"This…"
Kurose Akira glanced at Ivsha, who had suddenly grabbed his wrist, then at Roxia standing beside her.
He had never expected Alice's "good morning" to be a trap.
If he let them in now, wouldn't they walk straight into the sight of the Dark Elf Queen—covered in the aftermath of last night?
Alice might not think much of it. Ivsha could probably accept it too.
But Roxia…
"Is that not allowed?"
Roxia noticed his hesitation. A flicker of suspicion flashed through her golden-red eyes.
Ivsha and the others also fixed their gazes on him, waiting for his answer.
Akira felt a ripple of panic inside—but his expression remained calm. After a brief silence, he smiled.
"Of course. Please, come in."
With that, he stepped aside and invited them into the room.
The moment they entered and saw the woman seated elegantly at the edge of the bed, all of them froze in shock.
"Your Majesty?"
"Why are you in Mr. Kurose Akira's room at this hour?"
Their expressions were filled with disbelief. None of them could understand why the Elf Queen would be sitting here—at dawn, no less.
"I was just discussing some matters with Guild Master Akira," the Elf Queen replied with a gentle smile. "About the tasks ahead."
"At six in the morning?" Alice tilted her head, clearly unconvinced. This didn't seem like a reasonable time for "discussions."
But unlike Roxia and Ivsha, she had no ulterior motive in coming here.
She had only wanted to say "good morning."
"Ah~ then we must have disturbed Your Majesty. We'll take our leave~"
Ivsha quickly grabbed Roxia and Alice by the hands and pulled them away.
Roxia still looked unconvinced, but Ivsha's sudden intervention gave her no time to verify whether this Elf Queen was real or not.
Reluctantly, she followed them out to avoid interrupting the conversation.
The moment the door closed—
Akira let out a long breath of relief.
Then he turned to the Elf Queen and smiled.
"That was a perfect act."
"An act?" she replied with a soft laugh. "I am the Elf Queen, am I not?"
Of course, it had been the White Elf Queen's soul taking control just now, replacing the Dark Elf Queen to deceive Roxia.
The only difference between the White Elf Queen and the true Elf Queen lay in the small tear mole near their eyes—one on the left, one on the right. Everything else was identical.
It was only natural Roxia hadn't noticed in such a short time.
"…You're right. You've always been you," Akira corrected himself quickly.
After all, the White Elf Queen and the Elf Queen were originally the same person.
Calling it an "act" wasn't quite accurate.
"Still… you really did a number on her," the White Elf Queen said with a faint complaint. "Though thanks to your help, I was able to regain control of this body much sooner."
"Then why was she controlling it earlier?" Akira frowned. "Didn't you manage to suppress the dark side?"
By all logic, the White Elf Queen should have appeared first—not the Dark Elf Queen.
"I'm not entirely sure… it might have something to do with the Elf Mother Tree," she replied, shaking her head.
"The Elf Mother Tree…?"
Akira frowned deeper.
Perhaps only that ancient entity knew the truth.
"Well~ there's no point speculating now," the White Elf Queen said with a smile. "As long as things are returning to normal."
Then she added softly:
"I'm going to take a bath. Stand guard for me—don't let anyone enter."
"…What are you going to do?" Akira asked.
"To wash away your 'holy mark,' of course," she replied gently.
"—Cough!"
Akira choked slightly.
Right. He had almost forgotten.
Seeing his reaction, the White Elf Queen covered her lips and laughed softly before heading into the bath.
Left alone in the room, Akira took the opportunity to manage his resources.
He injected experience into Roxia and Loserine, both of whom had already reached level 50.
The experience pool raised Loserine to level 66 and Roxia to level 65.
There was still some experience left—but after level 50, the bottleneck wasn't experience anymore.
It was Ascension Crystals.
From level 50 to 60, each level required one crystal.
From 60 to 70, each level required two.
Fortunately, Loserine's bond halved her requirements—she only needed half a crystal per level.
Even so, after all the upgrades—
only three crystals remained.
"…Still not enough resources."
Akira rubbed his temples.
Their guild's growth had stalled because of it.
Even if they were already progressing faster than most guilds—
it still wasn't enough for the difficulty of the missions ahead.
He needed more Ascension Crystals.
Then—
he took out a radiant crystal from his inventory.
A treasure obtained alongside the power of the stars.
He hadn't used it yet.
Because its purpose was special—
it was meant for ascension at the demigod level.
Right now, none of his guild members could use it.
But if he listed it on the marketplace…
"…No."
Akira shook his head, cutting off the thought.
Its value was immeasurable. Even hundreds of thousands of gold wouldn't tempt him.
After all—
this was an item capable of raising a demigod's level.
"…What is that?"
At that moment, the Elf Queen appeared silently beside him.
Her clear blue eyes were fixed on the radiant crystal in his hand.
"It's something that can help a demigod—"
Akira began, but suddenly paused.
Something felt off.
The one sitting beside him… wasn't the White Elf Queen who had just gone into the bath.
It was—
the real Elf Queen.
"I know what it does," she said softly, tilting her head as she gazed into his eyes. "I'm just curious… why do you have it?"
"…Because…"
Akira hesitated, unsure how to answer.
"Never mind~" she interrupted lightly. "It belongs to you. Forcing an answer would be rather unbecoming of me."
Her sudden shift in tone caught him off guard.
And just then—
the door burst open.
Roxia and the others appeared again, clearly having returned to double-check.
"You…?"
Akira raised an eyebrow.
The Elf Queen did the same—though her gaze remained gentle and composed.
For a moment, the group fell into silence.
Alice leaned close to Roxia and whispered:
"Big sis Roxia… this Queen doesn't seem fake, does she?"
"…"
Roxia frowned.
She had definitely sensed something strange earlier—but now, everything felt normal again.
Had she overthought it?
Or was there something deeper going on?
Questions swirled in her mind, but she said nothing—only stared intently at the Elf Queen beside Akira.
The awkward silence was finally broken by Ivsha.
She smiled brightly.
"Mr. Kurose Akira~ we just came to let you know that the elves have prepared a lovely breakfast~"
"Oh? Then I'll be right there."
Akira's interest was instantly piqued.
After last night's… exertion, he definitely needed to replenish his energy.
"We'll be waiting in the dining hall~"
With that, they left again.
Akira exhaled.
As expected of Roxia—she could actually sense the difference between the two Elf Queens.
"Yesterday, I had a conversation with the Pope."
The Elf Queen suddenly spoke.
"…?"
Akira turned sharply, eyes widening.
"I've known for a while~" she said calmly. "From the moment Lady Roxia arrived in the elven kingdom, I knew who she was."
"…What did you talk about?"
"I'm quite curious about that myself."
"We discussed the current situation… and reached a certain understanding."
"An understanding?"
"Yes~" she nodded. "But I can't tell you the details. It concerns the secrets of two nations."
Then—
she leaned slightly closer, her breath carrying a faint fragrance.
"But I am curious…"
"What exactly is your relationship with the Pope? She seems to view you… quite differently."
"Not something I can talk about~" Akira quickly shook his head, taking a step back.
His reaction only deepened her suspicions—but she already had her guesses.
"Very well~ if you won't say, I won't press."
She gave him a sidelong glance, then stood.
"Guild Master Akira, do freshen up before heading to the dining hall. You… have a faint smell."
With that, she left the room.
"…A smell?"
Akira immediately sniffed his sleeve, trying to identify the source.
"She's gone?"
At that moment, the White Elf Queen stepped out of the bath.
She had stayed inside until now, not daring to come out and complicate things further.
"Yeah."
Akira nodded, his gaze drifting over her.
She had changed into a light-blue dress. Its simple design only accentuated her elegant, full figure.
"I'm going to grab some breakfast. I'll be back soon."
"Mm~" she nodded gently. "I'll be waiting."
"Alright."
With that, Akira left the room and headed toward the dining hall.
The White Elf Queen remained seated, her blue eyes shimmering like rippling water—filled with countless thoughts.
…
After breakfast, Akira gathered all guild members to begin the day's mission.
The Elf Mother Tree had already marked the approximate location of the enemy guild.
But the location surprised him—
the Moon Goddess Empire.
"Prepare to move."
As Akira activated the teleportation array, he gave his orders.
This would be their most difficult battle yet.
So this time—
every member of "Puff Fantasyland" would participate.
"Ahh~"
Kantelia yawned, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Brat… couldn't you let this true ancestor sleep a bit longer?"
"You've been sleeping in that coffin day and night since joining," Akira pinched her nose. "Still not enough?"
"Hmph! Let go of my nose, brat!"
She smacked his knee in protest.
"That's called conserving energy! Unlike you—who doesn't have any to conserve!"
"Just say you're getting old," Akira shrugged. "Let's go."
With that, he led the team through the teleportation array.
Thanks to the Elf Queen's assistance, they entered the Moon Goddess Empire without needing any documentation.
Their destination—
a remote village.
Every house had crescent-shaped lanterns hanging at the entrance, glowing with a faint blue light.
Akira frowned slightly.
The light didn't look like fire—it seemed more like a magical construct.
"Is the enemy guild really here?"
He scanned the surroundings.
Despite the lights being on in every house—
there wasn't a single person in sight.
"The villagers have gone to a nearby city for a gathering."
At that moment, the White Elf Queen appeared silently before him.
"Your Majesty?"
The guild members were stunned.
Especially the elf sisters—they couldn't believe the Elf Queen had appeared here.
"Ahem."
Akira cleared his throat.
"Let me introduce our new guild member—Tinas!"
"…A new member?!"
"Are you serious?!"
"The Queen is joining our guild?!"
Shock spread through the group.
This was the Elf Queen—
the ruler of the elves for thousands of years.
A demigod standing at the peak of the world.
And she was joining their guild?
Meanwhile—
Roxia narrowed her eyes.
Because she was certain—
this Elf Queen was not the same one as before.
But she was the only one who noticed.
Ivsha and the others simply smiled and welcomed her.
"Fuli, Floro—and everyone of Puff Fantasyland."
The White Elf Queen smiled gently.
"Please call me Tinas. I am now one of your guild members… not the Elf Queen you know."