Chapter 07
“Move! That’s my spot!”
“Do you own this place or something?”
“Hey! Let go of my leg! Don’t grab me!”
To survive, people willingly let go of their friends’ hands.
Seeing that same selfish behavior she had witnessed in her first life again made Eloise’s mouth turn bitter.
But she couldn’t blame them.
They just wanted to live.
There was only one thing she could do.
‘Sir Gerard… please. Hurry.’
She desperately prayed to the hero and savior of this world.
The violent wind of the Green Hole, which had seemed ready to sweep everything away, died down far earlier than Eloise had expected.
People who had fled from death cautiously emerged from beneath the trees, one by one, looking around.
With bewildered expressions, they spoke.
“What…? Is it already over?”
“The green hole in the sky is gone.”
“Did a mage come?”
“It disappeared this fast? Does that even make sense?”
Just then, something fell from the sky.
A pure white robe and jet-black hair fluttered gracefully as it descended.
Everyone’s gaze fixed on him at once.
“T-that person is—!”
“It’s Sir Gerard! Tower Master Gerard! I was wondering how the hole disappeared so quickly—Sir Gerard came to save us!”
“Wooooo! Long live Sir Gerard!”
People erupted into cheers, chanting his name.
Gerard raised a hand in greeting to the ecstatic crowd, then scanned his surroundings.
The person who deserved their gratitude wasn’t him.
‘Where did she go?’
Where had Eloise gone after saving so many people?
Pink hair wasn’t exactly common.
He should have had a tracking artifact embedded in the ring he gave her.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
“All right, go home now. Don’t get distracted, okay?”
A clear, bright voice rang out.
Gerard immediately amplified his hearing.
“T-thanks to you, I lived.”
“What are you talking about? You survived because you held onto my leg tightly. And the real benefactor is—”
Eloise was talking to a scruffy little boy, his body smeared with dirt.
Gerard closed the distance to her at once.
Sensing his presence, Eloise turned around.
“He’s coming.”
The moment her eyes met Gerard’s, they curved into crescents, and the corners of her lips slowly lifted.
Gerard froze.
His chest throbbed painfully at her flower-like smile.
“Oh? Sir Gerard?”
She ran toward him in surprise when she saw him standing still.
Her face was full of concern, yet she didn’t dare touch him, instead looking him over from head to toe.
“Was it hard to find the core? Or was the situation inside dangerous?”
Seeing his stiff expression, Eloise’s heart dropped.
She had overlooked the possibility that the Green Hole in Windfield might have changed from what she knew.
‘Just like how I met Sir Gerard earlier than before, things could have changed.’
What if there had been a fierce battle with monsters inside?
As Eloise anxiously studied his face—
“I’m fine, Eloise. But you—look at yourself…”
After calming his emotions, Gerard frowned slightly as he looked at her.
Her once-neat uniform was in disarray, and she was covered in dirt.
“Did you fall?”
“No! I picked up a fallen child and ran.”
The image of the boy who had just thanked her flashed through Gerard’s mind.
His gaze darkened.
“The hole opened, and you helped others? You should have hidden somewhere safe first!”
The sudden scolding was so sharp that Eloise didn’t even notice he had dropped into informal speech.
“Uh… I’m a civil servant.”
In emergencies, civil servants were required to rescue citizens regardless of rank.
“…Eloise, you’re not just an ordinary civil servant.”
With a sigh, Gerard wiped the dirt from her cheek.
In that instant, a sharp electric sensation ran through Eloise’s face.
‘Huh?’
The sensation was similar to what she felt during healing.
Eloise’s back stiffened.
‘Am I awakening already?’
She looked up at Gerard with eyes filled with hope and anxiety.
If he felt healing energy too—
‘He’d be shocked.’
But Gerard only looked down at her with a serious expression.
‘It must’ve just been static electricity.’
As she reached that conclusion, another question surfaced.
“I really am just a normal civil servant.”
His jaw tightened.
After taking a breath, he spoke a beat later.
“You were ordinary until this morning. But not anymore. You saved this village.”
Gerard shifted slightly.
Families confirming each other’s safety, people relieved to be alive, and faces filled with gratitude came into view.
A shiver ran through Eloise’s body.
Gerard stood close behind her and whispered near her ear.
“These are the people you saved.”
Eloise slowly shook her head.
“You did it, Sir Gerard. I just… told you what I knew.”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come here. So, Eloise, stopping today’s Green Hole disaster was entirely thanks to you. You did wonderfully.”
Gerard’s praise was sweet.
Eloise’s cheeks flushed.
She had never received praise like this in her life.
“Mom! That big sister saved me! Thank you, big sister!”
The child, reunited with his mother, waved enthusiastically.
The child’s mother repeatedly bowed to Eloise.
Their eyes were filled with gratitude.
The moment Eloise realized that, her nose stung.
She felt moved.
Proud.
And at the same time, weighed down by a heavy sense of responsibility.
For a moment, Eloise stood there, watching the people share their happiness.
“By the way, Eloise—how did you know the hole would open?”
Her smile slowly faded.
“Well… I just figured it out after seeing things for a while.”
It was a terribly flimsy explanation.
Eloise’s mind raced as she prepared for follow-up questions.
“I see.”
“…What?”
“There doesn’t seem to be anything left to do. Let’s return to the Demonic Energy Management Bureau.”
“Wait! You’re not going to ask anything else?”
“You said you figured it out by seeing things. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes…”
“Then let’s go.”
Gerard’s trust was suspiciously easy.
But if he pressed her further, it would only put Eloise in trouble.
‘I’ll get a chance to explain properly later. Maybe he’s just letting it slide because he’s busy.’
Just then, Gerard glanced at the time.
Eloise’s heart dropped.
“Oh no! What time is it?!”
A forgotten fact hit her all at once.
A low-ranking civil servant’s lunch break wasn’t long.
And leaving the workplace without permission was grounds for disciplinary action.
While trying to stop the Green Hole disaster, discipline hadn’t mattered.
But now that it was over, reality came crashing back.
Eloise grabbed the edge of Gerard’s robe.
“Sir Gerard, please take me back.”
“Eloise, you don’t need to rush back. Of course, I do have work—”
“No! I do! My team leader must be back by now, right? He said he was going out to eat somewhere good. It’s popular, so he probably had to wait in line, but he should be back. I need to get promoted! He already has it out for me—”
As Eloise fired off her words at lightning speed, Gerard neatly picked out the important information.
Her team leader bullied her.
She wanted a promotion.
Both were things Gerard could solve effortlessly.
Eloise had predicted the Green Hole.
And she had prevented the disaster it would cause.
Those two facts alone would make her a star at the Disaster Response Headquarters.
There was no way Vice Director Morgana—sharp enough to border on cunning—would stay still.
Could this be a good opportunity for him as well?
‘Perhaps.’
Unnoticed by Eloise, Gerard slowly curved his lips upward.
