"Rest assured, Your Majesty—I will do everything in my power to assist you."
Kurose Akira offered the Elf Queen a calm, confident smile.
Whether it was for the sake of the commission… or for the elves themselves, there was no reason for him to hold back.
"With your promise, I can finally put my mind at ease~"
The Elf Queen's lips curved into a relieved smile.
Yet, from Lucía's perspective, the scene carried a faint, almost intimate warmth—something dangerously close to mutual affection.
A subtle ripple stirred in her chest.
She cast Akira a faintly resentful glance before turning to the Elf Queen and asking softly,
"Regarding the identity of the Undead Lord—it has always remained a mystery. Since the Elven Kingdom has been at war with it for so long, do you possess any clues?"
"We do have some."
The Elf Queen nodded, pausing briefly before continuing,
"That Undead Lord lies dormant within an underground palace several thousand meters beneath the earth. Its followers are doing everything they can to bring it back to life."
"While we do not know its identity in its previous life, one thing is certain—it belongs to the Serpentfolk."
"Serpentfolk?"
Akira raised a brow, slightly surprised.
He had assumed the Undead Lord was human.
A serpentfolk…?
The thought immediately brought to mind the Queen of Medusa.
Could there be some connection between the two?
And aside from that—
"If you already know its name is 'Raine,' why can't you determine its identity?" Akira asked.
"Raine?"
Both the Elf Queen and Lucía turned toward him at once, surprise flashing in their eyes.
"Yeah."
Akira nodded, already realizing something was off.
They didn't know the name.
"And how did you learn that?" the Elf Queen asked curiously.
"It's listed in the quest panel."
According to how Adventurer Guild commissions worked, the client should be the one providing the task details.
And yet—
The Elf Queen herself didn't know the name of the Undead Lord.
That raised a troubling possibility.
Was there an error in the quest description?
Or…
Had someone else inserted additional information into the task?
"Even knowing the name 'Raine,' I've never heard of such an individual among the Serpentfolk," the Elf Queen said with a helpless shake of her head.
"That's strange," Lucía added, frowning slightly. "Someone capable of threatening the Elven Kingdom shouldn't be completely unknown."
"If we could find a member of the Serpentfolk to question, we might get useful information," Akira suggested.
"A sound idea," the Elf Queen agreed, then shifted her gaze to him with a soft, expectant smile. "But I'm rather occupied at the moment… would you be willing to handle it, little one~?"
Before Akira could respond—
"I can take care of it."
Lucía spoke first.
"There is a Serpentfolk tribe within the Solar Theocracy's territory. I can send someone to investigate."
"Then I'll leave it in your hands, Lady Lucía."
The Elf Queen smiled warmly.
"It's nothing," Lucía replied lightly.
The Elf Queen then turned back to Akira, her eyes glimmering with approval.
"Lady Lucía is both capable and virtuous. Guild Master Akira, having such a woman by your side—you truly are fortunate~"
"???"
Lucía's heart skipped violently at those words.
Her skin flushed a deep crimson in an instant, as if she still hadn't fully adjusted to this… "new identity."
"Indeed."
Akira simply smiled and agreed.
At that exact moment, a notification appeared before him:
[The Mother Tree's blessing has ended!][Total EXP gained: 1,356,000! Ascension Crystals ×20!]
"…That much?"
Akira couldn't help but grin.
Over a million EXP—and 20 Ascension Crystals.
Adding the 17 crystals from their previous four C-rank quests…
That brought the guild's total to 37 Ascension Crystals.
Enough to raise units below level 60 by a full 37 levels.
However—
There was a problem.
Aside from Loserine, who had already completed her challenge quest and reached level 50, the rest of the guild members were still stuck at level 49.
A bottleneck.
Their growth was effectively halted.
Which meant—
A new objective formed in Akira's mind:
Complete everyone's challenge quests.
Push the entire guild past level 50.
"It's getting late, Your Majesty. We'll take our leave."
Akira rose to his feet.
"Mm~" The Elf Queen nodded, then asked gently, "Shall I see you out?"
"No need. Good night, Your Majesty."
Taking Lucía's hand, Akira bid his farewell and left the chamber to regroup with Ivsha and the others before returning to the guild.
…
Once they were gone—
The Elf Queen let out a long breath.
Her chest rose and fell as she tried to steady herself.
"Tinass… you almost lost your composure."
A green-haired少女 appeared silently within the chamber, perched on the windowsill. Her pale legs swayed gently as she watched Akira's departing figure.
"I know…" the Elf Queen murmured, pressing a hand against her chest, her azure eyes flickering.
The green-haired girl turned toward her.
"He left something inside you."
"I know!"
After a few uneven breaths, the Elf Queen finally regained her calm.
She walked to the window, watching Akira's silhouette fade into the distance.
"…Even though it happened in a dream—and not your primary soul—his power is… unusual."
The Mother Tree's voice carried a rare note of seriousness.
"It has directly affected your true body."
"…"
The Elf Queen remained silent.
Her fingers brushed lightly across her cheek, reflected faintly in the window.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
After a long pause, she spoke:
"Let it remain a memory. And never speak of it again."
With that, she turned and lay down on her crystalline bed, burying her face into the pillow.
The Mother Tree glanced at her coolly.
"As you wish. But remember—if any unforeseen consequences arise, you will bear them alone."
…
"Mr. Akira, why did you leave during the event?"
The moment they returned to the guild, Ivsha hurried over, unable to hide her curiosity.
"…I had something personal to take care of."
Akira answered calmly after a brief pause.
"That's such a shame… it was the perfect time for prayer…" Ivsha sighed regretfully.
"Ahem…"
Akira cleared his throat.
He fully supported Ivsha's… enthusiastic approach.
But unfortunately—
At that moment, Lucía had been far more… captivating.
"Here."
At that moment, Loserine approached, holding out a medal adorned with a rose.
"This is… Idys's Rose Medal?"
Akira took it, surprise flickering in his eyes.
"Mm." Loserine nodded. "We ran into Idys during the mission and helped her resolve a minor issue. She gave us this."
"I see…"
Akira examined the medal carefully.
At first glance, it looked identical to the one Idys had shown him before.
But—
There was something different.
A peculiar law of power lingered within it.
When he tried to open its information panel—
All he saw was a screen full of question marks.
"…What is this?"
He frowned, puzzled.
Why would Idys give this to Loserine?
"Oh, right," Loserine added, "Idys asked me to tell you—she's waiting for you."
"Got it."
Akira nodded.
He needed to relay the Elf Queen's answer anyway.
Without hesitation, he stood and prepared to head out under the cover of night.
"…You're going now?" Lucía asked, concern evident in her voice.
After all—
The one he was going to meet was no ordinary person.
"Yeah. Get some rest."
With that, Akira stepped into the teleportation array.
As his figure vanished, a flicker of worry crossed Lucía's eyes.
After a moment's hesitation—
She followed him.
"Lucía?"
Ivsha and the others exchanged confused glances, unable to fully grasp her reaction.
…
Under the cover of night, Akira arrived at Idys's estate.
As he passed through the rose garden, a gentle breeze stirred—
Carrying with it an intoxicating floral fragrance.
"…Smells amazing."
He paused unconsciously.
Just as he was about to move again—
"So? Do you like it?"
A sultry voice sounded beside him.
Idys had appeared without a sound.
"Yeah."
Akira nodded, turning toward her.
She wore nothing but a thin, semi-transparent red undergarment.
Her porcelain skin glowed under the moonlight—breathtakingly beautiful.
Her natural scent intertwined with the roses, nearly overwhelming his senses.
"Well?" she asked, arms folded beneath her chest, anticipation in her eyes.
"Before that—what's the deal with this medal?"
Akira took out the Rose Medal.
"There's a little gift inside. You can also share that special power with your little lovers~"
Idys said lazily, admiring her pale pink nails under the moonlight.
"Special power?"
Akira frowned slightly.
Before he could think further—
Idys stepped closer.
She licked her fingertip, leaving behind a glistening strand of moisture—
Then pressed it against the medal.
In an instant—
The Rose Medal erupted with light.
And its information appeared before him:
[Rose Medal (Epic): Contains a trace of Lust Magic (Aelum).]
"…Aelum's lust magic?"
Akira immediately understood.
"Now then~ back to business."
Idys lifted his chin with her finger, her voice soft and alluring.
"What was the Elf Queen's answer?"
"Tomorrow evening. But you'll have to go to the Elven Kingdom in person."
Akira met her crimson gaze, swallowing unconsciously.
Just being looked at by her—
Was enough to stir a reaction in the holy light.
Her eyes were… dangerously enchanting.
"Tomorrow evening, hm…"
Idys's gaze drifted aside, though her fingers continued tracing his face.
"Alright~"
After a brief pause, she nodded.
Then her eyes met his again, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Then consider this your reward."
With that—
She tapped his forehead lightly.
The world flipped.
The rose-filled estate vanished—
Replaced by a dark, mysterious palace.
Rose petals blanketed the ground like scattered stars.
And upon them—
A group of stunning succubi lay sprawled, as if in deep slumber.
But Akira's arrival stirred them.
One by one—
Their eyes opened.
Their gazes locked onto him.
Hungry.
Predatory.
Like prey had just walked into their domain.
"…Where is this?"
Akira frowned, turning to Idys.
She smiled.
"This is the new home I've prepared for my succubi."
A pause.
"And your trial ground."
"…Trial?"
Before he could react—
She gave him a gentle push.
And sent him straight into the palace.