When Kurose Akira saw the new entry appear on the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly's status panel, a hint of confusion crossed his face.
[Feathered Butterfly Fairy]?
Had the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly… actually transformed into a human form?
And another thing—
Its wings had always been formed from flame, unmistakably butterfly wings. So why use the term feathered?
Kurose Akira stroked his chin, deep in thought.
This evolution… was likely far more outrageous than he had anticipated.
"Happy! Happy!"
Xue'er sat atop the cocoon, happily patting its surface with her tiny hands.
In the next instant—
The cocoon of the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly burst forth with dazzling radiance, streams of brilliant light spilling outward like liquid starlight!
It was supposed to take another six hours before the metamorphosis completed—
Yet now, faint cracks began to appear across the surface of the cocoon.
Kurose Akira's gaze locked onto it.
Under his watch, the cocoon slowly unfurled like blooming petals, revealing what lay within.
"This is…?"
The moment he saw inside, his expression shifted to one of pure astonishment.
Because within the cocoon—
Curled up tightly—
Was a young girl.
More precisely—
A girl with a pair of long antennae sprouting from her brow, and a set of butterfly wings floating behind her back.
A fire-elemental girl.
Her body was composed entirely of flame—silver flame.
In that sense, her elemental form resembled Loserine's soul body.
As for her wings—
They still retained the characteristics of butterfly wings, but instead of membranous patterns, they were formed from countless flame-woven feathers.
In addition, several subtle butterfly traits adorned her delicate, jade-like figure—no more than eighty centimeters tall.
"Phoenix Butterfly?"
Kurose Akira called out softly, attempting to wake the girl from her slumber.
At the sound of his voice—
Her clear eyes slowly opened.
"Master…"
A voice as gentle and melodious as a songbird slipped from her lips, stirring the heart.
Then, excitement bloomed across her beautiful face. Her wings slowly spread, beating lightly as she flew toward Kurose Akira.
"Master~"
She reached out, cupping his cheeks with both hands, her tone filled with intimacy.
"Master~ Master~ We've finally met again! I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too."
Kurose Akira smiled, gently brushing her small head with his fingertips.
Every movement was careful—
As if afraid he might hurt her.
After all, even in human form, she was only eighty centimeters tall.
And Xue'er was even smaller—barely over twenty.
"Kiss~"
The moment she heard that he had missed her too, the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly became overjoyed.
Her tiny hands held his cheeks as she leaned in and kissed him.
Despite the massive difference in their sizes—
Her lips were unexpectedly soft.
And scorching hot.
Damn—!
Kurose Akira's eyes widened.
The flames from her lips spread instantly across his skin, the silver fire transferring intense heat through direct contact.
He staggered back several steps.
When they parted—
A small red lip mark had been left on his right cheek.
"Master~ you smell so nice~"
She fluttered her wings excitedly, clearly savoring his scent.
"…."
Kurose Akira raised a brow, recalling their first meeting—
Back then, she had drained him to the point of unconsciousness.
And now…
She had taken on a human form.
Did that mean her demand for his magic had increased even further?
Wait—
Could it be that magic alone was no longer enough to satisfy her?
That now—
She craved… something else?
"Master! Master!"
Just as he was lost in thought, Xue'er suddenly leapt onto his shoulder and leaned close to his ear.
"I want too~ kiss~"
"???"
Before Kurose Akira could even respond—
She had already moved.
Her tiny lips pecked lightly against his cheek, like a chick tapping grain.
The gentle kiss made his heart skip—
Like being confessed to by an innocent high school girl.
But before he could savor it—
Something went wrong.
A chilling frost spread silently across his skin.
In mere seconds—
He was completely frozen solid.
Crap!
Kurose Akira's mind was a mess.
Who would've thought—
One kiss from Xue'er could have this kind of power?
He tried to circulate his magic—
But it was useless.
The ice continued to spread, his vision growing dim…
Until finally—
The frozen statue turned into a round, snowman-like figure.
"…?"
Seeing her master turned into a snowman, the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly tilted her head in confusion.
She turned to look at Xue'er—
Only to find her happily dancing atop the snowman, completely unaware of what she'd done.
"Xue'er!"
The Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly quickly flew over, pointing out her mistake.
The moment Xue'er realized—
Her big round eyes trembled with guilt.
Meanwhile, the frozen Kurose Akira could only scream internally—
Can someone unfreeze me first?!
One minute later—
With her own power, the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly successfully melted the ice.
Xue'er tried to help—
But since she couldn't yet control her power properly, she mostly just made things worse.
"S-so cold…!"
Even after being freed, Kurose Akira trembled violently, still affected by the lingering frost.
"Master~ I'll help you!"
The Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly immediately flew into his arms, her wings fluttering.
Warmth spread through his body.
Kurose Akira instinctively hugged her tightly to restore his temperature—
But the moment they embraced—
Her blazing silver flames reduced his clothes to ashes.
His now fully exposed body caused Xue'er's eyes to light up.
Covering her mouth with her tiny porcelain hands, she gasped,
"Master is so handsome!"
"…Even specially made gear bought for a few silver coins can't withstand her flames?"
Kurose Akira opened his eyes, seeing himself completely unclothed, and couldn't help but sigh.
He needed to find better materials—
Something that could withstand her fire.
"I'm better now… thanks."
He smiled faintly, lifting the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly from his arms and placing her atop his head.
Then he immediately opened the in-game marketplace, searching for materials resistant to her flames.
While he browsed—
Xue'er and the butterfly played around happily beside him.
"Found it!"
After some searching, Kurose Akira finally located a suitable material.
It wasn't cloth—
But rather a fluid-like substance, completely non-flammable.
As long as the wearer infused a trace of mental energy, it could change shape into clothing.
It was somewhat similar to Ivsha's battle nun attire—
But more flexible.
More adaptable.
"Let's give it a try."
He wasn't entirely sure it would work—but it was worth testing.
He spent 3 gold coins to purchase a material called Moonlight Flow Silk.
Taking it from his inventory, he held the black, ink-like liquid in his hand.
He infused a strand of mental energy—
And under his control, the substance instantly spread across his body, forming clothing.
Even its color could be adjusted at will.
Far more convenient than expected.
After dressing himself—
He separated a small portion, infused it with mental energy, and shaped it into a tiny dress.
"Here," he said, handing it to the butterfly. "Put this on."
"Okay~"
She showed no resistance—only delight—as she let him help her into the dress.
Just as he expected—
The Moonlight Flow Silk wasn't burned by her silver flames.
It wrapped perfectly around her petite body.
"I want one too! I want one too!"
Xue'er bounced excitedly, raising both hands.
Kurose Akira didn't refuse.
Using the remaining material, he crafted a small dress for her as well.
The two little girls, now dressed—
Began dancing happily together.
Just as everything seemed to settle—
The door suddenly burst open.
"Lucia?"
Kurose Akira looked over, slightly surprised.
"Something's wrong."
After glancing at Xue'er and the butterfly, Lucia spoke with a grave expression.
"What happened?"
Kurose Akira frowned.
"In the territory of the Elven Kingdom, tens of thousands of skeleton soldiers have appeared out of nowhere. They're threatening the elves—"
"Guild Master! This is bad! Really bad!"
Before she could finish—
Beafli and Beaflo rushed in, their faces filled with panic.
"Gather everyone. We'll talk on the way!"
Kurose Akira immediately took action, assembling all guild members in the hall before heading toward the Elven Kingdom.
During the teleport—
The elf sisters explained the situation.
Just as Lucia said—
Countless undead had suddenly appeared within the Elven Kingdom.
Although the elves were suppressing them—
Their sudden appearance had completely disrupted all strategic plans.
They could no longer rely on city walls and large-scale long-range magic to annihilate the undead army.
Instead—
They were forced into close combat within their own territory.
Even the defensive semi-divine artifact Paslow had retrieved—
Was rendered useless.
Only the potions provided by Edith had shown unexpected effectiveness.
"…What the hell is going on?"
Kurose Akira frowned deeply.
The Elven Kingdom was protected by the World Tree—
There was no way skeletons could simply appear inside it.
Someone had to be helping the undead.
But who?
He stroked his chin, thinking.
The undead army involved the Orc Kingdom—
But there was no way the orcs possessed the ability to bypass the World Tree's protection.
Which left only two possibilities—
There was a traitor within the Elven Kingdom.
Or—
The one aiding the undead possessed power equal to the World Tree itself.
A flash of white light—
And the guild arrived within the Elven Kingdom.
The moment he landed, he saw Elena waiting, her expression tense.
"Kurose Akira! You're finally here!"
She ran toward him immediately.
"I've heard the basics. Have you found the cause yet?" he asked.
"Not yet." Elena shook her head. "The undead haven't caused massive casualties… but the fact they can appear inside the kingdom means they can invade at any time!"
"That's something we absolutely cannot allow! Otherwise, everything we've prepared will be for nothing!"
Kurose Akira narrowed his eyes.
He knew the severity of the situation.
What had appeared so far—
Was only a fraction of the undead army.
If the full force descended inside the kingdom—
The entire Elven Kingdom would become a battlefield.
Even if the elves won—
They would be devastated.
All their preparations… would mean nothing.
"The Queen is waiting. Come with me."
"…Alright."
Elena quickly led him to the royal palace.
Within minutes—
They stood before the Elven Queen.
"You've finally arrived, Guild Master Kurose Akira."
The Queen rose from her throne, personally stepping forward to greet them.
"Your Majesty, how can I help?" he asked directly.
"You already know what has happened," she said softly, approaching him. "Although we haven't found the cause… there is someone who knows."
"Who?"
"The World Tree."
She paused briefly.
"However, due to certain reasons, I cannot leave the kingdom. So… Guild Master Kurose Akira, can I entrust this task to you?"
"Of course."
He nodded without hesitation.
Since he had accepted the commission—
He would see it through.
"Don't worry~ I won't let you face danger alone."
The Queen smiled gently, extending a slender finger to his forehead.
A faint light flickered.
Then—
A portal leading into the interior of the World Tree opened.
"Go," she said. "They're waiting for you inside."
"They?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly.
The Queen's lips curved into a mysterious, alluring smile—
As if hinting at something.
Ding.
In that instant—
Understanding dawned.
The Elven Queen who belonged solely to him—
Was about to descend.
…
Want to unlock up to 60+ early-access chapters and exclusive novels ? Join my Patreon today and dive deeper into the adventure!
patreon.com/denji21