"Mr. Kurose, your soul is astonishingly pure~"Natalia lightly licked the corner of her lips, a look of deep satisfaction blooming across her face.
Only then did Kurose Akira slowly open his eyes, murmuring softly,"This comfortable feeling…"
It was as though something deep within his soul had been refined and elevated. Compared to the depletion caused by life-based magic, the sensation brought by Natalia's soul secret art was unexpectedly gentle—soothing, even addictive.
He turned his gaze toward her, curiosity flickering in his eyes."So… what exactly is your true identity?"
Natalia responded with a graceful smile and explained calmly,"I am a lifeform born from a lingering fragment of divine power left behind by the White Rose Valkyrie. You may think of me as this White Rose itself. My existence is meant to replace the departed Valkyrie and continue protecting this city. However, more than twenty years ago, a witch attempted to erase my soul. I fought her fiercely. Although I managed to drive her away temporarily, I suffered grievous wounds that could never truly heal."
"In order to continue protecting this city, I split off a fragment of myself and helped a gifted young girl become an Oathbound Knight, successfully thwarting the witch's plan. However… the price I paid was enormous."
"In the end, as time passed, everything slowly evolved into what you see today…"
Natalia revealed everything to Akira without reservation—explaining, at last, why Loserine's talent so vastly surpassed that of other Oathbound Knights.
Moreover, this confirmed that the Black Night Witch had already been plotting against the White Rose over twenty years ago—and that timing coincided precisely with the period when Loserine became an Oathbound Knight.
"Now, all the methods the Black Night Witch left behind here have been completely erased. She can no longer pose any threat to you," Akira said.
"Mmm~ that's all thanks to your help~"Natalia smiled softly, gratitude filling her eyes.
Akira merely returned a faint smile.
"All right~"Natalia continued,"I still need a long period of deep slumber to repair my damaged soul, so I won't keep you any longer."
"What about your avatar…?" Akira asked with concern, referring to the Natalia who was currently sleeping within the Yerman castle.
"Don't worry," Natalia replied with a gentle smile. "She will awaken—just like before—and remain by your side…"
Before her voice had fully faded, Akira felt himself carried away from the White Rose by a mysterious petal.
After this extraordinary "date," Akira stood in place for a long while, gazing up at the enormous White Rose in the sky. A deep sense of fulfillment welled up inside him before he finally turned and left.
When he returned to the Yerman castle, Loserine and the others had already been waiting for quite some time.
"Mr. Kurose~ you're finally back!"Ivsha hurried forward, seemingly unaware of anything unusual.
Which was only natural. After all, that kind of exchange came from the deepest layers of the soul—leaving no trace behind.
"Mr. Kurose, thanks to your help, we were able to win against the beast tide and expose the traitor of Sunset City," Roxia said as she took out a pouch of coins and handed it to him."This is Sunset City's gratitude."
[Gold acquired +10!]
"A nice bonus!"Akira accepted the coin pouch with delight. This was an offer he simply couldn't refuse.
In this world, gold was an extremely valuable currency.
"Not only did we find a large amount of valuables in the city lord's mansion, but we also discovered a diary," Roxia said, handing him a worn journal.
"A diary?"Akira accepted it curiously and flipped through a few pages. The contents made his brow knit.
[Star Calendar 562, June 3rd: The hundredth day since I met her. I will love her forever!]
[Star Calendar 563, August 1st: She asked him to help me become the Lord of Sunset City. She truly loves me!]
[Star Calendar 565, March 3rd: Together, we completely destroyed the guardian family of Sunset City. Is this… the power of a witch?]
[Star Calendar 565, May 8th: She allowed me to touch the sole of her shoe. This is the greatest reward of my entire life!]
[Star Calendar 568, June 1st: We are planning to destroy the protection of the White Rose. This is insane! We are betraying the kingdom!]
[...]
[Star Calendar 575, March 2nd: We failed. A foolish woman ruined everything! Fortunately, her daughter can continue our plan—once she comes of age.]
[Star Calendar 580, June 26th: She's dead! Hanged on the gallows! Why!? Just because she was a witch!? Damn this world! And him—he did nothing! He could have saved her! Damn it…]
[Star Calendar 580, June 27th: I tried to take her body, but witnessed witches snatch her corpse from the execution grounds. Fortunately, amid the chaos, I managed to seize her left eyeball!]
[Star Calendar 585, March 5th: Even though she is gone, I will continue to fulfill her wishes. This is proof of my love for her!]
[...]
"What kind of hardcore simp diary is this…?"Akira frowned slightly. From the journal, he pieced together the overall chain of events—and finally understood why the left eye had ended up in the Lord of Sunset City's possession.
More importantly, it contained information far beyond the known storyline.
"Keep it."Akira stored the diary in his inventory. The intelligence recorded inside was far more valuable than it looked.
"Oh—by the way, has Natalia awakened?" Akira suddenly asked Roxia.
"Natalia… Aunt Natalia…"Roxia hesitated, her gaze flickering.
Since their last return, Natalia had remained unconscious, which had deeply worried her.
"Let's go check on her."
Akira decided to accompany Roxia to Natalia's room.
They soon arrived.
When Roxia gently pushed open the door, Natalia lay quietly on the bed—like a sleeping beauty.
Akira approached the bedside. The instant he saw her, he knew—
She was pretending.
Amused by such a simple trick, Akira smiled inwardly and lightly placed his fingertips on her waist.
The next second, Natalia's weakness betrayed her, and she was forcibly awakened.
"Giggle~ Mr. Kurose, don't do that~ I was wrong~"Natalia laughed as she sat up from the bed.
"Aunt Natalia? You're awake!?"Roxia stared at her in disbelief, utterly unable to comprehend what method Akira had used to wake her.
Could it be that his fingers possessed miraculous powers—capable of healing souls and reviving the dying?
"Sorry to make you worry, Roxia."
As she spoke, Natalia leaned close to Akira's ear and whispered softly,"Mr. Kurose~ everything that happened there… I still remember it all~"
Cough cough—
Akira cleared his throat lightly. The situation was starting to feel… delicate.
After a brief exchange, Akira prepared to return to the guild with Ivsha and the others.
The Sunset City questline had finally come to an end. Next, he could focus on Alice's character quest—and recruiting new adventurers!
Speaking of which… why did killing the Lord of Sunset City grant a recruitment scroll? Was it because he was a city lord?
Then what if he killed the lords of other cities?Or even… a king?
The more he thought about it, the more thrilling it became.
"Aunt Natalia, please continue resting. I'll see them off," Roxia said as she stood up.
Natalia nodded, gazing at Akira with deep affection."Mr. Kurose, if you have time, you're always welcome to come here for afternoon tea. Natalia will be waiting for you."
"Sure."Akira answered simply—though whether his future visits would truly be for tea… was another matter entirely.
"Let's go."
Roxia personally escorted them out. The moment they stepped outside the room, she gently tugged on Akira's sleeve. Her sapphire-blue eyes lingered on him, as if she had something she needed to say.
"What is it?" Akira asked, puzzled.
Roxia spoke softly,"Mr. Kurose… may I ask… am I qualified to join your guild?"
"You?"Akira studied her carefully for a moment, then smiled and gently ruffled her hair."Focus on being an Oathbound Knight. Protect Sunset City in your aunt's stead."
Roxia fell silent.
"No need to see us off! Until we meet again!"
Akira waved goodbye. Then, together with Ivsha, he stepped into the teleportation array. As light flashed, they vanished from Sunset City.
Roxia remained standing there, momentarily dazed. After a brief pause, a satisfied smile slowly spread across her face, and she turned away.
...
In the blink of an eye, Akira returned to his guild.
The moment he arrived, Alice threw herself at him.
"Master! You're finally back! For a while, I couldn't sense your soul at all—I was so worried!"She buried herself in his arms, sobbing.
"All right, all right~ Master's fine."Akira smiled gently. There was no way he could tell her he'd been having an intimate soul exchange with Natalia.
After soothing Alice, Akira sat down on a wooden chair in the guild hall, preparing for his fourth recruitment.
Before that, he handled the previously submitted quests.
[Soul of the White Rose (Completed)!][Quest Reward: Gold 20, EXP 20,000][Special Reward: Sage Soul]
[Special Event Quest — Defend Sunset City! (Completed)!][Quest Reward: Gold 5, EXP 5,000][Special Reward: Bond Crystal]
Completing two high-difficulty quests earned Akira 25 gold coins. Combined with the 10 gold Roxia had gifted him, the guild had reaped massive profits from this operation!
Additionally, the combined EXP from defeating two bosses and completing the quests totaled 45,000—enough to rapidly boost Ivsha and the others' levels.
Still, the most important thing right now—
Recruiting new adventurers!
The [Elf] and [Greed] traits had been waiting far too long. Unfortunately, the [Saintess] trait was still unavailable—it would have to wait until he achieved a D-rank player evaluation.
Akira took out the Bond Crystal and began selecting a bond trait.
[Please choose one of the following Bond Traits!]
[Sisters][Master–Servant][Mother–Daughter]
Akira stared at the three options, sinking into deep thought.
Which one… should he choose?
Choose?