"Wait! Let go of me first!"
Lucia struggled to break free from Ivsha's embrace. But the moment Ivsha wrapped her arms around her from behind, a subtle charm spell had already been activated.
Caught completely off guard, Lucia suddenly felt her body grow strangely sensitive—so sensitive that resisting became nearly impossible.
"Let you go?"
Hearing Lucia's plea, Ivsha's lips curved into a teasing smile. In a soft, honeyed voice, she replied,
"That won't do~ How could I possibly let you escape?"
"???"
Lucia was about to protest again when Ivsha's fingertip lightly brushed against her.
In that instant, Lucia's gorgeous golden ceremonial gown vanished without a trace.
"My clothes!"
Behind her veil, Lucia's crimson-gold eyes trembled with shock. She had never witnessed such bizarre magic before—magic capable of stripping someone's clothing away in an instant.
Yet before she could fully process the shock, Ivsha calmly lifted two fingers, already preparing the prelude to prayer.
"Y-You!?"
Lucia bit her silver teeth lightly. Her slender waist twisted as she tried to break free of Ivsha's hold.
She had come to the guild early to warn Kurose Akira about Xue'er's true identity.
Instead… she had somehow become his breakfast.
"Come now~"
Ivsha cast a flirtatious wink toward Kurose Akira. At the same time, pink mana condensed into a small heart that drifted gently through the air before sinking into his chest.
"Mr. Kurose Akira~ breakfast is ready~"
"Uh…"
For a moment, Kurose Akira froze, unsure how exactly he was supposed to proceed with this "course."
But Ivsha's magic had already awakened the Holy Light.
A brilliant radiance suddenly burst forth, illuminating the entire guild hall with dazzling brilliance.
"Waaah~!"
The exclamation that followed did not come from Ivsha or Lucia.
Instead—
Kurose Akira frowned slightly and turned his head.
Behind him, Xue'er was cheering excitedly.
She seemed absolutely thrilled by the unfolding "scene."
Seeing how excited she looked, Kurose Akira couldn't help flicking her lightly on the forehead.
"Mm~!"
Xue'er clutched her little head and plopped down onto the floor.
But when she looked up, she found herself surrounded by a swirling layer of black mist.
Hey! Why can't I watch the live show anymore?
Xue'er puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
She waved her tiny hands, trying to disperse the annoying mist, but it refused to budge.
Frustrated, she stomped her little feet. A faint pink flush appeared across her snow-white skin, making her look especially adorable.
Then her small body began releasing icy blue frost.
Under the influence of her cold aura, the black mist began to freeze.
Stretching out her pale little hands, Xue'er wiped the frozen mist away like someone clearing fog from a glass window.
After a bit of effort, she finally managed to peek outside again.
Immediately, she started bouncing happily in place.
Meanwhile, Kurose Akira remained completely unaware of her small "operation." After confirming that the black mist had successfully blocked Xue'er's view, he turned his attention back to Lucia and the others.
Gulp.
Staring at Lucia—who was firmly restrained under Ivsha's control—Kurose Akira couldn't help swallowing.
At this moment, Lucia looked like a tempting strawberry milkshake, radiating an irresistibly sweet allure that made him want to savor every drop.
"Well… don't mind if I do."
He stepped forward.
There was no way he would pass up such a delightful meal.
"W-Wait! I—"
Lucia tried to speak.
Unfortunately for her, before she could finish, Kurose Akira had already impatiently begun "enjoying his meal."
All of this was witnessed by Xue'er nearby.
Covering her mouth with both hands, she watched with sparkling white eyes filled with starry excitement.
Her face lit up with pure delight.
She seemed completely captivated by the spectacle.
Amazing!
…
An hour later.
Kurose Akira picked up a glass of ice water and rinsed his mouth, washing away the lingering sweetness.
Meanwhile, Lucia sat silently on the sofa.
Her snow-pale cheeks carried a faint blush, as though she had yet to fully recover from the previous "prayer."
"Don't worry, Lady Saint," Ivsha said gently from the side. "The saintesses of the Holy Church bathe in sacred water daily and drink droplets of divine dew. Naturally, there tends to be… quite a lot~"
"…"
Hearing this explanation, Lucia froze slightly and stared at Ivsha in disbelief.
Something about that statement felt very strange.
Yet she couldn't quite figure out how to question it.
In the end, she simply lowered her head, closed her eyes, and tried to calm her mind.
"Guild Master, we're here~!"
Just as Kurose Akira finished his sweet "breakfast," the elf sisters walked into the guild hall.
"Good morning, everyone~"
Viola and the others had also gotten up. They tacitly chose to ignore the small incident that had just occurred.
"Big Sister Saint, your face is so red. Do you have a fever?"
Beaflora walked over with innocent concern shining in her clear eyes.
Lucia froze.
Embarrassment surged over her like a tidal wave.
She hurriedly waved her hands.
"It's nothing… the weather just feels a bit stuffy."
"Stuffy?"
Flora tilted her head in confusion. She didn't feel that the guild hall was particularly warm.
If anything, the air felt slightly humid.
Just as Lucia struggled to suppress her embarrassment, a shout from Fli suddenly caught Flora's attention.
"Xue'er? Why are you trapped inside black mist?"
Fli's voice carried clear confusion and concern.
"Xue'er?"
Flora quickly turned toward the sound, temporarily leaving Lucia's side.
This finally allowed Lucia to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Taking the opportunity, she shot Kurose Akira a glare.
I have to think of a way to resist his tyranny.
Otherwise, the dignified Saintess of the Holy Church might end up reduced to nothing more than his plaything.
Unfortunately, Kurose Akira didn't notice her glare at all.
His attention was entirely focused on Xue'er.
After finishing Lucia's delicious "strawberry milkshake," he had nearly forgotten that Xue'er was still trapped within the black mist he had conjured.
But when his eyes landed on the mist, his expression immediately stiffened.
The black mist was still tightly surrounding Xue'er.
But strangely—
It had been frozen solid by Xue'er's magic.
Kurose Akira frowned.
Black mist… can be frozen?
Even more concerning—
There appeared to be a small gap in the mist.
Through it, Xue'er could clearly see the outside world.
Oh no.
Kurose Akira's face darkened instantly.
Had this little girl… watched everything that just happened?!
"Xue'er, why were you locked inside there?"
Fli and Flora hurried over, surrounding her with worried expressions.
Using magic, they dispelled the frozen black mist and freed her.
The moment Xue'er regained her freedom, she immediately turned toward Kurose Akira.
Then she cheered happily.
"Mommy~ likes it~!"
"???"
Kurose Akira froze.
This little girl… liked what just happened?
Wait a second.
This kid's tastes…
…were extremely unique.
Still, he had to correct her.
He was definitely not her mommy.
Walking over, he gently lifted Xue'er into his hands.
Patiently, he began explaining,
"Xue'er, don't call me Mommy. Call me… Master instead."
"Master?"
Xue'er blinked her bright crystalline eyes, clearly trying to remember the new title.
Her face showed the serious focus of a student learning something important.
"Daddy?"
"No. Master."
"Master?"
"…"
After a lengthy session of correction, Kurose Akira finally managed to fix Xue'er's way of addressing him.
But the process left him wondering again.
Was this little girl truly what Lucia suspected—
The legendary Icefield Witch?
If that were true, why would the Icefield Witch merge herself into a Snow Dolphin Egg?
Why transform into this current form?
So many mysteries remained unanswered.
And Xue'er herself had no memory of the Icefield Witch, making it impossible for her to explain anything.
"Let's begin today's adventure first."
After thinking it over repeatedly, Kurose Akira decided to temporarily set those questions aside.
He opened the mission panel.
Three C-rank quests remained, along with two guild achievement badge tasks.
Since all three C-rank quests were combat-focused, he chose the one that primarily rewarded experience.
Commission Quest III (C-Rank): Slay the Flame LordReward: 5 Gold, 500,000 EXPSpecial Reward: Core of Fire ×1 (Epic)
"The Flame Lord…"
Considering the target's elemental attributes, Kurose Akira decided to bring Lucia, Flora, Ivsha, and Mare Rhine along to face the Flame Lord.
Meanwhile, Loserine, Cantulia, and Fli would handle the guild's daily tasks.
A flash of white light erupted from the teleportation circle.
Moments later, Kurose Akira and his party arrived at the quest location.
The mission site was an abandoned castle.
According to the quest description, the castle had once belonged to a lord of the Dragon Holy Kingdom.
However, that lord had done something that enraged a fire dragon.
The dragon's fury reduced the entire castle to ruins.
Over time, the lingering fire elements left behind by the dragon fused with the lord's soul in a strange transformation—eventually creating what was now known as the Flame Lord.
"What exactly did that lord do to anger a fire dragon like that?"
Looking around the ruined castle, Kurose Akira asked curiously.
In the Dragon Holy Kingdom, humans and dragons were normally supposed to coexist peacefully.
Yet something like this had happened.
"It seems the lord fell in love with the fire dragon's partner," Lucia explained calmly.
"The lord fell in love with the fire dragon's partner?"
Kurose Akira raised an eyebrow.
"A human… falling in love with a dragon?"
"Yes."
Lucia nodded expressionlessly.
"And the female dragon couldn't even transform into human form."
"…Huh?"
That answer left Kurose Akira speechless.
According to the world's rules, only dragons above Level 70 could transform into humans.
Although he possessed the Dragon Knight trait…
Facing a dragon directly like that…
Kurose Akira glanced toward Mare Rhine, who was following behind him.
Yeah.
A dragon girl definitely suited human aesthetics far better.
"Hmm?"
Mare Rhine noticed his gaze and tilted her head slightly, looking back with confusion.
Kurose Akira quickly looked away.
"Guild Master! I can feel intense fire magic behind that door!"
Suddenly, Beaflora's voice broke the silence.
She pointed toward a heavy stone door.
Through the narrow crack between its slabs, faint firelight flickered.
"Over there?"
Kurose Akira followed her finger.
Through the gap, he could indeed see flames dancing within.
"Such weak flames—what is there to fear?"
Mare Rhine snorted dismissively.
She strode forward and kicked the stone door open without hesitation.
BOOM!
The door burst open.
The moment it did, raging flames surged outward from the room.
Yet Mare Rhine merely stepped forward and roared,
"Begone!"
Instantly, the flames scattered like frightened creatures.
Kurose Akira understood immediately.
This effect came from the Aura of Destruction Mare Rhine possessed.
"Done!"
Mare Rhine folded her arms proudly across her chest, smiling smugly.
"Well done."
Kurose Akira nodded approvingly before shifting his gaze toward the center of the chamber.
There—
A woman composed entirely of crimson flames sat upon a stone throne.
"A woman?"
Kurose Akira blinked in surprise.
Could it be that the dragon knight from the story… had been female?
At that moment, information about the Flame Lord appeared before his eyes.
[Nareli (Epic)]Level: 70 (? / 56,000)Race: Undead / Elemental
Strength: 1856Agility: 1812Mana: 2252Constitution: 1988
Growth: 10 (Gains +10 to all attributes per level)
Skills: (Expand)
Trait: [Blazing Fireworks](Defeating this unit grants this additional trait!)
"Of course she's a woman. What did you expect?" Lucia replied flatly.
As they spoke, the Flame Lady seemed to notice their presence.
Slowly, she rose from the stone throne.
"Who are you? Why have you trespassed into my territory?"
Drawing a blazing sword from her waist, she pointed it toward them.
"Guards! Seize these intruders!"
But…
No one answered.
The chamber remained silent.
"Has she not realized that she's already dead?"
Kurose Akira studied her carefully.
Her expression looked strange—almost as if she were still living in the past, unaware of her own death.
"She's merely a fragment of lingering soul memory," Lucia explained casually.
At that moment, realizing no soldiers would come, the Flame Lady Nareli took action herself.
"Intruders! You will pay for your foolishness!"
As she spoke, flames around her body surged violently.
Behind her—
A dragon-shaped phantom slowly formed from the fire.