Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

"?" You're crazy. Megranie rolled her eyes at him, almost scaring the Gentleman of the Abyss off the sofa.

So, when Mayumi Haga came out with the orange juice, she saw the Gentleman of the Abyss talking to Megaran with curiosity and a little fear, trying to study the intelligence of the tissue box.

Megrana was speechless: "I'm not a tissue box... Do you see me with a place to put tissues?"

"Then you must be Music Box," the Gentleman of the Abyss exclaimed. "Such a beautiful voice!"

It must be said that the Abyss Gentleman is indeed a strange man with powerful insight; he was able to deduce from a few words that the other party was good at singing.

Mogragne wanted to deny it, but upon reflection, he realized that he had indeed been singing lullabies to Mayumi Haga these past few days to calm her tense mind... calling it a music box didn't seem too different... No! He should at least be a sound system, shouldn't he?

Almost dragged into the pit by the Gentleman of the Abyss, Mograne saw Mayumi Haga come out and steered the conversation toward her: "What important matter do you have to say? Speak quickly!"

The Abyss Gentleman looked up and saw Mayumi Haga placing orange juice in front of him, with his little sister clinging tightly to his waist like conjoined twins: "..."

Never mind, let's talk about the important things first.

But why am I drinking Ultimate Orange Juice here too? It's delicious, but I'm really tired of it lately...

The Gentleman of the Abyss only muttered to himself, but remained very polite on the surface.

"I've come here this time to explain to you and Little Sadness about the [Despair Monster]." The Abyss Gentleman became serious as soon as he got to the point. He said solemnly, "After the [Despair Monster] appeared, it will face a full-scale siege by the magic side."

Because "Despair" is an unacknowledged attribute, it will be sealed away by magical girls as soon as it appears. If the magical girls cannot do so, then the magicians of the Star Tower will arrive.

The Abyss Gentleman only had a vague understanding of the "Despair Monster," but he knew very well what kind of predicament the Despair Monster would face if it really woke up in its new body.

"The Despair Monster? Big brother, but we already took care of him!" Little Bear, still sitting dumbfounded on Mayumi Haga's lap with his hand on her arm, didn't understand his older brother's explanation at all. "Could it be another one..."

"You also dealt with the [Despair Monster], that's right." The Abyss Gentleman could barely guess what the little bear was referring to as the [Despair Monster]. It was probably the unknown power that had temporarily replaced despair, and it could indeed be called the [Despair Monster].

However, from the moment Little Bear truly began wielding the magic of despair, he became more like the previous "Despair Monster." And after the inferior product was temporarily disposed of, it was only a matter of time before Little Bear was discovered.

After all, since the previous Despair Monster disappeared, the core of the newly born bear has been closely monitored. As soon as there is any sign of Despair's resurgence, it will be subject to strict control.

In other words, to prevent the "Desperate Monster" from reviving, the magic side will try its best to eliminate the threat, which will put Little Bear in danger.

This is also why the Gentleman of the Abyss came knocking on our door this time.

The Abyss Gentleman, who has misunderstood the relationship between the bear and Mayumi Haga, hopes that Mayumi Haga, who is also quite mysterious and a close companion to the little sad man, can help him deal with this matter.

“I think you should know the seriousness of this matter, but I will not coerce you with morality. If you do not want to get involved, I will not force you,” the Abyss Gentleman said.

Haga Mayumi naturally wouldn't refuse.

Despite being an oddball, the little bear was indeed one of her closer friends. Mayumi Haga wouldn't ignore the kindness this naive and clumsy oddball showed her.

Moreover, this matter is also related to her in a strict sense.

If it weren't for helping her, the little bear wouldn't have used the Despair Magic in a moment of desperation, and wouldn't have been discovered so early.

Therefore, Mayumi Haga will provide assistance.

Even though the other party is an oddball.

Upon receiving a positive reply from Mayumi Haga, the Gentleman of the Abyss was deeply moved, his expression turning into (^▽^): "With your help, everything will definitely go smoothly."

"So, how do you plan to solve this?" Mayumi Haga was puzzled by the Abyss Gentleman's solution. "Isn't [Despair] an attribute that is not recognized by this world?"

"As long as the spiritual veins acknowledge the legitimacy of this attribute, that's all that matters," the Abyss Gentleman said casually, as if it were an extraordinary statement.

Making the spiritual veins acknowledge the legitimacy of "despair" is essentially equivalent to changing the rules.

He had been to the spirit vein before and had even damaged it once, so he knew far more than ordinary monsters and magical girls.

The birth of the Despair Monster is like the emergence of a new weapon that nothing can counter, posing a great threat to the world. However, even other attributes, to varying degrees, also pose a threat to the world.

The difference lies in the fact that despair is an attribute that is difficult for this world to control.

That would make things much easier.

As long as we confine [Despair] within a certain framework, control its power, and make it a special attribute with extremely restrictive conditions, that will suffice.

They must either be destroyed or encrypted in multiple layers, making them difficult to access.

The Abyss Gentleman plans to change the rules of the Spirit Veins, just like his predecessor, the Despair Monster.

Although there will be a significant cost... family is more important than those uncertain but potentially devastating costs.

This is a solution that the Gentleman of the Abyss has been considering ever since the previous Despair Monster vanished.

Finally, after coming into contact with the spiritual vein, he had a sudden realization.

The Abyss Gentleman, who had vowed never to interfere in Miracle City's affairs again, broke the peace he had created and jumped into the vortex without hesitation for the sake of his family.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you." He said, reaching out to shake hands with Mayumi Haga. "Thank you so much for lending a helping hand at this time... Ah, but could you please put aside your little sorrow?"

The moment his hand was extended, the Gentleman of the Abyss couldn't hold back any longer and began to grit his teeth.

While he was chatting with Mayumi Haga, his gaze kept drifting towards his clingy little sister, but she only paid him a small portion of her attention. The rest of the time, she was secretly wiggling her foot on Mayumi Haga's lap, her little movements revealing her delighted heart.

This scene is truly jarring!

In the end, the little bear was taken home by its older brother, the Abyss Gentleman.

Having absorbed enough energy from the hugs, Little Bear returned home in high spirits, pestering his older brother to ask when he had met Mayumi. He was in an exceptionally good mood, showing no sign of knowing he was about to be in big trouble.

Love-obsessed weirdo, pshaw.

Before leaving, the bear left behind a shell that could transfer its core at any time, making it easier to escape in the event of an attack.

It's almost identical to the teddy bear charm I gave Mayumi Haga when we first met; except for the color of the bow on top, they're practically the same.

She had Mayumi Haga carry it with her at all times, both for communication and as an escape route for the bear cub.

"See you at school tomorrow, Mayumi!" The little bear waved goodbye to Mayumi Haga from downstairs, turning back every few steps as he left.

The little bear was in a good mood for some reason, but Mayumi Haga felt that something was not quite right.

The bear cub has a very strong ability to suppress negative emotions, and the effect is indeed very obvious.

After she left, without the calming bear, Mayumi Haga almost immediately felt a sharp pain in her core. She ignored it, only taking a short break before deciding to rest.

That night, she had another nightmare.

Even amidst the songs of the water nymph Megaranie, she remained trapped in a nightmare from which she could not escape.

This time, she dreamed of becoming a guardian.

She dreamed that she accidentally fell into a bottomless lake behind the village.

Main Text: Chapter 124 The Night I Became a Guardian

Mayumi Haga dreamt of the scene when she became a guardian.

The land of the Far East.

For the first sixteen years of her life, Mayumi Haga lived here with her mother.

Unlike other parts of the continent, the Far East is more like a paradise. The climate is always mild, with enough rainfall, and there are no overly ferocious wild animals to be seen, let alone petty thieves and bandits.

Ever since Mayumi Haga could remember, she had lived in such an environment.

Her mother was always pale and quiet, and would smile gently at her, affectionately calling her "Little Feather".

The neighbors here are actually quite nice; they always help out the widow and her child. When the mother's illness wasn't so severe at first, their lives weren't too difficult. The mother brought a large sum of money to the Far East, enough for the widow and her child to live a peaceful life for decades.

Although Mayumi Haga was not a healthy child, was a bit clumsy, and not perfect, in her mother's eyes, little Mayumi was the best child in the world.

When two sickly people live together, if the other person falls ill first, the remaining person usually won't last long either.

Before becoming a guardian, Mayumi Haga suffered from congenital heart disease and spent most of her time obediently at home with her mother, helping to make small items to supplement the family income, and watching with envy other children chasing each other in the sunshine.

After her mother fell ill, the burden of the family fell on her shoulders. Although the villagers often helped her, Mayumi Haga, who was not used to troubling others under her mother's guidance, still tried to solve most of the problems on her own.

Mayumi Haga, who had just returned home from gathering firewood in the back mountain, heard her mother coughing.

The coughing came intermittently from inside the house. Sixteen-year-old Mayumi Haga hurriedly threw the firewood she was carrying aside and rushed into the house: "Mom? How are you?"

She saw her mother leaning against the headboard, coughing violently with her sleeve over her mouth, her body hunched over.

Mayumi Haga's mother had long, silky black hair and fair, delicate skin... but over the years, she had been tormented by illness, which had made her much thinner and more sickly, with a sallow and gaunt face, a far cry from the doll-like beauty she once was.

The most similar thing between Haga Mayumi and her is their eyes, which are always calm.

However, at this time, Mayumi Haga was still an innocent child. Seeing her mother in even greater pain than usual, and smelling the blood gradually spreading in the room, she couldn't help but panic: "Mom?"

This attack of her mother's came on more suddenly than usual. The village shaman had clearly said that even if her condition did not improve after taking the medicine, it would not worsen in the short term... Thinking of this, Mayumi Haga immediately turned around to find the shaman grandmother.

The village's witch doctor was truly skilled, but limited by his aptitude, he couldn't use witchcraft to bring the dead back to life; he only inherited ordinary medical techniques. In fact, he should be called a "doctor" rather than a witch doctor. However, people in this world confuse witchcraft and medicine, so calling him that isn't necessarily a problem.

Mayumi Haga rushed over and called the nearly seventy-year-old woman away from her home. The shaman, after being startled, quickly followed and examined Mayumi Haga's mother.

It seemed the situation was indeed urgent, and the shaman sent Mayumi Haga away as soon as he entered.

Mayumi Haga only remembered that her mother almost died that time.

She waited outside the door from day to night before the witch doctor grandmother finally let her in.

"I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left... Take good care of her, and she'll be much happier." As soon as the shaman opened the door, he saw Mayumi Haga sitting by the door, dozing off. She looked really miserable.

The child was already sickly and weak. Although the family never neglected his diet, he didn't absorb much nutrition from his food. After his mother fell ill, he hardly ate any proper meals. Now he's even thinner, and his eyes look excessively large.

Even though she was about to fall asleep, she still opened her eyes groggily the moment she heard the sound, tilting her head back and looking at herself with pleading and uneasy eyes.

Despite feeling pity for the woman, the witch doctor could only tell her the truth and instruct the child to take good care of her mother during her final days.

Upon hearing this, Mayumi Haga slowly lowered her head.

She whispered, "Thank you, witch doctor grandma. You've worked so hard today. I'll bring the consultation fee over tomorrow."

The witch doctor wanted to touch her head, but in the end, it all turned into a sigh.

After the witch doctor left, only Mayumi Haga remained in the courtyard. She stood in front of the door for a while before gently pushing it open.

The old wooden door creaked, casting a thin shadow on the floor inside. The person on the sickbed was fast asleep. Mayumi Haga carefully moved over to take a look and saw that her mother's lips were dry and chapped.

I wanted to pour some water, but found that the kettle was already empty, and the water tank was almost empty as well.

She hadn't eaten anything today, her stomach was empty, and when she came to her senses, her vision went black in waves.

After a slight hesitation, Haga Mayumi decided to go to the back mountain to fetch some water.

Her house was located on the edge of the village, far from other houses, but it was right next to the back mountain. It was only a hundred or two hundred meters to fetch water from there. The lake was not deep, and there were no wild animals in the back mountain.

There won't be any danger, just be careful where you step.

But she knew that road so well that she could find her way even with her eyes closed, without a torch.

After a brief moment of thought, she decided to get some water for her mother and cook herself some simple porridge.

Bathed in moonlight, she pushed open the door once more and walked into the dark forest shrouded in the shadows of the trees.

She had walked this kind of dark road many times before, but today's was different.

The wind seemed to have stopped.

Even the chirping of insects disappeared from his ears, and the road beneath his feet seemed unfamiliar in this boundless silence. Helpless, Mayumi Haga had no choice but to take out a flint and steel and light the torch.

The firelight illuminated the path ahead, and the girl walked quietly, her gaze gradually lowering to her feet.

Her breathing became short and rapid, her eyes stung, and she walked aimlessly, mechanically moving her feet. Gradually, she lost all feeling for her body, and her mind went blank.

When she reached the lake, she finally couldn't hold back and let out a very soft sob.

In the silent, misty forest, a black-haired girl stood by the lake, secretly shedding tears where her mother couldn't see.

Only one or two drops fell, all of them landing in the lake.

She hastily wiped her slightly wet cheeks, took two more steps into the lake, and put the bucket down.

It was at this moment that a sudden change occurred.

Mayumi Haga felt as if something grabbed her ankle and pulled her forcefully, causing her to lose her balance and fall almost immediately into the icy lake water!

What terrified her even more was the feeling of falling that she had never experienced before in this shallow little lake.

...This lake isn't that deep at all!

Main text: Chapter 125 Self-healing Failure

Mayumi Haga fell into a bottomless, icy pool.

This is a very strange thing.

This wasn't her first time visiting the back mountain; she knew the area like the back of her hand. So she knew very well that the lake wasn't nearly that deep. Even though she wasn't tall enough yet, she could touch the bottom and stand up easily.

But now, she only feels herself falling.