"...What?"
Kurose Akira swept his gaze across the many weapons floating in midair, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes.
What were these for?
And combined with what Paslow had just said…
Did the ritual require him to use these weapons to punish her body—to keep her conscious throughout the process?
No matter how he thought about it, it felt… off.
Before he could reach a conclusion, Paslow's condition suddenly changed.
"Ah… it hurts… it hurts!"
She lowered her head slightly, biting her lip as a pained moan escaped her throat.
At the same time, crimson veins began to spread across her skin—fine, branching patterns that gradually covered her originally silver-gray body.
Akira's attention locked onto her transformation, his mind racing for a way to handle the situation.
Especially considering her sheer size—over five meters tall—she loomed before him like a giant.
Now that the bandages no longer restrained her, that galaxy-like, darkly radiant body of hers appeared even more mysterious and overwhelming.
No matter how you looked at it… she was huge.
"Paslow…"
Akira instinctively reached out, intending to touch her lowered forehead.
But in that instant—
Paslow suddenly snapped her head up and lunged, biting toward his hand.
Thankfully, Akira reacted in time and pulled back, narrowly avoiding the attack.
But her strange behavior didn't stop there.
Struggling to her feet, her massive body lunged toward him.
If not for the vines binding her limbs tightly, she would have already crushed him into her embrace.
"Paslow?!"
Startled, Akira quickly stepped back.
But the moment his eyes met hers, all his confusion vanished.
Her eyes had turned completely black—like an abyss, devoid of light.
A glistening strand of saliva trailed from the corner of her lips, carrying a strangely intoxicating scent.
Then she roared:
"Tinath! Why?! You liar! I hate you!"
Her voice was filled with madness.
Akira's brows tightened.
Now he finally understood why Paslow usually appeared so calm and gentle—so unlike the typical description of dark elves.
Because once the seal's restraints were removed…
The madness she unleashed far surpassed that of any other dark elf.
At that moment, Akira noticed something else—
The dim flowers scattered across the ground were releasing faint blue motes of light.
Like moths drawn to a flame, they drifted slowly toward Paslow.
The instant those motes touched her body, ripples of color spread across her silver-gray skin, as if suppressing the madness within her.
And according to Paslow…
Pain could also temporarily counteract the corrupting force—granting her brief moments of clarity, enough to complete the ritual.
But…
Akira hesitated.
His gaze moved across the array of weapons before him, yet he couldn't bring himself to act.
Just as he was caught in indecision, Paslow's strained voice rang out again:
"Hurry… hurt me! My power is bound to this forest—no matter how severe the injury, it will recover!"
Since the ritual had just begun, she still retained a sliver of clarity.
"Quickly!"
"Hurt me!"
That was all the push Akira needed.
The moment those words left her lips, his hesitation vanished.
Compared to those unfamiliar weapons, his own tools were far more reliable.
With a thought, a thunderfire rod and an elven branch appeared in his hands.
"Those are—?"
When Paslow saw the weapons he held, a flash of fear crossed her face.
But it was quickly swallowed by madness.
Her galaxy-gray skin shimmered faintly in the darkness, her gaze turning hazy and frenzied.
"Let me go! I'm going to find that liar! She's not worthy of being our queen!"
"Hah…"
Akira took a steady breath and stepped forward.
Then—
He swung the thunderfire rod lightly, striking her hip.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed through the silent forest, like a pebble dropped into still water.
"Mnh~"
A faint, almost inaudible murmur slipped from Paslow's lips.
The blow hadn't caused her much harm.
But—
Her body trembled slightly.
And for a fleeting moment…
She regained a trace of clarity.
"Yes… just like that~"
There was even a hint of approval in her voice.
But the clarity was fleeting—like a shooting star.
In the next instant, she fell back into madness.
Seeing this, Akira immediately switched to the elven branch and struck again.
Smack!
The sharp sound rang out repeatedly within the ritual space.
Each strike brought her back, again and again.
"You're doing very well~ keep going~"
"Ah—!"
"Why are you so… skilled at this?"
"Mmh~"
"And why… are your weapons so strange? Why do they make the pain feel… slightly pleasant?"
"..."
An hour passed.
Outside, the dark elves remained gathered, waiting.
They couldn't see inside—the thick curtain of darkness blocked their vision—and no sound reached them.
Only faint tremors from the ground hinted at what was happening within.
"Nilu… do you think Akira can really help Lady Paslow complete the ritual?" one dark elf asked anxiously.
"He definitely can!" Nilu replied without hesitation, her confidence unwavering.
But just then—
A figure silently appeared behind them.
"Who is inside, conducting Paslow's ritual?"
"…Jielan? You're back?"
...
"Haa…"
Akira wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long breath.
The heavy exertion had forced him to strip off his upper garments, revealing a well-built body drenched in sweat.
Even though he was already nearing exhaustion…
The ritual was only halfway done.
Through repeated attempts, he had discovered something—
The elven branch worked better than the thunderfire rod.
Perhaps it was because all elves originated from the World Tree—even dark elves.
Which meant…
The elven branch dealt some kind of special damage bonus?
A light strike was enough to leave a clear welt across Paslow's silver-gray skin.
But those marks would quickly fade, healed by some unseen force.
"V-very good…! You're doing excellently!"
With Akira's help, Paslow once again regained a sliver of sanity.
Her breathing was heavy, but the blood-red veins on her skin had begun to fade.
In their place, her body shimmered once more like a radiant galaxy.
"Can you keep going? Or do you need a break?" Akira asked, looking up at her.
"No need. Continue~"
She shook her head, her tone turning more serious.
"You've completed half the ritual… but the next phase requires you to hurt me even more."
"Even more?"
Akira frowned slightly.
At this point, he couldn't help but feel—
There was something fundamentally off about the elves in this world.
For example—the Elf Queen.
She had asked him in a dream to purge her corruption…
Yet her pure self wished for her own fall.
And now Paslow, leader of the dark elves, was asking him to harm her with weapons…
Could this be related to them being single for thousands of years?
As that absurd thought crossed his mind—
Paslow fell into madness again.
But this time…
It wasn't anger.
It was sorrow.
Her voice trembled with grief as she wept softly:
"We gave everything to protect our homeland… so why… why did she abandon us so cruelly… why…"
Her anguish made Akira pause for a split second.
But he knew—
The second phase had begun.
He raised the elven branch and struck her again.
Smack—
A fresh mark appeared across her silver-gray skin.
But this time…
It didn't fade.
It remained, deeply etched.
"…Huh?"
Akira's brows knit together.
Didn't she say all injuries would recover instantly?
Then why—
Before he could think further, Paslow's voice reached him again.
"Do you also think… it was my fault?"
"I only wanted the Night Elf Legion to continue protecting the kingdom… protecting Her Majesty…"
"I can accept any punishment… but please… let the queen revoke her order…"
"Human… hurt me… I will atone for all dark elves…"
"..."
Her words made Akira hesitate—
Then he swung the branch again.
"You did nothing wrong!"
His voice rang out, firm and unyielding.
"…Nothing wrong?"
Tears still lingered in her eyes, but clarity slowly returned to her gaze.
She stared at him, searching.
"You protected the kingdom from its enemies. You are heroes of the elven kingdom."
His words fell in sync with each strike—steady, unwavering.
But strangely…
The pain no longer seemed to affect her as much.
She watched him quietly, as if becoming immune to it.
Meanwhile, faint streaks of blood began to appear across her silver-gray skin.
"The root of everything lies in the flaw of that power," Akira continued. "Neither you nor the Elf Queen is completely at fault. There are… misunderstandings."
Another strike.
Her body trembled.
"So I hope you can sit down and talk this through. Don't let a forbidden power destroy a friendship that has lasted thousands of years."
Akira understood this clearly—
From the very beginning, Paslow and her dark elves never wanted to oppose the elven kingdom.
They only wanted a way to coexist.
Even before the schism, they had likely sought solutions.
Perhaps even attempting to reclaim or suppress their power.
But all those efforts had failed—
And the result was the division into two factions.
"She won't agree…"
Tears shimmered in Paslow's eyes as she whispered.
"She would rather reclaim that power… than watch the elves suffer from corruption…"
"But we can endure it! We're willing to bear the pain—for her, for the kingdom!"
"Then we'll convince her!"
Akira suddenly raised the elven branch high—
And brought it down with all his strength.
SMACK!
The sound rang out sharply across the ritual space.
Paslow's body was now covered in marks.
"Convince her…?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
For the first time—
She seemed fully clear.
"Yeah."
Akira nodded, lowering the branch as he sensed the ritual nearing its end.
"I'll stand with you and persuade the Elf Queen. Let her understand what the dark elves truly want. But you must also understand her… she has her own reasons."
Paslow let out a soft sigh.
"If things could really be that simple… if one conversation could resolve everything… how wonderful that would be…"
As her voice faded—
The vines binding her limbs slowly withdrew.
She was free.
The ritual… was complete.
"Could you help wrap the bandages back on me?"
She looked at him gently.
Her body was simply too large—she needed assistance.
"…Alright."
Akira nodded and picked up the bandages.
But the moment he stepped closer—
He realized a problem.
Paslow was completely naked.
Wrapping the bandages meant…
He would inevitably touch—
"…Are you unwilling?"
A trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes.
"No."
He shook his head and began.
As he wrapped the bandages, curiosity got the better of him.
He reached out and touched her long, upright ear.
It was… incredibly soft.
If that could be used as—
Ahem.
At the same time, a strange impulse stirred within him.
Like a hot-blooded youth dreaming of conquering the world.
Though at this stage…
He was still far from capable.
A faint glow of holy light flickered quietly—his own way of expressing… respect.
"Kurose Akira~"
Paslow's voice carried a gentle smile.
"If you truly manage to persuade the Elf Queen… I may consider giving you my most precious possession."
"…Your most precious possession?"
His brows lifted, anticipation flashing through his eyes.
"Mm."
She nodded solemnly.
"It is this forest—the Dark Forbidden Woods. A domain I personally created."
As she spoke—
She took his wrist and guided his hand to her chest.
Akira's eyes flickered.
That softness—
Wait.
He still hadn't wrapped the bandages on the important parts—
"And deep within this forest…"
Her voice softened.
"A second sapling of the World Tree is being nurtured."