WHFIO07

Chapter 7

Elses had barely climbed into the carriage heading home when Ruti, who had been hiding in her inner pocket, leapt out as though waiting for the moment.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to suffocate in there!”

Ruti sat with a sulky expression, tiny plush-like hands propping up her cheeks as she grumbled in earnest.

“That place earlier… it was awful. Stifling, suffocating. And that blond man, too.”

“That’s only natural,” Elses replied calmly. “You’re a demon. Astaire, with his temple and holy power, is your very opposite.”

Ruti shuddered at the thought, as if the mere memory was horrifying.

“It felt exactly like a villain’s den!”

Elses chuckled faintly.
“Between you and them, you’re the one closer to a villain.”

“What nonsense is this? How am I the villain?”

Ruti sprang up indignantly. Elses could only shake her head.

“You tried to conquer the world and killed heroes, didn’t you?”

“They were the ones who tried to kill me first! Should I just sit there and die quietly?”

“Hm…”

Listening to her, Elses felt a twinge of reluctant sympathy. After all, this was still a game world, and Ruti was born under the system of Last Heroes, created to dream of world domination. From the standpoint of people and heroes, Ruti was indeed a villain, but from another angle—she had been forced into that role from the very beginning.

Ruti bounced up onto Elses’s lap, trying to persuade her.

“Let’s never go back there again.”

“That won’t do. If you hate it, then separate your power from my body.”

“I already told you, my power has merged completely with yours! Even I can’t undo it now.”

“Then you’ll just have to endure it.”

At Elses’s dry response, Ruti muttered resentfully under her breath—too faint to be heard.

Elses leaned back, lost in thought.

“The temple library is still under repairs, so I won’t be able to access it for a while. I can’t just sit idly and wait…”

Then suddenly, she clapped her hands as an idea struck her.

“Ah, right—the Guild!”

The Guild was an organization that accepted payment to take on tasks of all kinds. Some were tedious but easy, others were perilous enough to cost lives. Back when she had possessed Ruel, she had often relied on Guild requests to raise funds.

“It might be best to go through the Guild. But for that…”

As always, the problem was money.

“First thing after reaching home—I’ll need to check the viscountcy’s finances.”

Just then, the carriage arrived at the viscount’s estate.

But the moment Elses stepped out, people were already waiting.

“Oh, look who’s finally here—the young mistress herself.”

They were none other than the creditors who had once lent money to her father, Viscount Rohain. At the sight of Elses, they rushed forward.

“Hey, missy! When are you going to pay back the money that worthless viscount of yours took?”

“He kept saying he’d repay, repay, but it’s already been a month!”

“Until we get our money back, we’re not moving an inch. Maybe have a word with that proud fiancé of yours, huh?”

Most of them were commoners who had built wealth by hunting high-level monsters. Having lived through countless life-and-death battles, they had no reason to fear a fallen noble girl like Elses.

While she froze in surprise at the sudden confrontation, a figure darted out of the manor—Leni. She stepped in front of Elses like a shield.

“The debt was settled two weeks ago! Why do you keep coming back and harassing us?”

“Settled? Don’t make me laugh. We haven’t received a single coin!”

“You shouldn’t deceive struggling people like that. You’ll be punished!”

The quarrel escalated into a shouting match.

“Ha! And what right does a mere maid have to meddle in her house’s affairs?”

One creditor shoved Leni roughly. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the fall—

But instead, an arm supported her waist. When she opened her eyes, Elses’s face filled her vision.

“Are you alright, Leni?”

“Eh? Y-yes!”

With calm resolve, Elses gently set Leni aside, stepping forward to face the crowd.

“There must’ve been some mistake. I’ll personally review the account books and settle everything. It’s late today—please, return for now.”

“Ha! We’ve heard that excuse too many times!”

“Then feel free to wait here until I finish the review.”

At first, the creditors shouted angrily. But Elses’s unwavering composure gradually quieted them.

“Hmph. Fine! We’ll give you a few more days—so settle it properly by then!”

They left after tossing threats.

Leni shuffled awkwardly, then bowed.

“Thank you, milady.”

“Hm? For what?”

“For protecting me.”

“You’re the one who protected me first. If anyone should’ve been scolded by them, it’s me.”

Elses smiled faintly, tapping Leni’s shoulder.

“Really—it’s me who should thank you.”

Stunned, Leni watched her mistress walk ahead toward the house.

“Has she… finally pulled herself together?”

Leni had never particularly liked Elses. Still, after her father’s death, watching the young lady wallow in grief had been pitiable. Yet the way Elses had grown more irritable each day had worn down everyone around her.

But since yesterday, Elses had changed. Not just changed—become almost like a different person.

“…But, I think I like this version of her.”

A faint smile tugged at Leni’s lips as she gazed at Elses’s back.

Inside the mansion, Elses immediately sought out the butler.

“Welcome home, my lady.”

Something felt wrong. If the creditors were causing trouble, the butler should have gone out, not just Leni. And now… there was something oddly strained in his demeanor.

Without hesitation, Elses asked,

“Butler. Where is the account book?”

The butler flinched.
“The… account book? Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

To most, it might have sounded like simple curiosity. But to Elses, it was defensive— suspiciously so.

“Why? Because I am now the head of this household. Shouldn’t I know the state of our finances?”

The butler’s expression tightened.
“Are… are you short on allowance, my lady? I can provide more.”

Allowance? Elses frowned.

“Allowance? I am the head of this house—who exactly would I be receiving allowance from?”

He replied nervously,
“After the viscount’s passing, you entrusted all financial matters to me. You feared you might squander the estate, remember?”

It became clear: the original Elses, broken by her father’s death, had abandoned all responsibility, leaving everything to him.

“A month has passed since Father’s death. I am Rohain’s master now. Isn’t it time I regained my senses?”

“But… but you never studied arithmetic, my lady. You won’t understand the ledgers.”

Most nobles didn’t bother with advanced arithmetic; there were always retainers to handle it. Elses, too, had relied on her father’s skill in business and the butler’s management, never needing to learn.

But now—things were different.

“Suspicious.”

The butler kept stalling instead of fetching the book. Elses narrowed her eyes.

She recalled the creditors’ earlier words:

“Settled? Don’t make me laugh. We haven’t received a single coin!”

A chilling hypothesis rose in her mind.

She gave her order again, voice edged with authority.

“Since when does a servant question his master’s command? Bring me the ledger. Now.”

There was no room to refuse. Under her cold gaze, the butler reluctantly obeyed.

Moments later, he returned to the reception room with the account book.

“Here is the ledger, my lady.”

Crossing her legs, Elses opened it leisurely. At a glance, the expenses listed—food, household goods—looked appropriate.

“But for so few people, the quantities are far too high.”

The Rohain household consisted of only four: herself, Leni, the butler, and Mrs. Mas, the cook.

“And the meals… For a family in decline, they’ve been far too lavish.”

Expensive, extravagant ingredients in excess amounts—clearly unreasonable. Where had they all gone?

Pointing to the numbers, Elses asked,

“Why so many food purchases? With this much, the leftovers should be rotting by now.”

The butler replied smoothly,
“Until just last week, we had Jerome, Maybe, and Evelyn living here. I stocked up while they were still with us—hence, the impression of surplus.”

But he had overlooked one crucial fact.

“Really? Then let’s calculate it properly, shall we?”

Elses had gone to university in her previous life. Arithmetic was hardly beyond her.

The butler’s face froze, pale as ash.

✨ End of Chapter 7 ✨