<Episode 64>

“How do you expect me to know whether you’ll tell me the truth or not, Lord Dekarv?”

“Because I protect you.”

At Eveline’s dry response, Dekarv looked at her with genuine amusement. His eyes narrowed into crescents as he smiled, wiping his lips with a finger.

“You are saidI your masterpiece, Lord Dekarv.”

“That’s right. You’re my most cherished creation.”

“You chose me to bring to this island, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Dekarv stood up.

Despite his towering height, Eveline didn’t flinch and met his gaze steadily. She believed that a god who was meant to protect her wouldn’t be a threat. She looked him in the eyes without fear.

Dekarv seemed pleased by her unwavering gaze, grinning widely again.

“Since when?”

“The ban.”

“Even the gods have restrictions among themselves, don’t they?”

“Yes.”

Eveline recalled that she had been asleep for a week after he had saved her last time.

“Has the punishment for helping me been completed? You said it would take about a week.”

“Well, it’s something that ends after a suitable period. I woke up this time because those on the other side tried to handle things unfairly.”

Dekarv’s large hand roughly patted the top of her head, making Eveline feel like her skull might crack under the pressure if he applied more force.

“Is it because of me?”

“Now that you know, stop making me worry. Why do you keep leaving your gun behind?”

“…I fainted this time, so I didn’t mean to.”

The way he treated her, almost like an older colleague from her previous life, felt strange. He was treating her like a child, and it made her uneasy.

“So, it’s true. Only one person can leave this island alive.”

Dekarv looked at her intently. His red eyes seemed to pierce straight through her.

“Did you know that your red hair was my choice?”

“….”

“And it’s my power that made you an Omega.”

“That’s not the answer to my question.”

Eveline didn’t break eye contact, continuing to confront him, and this made him smile once again.

“If you win, I’ll reincarnate the others in a different way.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I have to win. And for that to happen, you need to win.”

Eveline frowned, rejecting the meaning behind his words.

He gave a wry smile, patting her head firmly again.

“Make sure you win. It’s the best outcome for all of you.”

“You mean, *my* winning?”

“Yes.”

Eveline’s gaze trembled in confusion as she looked at Dekarv, but he began to fade, becoming more distant.

“Wait!”

“The allotted time is over.”

“Lord Dekarv!”

As Eveline shouted, he smiled again, clearly satisfied.

“We’ll meet again soon.”

With that, he vanished completely, and Eveline snapped back to reality.

* * *

“My lady!”

When she regained consciousness, someone was calling out to her.

“Are you alright?”

It was Crown Prince Ferite, holding her with a worried expression.

Even as he spoke, he was moving, though Eveline’s vision remained blurry. The landscape around them seemed to flow past as they moved.

“I feel nauseous.”

“Endure it. It seems like two Alphas are getting close.”

Despite her blurry vision, Eveline tried to steady her mind.

It was clear now—only one person could leave the island alive. Dekarv was her guardian god, and there was no reason for him to lie.

This meant that Abellard, Elkais, and even Ferite—all of them had to die for her to survive.

As this realization settled in, Eveline suddenly clenched her hand. Something was there. As her vision cleared, she realized it was a gun.

A fully loaded Desert Eagle, the safety completely off.

If you win, I’ll reincarnate the others in a different way.

If Dekarv’s words were true, perhaps it was best to kill Ferite here and now.

“My lady?”

Eveline pressed the barrel of the gun against Ferite’s chin.

“What are you doing?”

He asked, confusion spreading across his face.

Ferite chuckled as if he didn’t quite understand what was happening, continuing to move swiftly. Eveline thought she should pull the trigger. But she couldn’t. He looked at her with an innocent expression, completely unaware of her intentions.

She realized she didn’t want to live that desperately.

Eveline’s mind flashed back to why she became a police officer.

She had lived as someone weak, and she wanted to stand up for others like her. That’s why she entered the police academy.

The world was full of unfairness, and no one listened to the cries of the powerless. She couldn’t stand the idea of the weak being mocked, so she became a police officer.

Up until the day she died in the line of duty, she had never regretted her decision.

She had always wanted to die honorably and had never thought that a life of sacrifice was foolish.

Even though the world laughed at those who were weak and powerless, she wanted to help them, to be their strength.

That was why she had chosen this path.

But what was this now? Was killing really the only option?

Eveline felt ashamed that she was crying.

She didn’t want to kill.

She had never wanted to kill anyone. She had worked so hard to save people, not to take their lives.

“My lady?”

“I want to kill you, Your Highness.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because it’s not the right thing to do.”

Ferite gave a bitter smile and then stopped walking.

Eveline lowered the gun, and he gently set her down.

Ferite waited for her to raise the gun again, but she didn’t.

“Why don’t you attack? I even set you down to make it easier.”

“Because I don’t want to kill.”

“Ah, so it was the motion sickness that made you hate me this much?”

“Yes.”

“Hahaha.”

Ferite laughed again, oblivious to the deeper conflict within her.

Eveline felt even more miserable because of his laughter. Why did it have to be her?

“My lady.”

Ferite stepped closer and wiped the tears from her cheek.

“I believe that the reason we’re here, and the reason you became an Omega, is because of divine intervention.”

“Ugh…”

Eveline tried to speak, but the divine restriction silenced her.

“Did you see a god when you fainted in front of the temple earlier?”

Once again, she couldn’t answer, remaining quiet.

“I don’t know what you saw, but gods are liars.”

“And how would you know that?”

“I don’t believe in any gods. They’re selfish and deceitful.”

“That’s an odd thing for a crown prince to say.”

Eveline laughed at his words. After all, the ones who supported his royal status were the representatives of the three gods.

“I’m only telling the truth because it’s you, Lady Eveline.”

“Why would gods lie?”

“They lie to achieve their own goals, disguising it as something noble.”

Eveline wanted to step away, uncomfortable with how close Ferite had come while wiping her tears. But when she tried to move, he only stepped closer.

“You look distressed, my lady. If it’s because of what you saw, don’t believe it.”

“Your Highness.”

“There was a time when all three temples delivered oracles at once.”

Eveline instinctively tried to pull away when he grabbed her hand, but something in his eyes stopped her.

She hid the gun behind her, suspecting he might try to take it from her.

“It was about choosing the primary god to worship in the empire.”

Eveline knew the story. In the past, the three gods had competed over the Croppers Empire.

“You’re aware of it.”

“Yes.”

The god who received the most offerings would govern the empire. However, the wise emperor of the time had offered equal amounts to all three temples, leaving all the gods both victors and losers.

And because of that…

“That’s how I became the Crown Prince.”

Before Ferite’s birth, all other imperial princes and princesses had died, supposedly angering the gods.

“The oracle made it sound like the contest was for the good of the empire, but it was just a game between the gods.”

Eveline felt herself calming down as Ferite continued.

“I don’t know what you saw, or why you’re so sad right now. But if it’s because of something a god said, don’t believe it.”

“Your Highness.”

“Don’t trust the gods. Trust yourself. Do what you believe is right.”

His words soothed Eveline, and she felt her heart steady.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ferite smiled and released her hand. Eveline unchambered the gun and reengaged the safety before tucking it into her belt.

Just then—

“Eveline.”

Elkais had arrived, though she hadn’t realized how close he was.

“Eve!”

Abellard, his face drenched with sweat, was rushing toward her as well.

“Damn.”

At that moment, an ice barrier rose in front of them.

“What now? If it’s Duke de Robein, I’m not confident I can win this one”

Ferite said with a wry smile as he looked at Eveline.