[Guild Achievement Badge — Pure Holy Maiden: Female guild members gain reduced control effects from mental- and mind-type magic!]
"Oh?"
"So the quest reward is actually a second guild achievement badge!"
When Kurose Akira saw that Roxia's hidden quest reward was a second guild badge, delight immediately surfaced on his face.
That said, since he had not yet officially established his guild, he could only equip one guild achievement badge at a time.
As he pondered this, his gaze naturally fell upon the guild achievement badge he had obtained earlier.
[Silver Desire: All guild members gain +10 Desire. Attack +10%, Defense +10%, Magic Power +10%!]
Judging purely by their effects, the two badges each had their own strengths. However, swapping an equipped guild achievement badge required a 12-hour cooldown.
Which meant that, as guildmaster, choosing which badge to wear was a decision that demanded careful thought.
Fortunately, the solution itself was quite simple—just switch badges according to the type of mission at hand.
With a flicker of thought, two items appeared in Kurose Akira's palm.
One of them was the advancement material Roxia needed—
the Holy Maiden Fruit.
Yet what surprised him was that this so-called "fruit" was nothing like what he had imagined.
It wasn't a fruit at all, but a solid, golden ornament, hard to the touch and gleaming brilliantly.
Its shape was oddly reminiscent of Ivsha's heart-shaped tail tip. At the bottom was a small base designed for pinching with the fingers, as if it were meant to be inserted and removed—perhaps some sort of socketed component?
The surface of the ornament was covered in intricate patterns, exuding a mysterious, sacred aura.
"What exactly is this used for…?"
Curiosity filled Kurose Akira's expression.
And the moment his fingertips brushed against the so-called Holy Maiden Fruit, another line of information appeared before his eyes.
[Holy Maiden Fruit (?): An ornament embedded into the Solar Scepter. Increases Light Magic potency by 50%.]
"So it boosts Light Magic…"
Kurose Akira nodded thoughtfully. That amplification was no joke.
And more importantly—this seemed to be the only advancement material so far that actually provided a stat amplification.
Neither Ivsha's nor Loserine's advancement materials had offered any such bonuses; they merely fulfilled the conditions for advancement.
"I'll give it to Roxia tomorrow."
He carefully stored the Holy Maiden Fruit away. Roxia had already left before he woke up, so there was no chance to hand it to her tonight.
Next, his gaze shifted to the Pure Holy Maiden badge.
The golden badge depicted a veiled woman with her hands clasped in prayer, her posture solemn and devout.
"…Yeah. It definitely has the vibe."
With a soft chuckle, Kurose Akira put the badge away as well.
He then prepared to leave the hot spring room—
But the moment his eyes turned toward the doorway, he froze.
At some point unknown to him, Ivsha was leaning against the doorframe, staring at him intently.
"Ivsha?"
Kurose Akira was momentarily stunned. He hadn't sensed her presence at all.
Ivsha walked over, pressed herself lightly against his chest, and sniffed softly. A seductive smile curved her lips as she asked,
"Mr. Akira~ did the Holy Maiden… eat you up?"
"?"
Kurose Akira didn't respond.
If he had to be honest…he had been eaten a little.
"But~"
Ivsha slowly crouched down, gently brushing aside the mist that concealed the holy light, allowing it to shine upon the world once more.
She cradled the holy light tenderly, heart-shaped reflections blooming in her eyes as she smiled sweetly.
"It seems~ the Holy Maiden didn't finish her meal~ so~ I won't hold back then~"
"Ah~ mm~"
...
Within the Holy Church, Roxia slowly opened her eyes atop the Golden Throne.
A sharp, cold anger flickered through her golden-red pupils—but beneath it churned emotions far more complex and difficult to articulate.
Her mind was a chaotic mess, filled with memories of her near-loss of control… and that dazzling holy light that had tormented her beyond endurance.
As Pope, this was the first time she had ever been punished by someone else's holy light!
Tch!
What an infuriating sensation!
She attempted to stand, but the moment she straightened her waist, she clutched her abdomen in pain.
"It hurts—!"
She bit down on her silver teeth, tears glimmering in her beautiful eyes.
She had never imagined that the pain inflicted upon her avatar by Kurose Akira's holy light would be so severe that even her true body struggled to endure it.
Could it be…that his holy light directly assaulted the soul itself?
That man…honestly…!
"Haa…"
After sitting in silent meditation on the Golden Throne for a long while, Roxia gradually recovered. Her gaze drifted down toward her abdomen.
Though it was only the avatar—created through her divine Light authority—that had been corrupted by the holy light…
That swollen, overstimulated sensation had unmistakably carried over to her true body.
The feeling was almost as if—
she herself had become the shape of holy light.
Damn it!
At that moment, Saintess Winnisan entered the grand hall, seemingly to deliver a report.
But upon seeing Roxia sitting on the throne with tightly furrowed brows, she immediately showed concern.
"Your Holiness, you don't look well. Did something happen?"
"It's nothing."
Roxia shook her head lightly. There was no way she could tell the saintesses who revered her about something so embarrassing.
If they were to learn that their Pope was… falling into depravity—
Wait!
Roxia!
What nonsense are you thinking again?!
This Pope has not fallen!
"Why are you here?" Roxia quickly asked, changing the subject.
"Delorie is waiting outside the hall. She wishes to report something to you," Winnisan replied.
"Let her in."
"Yes, Your Holiness~"
Just as Winnisan turned to leave, Roxia suddenly stopped her.
"…Wait a moment."
"Yes? What are your instructions?"
"…Never mind. It's nothing."
...
"Ivsha, it's time to rest."
Kurose Akira looked at Ivsha, who was still feeding, and smiled helplessly.
It was already two in the morning, yet Ivsha showed no sign of being satisfied, greedily absorbing the holy light.
She was far more capable than the Holy Maiden in that regard—the Holy Maiden had been completely immobilized back then.
Who could have imagined that such a powerful Holy Maiden would lose out to a mere little nun?
"I'm not full yet, Mr. Akira. Could you wait a little longer?"
Ivsha looked up at him, her eyes brimming with expectation.
She knew it was late—but she truly wasn't full yet.
That dazzling holy light held a fatal allure for her, something she simply couldn't resist.
Her supple body swayed ever more intensely, utterly intoxicated by the attraction of the holy light.
Watching her completely immersed state, Kurose Akira sighed and shook his head with a wry smile.
Ivsha was already entirely captivated by the holy light.
It seemed the Spirit Mother Tree baptism would have to be postponed for another day.
"Ivsha, I'm going to activate half-dragonization," Kurose Akira suddenly said.
In the same instant, Half-Dragonization activated.
Crimson dragon scales spread across his limbs, his body growing tall and imposing—
and along with it, an even more brilliant holy light erupted.
"Really? Mr. Akira, you're the best!"
Ivsha exclaimed joyfully and quickly kissed his cheek.
To her, the holy light of Mr. Akira in half-dragon form was the true delicacy she longed for.
"Oh—right!"
Kurose Akira took out the succubus collar from his inventory and handed it to her.
"Here. Put this on."
"What is this?"
Ivsha accepted the heart-inlaid collar, confusion flickering in her eyes.
She had never seen anything like it, nor did she know what it was for.
Still, out of trust—and curiosity—she decided to wear the mysterious collar.
Seeing this, Kurose Akira smiled slightly and explained,
"It's an item used to unlock your second demonic crest. Let's try to awaken it today."
"So that's how it is~"
Ivsha smiled seductively.
Confidence sparkled in her eyes as her tongue lightly traced her lips.
In a soft, teasing voice, she said,
"Then, Mr. Akira… I'll have to show you what I'm really capable of~"