"The land where white roses bloom?"
Kurose Akira murmured under his breath. He withdrew from the space inside the Soul Necklace without hesitation. There was no reason for him to refuse the Valkyrie remnant's request.
After all, that Ultra-Rare trait—[Valkyrie]—was far too tempting to ignore.
"Since the withering of the White Rose has been stopped, let's head back," he said.
"Mm."
…
In the blink of an eye, Kurose Akira and the others had returned to Yerman Castle.
By now, it was already eight in the evening. The night sky was pitch-black, completely swallowing the horizon, and Sunset City lay silent and still.
"It's getting late. I'll take my leave now. Good night."
After escorting Natasha and the others back to their rooms, Kurose Akira turned to leave.
Just as he was about to go, Natasha gently tugged at his wrist. A soft, tender light shimmered in her eyes.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she spoke quietly,"The aftereffects of the withering… they've left me feeling a little unsettled. Could you… stay and coax me to sleep before you go?"
A trace of understanding flickered through Kurose Akira's eyes. He naturally grasped the meaning behind her words—and he accepted the invitation without resistance.
"I only know how to tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf."
"That's the only story I want to hear~"
"..."
Kurose Akira followed Natasha into her room. The door closed firmly behind them.
Outside, Roxia stood there with a puzzled expression. She looked at her aunt, Loserine, and asked in confusion,"Are they really just… telling a story?"
"Yes."
Loserine replied curtly and immediately walked toward the reception room across the hall.
Roxia didn't dare think too deeply about it and returned to her own room to rest.
Roughly two hours later, after Kurose Akira finished the story, Natasha drifted into a satisfied, peaceful sleep.
"We should go."
Kurose Akira stepped out of the room and spoke to Loserine, who was waiting in the reception room.
"Mm."
Loserine closed the book in her hands and stood up, preparing to leave with him.
However, when she noticed that Kurose Akira hadn't activated the teleportation array back to the guild, a faint hint of confusion surfaced in her mind.
Still, she rarely questioned his actions. She simply followed him quietly, trusting his judgment.
But before that, she added calmly,"You should wash your face first. It's covered in lipstick marks."
"—!?"
—
The scene shifted.
Kurose Akira and Loserine stepped into the land where white roses bloomed.
This so-called land lay within a valley near Sunset City.
The valley was deep and silent. Insects chirped intermittently, and the darkness was so complete that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.
Kurose Akira immediately cast a Light spell, illuminating their surroundings.
When they reached the center of the valley, he noticed a Valkyrie statue standing there. Or rather—what remained of it.
The statue was badly damaged, with only fragments of its original form still recognizable. The upper half had collapsed onto the ground, buried beneath thick, overgrown weeds.
"Is this… the place?"Kurose Akira asked, frowning slightly.
This was supposedly the land where white roses bloomed, yet he couldn't see a single white rose anywhere.
As he pondered this, the White Rose Valkyrie's voice echoed in his mind.
"This is the place. Wait a moment."
"Oh."
Kurose Akira responded and scanned the area, puzzled as to why the Valkyrie remnant would leave the protection of the Soul Necklace just to come here.
Before his thoughts could fully settle—
A brilliant light suddenly flared at his brow.
Bathed in that white radiance, the surrounding world transformed in an instant.
The once-barren valley exploded with life.
White roses bloomed out of thin air, one after another, unfolding before his very eyes.
In less than a minute, the empty valley was completely submerged in a sea of white roses. The fallen statue was encircled by blossoms, and atop the fractured remains, a massive white rose—three to four meters wide—slowly bloomed, dazzling and mysterious.
"..."
Kurose Akira stared in stunned silence.
One moment, it had been an empty valley.The next, it was an ocean of white roses.
As the flowers bloomed, a faint white glow seeped from Kurose Akira's brow and drifted gently toward the massive rose atop the statue.
That wisp of light seemed to accelerate the blooming process.
And when the petals unfurled completely, Kurose Akira saw it—
A small, delicate figure curled up inside the bud.
"That is…?"
His eyes narrowed as he focused on the petite silhouette within the white rose.
At the same time, a system window appeared before him.
[White Rose Valkyrie (?)]Level: ?Race: Flower Spirit / ValkyrieStrength: ? / Agility: ? / Mana: ? / Constitution: ?Growth: ? (Gains ? points to all attributes per level)Skills: (Expand)
"She's the White Rose Valkyrie?!"
Shock flashed across Kurose Akira's face.
The White Rose Valkyrie… was a loli?!
Under his stunned gaze, the White Rose Valkyrie slowly opened her eyes.
Her ash-gray pupils had an unusual shape, resembling a blooming flower. Her skin was not the tone of ordinary humans—it was pale as jade, luminous as moonlight, radiating an elegant, mysterious sheen. It resembled white rose petals more than human flesh.
What caught Kurose Akira's attention even more was the armor she wore.
It was formed entirely from white rose petals.
It looked fragile—yet carried an indescribable refinement. Each petal seemed alive, brimming with divine power that flowed through her small body.
"Youth—"
The White Rose Valkyrie slowly stood up. Then came a brisk, clear voice—the unmistakable tone of a tsundere girl.
"Thanks for bringing me here this time. As for you barging into my soul space again and again… I'll forgive you."
"..."
Kurose Akira fell into deep thought.
A tsundere?!
Tsunderes were practically obsolete in this meta…
And this was completely different from what he'd imagined. He had expected the White Rose Valkyrie to be a cold, dignified, mature onee-san type.
Instead—she was a tsundere loli.
The sheer contrast left him momentarily disoriented.
Did Valkyrie rankings… depend on height?
"What did you come here to do?"Kurose Akira asked.
"What I intend to do—do you really think a mere mortal needs to know?"The White Rose Valkyrie shot him a sideways glance, then turned toward the collapsed statue.
"Fine. Don't tell me, then."Kurose Akira shrugged. He wasn't particularly eager to know anyway.
The White Rose Valkyrie gazed at the ruined statue for a long time, as if lost in memory.
Then she exhaled deeply and turned back to him, her expression serious.
"The duty of guarding the White Rose… can only be entrusted to you now. I can't afford to spare the attention to protect this place any longer."
"And don't think I don't know what you did to my White Rose!" she snapped. "The moment I descended, I sensed a filthy, tainted stench coming from it! You disgusting, shameless creep!"
"!"
Kurose Akira instantly understood—
What stood before him was no longer a remnant soul.
This was the true White Rose Valkyrie.
Had the remnant soul used its mark to allow the Valkyrie to descend temporarily onto the Magic Continent?
"Oh."Kurose Akira rubbed the bridge of his nose and simply acknowledged her words.
"Hmph. At least you're smart."The White Rose Valkyrie snorted coldly. "You played a major role in stopping the White Rose from withering. I won't shortchange you."
With a flick of her finger, a pure white ray of light shot into Kurose Akira's brow.
"This is your reward."
[You have received the Blessing of the White Rose Valkyrie: Luck +100!]
+100 Luck?!
Kurose Akira's eyes widened instantly. The increase was absurdly high.
Before he could fully process it, the White Rose Valkyrie's body began to turn translucent, on the verge of vanishing.
Just before disappearing, she barked one final warning:
"Watch your… size! No—wait…!"
Before she could finish, her form shattered into motes of light and vanished completely.
"Size…? Did she mean I should watch my limits and self-restraint?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the Valkyrie to speak so… concisely.
[Valkyrie Remnant's Wish (Completed)!][Reward obtained — Ultra-Rare Trait: 'Valkyrie'!]
"—Hiss."
Kurose Akira sucked in a sharp breath, delight flashing in his eyes.
With both [Undying Flame] and [Valkyrie], two Ultra-Rare traits now in hand, his chances of recruiting Mythic-tier adventurers had skyrocketed.
"Loserine, let's go home."
He quickly activated the teleportation array, preparing to return to the guild.
Yet Loserine continued to stare at the fading white rose, her gaze fixed and thoughtful.
"Loserine?"Kurose Akira was puzzled. Was something on the skeleton knight's mind?
"It's nothing," she said softly.
She followed him into the teleportation array, and the two vanished in a flash of light.
—
Back at the guild, Kurose Akira washed up briefly and soon fell into a deep, pleasant sleep.
But when he entered his dream—just as he was about to resume educating the Elf Queen—he found that she had left him a message instead.
[This queen is feeling somewhat unwell. Little one, we shall meet again tomorrow.]
"?"
Kurose Akira stroked his chin thoughtfully. Judging by her condition, the influence of corruption had clearly taken a toll on her.
With some free time on his hands, he took out the five precious leaves from the Elf Mother Tree.
Each leaf granted 30 unassigned attribute points—a total of 150 points, an enormous boost.
Moreover, these leaves were an exclusive blessing from the Elf Mother Tree. Only he could use them. They couldn't be given to Ivsha or the others.
"I'll try consuming one first."
Carefully, Kurose Akira lifted a single leaf and placed it into his mouth.
Instantly, a fresh, invigorating flavor spread across his palate. A surge of life energy flowed through his body, filling him with an unprecedented sense of comfort and vitality.
[You consumed an Elf Mother Tree Leaf and gained 30 unassigned attribute points!]