The remains of the corrupted slime seeped into the forest floor, leaving behind its destruction.
Trees that had been tainted with its acidic ooze began to wilt, the air thick with an acrid, foul stench.
The only positive in the aftermath was the silence—a calm in the clearing now that the threat had finally passed.
Eclipse wiped sweat from his brow, still breathing heavily as the effects of the potion continued to wear off.
His limbs felt like lead, and a creeping ache had taken hold of his muscles. Guess dark mana isn't exactly… gentle, he thought.
He took a shaky breath as if to fight back a wave of dizziness.
Beside him, Silva and Valeria stood side-by-side, exchanging cautious, measuring glances.
Finally, both turned to Eclipse, their deadpan expressions almost identical.
"Why is she here?" they asked in unison, their voices dripping with mutual suspicion.
Eclipse barely managed a tired wave in their direction. "Silva," he muttered, pointing to the maid. Then, pointing to Valeria, "And… Valeria."
Just a moment before they met, Silva following the track of destruction. She greeted Eclipse with a calm manner, as if she already knew what happened. But Eclipse, tired and dizzy, ignored that suspicion.
The two of the girls continued to eye each other for a long, tense moment before looking away with a huff.
But Eclipse didn't realize this instead he was shocked of what was shown in front of him.
It was a red screen.
[Warning: You are fatigued. Ten minutes before your consciousness shut down.]
Is this... because of the potion?
Silva moved to Eclipse's side, her eyebrows knit in concern as she examined him. "Master, are you feeling unwell?"
He winced, struggling to keep his composure. "Just… a bit."
Silva nodded, as if processing this calmly. "I see."
Valeria tilted her head, scrutinizing him as well. "Are you going to be alive?"
"Very encouraging," Eclipse grumbled, looking around the clearing.
They stood amidst charred trees and crushed undergrowth, the remains of the fight littered around them.
"Looks like… an eldritch disaster site," Silva remarked dryly, wrinkling her nose as she looked at the slime's remains sizzling on the ground.
Silva leaned in close, her voice laced with a hint of remorse. "I apologize, Master, for not being at your side when the creature attacked. But I must admit… I'm surprised. You defeated it on your own. Where did you gain such power?"
Valeria raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Hold on—if you weren't here, then how do you even know he defeated it? Don't tell me you were just hiding and watching!"
"I was not hiding," Silva replied coolly, casting Valeria a sharp glance. "As a capable maid, I trust my Master's skill enough to know he would handle it. I'm merely curious."
"You, however…" she added, her voice edged with disdain, "are just a wandering thief."
"Th-Thief?" Valeria sputtered, her face reddening. Her voice panicked as if afraid Eclipse would suspect her, "I'm no thief! I'm just… a strange girl who happened to be in the forest! Eclipse can vouch for me, right? Right, Eclipse?"
Both of them looked at Eclipse who had not heard their bickering.
Eclipse, head throbbing, glance blankly between them. I feel like I've missed something important here.
With a final glance around, Eclipse noticed something strange: the dark clouds that had gathered overhead during the battle had dispersed, revealing a massive blue light pentagram stretched across the sky.
It was the teleportation spell—the headmistress's way of summoning students back to the Academy.
"We can go back now," he announced, glancing at the herbs he'd managed to collect.
He reached into his pack, running his fingers over the precious leaves and stems.
The three herbs he'd fought so hard for were intact.
Even in the game, the original Eclipse had not managed to gather all three herbs in the trial. If he brought all these three back to the academy to show, he'd get a perfect score and high reward that he can use.
Silva caught sight of the items in his pack and raised an eyebrow. "Master, you've found all of them... that's impressive."
Then she looked at Valeria with a hidden smirk.
Eclipse recalled something crucial.
In the game, this forest was filled with more than herbs—rumors spoke of ancient treasures, hidden relics of past ages, and rare weapons.
Instead of the three herbs, you can try to find the weapons.
The Academy's rules, however, restricted students to bringing back only three items. And only items with notable mana signatures could be detected and counted.
The concern hit him as het turned to Silva. If the Academy senses the mana around Silva, they might count her as an item. That would mean he'd have to leave one of the herbs behind.
Silva noticed his worried expression and, after a brief glance at the herbs, gave a small shrug. "Not to worry, Master Eclipse. I'm also registered as a student. The Academy won't count me as 'cargo.'"
"Oh?" Eclipse arched an eyebrow. "So you count as your own… item?"
"Precisely," Silva replied, "Though, it does mean I can't bring back any additional items myself. No exceptions."
"Ouh…" Eclipse muttered, glancing at Valeria, who seemed lost in thought.
She suddenly looked up, a faint furrow on her brow. "Wait a minute. I'm… not an Academy student," she pointed out. "Doesn't that mean I'm not getting automatically teleported?"
"Yes," Eclipse said bluntly, without even sparing her a glance. "Back to wherever you came from, or wherever it is you're supposed to go."
Valeria's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide. "What? They never told me anything about that!"
Silva, now with a relieved face, stepped forward, offering Eclipse a graceful bow. "Master, I'll go ahead. I'll have the bath drawn and refreshments ready for you upon your return."
Valeria shouted, "Wa, wait, I have something to say!"
"Don't need to, go back to the underground with your sisters," Silva said, "Master?"
Eclipse distracted yet nodded, dismissing her. "Go."
Silva looked up at him, a glint of calculation flickering in her eyes, before she straightened and said the headmistress's name.
In an instant, her form was surrounded by a brilliant blue light.
As the magic enveloped her, she glanced at Eclipse one last time, her lips curving into a faint, unreadable smile.
Then, in a flash, she was gone.
Eclipse steadied himself, prepared to say the headmistress's name to initiate his own teleportation.
But before he could speak, Valeria's hand shot out, covering his mouth, her grip firm.
"Eclipse wait!"
And there, in the silence of the forest, Eclipse froze, caught off-guard, wondering just what, exactly, Valeria had in mind.