sylvia's reaction was indeed quite amusing.
"...You're even more mischievous than I imagined. By the way, did you actually see a clue?"
Grey chuckled.
"Of course not. Until just now, I had no interest in the 'Star God's Eye'... But look, there's still time to solve the puzzle now. Mary, do you remember the Baron's clue?"
I recalled the Baron's explanation.
"‘Pumpkins like fine wine, improve with patient time’? The clue does seem to point to pumpkins, and in the entire festival, there seems to be only that one stall directly related to pumpkins."
"But at least, the pumpkin I got didn't seem strange. The finished lanterns don't look unusual from the outside either."
"Should we go back for another look?"
Grey said,
"Dear little Mary, don't be hasty. The 'Star God's Eye' is hidden somewhere within the entire festival grounds. We can't check every single thing one by one."
"So, we should first perform 'logical deduction' based on the known riddle information, boldly 'hypothesize,' and determine what characteristics the next clue we're looking for—or the item containing the clue—should actually have."
"The riddle... isn't it just that one sentence?"
Grey placed a finger against the bridge of his nose, assuming a thoughtful pose.
"No, there's much more. For example, since Baron Goldflame chose the form of a 'puzzle treasure hunt,' to ensure fun and fairness, he's unlikely to incorporate too much luck into the search process."
"Therefore, what we're looking for is most likely not a 'specific pumpkin' itself. Think about it: the pumpkins at the stall are for any guest to pick and carve. If only one particular pumpkin held the clue or even the crystal itself, wouldn't that turn into a pure game of chance?"
"That doesn't fit the definition of a 'wisdom' treasure hunt."
"In other words, the item containing the clue should be something every guest participating in pumpkin carving has the opportunity to contact, and it should be the 'same' for everyone."

A thought struck me.
"The carving knives? I'll go back and check right now."
Grey wagged his finger again and, like a magician, pulled a small carving knife from his sleeve, its blade still smeared with orange pumpkin pulp.
"No, it's fine. Before leaving, I thought the knives seemed suspicious, so I 'borrowed' one in advance."
"...The Star God does not encourage theft."
"Great, I'm not a follower. Hmm... Let's see. This knife indeed has some magic attached to it. For the skill level of the Obsidian Mage Corps bunch, this is done quite well, fairly subtle."
"Let's analyze it."

Grey gently held both ends of the blade between his fingers, his lips moving silently a few times.
A soft, white glow, like flowing water, swept across the blade's surface, illuminating rows of tiny, obscure runes.
In less than a minute, Grey revealed a confident smile.
"It's a crude 'barrier.'"
"According to its settings, as long as the blade contacts pumpkin pulp for long enough... roughly half an hour of carving, the barrier will dissolve on its own, revealing the sealed text."
"That's the meaning of 'patient time'."

He toyed with the blade, his eyes sharp. That posture full of confidence made me admire him from the bottom of my heart.
"So, the content of the text is...?"
"Let me see..."
"Sorry to interrupt! Sir Hero, I heard you've deciphered the puzzle of the 'Star God's Eye'?"

Just then, an urgent young male voice suddenly cut into the conversation.
I turned to see a young man standing not far from us. He wasn't particularly handsome, but his facial features were clear and strong. His posture was upright and healthy, but his complexion was somewhat pale, showing obvious signs of fatigue, as if troubled by long-term worries.
His gaze was focused and determined, his lips pressed tight with nervousness.

Grey looked the young man up and down with interest.
"That's right. Young man, who are you? What can I do for you?"
The young man placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head.
"My name is Basil. I'm just an... ordinary person hoping to have the honor of studying in the Mage Corps. May I ask if you could share some clues about the 'Star God's Eye'? As compensation, I can..."
"Child, I'm afraid you don't have the capital to buy me off."
The young man's eyes dimmed.
"...You're right. That was rude of me."

With that, he turned to leave. Grey placed a hand on his shoulder and said,
"I never said I wouldn't help you."
"Tell me, why do you want to join the Mage Corps? Is it for success and fame? Or are you simply interested in the power of magic?"
The young man hesitated for a moment.
"Because... the salary and benefits for Mage Corps members are very generous... and they have priority access to purchase and use many rare medicinal ingredients."
"My younger sister... she was born with a difficult-to-cure 'short breath syndrome.' Her health has been getting worse recently... The doctors say her remaining lifespan is probably less than a year."
"So, I must find a way to join the Mage Corps as soon as possible. Only then might I have a chance to obtain enough resources to find better treatments for her, or at least make her final days more comfortable."
"If she could recover, I would willingly pay any price, even my own life."

Grey was silent for a moment, then smiled.
"I see. That's not bad."
"I promise you, in the name of a hero. I will help you find the 'Star God's Eye' before anyone else."