Chapter 10 

Kai and I hid on the upper deck—one of the few places the monsters couldn’t climb up to.

Keeping my voice low, I asked him urgently:

“What was that earlier? You said Rachel was dead. You said you ended her suffering yourself.”

But now, Rachel was staggering across the deck—drooling black saliva, her once-white dress now a torn rag. Her hair looked like it had survived an explosion.

And yet…
She was still unbelievably beautiful.

Ugh. This isn’t how I wanted to see the heroine again.

The person who should’ve been by Kai’s side wasn’t me.
It should’ve been Rachel—the wise, brave heroine who overcomes every trial.

Not me, a side character so irrelevant I didn’t even get a one-line description in the original novel.

Why did this story kill off the heroine at the beginning?!
What ending is it even aiming for?

Kai looked just as shaken.

“I made sure she was dead. How did she turn into a monster? ”

“Did you… confirm it properly? ”

“I shot three magic bullets into her skull. No one survives that.”

“You didn’t have to describe it so vividly…”

I grimaced and studied Rachel.

Around her neck, swinging over her blood-soaked dress, was a silver pendant.

Ah.
There it was.

“The pendant. That’s the cause.”

“Pendant?”

“Yes. Look at Rachel’s neck. That pendant—there’s only one in the entire world. It’s a sacred relic.”

The greatest treasure in the continent, according to the original novel.

A pendant that could turn back time.

Called the Blessing of God, it was passed down the line of holy women.

And Rachel had been the final descendant of that sacred lineage.

In the mid-to-late part of the novel, Rachel awakens her powers and uses the relic to save the empire.

But that’s far later in the story.

She died early because she hadn’t yet awakened her abilities.

I sighed with genuine pity.

“When she died, the pendant must’ve reacted to her last feelings. It rewound her time to the moment before she was shot.”

Kai quickly added, almost defensively:

“She asked me to kill her before she turned into a monster.”

“Even if she did… near-death regret is real. Anyone would instinctively wish to live at the final moment.”

At any rate:

Rachel revived
turned into a monster
and still had the sacred relic.

“We can’t just leave such a powerful treasure behind…”

I anxiously chewed my lip.

Kai stared at me sharply.

“How do YOU know that necklace is important? ”

“That’s because I read this novel over thir—
No, no. Because I was a… lowly researcher of Bellerotte. Haha.”

“……”

His gaze felt like it was burning into my face.

I hurried to justify myself.

“But I’ve repented now! I’m on your side, right? And we need that pendant to protect the empire, the way you—and yes, the way we—want! ”

But before I could finish—

–GRRRRHHHH.

Rachel had spotted us and screeched, swiping the air violently.

I shut my eyes and made up my mind.

“O-okay, um… Kai? ”

“Yes?”

“P-please… take care of her…”

I’m sorry, Rachel!

Not once, but twice now I was making her die.

Even if she was a monster now, asking the male lead to kill the heroine felt terrible.

Kai, not knowing my turmoil, raised his gun immediately.

“Shooting will attract monsters. We’ll need to move fast.”

Watching him load magic bullets so calmly made guilt stab through my heart.

But we had no choice.

We had to survive.

Rachel… please forgive us from heaven.

***

“Ughhh!!”

I scrunched my entire face as I pulled the pendant from Rachel’s neck.

Then gently closed her eyes.

It wasn’t my fault… but it feels like it was.

She was supposed to save people with bright turquoise eyes and holy power. How did she end up like this?

With a small sigh, I bowed my head in mourning.

Then wiped the pendant on my collar and put it in my pocket.

“A three-second memorial is plenty! Now let’s go! ”

Kai raised an eyebrow at my sudden shift.

“…Are you always like that? ”

“Like what? ”

“So quick to adapt. You joke around even in situations like this. Earlier too—you acted like this was all a game.”

That question hit harder than I expected.

“Ah, that’s because I…”

“Never mind. It’s not my business.”

Kai walked past me coldly.

“Hey! Where are you going? At least listen to my explanation! ”

“You’re a spy. Of course you’re calm. You probably predicted all of this.”

“No! I told you—I’m innocent! I was basically invisible! I was a nobody-level researcher! ”

“Enough.”

He cut me off with an icy tone that could freeze the ocean.

Wow. What is WITH him?

Maybe I really should’ve kept my favorite character on a pedestal instead of meeting him in person.

Good-looking? Yes.
Strong? Yes.
Amazing fighter? Absolutely.

But personality?

…Right. He was a walking iceberg.

Still, I couldn’t argue.

If I don’t act this lightly, I’m going to break.

Crying and despairing wouldn’t help me survive.

To stay sane in this brutal story…

I have to be a little crazy.

I swallowed my sigh and forced a bright smile.

“Kai! Kai! How will you find the lifeboat storage without me, hm? You need me! ”

“……”

“I know it doesn’t LOOK like I’m doing much, but I’m super helpful! Without me you’d be lost in this ship! You know that, right? Right? ”

I’d spent the last three weeks enjoying the cruise so much that I memorized the layout.

The lifeboat depot was included.

I stuck to Kai like glue.

He ignored me completely.

“Kai? Hellooo? Can you hear me? Knock knock, anyone home? ”

“……”

No response.

Fine.
I didn’t want to use this method, but he forced my hand.

I lowered my voice and channeled the obsessive male-lead stereotype.

“Kai… answer me. If you keep ignoring me, I might go insane. And once I snap, nobody wins. Don’t provoke me. Oh wait—monster behind us! A monster! Carry me! Carry me now! ”

Seeing a monster jump out from a stairwell, I immediately hugged Kai’s waist.

“See?! Don’t you dare underestimate my eyes. I detect monsters in HD! ”

“……”

“If you lose me, you’ll regret it. I’m like a cutting-edge GPS—built-in radar, smart sensor system—”

“…Let go. You’re crushing my organs.”

He pried my arms off with a pained expression.

Then—he crouched.

I immediately jumped onto his back.

Oooh. The view was amazing.

“Enemy spotted one hundred meters ahead! Four monsters! Sunlight exposure—movement slow! Turn right at the next block and go straight! ”

“Shut your mouth before I throw you off.”

“Oh? Does the voice navigation bother you? Sadly, this model doesn’t come with a mute function—KYAA!! Okay, okay! I’ll stop! Don’t throw me! ”

I shut my mouth only when I was seconds from being tossed into the sea.

Then Kai carried me through Zone 4.

We passed countless monsters, but thanks to the blinding sunset, they were moving sluggishly.

About an hour later—

“Kai! I think this is the entrance to the secret passage! ”

In the middle of the middle deck, I spotted a suspicious iron door.

But there was a problem.

“Kai… what do we do about this? ”