Ibnel lowered her head and covered her ears with both hands amidst the jeers pouring in from around her. She just wished for everything to end quickly in this moment.

It was then. The voice that pierced through all those sounds and awakened her thoughts.

“My lady!”

When Ibnel raised her head, she saw that the owner of that desperate cry was Lia. Even as blood streamed down her arm, she shouted again with all her might.

“Run to the entrance, my lady! I’ll buy you time.”

“I can’t, Lia.”

Ibnel shook her head. Without Aran, she couldn’t do anything.

“You can do it, my lady.”

‘Sister, you can do it.’

At that moment, hearing the words Aran used to say habitually when cheering her on in the past, she unconsciously lowered her hands that were covering her ears.

‘That can’t be.’

But contrary to that thought, Ibnel reflexively looked around. As if trying to find traces of her sister.

At that moment, instead of Aran, what caught her eye was Lia’s desperate face.

Even in a life-or-death situation where she could die by the monster, she was desperately trying to protect her.

‘She’s… protecting me.’

Looking back on the past few days, Lia had been like that since they first met.

Even in a situation where no one else paid any attention to someone like her, Lia took care of her with all her heart. Even when she herself had given up on herself, Lia was always kind.

‘Young lady, is it not to your taste? Shall I prepare something else?’

‘The sunlight is so nice today. Would you like to go out for a bit?’

‘I’m here. So don’t worry.’

Always with a warm smile, being a reliable support like her sister Aran.

‘But what am I doing now, so pathetically?’

Ibnel didn’t try to change the outcome that was already set. She just complied. The fact that this was a world inside a novel also played a part.

After all, this body and Lia were just characters.

‘No.’

The warm touch holding her hand was telling her that this was a living being, that blood.

At this moment, she painfully realized the truth she had been trying to ignore.

This was already her world, and she was now the owner of this body.

‘Are you going to lose someone who cares for you again so vainly?’

Losing a precious person before her eyes once in the past was enough. She didn’t want to let go helplessly again.

Ibnel gripped the revolver in her hand once more. At that moment, the voice that had been tormenting her so terribly echoed in her head again.

What are you holding the gun for, it asked.

“I want to protect, I want to… save.”

The moment Lia’s image overlapped with Aran’s last appearance, Ibnel slowly opened her closed eyes. Her red eyes, which had lost their vitality, were now shining brightly with their own light.

Those seated in the audience were busy mocking Lia, who was about to be eaten by the monster, and Ibnel, who was doing nothing.

“This is why you need to find a good master.”

“It’s really pitiful.”

“It’s a meaningless sacrifice since you can’t escape from monsters anyway.”

It was then.

Bang!

A single gunshot that pierced through those numerous voices.

The people’s gazes that were fixed on Lia turned to one place. It was the same for Shuher.

And at the end of it stood Ibnel, with her gun pointed towards the sky.

At that sight, Shuher unknowingly lowered his hand that was resting on his chin. He could see it at a glance. The air surrounding her had completely changed.

As if she had become a different person in an instant.

* * *

Ibnel lowered the gun barrel that was pointing towards the sky and aimed it at the monster. Her eyes were fixed solely on the monster without the slightest tremor.

“I’m your opponent. Don’t get it wrong.”

Although this body had never held a gun before, her posture was perfect without any unnecessary movements, as if showing the results of the training she had dedicated her entire past life to.

The trembling she used to feel just by looking at a gun had completely disappeared.

It was the image of Aran before she lost everything.

Not succumbing to any hardship, getting up again no matter how many times she fell, and shining the brightest when holding a gun.

As the monster paused its movement at the sudden gunshot, Ibnel didn’t miss the opportunity and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The quickly flying bullet hit the leg exactly as she intended, and the monster retreated a few steps from Lia, screaming in pain.

Seeing this, Ibnel hurriedly approached her side.

“Are you alright, Lia?”

“My lady, how did you…”

Lia, who had sensed her impending death, couldn’t believe the current situation. What kind of miracle had occurred.

Discovering the bleeding arm that must have been grazed by the claws, Ibnel tore the hem of her dress to wrap the wound. To stop the bleeding even a little.

“I’m sorry for getting you hurt. For involving you in this terrible situation.”

“No, I…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here soon.”

Lia saw Ibnel’s smile for the first time in a very long time. But it felt completely different from what she had seen so far.

Not the innocent smile from before Ibnel collapsed, but a strong will to protect was visible. Meeting that gaze, even the trembling that had consumed her body since facing the monster subsided.

In this situation where there seemed to be no hope, she suddenly thought that they could survive as Ibnel said.

“Stand away from me.”

“Yes.”

Lia nodded as if entranced and retreated backwards as told.

Ibnel then stood up with a hardened expression. The kindness she had shown to Lia was already gone.

The monster, perhaps confused by the sudden attack, was observing the two from a distance. Although its leg was hit, it was only bleeding, still glaring with those fierce eyes.

Taking her eyes off the monster, she slowly looked around at the audience. And at the end of that gaze was Shuher, sitting directly in front.

As soon as she saw his face, an uncontrollable anger arose. She could never forgive him for trying to push even Lia to her death.

“What’s so funny?”

Ibnel gripped the gun tightly in her hand and raised her voice once more so that everyone could hear.

“I asked, what’s so amusing that you’re laughing!”

The reason for staging this event could be sufficiently guessed from the information so far. It must be to widely announce that they had played with her like a toy and then killed her miserably.

To show that they were no longer the Caries that used to kneel and bow their heads in the past. They never had any intention of helping Aodin from the beginning.

‘No, whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter to me.’

If that was the case, they should have just reached out to her alone as originally planned.

The direction of Ibnel’s anger was aimed at Emperor Shuher, who had orchestrated this whole affair.

At this moment, it no longer mattered to her that she was destined to die, or that the person before her was the protagonist of this world.

“Is it so entertaining to watch us desperately fleeing from monsters, or being miserably killed by them?”

In that moment when only a silence accompanied by shock enveloped the arena, Ibnel opened her mouth towards Shuher, who had been mocking her.

“How are you any different from Aodin, whom Your Majesty cursed so much, throwing us powerless people as food for monsters?”

At those words, Shuher’s hand resting on the armrest twitched. As if touching a sore spot, cracks appeared in his relaxed smile.

The people seated in the audience reacted even before him.

Apparently quite upset, they poured out words vehemently in shared indignation. Some even flushed red as if they had heard shameful words.

“How dare she speak such vulgar words.”

“Just kill her, Your Majesty!”

“That’s not something a person from Aodin should dare to say!”

Despite the criticism pouring towards her, Ibnel only stared at Shuher. It was too early to get angry at just this much.

“Your Majesty said it, didn’t you? That Aodin is cowardly and despicable. But it doesn’t seem right for Your Majesty to say that, preparing such entertainment just to kill one person like me. After all, everyone here is equally cowardly and despicable.”

She deliberately kept mentioning comparisons to Aodin. Because she knew that would anger them the most.

“You said it would be boring and uninteresting, didn’t you?”

Ibnel asked leisurely while checking the remaining bullets in the gun. Shuher watched every skilled movement of her handling the gun without missing a detail.

That was the skill of an experienced expert who had held a gun for a long time.

“Then expect from now on. Because it’s going to get interesting from here.”

In order to protect, and also to give that damned emperor a taste of his own medicine, she who was destined to die here willingly decided to survive.

* * *

Ibnel aimed the gun barrel once more at the monster that was wary of her. Unlike the competition gun she usually used, it took time to get a feel for this one.

But there was one thing she could be certain of. She would definitely win this match.

Just as she always had until now.

The monster seemed to have changed its target to her, as it was now charging at her with even more intense hostility than before, making threatening noises.

This time Ibnel tried to aim for the head, but she ended up missing. Quickly rolling to avoid the monster’s attack, she immediately regained her posture and aimed for the torso.

Although she hit it accurately this time as well, the monster only staggered for a moment before getting up again, not falling down. It should have collapsed with this level of fatal wound.

‘Why won’t it die?’

Demil, who was standing next to Shuher, showed a disappointed expression and muttered quietly.

“It seems she doesn’t know how to take down a monster.”

“Looking at that, I guess the rumors about her being an ignorant young lady are true. But was she able to use a gun?”

“No. There was no such information anywhere.”

It was a fact unknown even to Demil, who had investigated Ibnel on his orders. He hadn’t found any peculiarities related to her.

Moreover, Shuher could clearly see. That she was quite skilled, as much as she had boasted.

The reason he had prepared such entertainment was simply for amusement. Her value was just that of a toy, nothing more.

But.

‘Interesting.’

Honestly, if Shuher wanted to, he could kill Ibnel right now from where he was sitting. But now he was more curious about how she would escape this situation.

Would she sacrifice the maid to survive, or would they both choose death, or would she show a result that defied everyone’s expectations.