CRASHHHH CRASHHHH BOOOOOMMM THUD THUD THUD

  The night was deep, but never close from peaceful. Series upon series of booms and crashes ran across the rge halls, the shattering of gss and the breaking of wood eg along with it. Chaos and terror ensued.

  Maids and servants passed through the doors, their faces white and pale as be. Their hearts rang in the beat of destru, fear creeping deep within. Behind the door in front of them was a human worse than a monster, shing out with rage as the symphony of destru tio py.

  There was a letter in the hands of the unfortunate ones, a beautiful crest embedded on red wax. They took a step forward, their bodies trembling ever so slightly as they reached out the doors, braving themselves for the worst.

  "Y... Young Lord..."

  "What is it, you useless fools?!" ［Jermel］

  A loud voice echoed from the other side of the door. The servant was on the verge , but she still tried to pose herself. She could only look down at the ground, openirembling mouth once more.

  "Th... There's a letter f... from Hi... His Excellency..."

  "From Father, you say...?" ［Jermel］

  "Y... Yes... It is of utmost importance..."

  Said the poor, trembling maid, and the symphony of destru suddenly stopped. A footstep echoed, followed by another one, and a series of them. A pair of clicks and ccks echoed in the air, doors opening soon after.

  There he was, the infamous young lord of the Caraquels, known for his inhumaions and terrible personality, regarding the lives of others as lower than his. The servants dared not look him in the eyes, still trembling as they lowered their eyes.

  He he letter from the servant, a stinging pain running through her hands, yet he didn't care. He only read the letter with arrogan his eyes, his eyes runni and right as he sed the tents as quickly as he could.

  The more he read the letter, the more his face torted with rage and loathing. Irked veins had popped on his head, his hands trembled with rage and his heart slowly was eaten away by darkness, an eerie silenveloping the air.

  BOOOOMMMMMM

  Such silence was easily broken as Jermel smmed his right hand towards the dritting his teeth viciously, g the letter tightly, and his eyes red with anger. It was a sight even worse than usual, like an animal which had gone mad.

  "What are all of you looking at?! Do you want your heads cut off?!" ［Jermel］

  The feral animal barked, and the servants were scared away, scurrying as fast as they could as they were running for their lives. Their young lord was ahan usual, seeming like he was ready to kill someone, and yes... He is...

  That someone was her than Yuna, our little heroine.

  After the alchemy battle with Yuna, Jermel has received several punishments for all his heinous acts in the academy. There was suspension, probation, pensation, and many more waiting to be added as soon as all the processes were over.

  But perhaps the worst one of all was the fact that his acts have beeed to his father, the current t Caraquel. A t who is known for his cold-heartedness and striess, even to those art of his family.

  He is a man who won't simply let go of sujustifiable acts, and leave the one who itted it go unpunished. He would even throw his own blood to jail if the situation calls for it, senteng them to the appropriate punishment,

  "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" ［Jermel］

  CRASHHHHH CRASHHHHH CRASHHHH BOOM BOOM BOOM

  Not just losing his current position as the heir to House Caraquel, he could very well be stripped of his atus a imprisoned for the rest of his life. And if his most heinous crimes are exposed, he could even be senteo death penalty.

  Such fear ed his heart towards the furthest ers, his mind breaking even further as if there was nothing holding him together. He was slowly going insane, a trace of desperation looming inside as he lost grasp of reason and rationality.

  "No! This isn't my fault! That's right! This is all that b*tch's fault! If it wasn't for her, this wouldn't have happehat's right! I'm i! I'm just a victim!" ［Jermel］

  He has gone crazy, bming Yuna for all the karma he received from his very own as. He was being delusional, creating reasons for himself to g on to. There was only despair, a creepy smile on his face.

  "Haha! Hahaha! Hahahaha! That's right! I'm not to bme here! I'm not!" ［Jermel］

  A boisterous and eerie ughter echoed throughout the whole mansion, disturbing the once quiet night. The hall rocked and the curtains da his ominous ughter, a stream of tears flowing down his eyes, followed by another.

  "That's right... I shouldn't be bmed for this... I should punish the real criminal... That's right... I should punish that lowly b*tch..." ［Jermel］

  His string of reason has finally snapped, ay smile pstered on his broken face as he walked towards his table. He sat on his chair, opehe drawer, and took out a piece of paper and a pen along with it, still chug to himself,

  "Hahaha... This is what you get for defying me... I'll make yret it..." ［Jermel］

  The now mad Jermel tio mumble towards himself, writing down a string of characters in bk. His eyes were bloodshot, all the while tightly gripping the pen. He has finally stopped ughing, only anger remaining in his eyes.

  He wrote, wrote, and wrote some more. As he fihe st word and marked the final period, a dark and eerie smile blossomed on his face. He was illuminated by the moonlit sky, but there was only darko be seen.

  "Haha... Hahaha... Hahaha! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!" ［Jermel］

  It was a short-lived silence, quickly broken by an eerie ughter. Rage and madness once again reigned over the night, the ominous ughter of insanity only getting louder and louder with the slow passing of time.

  The beautiful moon whice brightehe night sky was soon covered by the drifting clouds. Darkness engulfed the world once more, silence running throughout the halls and the cold winds whizzing by. Such a dark and eerie night.

  ...

  CLACK RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE

  Leaves of green and yellow danced by the whimsical wind. The sky was blue and the clouds were white, looming over the ever so verdant forest. A delightful sight to see all over the pce, beauty and majesty both up and down.

  The forest eaceful again today, the chirping of the birds eg all throughout the woods and groves, and the little rodents running around the tree. The bees ales also flew, dyeing the pce with life and colors.

  "Oh? Looks like we're almost there." ［Kale］

  And in such a peaceful forest, a small number of familiar figures roamed about. They were all walking quietly, eyes swimming ever so slowly as they listeo the sweet and soft symphony of the forest, the st of greens tig their noses.

  The weekend has arrived yet again, and with a lot of free time on their hands, Grey and Yuna decided to go look around the forest. tally, so did Alea, Kale, and Ediing them whilst they wandered around.

  "Kale, are you sure there are a lot of Fili Roots there?" ［Alea］

  "Of course! I've been there many times before, and there's always a lot of them. I'm sure we get at least a basket or two." ［Kale］

  "Hmm... So you've been there several times already, huh... Then that means you've been monopolizing this pce, haven't you, Kale?" ［Edin］

  "Uh... Well... That... Let's just fet the minor details! What's important is that we get a lot of herbs, isn't that right? Nothing else should matter!" ［Kale］

  Expined Kale but the two's eyes couldn't be any less empty as they stared at him. They looked at him with sharp and suspicious stares, prig Kale's skin evehey were just watg him, clearly looking disappointed.

  After all, Kale was one ires to be a Mert dealing with alchemy ter on in life. Even if they were his precious friends, he knew when to and when not to share such precious resources with them, monopolizing them as much as he could.

  "Kale... Let's talk about this ter, okay...?" ［Alea］

  "Ye... Yes, ma'am..." ［Kale］

  Unfortunately for him, such thinking doesn't co-align with Alea's values, the tter's eyes looking dark and scary. It wasn't the first time Kale had hidden something so wonderful from them. He for yet another beating.

  The reason why they were in the forest was to look for herbs and materials they could use in alchemy, gathering as much as they could whehey could. After all, their greenhouse is now destroyed. They only have the forest to rely on.

  Of course, the Academy provided them with some assistance, but there is only so much such assistance give. They could only gather ingredients by themselves and hope that they get enough to st them some time.

  "Mmn... Do you always head out like this, Alea?" ［Yuna］

  "Usually, we don't leave the immediate perimeter of Xeros, but since we o gather more herbs than usual, we o go deeper." ［Alea］

  "Yeah. After all, there are herbs which only be found iain pces. It's really bothersome, but it's much better thaing ripped off by merts." ［Kale］

  "That's right. Those old bastards are really stingy!" ［Alea］

  They could also just buy them like most alchemists, but with their financial situation as it is, there is only so much they could do. They buy the really difficult ones, but for the more on items, it was better to gather it themselves.

  If they're lucky, they could also get some rare herbs to sell a some extra s, and buy even more herbs. With how dangerous the forest is, it rocess with high-risks and high-rewardsー or so it would normally be.

  "But Hahaha! We got really lucky this time around! I didn't think Shin and Elena were also adventurers! Thanks to that, we got free escorts!" ［Kale］

  "Kale, that's rude!" ［Alea］

  However, with Grey and Yuna around, such dangers were practically ent. Even if, by ce, a dragon suddenly appeared and started to rampage, they could easily beat some seo it and ha without much problems.

  Of course, everybody only khe two of them as F-rank adventurers. But even that is more than enough to eliminate most threats in the forest. The whole endeavor just got over a huimes easier with them around,

  "Still... You being adventurers... It truly is amazing. Not only are you two geniuses in alchemy, tho think you are also physically capable as well..." ［Edin］

  "Yeah. Isn't this cheating? You're both clearly too talented!" ［Kale］

  "Right! Right! And didn't you just make a High-Grade Healing Potioerday, Elena?! Doesn't that make you a Tier-5 Alchemist?!" ［Alea］

  And now, the whole party was thrust into pure and utter chaos, the three childhood friends openly expressing their individual opinions, their voices loud as be. Grey and Yuna could only smile silently at the sight.

  Well, it's not like it's impossible to uand. Not only are Grey and Yuremely good-looking, they were also extremely taleruly something to behold and be envious of. A lovely pair loved and blessed by God... Quite literally...

  But enough about our dear protagonists. Let's talk more about everyone who just arrived at their destination, a verdant paradise greeting them ever so welely.

  There were flowers all over the pce, bushes popping out everywhere. The gerickles of the stream echoed in the forest, moss climbing up the rocks, and vines running down the ground. It was a simple yet beautiful sery.

  "Ohh～! There really is a lot of Fili Grass!" ［Yuna］

  "They seem untouched for the most part as well. I wonder how many bundles we could make with them... At least 20...?" ［Edin］

  "Just 20? You're too cheap, Edin! I'm sure we'll get at least 30!" ［Alea］

  The reason they were there was her than the reed-like grass that grew by the sides of the streams. Though the leaves be used for herbal medie, it was the roots which are very useful in perf alchemy.

  And before them was a great amount of such grass, growing proudly uhe gentle care of sunlight. If they could harvest them all properly, they would have more than enough for several months to e, and could even earn a profit.

  "Okay! Let's get on digging, shall we?!" ［Alea］

  "Mm's do this!" ［Yuna］

  They dug, they scraped, and they washed away the dirt. They all whipped out their own digging tools, aly dug up the Fili Grass from the wet ground, then cutting the leaves off to harvest their precious roots.

  Everyone was all lively and full of enthusiasm, washing the roots gently by the creek before st them in their bags and bundles. It was a slow but steady process, their hands covered in dirt and humus as they tio do so.

  Of course, they didn't just mindlessly plunder all the Fili grass they saw, they also left quite a few for the bunch to grow once more. After all, alchemists must know how to serve such precious resources, leaving some for ter use.

  'Hm? That's strange...' ［Grey］

  And whilst they were all having fun and harvesting the roots, Grey found something rather peculiar when he used his "Heaven's Eye". His sight was filled with red dots, slowly moving through the forest and stopping from time to time.

  It wasn't the first time Grey saw such a sight whilst they explored the forest, looking at the vagabonds with ess in his eyes. It was no wonder why the forest was full of dangers. Not only monsters, but they'll also have to watch out for people as well.

  "Is something the matter, Shin?" ［Edin］

  "No, nothing... I just thought I heard something just now." ［Grey］

  "Something... I don't hear anything though..." ［Edin］

  "Hmm... It must have been my imagination then." ［Grey］

  However, there was o go out of his way to head towards the vagabonds to give them a quick beating. Not only does he not have evidence against them, it would also be suspicious if he suddenly headed away, even for a moment.

  Well, if worse es to worst and the vagabonds decide tet them, he could always just finish them off with a flick of his fingers, leaving some of them intact if they get lucky. He isn't in danger... He is the danger.

  "Phew～! That should be all of it!" ［Yuna］

  "Fufufu! That's one ingredient down, only a couple more to go." ［Alea］

  Before long, everyone was finally doh the harvesting, colleg over a dozen bundles of Fili Roots. They would have collected some more, but unfortunately, they o leave enough room for the herbs they'll be harvesting ter.

  "Then, shall we head towards the spot. There are a lot old Dandelions there and some Listerne Ferns as well. It's been quite some time since I've been there so there should be quite a lot now." ［Kale］

  However, their journey was still far from over. They have just harvested but a single kind of herbs, and there were still over 20 more to go. They quickly headed towards the destination, not wasting a single sedー or so, they were supposed to.

  "Redgold Dandelions...? Listerne Ferns...? Kale... These aren't the only ones, are they? Just how long have you been hiding this from us?" ［Edin］

  "That's right... We always share our spots with you. But to think you'll monopolize everything all on your own... Do you have something to say to this, Kale?" ［Alea］

  "O-Oi! Hold on! Alea put your fists downI wasn't trying to trick you! It was just in case of emergencies! Yeah, for emergencies!" ［Kale］

  "Emergencies, huh... Fufufu!... I see... I see... But Kale... Remember that talk I mentioned earlier? I think now would be a good time, isn't it?" ［Alea］

  The young dy ended her words with a big smile on her face, readying both her fists at the same time. She then had a "heart-to-heart talk" with Kale, the tter's screamー I mean, words eg softly as he expined himself... Yes, softly...

  They may be in a dangerous forest, but they were still very lively and rowdy, Alea once again cl Kale as per usual, and Edin cheering for her from the back. A chaotic se unfolded in the forest, wry smiles on Grey and Yuna's faces.

  However, pared to their dejected expressions they've shown before, such a rowdy sight was much better. They knew hid dreadful it was losing their precious greenhouse, but to think they mao recover so quickly. They really are strong.

  "Hahaha. Someone sure looks happy." ［Grey］

  "O... Oh... Was I too obvious?" ［Yuna］

  "Quite so, but well... It's much better than your expression before." ［Grey］

  Well, it wasn't just the three of them whose expressions have rexed. pared to the dark and scary expression Yuna once wore a couple days ago, she was now back to her usual self. She was noy and merry, smiles soft and sweet.

  "Hahaha. Smiling really does suit you much better, after all." ［Grey］

  A quick session of flirting aside, everyohen tinued expl the sea of green and harvested the herbs and materials they found as they went, venturing deeper and deeper with time, entering all sorts of calming aiful sery.

  They easily spent a couple hours ihe forest, harvesting over half of what they needed already. And not just herbs, they also harvested some edible pnts and fruits for their ption, snag on some of them while they were at it.

  Of course, it wasn't all just happy times. The forest was not their pyground, several monsters as popping out from time to time, and rushing towards them with eyes filled with hostility, ready to rip them all apart.

  SLASH SLASH SLASH THUD THUD THUD

  However, with Grey and Yuna present, they weren't a threat at all. All they did was brandish their ons and blood was quickly spilt, the forest floor dyed red as the thuds and crashes tio echo, death looming over the forest.

  A pack of Forest Wolves rushed towards them, aiming to hunt them. But instead, they were the ones who had been hunted, whimpering and struggling a little before their fmes of life were extinguished, leaving all but warm corpses behind.

  "Oh! You're s, Shin, Elena! Are you really alchemists?!" ［Alea］

  "So this is the true power of F-Rank Adventurers! This is amazing!" ［Kale］

  It was a quid easy victory which didn't even st a single minute. Everyone was very excited at the sight, still uo believe that the youths before them were the same age as them. Grey and Yuna had gotten new admirers.

  "Shin, Elena, we dismahis Forest Wolf? We help you with it, but in exge, we get their hearts and livers? They're useful for alchemy." ［Edin］

  "No, it's alright. We were pnning on dismantling it anyway. You keep everything you need as long as you leave the meat behind." ［Grey］

  "Really?! You really are generous, Shin! I'll take you up on your offer then!" ［Edin］

  There was o hesitate. With Grey's permission, Edin's eyes quickly lit up and he suddenly took out dismantling knives from God-knows-where. He might not look it, but he was amongst the best in his "Dismantliive, effit as be.

  Everyone soon helped out with the dismantling, aiming to get things done quickly. Not only the ans be processed into alchemy ingredients, the hide and fur could be used for armor, the cws for accessories, and the meat for eating. A very useful wolf.

  And just as everyone was w with the dismantling, Grey couldn't help but have his mind be occupied. It has been a couple hours already, but the red dots had yet to vanish from his eyes, still lingeriheir viity.

  'So my suspi was right, huh...' ［Grey］

  It wasn't just a simple ce. The vagabonds really are aiming for them, only ill and horrid iions painted on their faces. Grey doesn't know who they were or why they were after them. All he knew was that they were up to no good.

  Though, it's not like Grey would just leave them be. Terrible people must be punished accly and appropriately uhe name of justice. And for the sin of disturbing his peaceful and happy times with Yuna, there is no heavier punishment.

  "Hmm... Looks like we missed a couple Forest Wolves. I'll just go look around for a little bit. Maybe they're still here lurking somewhere." ［Grey］

  "Oh? Isn't that dangerous all by yourself?" ［Kale］

  "Hahaha. It's alright, it's alright. I ha least this much by myself. Just trust me. I'll be back before you know it." ［Grey］

  After giving his excuse and leaving with a quick goodbye, Grey theed away, jogging a little bit before increasing his pace the moment the others were out of sight. He was like a bolt of lightning, streaking towards the eversting forest.

  He flicked his hands and cracked his fist, a pair of ptinum gaus immediately g his hands. They shimmered bright uhe blue sky, bright as the smile blooming on the young man's face. The smile of the Grim Reaper.

  "Now the's have a little bit of fun, shall we?" ［Grey］

  CHAPTER 380 END