WHFIO03

Chapter 3

Elsez swiftly grabbed hold of the stuffed rabbit’s body.

“What are you?”

The plush toy began to tremble, and then an indignant child’s voice burst out.

“Unhand me! How dare you! Do you not know to whom you owe your life?”

“…What?”

What startled Elsez more than the talking toy itself was the meaning hidden in its words.
Owe her life? What did that mean?

Taking advantage of her surprise, the rabbit wriggled free from her grasp and landed lightly on the table. Puffing out its plump belly with pride, it declared:

“I am none other than Lezantia, who will one day conquer this world!”

“…Huh?”

“But you, human, may call me ‘Leti.’”

Elsez stared at the plush creature in disbelief.

“You’re claiming to be Lezantia? But you’re dead.”

“Hmph! Did you think I would perish so easily?”** Leti sneered. “At the moment of death, I merged with your soul. It was humiliating, possessing the body of a mere human, but survival comes first! Only then can I plan for what comes after.”

“You merged… with my soul?”

“Indeed. I knew from the start that you were a soul from another world. I clung to your soul and crossed over, restoring my weakened strength there.”

“And now you’ve come back to this world, to conquer it?”

“Exactly! And, in the process, I graciously restored your life as well. Which makes me—your savior.”

So this damned stuffed rabbit was the root cause of her fated bad ending.

Leti, oblivious to her thoughts, puffed up with innocent confidence.

“Therefore, let us join forces and conquer the world together!”

Elsez smiled sweetly—without the slightest hesitation.

“Mm, no thanks.”

“Why not! With world domination comes endless jewels and the right to steal every delicious cookie you please!”

For all that it was supposed to be a demon destined to destroy the world, trapped in a rabbit doll and chattering like a spoiled child, it didn’t feel threatening at all.
In fact… it was almost a little cute.

Still, this so-called savior was the very reason her ending had been doomed.

Elsez grabbed Leti again, tied it to the back of a chair with a satin ribbon, and hurried to change her clothes.

Flustered by her rejection, Leti squirmed belatedly and shouted:

“W–what is the meaning of this? Is this how you treat your savior?!”

Ignoring its protests, Elsez donned her travel robe, untied the rabbit, and bound it tightly once more in ribbon.

Only then did Leti realize something was amiss.

“Where are you going?”

“To someone who knows a lot about… creatures like you.”

Eyes gleaming with resolve, Elsez stepped out of her room.
Follow the bad ending? Submit meekly to fate?
Not a chance.

“No matter what happens… I’ll avoid the bad ending.”

Once outside, Elsez hailed a hired carriage.

Since the fall of the House of Rohain, their family carriage had long been sold to pay debts.

“To the Heritz Forest,” she instructed the driver.

But at once, the coachman’s face went pale.

“Th—the Heritz Forest? Why on earth would you go there?”

Normally, drivers neither asked nor cared about their passengers’ business. Surprised, Elsez answered honestly.

“I have business with the Mage Tower.”

“Th—the Mage Tower?!”

The man’s complexion turned ghostly white. Nearly on the verge of tears, he stammered:

“Forgive me, my lady, but I cannot take you there.”

“What? Why not?”

“I’m truly sorry.”

No matter how she pressed, he refused. Reluctantly, she disembarked.

But the next driver reacted the same way. And the next. Each one recoiled at the mention of the Mage Tower as though she had cursed them.

‘The Tower’s reputation wasn’t good before, but… not this bad.’

It had always been known as a haven for fanatics obsessed with their research, but now people spoke of it with open dread.

‘Is it because of the rumors about black magic?’

At last she managed to coax another carriage to stop.

“The Heritz Forest. I’m heading to the Mage Tower.”

Again, the driver flinched.

“The Tower? Do you not know…?”

He looked at her as if she were from another land.

“Three years ago, the current Tower Master murdered his predecessor. Surely you’ve heard?”

“What?!”

Elsez’s breath caught.
Traditionally, a Tower Master chose a successor from among their most brilliant disciples.
To slay one’s own master for the position—such treachery was nearly unheard of.

The driver continued hesitantly:

“After that, the new Tower Master abandoned the Empire and vanished. They say he researches black magic now… but no one knows the truth. The Tower itself has closed its gates; its real location is a mystery. People fear being snatched up as test subjects—or falling under suspicion from the Empire.”

Elsez’s mind reeled.

‘Ra…siel?’

Why would he? He had been a hero, a savior. His path should have been paved with nothing but glory.

Why had he chosen the path of ruin instead?

Suppressing her turmoil, Elsez gave a new order.

“Then take me to the nearest village by the Heritz Forest.”

Hours later, dusk was falling as Elsez wandered the forest, exhausted.

‘Damn it. Not even a glimpse of the Tower, let alone an entrance.’

When she had first awakened in this world, the Tower had reached out to her automatically with quests. But now? Nothing.

Because she was not Ruel the player, but Elsez the NPC, no quest guided her steps.

From her side, the rabbit chuckled mockingly.

“A wasted trip, human.”

“Shut it.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. Even if you destroy me, the power I left within you will remain. Our souls are bound as one.”

“We’ll see. Maybe there’s another way you don’t know about.”

She turned away, weary in body and spirit.
Her legs ached, but it was the loss of hope—the thought that she would never see Rasiel—that weighed heavier.

‘There was so much I wanted to ask… Why he killed his master. Whether the rumors were true. And most of all—if he was all right.’

Rasiel had been the very first hero Ruel recruited. A difficult character to train, despised by players for his costly requirements—but in his eyes, when she found him enslaved and beaten in that market…

‘Just let me die. It has nothing to do with you.’

…she hadn’t been able to walk away.

And now, to hear he had fallen? Her chest burned.

‘My heart is breaking here!’

As she pressed a hand to her aching chest, the flow of mana around her shifted.

‘…The mana?’

A warped distortion in the air—then, shards of ice shot toward her.

“Magic?!”

She dodged swiftly, but a shadow fell upon her.
Strong hands seized her wrists and slammed her against a tree.

“Ugh—!”

Pain lanced through her shoulders. And then she looked up—into a face she could never mistake.

Silver hair that gleamed like spun moonlight. Eyes amethyst-bright with an eerie light. His features were sharper now, his presence colder—but unmistakable.

‘…Rasiel?’

He tilted his head, lips curved in a crooked smile, his voice low and languid.

“How bold, creeping this close. You’re braver than the others the Crown Prince has sent.”

The blue earring dangling from his ear caught the moonlight as it swayed with his every word.

“I suppose he’s changed tactics.”

The voice was rich, smooth, almost pleasant—but in his gaze glimmered nothing but killing intent.