"I know many things~"
Lucia's whisper brushed softly against Kurose Akira's ear. Her voice carried a strangely enchanting cadence, like a spell murmured in the dark, echoing again and again inside his head and sending his heartbeat surging out of control.
It took quite some time before he finally managed to steady himself.
"Cough—cough."
Akira cleared his throat lightly and said to Lucia, "There's a special commission available right now. It's… somewhat difficult for us, and it also has a strict time limit. I'm hesitating over whether to accept it."
"A special commission?"Lucia paused in thought for a moment before answering softly. "Take it. I can guarantee its smooth completion."
"Lucia, you—"
Akira froze at her words.
Meeting her calm, confident gaze, his heartbeat abruptly quickened again, and an inexplicable joy welled up in his chest.
So this is the sense of security that comes from a Mythical-grade adventurer…?
Beneath the white gauze blindfold covering her eyes, Lucia's gold-and-crimson pupils shimmered faintly, revealing a subtle smile no one else could perceive. Akira's sincere admiration for her seemed to excite her greatly.
"Alright! I'll take the mission!"
Bolstered by Lucia's encouragement, Akira accepted the special commission without further hesitation.
[Mission Accepted Successfully!][Available Demon Lair Destinations: 3 (reasonably allocated based on player evaluation)]
"Three destinations we can go to…?" Akira murmured.
According to the mission description, a total of fifty demon lairs needed to be destroyed, each with its own danger rating.
The three locations assigned to Akira were clearly among the lower-risk lairs.
"Which three?" Lucia asked with interest.
"All within the territory of the Starfall Kingdom—Red Maple Leaf Territory, Falling Star City, and… the Shadow Mountain Range."
The Shadow Mountain Range?
Akira immediately recalled that the necromancer from a D-rank quest was also active there.
"Let's start with Red Maple Leaf Territory," Lucia suggested. "It's governed by a princess. Both the military strength and the terrain will work in our favor."
"You're from the Solar Theocracy—how do you know so much about the Starfall Kingdom?" Akira asked curiously.
Lucia smiled. "Isn't it common for a saintess to travel through other nations?"
"Fair point." Akira nodded in agreement. "Then Red Maple Leaf Territory it is."
After a brief discussion, Akira headed straight there.
Since this trip was merely preliminary reconnaissance for a special event mission, he brought only Lucia along.
When the teleportation array deposited them into Red Maple Leaf Territory, Akira didn't see any signs of chaos caused by demons. However, the town's streets were noticeably more crowded with soldiers, patrolling the territory in tight formations.
Of course, the fact that the mission still existed meant one thing—
The demon lair in Red Maple Leaf Territory had not yet been destroyed.
"Players…?"
Akira scanned his surroundings and noticed that a small group of players—around a dozen—had gathered in the area.
The low danger rating likely attracted more participants. If this had been a high-risk demon lair, there probably wouldn't have been many players at all.
"Do we have an exact location for the lair?" Lucia asked softly.
"It's about five kilometers southwest of this town," Akira replied. "But before we head out, we should learn more about its current situation."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the soldiers and nearby players. After a moment of careful consideration, he approached a few Red Maple Leaf Territory soldiers who were resting nearby.
After some questioning, he gained a general understanding of the situation.
"I've got a rough picture now," Akira said seriously as he returned to Lucia's side. "Most of the demons that escaped the lair have already been wiped out by the territory's army. Only a few demonkin above level 30 remain.
"Previously, the army organized a force of over a hundred soldiers to push into the demon lair—but they were repelled by a fierce counterattack and suffered a complete defeat. Because of that, they've temporarily halted large-scale assaults and are hoping adventurers will scout the lair's interior first.
"Apparently, the reason they were driven back was the appearance of a High-Rank Flame Demon above level 40."
"Your intelligence-gathering skills are impressive," Lucia said, nodding in approval.
"It was just a matter of offering a cigarette," Akira replied with a grin. "The soldiers here are surprisingly friendly."
Though he didn't smoke himself, those soldiers were all seasoned smokers.
What puzzled him was how familiar they seemed with him. When he approached them, their attitude was unusually warm—almost as if they already knew him.
"Let's take a look at this so-called demon lair first," Lucia said calmly. "If we can capture a demon, we might be able to question it about conditions within the Abyss."
"Mm."
Akira nodded and prepared to set off.
Just then, a male player with side-swept bangs approached him and said, "Hey, friend. This mission's pretty dangerous. Interested in joining our party?"
As he spoke, the man gestured toward a group behind him—three other players had already formed a team with him.
Akira glanced at them briefly, then declined. "Thanks, but I don't really like teaming up."
There was no way he could join other players. Lucia's Combat Persona: Cold Authority granted a 200% combat power increase, and that buff couldn't be abandoned. That was precisely why he had come with only Lucia in the first place.
"…Alright. That's a shame."
The male player smiled helplessly and walked away.
As he returned to his group, Akira overheard their hushed discussion—confusion and skepticism laced their voices.
"He actually turned us down?""Hmph. Does he really think he's that strong? This isn't a mission one person can handle alone!""Forget it. If he wants to go solo, let him deal with the consequences himself.""..."
Akira didn't bother responding. What caught his attention instead was that the group seemed intent on organizing an expedition into the demon lair.
Even though they all had D-rank or higher player evaluations, facing a level-40-plus High-Rank Flame Demon was no small matter—especially if it was accompanied by a swarm of lesser flame demons.
"Rejecting them was the correct choice."
At that moment, Lucia's voice rang out beside his ear, pure and serene like a heavenly melody.
"You need only me. I alone am sufficient."
As her words faded, her jade-carved fingers flicked lightly.
A golden lotus instantly bloomed beneath her feet, radiant like the rising sun itself. The lotus lifted both her and Akira, carrying them gently upward.
Akira was stunned.
Is this magic? Or some kind of divine artifact?
Before he could think further, the golden lotus suddenly accelerated, shooting straight toward the demon lair's location.
The abrupt burst of speed threw Akira off balance, his body tilting backward.
Fortunately, Lucia caught him in time.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly.
"Thank you," Akira replied gratefully.
At the same time, he noticed a faint blush bloom across Lucia's cheeks—only for a single second before she forcibly suppressed it.
They had only touched hands.
Was that… the Sensitive Authority?Just touching hands caused such a strong reaction…
Then what if it were her feet instead?
Akira's gaze drifted downward, landing on Lucia's bare feet, curiosity filling his eyes.
Why wasn't she wearing shoes?
…Was she deliberately trying to lure him in?