Meralda soared through the sky, a genuine smile gracing her face as she headed towards Kaksan Forest. The wind yed with her hair as she navigated the currents, and the open expanse before her seemed to echo with the anticipation of adventure.


    The vibrantndscape below, with its lush greenery and mysterious allure, looking at the trees added to her sense of excitement.


    ''I wonder how you''re doing Habas''


    ....


    "Meralda go to Kaksan forest for the time being and report back if you find anything unusual, especially if there''s any traces of demonic energy involved"


    "Huh?"


    Adrian''s unexpected directive left Meralda momentarily confused. Unusual urrences and demonic energy weren''t the typical concerns associated with Kaksan Forest. The recently vanquished beast of the night, Kaksan, had been the closest thing to a demonic presence in the area.


    With its defeat, one would assume the forest held no more imminent threats, only the usual assortment of monsters ranging from high to low rank.


    If anything, the only thing that she might see there is the aftermath of the recent battle against Kaksan. The eleves must also be doing there best to recover from their losses and the damage Kaksan did to their homnd.


    ''I wonder if the Miasma is gone by now?''


    ''Adrian did say it will disappear after some time''


    As Meralda pondered this, trying to decipher Adrian''s cryptic message, he snapped his fingers, snapping her out of her contemtion.


    "Why are you just standing there? Don''t you want to visit your brother as well? Hurry up," Adrian urged, injecting a surprising kindness into his words.


    Hearing Adrian''s words, conflicted emotions surged within Meralda. Given their initial rtionship and the forceful nature of their contract, she half-expected Adrian to treat her as nothing more than a tool.


    However, to her surprise, Adrian had consistently shown kindness toward her. Even in this moment, he extended the gesture of allowing her to visit the forest, fully aware that Meralda might prioritize reuniting with her brother over conducting a thorough investigation or attempting to find a way to break the contract.


    This unexpectedpassion from Adrian left Meralda grappling with conflicting feelings. The kindness he disyed contrasted sharply with her initial expectations, creating a sense of inner turmoil.


    Meralda''s thoughts raced as she contemted Adrian''s unexpected kindness. "Is he rewarding me or something?" she wondered before taking flight towards the forest.


    However, as she soared through the air, Meralda suddenly pped herself on both cheeks, a self-inflicted reminder of who Adrian truly was—a monster in human skin.


    The haunting memories of that dreadful form Adrian had taken during their fierce battle and the painful recollection of how he had mercilessly killed her brother flooded her mind. The binding contract that had forced her into servitude added anotheryer ofplexity to their rtionship.


    But…. despite all these disturbing recollections, Meralda found herself unable to harbor genuine hatred towards Adrian. In the past, perhaps she could have, but after getting to know him and closely observing his actions, he proved to be anything but the monstrous figure she initially perceived.


    ….


    A week had passed since the principal assigned me to safeguard the Estelle staff.


    At first, I failed to recognize the true significance of the staff, but it was ridiculously OP.


    If sis hadn''t pointed out the multitude of magic circles and spell amplifications intricately engraved within the staff, I would have treated it as some random eld relic and yed with it for a bit, but after knowing the spells engraved on It, I stopped and sent it back to my sis for safekeeping.


    ''And why the fuck did Archmage Estelle engrave an explosion spell on it when it''s tip touches the ground?''


    The details on the engraved spells were so small and seamlessly integrated that they were almost unnoticeable, I''m d I sent the staff to my sister''s realm, before ying around with it.


    ''Was it really alright for the principal to sell it to that old man?''


    My days had been rather peaceful quitetely as Euphemia has been avoiding metely,


    ''I don''t know if I should be or sad about it though? Is she still afraid I''ll break her potions again?''


    As I strolled through the academy''smercial district, on a quest to gather alchemic ingredients for my uing ss presentation, I decided to check my stats once again, specifically focusing on the quests tab.


    Ting!


    A floating blue, transparent screen materialized in front of me, disying the status of my quests.


    Quests: 11! (Active quests) [click for more info]


    [click]


    [Heal 100 innocents''][Completed]


    [Cure 100 innocents''][Completed]


    [Protect the Innocent][Completed]


    [Meet the saint][Completed]


    [y the Beast][Failed]


    [Protect the Sage][Failed]


    [Kill 100 demons]???


    [Purify the Corrupted Forest][Failed]


    [Revive the Guardians]???


    [Quell the Elemental Chaos]???


    [Kill/Save the Blood Monarch]???


    [Reforge the Sword of Destiny]???


    [Unearth Lost Relic]???


    [Eradicate the gue of Darkness]???


    [Secure the Forbidden Knowledge]???


    [Stop a Celestial Collision]???


    [Restore the sun]???


    [Kill the Demon King]???


    "WTF?" I eximed aloud, drawing the attention of passersby who regarded me with curious nces.


    ''Since when did I fail the ''Protect the Sage'' mission?''


    ''And why was ''Purify the Corrupted Forest'' counted as a failure? I already killed Kaksan though? the forest should be regenerating by now, right?''


    Did the sage die or something? Isn''t he with the principal right now?


    I looked at it once again, and the ''y the Beast'' mission was tagged as failed as well, but I already killed Kaksan right?


    "What''s going on?"


    A sudden wave of concern washed over me as thoughts of Meralda crossed my mind. Swiftly, I attempted to establish a telepathic connection with her. Despite the considerable distance between us, our contract held enough strength to ovee such obstacles. However, just as our mana was on the verge of intertwining, the connection was abruptly severed.


    "Shit, something''s really wrong," I muttered under my breath, berating myself for not noticing earlier.


    Regret gnawed at me; I should have realized something was amiss when nopletion notification from the system had arrived.


    ….


    As Meralda delved deeper into the forest, an ominous darkness enveloped the surroundings, casting an eerie atmosphere over the once-vibrantndscape. The dense ck smoke seemed to seep into every nook and cranny of the forest, creating an unsettling scene that unfolded before her eyes.


    As she approached, the extent of the devastation became apparent. The once-thriving trees, nts, and various life forms that popted the forest were now sumbing to the encroaching ck miasma. The relentless advance of this mysterious force left no corner untouched, marking the swift and thorough consumption of everything in its path.


    With every beat of her heart, Meralda''s anxiety grew, the unsettling realization sinking in. The once-vanquished Kaksan might have somehow endured, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. The thought haunted her, but her immediate concern shifted to her brother, Habas.


    Green mana enveloped her, a manifestation of her growing anxiety and determination. Swiftly, she soared through the tainted forest toward the location where her brother was concealed. Beneath the lifeless canopy of dead trees and dry earth, she discovered a lone, vibrant tree standing resilient against the encroaching ck miasma.


    "Habas!" Meralda''s desperate cry echoed through the destion as she reached the life-sustaining tree. With careful urgency, she assessed her brother''s condition, relief washing over her as she sensed a faint glimmer of life within him.


    Although currently in a pitiable state, Habas, being a treant, possessed the ability to rejuvenate himself.


    The top priority now was to extract him from the corrupting influence of the miasma, ensuring his chance for recovery, even if it meant waiting for centuries to hear his voice once more.


    "Oh my! Would you look at this?" A sinister female voice echoed behind Meralda. Turning around, she was confronted by the sight of two elves, their once-bright eyes now gleaming with blood-red hues, and a pair ofrge horns protruding from above their heads.


    "Demons!" Meralda eximed, swiftly gathering mana in her hands, ready for a confrontation. However, the demons seemed unfazed, one of them casting an intrigued gaze upon her. "A spirit? And a treant?"


    The other demon joined in, expressing awe "Wow! I''ve never seen a spirit with a human form before. And that tree behind her is a treant? No wonder it''s still full of life even after being surrounded by our queen''s miasma"


    p! p! p!


    Their apuse rang hollow, an eerie soundtrack to the unsettling encounter in the heart of the corrupted forest.


    "Coming here after noticing a powerful mana disturbance was the right decision after all, keke," said the long-haired female demon, her hands now adorned with gigantic ws made of pure darkness. The sinister smile on her face, coupled with the glint of murderous intent in her eyes, was truly terrifying, even for a high-ranking spirit like Meralda.


    "Don''t kill her, Daphiel, okay? She''s a pretty good offering for the queen" remarked the smaller female demon.


    "I know... but the tree behind her doesn''t count, right?"


    Meralda attempted to establish a telepathic connection with Adrian, but the moment she did, a sharp headache gripped her.


    "Uh-uh... No calling for help now, okay?" remarked the smaller demon, simultaneously casting a dark barrier around them, sealing off any attempts at seeking aid.


    Boom!


    A colossal explosion of red and green illuminated the dark forest, marking themencement of a chaotic and ominous encounter.