"Even Lady Elina has been won over by you, Guild Master?"Beiyalera asked in delight, her face lit up with a radiant smile.
"She chose to support us of her own free will. I don't really understand her motives, but at least the outcome is what we wanted."Kurose Akira gave a light shrug. After leaving the Elven Mother Tree, he hadn't returned to the guild. Instead, he'd come straight back to Beiyalera's small wooden cottage.
There was no deep reason for it—he was just thirsty and wanted a cup of milk tea.And, while he was at it, he wanted to ask Beiyalera a few things about the Elven Queen.
"Is that so? Elina really is hard to read. After all, she's still just a little girl, not even a hundred years old,"Beiyalera said with a gentle laugh as she poured him tea.
"Not even a hundred…"Kurose Akira took a light sip, silently marveling to himself.As expected of a long-lived race—under a hundred years old and she was still considered a little girl.
"Still," he said casually, "she feels different from the rest of you, doesn't she?"
"Yes."Beiyalera nodded and explained, "Elina was personally plucked from the Elven Mother Tree by the Elven Queen herself. There are rumors that she fused with a trace of Her Majesty's original elemental essence. Because of that, her birth is more exalted than that of any other elf."
"So that's how it is…"Kurose Akira nodded thoughtfully.No wonder she always felt fundamentally different from the others.
At that moment, Beiyalera quietly sat down beside him, her soft body pressing gently against his arm. She leaned close to his ear and whispered in a velvety voice,
"Thanks to you, Guild Master, there are far fewer voices within the clan calling for my judgment now. I really don't know how to thank you. How about~ giving you your reward right now?"
Huu—
Her warm breath brushed against his nose, carrying that distinctive milky sweetness. Kurose Akira felt his mind sharpen instantly.
"Let's save the reward for after this is fully resolved," he replied with a faint smile.
Flie and Flora were still here, after all.This was not the time for anything NSFW.
"You're right. We can't let our guard down yet," Beiyalera said softly. "Some of the elders are stubborn old fossils. Even if Elina and the others are willing to drop the judgment, those elders won't give up so easily."
As she spoke, her fingers lightly traced across Kurose Akira's cheek, as though admiring something that already belonged to her.
The possessiveness in her gaze only grew stronger.
Gulp.
Kurose Akira swallowed.Beiyalera's desire for control was overwhelming.So this was what a truly lust-driven elf was like?
Just then, a crimson figure pushed open the door and strode into view.
"Beiyalera, I heard that even Elina—"
Honglian stepped inside, but froze mid-sentence when she noticed Kurose Akira was also present. Her body stiffened for an instant, and the words she was about to say were swallowed back down.
"Honglian~"Seeing her arrive, Beiyalera smiled and turned to Kurose Akira."Guild Master, why don't Flie and Flora take you around the Elven Kingdom? You've been running around for my sake this whole time—you should really take a proper look at the scenery here."
"Alright."
"Let's go, Guild Master~"
Kurose Akira immediately followed the two adorable little elves toward the central district of the Elven Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Honglian stepped fully into the cottage and closed the door tightly behind her.
"I heard Elina also gave up on judging you?"
"Yes, it's all thanks to the Guild Master's help~"
...
The scene shifted.
Kurose Akira, guided by Flie and Flora, entered the core region of the Elven Kingdom.
Before the solemn and majestic royal palace stood a jade statue of the Elven Queen nearly a hundred meters tall, inspiring awe at first glance.
The sculpture was breathtakingly lifelike, as though a celestial maiden had descended to the mortal world. Though carved from jade, its vividness rivaled that of a living person—rich in color, exquisitely detailed.
The Elven Queen wore a magnificent white gown embroidered with intricate silver patterns, every detail refined to absolute perfection. A matching silver crown rested upon her head, gleaming with dazzling light. Her expression was dignified and elegant, and paired with that resplendent attire, she radiated unparalleled nobility.
She carried the bearing of a mother to all, and Kurose Akira found himself captivated, drawn in by her presence alone. Compared to her, everything else seemed to fade into insignificance.
"Guild Master, this is the statue of our Queen. She's beautiful, isn't she?"Flie said proudly.
"Yes. She really is,"Kurose Akira nodded in agreement.
Without exaggeration, the Elven Queen was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She and Idith possessed entirely different kinds of allure. If Idith was a seductive red rose, then the Elven Queen was a pure white rose. Her sacred beauty inspired reverence rather than desire.
"The Elven Queen is the greatest being in our entire kingdom," Flora clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with worship."With her magic, she has nurtured tens of millions of elves! She's the one we all revere!"
"Tens of millions?"Kurose Akira frowned slightly."Aren't elves born from the Elven Mother Tree?"
"They are," Flora explained, "but the Mother Tree only blooms and bears fruit after being nourished by the Queen's elemental magic. In a sense, the Elven Queen is the true mother of all elves."
"I see~"Kurose Akira nodded slowly.
His respect for the Queen deepened.A monarch who had existed for tens of thousands of years for the sake of her race—beautiful, powerful, kind-hearted, and the creator of tens of millions of elves and the Elven Kingdom itself…
Magnificent, really.
But—
"Then shouldn't you call her grandmother instead of mother?"he asked with a grin.
"Oh~ you're right!"The sisters blinked, then laughed."But it's fine! Everyone just calls her the Queen. Elves don't really have family ties—we're all just kin. Only we and Mama are special!"
"And that's exactly what makes it precious,"Kurose Akira said, smiling as he gently patted the two girls on the head.
They froze for a moment, then broke into bright smiles.
"Guild Master, let's go see somewhere else!"
"Sure."
...
After wandering around for quite some time, Kurose Akira finally returned to the wooden cottage with Flie and Flora. Their timing was perfect—Honglian and Beiyalera had just finished their conversation and were stepping out.
They ran into each other at the doorway, their gazes crossing in midair.
"This time, we really owe you a huge thanks,"Honglian said with a smile as bright as sunlight, warmly patting Kurose Akira on the shoulder."You saved us a lot of trouble."
"I only did what I should,"Kurose Akira replied calmly.
"This was no small matter!"Honglian laughed heartily."You really are an outstanding guild master. I believe sooner or later, you'll grow into someone just as remarkable as my own guild leader."
She gave his shoulder another solid pat, her way of encouragement.
Kurose Akira simply smiled, though inwardly his curiosity about Honglian's guild master grew stronger.Honglian herself was already above level 50 and at least Epic-tier. That meant her guild master had to be at least C-rank, right?
"Well, I still have matters to deal with back at my guild, so I'll be heading out,"Honglian said."I'm really looking forward to seeing your guild in future guild wars. By then, I hope you'll have trained Flie and Flora into warriors who can stand on their own."
"Until then,"Kurose Akira waved goodbye, watching her figure disappear into the distance, his thoughts churning.
Guild wars.
An event exclusive to C-rank guilds and above.
Only after reaching C-rank could one say the game had truly begun—only then did it count as forming a real adventurer guild. Before that, it was nothing more than a mercenary band at best.
After having dinner at Beiyalera's home with the three mother-and-daughter elves, Kurose Akira finally returned to the guild.
The moment he sat down, he felt a burning sensation in his chest.
Frowning, he took out the Elf's Tear he carried close to his body. To his surprise, a faint, indistinct female silhouette had appeared within the crystal tear.
"What is this…?"Kurose Akira narrowed his eyes.
He still didn't know the true origin of the Elf's Tear.It hadn't come from Beiyalera—so then who?
Staring at the blurred figure inside, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.
That silhouette looked like…
The Elven Queen?