Creak—
The bathroom door was slowly pushed open.
Kurose Akira and Roxia stared at the gradually opening door, their bodies stiffening at the same time.
Roxia's heart was pounding wildly, crashing against her chest like a startled deer. She couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen if her aunt were to see her like this. Her snow-white cheeks felt as though they were about to bleed from the heat.
Kurose Akira was tense as well—though even he didn't quite understand why. After all, he hadn't done anything improper with Roxia. He really had been doing his best to help her suppress the curse, and he sincerely hoped Loserine wouldn't misunderstand the situation.
"Chirp~ chirp~"
At that moment, a small head poked in through the doorway. Two large, round eyes stared straight at the pair inside the bathroom, brimming with intense curiosity.
"The Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly?"
When Kurose Akira saw what had pushed the door open, he froze.
He'd thought it was Loserine.
Instead, it was this little troublemaker.
"Chirp~!"
The Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly fluttered in happily and flew straight toward Roxia.
But just as it was about to touch her, Kurose Akira snatched it out of the air.
"You little thing—how did you sneak in again?"
He released a trace of magic, gently wrapping it around the butterfly's body and tethering it in place so it couldn't fly around anymore.
"Chirp chirp chirp~!"
Unable to break free from the magical restraint, the Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly could only flap its wings helplessly in midair.
"Are you feeling better now?"
Kurose Akira let go of Roxia and asked with concern.
"Yes."
Roxia nodded. Gratitude shimmered in her sapphire-blue eyes.
She lowered her gaze to her fingertip, where the blood had already stopped seeping, and carefully sensed her own body. A refreshing, unprecedented clarity flowed through her, as though the murky corruption within her blood had been drawn out and completely suppressed by him.
She raised her head, eyes filled with sincere appreciation.
"Mr. Kurose Akira, thank you so much. I feel much better now. Your method is even more effective than soaking in medicinal baths every day."
"That's good. But I should remind you of one thing," Kurose Akira added calmly."Your curse can only be suppressed for five days."
"Five days…?"
Roxia thought for a moment, then hesitated before asking softly,"Mr. Kurose Akira… may I come to you again in five days to ask for your help?"
Kurose Akira didn't refuse her request.
After all, it was just a bit of blood. He didn't mind.
"Yes. You can."
"Thank you very much!"
"Get dressed first. I'll wait outside."
With that, Kurose Akira led the Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly out of the bathroom.
The moment he stepped out, he looked down at the little creature. It was blinking up at him with its big eyes, staring intently.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
He gently poked it with his fingertip, curious about what it was thinking.
Was it asking to go back inside and keep bothering Roxia?
…No, that didn't seem quite right.
Kurose Akira narrowed his eyes slightly. In the butterfly's gaze, he sensed a kind of determination.
As if it had made up its mind about something.
"Are you trying to tell me something?"
He asked it.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly flapped its wings excitedly, clearly trying to convey something.
Unfortunately, the language of magical beasts was still far too obscure for Kurose Akira. He couldn't understand a single word.
So he could only smile and respond vaguely,
"Mhm, mhm~ sure, sure~"
Upon hearing his affirmative response, the butterfly flapped its wings even more happily. It flew onto his shoulder, then extended its long proboscis and gently touched his forehead.
"Hm?"
Sluurp—
???
A few minutes later, Roxia emerged from the bathroom fully dressed—only to find Kurose Akira lying unconscious on the floor, looking as though he were peacefully asleep.
"Mr. Kurose Akira?!"
...
Within the Holy Light Cathedral, Lucia had been awake all night, meticulously handling affairs until dawn broke.
She let out a soft sigh, easing her tense nerves, and lifted a glass of golden fruit wine from the side.
Just as she was about to take a sip, her jade-like hand froze in midair.
A faint glimmer flickered in her golden-red eyes as complex emotions surged within her.
After a moment, Lucia gently exhaled and murmured,
"Leaves of the Golden Tree… I never thought a divine tree of that level still existed in this world…"
"Winnisan."
"Yes~ Holy Father."
"There's something I need you to handle…"
...
After quite some time, Kurose Akira gradually recovered from his state of complete mana depletion.
He seemed to have forgotten everything—only a vague memory remained, of hundreds of Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterflies dancing around him before everything went dark.
"Mr. Kurose Akira, are you alright?"
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Ivsha and the others gathered around him, their faces filled with concern.
"I'm fine."
He shook his head to reassure them.
He had simply been drained dry of mana by the Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly again, falling into mana exhaustion.
Hearing that he was safe, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
When Kurose Akira turned to look at the culprit, he saw the Magic-Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly fluttering joyfully around his bedroom. Its deep crimson wings now seemed to be covered in a faint layer of gold.
Like golden threads tracing the edges of its wings, they shimmered with dazzling brilliance.
Was this… a sign of metamorphosis?
Though it didn't seem ready to transform just yet.
Beep beep beep~
Suddenly!
Kurose Akira heard a notification sound. Realizing that he had received a reply, he opened the chat interface.
Fei:"I asked that child for you. If you want to suppress the Vampire Progenitor's blood curse, you can go to the Moon God Empire and undergo the Moon Ritual."
"The Moon God Empire…"
Kurose Akira considered the suggestion carefully.
But it seemed this would only suppress the curse—not completely eradicate it.
"Thank you very much."
He replied immediately, expressing his gratitude.
Fei:"No problem."
After the brief exchange, Kurose Akira clarified his goal for the day.
First, he needed to head to the Moon God Empire—but before that, he had to obtain a travel permit. Since he'd already been to the Moon God Empire once before, the process would be relatively simple.
As for the Moon Ritual, it was a special ceremony of the Moon God Empire, similar to the Holy Light Baptism of the Holy Light Church.
All it took was one silver coin to receive the blessing of moonlight.
Considering that the trip didn't require many people, Kurose Akira decided to bring only two companions. The others could continue completing the remaining D-rank quests.
He quickly assigned tasks to the guild members.
Ivsha and Alice would accompany him to the Moon God Empire, while the rest would be led by Lucia to carry out D-rank commissions.
Roughly estimating the time, by the time he returned from the Moon God Empire, the dragon egg should be close to hatching.
"I'll take Roxia back to Sunset City first. I'll be back soon," Loserine said.
"Alright."
With that, aunt and niece stepped into the teleportation array and returned to Sunset City.
"Then let's get moving."
Kurose Akira clapped his hands and spoke to Ivsha and Alice.
He'd already secured the permit to enter the Moon God Empire. They could depart immediately.
"Yes, Mr. Kurose Akira (Master)~"
Ivsha and Alice followed closely behind him toward the teleportation array.
"Wait!"
Lucia's voice suddenly rang out.
"What is it?"
Kurose Akira turned back, looking at her in confusion.
Lucia didn't answer right away. Instead, she gently touched the center of his forehead with her fingertip.
In an instant, a speck of golden light flowed into his brow, flickering softly.
[Received Lucia's Blessing: Negate one negative effect.]
"The Moon God Empire has been a bit unstable lately," Lucia reminded him."Be careful."
"I will."
Kurose Akira nodded, committing her warning to memory.
Then he and the others stepped into the teleportation array.
As white light flashed, they were transported to the Moon God Empire's transfer station.
After completing the necessary procedures there, they headed toward the site of the Moon Ritual.
There were hundreds of Moon Ritual sites throughout the Moon God Empire, most of them traveling within the empire in the form of tents, providing moonlight blessings to believers.
Of course, the ritual itself didn't have to be performed under actual moonlight.
After searching the city for a while, Kurose Akira finally found a deep-blue tent designated for the Moon Ritual.
"Is anyone inside?"
He gently lifted a corner of the tent and asked.
"Please, come in."
An ethereal voice drifted out from within, inviting him inside.
Kurose Akira stepped into the tent, and the interior made him pause in surprise.
The dim space was lit only by a few crystals glowing with a deep blue light. On the ground nearby lay an assortment of magical tools.
"Master, this place smells so nice~"
Alice grew visibly excited the moment she entered the Moon God Empire, and inside this Moon Ritual tent, her excitement was even more pronounced.
This was likely due to the influence of moonlight. As a spirit doll created by the Moonlight Witch, she had a natural fondness for moon-based magic.
Kurose Akira scanned the surroundings, searching for the source of the earlier female voice.
But the tent appeared empty.
Only a crystal ball rested atop a table draped in red cloth, emitting a faint glow.
"Where is she?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly.
He was certain he'd heard that voice.
So why was there no one here?
He approached the crystal ball. For some reason, he felt as though it contained a trace of life.
Just as he focused intently on it—
A woman wearing a mask suddenly appeared within the crystal ball.
In a soft voice, she asked,
"You… have come seeking a prophecy?"
The instant the woman's figure manifested, Alice's body trembled.
She stared at the image in the crystal ball in disbelief, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
Her voice quivered as she whispered,
"Lady Moonlight Witch…"