“Who’s this now!”
As she turned at the familiar voice, Elsez saw Jack and Pers stepping into the guild hall.
Seeing familiar faces in a foreign land made them all the more welcome.
“Jack! Pers!”
Elsez walked up and extended her hand.
Jack grinned, clasping her hand and giving it a few hearty pats, while Pers greeted her as always with a light, polite handshake.
“Well, well, our little hero’s really a hero now!”
Seeing the hero’s badge pinned to Elsez’s collar, Jack puffed up like a proud dad whose daughter just got into a top university.
“You been talking me up to the Saintess? Tell her I was the first to recognize your potential.”
He’d said the same thing when Elsez stopped by the guild briefly before heading to the Holy Nation.
And as always, Pers countered with the exact same line.
“Jack, I keep telling you—I’m the one who first saw her talent.”
“Oh, c’mon, you nitpicky brat. I was there too, remember? Let’s just say we both did, alright?”
Elsez burst into laughter. They hadn’t changed one bit.
The three of them sat down and ordered drinks.
Elsez, having freeloaded from the two many times before, insisted on paying this time.
“Whew, nothing beats a drink someone else is paying for.”
Jack downed half a mug of beer in one go, then turned to Elsez.
“But seriously, what brings you here?”
“Came to buy some potions and maybe crash here tonight.”
“Huh? But the temple must’ve given you a nice room, right? The Saintess didn’t?”
“They did… It’s a great room. Just… not very comfortable.”
Elsez laughed it off vaguely.
After all, she couldn’t exactly say, “The demon in my pocket can’t sleep in the temple.”
So she shifted the conversation instead.
“Actually, I was hoping to get some advice.”
Jack and Pers both leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
But the words that came out of Elsez’s mouth caught them completely off guard.
“You two… have much experience with dating?”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up, his lips twitching in amusement. A romance topic from the younger generation? He was all in.
“Don’t count on Pers for this. He’s still hung up on his first love.”
“And you, Jack?”
“Me? I mean, yeah! …Not much, but I’ve given plenty of advice. Go on, spill.”
“It’s nothing exciting, really, so don’t look at me like that. You’re making it worse.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll listen with my eyes closed.”
Jack actually closed his eyes, and Elsez couldn’t help but snort.
“Okay, fine. Here’s the thing… I got confessed to recently. And—this stays between us, no telling Master.”
“Dang, someone’s living the youth life.”
Jack grinned and gave Elsez a playful tap on the hand.
When Elsez muttered, “Weren’t you supposed to be listening with your eyes closed?” he quickly shut them again.
“So yeah. I kind of pretended not to notice the confession. But now I think he might be hurt, and I feel bad. What do I do?”
Despite doing other things all day, she’d been thinking about Astaire the whole time.
Jack opened his eyes again and asked,
“Well, do you like the guy?”
“I like him. As a friend.”
Elsez took a sip of her drink before continuing.
“The truth is… I’m not sure. I don’t really know what it feels like to like someone romantically.”
She’d never felt romantic affection—not in her original world, not as Ruel, and not as Elsez.
After a moment of thoughtful silence, it was Pers who finally spoke.
“Then I’m afraid… he’s not the one.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because it’s not a feeling you can mistake.”
His voice was calm, certain. He seemed to be recalling something far away.
“Don’t feel guilty toward him. Just live as you are. He likely doesn’t expect anything from you.”
“……”
“But if someday your feelings change, and you come to love him—and if his feelings haven’t changed either—then you’ll both be happy.”
“……”
“And if it never happens, but you’re still happy… then he’ll be happy, too.”
Elsez felt something in her chest loosen.
Pers’s words felt like he was speaking on Astaire’s behalf. It made her feel a little lighter.
Looking at Pers’s faintly bitter smile, Elsez asked curiously,
“So who is it?”
“Who?”
“The person you liked. Suddenly I really want to hear your first love story.”
When she brought up the subject, Pers only smiled and raised his glass, dodging the question.
Jack waved his hands and cut in.
“Give it up. I’ve been grilling him for over ten years, and he’s never said a word. Must be someone really out of bounds.”
“Ugh, now I’m even more curious.”
Just then—
Beep!
A soft chime came from Elsez’s inventory.
“What’s that?”
Startled, she quickly pulled out a compass-shaped magic tool.
It was a tracker she’d bought from the Tracia merchant caravan.
Seeing the blinking dot on the compass, Elsez smiled slyly.
The target?
Priest Bailor—the mole inside the temple.
She downed the rest of her beer and stood up.
Then, flashing a mischievous grin at her confused friends, she tipped her head toward the door.
“Wanna come with me?”
****
Bailor exited the temple and made his way to a secluded residential area nestled in the back alleys of the Holy Nation’s central district.
He stopped in front of a house, lit a cigarette, and took a long drag. After scanning the area discreetly, he stepped inside.
From nearby, where she had hidden herself, Elsez watched the door close behind him. She turned to the two standing behind her.
“Jack. Pers.”
“Tsk. No way,” Jack said sharply, grabbing Elsez by the arm with a stern voice.
“It’s dangerous.”
All she’d done was say their names, but Jack was already shutting it down.
Elsez frowned.
“What makes you think I’m going to do something reckless?”
“C’mon. Don’t act like I don’t know you. You’re gonna charge in there solo, aren’t you?”
“Wow. You really make me sound like some hothead who punches her way through every situation.”
“Well, you kinda are. You do punch a lot of people, everywhere you go.”
Elsez opened her mouth to protest—but then closed it. Considering her usual behavior… he wasn’t wrong.
I mean, I kinda want to…
But not this time.
Her healing magic wasn’t even functioning properly right now, and without her bracelet, barging in would be reckless.
“Well… you’re not wrong. But I’m not doing that tonight. I’m just going to head back.”
Jack looked at her like she’d grown another head.
Instead, Elsez handed them the tracker and asked,
“Can you two scope out the layout of that house for me?”
*****
Dawn. Pale twilight filtered through the window.
Rashiel jolted awake, breathing heavily.
“…Ruel.”
The name spilled out of him like a groan, dissolving into the stillness of the room.
He had dreamed of the day Ruel died—three years ago.
The helplessness. The crushing grief. The fear and devastation. Every agonizing emotion returned with violent clarity.
Even after waking, they clung to him like chains. The storm inside his chest made him nauseous.
It was just a dream.
Ruel is back. She’s here.
He clenched his trembling hands and swallowed the rising tide of emotion, repeating those thoughts like a mantra.
But then—Like a needle stabbing out from a pocket where it had been hidden—A doubt pierced him.
Was it really a dream?
What if the dream was reality, and this… this life where she had returned… was the illusion?
He eventually left his room and made his way to Elsez’s door. He had to see her face—to confirm this reality.
It wasn’t something the rational Rashiel would normally do.
Standing before her door, he began drawing a teleportation circle.
But just like the imperial palace, the Holy Nation’s temple had anti-magic wards.
As his mana collided with the barrier, interference sparked.
If the ward shattered, it would trigger an alert across the entire temple.
But Rashiel was far past reason now. He couldn’t tell dream from reality anymore.
Crackle—
The circle was about to disrupt the ward—
“Rashiel?”
He turned toward the voice.
And there she was—
The one he had been so desperate to see.
Standing there in the black-and-white hush of dawn, like a mirage.
“…Ruel.”
Elsez approached, puzzled by his presence.
Looking up at him, she saw that he seemed more fragile than ever.
He said nothing. Just stared.
Then, his hand reached toward her face—trembling fingers about to brush her cheek.
His face drew closer, like he might collapse at any moment.
So close, she could feel the breath of his pain.
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