“You know where the Vineflower Matron is?”
Dolan’s voice brimmed with surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected that yet another critical piece of intel would come from this adorably tiny mouth of mine.
I nodded confidently and gave her a rough rundown of how I’d seen the Vineflower Matron deep in the forest, had a run-in with Stormwind Guild’s elite party, and how the whole mess about the treasure chest unfolded.
Of course, that whole “I saw it myself” bit? Completely made up. The truth was, I knew the exact spawn coordinates thanks to memories from my previous life.
“They must’ve gotten some kind of info on the spawn,” I added. “It’s in a pretty well-hidden spot, but if we wait too long, they’ll find it for sure.”
Mixing a bit of truth and fiction works wonders—Dolan didn’t notice a thing. She paused, clearly thinking deeply.
“I’ll need to contact the Guild Leader.”
If the hidden quest from earlier was a lucky bonus, then this—the Vineflower Matron’s location—was a golden opportunity to screw over Stormwind.
After getting confirmation from Crimson Rose, Dolan nodded.
“She says to meet up with her. Her squad’s already combing the forest for the Matron too.”
The Vineflower Matron dropped the Thorn Set, a must-have for any raid group’s main tank—not absolutely irreplaceable, but definitely high-value. Of course, Roseheart’s involvement wasn’t purely for the loot.
In fact, the long-running grudge between Roseheart and Stormwind was legendary. In my past life, their drama could’ve filled an entire telenovela.
While heading to the coordinates Crimson Rose had provided, Dolan turned to me.
“Hey, kid. Wanna join Roseheart? We’ve got tons of pretty, gentle big sisters. With how cute you are, I’m sure they’d all love you to pieces.”
Just hearing that brought back traumatic flashbacks of earlier events. My little head shook so fast it might’ve snapped off.
As if I’d trust a bunch of lolicons with no self-restraint!
Dolan chuckled but didn’t push further, though her sigh told me she found it a bit of a shame.
We weaved through the forest avoiding monsters, and soon arrived at Roseheart’s elite party.
Dozens of slender, beautiful figures stood in formation, forming a stunningly picturesque scene right in the middle of the woods.
“Over here, Dolan!”
“Eh? Did you bring a child with you?”
The elite members greeted Dolan warmly, then all turned to stare at me—sparkling eyes and curious smiles like a bunch of girls admiring a cute plush toy.
And that’s when I finally met Crimson Rose in person.
I’d interacted with Roseheart plenty in my past life, but only through videos or screenshots. Like most players, my impression of Crimson Rose had always been: classy, elegant, and easy-going.
…That impression shattered immediately.
“Dolan! Where did you find this precious little bean?! She’s adorable!!”
Without even glancing at Dolan, Crimson Rose lunged at me and scooped me into a bear hug, rubbing her cheek against mine.
“E-Ehh…?!”
Okay, fine, maybe I could’ve guessed she’d be the doting type.
But I wasn’t ready for this.
“No need to be shy. Just call me Mama Rose~”
“…Can you please stop adopting every cute girl you meet?” Dolan sighed, massaging her temples like this was routine.
“Ara~ I only adopt the ones that steal my heart. Don’t be jealous, little Dolan~” Crimson Rose winked playfully.
“At this rate, the whole raid group’s gonna become your daughter harem,” Dolan deadpanned. “You girls, stop indulging her already.”
All the elite members quickly fell silent. Clearly, this had happened before.
“Okay, okay, my bad. It’s just a little joke,” Crimson Rose said with an apologetic laugh, her expression soft and dignified again—as if the crazed lolicon from a second ago never existed.
Seeing that serene face, even Dolan didn’t press the issue further.
Crimson Rose cleared her throat and shifted the topic. “So, Dolan, where’s the player with the Matron location?”
Dolan turned to look at me.
Crimson Rose followed her gaze.
“…Huh?”
“Don’t just stand there gawking. Get your team moving! Follow the kid before Stormwind snatches the boss!” Dolan snatched me out of Crimson Rose’s arms like rescuing a hostage.
Though a little stunned, Crimson Rose didn’t delay. She barked orders to the elite squad, who immediately mobilized toward the Vineflower Matron’s coordinates.
Even as we marched, Crimson Rose refused to give up on trying to recruit me.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join Roseheart, sweetheart? You’d be our little mascot~”
I clung to Dolan’s side, trembling like a lost kitten.
“She already rejected me, don’t bother,” Dolan said, gently patting my head.
“I dunno~ Maybe she just likes me more,” Crimson Rose winked again.
“Yeah? Keep dreaming.”
Eventually, under my guidance, we arrived at the Vineflower Matron’s lair.
Only to be greeted by an unexpected sight.
Stormwind’s elite party had beaten us to the punch. They were already fighting the boss—and its HP had dropped below half.
“Roseheart?”
Black King Caesar, the commander of the Stormwind elites, paused mid-fight and frowned at our sudden appearance. “What are you doing here?”
“Since when do we need your permission to take action?” Crimson Rose replied coolly. She signaled her team forward, and the elite squad advanced, encircling the Matron’s area.
“You’re really going to steal it?” Caesar growled.
“This isn’t your personal loot room, Caesar. Don’t make guild business about your ego.”
“Ha! You’re calling me selfish?”
Caesar’s brows twitched. “Don’t drag guild drama into boss spawns. This kind of pettiness—”
“Petty?” Crimson Rose chuckled softly, but there was a storm in her gaze. “I’m just borrowing your methods. You remember, don’t you? When you pulled this exact stunt years ago?”
Her elegant smile remained unchanged, but her eyes were a battlefield of unresolved history.
And that was no surprise.
I knew the real origin of the bad blood between Roseheart and Stormwind. Their feud?
It wasn’t just about guild pride.
It was a full-on high-society romance drama, with all the tropes—revenge, betrayal, unrequited love…
Yeah, it went back years.