"My… heart?"
Kurose Akira lowered his head and stared at his own chest, only to be struck by a chilling realization—the place where his heart should have been was truly empty, like a bottomless abyss yawning open inside him.
Wait.Where's my heart?
Did it end up with Idais?
But still…
Even though his heart was gone, the blood in his body continued to circulate smoothly, as if some mysterious force were sustaining his life. He had no idea how a body without a heart could maintain normal blood flow—but strangely, the thought didn't make him panic or feel uneasy.
At the location where his heart should have been, a powerful concentration of magical energy seemed to have gathered, sealing off the wound. He couldn't directly see the injury itself—only a mass of black mist obscuring the hollow.
If he tried to reach into the cavity, his hand could pass straight through from his chest to his back.
"My heart… might be lost,"Kurose Akira murmured softly.
He didn't know where his heart was anymore, yet oddly enough, he could still feel a heartbeat.
"Lost?"The Elf Queen fell silent for a moment after hearing his words.
Then, a gentle smile bloomed on her face.
She raised a slender, jade-like finger. At its tip shimmered a pure white glow, like starlight. Carefully—almost reverently—she extended her finger into the hollow where Kurose Akira's heart should have been.
The next instant, warm elemental magic gathered at his chest, flowing in like a tide and gradually filling the empty space.
In just a few breaths, the hollow inside his body was completely filled. Though it didn't feel like flesh, it was far more comforting than being shrouded in that pitch-black mist.
"That should do it," the Elf Queen said softly. "Even if your heart is pierced in the real world, this power will protect you for a while. But at most—seven days. Do you understand?"
"Thank you…"Kurose Akira nodded slightly.
In truth, he didn't think he'd be harmed anyway. Idais had no reason to hurt him.
And when he had closed his eyes earlier, countless prompts had appeared in his vision—almost certainly Idais transferring a strand of tainted lust magic into him.
Just… was the method of transfer really touching the heart?
As expected—power that comes from demons always demands a price.
"Then… can you get up now?"The Elf Queen asked gently, her voice soft as the breeze.
"!"Kurose Akira snapped back to his senses and hurriedly stood up.
He had almost forgotten—he'd been lying with his head on the Elf Queen's fragrant, impossibly soft lap.
Pulling himself upright, he grabbed a piece of clothing and draped it over himself, then turned his gaze back to her.
Compared to the Elf Queen he had met before, today's version felt… subtly different.
Perhaps it was because of the two souls.
The Elf Queen sitting before him now had eyes of deep sapphire blue, like an endless sea—brimming with wisdom and mystery. The aura she carried was faintly different from before.
If it were the previous Elf Queen, she likely would have kept a certain distance—she wouldn't have allowed him to rest on her lap so casually.
As for how to distinguish the two, Kurose Akira had already begun to piece it together.
Because their souls were split like mirrored reflections, the teardrop mole that once lay beneath the left eye of the Elf Queen now appeared beneath her right eye instead.
That tiny beauty mark was placed just right—like the brightest star in the night sky—perfectly accentuating the Elf Queen's kind and pure heart.
"Your heart has been damaged. You should rest well tonight," the Elf Queen said with concern.
"It's fine. I feel okay now," Kurose Akira replied lightly.After all, it wasn't really an injury.
"Then sit for now," she said gently, patting the empty space beside her and signaling for him to sit at the edge of her jade bed.
Kurose Akira hesitated, but eventually sat down beside her.
There was about twenty centimeters between them—not too close, not too far.
"We agreed earlier that we wouldn't pry into what happens in each other's dreams," the Elf Queen said with a composed smile. Her voice was warm and understanding. "So I won't ask what happened between you and her."
"Alright."Kurose Akira nodded, quietly trying to recall what he had actually done with the other Elf Queen.
It seemed like he'd asked a few questions…and then made her wear a sexy cow costume?
"Then," the Elf Queen continued softly, "is there anything you'd like to ask me? Or something you'd like to do together? Although she and I are essentially the same person, there are still subtle differences between us."
"Would you be willing to wear a cow outfit?"
"A cow outfit?"
"..."
"I think… I could."
"!"
...
When the dream ended, Kurose Akira slowly opened his eyes.
He gently removed the VR headset and got out of bed, his entire body buzzing with excitement.
That Elf Queen was actually willing to wear a sexy cow outfit!
Big G's paired with a cow costume—it was practically a match made in heaven!
Especially making a noble, holy Elf Queen change outfits—the sheer mental impact was devastating in the best way!
Cough, cough—How did this suddenly turn into a costume-change game?And an R18 one at that?!
Absolutely peak.
Kurose Akira walked into the bathroom, planning to wash up quickly before heading to school. But the moment he stepped inside, his heart suddenly thumped hard.
"Gah—!"
He grimaced in pain and hurriedly pulled open his pajama top, checking his chest. For a moment, he thought his heart might still be missing.
But in reality, his body was perfectly intact.His heart was right where it should be.
"Haa… thank god…"He let out a long breath of relief, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and rushed off to school.
...
After classes ended, Kurose Akira immediately slung his backpack over his shoulder, preparing to head home.
"Kurose Akira!"A voice called out to him.
He turned around. "What's up?"
"My sister asked if you're coming to the shop this weekend," Liu Xue said. "She has something she wants to talk to you about."
"Okay. I'll come by," Kurose Akira replied with a nod, then left.
After getting home, he didn't log into the game right away.
Instead, he cooked himself a bowl of instant noodles—three packets of noodles, plus two eggs!
"Hah—almost starved to death!"
He devoured the noodles happily before finally logging in.
For some reason, he'd been especially hungry today.
When he arrived at the guild, the first thing he did was check his chest.
His heart seemed to be back.
But faint traces of healed wounds were still visible on the surface of his skin, giving off a slightly unsettling impression.
Even so, he felt no discomfort at all—in fact, his heartbeat felt stronger than ever, as if he'd taken some kind of supreme tonic.
"Do you remember what happened last night?"At that moment, Loserine stepped out of her room and asked him seriously.
"..."
"I don't remember."Kurose Akira shook his head.
All he recalled was Idais piercing his heart—and then… nothing after that.
"If you don't remember, then forget it," Loserine said flatly, turning and heading straight for the training room.
Confusion filled Kurose Akira's mind.
Just then, Alice came rushing toward him.
"Master! What happened last night?! You scared me to death!"
She threw herself straight into his arms, her voice trembling with worry.
"I don't remember…"Still confused, Kurose Akira asked Alice what had happened.
Only then did he learn that he had let out a piercing scream in the guild last night—blood pouring from his chest and staining the guild floor red.
Alice had panicked, completely at a loss, until Loserine noticed that his heart was rapidly regenerating. Only then had she finally relaxed.
After that, the two of them stayed by his side until he logged out.
"Sorry for making you worry,"Kurose Akira said softly, gently stroking Alice's hair.
"As long as Master is okay!"Alice said joyfully, rubbing her cheek lightly against his chest.
Kurose Akira smiled faintly, then shifted his attention to his status panel.
[Tainted Lust Magic: All Attributes +50 (Permanent)! +2~3 (Permanent)! Damage to Succubi +200% (Permanent)!]
"Tainted lust magic, huh…"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly.
He didn't quite understand how two different forms of lust magic could be born within Idais—or what their fundamental differences were.
But judging purely from the effects—
This tainted lust magic was far more powerful than the pure lust magic ever was.