"That hooligan!"
Lucia had already returned to the Church of Light, seated upon her throne, her expression cold and austere.
Yet Kurose Akira's actions continued to linger stubbornly in her mind.Were her jade-like feet really that captivating to him?
Still, when Lucia recalled that she herself had been the one to tease him first, a faint, bashful flush crept uncontrollably across her cheeks.
"How strange~"
Her thoughts were in complete disarray. Ever since becoming the Pope of Light, she had never behaved so frivolously…
Cough, cough!
Even when she had been a saintess, she'd never acted this way!
And yet, ever since joining the guild, her behavior had grown increasingly odd—almost as if someone had tampered with her way of thinking.
"Could it be that the recent pressure has finally caused a change in my behavior?" Lucia muttered to herself.
She certainly didn't believe anyone could alter the mind of the Pope. She stood at the pinnacle of this world.
Even if it were a god—she would not fear them!
"Your Holiness, you seem troubled."
The white-robed girl guarding Lucia spoke softly.
"It's nothing." Lucia shook her head lightly and pressed a golden decree into the girl's brow. "Pass on my orders."
"As you command, Your Holiness."
...
On the other side—
Kurose Akira stepped out of the ultra-luxurious hot spring bath and happened to run into Ivsha, who was emerging from the prayer room while holding a broken iron chain.
Cough—
The sight made Akira immediately avert his gaze.
Maybe he'd used a bit too much strength back then…No, wait—that wasn't it. The real problem was the chain's terrible quality. How could it snap after just a few rounds?
That's right!
It must have been defective merchandise Ivsha bought!
"Kurose Akira~ Shall we enter dreamland together again tonight? The way you look when you fall asleep is so enchanting~"
Ivsha noticed him and asked with a bright smile.
Last night, she had felt utterly fulfilled~
An entire night of prayer—the most blissful moment for a nun~Of course, this might upset Sister Kelly a little, since she hadn't returned to the church in two days~
"Today, I want to rest…"
"Then that's fine~ Kurose Akira should have a good rest today~"
"!"
Ah—
After thoroughly disciplining Ivsha, Kurose Akira entered his dream.
"So much for 'having a good rest'—it just meant one less prayer session!"
He muttered softly. Fortunately, Idice had reinforced his heart, allowing him to easily overpower Ivsha!
Hmph!
Succubi were nothing special!
Once their weakness was caught, they still ended up kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.
"Hmm? Where's the Elf Queen?"
Kurose Akira suddenly realized she hadn't appeared in the dream at all.
Just as confusion set in, a line of golden text appeared in the air, woven together like delicate threads.
[Busy today. Let's meet tomorrow.]
"?"
Kurose Akira stared at the message left by the Elf Queen, feeling puzzled.
Had she been affected by corrupted thoughts?
He pondered the possibility. After all, those corrupted thoughts originated from the Elf Queen's own soul.
If the corruption was damaged, it would inevitably affect the original body as well.
"Wait—"
He suddenly realized something.
Even if the Elf Queen hadn't come, he still had to remain in this dream until it ended!
Damn it!
Kurose Akira's brows knitted together.
With no way to change it, he could only wander aimlessly through the dreamscape created by the Elf Queen.
"Hold on… I remember…"
His gaze suddenly shifted to the massive tree supporting the wooden hut. He looked up, awestruck by the colossal trunk soaring into the clouds.
"Even in a dream, the Mother Tree of the Elves is breathtaking…"
Standing beneath the Elf Mother Tree—thousands of meters tall—Kurose Akira instinctively reached out and gently touched its thick bark.
Rustle… rustle…
The moment he made contact, the Mother Tree trembled without warning.
"Huh?"
Kurose Akira frowned. What was that?
Why would a tree nearly a kilometer wide suddenly tremble? An earthquake?
With lingering doubt, he brushed his fingertips across the bark once more.
This time, the Elf Mother Tree trembled even more intensely.
"What's going on?"
He froze.
Could it be that it wasn't a natural phenomenon at all—that his touch was causing the reaction?
As he wondered, several leaves fluttered down with the tree's movement.
He turned and looked at the leaves by his feet.
They were vivid emerald green, each about the size of his palm. He picked up a few—soft and delicate to the touch, clearly newly grown.
[Elf Mother Tree Leaf (Elite): A newly born leaf of the Elf Mother Tree. Upon consumption, grants 30 unassigned attribute points.]
"Thirty attribute points… directly?"
Kurose Akira was stunned.
And judging from the description, there didn't seem to be any usage limit for identical items?
He was holding five leaves—
That meant 150 freely allocatable attribute points!
As he marveled at the Mother Tree's unexpected generosity, a verdant vine suddenly extended toward him. From its tip, a drop of emerald liquid formed, hovering in midair.
"…Is this meant for me to drink?"
The vine trembled gently, almost like a nod.
Seeing its response, Kurose Akira opened his mouth.
But the moment he did—
The vine shot straight inside, wriggling around wildly!
"????"
Before he could react, it withdrew.
A scorching heat surged through his abdomen, then rapidly turned icy cold. The sensation repeated again and again, until everything finally settled—and a prompt appeared before his eyes.
[You have received the blessing of the Elf Mother Tree.All elemental magic power increased by 50%.All elemental resistance increased by 30%.Your favorability among elves has significantly increased!]
"?"
Kurose Akira stared in disbelief.
The process had been uncomfortable, but the reward was astonishing.
No wonder elves were a race protected by the Goddess of Elements—these bonuses were absurd.
"Thank you."
He voiced his gratitude to the Elf Mother Tree. Though he didn't understand why it had suddenly blessed him, perhaps it was because he had helped the Elf Queen.
The Mother Tree trembled slightly in response.
And as the words left his lips, the dreamscape gradually blurred.
Kurose Akira awakened, slowly opening his eyes.
The first thing he saw—
Was Ivsha sneaking food.
He frowned.
Why did this girl steal food every single morning?
And seriously—succubi recovered stamina way too fast!
Just hours ago she'd been unconscious…
"Ivsha!"
"Mmm~ Wait a sec~ Hah~ Kurose Akira, I'm eating breakfast~"
"!"
Only after Ivsha finished eating did Akira have time to check his inventory.
Since it had been a dream, the Elf Mother Tree leaves weren't there.
But the blessing was clearly displayed in his status panel.
"Feels pretty good~"
He nodded in satisfaction.
With this blessing, he could pursue an all-element mage build—but he also possessed the Holy Scripture, meaning he could become a cleric or holy caster.
On top of that, he could learn swordsmanship from Loserine…
"…I have way too many paths to choose from."
As he fell into thought, Loserine suddenly appeared behind him—completely without sound.
He nearly jumped.
"What are you doing?" Kurose Akira asked, puzzled.
He had never seen Loserine stand so close before.
Had the sun risen from the west today?
"I don't know why," Loserine said, staring at him intently, "but your aura feels… different."
"?"
Akira froze—then realized it immediately.
This was the effect of the [Soul Lure] trait!
He'd almost forgotten Loserine was undead as well. Naturally, the trait's attraction toward souls affected her too.
Still, as a proper vow-bound knight, she hadn't lost herself. Even with only a few centimeters between them, she made no unusual move—just watched him quietly.
Akira replied calmly, "Perhaps spending so much time together has caused your hollow heart to develop a sense of reverence toward your guildmaster."
Loserine tilted her head, confused.
"?"
"…Boring."
She glanced at him once and turned away.
Akira rubbed his nose inwardly relieved. Loserine was still the same stoic vow knight, unaffected by [Soul Lure]—thank goodness.
Hiss—hiss—
Suddenly, he heard a strange sound.
Something tightly wrapped around his waist.
"What the—?"
He turned his head, shocked to find Loserine's water sprite already coiled around him!
"What are you trying to do?"
Hiss—hiss—
Before he could understand what was happening, the water sprite opened its gaping maw and lunged—
Smack.
It kissed his cheek.
"?"
"!"
Akira was completely caught off guard!
"Let go of me!"
He tried issuing a command—but it didn't help.
The water sprite remained excitedly wrapped around him, expressing its affection in its own way.
Just as Akira felt utterly helpless, the guild's teleportation circle lit up with white light.
Beiafri and Beiafro appeared, carefully holding emerald-green leaves.
"Guildmaster~ The Queen personally instructed us to deliver these precious gifts to you~"
"…Eh? Guildmaster! Why are you lying on the floor?"
"Help me!"
"We're coming to save you!"