After the Evil God swept through the Academy, investigators from both the Empire and the Holy Kingdom followed, ransacking the Academy, interrogating and questioning those involved—then someone came to see Kail separately.
“Can I come in?”
Izuna Hela. The duchess of the territory destroyed by the Evil God. Rumors had spread far and wide that she had effectively taken over the duties of the dukedom after the shock left the Duke bedridden.
Kail, who roughly guessed why she had come, led her inside. Rather than going to his room, he took her to a spacious guest lounge.
“This is flower tea made with Pruril from the Pruril Territory.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The butler who set out refreshments for Kail and Izuna quickly left the lounge with the attendants. *Click*—the sound of the door locking could be heard.
Realizing they were now alone, Izuna cautiously opened her mouth.
“You probably have an idea why I’m here, right?”
“Because I met the Evil God, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. So—what happened?”
It was widely known that the Evil God had visited the Academy. However, what happened to the Evil God afterward remained a mystery.
Kail had vaguely reported that he’d defeated the Evil God by swinging his sword, but neither the Empire’s investigators nor the Holy Kingdom’s clerics easily believed him.
They analyzed the contamination left behind by the Evil God at the Academy and realized just how monstrous it was—an opponent even an Aura Master couldn’t defeat alone.
“I killed it. Consider it revenge.”
“Revenge, huh… Does that mean the Evil God can never appear in this world again?”
“After tasting some pain, I doubt it’ll show up anytime soon.”
Summoning the Evil God required immense sacrifice. A single finger appearing cost the souls of 90% of the people in the dukedom, and the avatar that descended upon the Academy was created by sacrificing an Apostle directly empowered with two divine authorities by the Evil God.
Neither case was a trivial matter. For something so costly to emerge only to be defeated without accomplishing anything?
If he were the Evil God, he’d be so frustrated he wouldn’t even glance at the mortal realm again. Yet Kail firmly believed the Evil God would reach out once more.
‘Otherwise, it wouldn’t have said such things.’
Kail recalled the Evil God’s final words. That he was being deceived. By whom, though, he had no clue.
Lost in thought, staring blankly into space, Izuna tilted her head, sensing his worry.
“You look troubled… Even the invincible hero who defeated the Evil God has worries?”
“Even gods have their troubles, you know…”
“It seems like you heard something from the Evil God.”
Realizing the nature of Kail’s concerns and where they originated, Izuna gazed at him with sharp insight, causing Kail’s eyes to widen in surprise.
Of course, despite her youthful appearance resembling a middle schooler, she was the genius duchess managing the dukedom in place of the Duke.
During her time at the Academy, no one ever said her grades were poor—in fact, quite the opposite.
“Want to hear about it?”
“My worries from the Evil God?”
“Hearing them won’t do you any good. But maybe… we can uncover the Evil God’s intentions.”
Admitting that his own dull mind couldn’t decipher the Evil God’s words, Kail recognized he needed help.
In that regard, Izuna wasn’t a bad choice. She was a genius capable of seeing through the essence of things and realizing this world was a game.
Moreover, given her grudge against the Evil God and her determination to analyze its every move, she was all the more likely to solve the riddle left by the Evil God.
“Alright—spill it.”
“I’ll explain from the beginning. It might take a while, though.”
Kail openly recounted the battle process with the Evil God and the events that unfolded at the end of the fight.
After hearing the entire story, Izuna let out a dry laugh and looked at Kail.
“Was it just nonsense meant to deceive you?”
“That’s the most likely scenario, but…”
“Your Master’s intuition says otherwise?”
“Yeah, which is why I’m so troubled.”
Logically and rationally speaking, ignoring the Evil God’s words entirely would be the right move. An Evil God—its very name implied evil tendencies.
Listening to such a being was itself an act that could lead to corruption.
But for some reason, Kail couldn’t dismiss the Evil God’s words. The unique intuition of an Aura Master. The intuition of an Aura Master was more vivid and powerful than mere logic—it couldn’t be ignored lightly.
“Well—I’m not sure I fully understand.”
“Can’t you think hard and give me your thoughts?”
“With your slow brain, I don’t know, but my brain already reviewed it dozens of times.”
Saying this, Izuna laid out a few possibilities she had deduced.
“First, the Evil God was indeed trying to deceive you, and you fell for its act.”
“Even deceiving the Master’s intuition?”
“Since it’s a god, it could pull that off. And second, the Evil God’s words are true, and you’re being deceived by someone. In this case…”
The possibilities branched out endlessly. The key question now was: who was deceiving Kail?
Had anyone recently conveyed something to Kail? Probably not. So, in what scenarios could Kail Meyer be considered deceived?
“Kail, didn’t you say this world was based on a game?”
“I did say that.”
“So… what if everything in this world is fake, and the world itself is deceiving you?”
“What?”
A situation he had never considered before. Suddenly, a scene from a movie flashed in Kail’s mind—a bald black man holding red and blue pills.
“What if the entire world is deceiving you?”
There is no truth.
Everything is a lie.
***
O God, if someone doubts Your existence and claims You do not exist, what should be done?
O God, if someone doubts the world You created and declares all this meaningless, what should be done?
O God, if someone proclaims they will end all these falsehoods, what will You do?
***
*Shwaaaahhh—*
Icy water jets pounded his entire body. The coldness jolted him awake, yet Kail still couldn’t escape his confusion.
Was this how Neo felt when he realized this world was fake? Reflecting on it, it was strange he hadn’t doubted it until now.
“From the start, since this world was built on a game, I should’ve naturally considered the possibility that this world is just a mass of data…”
The realization hit him like a spear piercing his lungs. This world was fake. The horrifying truth that he wasn’t being deceived by someone but by the entire world itself tore through him.
Kail finally understood why he had gradually distanced himself from the people of this other world. Instinctively, he had known. Known there was a chance this world wasn’t real. Now, facing this possibility head-on, a shattering pain coursed through his body.
“And just as I started accepting that the people of this world are real…”
His head spun. After letting the shower hose drench him for a while, Kail sighed deeply and stepped out of the bathroom.
Dripping wet, he retreated to his room and quietly sat down. Before long, Yuri cautiously approached and settled beside him.
“Kail? Is something wrong?”
“…Yuri.”
At the sound of her voice, Kail turned his head and was momentarily startled by the sight of her.
Her loving voice, face, the touch of her skin, and the warmth beneath it—all began to feel fake.
If he couldn’t sense reality even in the woman he loved most, what could Kail possibly believe in?
“No, it’s nothing-”
“Shh.”
The next moment, without a word, Yuri embraced him. Cold flesh enveloped him, the stench of rot filling the air.
In that instant, Kail realized what the Evil God had done to him. The Evil God had cursed him. Cursed him to doubt everything in the world.
“Kail, Kail. I’m not sure… what you’re thinking.”
As she spoke, Yuri stroked Kail’s head. She noticed him flinch at her touch. This was not a good sign. Not at all.
Though she didn’t know why he was so gloomy, as his wife, Yuri felt it was her duty to lift his spirits. It was the obligation of a true wife.
“There’s something I didn’t want to tell you in this situation… Kail. Do you hear it?”
“…Hear what?”
“The sound of your child breathing.”
“…What?”
Yuri gently placed Kail’s hand on her stomach. Slowly, his hand touched her abdomen.
Kail felt warmth seeping through her cold flesh, a sweet milky scent replacing the decaying odor. No, the opposite was true. She had always been warm, always carried a fragrant aroma. Only Kail had changed.
“I’m pregnant.”
Hearing his wife’s news, Kail heard a ringing sound. For a moment, he felt completely isolated from the world.
The monochrome world slowly began to fill with rainbow hues.
“No way, when exactly…”
“By now, my belly will swell, and my breasts will belong to the baby. My figure will change a lot. …This is the most beautiful I’ll ever be, Kail.”
“—Yuri.”
Understanding the meaning of her words and what she wanted, Kail faced her cautiously.
Even if this world was deceiving him, even if it was crafted as a lie to fool him.
What stood before him was the reality he had chosen.
“…I love you.”
“Not worried anymore?”
“No. I realized worrying doesn’t really mean much.”
Though questions still lingered, clinging to them felt foolish. Carefully, Kail removed Yuri’s clothes.
And the two shared a passionate night of love.
Later, during his wise sage moment, Kail reflected on the meaning of the Evil God’s words and where he might find the answer.
***
The next day.
Kail Meyer sought out the Holy Kingdom to find answers to his questions.
