Round Two Ends; Round Three, an Even Fiercer and More Spectacular Clash Among the Gods, Begins at Once! (Continued)

The skull was the size and shape of an elf's, but its material was some kind of metal resembling mithril.

Despite the devastation of the great battle, the mithril skull was completely unscathed.

Looking at the skull, Rhine smiled.

Its owner was a very, very... interesting fellow.

"Just look at you..."

Rhine said with undisguised mockery:

"You were once the Supreme One, adored by countless people, and yet you ended up in the trash heap of an ancient dragon's lair... Even your own kin ignored you as if you didn't exist."

"How pitiful..."

There wasn't a trace of sympathy in Rhine's voice:

"[Compassion]."

This skull belonged to an elven god.

In ancient times, after the elven gods fought their decisive battle against the Order,

almost all the elven gods were killed by the Order in that battle and transformed into Demigods.

But one god was an exception.

That was the sole remaining supreme god of the elves, the supreme guardian who had supported them against Demigod incursions and protected the Leita Empire for a thousand years.

Among the elves, demigod elves with the blood of other powerful gods could become White Light Tutors of the White Light Courtyard, a position equal in status to Hain's Imperial Guards.

But only an elf with the bloodline of Compassion could, once her bloodline grew strong enough and she completed the ascension ritual, become the "King of the Moon," ruling over and leading Leita.

Mithril Moon, Compassion.

The Moon Goddess held a place of such reverence in elven hearts. Amid endless suffering and torment, she was the only light to shine upon the elves' despairing souls.

Yet no one knew her other identity.

Among all the elven gods, she was the most despicable—and the only...

traitor.

Along with the Pay-to-Win Sword, this skull was one of the two most valuable items in Obadiah's entire lair.

It was also a quest item Rhine was destined to acquire later in the game.

Poor goddess...

Rhine lifted the silver-white skull and gazed into its empty eye sockets. Smiling, he asked softly:

"Are you ready to reunite with the brothers and sisters you betrayed?"

The silver-white skull remained silent, showing no reaction.

After Rhine cheerfully put away Compassion's skull, his trip to Leita was finally complete.

And next...

Rhine returned to Constance and Hela.

By then, the ancient dragon's barrier had vanished.

Hela packed Obadiah's treasure into crates and tossed them into a rift in space. She didn't leave behind the enormous corpse of the ancient dragon, either.

She didn't leave behind even a single drop of blood.

Rhine didn't care for Obadiah's legacy, but to Hela, this was a fortune more staggering than any she had ever seen...

If this had been the old Hela, she would have already thrown herself into the treasure pile and cried with joy.

But now,

more than the treasure...

Hela's gaze kept drifting, quite involuntarily, toward someone.

She watched Prince Rhine in the distance, digging a skull out of a pile of charred bones, then grinning foolishly at it and talking to himself.

Hela rested her cheek in her hand and couldn't help smiling.

...Look at that silly little goofball.

...So adorable.

At last, Rhine finished chatting with the skull and walked over to Hela and Constance.

Hela asked with a cheerful smile, "Your Highness, did you get what you wanted?"

Rhine nodded. "Let's go back."

Hela agreed with a smile and opened a rift in space.

After this battle, Hela was now completely bound to Rhine.

From now on, she would remain a guard loyal to the Empress, while also becoming a devoted supporter of Rhine Hain.

Thinking of working alongside this extraordinary mortal prince in the future... she found herself looking forward to what lay ahead.

But just then—

"Your Highness!"

The three dolls suddenly came running over.

They eagerly threw themselves at Rhine. Italien and Lilia each clung to one of his arms, while Histia, the fastest of them, burrowed into his embrace.

The dolls hugged Rhine affectionately, nuzzling him like spoiled children. "Your Highness, we made a deal! After we defeat the ancient dragon, if we do a good job, you'll reward us~"

The dolls gazed up at Rhine expectantly:

"Do you think we did a good job, Your Highness?"

Rhine certainly remembered his promise to the dolls.

He had to admit, the dolls had performed excellently in this battle.

When Obadiah entered his second phase, Histia had taken over as the main damage dealer from Hela.

And Lilia, who had been hiding in the shadows, had helped Rhine obtain the crucial Golden Sword.

Although Constance had been the one to kill Obadiah,

the dolls could still be considered the battle's greatest contributors.

So, as promised,

Rhine would reward them.

Seeing how impatient the dolls were, Rhine smiled and asked:

"We agreed the reward would be kisses, right? Do you want them now?"

"Now?"

The dolls all looked bashful, though they also seemed a little eager.

"Is it really okay to do that kind of thing in front of so many people?"

"If Your Highness thinks it's all right... we don't mind."

Huh?

Rhine blinked.

Was a little kiss really such a big deal?

Italien shyly suggested, "Hela has a seaside villa in Auston County. The scenery is lovely, and it's very quiet... Could we go there and discuss our reward at leisure?"

emmmmm... It looked like the dolls had already made plans for their reward.

The dolls had risked their lives to help him defeat the ancient dragon, so Rhine naturally wouldn't skimp when it came to keeping his promise.

"Of course."

Rhine smiled mysteriously. "But after this... don't you dare regret it."

"Yay~"

The dolls immediately tore open a new rift in space. With Rhine surrounded by their arms, they led him through it.

"Hela! Miss Shia! We're taking His Highness with us. You can head back to Hain first!"

Then,

the rift closed.

Leaving the two demigods standing there, utterly bewildered.

Watching her own dolls abduct Rhine Hain right in front of her,

Hela's lovely mood vanished in an instant.

Hela: "You're just going to put up with that?"

Constance was calm. "I'm used to it..."

1. The Bashful Grand Tutor

Late at night, the desolate wilderness lay silent.

A silver dragon was curled up, fast asleep.

Alice sat with her back against the dragon, quietly warming herself by the fire.

It was so cold...

Because the wilderness was close to the Desolate Frozen Land, the temperature was especially low.

Alice was currently traveling with the White Light Grand Tutor.

But just moments ago, the Grand Tutor had sensed something. After telling Alice, "Stay right here," she transformed into a pool of flowing mithril, seeped into the soil, and disappeared without a trace.

Now, Alice was alone by the fire. The quiet atmosphere left her unable to stop herself from getting lost in thought...

Not long ago, the Grand Tutor had told Alice about her mission.

Alice could hardly believe it.

The Grand Tutor had taken her away so she could go to Leita and succeed to the throne as the new King of the Moon.

That was... the Emperor of Leita!

Once the ascension ritual was complete, Alice would become Leita's supreme ruler. She would lead Leita against the Demigods and other hostile civilizations, protect its people, and restore the nation to greatness...

Alice was astonished by all this,

but she didn't resist.

After all...

Alice knew very well that if the White Light Courtyard hadn't truly run out of options, why would they let a ■ girl become their Empress?

So if Alice really was the last qualified candidate left in all of Leita,

then she had no choice but to shoulder that responsibility.

It was just...

There was one thing that weighed heavily on Alice's mind.

If I became the Emperor of Leita... then the next time I saw Mr. Rhine...

...wouldn't we have to meet on the battlefield?

Just then, clear liquid mithril welled up from the earth.

The Grand Tutor's figure took shape amid the flowing mithril.

The Grand Tutor had returned.

She looked utterly exhausted. Her already haggard face was now drained of color, as if she might die at any moment.

"Let me rest for a while... Whatever it is... we'll talk later..."