"Seven-thirty… moon viewing at the Sacred Sparrow Terrace."
Kurose Akira silently committed the Elven Queen's scheduled appearance to memory.
At that moment, Elina's delighted voice rang out.
"I'm finished!"
Hearing that, Akira immediately dressed himself, then strode over, casually setting the handkerchief in his hand back onto the tea table as he went.
"Let me see."
As he spoke, he picked up a cup of black tea and moved behind Elina.
Just as he was about to take a sip to soothe his thirst, the drawing before him seized his attention so completely that his breath caught in his throat.
The figure in the sketch was vivid beyond belief—so lifelike it was as if he were looking into a mirror. Every muscle line was rendered with astonishing clarity. Even the Holy Sword that had been partially concealed by the handkerchief was perfectly outlined, with details pushed to the absolute limit.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Is Elina some kind of human camera…?
Yet while Akira was still lost in shock at the sheer impact of the artwork, anger flared on Elina's face.
Because Akira hadn't noticed that the teacup in his hand had tilted at some point. Tea dripped down at just the wrong angle, splashing onto the top of her head and soaking her upper body.
"You damn man! You got me all wet!"
"Ahem—my fault, my fault!"
Akira apologized in a rush, quickly grabbing the handkerchief from the table and handing it to her.
Elina struggled to rein in her temper as she wiped the tea from her cheeks. But halfway through, she suddenly realized something was very, very wrong—
"Ah! You bastard! A bug! You filthy pig!"
"I'm out—I'm out!"
…
That evening, at exactly seven-thirty, Akira arrived on time at the Sacred Sparrow Terrace beside the elven palace.
The terrace was vast and open. The ground was paved with pristine white marble inlaid with emerald-green jade, which glittered under the moonlight like scattered stars fallen from the Milky Way.
According to elven historical records, this was a sacred site used for rituals—a place where elves offered worship to the Goddess of Nature and the Goddess of Elements.
However, it wasn't a forbidden zone, which was why Akira had been able to enter so easily.
"Where is the Elven Queen…?"
Akira scanned his surroundings, searching for her presence.
Just then, a graceful figure descended from the sky like a celestial maiden, slowly alighting at the center of the Sacred Sparrow Terrace.
"She's here!"
Akira's gaze instantly sharpened, locking onto the Elven Queen in the distance. Her holiness made everything around her fade into insignificance. Even the moonlight seemed to grow purer at that moment, as though it existed solely to accentuate her transcendent presence.
Hidden in the shadows, Akira felt his heart stir.
The sensation was exactly like encountering a shiny Pokémon—making him desperately want to throw a Poké Ball and capture her on the spot.
At that moment, the Elven Queen's voice drifted to his ears, serene as an orchid blooming in a quiet valley.
"Since you're here, why hide?"
Akira stepped out from the darkness.
"So it's you, little one~"
When the Elven Queen saw him, a warm, friendly smile spread across her face—like winter sunlight, instantly easing the heart.
"Honored Elven Queen," Akira said calmly as he approached her, "there are some matters I wish to ask you about."
"I know why you've come."
She smiled softly, then continued, "You've already agreed to help the other me, haven't you?"
"Yes."
Akira nodded.
"Though this matter has nothing directly to do with you, I sincerely hope you'll be willing to lend us your hand and render a fair judgment."
[New Quest: The Elven Queen's Commission (2/2)][Quest Description: In order to suppress the darkness within her heart, the Elven Queen split her soul in two. Please help her make the correct decision!][Quest Reward: ?]
Reading the quest description, Akira formed a hypothesis.
"So… I'm to judge which Elven Queen was born of corrupted intent?"
At that moment, the Elven Queen spoke again.
"Several thousand years ago, due to a certain incident, a trace of dark intent took root in my heart."
She revealed the secret she had kept buried deep within herself.
"At the time, I believed it to be something trivial. But over thousands of years, that sliver of darkness accumulated and began to erode my soul."
"For that reason, I devised a method—splitting off a portion of my soul. I hoped to use the separated soul to suppress that darkness. At first, it seemed effective. But as time passed, the dark intent continued to grow. Eventually, even this method failed to restrain it completely, forcing me into a cycle of slumber once every hundred years to restore balance and strength."
Akira's thoughts churned.
So it wasn't as he'd originally assumed… Both of them were truly the Elven Queen?
"And so," the Elven Queen continued, "I decided to permanently seal a portion of my soul—along with that dark intent—within the World Tree, relying on its power to purify the corruption."
"If it's just separating part of your soul, that doesn't sound like such a difficult decision," Akira said, puzzled. "After all, the authority over the soul belongs to the original body. How could a separated soul resist the will of the main self?"
The Elven Queen explained,
"Because the dark intent has grown so powerful, the soul I separated is now nearly half of my original self. Our memories, experiences, and emotions are completely identical. There is no distinction between original and clone."
She paused, then continued solemnly.
"But now, one of us must be willing to pay the price—hundreds, even thousands of years sealed within the World Tree—to cleanse the darkness from within. Do you understand what I mean?"
Akira nodded.
"I do. So you want me to choose which of you is better suited to govern the current elven race."
"Yes."
The Elven Queen nodded gently, her voice soft and reassuring.
"You don't need to feel pressured. We've already come to an agreement between ourselves. And even being sealed within the World Tree is merely a long sleep. To me, the passage of centuries is no more than a fleeting moment—so you needn't worry about the one who is sealed."
Akira fell into deep contemplation.
For the Elven Queen, centuries or millennia of slumber might be but a blink of an eye.
But for other elves—or humans—that span of time could encompass sweeping changes of history. It was no different from death.
At last, he understood why this had to be a choice between two. One Elven Queen had to be willing to sacrifice everything to seal away the darkness festering within.
Suddenly, Akira recalled the four endings mentioned in the quest's preface.
Yet the Elven Queen had only presented him with two.
Where were the other two endings?
After thinking it through, realization struck him.
His very involvement was the unknown variable—expanding what would have been two possible outcomes into four.
"Do I need to make a decision immediately?" Akira asked.
"No."
The Elven Queen shook her head.
"You'll have a month to interact with me. We'll take turns appearing in your dreams. Because of the dark intent, there will be subtle differences between us. When the time comes, I hope you'll use those details—and perhaps their temptations—to identify the Queen who leans more toward darkness and seal her away."
She smiled faintly.
"Of course, you may also choose your own method to decide."
"I understand," Akira nodded, then asked, "May I ask why you chose me?"
"I can't ask the elves to decide for me," the Elven Queen replied immediately. "That would be forcing them into the most painful choice imaginable."
She hesitated for a moment, then added softly,
"And for some reason… you feel very familiar to me."
"Familiar?"
"Yes," she nodded lightly, her beautiful eyes gleaming with gentle warmth. "As though we've known each other for a very long time."
"…"
Akira narrowed his eyes slightly, silently mulling it over.
Could this be the effect of the [Mother-in-Law Slayer] trait?
After all, that trait granted bonus effects when interacting with targets of higher age and charm—and its effect on "mother-in-law"–type units was doubled, stacking infinitely.
Come to think of it… wasn't the Elven Queen basically maxed out on buffs?
No wonder he'd been able to obtain so much information from her so easily.
"So long as Your Majesty places such trust in me," Akira said with a smile, "I'll do everything in my power to present you with a decision you'll be satisfied with."
"Excellent~"
The Elven Queen smiled radiantly. Then she gracefully extended her hand, a soft glow blooming in her palm. A pale pink pearl appeared as if born of a dream—crystal-clear, shimmering with a captivating light.
"Consider this a gift from me, little one~"
Her voice was gentle and warm, comforting to the core.
Akira looked curiously at the pale pink pearl and immediately received an item prompt.
[Elven Queen's Pearl (Epic): A unique pearl containing the Elven Queen's power of protection. (Single-use)]
A consumable item, huh?
"Thank you."
Akira accepted the pearl, feeling its smooth, delicate texture. It carried a calming effect, soothing the mind—and exuded a faint, refreshing fragrance that lifted the spirit.
"It's about time for me to leave."
The Elven Queen glanced up at the moon hanging among the branches and spoke softly, offering her final farewell.
"Wait! One last question!"
Akira called out urgently.
"What will you be like… if you're affected by the dark intent?"
"Well…"
The Elven Queen hesitated briefly, then smiled gently.
"Who knows~"
As her words faded, her form dissolved into the boundless moonlight—elegant, mysterious, vanishing without a trace.
Akira remained alone, gazing up at the moonlight that blanketed the earth. Inside his chest, emotions surged like a churning sea, countless thoughts intertwining.
Only after a long while did he come back to himself. Activating the teleportation array, his figure vanished in a flash of light as he returned to the guild.
Back at the guild, Akira sat in his chair, staring blankly ahead—clearly still replaying the conversation with the Elven Queen in his mind.
Especially those four enigmatic endings.
Let one of them fall?
Abandon them both?
Or…
…take them all?