Chapter 11
Noah did not stop Gerard from willingly taking on the risk.
“This should be sufficient responsibility, as Your Highness requested.”
“It is enough. I like it. Leave it to Gerard.”
Gerard’s failure would be Noah’s pleasure.
Of course, given the special nature of disaster response, Noah hoped that Eloise and Gerard would succeed this time.
But the credit should belong to Noah.
Was there a way to let Gerard spend the money while Noah reaped the achievement?
As Noah pondered this, his gaze landed on Eloise.
A cute, round impression.
She looked frightened, yet her eyes showed no trace of timidity.
Even as discussions about her continued, she kept her mouth shut, carefully reading the situation with patience and tact.
‘And if she truly has predictive ability?’
Noah grew interested in Eloise.
Resting his chin on his hand, he smiled faintly.
“So then, Miss Rubelia. When and where do you think the next hole will open?”
After sending everyone away by saying prediction was impossible for now due to the lack of viewing orbs—
Eloise was left alone with Gerard.
“Sir Gerard! How could you so casually promise to use your personal funds? What if I… fail?”
“Was that a lie?”
“…What?”
“You told me you knew where Rainbow Holes would open.”
“Well… yes. But I never said anything about needing viewing orbs!”
“Then perhaps I misunderstood. Still, wouldn’t it be better to have them? If we’re watching and a Rainbow Hole opens suddenly, we could respond much faster. Like wildfire watch units.”
Eloise’s eyes widened.
“Wildfire watch… units?”
Gerard’s idea was something Eloise herself had said in her previous life.
One day, after a Rainbow Hole was discovered too late, causing massive damage and leaving Gerard seriously injured—
Eloise had secretly entered his room at dawn to heal his demonic energy.
As she was leaving, she spoke softly to his sleeping form.
“It would be nice if there were watch units like wildfire monitors. They could send a signal immediately. Then you wouldn’t have to suffer so much, Sir Gerard.”
‘Does Sir Gerard remember the past as well…?’
Eloise’s eyes trembled slightly.
“I saw how wildfire watch units operate, Eloise.”
“…You did?”
“The wildfire in British City last week.”
Now that he mentioned it, there had been a wildfire last week.
The back-to-back Orange and Green Holes had made her forget.
Embarrassed by her own ridiculous thought that Gerard might remember the past, Eloise let out a hollow laugh.
What was so special about the wildfire watch idea anyway?
“We need a way to minimize Rainbow Hole damage, but if I propose creating a new organization, many would oppose it. Let’s say I’m piggybacking on your contribution this time.”
Every word he spoke was considerate.
He even eased the burden she might feel.
And she was moved by his sense of responsibility.
He was truly sincere about destroying Rainbow Holes.
“It’s mutual benefit.”
“Exactly. So let’s do well together, Eloise.”
The next day, a notice was posted on the internal bulletin board.
[Department Restructuring and Personnel Appointment Notice]
– Establishment of the Forecasting Team under the Demonic Energy Management Bureau –
In accordance with the Bureau’s personnel policy, the following appointment is hereby issued. Relevant staff are requested to complete all required procedures thoroughly.
- Name: Eloise Rubelia
- Previous Department: Support Team
- New Department: Forecasting Team (Newly Established)
“…That Eloise Rubelia written here isn’t my roommate Eloise Rubelia, right?”
Merlin muttered, gripping her mug tightly as she stared at the notice.
“There’s no one else with the same name in the Bureau.”
Eloise muttered beside her.
Merlin whipped her head around and stared at Eloise.
Her eyes were bloodshot from last night’s overtime as she grabbed her head with one hand.
“This is weird. This notice must be missing something, right? There’s no way they’d take someone from the support team without sending a replacement! We’re already overloaded! Say something, Eloise!”
Eloise smiled awkwardly.
In truth, Eloise was just as shocked as Merlin—though for a different reason.
‘Yesterday they were talking about testing my ability, and today they’ve already created a team and issued an appointment?’
The bureau’s slow bureaucracy was infamous across the continent.
It took a month just to issue a healer registration certificate.
And yet, a new team was created in a single day?
Not even twenty-four hours.
A team creation and a personnel appointment within that time?
It was as shocking and mysterious as a turtle crossing the continent in a day.
And there was something else.
Why didn’t they tell me where the office is?
As Eloise simmered in frustration over the slapdash administration, a pleasant scent drifted from behind her.
“Good morning, Eloise.”
Gerard approached her side and looked at the notice.
“You’ve been appointed. Congratulations.”
Perhaps the pairing of a low-ranking employee and the Mage Tower Master was unusual.
Sharp gazes flew toward them from all directions.
Some held jealousy.
Others’ curiosity.
Merlin’s gaze was one of the latter.
She nudged Eloise’s back lightly.
Caught off guard, Eloise offered an awkward greeting.
“…Good morning, Sir Gerard. Thank you for the congratulations.”
“You’ll start reporting to the Forecasting Team today.”
“Today? Right away? I still need to clear my desk and do handover—ah, right. There’s no one to hand over to. Still, shouldn’t I…?”
The notice stated clearly:
Follow procedures thoroughly.
But did personnel transfer procedures include desk cleaning and handover?
‘I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been reassigned before.’
Eloise never expected to leave the support team like this.
In her first life, she had been glued to the support team.
Even when Merlin was transferred elsewhere, Eloise remained like a permanent fixture.
So she thought it would be the same this time.
Yesterday’s talk about a forecasting team—she’d assumed it was just talk.
Even if a team were created, she thought it would be temporary.
‘What exactly are they trusting me with to create a whole department?’
She appreciated the trust.
But blind trust made her uneasy.
She knew how high-ranking officials worked.
They didn’t invest effort, passion, or time into anything that didn’t yield profit.
And by profit, she meant money.
Still, there were exceptions.
People like Gerard and Morgana, who worked from a sense of duty.
‘Did Sir Gerard and Vice Director Morgana push this through?’
Even so, it was too sudden.
“Is there anything important?”
“…What?”
“Anything in the support team you absolutely need to take with you?”
“Not really.”
“Then that’s fine. If you need something later, I’ll have my secretary retrieve it.”
“You’ll send your secretary? For my things? Why?”
“Because I have a secretary, and you don’t. Let’s go upstairs.”
Gerard tilted his head and strode off.
For a moment, Eloise was entranced by the impressive figure crossing the lobby—
Then snapped back to reality.
Actually, it was because Merlin jabbed her side.
“He told you to follow him.”
As Merlin said, Gerard stopped ahead and turned back, arms crossed.
He raised one eyebrow as if asking why she wasn’t coming.
And as if he already knew where her office was—though it wasn’t written on the notice—he pointed upward with his index finger.
Eloise turned to Merlin.
“I’ll be back.”
“Don’t ever come back to the basement.”
It might have sounded cold, but it was the greatest blessing.
Working in a high office with windows.
That had been the shared dream of Eloise and Merlin, who used to sit side by side in a windowless basement, buried under towering stacks of paperwork.
Instead of jealousy, Merlin gave Eloise her blessing.
Emotion surged up unexpectedly.
“We’ll see each other again soon.”
Eloise squeezed Merlin’s hand once, then released it and ran toward Gerard.
She didn’t look back.
Crying here would’ve been a little embarrassing.
