Chapter 04 

Kai kindly delivered the finishing blow.

“Lady Rachel Teresa is dead. She died this morning.”

Ahaha. Great. Amazing.
The heroine died before the story even properly started.

… Then who’s supposed to save this doomed world now?

“That can’t be right.”

How can a plot break this badly? This wasn’t just broken—it was shattered beyond recognition.

Rachel wasn’t someone who would die so easily.

She had the ability to turn back time.

She was the only person who could save humanity in the original story.

‘And she’s dead?’

The strongest heroine… died?

“Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure the heroine—I mean Rachel—is dead?”

“She was found this morning. Mauled horribly by a monster.”

“And… and then what…?”

Kai hesitated before answering.

“…I put her out of her misery myself. So she wouldn’t suffer anymore.”

“AAAAAH!! Are you insane? You ARE insane, aren’t you?! Of all people—you shouldn’t have been the one to do that!!”

What kind of male lead kills the female lead?!

I collapsed onto the floor.

Kai looked at me like I’d gone completely crazy.
I didn’t care.

It was over.

This world was completely, utterly doomed.

My original plan had been simple:

Let the heroine and hero meet,
let them save the world.
and I’d go relax on a warm southern island until everything blew over.

But with the heroine dead, that plan exploded into dust.

Forget my plan—I was about to get trapped on this ship and turn into a monster.

“This is a dream. It has to be a dream!”

If I opened my eyes again, I’d be lying on a luxury bed in a luxurious cabin.

Rich! Noble! Pampered!

‘Or maybe I’ll get transmigrated again!’

If I died now, who would know? Maybe I’d pop into a cute childcare novel… or a refreshing revenge story?

The thought weirdly calmed me.

“Hahaha! Let’s die! Come on, death!”

Dear God, next time I transmigrate, please give me a fluffy child-rearing story!

I slammed my forehead into the floor repeatedly.

Suddenly, warmth pressed against my forehead.

“Stop. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Kai’s large hand covered my head.

“I need you alive. You promised to help save people.”

His sincere, upright eyes stared straight at me.

But I turned away.

“I can’t do it.”

Only the heroine could save the world.

And now she was dead.

What could a tiny extra like me possibly do?

“I can’t. I told you. Without the heroine—without Rachel—I can’t do anything…”

“No. You can.”

His reply was firm.

Kai pulled me to my feet.

“You know what the monsters are, and you know how they can be turned back.”

Well… yes.
Not because this body created the virus,
but because I read the original novel thirty times.

“I’ll be with you. You may not manage alone, but with me, you can.”

He sounded so certain that even my crumpled heart wanted to believe him.

“…And in case you forgot, you don’t have a choice. Otherwise, I have no reason to keep you alive.”

“Ugh.”

Way to ruin the touching moment.

He really didn’t need to remind me of that.

I had been getting emotional… and he just stomped it into the ground.

Still, I felt lighter than before.

‘Fine. Let’s do what I can.’

For my favorite character, who was now stuck in this insane world alone.

“What’s the situation now? What about the knights? Are the zones properly quarantined? How many survivors are left?”

My rapid-fire questions made Kai frown.

“Netty Curtis, I still don’t trust you fully. You think I’d just share classified military information—”

“Your Highness, why are you being like this? We’re on the same boat—literally! Do you WANT to hold hands with me and turn into monsters together?!”

If we didn’t escape the ship, both of us would end up monster chow.

Even if Kai was strong, he couldn’t fight thousands of monsters alone.

This was about survival.

I stared at him until he cracked.

“…Just this once.”

He reluctantly told me the situation.

It was even worse than I imagined.

In the original novel, even after the first monsters appeared, the ship held out for several days.

Because Kai had personally organized strict quarantines between sections.

But now?

“…The containment line collapsed?!”

It hadn’t even been a full day since the virus appeared.

“It collapsed an hour ago. I barely escaped with my life.”

I grabbed Kai’s hand calmly.

And smiled.

“Hahaha.”

We’re screwed.

All it takes is losing the heroine, and the entire world goes chaotic.

An extra like me—how am I supposed to survive?

The ship had four main zones:

Zone 1—where the virus first broke out
Zone 2—where Kai and I were now
Zone 3—the knights’ headquarters
Zone 4 – navigation room and main facilities

If Zone 1’s line had already been breached…

‘Then this place will soon be crawling with monsters.’

We couldn’t waste even a second.

“Let’s go, Your Highness. We need to reach Zone 3 before it’s too late!”

I dragged Kai out into the hallway.

There wasn’t a single person in sight.

“Where is everybody? Why is it so quiet?”

“This was the first area sealed off when monsters appeared. Did you not know?”

…No.
Of course I didn’t.

Not only the quarantine—
I didn’t even know monsters had appeared until Kai showed up.

I had drunk until dawn yesterday and slept like a corpse.

Even now, my body still smelled faintly of alcohol.

Kai sighed after hearing my explanation.

“You really were just a clueless low-level researcher. Abandoned by your comrades and capable of falling asleep without a care.”

He sounded extremely disappointed.

I mean, sure… but…

Who could resist a midnight fireworks show and a luxurious cruise ship party?!

Anyway, my noble prince clearly had no understanding of nightlife.

I clicked my tongue and pushed him forward.

“Come on! Before more monsters show up!”

***

—Bang!

Kai shot a monster straight through its forehead.

‘Wow. He nailed it on the first try?’

I was genuinely impressed.

Just earlier, I told him about the monster’s weak spot:

‘Aim between the eyes. Right between the eyebrows. One precise shot and it dies instantly.’

But still—hitting it perfectly the first time?

Amazing.

He then killed two more monsters rushing toward us in quick succession.

Then he glanced back.

“Let go of me. You’re in the way.”

I slowly removed my hands from his back.

His warm, solid presence immediately drifted away.

“I’m scared. What if you leave me behind and forget I exist?”

“Why would I leave? You’re my…”

Kai suddenly stopped speaking.

Curious, I poked his side.

“What am I? Your what?”

His answer nearly made my soul leave my body.

“My hostage, of course. Why would I abandon such a valuable hostage? I need to drag you back to the capital for judgment.”

…He was planning to haul me to the capital?!

“You said you’d pardon me if I cooperated!”

“I said your sentence could be reduced. When did I promise a pardon? Netty Curtis, your crimes aren’t small enough to disappear so easily.”

This was fraud! FRAUD!

I glared at him angrily.

“Your Highness, are you serious? I thought we were helping each other! If this is how you treat me, I don’t really feel like helping you!”

“Then I guess I should just execute you immediately—”

“GYAAAH! Wait! I misspoke! Of course I’ll help you! Happily! Cheerfully!”

I hurried to walk beside him.

“…Well. If you do well, I’ll consider a pardon.”

He said it one moment too late, making it ten times more annoying.

Surviving in this monster-infested ship was hard enough—
Now I had to navigate Kai’s mood swings too?

‘I need to show him how useful I am… damn it. Isn’t there any way?’

Since leaving Zone 2, we’d encountered monsters several times.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything.

I’d asked him for a gun earlier.
and he’d only snapped, “Don’t try anything funny.”

Eventually, maybe because I kept whining,
He gave me a frying pan from a nearby restaurant.

A frying pan. Seriously.

What was I supposed to do with it? Fry eggs?

I sighed at the tiny pan.

Kai obviously still didn’t trust me.

Of course, from his perspective, I was a suspected spy.

Still… it hurt my feelings.

So I held the frying pan in one hand
and clung to the hem of Kai’s coat with the other
as we kept moving forward.

Kai handled every monster we met with flawless aim.

But when we finally got close to our destination—

A new problem appeared.

“Your Highness… Are my eyes broken? I keep seeing weird things.”

“Unfortunately, your eyes are perfectly fine.”

We were looking down from an open deck.

Far ahead, towering barricades marked the entrance to Zone 3.

Knights seemed to be guarding it behind the barricades.

Only a few more minutes of walking—
but between us and the entrance…

…monsters.

Hundreds of them.

“Why… why are they all gathered HERE?”

A rough count put them at easily over a hundred.

Going back to Zone 2 would’ve been safer.

“…Don’t tell me.”

Kai’s eyes sharpened as he scanned the monsters.

His jaw clenched hard.

And he ground out one name:

“Nicholas. That bastard.”