"..."
Kurose Akira stared at the two elven queens standing before him, falling into silence for a moment as waves of doubt churned in his mind.
Why were two queens here together today?
And judging from the tear mole beneath the right eye of this elven queen, she was clearly not the same queen he had met before.
For the time being, he decided to distinguish them as the White Elf Queen and the Dark Elf Queen.
With those questions in mind, Kurose Akira turned his gaze toward the White Elf Queen.
She wore a gentle, refined smile, her voice soft and graceful as she spoke.
"We've come today because there's something we'd like to ask of you."
"What is it?"Kurose Akira asked, shifting his gaze toward the Dark Elf Queen.
The Dark Elf Queen shot him a cold glare, then turned her head away, clearly still holding a grudge over what had happened earlier.
"Recently, the elf race captured several dark elves," the White Elf Queen explained softly."Because most elves harbor hostility toward dark elves, disagreements arose over how they should be dealt with."
"You already know this, but Tinass has always felt guilty toward the dark elves. Because of that, we've been unable to decide how to handle them."
"Then what exactly do you want me to do?"Kurose Akira pressed, immediately sensing that they had already reached some kind of conclusion.
"I hope you can rescue them from the Gloom Prison," the White Elf Queen replied calmly."This isn't Tinass's request—it's mine."
As she spoke, she shifted her gaze toward the Dark Elf Queen across from her.
"Of course… it's also hers."
Kurose Akira naturally followed her line of sight and looked at the Dark Elf Queen.
Faced with his gaze, she initially avoided eye contact. After hesitating for a moment, however, she finally lowered her posture and spoke.
"They are members of the Dark Night Elf Legion. They once rendered outstanding service to the elf race… and were once our comrades."
Hearing this, Kurose Akira nodded thoughtfully, beginning to grasp their intent.
"And also~"The White Elf Queen leaned closer to his ear, her voice dropping to a soft whisper.
"One of the reasons Tinass gave rise to her evil thoughts is her guilt toward those dark elves. If you can find a way to bring the dark elves back into the elf race… it might be possible to completely purge her corruption."
At her words, a bright glint flashed through Kurose Akira's eyes.
That did sound like a viable approach.
"What are you two whispering about?"The Dark Elf Queen frowned slightly and demanded an explanation.
"Nothing,"Kurose Akira replied with a faint smile, brushing it off lightly.
"Although the dark elves left the elf race, they were once its warriors," the Dark Elf Queen said, fixing Kurose Akira with a deep, unwavering stare."I hope you can help them."
"Don't worry," Kurose Akira answered calmly."I'll take care of it."
As his words fell, a familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
[You have received a special commission from the Elven Queen — First Contact! The Dark Elves!]
[Quest Description: Dark elves who infiltrated the Elven Kingdom were accidentally discovered and are now imprisoned in the Gloom Prison. They urgently require your assistance.]
[Quest Objective: Rescue the dark elves imprisoned in the Gloom Prison!]
[Quest Reward: ?]
"?"
Kurose Akira's gaze sharpened slightly as he read the quest description.
From the wording alone, it seemed the dark elves had infiltrated the Elven Kingdom for some specific purpose.
With that doubt lingering in his mind, he looked toward the White Elf Queen—only to find her smiling at him gently.
Then, another prompt immediately popped up in his vision.
[New Objective Added: Discover the true purpose behind the dark elves' infiltration of the Elven Kingdom!]
[Quest Reward: A Special Reward from the Elven Queen!]
"?"
Seeing the second objective, realization dawned on Kurose Akira.
So the White Elf Queen's request wasn't nearly as simple as it appeared.
That only made him more curious—what exactly were the dark elves trying to accomplish by infiltrating the Elven Kingdom?
"I'm so glad you agreed~"The White Elf Queen smiled warmly.
"The Gloom Prison will enter a weakened state in three days. That will be your chance to enter—but you'll only have thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes?"Kurose Akira nodded."That should be enough."
From her words, it also sounded like the Gloom Prison might not be actively guarded.
"However~"The White Elf Queen added,"There are magic-sealing formations inside the Gloom Prison. You won't be able to use magic there—teleportation magic included."
"Understood,"Kurose Akira nodded.
Though inwardly, he wondered whether his teleportation array truly counted as teleportation magic. He couldn't be certain it would still work.
"Ahem~"
At that moment, the Dark Elf Queen cleared her throat, drawing his attention.
She blinked her dark-golden eyes and spoke coolly.
"If you can rescue those dark elves, I will forgive your previous disrespect."
"..."
Kurose Akira froze for a moment, choosing silence.
Still, this was the first time he'd seen the Dark Elf Queen speak to him so calmly.
It seemed that even an elven queen tainted by evil thoughts couldn't completely erase the kindness deep within her heart—though that kindness was primarily reserved for elves.
"Oh, right."Kurose Akira suddenly remembered his blood curse and turned to the White Elf Queen.
"I've run into a bit of trouble recently."
"What kind of trouble?"Concern flickered through her beautiful eyes.
"It's about a blood curse from a vampire progenitor… do you know how to remove it?"Kurose Akira asked.
"A vampire progenitor's blood curse?"The White Elf Queen pondered for a moment.
"There are ways to lift vampire curses, but a progenitor's blood curse… that's something I've never heard of."
"So even you don't know?"Kurose Akira frowned slightly.
It seemed his only hope lay with that vampire from the Fairy Consort Guild—hopefully she'd have a solution.
"However~"A gentle smile curved the White Elf Queen's lips.
"Even if I can't remove the curse, temporarily easing it should still be possible. If you don't mind… perhaps the blood of an elven queen could help suppress your craving for blood."
As she spoke, she casually brushed aside her clothing, revealing a snow-white, jade-like neck.
In that instant, a mysterious power seemed to刺激 Kurose Akira's consciousness, causing his thirst for blood to surge violently!
Yet he didn't lose control—only the crimson hue in his pupils deepened.
"Please don't tempt me!"Kurose Akira shook his head quickly.
He still intended to exploit the effects of [Bloodlust] on the battlefield.
Besides, there was something else bothering him.
Why couldn't he see the red numerical values above the Elven Queen's head?
Was it because he was inside a dream, preventing blood values from being displayed?
"It's all right~"
As the White Elf Queen smiled sweetly, she stepped even closer, closing the distance between them.
"If you ever find yourself unable to restrain your intense thirst for blood… you can come to me for help, little one~"
!!
Kurose Akira stared at the elven queen drawing closer, his eyes flickering with an unfamiliar intensity, locked onto that flawless, snow-white neck.
This elven queen was far too generous—it felt as though she would agree to anything he asked…
Ugh—!
Before his thoughts could finish forming, the White Elf Queen suddenly pulled him into her embrace.
"Relax, little one~"She whispered softly, gently pressing his face into her snowy softness as she soothed him.
"The great and benevolent Goddess of Nature embraces all. She will forgive your sins… and grant you inner peace and tranquility~"
!
At the very moment her words ended, a new message flashed across Kurose Akira's vision.
[Elven Queen Trait Updated!]
[?]→[Acceptance]
Acceptance?
Yet compared to that—
The overwhelming urge to drink blood was becoming harder and harder to suppress.
Your Majesty…
I crave your blood!