"?"
Kurose Akira's gaze locked completely onto Loserine—utterly, unwaveringly absorbed.
He had specifically asked Ivsha to pick something that would suit Loserine… preferably something that could showcase her figure to its fullest.
But somewhere along the way, Ivsha had clearly misunderstood his intent.
The "swimsuit" she chose for Loserine consisted of nothing more than a layer of faint, bluish luminescent silk—semi-transparent, barely there—draped over her snow-white form. Combined with Loserine's spectral body, the result looked almost indistinguishable from wearing nothing at all.
And worse—
He was absolutely certain that once it got wet, it would reveal everything beneath.
Just like Lucia's gold-threaded underlayer—once soaked, it vanished completely.
"…Why did you pick this kind of swimsuit for Loserine?" Akira frowned slightly as he questioned Ivsha.
"Mr. Kurose Akira~ you don't like it?" Ivsha's expression dimmed a little, clearly thinking he was dissatisfied with her taste.
"No, no, no—!"Akira shook his head immediately and corrected himself, "What I mean is… I'm very satisfied."
"Really? That's wonderful~" Ivsha's face brightened instantly, and she stepped forward lightly, pressing herself sweetly against him.
Meanwhile, the one actually wearing the swimsuit—Loserine—stood quietly in place.
She looked down at herself, confusion flickering in her clear eyes. Slowly, she raised a finger and traced along the faint seam of the fabric.
The cool sensation clinging to her "skin" surprised her slightly. Within her soul-like body, tiny starlike glimmers shimmered faintly in response to her emotional fluctuations.
Akira noticed it immediately.
…It seemed like Loserine actually liked this swimsuit?
A pity. It was already late—there was no time left to fully appreciate it further.
After finishing the "swimsuit appreciation session," Akira turned to Ivsha curiously.
"Who came up with the idea to go swimsuit shopping?"
"The shopping was my suggestion," Ivsha explained with a smile, "but the idea of swimming was Miss Lucia's."
"Lucia suggested it?" Akira raised a brow, genuinely surprised.
"Oh, right~" Ivsha added with a playful smile, "I remember Miss Lucia bought seven swimsuits. And every single one was absolutely stunning~"
"Seven?"Akira's eyebrow twitched slightly.
As expected of the Pope of the Holy Church—wealthy and unapologetic about it.
And from Ivsha's explanation, it was clear that Lucia had paid for everyone's swimsuits. That generosity fit her personality perfectly.
Once the session ended, the girls gradually dispersed.
Lucia returned to the Holy Church. Ivsha headed back to her chapel in Silvermoon Town. The elf sisters returned to the Elf Kingdom.
In an instant, the guild hall fell quiet again.
Akira sat down on the sofa, organizing the guild's assets.
But throughout the entire process, he couldn't ignore the fact that Mare Rhine was secretly peeking at him from somewhere.
It made it impossible to focus.
With a sigh, he turned his gaze toward the bedroom door, where Mare Rhine was hiding behind it, and asked:
"What exactly do you want?"
"Crap! I've been spotted!"
Startled, Mare Rhine immediately darted back into the room and slammed the door shut.
Akira frowned slightly, completely unable to understand what was going on with her.
…Honestly.
He stood up and walked toward the bedroom.
The moment he opened the door, he found Mare Rhine standing on the bed—in a full combat stance.
"…?"Akira looked at her in confusion. "What's gotten into you?"
"Human!"Mare Rhine crossed her arms over her chest and demanded, "Something's wrong with your aura! Have you been controlled by Mira Ori!?"
"Controlled by Mira Ori? What are you even talking about?"
Akira was full of question marks—until suddenly, he remembered Mira Ori's warning:
Be careful of Mare Rhine.
Now that his body carried traces of the Life Dragon's aura… it made perfect sense that Mare Rhine would suspect him.
"Human! You can't fool me! I can feel her presence inside you!"
The moment her words fell—
Mare Rhine lunged forward and slammed him to the ground.
With the overwhelming physical stats of a dragon, Akira couldn't resist at all—it felt like being crushed beneath a mountain.
"Y—"
Before he could even speak, Mare Rhine pressed close to his chest and took a deep inhale at his heart.
"Sniff sniff—!"
The instant she confirmed it—
Rage flashed across her beautiful face.
"Human! Traitor! Why did you betray me!?"
"Betray you?"Akira let out a small laugh and reached up to gently ruffle her crimson hair. "What are you talking about? Why would I betray you?"
"But your blood carries the Life Dragon's aura! Explain that!" she demanded.
Before Akira could respond—
The commotion suddenly woke someone else.
"Blood? Where's the Life Dragon's blood? Let me taste it!"
Like a corpse reanimating, Canlutia abruptly sat upright in her coffin, her crimson eyes locking onto Akira and Mare Rhine.
Those eyes were filled with raw hunger—especially for high-quality blood.
"Don't interfere! I'm dealing with family matters!" Mare Rhine snapped, glaring at her.
"Family matters?"Canlutia smirked, resting her chin in her hands as she leaned against the edge of her coffin, clearly enjoying the show.
"…Ahem."Akira cleared his throat and said calmly, "I've already obtained the core of Mira Ori's seal. Once I analyze it, I'll be able to pinpoint her exact location."
He didn't bother explaining the truth.
Pointless explanations would only complicate things.
Compared to that… giving her something to look forward to was far more efficient.
"Really!?"Mare Rhine's eyes lit up instantly.
"Of course." Akira smiled faintly. "But I'll need some time. After all, it's a seal meant for a god."
"Hahahaha! That's fantastic!"Mare Rhine burst into laughter, excitement overflowing. "Mira! You're finished!"
"…?"Akira narrowed his eyes slightly.
She was even easier to fool than he'd expected.
Of course, he had never once considered betraying this foolish little dragon. As a guild member, Mare Rhine was far more important to him than Mira Ori.
"Don't worry."Akira patted her head again. "I'll always stand on your side… unless—"
"Unless what?"Mare Rhine's expression immediately turned serious, her gaze locking onto him.
"Unless…"
Akira paused for a moment, then smiled.
"…Nothing. It's late. Go to sleep."
With that, he ruffled her hair once more and walked out of the room.
Naturally, that vague, unfinished sentence left Mare Rhine restless.
"Hey! Human!"
"What are you, some kind of riddler!?"
"Damn it! Tell me already!"
…
"…That silly dragon."Akira let out a long sigh and removed his VR headset.
There was no "unless."
He would never betray Mare Rhine.
Stretching lazily, he stepped out of his room.
Standing on the balcony of Xu Feiyan's villa, he gazed out at the beautiful night scenery.
"…A villa worth tens of millions really is something. It's right next to the Qiantang River…"
Buzz—buzz—
Just then, his phone vibrated.
"Liu Xue?"
[Kana's Bunny: Kurose Akira? Have you finished moving?]
"Yeah, all done," he replied immediately.
[Kana's Bunny: That's great~ When are you inviting me over?]
"Anytime."
He had no intention of hiding anything from her.
[Kana's Bunny: Then it's a deal!! But recently I've been staying in the Elven Sacred Grounds—the scenery is so beautiful! I even saw the legendary Elf Queen! She's even more beautiful than the scenery!]
"…Yeah. The Elf Kingdom is beautiful. The Queen even more so."
Akira couldn't help but agree.
The Elf Queen… truly was unforgettable.
[Kana's Bunny: Oh right! I heard a human was recently granted the title of Guest Elder by the Elf Queen. I wonder what he did to earn her recognition!]
"…Is it possible he just helped her with a few commissions?" Akira replied.
[Kana's Bunny: No way! That's impossible! Do you even know what Guest Elder means? It's the highest honor the Elf Kingdom can grant to an outsider! In ten thousand years, fewer than five people have ever received it!]
"…Seriously?"Akira blinked in surprise.
He knew the title was important—but not that rare.
[Kana's Bunny: Of course! And becoming a Guest Elder means you've earned the Elf Queen's recognition! Your status is second only to princesses and elders! And most importantly—he's the first male to ever receive it! The previous ones were all women!]
"…?"Akira raised an eyebrow.
How did she know so much?
[Kana's Bunny: Gotta go, my sister's calling me for a midnight snack.]
"Careful, you'll gain weight," Akira teased.
[Kana's Bunny: Bleh~ 😛]
"Guest Elder of the Elves…"
Akira leaned back in his chair, letting the warm summer breeze brush across his face.
Even he had been puzzled by the title.
At first, he thought it was simply a reward for helping the Elf Queen multiple times.
But after thinking it through…
That didn't seem to be the real reason.
…
The next day—
Akira logged into the game early.
With summer vacation giving him plenty of free time, he intended to speed up his progress.
It was only 6 a.m. in-game.
Alice and the others were still asleep. The guild hall was silent and empty.
"…Looks like I came too early."
He sat on the sofa, thinking of something to pass the time.
At that moment—
Mira Ori's voice echoed in his mind.
"So… you've really decided to help Mare Rhine against me, child~?"
"…?"
Akira paused, then replied, "I gave her my word. I won't go back on it."
"I see~" Mira Ori chuckled softly. "I don't mind you standing on her side… but there's something you should understand."
"What?"
"Even at her peak, Mare Rhine is no match for me." Her tone turned playful. "And now that I've obtained that divine seat… do you really think the two of you together can defeat me?"
"…"
Akira's eyes narrowed.
She had obtained a divine seat?
Was that true?
If it was… why was she being used as a seal for the Daughter of Death?
If it wasn't…
After a moment of thought, he answered:
"So what? I believe we'll win."
"Hehehehe~"
Her laughter echoed.
"You're quite interesting~ You're just as adorable as Mare Rhine~"
"…?"Akira frowned. That definitely felt like an insult.
"But~" she continued, voice soft and amused, "I like that confidence. Sometimes, you have to take a gamble—hesitation leads nowhere."
"In that case…"
"Let me show you the enemy you're about to face."
"…Me."
The moment her words fell—
Darkness swallowed Akira's vision.
When he regained awareness, he found himself standing in a pitch-black void.
Empty. Silent. As if all existence had been erased.
"Mira Ori? Where did you bring me?"
"Where?"Her voice echoed.
"Why… right in front of me~"
A blinding white light erupted.
Akira raised his arm to shield his eyes, peering through his fingers.
And then—
He saw it.
A colossal azure dragon, stretching thousands of meters, stood before him.
Its presence dwarfed Mare Rhine's.
In front of it, Akira was nothing more than an ant.
But something felt… off.
Why was it facing away from him?
And why could he only see its lower half—while the upper body seemed split apart by darkness, hidden beyond perception?
"Child~ seeing my true form… does it shake you to your core?" Mira Ori's voice drifted toward him.
"…It is impressive," Akira admitted, then added, "but could you at least face me properly?"
"Oh~ that's a bit difficult~"Her voice carried a trace of awkward laughter.
"My upper body is sealed in another space… so I can only show you my back. But don't worry~"
"I can still see you just fine…"