"Is… is this really what a maid outfit is supposed to look like?"
Nata lifted the hem of her skirt and gave a gentle spin in front of Kurose Akira, her cheeks flushed as she asked shyly.
"…Probably… not?"Akira rubbed the bridge of his nose, his gaze drifting away.
No matter how you looked at it, this was not a proper maid uniform.
"…It's not?"A faint blush deepened across Nata's cheeks. But after a brief moment of thought, she smiled softly. "Then it doesn't matter~ As long as you like it, that's enough~"
I like it way too much, Akira thought—but saying that out loud would feel a bit too shameless.
"Just… make sure you only wear that inside the guild," he said instead. "Change into something else when you go out."
"Understood~ I'll remember that."Nata nodded obediently, committing his words to heart.
Just as everyone's attention was focused on her—
Alice suddenly appeared beside Akira without a sound, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Master! Is that Big Sister Nata?! Wow! Is she wearing a new maid outfit? It's so pretty!"
"Alice? When did you wake up?!"
Akira turned sharply, startled.
"Hehe~"
Alice didn't answer, only giving him a bright, innocent smile.
As a construct of witchcraft, she didn't actually need sleep—just "recharging." Which meant she often found herself listening to the… melodious sounds drifting from the guild hall.
"Alright, alright!"Akira quickly clapped his hands to regain control of the situation. "Everyone get ready—we're starting a new commission."
"Okay~"
"I'll go over the mission details. You all wait here for a bit."
"Got it~"
Akira sat down on the sofa and began organizing the newly available C+ rank missions.
But something immediately struck him as odd.
There were only two?
[Commission Tasks]
Task 1 (C+): Eliminate the Moonlight Witch's AvatarReward: ???
Task 2 (C+): Unlocks after completing Task 1Reward: ???
"…This mission…"
Akira's expression darkened as he read the description.
He couldn't understand it.
Why was the objective to kill the Moonlight Witch's avatar?
Who issued this commission?
And what was their true motive?
To attempt the assassination of the Moonlight Witch—even if it was just her avatar—was no trivial matter.
On top of that, the mission was explicitly labeled as a multiplayer operation.
Meaning—
Multiple guilds would be taking part.
Akira's brow furrowed.
Given the connection between the Moonlight Witch and Alice, there was no way he could bring himself to attack her—even a mere projection.
And then there was what Edith had mentioned before: a recent divine oracle had descended upon the Moon God Empire.
Was this connected?
"Master, Master~"
While he was deep in thought, Alice suddenly jumped into his arms, brimming with excitement.
"Big Sister Nata is amazing~ She taught me so many things~ She's just as incredible as Big Sister Ivsha~ though they're good at different things~"
"I-Is that so?"Akira smiled and gently patted her head. "Then you should learn as much as you can from Nata—master all her skills!"
"Okay!" Alice nodded enthusiastically. "And Big Sister Ivsha's too! I'll learn everything!"
"W-Wait, no—that part you can skip!"
"Huh? Why? (・_・?)"
Just as they were talking—
The teleportation array flashed with white light.
Lucia stepped out, her feet brushing against ripples of glowing energy as she entered the guild hall.
The moment she saw Nata, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
"That is… an alchemical construct?" she murmured, puzzled by Nata's current form. It was… something entirely unfamiliar—even by the standards of the magical continent.
But seeing that Akira and Ivsha weren't particularly surprised, she quickly pieced things together.
She walked over to Akira and asked casually,
"So—who are we saving today? Another beauty?"
"Today… huh? What beauty?"Akira blinked before continuing, "We're heading to the Moon God Empire to meet the client."
He planned to gather more information before making any decisions.
"The Moon God Empire…"Lucia absentmindedly rubbed her earlobe, a hint of irritation flickering across her face.
Akira noticed immediately.
That was unusual for her.
"Is something wrong? Did something happen there?" he asked.
"…Yes."
Lucia didn't hide it.
"The Moon God Empire usually receives a divine oracle from the Moon Goddess every few years—or at most every century. But this time… the content is strange."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know the exact details," she admitted. "But from what those old men were saying… the empire is mobilizing its forces."
"Mobilizing? Are they preparing for war?"
Akira grew even more confused.
After all, mass mobilization usually meant conflict.
"Possibly," Lucia replied. "But the Moon God Empire doesn't really have enemies. It's unlikely they're launching an external war."
So… internal conflict?
Or something else entirely?
"…Looks like we'll have to see for ourselves."
Akira rubbed his temples, then glanced at Alice, who was still enthusiastically learning from Nata.
After a brief pause, he turned back to Lucia.
"Let's keep this mission from Alice for now. We'll head to the Moon God Empire first."
"Understood."Lucia nodded without questioning further.
"Let's go."
Akira immediately set off with Lucia.
"Master?"
Alice noticed their departure, a hint of confusion appearing on her face.
—
A flash of white light.
Akira and Lucia arrived in the Moon God Empire.
This time, no travel permits were required—they were sent directly to the destination.
And when they arrived—
They found a large gathering of adventurers already assembled.
All of them were at least Level 50.
Some even reached Level 70.
"…Is this one of the Moon God Empire's palace halls?"
Akira looked around.
The floor beneath his feet was paved with luminous moonstone tiles unique to the empire, glowing with a soft blue-silver radiance.
If he remembered correctly, such materials were only used in the four grand priestly palaces.
"Look over there," Lucia said suddenly.
Akira followed her gaze.
In the distance stood a man in white robes, holding a blue-silver spear.
His face was partially concealed by a half-moon mask.
Azure eyes gleamed faintly beneath it as he coldly surveyed the gathered adventurers.
"Who is that?" Akira asked.
"He's a member of the Moonlit Council," Lucia replied softly.
"The Moonlit Council…"
Akira immediately understood.
The Elf Queen had once told him about the most powerful forces on the continent.
And the Moonlit Council—
Was the strongest force within the Moon God Empire.
"…So they organized this mission?"
Akira's mind raced.
Why would they want to kill the Moonlight Witch's avatar?
He kept his gaze fixed on the masked man, searching for clues.
"Are all participants here?" the man asked a nearby soldier.
"Reporting, Lord Yelu. All notified guilds have assembled."
"Good. Then we begin."
Yelu stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
"Welcome, adventurers. Thank you for answering the call…"
He launched into a long speech.
The gist of it was simple:
This was a righteous mission—a crusade to eliminate a witch.
From the perspective of most adventurers, that made perfect sense.
After all, witches were universally despised across the continent.
But Akira knew—
The Moonlight Witch was different.
She had never harmed anyone.
Never committed any unforgivable act.
"…Something's off," Lucia suddenly murmured.
"What do you mean?"
"His power feels strange," she said quietly. "He's part of the Moon God Empire… but there's another system of power mixed into him."
"Another system? Can you identify it?"
"…No."
Akira's gaze returned to Yelu.
His speech was finally coming to an end.
"Distribute the items."
At his command, soldiers handed each adventurer a crescent-shaped pendant.
"What's this?"
Everyone, including Akira, was puzzled.
The item had no visible information—only question marks.
Yelu explained:
"This is the key to entering the Moon Dreamscape. Only within that realm can you locate and eliminate the Moonlight Witch."
"The Moon Dreamscape…"
Akira's suspicion deepened.
If it was just a simple entry item—
Why conceal its information?
"Tonight at nine, use the pendant to enter the Dreamscape," Yelu continued.
"Any guild that completes the mission will be rewarded by the Moon God Empire."
"And the one who successfully slays the Moonlight Witch—"
"Will receive a Heart of the Moon."
The moment those words fell—
The crowd erupted.
"A Heart of the Moon?! That's a legendary-tier item!"
"They're actually offering that as a reward?!"
"It's ours! The Super Tyrant Guild will claim it!"
"Let's goooo!"
The excitement was palpable.
Even though Akira didn't know exactly what the Heart of the Moon was—
From their reactions, it was clearly something extraordinary.
After finishing his announcement, Yelu turned and left.
The adventurers immediately began discussing strategies.
"The Moonlight Witch is no joke—she's one of the strongest witches!"
"But it's just an avatar in a dream. Probably under Level 85."
"Still dangerous. The higher the level, the bigger the gap in power!"
"We've got multiple C+ guilds, several B-rank guilds, even two B+ guilds! What's there to fear?"
"This mission is unusual—we should coordinate. Let's form a group and plan."
"Agreed."
Akira didn't join them.
He had more important things to investigate.
"Lucia, let's go."
"…Alright."
They left the palace.
He needed information about the Moon Dreamscape—and the Moonlight Witch's avatar.
Fortunately, Edith had told him to contact her if needed.
This was that moment.
After leaving the palace, Akira reached out.
Soon, a reply came:
[Edith: Go to the Moonlight Altar. She'll be waiting for you there.]
"The Moonlight Altar…"
With a destination in hand, he and Lucia headed out immediately.
—
But when they arrived—
There was no one there.
Only a sky-blue altar embedded in the ground, smooth like the surface of a lake, reflecting their figures.
"This is the place? Then where is she…?"
Akira scanned the area.
Strangely—
There wasn't a single person in sight.
It felt like a forbidden zone.
Just as confusion set in—
Bubbles suddenly rose from the altar.
Then—
A small head emerged from the surface, blinking up at him.
"…Huh?"
Akira focused his gaze on the girl with long aqua-blue hair.
"You're… Edith's contact?"
"Mhm!"
At the mention of Edith's name, the girl relaxed and stepped out of the altar.
And then—
Akira froze.
"…A tail…?"
A fish tail.