The One Who Calls Himself El

Rosalia opened her eyes, blinking her eyes several times.

She then held her head, feeling a slight dizziness.

As her vision cleared, she realized she was lying on hard ground.

Propping herself up with one hand, she tried to get up.

But her strength hadn’t fully returned, so she couldn’t stand completely and could only sit.

She regulated her slightly heavy breathing, looking around to assess the situation.

What happened?

Everything around her was a mess. She felt like an explosion had just occurred where she was.

Rocks of various shapes, from large ones to those the size of her head, were scattered around her.

Trying to recall what had happened earlier, she finally realized that she had just escaped death.

“The assassins!”

She jolted in shock, suddenly filled with energy.

Looking around again, she found a human body lying not far from where she was.

Not just one—there were many.

Are they dead? What happened?

Rosalia could clearly remember being chased by the assassins sent by her family. They had cornered her until she was forced to crawl toward the cliff, betting everything on her survival.

After that…

I died… right? That man stabbed me… maybe?

Rosalia wasn’t entirely sure. She had failed to throw herself off the cliff, at least that’s what she thought.

She was also sure that when she was on the brink of death, one of the assassins managed to stab her with their weapon.

However, looking up, she realized she had fallen. Not only her, the assassins had also fallen. Judging by the height of the fall and the condition of their bodies, it was likely they were dead.

Huh? Then why am I still alive?

Rosalia checked her entire body, trying to see if she had any injuries or anything of the sort.

Her skin was as pale as she remembered. There was no change, not even on her aching head. She noticed a few strands of her black hair had fallen out, but that wasn’t something she needed to worry about right now.

But no matter where she touched or checked, she found no wounds at all. Even though she felt pain, she wasn’t injured in the slightest. Not only was she uninjured—she was one hundred percent alive.

What’s happening to me?

Even though she had managed to confirm her safety, Rosalia felt more confused and horrified.

Situations that didn’t make sense were something she disliked, and she hated having to guess what was actually happening.

“Your power awakened just in time. It saved you from those assassins. Unfortunately, that power went out of control and brought all of you to this place.”

Rosalia flinched in shock.

All of a sudden, she heard an unfamiliar voice.

Looking around in a panic, she found nothing.

She thought she had just misheard, then the voice came again.

“Sorry for startling you earlier. I’ve been watching you for a while. But I couldn’t find the right moment to greet you.”

“W-Who are you!? Where are you!?”

The voice sounded like that of a man, masculine and gentle.

Even though Rosalia was now sure she wasn’t hallucinating, she still couldn’t find anyone around her.

She cautiously looked toward the corpses of the assassins she assumed were dead.

She carefully counted the bodies, not noticing any missing. The bodies didn’t move either, which made her fairly certain they weren’t the ones speaking to her.

Is there another assassin?

She couldn’t rule out the possibility, which made her raise her alertness another level.

“I have nothing to do with the assassins who were chasing you. I didn’t want to do this so suddenly. But seeing your paranoia and wariness, it seems I have no other choice.”

What do you-

Rosalia was about to ask what the mysterious voice meant. But before she could say anything, she was startled by something suddenly appearing in front of her.

“Hk—”

Rosalia flinched backward, nearly falling over.

A black orb had suddenly appeared, floating in front of her.

The black orb wasn’t very large, no bigger than her head. On the side facing her was a white dot, large enough that Rosalia mistook it for an eye.

“W-Who are you? Are you a monster?”

Rosalia fumbled to reach for something at her waist. She wanted to draw the weapon that should have been there.

But she didn’t realize that the weapon she usually carried had long since fallen from her body.

“Monster? Oh dear, how cruel. I admit I look frightening and disgusting in this form. But I’m not a monster.”

The orb black replied casually. Although its words expressed disappointment, its tone didn’t sound offended at all.

Rosalia remained cautious, trying to slowly put some distance between herself and it before her.

“I-Is that so? Sorry, I’m just a bit confused right now.”

Rosalia felt awkward for a moment, unsure of what to say or how to react.

She didn’t sense any hostility, so she lowered her own guard slightly.

The situation around her was already incredibly confusing. And now, with the sudden appearance of this strange, unknown creature, her confusion felt complete.

“It’s fine. You’ve just been through a lot. I can understand your caution.”

The black orb spoke calmly. For a moment, Rosalia thought she saw the white dot form into a faint smile. But she quickly dismissed the thought, knowing it must have just been her imagination.

“I-I’m sorry if I offended you, but… do you live here?”

Rosalia grew more nervous. Not feeling any hostility from the creature in front of her didn't mean the crisis was over.

Right now, she had just mysteriously survived an attempt on her life by assassins.

She didn’t know what had happened or where she was. She wanted to avoid interaction with anyone for the time being.

“I don’t live here. Sorry, but it seems we won’t get anywhere unless I’m honest with you. Could you listen to me calmly?”

“Y-Yes. Of course.”

Rosalia wasn’t calm at all. After hearing those words, she felt even more unable to settle her anxiety.

“I’m not your enemy. I don’t even have the intention to be one. For now, let’s start with me. My name… you can call me El.”

“El?”

Rosalia repeated the name.

El? That’s a strange name.

Rosalia had lived long enough in this world to be familiar with its naming customs.

The name El sounded foreign and far too short.

However, since the creature before her wasn’t human, she assumed it was a matter of cultural difference.

“That’s right. Nice to meet you, Rosalia.”

El greeted her by saying her name. Rosalia paused for a moment before realizing what El had just said.

“!!”

My name!?

Rosalia immediately took a step back.

She repeated the same motion as before, reaching for something clearly missing from her waist.

“I knew you’d react like that. Please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t know you before. I know your name because of my ability.”

El spoke indifferently, seemingly unfazed by Rosalia’s reaction.

“Your ability? Can you read minds?”

Rosalia didn’t lower her guard, still suspicious of the creature that called itself El.

“Reading minds, huh? It’s something like that. It’s not that I’m peeking into your thoughts. It’s that you keep saying them yourself.”

“Excuse me?”

Rosalia didn’t understand what El meant. She didn’t recall ever saying her name—not even in her thoughts.

“As I said, my ability is something like that.”

“Who are you really?”

Rosalia couldn’t hold back anymore, so she asked directly.

There was something else that had started to worry her the moment this creature mentioned her name.

A piece of information only she knew. Even her family had no idea about it.

If he knows that, then…

Rosalia’s expression hardened. She didn’t have any weapons on her. She had no idea what this creature’s abilities were. Even though it looked like a harmless floating orb, she had no intention of underestimating it.

She truly didn’t want to fight right now.

“As I’ve said, I’m not your enemy.”

El tried to reassure her, but Rosalia didn’t seem to let go of her suspicion.

“I don’t intend to harm you because I am your contracted spirit.”

Then, El’s next words made Rosalia unintentionally lower her guard, shocked by what the creature had just said.

Those were words that sounded familiar—familiar enough for her to understand and be taken aback.

“Contracted… spirit?”