The gathering of lightning-element energy made Akira's skin extraordinarily sensitive, as if even the slightest touch would cause it to erupt.
Lucia, meanwhile, watched the steadily rising holy radiance with unconcealed curiosity, her eyes fixed on it without blinking.
She had never expected Akira's mana to condense there. But she quickly understood—this was most likely because his control over mana was still insufficient, preventing him from freely guiding its flow.
What puzzled her was that when beginners struggled to control elemental mana particles, they usually chose to concentrate their mana in their palms, since that was the area they could most easily control.
But Akira had chosen instead to—
"Is it because of Ivsha?"
Lucia narrowed her eyes slightly, guessing that this habit might be connected to Ivsha. Long-term prayers bathed in holy light had probably shaped Akira's instincts this way.
After all, resisting a succubus required effort. Willpower alone was never enough.
Curiosity stirred within her, and Lucia stepped a little closer.
She extended her fingertip, attempting to touch that holy light crackling faintly with lightning. But just before making contact, she paused. Images flashed through her mind of Akira's half-dragon transformation and his holy battle against the succubus the day before, sending a chill down her spine.
And at that exact moment—
A mischievous arc of lightning suddenly flickered out and zapped Lucia.
"Ow~!"
Lucia immediately pulled her hand back, letting out a soft cry.
That sound instantly caught Akira's attention.
"What's wrong?"
He opened his eyes and looked at Lucia with concern and confusion.
"It's nothing."
Lucia instantly regained her composure, shooting him a cool glance. There was no way she was going to tell Akira that she had just tried to secretly touch his holy light…
"As long as you're okay."
Hearing her response, Akira relaxed and continued, "I can feel the flow of elemental mana particles, but my control over them isn't very good yet."
"That will improve with practice. Mana control isn't something you master overnight," Lucia explained seriously. "Some people go their entire lives without ever sensing elemental mana at all."
"I understand."
Akira nodded. He understood exactly what she meant.
Not everyone could perceive the mana particles drifting through the air. Many people could only sense a single element.
And thus, a concept was born—
Elemental Affinity.
Only by reaching a certain level of affinity with an element could one sense the existence of its mana particles. Then, by resonating one's internal mana with the elemental particles in the air, magic could be cast.
For example, Fuli and Floro possessed extremely high affinity with fire and water mana particles, which was why they excelled at fire- and water-element magic.
Of course, they also had some affinity with other elements—but nowhere near as effective as with fire and water.
Lucia, on the other hand, had an exceptionally high affinity with the Light element. However, since Light was not a basic element, she also required the reinforcement of divine faith.
That was precisely why Light-element magic could threaten Loserine, who possessed elemental immunity—it carried not only elemental power, but also sacred faith.
As for the Elven Queen, she likely possessed extremely high affinity with all basic elements, along with other special powers.
In the dreamscape, the Elven Queen could create hundreds of magic arrays in the blink of an eye. That alone showed just how terrifying her mastery of elemental magic truly was.
"Mr. Akira, we're back~"
Ivsha's voice suddenly came from outside the room.
Since the door hadn't been closed, anyone outside could clearly see what was going on inside—Akira and Lucia resting in the bedroom.
"Welcome back. You've all worked hard," Akira said as he stood up and walked out.
"Not hard at all! Master, hug me~!"
Alice threw herself happily into Akira's arms, clinging tightly to him and rubbing her cheek against his chest to feel his warmth.
"Where are Fuli and Floro?" Ivsha asked, noticing that the elf sisters weren't in the guild.
"They're in the Elven Kingdom, preparing to undergo the baptism of the World Tree. They probably won't be back at the guild for at least a week," Akira replied.
"Oh…" Ivsha looked a little disappointed. "So we won't get to see those two adorable little elves for a whole week~"
She quite liked the elf sisters.
"The World Tree is something special~"
At that moment, Marei Rhine, who was sitting on the sofa in the guild hall, set her milk bottle aside. She crossed her arms over her chest, crossed her legs, and leaned back with the posture of a true boss.
"I once thought about taking the World Tree for myself. But the Elven Queen, who bears its blessing, actually possesses power capable of threatening gods. That tree is far more powerful than people imagine."
"Power that can threaten gods?"
Akira looked surprised at Marei Rhine's words.
But when he thought about it—since the World Tree was the entity that gave birth to the entire elven race—it didn't seem that strange.
Tens of millions of elves had been born from it. Calling it a god wouldn't be an exaggeration.
And with the Elven Queen being a demigod herself, the combined power of the two threatening gods was perfectly reasonable.
"So getting on good terms with the elves is definitely the right move," Marei Rhine added. "Compared to dragons, their individual strength might not be as overwhelming, and they don't have the terrifying numbers of humans or beastfolk. But they are a race protected by two goddesses. They're far older and far stronger than you think."
"Mm." Akira nodded thoughtfully.
The history of the elven race was even longer than that of humanity. There were still countless stories left untold.
"This is an extra item the client gave us during the mission."
Loserine walked over and handed Akira a green bracelet.
Akira picked it up, and its information popped up before his eyes.
[Emerald Bracelet (Elite): A precious item exclusive to the royal family of the Star Kingdom. Luck +3. Value: 1 gold.]
"Exclusive to the Star Kingdom's royal family…"
Seeing the description, Akira recalled that one of the missions Loserine and the others had completed today involved escorting a noble young lady from the Star Kingdom onto a magic airship bound for the Sun Theocracy.
Recently, many nobles from the Star Kingdom seemed to be fleeing the country.
Under normal circumstances, such a phenomenon often signaled that the Star Kingdom was on the verge of turmoil.
War?
Or perhaps…
Lost in thought, Akira submitted the final two D-rank commissions.
Gold +4, EXP +40,000! (+50%)
[Special Commission will unlock in 12 hours!]
A prompt appeared in his vision. There were twelve hours left until the special commission for promotion to D+ rank—perfect timing.
After completing that special commission, the day after would be the assault on the final two high-risk demon dens. Not a single moment could be wasted.
As his thoughts settled, Akira glanced out the window.
The sky had already been dyed a deep inky black. He knew—it was time to keep his appointment.
"I'm heading out for a bit."
Akira put the Emerald Bracelet into his backpack and spoke to Ivsha and the others.
"Mr. Akira, where are you going? Do you need me to accompany you?" Ivsha stepped forward worriedly.
"No need to worry. I'm just going to the Elven Kingdom."
Akira rubbed Ivsha's hair gently and added, "I might be back quite late. You should return to the church first."
"Alright…" Ivsha nodded obediently.
The white light of the teleportation array flashed, and Akira arrived at the palace of the Elven Kingdom.
Above the kingdom, a brilliant full moon hung high in the sky, silver light cascading down and illuminating the land as brightly as day.
Yet the entire kingdom was unusually quiet. The elven palace itself was completely empty.
Akira felt puzzled.
That morning, only Elina had been in the palace.
And now, at night, it was the same?
Had something happened?
Just as confusion filled his mind, a figure silently appeared behind him.
Red lips parted, close to his ear, and a soft whisper followed—
"You finally came~ I've been waiting for you for a long time~"
Elina's sudden appearance startled Akira.
He took a few steps forward, then turned to face her.
Elina was wearing a silver gown. Under the moonlight, the fabric seemed almost translucent, faintly revealing her breathtaking figure before Akira's eyes.
"I was delayed by something," Akira explained. "Where are you planning to paint? It's not here, right?"
The elven palace at night felt cold and desolate. He had no intention of standing here like an idiot as a model for hours.
"Come with me."
Elina immediately led Akira toward the majestic palace at the rear.
Only then did Akira let out a breath of relief. Looks like he wouldn't have to pose out in the open…
"Whose bedroom is this? Yours?"
When Akira saw the location Elina had chosen, he looked confused.
She had brought him into a bedroom filled with crystal furniture. The jade bed, in particular, felt strangely familiar—almost like the one from his dream…
Wait.
Could this be—
The Elven Queen's bedroom?
"This is the Queen's bedchamber. We'll paint here," Elina said matter-of-factly.
The moment those words left her mouth, Akira's expression turned serious, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at her.
Do you have a problem or something?
Why would she choose the Elven Queen's bedroom as the place to paint?
Facing Akira's baffled gaze, Elina didn't care at all. She simply chuckled lightly.
"The Queen and the elders are away. They won't be back for the next couple of days, so this place is under my authority for now."
"..."
Akira's feelings were complicated.
Elven princesses really were all a bit unhinged.
"You can take off your clothes now."
By then, Elina had already set up her easel. Her brush lightly traced along Akira's arm as she said, "Just like last time. Then go lie down on the Queen's bed."
???
"Why do I have to lie on the Elven Queen's bed?"
Akira asked in utter confusion. A princess luring a man of another race onto the Queen's jade bed—no matter how you looked at it, this plot felt very wrong.
"Just do as I say. Don't worry—I won't tell the Queen," Elina said with a confident smile.
Hearing that, Akira frowned slightly, utterly speechless.
Of course she wouldn't tell the Queen—she was the mastermind.
At most, he'd just be an accomplice.
If the Queen found out, Elina would definitely be the one in trouble.
Still, since Elina dared to paint in the Queen's bedchamber, she must have a way to deal with the consequences.
"You'd better hurry."
Akira began removing his clothes, revealing his perfectly sculpted, powerful physique.
At that moment, Elina's voice rang out again.
"I heard you can undergo half-dragon transformation? Could you let me see it?"
"..."
Akira paused slightly at the request.
Elina really did have a lot of demands.
But who had told her about his half-dragon transformation?
Fuli and Floro?
It had to be those two little ones. In front of Elina, they were as innocent as baby rabbits.
With just a little probing, she could probably coax anything out of them.
Sigh…
Akira let out a quiet sigh and immediately activated his half-dragon transformation.
As his body grew larger and his muscles became more sharply defined, Elina—who had been watching him the entire time—had her eyes light up like stars.
Or rather—
They were shaped like hearts.