✪ Chapter 5 ✪
The hole was so small.
Yet somehow…
Far more monsters had slipped through the barrier than I had expected.
“SKREEEECH!”
“GRAAAAH!”
There were nine monsters that had crossed from the Demon Realm into the Human World.
They were all low-ranking monsters, each as large as something between a wild dog and a beast.
Fortunately…
None of them looked like insects.
Because fighting bug-like monsters completely ruins my appetite.
Just thinking about them made my stomach turn.
I quickly shook my head.
Running away wasn’t an option anymore.
I looked down at my hand.
At least… I’m not going to die like this.
My body had already reacted on instinct.
An attack spell formed in my hand.
I immediately focused my water magic on freezing.
Then I imagined weapons that were perfect for attacking.
Spears.
Tridents.
Hooks.
Anything that could pierce straight through a monster’s core.
The principle of magic was simple.
The caster’s imagination gave shape to the spell.
The faster you could think…
The stronger your magic became in dangerous situations.
Especially in a situation like this—
Surrounded by vicious monsters.
…My luck is truly terrible.
I casually rolled my wrist.
Water magic wasn’t as suited for combat as fire magic.
Still…
It was more than enough for long-range attacks.
I didn’t have much combat experience.
But after working in the Security Department…
I was very confident in one thing.
Keeping a cool head during emergencies.
As long as I didn’t panic…
This was a fight I could survive.
I calmly spoke to Sir Carlo, who had been silently watching the monsters.
“You can use your fire again, right?”
“Yes.”
“Just be careful when you strike.”
He seemed to understand exactly how I planned to attack.
The small flame floating above his palm gradually grew larger.
Then…
With a simple wave of his hand…
The fire shot forward, clearing a clean path through the monsters.
Oh.
For the first time…
The man who always felt like my greatest enemy in the laboratory…
Actually felt like a dependable ally.
Rumble!
At the same time…
My ice spears flew forward.
Each one pierced straight through a monster’s heart.
“SKREEE!”
“GAAH!”
“Let’s go.”
Did we finish them?
Just as I brushed the dust off my hands and turned around…
Something moved.
It wriggled.
It twisted.
“Ah.”
I froze.
“Hehehe… GRAAH!”
“They’re multiplying.”
“GRAAH! GRAAH!”
The Cerberus-like monsters began splitting apart.
Each head divided into two.
Their numbers quickly increased.
Nine became…
Eighteen.
…Are you kidding me?
Damn it.
Please send me home.
At the same time…
In front of the Management Department at the Magic Tower.
“Haa…”
Creak…
Elline slowly let go of the doorknob.
She had just returned after being summoned by Lucas.
And today…
She had argued with the stubborn Crown Prince once again.
What is love, anyway?
Elline swallowed another sigh.
Who would have thought…
A single romance could make someone’s life such a mess?
I keep feeling guilty toward Rosé.
She felt especially terrible because…
Rosé was a bride whose wedding was only days away.
Yet Elline kept causing her trouble.
She knew…
She had to break up with Lucas.
The union between noble families had nothing to do with personal feelings.
Besides…
The Stein family was one of the greatest noble families since the founding of the kingdom.
Compared to them…
The Ross family was nothing more than a baron’s house.
The difference between them was like oil and water.
But the biggest problem was this—
Even though he already had a fiancée…
Lucas still loved Elline.
I’ve already transferred to another department…
And it’s been more than six months since I told him we should break up.
Yet…
Nothing had changed.
They argued.
Again and again.
Whether they should separate.
Whether they should accept reality.
Or whether they should continue loving each other.
Is this lingering attachment…?
Or is it love?
Am I a terrible person for even thinking about this?
Guilt filled Elline’s heart.
“To be honest…”
“I still…”
“I still love Lucas…”
“No!”
“I can’t!”
“I’m the worst!”
The moment the last thread of her self-control nearly snapped…
Elline collapsed onto the floor.
“This can’t be happening…”
“It really can’t.”
She felt as though a warning light had appeared in her precious friendship.
When they were children…
There had been times when she hated Rosé for constantly bullying her.
But…
Everything changed six years ago.
If that person hadn’t saved her immediately…
Rosé would have been seriously hurt.
After Rosé’s fall from the window…
The Rosé Stein she knew had become a completely different person.
As Rosé changed…
Elline’s life also changed.
Looking back…
That day had become one of the biggest turning points in her life.
Last autumn…
She had entered the Magic Tower earlier than she had planned.
And it was all because Rosé had supported and encouraged her without holding anything back.
I always thought…
Once I was no longer useful…
She would throw me away like an old toy.
Elline smiled awkwardly and lowered her head.
Everything changed.
As time passed…
The past became nothing more than the past.
There was only one thing she knew for certain.
She was happy.
Just as she was now.
Elline slowly raised her head.
You mean so much to me now.
No matter what happened in the future…
She wanted to ignore every obstacle standing between them.
Compared to the friendship she shared with Rosé Stein…
The feelings she’d developed over the past year seemed shallow.
I’ll give up love.
Because my friendship with Rosé is far more precious.
Her determined eyes burned with resolve as she looked up.
Just then…
Someone approached her.
“Oh?”
“Miss Elline?”
“Good afternoon, Sir Katloy.”
“You don’t look very well.”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“I feel much better now.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Sir Katloy, who worked in the Special Management Department on the same floor as the Management Department, offered her his hand.
But Elline simply brushed the dust from her knees and stood up by herself.
She understood the meaning behind his gentle gaze.
Instead of answering…
She only smiled awkwardly.
“I heard from Lucas that the Security Department is dealing with an emergency.”
“Are you alright, Miss Elline?”
“Yes.”
“Unfortunately.”
“So Miss Rosé went to the scene instead.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
Not knowing how worried Elline was about her friend…
Katloy smiled brightly.
“You know…”
“There’s a saying in the Security Department.”
“A saying?”
“What is it?”
“They call it…”
‘Without Rosé, everyone dies.’
Elline tilted her head.
She already knew Rosé was the Security Department’s only water mage…
And its greatest ace.
But this was the first time she’d heard that nickname.
“It’s basically a nickname.”
“One that comes with being famous.”
“Is Rosé really that famous?”
“Of course.”
“After all, I’m His Highness’s childhood friend.”
“I hear stories about the Security Department all the time.”
“Everyone in the Management Department says she’s incredibly capable.”
Oh no…
I wanted to keep that a secret.
Elline nodded quietly.
“That’s true…”
She had known it long before Rosé awakened.
Rosé’s magical spectrum…
Was broader than anyone Elline had ever met.
The battlefield was now covered in monster blood.
The Cerberus-like monsters multiplied every time I pierced their hearts with ice.
Thankfully…
They were extremely weak against fire.
The problem was…
Fire alone couldn’t easily burn away the core hidden beneath their thick skin.
To kill a monster…
Its core had to be completely destroyed.
Only after every trace of magic inside it disappeared…
Would the monster stop regenerating and finally vanish.
I had no choice.
So I stepped closer to Sir Carlo.
“Let’s work together.”
“…How?”
“Physical contact.”
