I’m In Trouble Because The Darkened Heroes Are Obsessed With Me – Chapter 111

Author: Asternkm

9. Ruel Iris

“…Ruel?”

The three men’s eyes shook violently as they faced the woman they believed to be dead.

Cassian, staring blankly at Ruel, suddenly pushed back his chair and stood up.

“How, how are you…?”

Forgetting entirely that they were in the middle of a meeting, he rushed toward her.

“You… is it really… really you?”

Ruel gave a bitter smile and nodded instead of answering.

Cassian grasped her trembling hand and, feeling her warmth, broke down completely.

“I thought you… I thought you were dead…”

Dike calmly explained everything to the confused trio.

“The gods foresaw the resurrection of the demon three years ago and sent Miss Ruel back to us. So that we could prepare for the coming battle.”

“Then why didn’t you tell us anything?”

Cassian, who normally listened to Dike without protest, now raised his voice, visibly agitated.

But Dike replied gently, as if he understood.

“There have been cases in history of people brought back by divine blessing, but most of them met death again not long after.”

“……”

“Miss Ruel, too, was very weak when she returned from the gods’ embrace. That’s why we didn’t tell you. We didn’t want you to experience the pain of losing someone precious again.”

“……”

“Seeing the four of you—who’ve shared life and death—reunited like this makes me happy.”

Smiling warmly, Dike rose from his seat.

“Let’s end the meeting here for today. Go ahead and catch up.”

Everyone in the room was too stunned to return Dike’s courtesy, their eyes fixed on Ruel in disbelief.

As Dike turned to leave the chamber, he seemed to recall something and looked back at Elsez.

“Also, Miss Elsez.”

Elsez, who had been staring stiffly at Ruel, turned toward her.

With his usual gentle smile, Dike gave one final instruction.

“It might be confusing to suddenly have a new member join, but Miss Elsez, she’ll be a comrade who walks through life and death with you. Please take a moment to introduce yourselves.”

“Yes, Lord Dike.”

Hearing her answer, Dike calmly exited the room.

The smile Elsez had forced toward Dike vanished instantly, and her expression turned cold as she looked at Ruel.

Cassian, clearly having waited for this moment, began questioning Ruel eagerly.

“They said you were weak—are you okay now?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I guess I’m just naturally tough.”

“Tough? You’re skin and bones! Wait, don’t tell me you’re fighting again in that condition?”

Watching Cassian fuss over Ruel, Elsez clicked her tongue.

‘That hopeless fool. He’d believe crushed marble could cure all diseases if someone told him.’

She didn’t blame Cassian for how he felt.

She knew all too well how deeply her death had scarred him. She’d seen it with her own eyes.

Whatever the truth was, he wanted to believe the woman before him was the real Ruel.

And for now, he probably didn’t want to entertain even a flicker of doubt.

But still…

‘I’m right here.’

Watching him like that left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Astaire, on the other hand, simply stared at Ruel with confused eyes, unable to approach her.

After a moment of thought, he started walking toward her.

Or so it seemed.

Ruel noticed Astaire approaching and greeted him.

“Aste—”

But Astaire walked right past Ruel and followed Dike out of the meeting room.

Ruel’s expression hardened, but then she noticed Tezette and Elsez watching her, and walked over to them.

She naturally reached for Tezette’s arm and started chatting.

“Tezette, I heard you became a duke? That’s impressive.”

“……”

“And you’ve gotten taller too. You’re a proper adult now, huh?”

Though Tezette stared at her expressionlessly, he didn’t shake off her hand.

“Say hello, at least.”

Cassian nudged Tezette in the back, annoyed by his reaction, but Tezette ignored him.

Still, his gaze remained locked on Ruel.

Then Ruel’s eyes shifted from Tezette to Elsez, standing beside him.

Ruel greeted Elsez first.

“You must be Miss Elsez, right? I’ve heard so much about you. They say you’re a promising hero.”

Elsez stared at Ruel’s smiling face for a moment, then responded.

“You flatter me. I’ve heard a lot about you too, from the others.”

“Oh, really?”

“I think there’s a lot I can learn from you, Miss Ruel. I look forward to it.”

Ruel looked down at the hand Elsez held out to her, then took it without hesitation.

In that moment, Elsez’s grip suddenly tightened—and she yanked Ruel toward her.

Before she could react, Ruel was pulled into Elsez’s arms, and a low whisper reached her ear—just loud enough for her alone to hear.

“Looking forward to it, faker.”

A cold, venom-laced voice whispered in her ear like a nail being driven in.

“No, I mean—‘High Priestess.’”

****

“Lady Dike.”

Astaire, who had followed Dike out of the meeting room, called out to her.

“What exactly is going on? Are you saying Ruel is alive?”

“It’s just as you saw a moment ago, Astaire. By the grace of the gods, Miss Ruel has returned from Their embrace.”

“Was it you who removed Ruel from the coffin?”

Surprise flickered in Dike’s eyes—she hadn’t expected him to know that much.

She nodded.

“Yes. I was summoned by the divine and went to retrieve her. And I found Miss Ruel, breathing inside the coffin.”

“Why… why didn’t you tell even me?”

“Because I know how you felt when you laid her to rest here, Astaire.”

But Astaire’s expression remained clouded.

No matter what, she should have told him. At least him.

“……Is the Ruel who came back truly the Ruel we knew?”

“Aren’t you happy she’s returned to us, Astaire?”

Dike’s reply seemed emotional at first glance, but in truth it was a veiled reproach—a way to dodge his question while gently scolding him for being too cold about a comrade’s return.

But even in the face of that, Astaire did not drop his suspicion.

“Of course I’m happy. But—”

He stared at her sharply, as if trying to read her true intentions.

“There are stories of evil spirits taking over empty bodies. I just want to make sure.”

“…That would be a painful thing for Miss Ruel to hear.”

Though her voice was tinged with regret, Dike still nodded, as if she understood his concern.

“But it’s better to be certain, whatever it is.”

“……”

“Stay close and judge for yourself. Whether she’s really Ruel… or something else entirely.”

“……”

“All I can say is this: she returned to stand and fight alongside us against the demon. That’s the only truth I can offer you.”

With that, Dike turned and walked away without looking back.

Astaire stood still, pressing his trembling lips shut as he watched her retreating figure.

Lady Dike…

How could you lead me to doubt you?

*****

Elsez left the meeting room, leaving Ruel, Cassian, and Tezette behind.

Reti, who had seen everything, was even more outraged than she was.

“Human! Let’s go back right now! I’ll tell those people that you are the real Ruel!”

When Elsez didn’t respond, lost in thought, Reti popped out of her pouch.

She looked ready to storm into the meeting room on her own.

Elsez grabbed Reti by the ear.

“No.”

“What? Why not?! That faker is pretending to be you! Even if she brought me back, she can’t stand up to my power! Let’s kill her right now!”

Even while dangling by her ear, Reti flailed in fury.

Elsez calmed her down and explained the situation.

“Sure, we could probably win if we fought. But the problem is—she has my face.”

“So what? You’re the real one, and she’s the fake.”

“I can’t prove she’s fake with just words. If anything, I’d probably be the one accused of being an impostor. If I don’t expose her, I’ll just look like the hero Ruel’s murderer.”

Reti, understanding her point, quieted down, though her anger still simmered.

If I’d known this would happen, maybe I should’ve had Rashiel tell everyone the truth about me when he was still here.

Elsez shook her head at the thought.

No… even if he had, in this situation, everyone would still be swayed by the fake.

Maybe even Rashiel—the one person who had recognized her.

Maybe it was better that he wasn’t here after all.

If even he had been shaken by the fake, that might’ve hurt more than anything else.

“She’ll be too busy pretending to be me for a while. I’ll use the time to dig.”

To find out how that fake became “Ruel,” and who she really was.

And to investigate the connection between Reti’s real body and the demon.

Elsez turned her steps toward the library to look for books on souls and bodies.

Just then—