Beneath the loose, flowing moonlit robe, the swelling, luminous curves of her body made it impossible for Kurose Akira to look away.
He had never personally met the Moonlight Witch before—but he had heard Alice describe her appearance and attire more than once.
And she was definitely not the kind of witch who wandered around naked with only a robe draped over her.
Which meant… there was only one possibility—
Wait.
Where are my clothes?
Akira suddenly realized—his own clothing had vanished as well.
What was this place? Why did it even come with an automatic "unequip" function?!
Even stranger—he couldn't use any magic. He couldn't access his player inventory. None of the system interfaces responded.
It was as if he had entered… a world created entirely by the Moonlight Witch herself.
"You~"
Just as confusion filled his mind, the Moonlight Witch's ethereal voice echoed again.
"Now that you've finally arrived… I have something I need your help with."
"Cough…"
Akira quickly forced his gaze upward, away from where it shouldn't linger, and asked, "What is it?"
"The Moon God Empire is on the brink of destruction," she replied softly. "I want you to save this fractured nation."
"…The Moon God Empire is about to fall apart? Why?"
Akira frowned, unable to grasp what she meant.
At present, the Moon God Empire was at the height of its power. Even if it didn't surpass the Solar Theocracy, it was still one of the strongest nations on the Magic Continent.
So why would she say it was collapsing?
"Because~"
A trace of sorrow flickered in her deep blue eyes.
She lifted her gaze to the endless starry sky and sighed.
"The Moon Goddess… has fallen."
"…What?!"
Akira's mind jolted.
The Moon Goddess… had fallen?
If that were true, then yes—it would be nothing short of a catastrophic crisis for the Moon God Empire.
But—
Didn't the empire just receive a divine oracle?
A cascade of contradictions filled his thoughts.
It wasn't that he didn't believe her… it was simply difficult to accept that a god could die.
"Mm~"
The Moonlight Witch nodded gently, turning her back to him as she spoke in a soft voice.
"This is the revelation I received. The goddess we worshipped… passed away months ago. She is gone forever."
"…How could that be…"
Akira's brow furrowed.
Then that meant—the Moon Goddess fell during the early beta phase of the game?
Combined with what the Elf Queen had said about the shattering of the divine realm… it was likely true.
…Hm?
Just as he was deep in thought, something caught his attention.
His gaze locked onto the Moonlight Witch's back.
There was… a slight bulge beneath her robe.
Right around the hips.
And it seemed to twitch—just slightly.
Could that be… a tail?
Akira's thoughts abruptly shifted from divine collapse to the Moonlight Witch's rear.
Was she… not human?
Then again… that would make sense.
After all—her clone was a massive white tiger.
"Please don't tell anyone about this. Can you promise me?"
The Moonlight Witch slowly turned back to face him, her voice gentle.
"Ah—cough, cough!"
Akira hurriedly looked away again before answering, "Don't worry. I'll keep it secret."
"That's good~"
A faint smile appeared on her cool, beautiful face—like a fleeting blossom under moonlight, gone in an instant.
But compared to her expression…
Akira was far more interested in whether that tail behind her was wagging happily.
"…So, what exactly do you need me to do?" he asked.
He was willing to help her—truly.
But if the task was too dangerous… if it threatened the lives of his guild members—
Then their safety came first.
"You alone cannot save the Moon God Empire," she said softly. "And the upper ranks of the empire have already been infiltrated by them…"
Her voice trailed off before she continued:
"So you will need allies. My former subordinates will aid you."
"Your… former subordinates?"
Akira's curiosity deepened.
If she had subordinates, then—
"I believe you've already guessed my identity."
The Moonlight Witch removed her hat.
Dark-blue, wavy hair cascaded down under the moonlight—so breathtakingly beautiful that even Akira, who had seen countless beauties, felt her appearance exceeded all limits.
After a long moment of stunned silence, he finally spoke:
"You're… the High Priestess of the Moon God Empire. Aren't you?"
"Mm."
She nodded.
Then continued:
"The Half-Moon, Full-Moon, and Crescent Priests have all been corrupted by powers from the divine realm. They seek to seize the hidden power of the empire."
"Only the New Moon Priest remains faithful to the moonlight."
"…Corruption from the divine realm?"
Akira's expression darkened.
He immediately thought of the so-called "master" mentioned by the Undead Sovereign.
Whoever had corrupted those priests… was likely connected.
"I sincerely hope you will help me."
She stepped closer.
Closer—
Until she stood directly before him.
Her deep blue eyes locked onto his.
"Please… take the Moonlight Key of Truth out of the Moon Dream, and deliver it to the New Moon Priest at the summit of Moonlight Mountain."
[Accept High-Difficulty Quest: Elegy of the Moon Goddess?][Objective: Deliver the Moonlight Key of Truth to the New Moon Priest.][Reward: ???][Note: This quest has already been accepted by—Immortal Consort Guild!]
"…Huh?"
Akira raised an eyebrow.
Xu Feiyan had already accepted this?
After thinking for a moment, he guessed—it must be the follow-up to her A-rank promotion quest.
"…Accept."
Without hesitation, he confirmed the quest.
He was suddenly curious—would Xu Feiyan's rewards be shared with him?
[Quest Accepted!]
"Thank you for accepting my request~"
A soft smile touched the Moonlight Witch's lips.
She stepped forward once more, raising her hand and pointing toward him.
"In the name of the Moonlight Witch, I grant you the blessing of moonlight."
"Entrusting Alice to you… was the only right choice I made in my sinful life."
"Alice is a kind and obedient child," Akira replied with a smile. "I think the one who created her must be kind as well."
"…Kind?"
A bitter smile flickered across her lips.
She turned away again, gazing at the endless stars.
After a long silence, she spoke:
"I am not like her. I carry sins that can never be erased…"
"But… I cannot tell you those things yet."
"…It's time for you to leave."
As soon as her words fell, she waved her hand.
The world around them began to blur.
"Wait—!"
Akira still had questions—
But it was too late.
Only her final words echoed in his ears:
"There is no need to kill my clone. Simply whisper the moonlight incantation into its ear… and it will obey you… becoming your… creature."
"The incantation is… meow~"
"…Huh?"
Akira froze.
Why… did she just make a cat sound?
Wait—
Don't tell me that's the incantation?!
Before he could process it, his consciousness snapped back.
The world reformed.
He returned to the Moon Dream.
"Hey! Human! Why did you suddenly freeze?" Mare Rhein's voice rang out.
"Heh~ Did you get divine punishment or something? Serves you right!" Camellia poked his side with a sharp finger, giggling. "Since you're spacing out, I'll go ahead and taste your blood~"
Thud!
"Ow ow ow!"
Her laughter instantly turned into a whimper.
Clutching her head, tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at Akira, utterly aggrieved.
Why was it that every time she badmouthed him… he heard it?!
Akira ignored the idiot and turned his gaze toward the battlefield.
While he had spent over ten minutes in the Moonlight Witch's illusion—
In reality, only a few minutes had passed.
Yet in that time, under the Crescent Priest's suppression, the Moonlight Witch's clone was already severely wounded.
Blood stained its white fur crimson.
The blue flames in its eyes had dimmed.
"…I can't subdue it like this. I need to—"
His gaze snapped toward the Crescent Priest in the distance.
Target locked.
"Mare Rhein!"
"Got it!"
At his call, Mare Rhein instantly released her power and merged with him.
Their coordination had long surpassed mere instinct.
"—Hah…"
In an instant, the fusion completed.
White steam hissed from between his dragon scales, cloaking the area in mist.
"Get on me," he said to Camellia.
"Fine, fine! This Progenitor will listen to you!"
She transformed into a pink bat and clung to his back.
In the next moment—
Akira spread his dragon wings.
Like a supersonic jet, he roared through the air toward the Crescent Priest.
"The Guildmaster has begun his move," Loserine reported immediately upon noticing.
Lucia had specifically instructed them to keep constant watch on Akira.
To her, his safety mattered more than the mission itself.
"…Why is he changing targets?" Lucia frowned.
She didn't understand—but the Crescent Priest was powerful.
Akira alone couldn't defeat him.
"I'm going to help him. You all handle the other adventurers."
"Go. We'll take care of things here," the Dark Elf Queen nodded.
Compared to the priest, the adventurers were far less dangerous.
"Mm."
Golden lotus blossoms bloomed beneath Lucia's feet as she soared after Akira.
...
Meanwhile, back in Puff Fantasyland Guild—
Ivsha sat at the edge of the bed, her dark violet eyes quietly admiring the sleeping Akira.
This scene left Xu Feiyan puzzled.
She didn't know the secret relationship between them—only that they were close.
But her instincts as a woman told her something more.
Far more.
Because Ivsha's gaze… never left Akira for even a second.
"Sister Ivsha…" Xu Feiyan couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Yes? Guildmaster Xu Feiyan?"
Ivsha reluctantly turned her attention away from Akira.
"You and Guildmaster Akira… are you…?"
"We're lovers~" Ivsha answered without hesitation.
"…L-lovers?"
A subtle ripple passed through Xu Feiyan's eyes.
She had heard of players forming relationships with their adventurers before. And she knew such cross-dimensional relationships rarely had a future.
But hearing it confirmed—
Something twisted inside her.
It felt like… a treasure she was about to obtain—
Had already been claimed by someone else.
That strange feeling made her lift her teacup for a sip—
But then—
"Not just me~ Lucia, Nata… everyone is in a relationship with Mr. Akira."
Pfft—!
Xu Feiyan spat out her tea.
"…What did you just say?!"
She stared at Ivsha in disbelief.
Lucia? Nata?
All of them?
Seriously?!
And more importantly—
Someone as cold and aloof as Lucia… was in a relationship?!
Noticing her confusion, Ivsha smiled and explained:
"Well, that's just how I see it~ As for what Mr. Akira thinks, or how Lucia and the others define it—I don't know~"
"I see…"
Xu Feiyan exhaled softly.
So it was just Ivsha's personal interpretation—not an official relationship.
Then that means she still has—
…Wait.
What am I thinking?!
She slapped her cheeks lightly.
Was she seriously getting jealous over adventurers?!
After calming herself, she smiled and asked:
"The Moon Dream lasts about three hours, right? Since we have time… could you tell me more about what happens in Puff Fantasyland?"
"If you'd like to hear~ I'd be happy to share."
Ivsha's lips curved into a seductive smile, her pale violet eyes shimmering with heart-shaped glimmers.
"Stories about me… and Mr. Akira~"