Rashiel stared blankly at Elsez standing before the dimensional rift.
The black haze spilling from the rift made her seem as if she could be swallowed any moment — she looked faint and distant.
Rashiel forced down the feelings rising in him.
He swallowed the voice that wanted to call her and clenched the hand that wanted to grab her into a fist, holding himself back.
He would not give up on Elsez.
He would find a way to be by her side, somehow. Just as he had for the past three years.
But that was only an uncertain possibility.
‘…I don’t want to send you into that uncertain possibility.’
He wanted to grab her and beg.
To throw away this world, justice, everything — and simply ask her to stay by his side.
Please, don’t leave me.
If only you stayed with me, I wouldn’t care if I became the villain who destroyed the world.
You alone would be enough for me.
“…”
Rashiel lowered his head to swallow his words.
But he couldn’t not look at her — perhaps for the last time — so he lifted his head again.
At that moment, a miracle happened.
“…Ruel?”
Elsez, who had reached toward the rift, drew her hand back, turned, and walked toward him.
Rashiel’s gaze wavered as she suddenly stepped right up in front of him.
The rift behind her was shrinking, becoming smaller than she was.
Without even glancing back at the rift, Elsez looked straight up at him.
“I forgot to answer your confession.”
Was that important now?
Before Rashiel could think further, Elsez cupped his cheek and kissed him.
Then she gave him a small, wicked smile as he stood speechless.
“This is my answer.”
Behind her, the shrinking rift closed completely and vanished.
“You think I’m reckless and thoughtless? I know.”
“…”
“But I want to save people.”
“…”
“You — and the others, and everyone else.”
The world you will live in.
Standing before the rift, she remembered the promise she’d made to Reti to be on their side.
She remembered the promise to Henry to break the cycle of evil.
“I don’t want to run away alone and leave the people I care about.”
If she went back now, she could live peacefully as if nothing had happened.
But what about the people left in this world?
Those who know the truth would be sacrificed to Dike, and those who don’t would be forced to live in a twisted world.
‘And you’d probably be the first to be sacrificed.’
She refused to accept that.
Elsez tightened her grip on Rashiel’s hand and said,
“Let’s go save them. Everyone.”
Rashiel stared at Elsez’s reckless decision, then smiled as if defeated.
“Right. That’s more like you.”
The Ruel he knew never stopped. She never gave in to despair or sat down and gave up.
If there was no path, she would make one; if a path was right, she would walk it even if it was thorny.
‘I love you for that.’
Rashiel held Elsez’s hand tightly.
He had come back once — now he would never let go again.
****
Noel had been running busily around the temple since morning, a small bag strapped to his back.
While wandering through the temple halls, Noel spotted a familiar priest and approached him.
“Hello. Have you seen Astaire hyung… no, His Eminence the Cardinal?”
“Well, I don’t really know. Given the current state of things, perhaps Lord Dike assigned him some task and he went off?”
“Ah… thank you.”
Noel turned away, unable to hide the disappointment on his face.
The reason Noel was looking for Astaire was because of Reti’s request.
‘That wicked… no, the Cardinal? He’ll help us. He knows we’re villains.’
But no matter where he looked, Astaire was nowhere to be found in the temple.
“What should we do now, Bunny?”
Noel asked the Reti hidden inside his bag.
Just as Reti was lost in thought, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
“There, that guy! He knows the Cardinal.”
“Hm? Where?”
Looking around where Reti pointed, Noel spotted Lancelot.
He recalled seeing Lancelot often with Astaire in passing.
Noel approached him just as Lancelot finished speaking with a group of paladins.
“Hello.”
Lancelot, who had just been talking seriously with the paladins, softened his expression when he saw Noel.
“Hello. What’s the matter?”
“Have you seen His Eminence the Cardinal? I need to tell him something…”
At the mention of Astaire, Lancelot’s expression subtly hardened.
“He hasn’t been seen since last night. We’re looking for him too.”
Though a paladin, Lancelot followed Astaire, not Dike.
Two years ago, when he was living as a mercenary doing all sorts of dirty work, it was Astaire who had recognized his skill and shown him a new path.
For that Astaire to vanish without a word—it was impossible not to worry.
Hearing Lancelot’s words, Noel let out a small exclamation.
“Oh, I saw him last night too, but not since then. You mean he’s been gone since?”
“Last night? Where did you see him?”
“In front of the building where the Saintess stays. He… I mean, His Eminence didn’t see me. I only saw his back.”
At Noel’s story, Lancelot’s face stiffened.
Everyone who had last seen Astaire since last night had spotted him near Dike’s office.
And since Astaire had recently been suspicious of Dike and quietly investigating her, it only made things more worrisome.
Lancelot patted Noel’s head and said,
“Thank you. If I find His Eminence, I’ll tell him you were looking for him.”
In the end, Noel returned to his room empty-handed.
“What do we do now? Astaire hyung doesn’t seem to be in the temple.”
As soon as he arrived, Reti crawled out of the bag, frowning in thought.
Since the dimensional rift opened, people had learned that Elsez was the Demon Lord.
Elsez and Rashiel were now inside the rift.
And perhaps because the dimensions had shifted, Reti could no longer connect to Elsez with spirit transfer.
That was the situation as Reti understood it.
It was troubling enough that Elsez’s demonic power had been exposed, but the bigger concern was whether she could even escape from the rift.
And right now, there was nothing Reti could do about it.
‘Still, sitting around doing nothing is suffocating. I wanted to talk to someone who knew what was going on…’
But Astaire was nowhere to be found. As for someone else…
Suddenly, an idea struck Reti. He jumped to his feet.
“Then let’s go to him.”
“Who?”
“That black-haired guy… Tezette? Let’s go to him.”
Reti knew Tezette had realized that Elsez was Ruel.
If anyone, he might know more.
Just as Reti was about to crawl back into the bag, the door burst open without so much as a knock. Noel’s roommate, Eden, entered.
“Eden, you’re back?”
But Eden’s face was pale as a sheet.
“N-Noel. Something terrible’s happened!”
“Hm?”
“Lady Erica… she found out you’re keeping a monster with you.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I kept talking about your bunny doll to the other kids…”
With tears welling in his eyes, Eden apologized.
Ever since the Demon Lord had appeared, the children, frightened, had begun calling all monsters wicked creatures.
Eden, who had been defending Reti—whom he had grown quite attached to in just a day—ended up revealing his existence, and the rumor reached their supervising priest.
Hearing that, Noel’s heart sank.
“Th-Then what did Lady Erica say?”
“She’s on her way here now. Quick, hide the bunny.”
For now, that was the best plan.
Noel glanced frantically around the room for a hiding place, then stopped at the window.
‘Rather than hiding him in here, maybe it’s better to let him escape outside.’
Noel hurriedly picked Reti up.
But the supervising priest arrived first, bursting into the room.
“Noel. I’ve heard you’re keeping a dangerous monster. Is that true?”
Noel hid Reti behind his back, but it was a useless gesture.
The priest saw and stepped closer to the child.
“Monsters are dangerous. Even if it seems tame now, who knows what might happen if you keep it with you? I’ll take it and look after it. Hand it over.”
“This friend isn’t dangerous! Eden and I have been with him all along, and he never did anything.”
Eden nodded vigorously in agreement.
The priest looked between the two children, sighed, and spoke gently.
“Then let me just see it for a moment. Just to check if it seems dangerous or not.”
Noel looked at him warily, then exchanged glances with Eden.
The children had no other choice.
Clutching Reti tightly, Noel held him out toward the priest.
“Here. But you’re only allowed to look.”
But something was strange.
“Huh?”
Reti wasn’t moving.
Even the faint black haze that usually flickered around his body had vanished.
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