With The subclass quest accepted, Yvlena realized she could not have turned it down even if she wanted to. The option to skip might have been presented to her but it would tie her hands if she had said no.

She needed to be able to traverse the whole of the Verdant Vale if she wanted to be able to access the library and learn what happened to the tree and what she could do for it as the Harvest Guardian.

Richard might have wanted to get her in trouble but he wouldn’t expect the mayor to give her the approval to come and go as she pleased and besides it was just a bunch of branches, what harm could a bunch of branches realistically do?

“Thank you Yvlena for accepting the quest, we just didn’t know what to do, we’ve already tried our own weapons but nothing was working.” Mayor Emer said.

“Alfred and Lucas told us of your ancient methods for getting through the Miasma, we hope they might work.” Adina said from her place by her husband.

Yvlena nodded, smiling at the couple.

“It’s no problem I’ll take care of it, Mayor Emer.” Yvlena said to the stocky man and his wife. “Please show me the basement so I can begin clearing away those rotten roots.”

“So soon, Yvlena?” Risel asked from beside Yvlena, the girl had already finished her cup of tea and Yvlena could only wonder what it tasted like since she didn’t have the chance to drink hers.

‘Oh well.’

[Yvlena Acquired

***

Stale verdant leaf tea x1]

“You stay here Risel and try to talk to the mayor about the tree.” Yvlena said to Risel. The blonde nodded and went back to nursing her cup of tea.

The man was all too happy to get up and almost begin running down the hall to the kitchen where the food was being prepared for him.

Yvlena followed, walking through the hall, she began to notice all the signs of disrepair around the house. It reminded her so much of the Rose Manor she had been neglecting. The wallpaper peeled as she walked past it revealing a dark stain on the worn, wooden walls.

Yvlena ducked under cobwebs and entered the kitchen where she was met with the sight of a lone maid preparing something for the Mayor and his wife.

A lone maid took one look at Yvlena ans said nothing returning to her work slicing up vegetables. As Yvlena looked at the food she noticed they were almost rotten, it would help them to get some seeds but the soil was rotten too.

‘These people really need the Harvest Guardian’s help. Just how many more towns or even cities are like this?’ Yvlena thought.

The mayor led her to a small door which she opened to reveal the path to the basement. She wondered why it was called a basement when it was under the kitchen but she paid it no mind.

Cellar? Basement?

All she needed to do was get rid of those rotten roots and she would be fine.

Yvlena felt a small breeze against her skin as she moved closer to the open basement door. It was dark, so dark she took a fairy lit torch out of her inventory much to the Mayor’s surprise.

“I’ve never seen a light quite like that.” he said in awe. Yvlena could see the shimmering light reflecting in his eyes as he stared. The maid from where she was working had stopped cutting to look at it as well.

“It’s magic lost to time here in Moon Valley.” Yvlena said with a shrug. She then stopped to reason and ask herself, when was the last time these people had seen any sort of magic that wasn’t corrupted by the Miasma?

The mayor snapped out of it and began instructing her again.

“Down there you’ll find the basement and cellar, the roots are growing through the wine, please help.” the grown man whined like a child, forcing Yvlena to hold back a giggle.

Yvlena nodded, pressing her lips together she and her torch descended down into the basement, it would be no match for her, Rabbit Knight, and Sprite.

“My companion, Risel will have some questions for you, please try your best to help her. Her brother was a guard in the Verdant Vale.” Yvlena said.

“I will.” Mayor Emer said before closing the door behind her.

Already Yvlena’s nose was hit by the smell of rot and Miasma. She didn’t need to search long to find the source as she soon came upon a large gnarled wooden root that seemed to pulse with life.

Dark purple pods grew along the side of the tree like a terrible bruise, pulsing as if it would burst. Yvlena knew once they did it would be a disaster for her and the wine in the cellar.

She summoned Rabbit Knight and Sprite figuring she did not need Kuti as there was nothing to weaken. The trees were semi-animate and Yvlena wanted to save Kuti’s strength for any future battles they would come up against, during their stay in this town.

“Disgusting.” Was the first thing that left Sprite’s mouth as she gazed around the cellar. Rabbit Knight’s nose twitched as if saying the same.

“I know but we need to clear it up for the mayor.” Yvlena said taking her Moon Sickle out, she walked over to one of the thinner branches and brought her blade down hard, the root wobbled, and began to leak the black fluid she now knew as Miasmic sap.

Before it could stain the floor and eat through the wood, Yvlena panicked, grabbing a bottle from her inventory and placing it under the leak to fill up.

[Yvlena Acquired

***

Miasmic Sap (Large) x1]

“At least it’s useful in battle.” She said recalling how even the Miasmic beasts could not stand the sap as it burned their skin, she wondered what else she could get from it, she placed another bottle as clear shimmering liquid began to flow from the tiny cut she had made.

“That’s strange.” Yvlena said to herself.

[Yvlena Acquired

***

Verdant Dew (Small) x1]

“Verdant Dew? That’s what I saw fall from the tree earlier. But how could it be coming from these roots? I’ll ask Risel, it’s a good thing I brought a lot of bottles.”

Sunghost

Read ch188-194 here