The Ranger Awakens

Mo Linyu heard the commotion from the bedroom, so she paused her livestream.

Upon entering the room, she found Su Luoli sprawled on the floor, eyes rolled back, appearing utterly unresponsive as if her brain had yet to boot up.

“Loli’s dead?”

Li Yue replied, “No, I believe she’s still breathing.”

Uncertain, she even brought her hand closer to Su Luoli’s nose, checking for a breath.

“Yes, she’s definitely alive, just unconscious.”

“So, what exactly happened?”

“I sneezed and bumped into her.”

“Huh?”

Mo Linyu’s face registered utter disbelief.

“Why are you looking at me like that? That’s precisely what happened.

Perhaps we should try pinching her philtrum; see if that wakes her up?”

Li Yue, too, couldn’t quite fathom it.

She had only lightly bumped Su Luoli, so how could it have knocked her unconscious?

“What? Your head must be made of iron then.”

Even as Mo Linyu grumbled, Su Luoli, still clutching her head, suddenly opened her eyes, then agilely rolled over, retreating to the edge of the bedroom bed.

“Ah, she’s awake.”

Li Yue spoke, but Su Luoli stared at her with astonishment.

“Moon?!”

“…Wait, what did you just call me?”

Only her companions from the other world would address her by that name.

From that single exclamation, Mo Linyu also grasped the current situation.

“Oh, my? Has she regained her past life’s memories?”

“What past life…”

Su Luoli said, clutching her head, but no sooner had she spoken than she seemed to realize something, murmuring,

“Hmm, what language am I even speaking?”

This question utterly bewildered Li Yue, who replied, “Hm? Chinese?”

“Chinese?”

Su Luoli remained perplexed.

“Wait, is this… me?”

She glanced towards the full-length mirror on Li Yue’s wardrobe, staring in disbelief at her reflection, even reaching out to touch her own cheek.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Li Yue was somewhat bewildered by the situation, but Mo Linyu seemed to have surmised something.

“Do you remember your name?”

Despite the oddness of the question, Su Luoli still answered,

“I am Alezno, a ranger and a companion of the Hero.”

“Huh? Alezno?”

Now it was Li Yue’s turn to feel utterly astonished.

She had always assumed that a habitual thief like Su Luoli must be a demon, yet it turned out she had first drawn one of her former teammates.

With a sigh, she asked, “You don’t have a habit of stealing, do you?”

Su Luoli shook her head, clearly still somewhat disoriented by the situation; however, with “Hero Moon” right before her, she remained remarkably calm.

Even though the room before her bore no resemblance to any she had ever known.

“Habits are acquired, and it was her experiences in this life that turned her into a thief.”

Mo Linyu dismissed it, but then her tone shifted.

“Still, my personality isn’t much different from my past life, is it?”

“What? How would I know? I have no idea what you were like in your past life.”

Li Yue rolled her eyes, reluctant to appear overly familiar in front of Alezno.

Truthfully, she didn’t know much about the Demon Lord; their only real encounter had been during the final battle, and anything else she knew was mere hearsay from her adventuring days.

But that wasn’t the point.

“So, what exactly is going on?”

“How foolish, Hero~ Can you still not comprehend?”

Mo Linyu explained, “Though we don’t know why, upon awakening her memories, she failed to retain any from this lifetime or her current self.

And we have no idea how to restore them.”

Li Yue looked at Alezno.

In her past life, she had been a golden-haired elf; Li Yue couldn’t quite recall her exact features, but even the least attractive elves were still stunning compared to humans, so she certainly wouldn’t have been ugly.

It wasn’t that her feelings had faded, causing her to forget a companion’s appearance; rather, Alezno was simply a person who struggled to leave a lasting impression.

It was, surprisingly, a good thing that the teammate with the weakest presence was the first to be found.

Mo Linyu stood before Alezno, hands on her hips, and declared with full-throated conviction,

“Listen closely, Ranger! You have already died once!

That unfamiliar body serves as the undeniable proof! It is the very form you possess in this current life!”

Alezno heard her clearly, yet her brows subtly drooped with a hint of sadness.

“…So that’s how it is. I truly did die once.”

She recalled her memories from before her death.

She had been tracked by a giant wolf, which eventually caught up and killed her.

After death, she had spent a considerable amount of time in a daze, only just now opening her eyes, and upon reawakening, she saw Hero Moon.

However, before she could process or organize her thoughts, Mo Linyu continued her booming declaration.

“And I, this lady standing before you, am none other than the Demon Lord you and your companions so desperately sought to vanquish!”

‘The Demon Lord?’

Alezno’s pupils instantly constricted, and she crouched into an attack stance, casting a bewildered glance at Li Yue.

Though she gritted her teeth and tensed her muscles, she did not rashly attack Mo Linyu.

“Oh, quite rational, aren’t we?”

Mo Linyu clapped, applauding her reaction, and added, “I thought you’d pounce straight away, like the brats of this era.”

“…Before I make a move, I need someone to explain the situation.”

Alezno replied thus, then looked back at Li Yue.

“Moreover, if I were to fight you just like this, Moon would likely be in a very difficult position.”

“…Yes, indeed.”

Li Yue, thus referenced, had no choice but to speak, though she also complained to Mo Linyu.

“Demon Lord… did you really expose your identity so easily?”

“Oh? Is there any need to conceal my identity?”

Mo Linyu’s haughty aura overwhelmed Li Yue, and she continued,

“Besides, these words must come from me, as you surely couldn’t bring yourself to say them.

Explaining to your former companion that you are now cooperating with the Demon Lord’s reincarnation? That would be quite difficult for you, wouldn’t it?”

It would indeed be very difficult.

“Could it be that you did this for me…?”

Li Yue shook her head, pressing a hand to her forehead. “I truly am at your mercy.”

Alezno scrutinized the girl who claimed to be the Demon Lord, observing her from head to toe.

She had no horns on her forehead; she was human.

As a reincarnation, it made sense that she was no longer a demon and lacked horns…

Alezno seemed to realize something, and she looked at the “Demon Lord,” asking,

“Wait, if you are the reincarnation of the Demon Lord, then that means…”

Understanding Alezno’s implication, Mo Linyu did not deny it; she still openly admitted,

“Precisely. Like you, I am someone who has died once; I was slain by the Hero with her holy sword.”

Alezno looked at Li Yue, who was on the bed.

“Moon, you succeeded!”

Her words brimmed with joy, yet Li Yue couldn’t share the sentiment.

“…But you both died.”

“Clearly, the Goddess granted you an opportunity to mend your regrets, which is why I am here.”

Alezno visibly relaxed.

She gently pulled out a chair, sat facing Li Yue and Mo Linyu, and even reached up to smooth her disheveled hair.

Though no longer an elf in this lifetime, her every movement exuded an “elegance” entirely absent in Su Luoli.

“Now, please, explain the situation.”