Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

"Master, what are you saying?" Alma took a step back and spread her hands.

"Don't be surprised, Agatha," the clone in the mirror waved her hand, "I'll still call you Alma, after all, you'll soon be back to your original form."

It smiled slightly. "Isn't getting rid of the demon's clutches something you humans have always dreamed of? Now I can break that contract, so you'll never feel like you're without spiritual freedom again."

"How wonderful," She spun around in the mirror, her long dress billowing out like a flower about to bloom. "From now on, you can live with your own name. Don't you hate this face? Now's your chance, Alma."

"No, this joke isn't funny at all." Alma stared intently at the mirror, her shoulders trembling slightly, her face as white as a sheet. "I haven't found that eye yet, the contract isn't complete."

"Oh, no need." He chuckled and shook his head. "I've already found someone else to help me; he might be even better at it than you."

then, She raised her hand, alluringly tracing her cheek with her fingers, and waved it in mid-air. A flash of fire appeared in the mirror, and a yellow parchment floated beside her. "The debunking will be lifted soon, human mage. You will be free."

"No, no," Alma said repeatedly. She rushed over and grabbed the frame, even trying to squeeze her whole body into the mirror, but that was just wishful thinking. Reality was cruel; she could only stand outside the mirror, watching the parchment float in the air.

"oh?" He tilted his head and leaned closer. "It seems you don't really want to end this contract. Why is that?"

It didn't give Alma a chance to answer, but instead paced back and forth in the mirror, "A face that doesn't belong to you can excite you so much, Alma."

"Tsk tsk tsk," With a look of disappointment and frustration, she said, "It seems you've come to like your current identity."

"No, I didn't," Alma cried out immediately.

"Yes, it's not an identity that belongs to me. Just because someone was born a little earlier than me, they are so dazzling, have a better face, stronger magical talent, and are also very smart, able to get into the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences." Standing still, she glanced at Alma sideways. "It's just that she was born a little earlier, why is this happening, Agatha?"

Hearing herself called "Agatha," Alma shuddered, then lowered her head, her face contorting into a grotesque grimace.

"There's no way around it, our contract is ending, Alma. Your sweet dream is over." She shook her finger, and the floating parchment began to spin with her movement. "These days of role-playing are coming to an end. I think you should be satisfied with the wonderful life you've experienced for so long."

Seeing Alma suddenly raise her head, it didn't say anything else, but simply clenched its fingers together, preparing to snap them. And once that snap was finished, the contract would be burned to ashes by the flames. At that point, Alma's face, Alma's magical abilities, even Alma's current social status...

They will all turn into sand blown away by the wind.

"No, no, Master," Alma cried, trying to stop the actions in the mirror. She knelt on the ground, bowing her head. "I can still do things for you. I can continue to search for that eye, or something else. I just beg you not to take it all back."

Time ticked by, and after nearly ten seconds, Alma still hadn't heard the snap. She looked up hopefully and gazed into the mirror, but the face in the mirror was no longer that of "Agatha." As she looked down, her original appearance had appeared.

"Your earnest plea puts me in a difficult position." With a wave of its hand, a slender black venomous snake appeared at its feet, quickly coiled around its body, and then crawled onto its fair arm.

He used his slender fingers to stroke the black serpent's chin back and forth. "It's really enviable. Even I can't summon a Star Serpent. I can only make up this ugly little snake."

"Master, I can help you with things." Alma said again eagerly. As the successor of the Twelve Bloodlines, she knew that her abilities were no match for her sister Agatha. Agatha had not only awakened her magical talent at a very young age, but also could use several astral spells in addition to summoning the Astral Hound. Alma herself could only summon a thin astral snake.

Although many people told her that it was only because her bloodline had been diluted and that her ancestors could still use various astral magic, Alma was still very annoyed. Whenever she stood with her sister Agatha, everyone would praise Agatha's bloodline and intentionally or unintentionally ignore her, as if she were just an "illegitimate daughter" who stole bloodline abilities.

"Well, what can I do? I'm a good person." She raised her hand and fiddled with her hair. "Some people used to call me the God of the Forest. It's really embarrassing."

It flicked its finger forward, and the parchment slammed into the mirror with a "whoosh," then emerged from the mirror as if passing through a curtain of water, falling in front of Alma.

Alma quickly picked up the scroll from the ground, unfolded it, and read, "Go to the royal capital, Golden Flower City, and find out what tricks 'Pride' is playing?"

She looked up, her eyes wide, at her reflection in the mirror. He was playing with the black venomous snake in his hand, not even glancing at her. "Yes, go see what that guy's up to. That way you can continue playing your 'pretend to be the older sister' game while also helping me complete my request. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

"But there's no deadline on it." Alma glanced at the parchment, then looked up again, biting her lower lip tightly, seemingly struggling internally.

"Don't expect to find a trace left by a demon lord so easily. You may never discover its tricks until you die." Smiling, he stretched out his index finger and thumb and pinched the head of the black venomous snake. Without anyone seeing how much force he used, he crushed the snake's head in one go. Then, the entire venomous snake exploded into a cloud of black smoke and disappeared with a gust of wind.

Alma knew that the other person was warning her, so she could only obediently shut her mouth and wait for what the other person would say next.

"Go ahead, the contract will be complete when you figure it out." It reached out and touched its face, and with that movement, its appearance transformed back into Agatha Christie's. "If you don't find it, just keep this face."

"Don't you think I'm quite kind?" He waved his hand, turned and walked into the depths of the mirror. As it disappeared, a sentence floated out.

"You can start your investigation by looking into the area around the second prince."