WHFIO04

Chapter 4

Elses stared blankly at Rasiel in front of her.

In the man’s eyes shone a clear intent to kill.

‘He thinks I’m a spy sent by the Crown Prince.’

Since Rasiel had abandoned the Empire three years ago, it wasn’t unreasonable for him to be suspicious of anyone suspicious.

‘If I tell him I’m Ruel…’

She opened her mouth, intending to explain her situation to Rasiel.

But then—

‘Huh?’

No words came out.

It was as though some invisible force was blocking her voice.

‘What the—?!’

Flustered by the unexpected situation, Elses froze, and Rasiel’s expression hardened coldly as he looked down at her.

“So, you have no intention of talking, is that it?”

The pressure of his arm bearing down on hers grew stronger.

Elses frowned at the pain pinning her down and glared back at him.

‘I’m screwed.’

She bitterly regretted her reckless decision to come looking for Rasiel.

‘I didn’t account for not being able to speak!’

At this rate, Rasiel really might kill her.

Panicked, Elses forced herself to speak.

“I… I am…”

This time, her words flowed out without obstruction.

‘So… if I try to say that I’m Ruel, my voice gets blocked?’

She tested it again, trying to mention Luel’s name—and once more, no sound came out.

No matter what she said, to Rasiel it would only sound like excuses from a spy sent by the Crown Prince.

‘Damn it, I can’t just die in Rasiel’s hands like this…’

She had so many questions she wanted to ask him if they met, but why had it turned into such a disaster?

Her anguished eyes twisted painfully as she looked at Rasiel.

For a fleeting moment, his own expression loosened ever so slightly.

And then—

“Human!”

Lerti, who had been stuffed upside-down in her pocket, leapt out.

At that instant, Rasiel’s attention split, drawn to the talking rabbit doll.

Elses didn’t miss the chance. She twisted her body to break free.

She knew full well that such a shallow trick wouldn’t work against someone as seasoned as Rasiel—but in a desperate situation, any chance had to be taken.

“You—!”

Rasiel saw through her attempt immediately.

But there was one thing he hadn’t accounted for—

Elses possessed a monstrous strength strong enough to hurl a grown man away.

Crash!

Rasiel’s body slammed into a tree, the impact splitting its trunk and sending wooden fragments scattering.

“Kuhk…!”
“Hah…”

Both were shocked—not just Rasiel, but Elses herself stared at her hands in disbelief.

In her past life, she had trained in Taekwondo, even dreamed of becoming a police officer. But brute force strong enough to fling a grown man? That was impossible.

Especially against Rasiel, the Hero.

‘Ruel’s position was a support-type hero… but with this kind of strength, my role now must be that of a melee dealer.’

Considering how Razantia had once boasted overwhelming destructive power with pure physical attacks, it wasn’t far-fetched that inheriting that strength would make her a front-line fighter.

While she stood dumbfounded, Lerti shrilled in her ear:

“Why are you standing there like an idiot, human? Run, now!”

There was no time for other thoughts.

She had already attacked Rasiel. The chance for explanations was gone.

Which meant—

‘If he catches me now, I’m dead for sure.’

Understanding this, Elses immediately turned and bolted.

Rasiel rose to chase after her—only to see his locket lying on the ground.

Without a second of hesitation, he chose the locket over the pursuit.

By the time he looked up again, Elses had vanished into the forest.

Only the night wind lingered in the empty silence.

“….”

Frowning, Rasiel picked up the locket and opened it.

Inside lay a neatly tied lock of light-brown hair.

He gazed at it with a look heavy with longing, then closed it and clenched it tightly—

As if vowing never to let it go again.

Elses finally made it to a village near the forest, breathing a sigh of relief.

Had she run with only her legs, Rasiel would have caught her easily. But thanks to Lerti’s advice, she had escaped unharmed.

“Human, use teleport!”

Teleportation was a common magic available to all roles. It allowed quick movement but left one vulnerable afterward, since mana flow became unstable. Skilled mages could travel great distances, but melee fighters usually avoided it. Enhancing their bodies for speed was safer and more efficient.

But for escaping pursuit, it was perfect—since the opponent couldn’t predict the direction of the jump.

Elses had done exactly that, teleporting repeatedly to throw Rasiel off her trail.

Now, with her breath finally calm, she bit her lip as she recalled the confrontation.

‘I was far too careless.’

Logically, who would believe that a strange woman was actually a comrade who had died three years ago?

‘The best I could’ve hoped for was that he didn’t kill me on the spot.’

She had assumed Rasiel would believe her outright, and walked in without a plan. A complete mistake.

Perhaps it was fortune—or misfortune—that she hadn’t even been able to say Ruel’s name.

‘But why can’t I say it?’

She tried once more. The moment she attempted to say “Ruel,” no sound emerged.

After several futile tries, she gave up and bit down on her lip.

Meanwhile, Lerti dangled smugly from her waist and chirped:

“Human, since I saved your life, you owe me a plate of cookies!”

Ignoring the stuffed paw poking her cheek, Elses asked:

“Hey, you still haven’t recovered your full power, have you?”

Lerti flinched, his little body twitching. His voice rose in surprise.

“H-how did you know?!”

Elses answered flatly, as if it were obvious.

“Because Rasiel suspected me of being a spy from the Crown Prince. Not a demon.”

When she had first possessed Ruel’s body, she had felt the overwhelming, twisted force of a Demon Lord’s presence nearby.

If Rasiel—who had fought Demon Lord Razantia himself—had sensed even a fraction of that power, he would have known instantly.

The fact that he hadn’t meant only one thing: the demonic power hadn’t yet fully returned.

Lerti looked at her with open admiration.

“Hooh… you’re smarter than I thought, human.”
“Well, I try.”

Shrugging off the doll’s sparkling gaze, Elses’ thoughts returned to her own unnatural strength.

‘And this is me with incomplete recovery. If I ever regain full power… world domination wouldn’t be impossible.’

Of course, she had no intention of such a thing. Nor would she allow it.

“So, Lerti, when will this power fully recover?”

Once that happened, the Heroes would sense it. They would come for her. She needed to know the “deadline” so she could prepare.

But Lerti’s answer was maddeningly vague.

“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? It’s your power.”
“True, but I don’t know. It just… comes back on its own if I wait.”

“…Useless, wretched rabbit.”

Her mutter made Lerti hop up and down on her shoulders, fuming.

“What?! Have you already forgotten that I just saved you?! Ungrateful human!”

Elses ignored the angry fluffball, working through the logic.

If Lerti’s power hadn’t fully returned, then he wouldn’t have had the strength to block her from speaking Ruel’s name.

Which meant—

It wasn’t Lerti preventing her.

More likely… it was the system of the “game” itself.

‘Since the game labels me as the Demon Lord’s vessel, revealing I was once Ruel must break the story flow. So the system just forbids me from saying it.’

Her stomach sank as the truth hit her.

‘Wait—so if the others find out I’m carrying demon power… I’m dead, no questions asked.’

Three years ago, the four Heroes had already been max-level monsters with the best stats and skills.

By now, they had only grown stronger.

If she were still Ruel, she might have been proud of their growth.

But now…

‘So what if they’ve grown stronger? That power is just going to be used to kill me!’

Cursing her unfair fate, Elses began to outline her plan.

‘Until my power fully recovers, I have to find a way. Until then, I must avoid the four of them at all costs.’

She couldn’t say she was Ruel. Meeting them now would only put her in danger.

‘I can’t go back to the Tower, not after turning Rasiel against me. Which leaves… the Temple.’

The Magic Tower treated all things—even monsters—as objects of research.

The Temple, however, existed to oppose demons and monsters.

If there was any place with information on separating demon power, it would be the Temple.

And it was open to everyone, making it easier to access.

‘But… the Temple also has someone I absolutely need to avoid…’

Her heart sank at the thought.

Still, she had no other choice.

“Human! Are you even listening to me?!”

Ignoring the rabbit’s shrill protest, Elses muttered to herself:

“I’ll just have to go… and avoid them as much as I can.”