"You're here."
Lucia flicked a glance at Kurose Akira, her clear eyes briefly brushing over him before drifting back to the surface of the water.
[Current Personality: Hypocritical, Sensitive, Fickle]
"Is there something you need?"
Kurose Akira walked over to her side and quietly sat down cross-legged. His gaze wandered for a moment before, against his will, settling once again on her delicate, jade-like feet.
"There are some things I need to tell you. They're related to the demon nests," Lucia said lightly, as if discussing something trivial. "The princess of the Star Kingdom has personally gone to the Sun Church State to request military support from the Church of Light to jointly resist the demon race's invasion."
"..."
Kurose Akira listened intently to every word Lucia spoke. He understood the logic behind the Star Kingdom's actions.
On the magic continent, the demon race was a common enemy despised by all races. Seeking external aid was, on the surface, entirely reasonable.
"Did the Pope of the Church of Light agree?" Kurose Akira asked immediately.
"Yes." Lucia nodded. "As the faction that despises demons the most, the Pope had no reason to refuse."
"That figures."
Kurose Akira nodded in agreement. If there was any nation that hated demons to the bone, it was undoubtedly the Sun Church State led by the Church of Light.
"But~"
Lucia continued, her tone shifting slightly. "The Star Kingdom doesn't only want to borrow the Sun Church State's army to purge demon nests. They even hope to allow part of the Church of Light's forces to enter the royal capital to jointly defend against the demon race. What do you think their purpose is?"
"?"
Kurose Akira's brows knitted together at once.
Even if the Star Kingdom desperately needed support, letting foreign troops enter the royal capital so easily made no sense. The capital was the core of the nation—how could it be opened to another country's army unless the entire kingdom was facing annihilation?
But judging from the current scale of the demon nests, although fifty nests were being jointly cleared by players and the Star Kingdom's army, ten had already been destroyed in just a few days. At this pace, eliminating all of them was only a matter of time.
So why invite the Church of Light's troops into the royal capital?
As his thoughts tangled together, Lucia watched him sink into contemplation, a faint smile curving her lips.
She lifted the tip of her foot and gently hooked it under his chin.
"Look at me," she said softly. "I'm not done yet~"
"..."
Kurose Akira frowned slightly, muttering inwardly, Just talk properly—why are you getting handsy with your feet?
"From what I know, the Star Kingdom's Star Ceremony will take place in twenty days," Lucia continued.
Twenty days? The Star Ceremony?
Kurose Akira looked puzzled. That wasn't it… wasn't that exactly the day before the college entrance exam back in his original world?
And this was the first time he'd ever heard of the "Star Ceremony." What kind of event was it?
"The Star Ceremony," Lucia explained, her toes lightly teasing his chin as she spoke, "is the coronation day of the Star Kingdom's new king. The old king will choose one successor from among several candidates. Tell me—don't you think they're letting the Sun Church State's troops enter the royal capital to ensure the ceremony goes smoothly?"
"If the Star Kingdom's ruler were an idiot, maybe he'd come up with something that stupid," Kurose Akira replied after a moment of thought.
Letting another country's army station itself inside the capital just to secure a coronation… that wasn't a strategy any sane person would devise.
"And at the current pace, all the demon nests will be cleared within twenty days," he added.
"So you believe they have another motive for allowing the Sun Church State's troops into the capital?" Lucia's expression remained calm, as if she'd expected this answer.
"I don't know their real goal yet," Kurose Akira nodded, "but it's definitely nothing good."
He felt increasingly uneasy about whatever the Star Kingdom's royal family was planning.
Maybe… he should ask Idice.
After all, Idice was backing one of the princesses in the succession struggle. She should know more about the Star Ceremony.
"It seems you already have some leads?" Lucia said. "May I leave this investigation to you, Guildmaster?"
As she spoke, she placed her pair of jade-white feet into Kurose Akira's lap, gently rubbing them against him.
Kurose Akira's gaze sharpened.
He noticed that whenever Lucia asked him for something, even her tone subtly changed.
Was this part of her fickle nature?
He gently grasped her feet and said in a low voice, "If I learn anything, I'll let you know. But don't inform the Pope unless absolutely necessary. I don't want the Sun Church State stirring chaos in the Star Kingdom."
Lucia covered her mouth and let out a soft moan.
"Mmm~"
Her Sensitivity Authority meant that even something as simple as Kurose Akira touching her feet sent lightning-like stimulation racing through her body. Yet she didn't pull them back. Instead, she asked softly,
"What is it? Is it because of that viscountess?"
"..."
Kurose Akira didn't answer, but Lucia could read the truth from his expression.
After all, he had already invested in Idice. There was no way he'd let the Sun Church State ruin things. If the princess Idice supported ascended the throne, he'd gain a backer nearly on the level of a king.
At that point, wouldn't he be able to act almost without restraint within the Star Kingdom?
"In your heart, Ivsha is the most important, isn't she?" Lucia asked in a tender voice, her feet subtly twisting in his grip. "Even though she's just a fragment of that viscountess's lust, you still prefer that little succubus, don't you?"
"What—are you jealous?" Kurose Akira said, squeezing the soft sole of her foot.
"Ah!?"
Lucia's body shuddered violently, a hazy light flashing through her eyes.
"Y-You… let go!"
She bit her lower lip, a flush spreading across her cheeks. She was having trouble enduring his teasing.
That was a place no one else had ever touched.
"Just touching your feet causes this kind of reaction?" Kurose Akira was genuinely surprised. A mere touch had triggered such an intense response. He couldn't help imagining what would happen if it were somewhere else…
"I said let go!"
Suddenly—
Lucia lifted her other foot and kicked toward Kurose Akira's face.
Soft, warm, fragrant—the sole of her foot pressed intimately against his cheek.
But she didn't use much force, so Kurose Akira saw no need to dodge. If anything, it felt like someone was delivering delicacies straight to his lips, inviting him to sample them…
Of course, he wasn't deranged enough to actually stick out his tongue and taste whether it was sweet or salty.
After breaking free from his grasp, Lucia's crimson-tinted cheeks hardened with icy anger.
"It's getting late. I'm leaving."
With that, she exited the guild.
Kurose Akira chuckled softly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. An indescribable fragrance lingered there.
Lucia's ice cream…doesn't seem bad at all.