"Are you insane? Let go!"
The mage shoved Eloise hard.
She lost her balance and tumbled, slamming her side against the edge of the table.
"Eloise, you okay?"
Merlin rushed over and caught her.
Eloise clutched her aching side and watched the mages bolt out of the cafeteria in a frenzy.
"Merlin... we have to stop them."
"Huh?"
"They can't all go there."
"What? What's gotten into you? Were you daydreaming with your eyes open?"
It might as well have been a dream.
Cloverfield's Orange Hole.
It wasn't one of the deadlier Rainbow Holes.
But unlike the announced 5km radius, the interior spanned more than five times that size.
Finding the core took ages.
And in the meantime, a Green Hole opened in Windfield, a village on the opposite side of the empire.
It was a small hole, just 100m in radius, but it sucked everything in faster than any hole of its class.
An entire village vanished in an instant.
Houses, trees, people—all gone.
Rainbow Holes always left horrors in their wake, but Windfield's Green Hole was beyond devastating.
Worse, no one even got a chance to fight back.
People cursed the Disaster Response Headquarters for sending every mage to Cloverfield's Orange Hole.
After a barrage of vicious criticism and reprimands, low-level staffers faced pay cuts and demotions in droves.
One of those scapegoated employees even struck it lucky and rose to stardom, prompting a few others to pack up and leave the headquarters.
For a while, even folks from the Magic Management Bureau could barely breathe. Afraid of getting chewed out by citizens, they avoided going out altogether.
Eloise didn't want to relive that nightmare.
She wanted to save lives—and her colleagues.
Windfield's Green Hole was tiny compared to its destructive power, and its core was easy to find.
Eloise even knew the exact location.
'I'd pored over the reports so many times during the cleanup!'
Wracking her brain for ways to save them.
This was her chance.
But no one would listen.
"Where's Vice Director Raven?"
"Probably in her office. Why? You gonna go see her?"
Before Merlin could stop her, Eloise bolted from the cafeteria.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
What were the odds a low-level staffer could meet the vice director without an appointment?
Not even 10%, probably.
And Eloise, who'd never won the lottery in her life, didn't beat those 90% odds.
"The vice director has gone to assist at Cloverfield's Orange Hole," Morgana's secretary said.
Eloise despaired.
Merlin caught up and dragged her out of the vice director's office.
"Eloise! What were you thinking barging in like that? Don't you want that promotion? Our team leader will flip if she finds out you skipped her to go straight to the vice director. Be grateful you didn't meet her."
Merlin meant well, but it didn't help at all.
Eloise stomped her feet in frustration.
What if they all died? What if the village was destroyed?
The helplessness and despair of knowing how to save them but being powerless to act was worse than she remembered.
That's when it hit her.
"We knock often."
"Anytime you need."
"Gerard!"
Why didn't I think of that?
Gerard alone would be enough.
Eloise turned to Merlin.
"Merlin, I gotta hit the bathroom."
"Now?"
"Yeah, super urgent. And it'll take a bit."
Merlin frowned but let her go.
"See you back at the office!"
Eloise yelled as she dashed for the emergency stairs.
From behind came Merlin's worried shout—"Eloise! The bathroom's not that way!"—but she had no time to reply.
Eloise locked the stairwell door, caught her breath from the sprint, and tapped her ring with a silent prayer.
'Gerard, please come.'
A gentle breeze stirred as a swirl formed inside the pink gem.
Her heart pounded. Her cheeks flushed before she knew it.
'Gerard's coming.'
The breeze carried his scent.
Eloise inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh, invigorating aroma.
The scent grew richer as the wind gradually died down.
By the time the fluttering pink hair settled...
A deep voice rumbled before her.
"What is it?"
"Gerard!"
Overjoyed, Eloise nearly lunged at him but hesitated and stepped back.
'We're not that close yet.'
Remembering her first life had almost made her forget the distance between them.
'Be careful.'
Eloise forced a smile and took another step back.
"Eloise, what's wrong? Is someone bothering you? Or did some rude mage yell at you again?"
"I'm fine. The problem isn't me—it's Windfield..."
She stopped there.
'Will Gerard believe me?'
She recalled the mages' eyes in the cafeteria.
Like she was crazy or just an obstacle.
'If our positions were reversed, I wouldn't believe it either.'
She wasn't some great prophet or Rainbow Hole expert.
Just Eloise, a lowly civil servant, with no proof to back her words.
She couldn't afford to seem like a lunatic now, when she needed to build goodwill with Gerard.
'Wait. What if I wait until the Green Hole opens and tell him then?'
It would open in about ten minutes.
Keeping him occupied with small talk until then wouldn't be hard.
But in the blink of an eye it took him to teleport, people could die.
'I can't let people die just to avoid misunderstanding.'
Eloise groaned.
"Eloise, say whatever it is. Freely."
Gerard's kind words sealed it.
She steeled herself to be seen as mad.
"It might sound ridiculous. But you'll believe me, right?"
"If it's you saying it."
No joke—pure, 100% sincerity.
She had no idea why he trusted her so much, but now wasn't the time to question it. Time to be grateful.
Eloise nodded slightly and spoke gravely, like revealing a vital secret.
"Please go to Windfield right now. A Rainbow Hole is about to open there."
"Got it. Hold on tight."
Gerard asked no questions.
Instead, he pulled her into his arms.
Enveloped in his white robe, she heard him chant a low incantation. A teleportation magic circle etched into the floor, flashing brilliantly.
Eloise squeezed her eyes shut against the intense light.
When she opened them again...
"Th-there's a Rainbow Hole opening!"
"Aaaah! Run, get away!"
"Mommy! Waaah, Mommy!"
They were in the center of Windfield Park, just as the Green Hole yawned open.
'I never gave coordinates.'
Teleporting straight to the exact spot—was it luck?
Amazed, Eloise looked up at Gerard.
He set her down gently.
The warmth of his body that had enveloped her was already gone.
His face serious, he glared at the green maw establishing itself in the sky.
"Stay here."
Without waiting for her reply, he cast a flight spell.
He kicked off the ground and shot toward it like an arrow.
Too late, Eloise realized she hadn't told him the core's location and shouted!
"The core...! It's 10 meters southwest from the entrance!"
Did he hear?
He must have.
He had to.
The Green Hole, firmly in place overhead, began sucking in its surroundings.
Fleeing people tangled and fell.
"Mommy, Mommyyyy..."
A child who'd lost their parent's hand collapsed, sobbing, while bags and strollers floated lightly into the vortex.
Eloise snapped to her senses.
"Everyone! Grab a tree trunk! Hold out for five minutes!"
She scooped up the fallen child.
"Waaah!"
Clutching the bawling kid tight, she headed for the nearest tree.
"Hold on to me."
She wedged the child between her body and the tree trunk, then hugged the tree herself.
Sounds of falling, slipping, and shoving rang in her ears.
The Green Hole grew larger, more ferocious by the second.
Read More Chapter on Our Website:
- noveldex.io
New chapters released daily —don't miss out!