Poke, poke~
Kurose Akira extended a finger and gently poked at the ghostly young lady wrapped in white cloth.Yet the instant his fingertip touched the fabric, it felt as though he'd poked nothing but empty air—as if there were nothing inside at all.
And yet, the white cloth quite clearly outlined the graceful, feminine curves of the ghost beneath it…
"…That's weird."
Puzzled, Akira decided to lift the cloth and see what was really going on.
There's no way it's just a pair of legs in there, right?
Just as he grasped the cloth, ready to pull away its disguise, the ghost—Miss Zhen—suddenly woke up.
"Wah!!!"
She was so startled that she instantly fled back into her Soul Crystal Orb. The sheer intensity of that reflexive reaction made Akira frown slightly.
"…Are you a rabbit or something?"
Forget it.
After a moment's thought, Akira decided to drop the matter. With a stress response that extreme, he doubted he'd get any answers anyway—she'd probably faint again before he could even ask a question.
[You have received a message!]
"Hm?"
Akira suddenly received a message from an unknown sender, which left him momentarily confused. He had no idea who it could be from.
When he opened it, he found that it was sent by a player named Fei.
Fei: This is the detailed intelligence on tomorrow's Demon Lair. Read it carefully.
"Fei?"
Akira raised an eyebrow. He immediately realized this must be the guildmaster of the Fairy Consort Guild—the same person who led Red Lotus.
He quickly opened the attached report. It contained detailed information about the lair's location and the levels of the monsters inside.
"Duskgloom Forest?"
Akira immediately checked the map. When he saw that Duskgloom Forest lay less than thirty kilometers from Sunset City, his expression grew grave.
According to current intelligence, the demonkin inside this high-risk Demon Lair had not yet shown signs of moving out. But once they did, Sunset City's current military strength would likely be unable to withstand monsters of such extreme danger.
And Roxia—the oathbound knight of Sunset City—had yet to fully grow into her role…
"As long as the Demon Lair is destroyed, the crisis should be resolved," Akira murmured to himself.
He had no desire to see Sunset City ravaged by demons, its people and structures laid to waste—especially since it was Loserine's homeland.
"I'll head to Sunset City first thing tomorrow."
With that, Akira finalized his plans. Since the Demon Lair was so close to the city, the newly appointed lord would certainly reinforce the city's defenses. According to the event schedule, players would enter the Demon Lair at noon, giving him ample time to visit Roxia beforehand.
Moreover, with adventurers preparing to assault the lair, the lord of Sunset City would undoubtedly offer strong logistical support. Some knights might even join the expedition. Even if they didn't enter the lair itself, they would certainly establish checkpoints at the exit to ensure the adventurers' safe return.
He continued reviewing the intelligence.
The report stated that the Demon Lair contained only a single castle, and its overall area wasn't even as large as the Undead Overlord's lair he had encountered before.
But a high-risk Demon Lair was high-risk for a reason.
As for the demonkin inside—
"Vampires?"
Akira's eyes narrowed slightly. He immediately understood why the danger rating was so high.
This class of high-ranking demonkin was notoriously difficult to deal with. Still, based on the event's difficulty curve, their levels shouldn't exceed 70—more likely capped around 60.
Having sorted out tomorrow's plan, Akira washed up briefly and went to bed.
Because of the all-night battle the previous evening, Ivsha had returned early to the cathedral that day and handed the saliva-soaked handwritten manuscript to Sister Kayleigh.
The moment Akira closed his eyes, he was drawn once more into the Elf Queen's dream.
When he slowly opened them again, he found that he wasn't outside the wooden cabin as before.
Instead, he was lying with his head resting on the Elf Queen's lap.
"You're awake."
The Elf Queen looked down at him with a gentle smile, gazing at his sleeping face.
Her breathtaking beauty made Akira's heart skip slightly, and the tear mole beneath her right eye only amplified her charm, rendering it almost irresistible.
Moreover, this was the second Elf Queen he had encountered today—and the one who made him feel the most at ease. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
In fact, faced with her, he didn't want to get up from that soft, warm lap at all. He wished he could remain like this forever.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," Akira said with a smile.
"Call me Tinas," the Elf Queen replied softly. "In dreams, we can set aside worldly conventions. I've heard the word 'Queen' for tens of thousands of years—but very few people have ever spoken my name."
"T–Tinas?"
Akira froze for a moment. She was actually letting him call her by name?
Was that really okay?
"Then~ I'll call you Su Xuan," the Elf Queen said with a smile, her fingers gently brushing through his hair. "Su Xuan… you already understand them quite deeply, don't you?"
"…Yes." Akira nodded.
"Then…"
The Elf Queen lightly pinched his earlobe and looked straight into his eyes.
"Which of their philosophies do you think is more suitable to rule the Elven Kingdom?"
"Honestly," Akira said candidly, "if they could combine their philosophies, that might be the best approach."
"Oh~"
Her eyes rippled like a lake stirred by wind, carrying a deeper meaning. A faint smile curved her lips.
"I'm so glad you think that way too~"
!
Akira's gaze sharpened slightly as he reflected on her words.
It seemed this Elf Queen leaned toward a balanced strategy—one that blended offense and defense.
Thinking back, she had never explicitly stated her own governing philosophy. Most of her interactions with him had been casual, almost intimate conversations.
And he still remembered their very first meeting—when she had asked whether he would be willing to drag the supreme Elf Queen herself down into the abyss.
From this, it was clear: she wanted the true Elf Queen to change—to stop being shackled by guilt and self-blame, and to regain the ability to make decisive choices.
From their exchange so far, it seemed increasingly likely that this Elf Queen was the most suitable candidate of all…
"Let's not talk about that anymore, little one."
The Elf Queen parted her red lips with a soft smile. Her slender fingers brushed across her snow-white skin—and in an instant, her silver-white gown transformed into a cow-patterned outfit.
In a gentle whisper, she continued,"Your conversations with the other two have already tired you. Here with me, what you need is rest."
!
Akira's eyes tightened abruptly. He realized he had underestimated her.
She differed slightly from the other two Elf Queens, yet possessed a fatal weakness all her own.
She was far too easygoing.
As her words fell, the once-dim Holy Light suddenly flared—radiant and brilliant—blooming into scorching golden ripples.
There's no helping it… Her charm is just too overwhelming.
"Oh! My~"
The Elf Queen, naturally, noticed the anomaly at once. Such a dazzling display was impossible to hide.
That flickering Holy Light was so fervent, so brilliant—like it was conveying faint traces of His emotions to her, making them impossible to refuse~
With a playful curl of her lips, her fingers moved—and she effortlessly peeled away the disguise concealing the Holy Light.
"Relax~ relax~"
Tinas's gentle whisper brushed against Akira's ear. Her slightly cool fingertips touched the Holy Light, sending indescribable shivers through him.
"Little one~ here with me, all you need to do is relax your body and your heart completely~Leave everything else… to me~"