Chapter 548: Those Who Were Touched By The Void [Part 2] Charles abruptly opened his eyes and propped himself up from Nessia’s lap. "Charles?" Nessia looked at her boyfriend with concern. "What’s wrong?" The young man didn’t answer right away. Even he couldn’t understand what he was sensing, let alone explain it to Nessia. Noticing his distraction, Nessia asked no more, deciding to wait for him to organize his thoughts first. A few minutes later, Charles glanced at his lover and told her what she wanted to know. "Something is calling out to me in the Mistral Weave Forest," Charles replied. "It’s hard to explain, but I can tell that this person doesn’t wish me harm. However..." A frown appeared on the young man’s face because what he was going to say might sound contradictory to his earlier statement. "Whoever that person is, they are very dangerous," Charles added. "Really dangerous." "Should we call the Professors?" Nessia proposed. Charles shook his head firmly. "Calling them might escalate the situation. I think I should go, but I won’t go alone. I need you, Alex, and Renard to help me." Nessia was already aware of Charles’ secret, which was none other than his passive skill, Challenger’s Mark. It was truly a troublesome ability, especially when he had to enter dungeons. However, since the Mistral Weave Forest teemed with monsters, going there would also pose many risks for Charles. "Let’s go to the clock tower," Nessia replied. "If Alex is not there, I’m sure Latifa will know where he is." Charles nodded in agreement. All the members knew that the sleeping beauty of their club had a knack for knowing their club president’s location most of the time. He glanced in the direction of the Mistral Weave Forest one last time before heading to the clock tower to ask his friends for their assistance. Fortunately, when the two arrived at the clock tower, both Alex and Renard were there. Evangeline and Eleanora were also present, and for some reason, the former seemed more lively than normal. It was as if she had drunk some high-grade Elixir that made her skin and face look so smooth and radiant, tempting Nessia to ask her if she could get some too. While she was admiring Evangeline’s current skin, Charles walked up to Alex and Renard. "Alex, Renard, I need your help," Charles said. "I need to go to the Mistral Weave Forest." To his surprise, Renard nodded right away. "Okay," Renard replied. "When should we go?" "Now," Charles stated. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 "Good." Renard nodded. Alex knew how dangerous the Mistral Weave Forest could be for Charles. But since he was asking for his help, it meant that he needed to go there no matter what. "Very well," Alex said. "Lavinia, Evangeline, Lumi, can you come with us as well?" "Of course." Lavinia agreed. "I’ll come too," Evangeline replied without hesitation. Lumi also voiced her consent, and the group left the clock tower together. For some reason, Chuck, Vaan, Princess Xenia, and Mary were not around. Perhaps they were doing something important, but Alex could feel that Charles was determined to go to the forest even if he were to go alone. Just as they left the clock tower, they saw Vaan headed in their direction. Before he could even say anything, Alex grabbed his hand and dragged him alongside their group. "Alex... we’re in front of everyone," Vaan said in a soft voice that could easily be misunderstood. "Don’t be too rough. Be gentle, okay?" "Seriously, don’t say things that can be misunderstood!" Alex immediately let go of Vaan’s hand, making the latter giggle. "Fine, but where are we going?" Vaan asked as she walked alongside his club members. "To the Mistral Weave Forest," Alex replied. "Charles said he needs to go there." "I see... but aren’t you forgetting something?" Vaan blinked. "Students are not allowed to enter the forest without permission from Professor Gareth." Alex and the others had completely forgotten about this part. Due to countless student getting into accidents inside the forest, sometimes injured and worse dead, the forest had been labeled as a restricted area. On top of that, the Headmaster and the Student Council also passed a rule that only those who had gotten permission from the Headmaster, the Student Council President, or Professor Gareth could enter the forest. If they broke this rule, they might face severe disciplinary punishment, and expulsion was also on the table. "I’ll go talk to Professor Gareth," Alex decided to look for the Professor. "I’ll tell him that our club decided to conduct our club activity inside the forest, and the topic will be Monster Habitats and Behavior." This was a very sound excuse since their club was an "Adventure Club" on paper. With that said, the Professor also owed Alex a favor, so getting his permission had a fifty percent chance of being approved. "Remember, no matter what happens, don’t enter the forest without me," Alex said in a serious tone. "The Headmaster might be an easygoing fellow, but he is strict when it comes to enforcing the rules of the academy." With Alex sprinting off to look for the Professor, the group gathered at the entrance of the forest. "The forest seems livelier than usual," Lumi said after hearing the distant roars and screech in the forest. "It’s not just lively," Lavinia commented, her cat ears twitching as if hearing something that no one else could hear. "Something is happening inside the forest. It’s like... every beast is feeling restless and will attack anything that moves." Charles frowned. He had a feeling that whoever or whatever was calling out to him was responsible for the restlessness of the monsters inside the forest. A part of him even believed that if this matter wasn’t handled properly, a Monster Stampede might occur, which would pose great danger to the academy and the students who just finished their afternoon classes. It would be best if they could enter the forest as soon as possible, so he hoped Alex would return before complete pandemonium descended upon the Mistral Weave Forest.