"I don't like it."
Cough, cough—
When the Elf Queen voiced her clear displeasure with the cow-themed outfit, Kurose Akira felt an itch in his throat and coughed twice.
He could completely understand. After all, it was an overtly erotic costume—hardly something that matched the dignity and temperament of the Elf Queen.
With a thought, Akira swiftly changed her outfit. In the next instant, she was wearing a silver-white long dress, its surface adorned with decorations that shimmered like distant stars. The entire gown seemed to glow softly, making her look radiant from head to toe.
"This one's not bad."
The Elf Queen nodded in satisfaction after examining her new attire.
But Akira, quite unintentionally, had snapped a glow stick on in his mind.
From the outside, it looked like he had merely dressed her in a long gown—but beneath the dress, there was nothing at all.
The silver-white fabric clung tightly to her body, becoming faintly translucent under the light. Through it, he could vaguely glimpse a breathtaking view.
Such a beautiful cherry red…
"It's about time. Let's end things here for today."
The Elf Queen rose to her feet, preparing to leave.
"Um—there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while."
Suddenly, Akira's tone grew serious as he voiced his question.
"Is this about Beyarella?"The Elf Queen seemed to have already guessed his intention.
"Yes."Akira nodded and continued, "I want to know why she conceived life without any apparent cause. I believe you should know the answer."
"..."
The Elf Queen fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"I only learned about this myself very recently. The cause of the pregnancy is most likely related to an abnormality in the World Tree of the Elves."
"An abnormality in the World Tree?"
"Yes."She nodded gently, her voice calm and tender."For example, three fruits might, for some unknown reason, overlap with one another. Then, at different points in time, those overlapping fruits give birth to three lives. The resulting phenomenon resembles pregnancy. Of course, this is merely speculation—I can't be certain. This is also the first time in the World Tree's ten-thousand-year history that such a severe abnormality has ever occurred."
"Do you have any clues as to what caused the abnormality?"Akira couldn't help but press further.
"This… I truly don't know."The Elf Queen replied softly."Every time I awaken, I carefully inspect the state of the World Tree. If I sense even the slightest irregularity, I use my magic to repair it."
As she spoke, a trace of guilt flashed through her eyes.
"But in Beyarella's case… I failed to notice her abnormality. That is my failure as the Elf Queen."
"You don't need to blame yourself too much,"Akira said reassuringly."Even under the influence of corrupt thoughts, you've still managed to govern the Elven Kingdom in perfect order—that alone is no easy feat. And besides, Beyarella has never harbored any resentment toward you."
"You…"The Elf Queen fell silent again, then let out a faint smile."You really are a thoughtful little one. It seems entrusting Beyarella to you was the right decision after all."
"Entrusting…?"Akira froze slightly.
"Alright~ It's time for me to go~ See you tomorrow night~"
Her voice faded gently, and the surrounding scene began to blur.
In the next instant, Akira's eyes flew open.
The ceiling of the Adventurers' Guild came into view.
"Haa~"
He let out a long breath and removed the VR headset.
Since he had promised the Elf Queen, he had been sleeping at the guild lately. After all, sleeping in the game wasn't all that different from sleeping in reality.
He glanced at the clock.
Eight in the morning.
After a quick wash, Akira immediately headed to school.
During lunch break, Akira sat at his desk, head lowered as he stared at his review problems. But his thoughts were in complete disarray—his mind filled entirely with the game's storyline.
Come to think of it… I don't think I ever learned the Elf Queen's name.I should ask her next time.
"Su Xuan~"
Suddenly, Liu Xue appeared beside him without making a sound.
"What is it?"
Akira looked up, unsure what the girl wanted to say.
"I got promoted to E-rank!"Liu Xue shared the news with undisguised excitement.
"Congratulations."Akira smiled warmly.
Among ordinary players, Liu Xue's leveling speed was actually quite impressive—she had reached E-rank in just two weeks.
Of course, that still couldn't compare to Akira, who would advance to D-rank after completing just one more commission.
At that moment, Liu Xue suddenly sat down in the seat in front of him. She looked at Akira and flashed a proud smile.
Seeing that expression, Akira felt slightly puzzled.
He had a feeling she had more good news to share.
"What, did you recruit an Epic-rarity adventurer?"he asked casually.
"You—!? How did you know!?"
Liu Xue froze in shock.
She couldn't understand how Akira had guessed it—she hadn't revealed a single detail!
"It's written all over your face."
Akira shrugged.Liu Xue's thoughts were far too easy to read. She always wore her emotions openly—still just an immature little girl.
Still, pulling an Epic-rarity adventurer on her third recruitment attempt?That was undeniably lucky-as-hell.
"..."Hearing that, Liu Xue gently patted her own cheeks, looking confused.Am I really that easy to read?
"So,"Akira asked, lifting his thermos and taking a sip of goji-berry tea—it helped him recover energy faster."What did you recruit?"
"The strongest warrior of the Centaur race!"
"Centaur?"
Akira paused for a moment, then asked seriously,"Can you ride her?"
He had some knowledge of centaurs—upper body human, lower body horse.
The race intrigued him a bit, especially since he didn't have a mount yet.
"You can,"Liu Xue answered softly,"but she only allows me to ride on her back."
"What a shame."
Akira sighed lightly.
He had briefly entertained the hope of borrowing a legendary centaur mount, but it seemed that dream was dead.
"Are you interested in centaurs… or female centaurs?"Liu Xue asked, tilting her head.
"Is there a difference? You ride both, don't you?"
"..."
Liu Xue was rendered completely speechless.
"Just kidding~"Akira laughed."Congrats on recruiting an Epic adventurer. With your female elf and flower fairy, even E-rank missions should be a breeze."
"Thank you~"Liu Xue said gratefully. Then, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes, she asked,"By the way… have you been busy lately?"
"A bit. Why?"
"Well… if you're busy, then I won't bother you. It's not anything important anyway."
Her voice carried a trace of disappointment.
"If you ever need help, just say the word,"Akira replied calmly."What kind of relationship do I have with your sister? No need to be polite."
"Oh… I'll remember that."
She answered softly, then turned and walked away.
Akira didn't press further. He simply picked up his thermos again and gulped down a few more mouthfuls of goji tea.
"Disgusting."
After returning to the guild, Akira immediately opened the mission panel.
The special commission for advancing from E+ Player Evaluation to D Player Evaluation had refreshed.
[From the Abyss!]Recommended Level: 35Description: A succubus has escaped from the Abyss. She comes bearing vengeance! Kill her! You must kill her!Objective: Eliminate the Succubus — SanaReward: 1 Adventurer Recruitment Scroll (Blue)Additional Reward: Upon completion, Player Evaluation increases to D, and the player receives an additional Adventurer Recruitment Scroll (Green).
"Succubus!?"
When Akira saw the task details, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
"Vengeance…?"He mulled over the word silently.
Slowly, he retrieved the demonic stone tablet Loserine had previously brought back from his inventory and compared it with the mission description.
For some reason, he had a strong feeling—
Sana's appearance…was meant for Idis.