MTLNOVEL Chapter 47
Rashiel’s eyes wavered as he looked at Tezette. His heart began to race uncontrollably.Quickly regaining his composure, Rashiel asked, “…That woman—what do you mean?”“Elsez Rohen. You’re not her, are you?”Tezette’s voice, oddly enough, carried a tone of certainty.‘I was too naive.’Astaire and Cassian had never interacted with Elsez before the possession, so it was natural that they hadn’t noticed anything unusual.But Elsez had once been engaged to Tezette.Even though Elsez had been the one-sided admirer, and Tezette had mostly ignored her, there were still moments of contact between them.Brushing off the exceptional combat skills as something honed from childhood training was one thing, but explaining the sudden shift in personality was far more difficult.Besides, Tezette had always had sharp instincts, so he was bound to notice Elsez’s change sooner than anyone else.Elsez, staring at Tezette with anxious eyes, shifted her thoughts.‘Wait a minute. There’s no need to hide it, right? If Tezette realizes it’s me, it might actually work in my favor.’She opened her mouth, hoping for a chance—but just like with Rashiel earlier, no words came out.‘This damn system…’So you really won’t let me take the easy path, huh?Swallowing a sigh and pondering briefly, Elsez adjusted her plan.‘If I can’t say it myself, I’ll just have to make him figure it out.’If Tezette had already realized she wasn’t Elsez, maybe he could guess that she was actually Ruel.‘Of course, no sane person would imagine someone coming back from the dead in another person’s body…’Still… maybe.“What do you mean? If I’m not Elsez Rohen, then who am I?”“Exactly what I said. You’re not the woman I knew.”“Then who do you think I am, Your Grace?”Come on, Tezette.It sounds impossible, but please realize that I’m Ruel.Elsez locked eyes with Tezette, holding onto a fragile hope.After a long, quiet stare, Tezette finally spoke.“…I’m not sure.”Disappointment washed over Elsez’s face.‘Yeah… who would even imagine something that ridiculous…?’Just then—“What are you two doing over there?”Cassian, arriving late, spotted them and approached.He frowned slightly upon seeing Tezette holding Elsez’s hand, then stood beside them.“Well, things are wrapped up here, so Your Grace can head home or go enjoy the festival—whatever you want.”Placing an arm around Elsez’s shoulder, Cassian pulled her away from Tezette.“Let’s go back to the temple.”But Tezette’s voice stopped them in their tracks.“We’re not done talking yet.”“Didn’t she say she wanted to break off the engagement? Clingy guys aren’t attractive.”Cassian shot a cold glare at Tezette.Though Tezette maintained his usual blank expression, Elsez could sense the tension crackling between the two.Cassian clearly misunderstood Tezette’s intentions—thinking Tezette was clinging to Elsez because he refused to break off their engagement.And the fact that Tezette was now a close aide to the crown prince probably made Cassian even more annoyed.Elsez decided to step in before things escalated.“Let’s talk another time, Your Grace.”“By the way… have you eaten dinner?”Tezette silently watched as Cassian, still bickering with him, led Elsez away. Just as he took a step to follow them—“……”He felt a gaze watching from afar.Turning toward the source, Tezette’s eyes fell on the dense forest by the lake, shrouded in darkness.After a brief moment, he followed behind the two and disappeared.Once they were gone, the mysterious gaze withdrew.Perched against a tree, observing the situation, Rashiel vanished along with a glowing magic circle.
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Elsez let out a quiet sigh, barely audible in the suffocating atmosphere inside the carriage.Seated next to her was Cassian, and across from them sat Tezette.As always, Tezette didn’t seem inclined to start a conversation, and Cassian merely observed him in silence.The only sound filling the carriage was the crunching noise of chewing on a cookie. It was Cassian who finally broke the silence.“So, what have you been up to all this time?”“I killed people.”At that moment, the cookie Elsez had been nibbling on, pretending to eat after receiving it from Tezette, slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.She thought maybe, after meeting again for the first time in so long, they’d at least exchange normal pleasantries. But no—the conversation took a dark turn immediately.‘That’s not exactly small talk, you idiot…’Elsez, with a dazed expression, accepted another cookie from Tezette.Cassian, eyeing Tezette with clear disapproval, wasted no time asking the question he had been holding back.“Are you really the crown prince’s hunt dog now?”Elsez’s expression stiffened at his blunt question.‘Seriously? Do you always have to be this straightforward?!’Even Tezette, who rarely showed any emotion, had a cold glint in his eyes this time.“Does it matter?”“Yeah. I don’t work with dogs. Who knows what you might go running off to tell your master.”“That’s reasonable. After all, that dog might tear you apart.”Cassian let out a bitter laugh at Tezette’s response.“Unbelievable. So you really became the empire’s dog?”Tezette didn’t deny it.Cassian abruptly stood up and grabbed Tezette by the collar before Elsez could even react.“Are you insane, you bastard? Of all things, you became the empire’s dog?”“……”“Did you forget how that man pushed us into fighting the Demon God, knowing it would kill us?”Even when the Holy Kingdom requested support for the battle against the Demon God, the empire had feigned ignorance.It wasn’t until the Demon God appeared within the empire’s borders that the emperor finally asked for help from the Holy Kingdom and Ruel’s party.The emperor had pinned the safety of his people on Ruel’s team, forcing them into battle when their bodies hadn’t even fully recovered from previous fights.After the final battle, Cassian couldn’t stop thinking about it.If the emperor had sent reinforcements back then… If they hadn’t been pushed into one battle after another…Maybe Ruel wouldn’t have had to die like that.Cassian could never understand why Tezette would side with the imperial family after that.Tezette, who had been silently gazing at Cassian’s expression, finally spoke.“…I wanted power.”His words were hollow.They had defeated the Demon God and become heroes who saved the nation.The very people who once pointed at him and called him a back-alley thief now praised him. He had proven his strength, just as he had always desired.But it wasn’t enough to fill the emptiness inside him.It felt like he had lost something infinitely precious.So, he reached out for another form of power.He thought that if he could hold authority, stand above others, maybe the void within him would disappear.But that emptiness never left him.In fact, it only grew larger with time.‘Here they go again…’Elsez, unable to grasp Tezette’s reasoning, watched the two men with half-lidded eyes.It was a familiar scene she hadn’t seen in a long time.Cassian and Tezette would clash head-on, while Rashiel and Astaire exchanged sharp words laced with sarcasm…Back when she was Ruel, it was a daily occurrence.There was even a time when she missed these moments, so seeing it again felt nostalgic—though only slightly.Now that she was actually facing it again, the familiar headache started creeping back.“Um… Looks like you two have a lot to talk about, so I’ll just get off and go my own way.”Elsez quietly inserted herself between them.If she were still Ruel, she would’ve stepped in to mediate—read: smack them both upside the head—but she wasn’t Ruel anymore.Instead, she opted for the “You two can keep fighting here, I’m going home” approach.Both men immediately turned their eyes toward her.“You’re not going anywhere. We’re done talking.”Cassian hurriedly grabbed Elsez to keep her from leaving.“Don’t go. Stay here.”Even Tezette, rarely one to show emotion, looked at her with the pleading eyes of a lost puppy.Elsez gestured toward Cassian’s hand, which was still gripping Tezette’s collar.Reluctantly, Cassian let go, muttering under his breath.“…Idiot.”At last, an awkward peace settled inside the carriage.
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The carriage carrying the three of them arrived in front of the temple.Elsez stepped down first and, seeing the lingering tension between the two men, said with a grin,
“Well then, you two can take your time catching up on all the conversations you’ve missed.”“Conversations, my ass.”Ignoring Cassian’s grumbling, Elsez headed toward the temple entrance.Just then, the sound of a horse’s voice echoed, and another figure appeared on horseback—Astaire.He had changed into casual clothes, seemingly after searching other parts of the capital for the missing child, and was now returning upon hearing news from Elsez’s side.Dismounting, Astaire immediately checked on Elsez’s condition.“I heard there was a battle. Are you hurt anywhere?”“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”Shrugging, Elsez entered the temple with him.Lancelot, who had arrived earlier with the mastermind behind the incident, spotted them and approached.Astaire asked him,
“Did you find out who was behind this?”“Well…”Lancelot trailed off, unable to answer immediately. His face noticeably stiffened as he looked at Astaire.“The culprit insists they’ll only speak once Your Holiness arrives.”Elsez suddenly recalled what the mastermind had said back at the abandoned mansion.‘…I wish to speak with His Holiness the Cardinal.’Even then, the man had requested to speak directly with Astaire.A sense of unease crept over her, as if something was starting to go terribly wrong.Astaire seemed to feel it too.“Let’s go.”Without delay, they headed straight to the room where the culprit was being held.As they entered, the seated man lit up with a delighted expression and stood to greet them.“Oh, my dear Cardinal.”Astaire’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the man, and his face soon twisted in pain.“…Sir Bolton.”A sinister smile spread across the man’s lips as he stared at Astaire.