"Move! That's my spot!"
"Is this your land?"
"Ow, let go of my leg! Don't grab me!"
People willingly let go of their friends' hands to survive.
Facing the selfish scene she had seen in her first life again, Eloise's mouth turned bitter.
But she couldn't blame them for wanting to live.
There was only one thing she could do.
'Gerard, please hurry.'
She earnestly prayed to him, the hero and savior of this world.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The ferocious wind from the Green Hole, which seemed ready to sweep everything away, subsided much earlier than Eloise had anticipated.
People who had fled from death emerged one by one from under the trees and looked around.
They spoke with bewildered expressions.
"What...? Is it over already?"
"The Green Hole in the sky is gone."
"Did a mage come?"
"Does it make sense for the hole to disappear this quickly?"
At that moment, something fell from the sky.
A pure white robe and jet-black hair fluttered elegantly.
Everyone's gazes fixed on him at once.
"Th-that person!"
"It's Gerard! Tower Master Gerard! I wondered how the hole disappeared so fast—it's because Gerard came to save us!"
"Woooaaah! Long live Gerard!"
The people cheered ecstatically, chanting his name.
Gerard, who greeted the cheering crowd by raising his hand, looked around.
There was someone else who deserved their thanks and praise.
'Where the hell did she go?'
Where had Eloise hidden after saving all these people?
Pink hair isn't that common.
He regretted not engraving a location-tracking artifact on the ring he gave her.
As he was thinking that,
"Come on, now go home. No dawdling, got it?"
A clear, bright voice rang out.
Gerard immediately amplified his hearing.
"Th-thanks to you, sis, I survived."
"What are you talking about? You survived because you clung to my leg so tightly. And the real benefactor is..."
Eloise was talking to a grubby little boy covered in dirt.
Gerard instantly closed the distance to her.
Noticing him coming, Eloise turned around.
"There he comes."
Her eyes crinkled and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up as their eyes met.
In that instant, Gerard froze.
His chest throbbed at her flower-like smile.
"Huh? Gerard?"
Eloise ran toward him in surprise, as he had stopped approaching.
Her face full of worry, she looked him over without daring to touch him.
"Was it hard to find the core? Or was the situation inside serious?"
Seeing Gerard's stiff expression, Eloise's heart sank.
She had overlooked the possibility that Windfield's Green Hole was different from what she knew.
'Just like how I met Gerard earlier after regressing in time, the situation might have changed.'
What if there had been a fierce battle with monsters inside?
As Eloise anxiously peered at him,
"I'm fine, Eloise. More importantly, your appearance..."
Regaining his composure, Gerard frowned slightly at Eloise.
Her neat uniform was disheveled, covered in dirt all over.
"Did you fall or something?"
"No! I was running while carrying a fallen child."
The image of the boy who had just thanked her flashed in Gerard's mind.
Gerard's eyes turned fierce.
"A hole opened, and you helped others? You should have immediately hidden in a safe place!"
Amid the sudden scolding, Eloise didn't even notice he was using informal speech.
"Uh... I'm a civil servant, though."
In emergencies, civil servants must rescue citizens regardless of rank.
"Sigh... Eloise, you're not just any civil servant."
Gerard sighed and wiped the dirt off her cheek.
In that moment, a sharp electric tingle ran through Eloise's cheek.
'Huh?'
Her back stiffened at the reaction similar to the healing moment.
'Am I awakening already?'
Eloise looked up at Gerard with eyes mixed with expectation and anxiety.
If he had felt the healing power too?
'He'd be super surprised.'
But Gerard just looked down at her with a serious expression.
'It must have been just static electricity.'
Once she concluded that, another question arose.
"I am just an ordinary civil servant, though."
His jaw clenched tightly.
He took a breath and spoke a beat late.
"You were ordinary until this morning, but now it's different. You saved this village."
Gerard turned his body slightly.
Then he could see people relieved after confirming their families and friends' safety, and others grateful to be alive, with bright expressions.
A shiver ran through Eloise's body.
Gerard stood close behind her and whispered in her ear.
"These are the people you saved."
Eloise slowly shook her head.
"You did it, Gerard. I just... told you what I knew."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come here. So, Eloise, you stopped the Green Hole crisis today. All thanks to you. Well done."
Gerard's praise was sweeter than honey.
Eloise's cheeks flushed.
It was the first time in her life she'd heard such praise.
"Mom, that big sis saved me! Thank you, sis!"
The child reunited with his mom raised and waved his hand energetically.
The child's mother bowed repeatedly to Eloise.
Their eyes brimmed with gratitude.
The moment she realized it, the tip of Eloise's nose tingled.
Moving, proud.
And at the same time, a heavy sense of responsibility.
Eloise stood for a moment, watching the people sharing their happiness.
"But Eloise, how did you know the hole would open?"
Eloise's smile slowly faded.
"That... I just kinda knew from looking."
It was a terribly flimsy explanation.
Eloise racked her brains, preparing for follow-up questions.
"I see."
"Yes?"
"No more work here, so let's head back to the Magic Management Bureau."
"Wait! You're not going to ask more?"
"You said you knew from looking. Right?"
"Yeah..."
"So, let's go back."
Gerard believing her so easily seemed suspicious.
But if he pressed, it would be trouble for Eloise.
'There'll be a chance to explain properly later. Maybe he's letting it slide because he's busy.'
Right then, seeing Gerard check his watch,
Eloise's heart sank again.
"Oh no! What time is it now?"
In the fear of the Green Hole outbreak, she had forgotten a crucial fact.
Low-level civil servants don't have long lunch breaks, and leaving the workplace without permission is grounds for discipline!
While running around to prevent the Green Hole crisis, she thought discipline was no big deal.
But now that it was resolved, the practical problem loomed large.
Eloise grabbed Gerard's robe.
"Gerard, please take me back."
"Eloise, you don't need to rush back. Of course, you have work, but..."
"No! It's urgent! The team leader must be back by now? I said I'd go eat something delicious outside today. It's a popular place, so there might be a line, but still, he should be back. I need to get promoted, and he's already got it in for me."
From Eloise's machine-gun-like words, Gerard picked out the key info.
That her team leader was giving her a hard time.
That she wanted a promotion.
Both were things Gerard could easily fix.
Eloise had foreseen the Green Hole.
And prevented the disaster it would cause.
With those two facts, she would become a star at the Disaster Response Headquarters.
Vice Director Morgana, who was so smart she seemed cunning, wouldn't leave it alone.
Was this a good opportunity for him too?
'Perhaps.'
Gerard subtly raised the corner of his mouth without Eloise noticing.
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