"Have her become your mentor. With lifetimes spanning tens of thousands of years, the queens can teach you far more than you imagine."
The green-haired girl's voice was gentle as she offered the suggestion to Kurose Akira.
He fell into brief contemplation.
Previously, the Dark Elf Queen had pleaded with him—she wanted to use the Dark Elf Fruit to be reborn. Akira had refused without hesitation. She had not agreed to the conditions he'd set. There was no reason for him to grant her resurrection for free.
And now, this green-haired girl was proposing something entirely different: choose one of the Elf Queens to become his mentor.
Akira looked at her and asked directly, "Is that even possible? Would the queens agree to something like that?"
"They have no reason to refuse," the girl replied softly. "From the very beginning, the question of who will sit upon the throne of the Elven Kingdom has already been placed in your hands. Hasn't it?"
"..."
A faint ripple stirred in Akira's heart.
She wasn't wrong.
He did hold the deciding power in this matter. The queens had sought his help precisely because they needed him to suppress the corruption within them—to choose between two divided souls and determine the kingdom's future.
Still, doubt lingered.
"If I separate the Dark Elf Queen's soul," he asked, "will the remaining two queens' souls merge back together?"
The green-haired girl shook her head gently.
"They will not. Their souls have been separated for far too long. The possibility of coexistence has already been lost."
"Once you make your choice, the unchosen queen will fall into a deep, prolonged slumber. Only then can the soul remain pure enough for the selected queen to stand at her peak and guard the Elven Kingdom."
"As a queen, she cannot remain in a fractured state forever. It weakens her strength and prevents her from breaking through her cultivation bottleneck."
"A crisis is approaching. The future of the elves requires a single, complete queen to protect it."
"..."
Akira's gaze grew solemn.
So it truly had come down to a two-out-of-three decision.
Yet the Dark Elf Fruit in his possession—no, in his system inventory—seemed to offer a third path.
After a short hesitation, a flash of insight flickered in his eyes.
He turned back to her. "Is it possible to fuse both of the Elf Queens' souls into the Dark Elf Fruit at the same time, instead of choosing only one?"
If he selected only one soul, then among the three queens, one would inevitably vanish from this world—or be sealed away in endless sleep.
The Dark Elf Queen was born from the Elf Queen's soul. She carried immense soul power beyond imagination. Erasing her recklessly would undoubtedly cause collateral damage.
But if one Elf Queen's soul and the Dark Elf Queen's soul were housed together within the Dark Elf Fruit, then perhaps the Elf Queen could suppress the Dark Elf Queen from within.
In that way, neither queen's soul would be harmed, and the corruption would remain sealed.
Two birds. One stone.
"Mm. That solution sounds quite feasible."
The green-haired girl nodded in agreement.
"Tomorrow, I will arrange for the three of them to meet you within this dream. At that time, you may state your decision openly. Rest assured—no matter which path you choose, they will accept it without resentment. Such is the responsibility a queen must bear."
"Thank you. Truly."
Excitement surged through Akira's chest.
An Elf Queen joining his Adventurer Guild—just imagining it made the guild's future glow with promise. In terms of rarity, power scaling, and faction influence alone, it would be a monumental upgrade to his roster. The system would definitely recognize that as a top-tier recruitment.
"No thanks are necessary," the girl said lightly, waving her hand. "You helped Tinas. This is the reward you deserve."
As her words faded, Akira caught a subtle emotional fluctuation in her aura.
Reluctance.
A trace of quiet attachment.
"So…"
He looked at her intently. "If I make my choice tomorrow, this dream will end, won't it?"
She gave a small nod. "Yes."
"And that means…" His voice softened. "I won't be able to see you again?"
The question seemed to catch her slightly off guard.
She was silent for a moment before answering, "Yes. That is likely so."
Akira let out a faint sigh.
"That's… a little regrettable."
Her emerald eyes lifted to meet his, shimmering faintly. "Regrettable? What exactly do you regret?"
"That I might never see you again."
Her brows drew together faintly in confusion. "We are not acquainted. Why would that matter?"
"Time doesn't always determine connection," Akira said as he crouched down to meet her gaze. "I genuinely like you. And you are the incarnation of the Mother Tree of the Elves, aren't you? I haven't properly thanked you for the gift you gave me."
"It was merely a few leaves. Not worth mentioning."
Her answer confirmed his suspicion.
The seemingly youthful girl before him—the one with long emerald hair and a body adorned only with leaves and vines—was the embodiment of the Elven Mother Tree itself. The ancient source that had given birth to countless elves.
And yet…
Even knowing that, Akira couldn't reconcile the image in his mind.
The primordial tree that birthed millions of elves… appearing as a petite, almost loli-like girl?
No matter how he thought about it, shouldn't she look more like the Elf Queens—mature, voluptuous, devastatingly alluring?
"I can hear everything you're thinking."
A sudden chill flashed across her emerald eyes.
Akira's heart tightened violently. His wandering thoughts snapped to a halt mid-track.
He absolutely had not expected that the Elven Mother Tree could not only retrieve the Dark Elf Fruit from his system inventory—but also eavesdrop on his inner thoughts.
Still, there seemed to be a limitation.
Everything she influenced was confined to the dream—objects and concepts that had manifested within it. In other words, she could alter perception inside the dream realm, but she could not interfere with entities that had never appeared here.
Wait.
Another idea surfaced.
Perhaps this green-haired girl was merely a form the Mother Tree had shaped according to her own preference?
Meaning… she could freely alter her appearance? Her body? Her—
"?"
Her brows knit slightly, clearly displeased as she caught the direction of his imagination.
With a light wave of her hand—
The world shattered.
Akira jolted awake.
The dream woven by the Elven Mother Tree dissolved instantly, and he found himself expelled without ceremony.
Damn it.
He frowned.
Trying to completely control one's thoughts and suppress wild imagination… was ridiculously difficult.
As his consciousness fully returned to reality, his eyes widened in surprise.
Rosalyn and Loxiya were kneeling in front of him.
"What are you two doing?"
Rosalyn: "?"
Loxiya: "!"