Viola was left completely stunned.
She circled Ezekiel slowly, her eyes wide as she tried to process what she was seeing.
With his white hair falling softly over his forehead, thin silver glasses resting on his nose and making his eyes appear smaller, and that gentle, almost harmless face paired with a noticeably smaller frame, he looked like a completely different person.
If someone saw him now, they would probably mistake him for a teenager.
Not the powerful ranker who once stood at the very top.
Not the man who had survived countless battles and walked out of dungeons soaked in blood.
Just a quiet, slightly frail fresh graduate student who looked like he spent more time reading books than fighting monsters.
It was almost unbelievable.
"What do you think?" Ezekiel asked, adjusting his glasses as he tested the balance of his altered height.
Viola blinked twice before she found her voice.
"Yeah… I think they definitely won't recognize you like this."
He nodded once. That was all he needed to hear.
After confirming that the first step of their plan had succeeded, Ezekiel removed the earrings. His body gradually returned to its original build, his shoulders broadening, his presence sharpening. The contrast felt even more dramatic now that they had seen both versions side by side.
They discarded the temporary disguises and changed back into their ordinary clothes.
The afternoon passed quietly after that.
They sat in the living room with papers spread across the table. Documents, possible locations, backup plans, alternative routes. Every step was discussed carefully, organized with precision. Neither of them wanted to leave room for mistakes.
Time slipped by without either of them noticing.
Until—
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Rapid noises echoed from upstairs.
Elizabeth came flying down the stairs and ran straight to Viola, wrapping her arms around her tightly.
"I want food! I want food!" she declared loudly. "Can you cook that steak you made a few days ago?"
Viola blinked in surprise and glanced at the clock.
It was already past dinner time.
"Oh no," she muttered. "I didn't even realize."
She quickly stood up. "Yes, I'll make it for you now."
Elizabeth beamed triumphantly.
Viola hurried toward the kitchen, leaving Ezekiel and Elizabeth alone in the living room.
For a brief moment, silence settled between them.
Ezekiel had clearly seen what just happened. The way Elizabeth clung to Viola. The way Viola responded so naturally, without hesitation.
But the moment Viola disappeared into the kitchen, he lowered his gaze and pretended to focus on the documents in front of him.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.
Thinking he could not see her, she crossed her arms and let out an irritated scoff.
"Tsk. What a pathetic man."
Ezekiel's fingers paused for half a second before continuing to shuffle the papers.
"You don't deserve her one bit," Elizabeth continued, her voice dripping with disdain. "If Viola showed that kind of devotion to me, I would have taken her to my domain. I would treat her as a high-ranking individual. She would be showered with respect, riches and authority."
Ezekiel remained still, his expression unreadable as he kept pretending to read.
Inside, however, he was slightly taken aback.
What exactly was this little dragon talking about?
Elizabeth stepped closer.
"If you weren't pathetic, how could you let those weaklings stab you in the back and kill you?" she said mockingly. Her golden eyes narrowed. "Maybe that's why you never survived in the past. Even before your world was about to be destroyed."
She leaned forward until her face was only inches from his.
"And Viola? She's just an ordinary human. Yet she lasted longer than you."
Ezekiel's grip on the paper tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Should I just find another worthy man for Viola?" Elizabeth mused aloud. "Someone strong. Someone capable. Someone who won't die like you did."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Or…"
Her lips curved.
"There's also the option where I take Viola for myself."
It was not a joke.
Elizabeth genuinely liked Viola.
Very much.
She stepped even closer, invading his personal space, and made a childish face at him, sticking out her tongue.
"Blehhh. I don't like you. I don't like youuuuu."
At that exact moment—
"Hey guys, dinner's ready!"
Viola's cheerful voice echoed from the kitchen as she walked back into the living room.
She froze for a second.
Elizabeth and Ezekiel were standing extremely close to each other.
"Oh my," Viola said warmly. "So you two are friends already? That's good to hear."
Elizabeth whipped her head toward Viola.
"What are you talking about, Viola? This human can't even—"
That was when Ezekiel slowly lifted his head.
He turned.
Face to face with Elizabeth.
Their eyes met.
Directly.
Elizabeth froze.
Her smug expression shattered instantly.
"…No way."
Her eyes widened.
"You… you can see me?!"
She jumped back, pointing at him in shock.
Ezekiel gave a small, awkward nod.
Silence filled the room.
Elizabeth's mind raced.
No. That's impossible.
She had cast the concealment spell herself. A divine-layer concealment. Only Viola in this world should have been able to see and hear her.
That was the condition.
That was the rule.
Unless—
Her expression darkened.
"Don't tell me… that bastard interfered with this again?!" she muttered under her breath, panic flashing across her face.
Elizabeth staggered back another step, completely horrified.
The Great Ruler.
A being who is equivalent to a god in her world.
Was left on shock.
By a supposedly pathetic human.
Meanwhile, Viola looked between the two in confusion.
"Wait… what's going on?"
Elizabeth slowly turned toward Viola, her expression shifting rapidly into forced innocence.
"N-Nothing!" she said quickly.
But her eyes kept darting back to Ezekiel.
The pathetic man she had mocked earlier was no longer someone she could ignore.
Because now, he was the only other person in this world who could see her.
---
After that awkward encounter, dinner was painfully quiet.
Elizabeth did not make a single joke. She avoided eye contact with Ezekiel entirely, focusing on her plate as if it held the secrets of the universe.
It was obvious she was avoiding him.
The atmosphere at the table felt stiff, almost brittle.
Viola sensed the strange tension immediately, though she had no idea what had happened while she was in the kitchen.
Trying to lighten the mood, she forced a smile.
"It's nice that you finally got out of your room, Eli. Why not limit your screen time from now on and play with me or Ezekiel instead?"
She spoke in the same tone one would use with a child.
"No! I don't want to!" Elizabeth rejected immediately, her response sharp and defensive.
Viola sighed inwardly.
Great. That made it worse.
It seems like I just made the atmosphere even more awful, she thought.
She turned to Ezekiel, hoping he would at least smooth things over.
But his expression was no better.
His face was set in a serious, unreadable look, far colder than usual. He ate quietly, his posture straight, his movements controlled.
Viola looked between the two of them and felt her appetite disappearing.
She slowly continued eating, barely tasting the food she had cooked herself.
The tension between them was so thick it felt almost suffocating.
I think I'm going to get indigestion at this rate…
Viola thought miserably as she forced down another bite, stuck between a sulking dragon and a man whose thoughts she could no longer read.