[Natasha's Soul Pendant (Elite): Grants immunity to the effects of mental magic.]
Elite quality?A pendant that completely nullifies mental magic?
Kurose Akira was visibly taken aback.
He hadn't expected the quest reward to include an additional Elite-tier accessory—much less one with such an exceptional effect. Direct immunity to mental magic wasn't just rare; it was outright powerful, the kind of property that could determine life or death in high-level encounters.
"May I entrust this to you, Mr. Akira?" Natasha said softly.
She gazed at him with deep emotion, her eyes brimming with expectation—and beneath that, a subtle, almost unconscious longing. She clearly hoped he would accept her request.
"Since I've accepted the commission," Akira replied evenly, "I'll see it through to the end and fulfill my duty."
Even without Natasha's pendant, he would still give everything he had to ensure the mission's success.
That said, if the other party insisted on offering a reward… he would accept it with proper consideration for her feelings.
"That's wonderful~ Then please accept this pendant for now! Don't refuse it, I beg you!" Natasha smiled warmly, then continued, her tone softening. "Also… I have one small request~"
"What is it?"
"I… may I see her true appearance?" Natasha asked, turning her gaze toward Loserine standing behind Akira. Her voice carried a fragile hope.
She wanted to know who—or what—was truly beneath that armor.
If it really was Loserine…
"Yes," Akira answered after a brief pause. "But only after the mission is complete."
Once everything was over, letting Natasha see Loserine wouldn't be impossible.
He only hoped she would be able to accept the truth—that Loserine had already passed from this world.
"Really? Thank you so much!" Natasha beamed.
She handed the pendant to Akira personally.
As Akira accepted it and prepared to slip it into his coat pocket, he suddenly caught a faint, lingering fragrance clinging to the pendant.
His thoughts froze for a moment as he recalled exactly where Natasha had been storing it.
He paused for several seconds.
Then, very carefully, he tucked it into the inner pocket close to his chest.
"Roxia should be back shortly. I'll have her come meet you right away. Please wait here for a moment."
After leading Akira and the others into the castle's reception hall, Natasha promptly excused herself and left the room.
Her reason for arranging this meeting was simple—to let Akira meet Roxia in person.
At the very least, he needed to know the face of the one he was being asked to protect.
Akira sat down on the sofa and waited.
He lifted a cup of coffee and took a small sip.
…Bitter.
Too bitter for his taste.
He set the cup back down.
While waiting, his gaze drifted around the room.
Portraits of the Yerman Family's core members adorned the walls.
Among them—
One painting immediately caught his attention.
Akira rose and walked closer.
The woman in the portrait was a striking blonde knight, clad in radiant platinum-and-white armor, a sharp longsword held confidently in her hand. Her emerald-green eyes gleamed like stars, and her beautifully refined features were flawless—breathtaking enough to leave a lasting impression at a single glance.
In the corner of the frame, a small inscription read:
"Portrait of Loserine."
"Loserine… is this you?" Akira asked quietly, pointing at the painting as he turned to her.
The undead Loserine stared blankly at the image of her former self.
She didn't respond right away.
Several seconds passed.
Then she slowly shook her head, confusion evident, as if she couldn't recognize the person in the painting as herself.
Akira let out a soft sigh.
She really had forgotten everything.
Even what she used to look like.
"She's perfect, isn't she?"
Suddenly, a male voice sounded behind him.
Akira turned at once and saw a knight standing in the doorway, clad in gleaming silver armor.
"And you are?" Akira asked.
"My name is Meixing. I'm Roxia's cousin."
The knight stepped forward, his dark brown eyes fixed on Loserine's portrait as he continued, "And I'm also one of Lady Loserine's many admirers."
…An admirer?
Akira fell silent for a moment and glanced sideways at Loserine.
She remained unmoved, sitting quietly on the sofa, utterly indifferent.
"I can tell—we're the same kind of person," Meixing said with a smile as he looked at Akira. His eyes brimmed with admiration and a sense of kinship. "You've heard Lady Loserine's legendary tales too, haven't you? You admire her. Am I right?"
"..."
Akira frowned slightly.
Admire her?
Was this guy misunderstanding something?
Still—
Akira could clearly feel it. The reverence in Meixing's gaze toward Loserine had reached an almost fanatical level.
"Yes," Akira replied flatly. "Her story is certainly moving."
"That's right!" Meixing exclaimed excitedly. "Lady Loserine's legends make my blood boil! They're my bedtime reading every single night!"
His enthusiasm was so intense that Akira instinctively took a step back.
A hardcore fan…?
"You know, even though I was never fortunate enough to meet Lady Loserine many times, my admiration for her flows endlessly, like a great river—"
Akira said nothing, resigning himself to the role of listener.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the knight beside him, and Meixing's basic information surfaced before him.
[Meixing (Rare)]Level: 11 (500 / 2200)Race: HumanStrength: 100 / Agility: 80 / Magic: 80 / Constitution: 120Growth: 6 (Gains +6 to all attributes per level)Skills: (Expand)
"Level 11, huh…"
Akira stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Since entering the Yerman Castle, the highest-level knights he'd seen were only around level 15.
It seemed that Sunset City's top-tier combat power capped out at roughly level 20 at most.
"Meixing? Why are you here?"
At that moment, two women appeared at the entrance of the reception hall, drawing Akira's attention.
He turned his head.
One of them was Natasha.
Standing beside her was a young blonde knight.
At first glance, Akira almost thought it was Loserine herself—but upon closer inspection, he noticed subtle differences. She lacked some of Loserine's sharp, heroic edge and instead carried a more youthful, girlish air.
Even so, there was no denying it.
She looked astonishingly similar to the woman in the portrait.
"So… that's Roxia?" Akira murmured.
He hadn't expected the aunt and niece to resemble each other so closely—it was as if they'd been carved from the same mold.
And—
Akira's gaze flicked briefly to another portrait on the wall: Roxia's father.
The man in the painting was also blonde. Despite being male, his features were strikingly delicate, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Roxia.
The only difference was this—
Both Roxia's father and Loserine had emerald-green eyes.
Roxia's eyes, however, were a clear azure blue.
That trait must have come from her mother.
Akira's vision flickered as an information window appeared.
[Roxia (Elite)]Level: 12 (0 / 2400)Race: HumanStrength: 140 / Agility: 140 / Magic: 100 / Constitution: 140Growth: 8 (Gains +8 to all attributes per level)Skills: (Expand)Status: Cursed (Unknown)
"…A curse?"