God's Island
Oxford's Christ Church College, London, England.
In the College Hall, countless gentlemen were seated, enjoying the banquet. Every one of them was a figure of real weight in British politics and finance — the core members of the four factions vying for supremacy over the British royal family.
So that's him…
Oliver?
The Prince of Edinburgh?
Even as they laughed and chattered, their eyes kept drifting toward one man — Oliver, quietly drinking at the edge of the banquet hall.
After the Queen's death, Britain had settled into a three-way standoff of mutual containment. Then Oliver appeared, and the entire board flipped.
Of course, no one had paid him much attention at first. His place in the line of succession was near the bottom, and he possessed nothing particularly remarkable. Yet in the blink of an eye he had transformed into a force powerful enough to sound the alarm across the other great factions.
The man who never smiles… just as the rumors said.
Looks like he wouldn't bleed a drop even if you stuck him with a needle.
So the glass-heart rumor was exaggerated after all?
For all his refined features, his expression was utterly blank. He looked frail at a glance, yet Oliver was already famous throughout Britain as the Iron-Blooded Prince — the decisive figure who had fortified Edinburgh. Unlike other regions, Edinburgh suffered almost no damage from monsters, a change that began the moment Oliver stepped to the forefront. His standing there was already absolute. A man of overwhelming charisma, iron resolve, and a heart of steel, they said.
"Lord Oliver. Are you not enjoying the banquet?"
"…… It's thoroughly entertaining, Melson. Watching them smile while they nurse their poison."
Oliver answered his butler Melson's question coldly — yet contrary to appearances, the reply was sincere. Originally this was no place for him. In the past, when his heart was so weak that dying at any moment would not have been strange, when he had abandoned reality and lived only as Hudson in Pangenia, standing before these lions of Britain would have been unthinkable — a dream beyond reach.
But after meeting Randolph, everything had changed.
He reunited me with Serengeti, healed my heart, and forced me to face reality.
In Pangenia he was the merchant Hudson; in reality he was Oliver, one of the heirs to the British royal family. Randolph had given him the strength to confront the world he had given up on. And then everything began to shift. His stalled level started climbing. Confidence to keep living took root. A certainty that he could move forward settled deep in his chest.
"By the way… it's rather warm. Could you give me a little space?"
Oliver sighed. It wasn't only Melson pressed close against him.
"No."
"Her Majesty the Queen ordered us to protect you."
The massive men were Oliver's bodyguards. They wore human forms, but they were not human. They were Demon Blood Species — limbs of a single Dragon God, who worshipped Randolph as their one true god. They had been of immense help fortifying Edinburgh as well, but the problem was their overprotectiveness.
They don't know that I'm Hudson.
One of the reasons the Demon Blood Species guarded Oliver so thoroughly was his identity. If it came out that Oliver was Hudson of Pangenia, the repercussions would be considerable. A human who effectively ran the Labyrinth City of the monstrous Five Emperors — from an opponent's perspective, perfect material to tear into and destroy. Ensuring that Oliver never had to transform into Hudson under countless threats was one of their missions, so the overprotectiveness was not entirely incomprehensible.
"Oliver. It's been a long time."
At that moment, a woman appeared in a splendid dress.
"…… Princess Mary. It has been a long time."
Oliver dropped to one knee and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. A young princess who carried the Queen's blood thickly in her veins. Her eyes, fixed on Oliver, were full of interest.
"I believe this is the first time I've seen you since we were children."
"Yes. Nearly thirteen years, I suppose."
When Oliver straightened and answered dryly, Mary wore a slightly puzzled expression. His manner was so utterly different from how other men treated her. No man could simply pass by a woman who had grown so beautiful. So she asked boldly.
"Am I not beautiful?"
"You are beautiful."
"You're just saying that."
"…… I'm not just saying it."
"Then why didn't you reply to my letter?"
Letter, letter. Well, he had received it. He had crumpled it up and thrown it straight in the trash, though. Why hadn't he replied?
"I have someone I am promised to marry."
Because it had been a letter proposing marriage — a one-sided political arrangement that cared nothing for Oliver's wishes.
"Am I uglier than that person?"
"……"
"…… Can you not even manage empty flattery now?"
A sidelong glance. Oliver's current attitude was certainly far from a gentleman's behavior. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.
She's uglier than Serengeti.
Because it was the truth. Even if Princess Mary were the most beautiful woman in the world, in Oliver's eyes everyone other than Serengeti looked plain.
Tears welled in Princess Mary's eyes.
"So you drive a great nail into a young girl's heart."
"I apologize."
"I challenge you to a duel, Oliver."
Wait. What?
"… Me, against Your Highness?"
"We may each put forward a champion if you prefer. However, the loser must unconditionally grant the winner one request."
"If that request is marriage, I cannot accept."
"No. Oliver, I want to know your true identity. Your identity in Pangenia."
…… Indeed. So that had been the goal from the start. Everyone was curious about Oliver's identity. Rumors had been circulating quietly that both his sudden recovery of heart and his complete change of character were because he was an Awakener. Whether she meant to expose him as Hudson and bury him…
Oliver said:
"I am not an Awakener."
Princess Mary immediately shook her head.
"No, Oliver. You are an Awakener. I also know that beneath your castle there is a life support device prepared for extended travel to other dimensions."
A life support device was essential equipment for a Player — a safety measure to protect the real body during prolonged login sessions. Something you wouldn't need to purchase unless you were a Player. He had prepared it for his heart, but saying so now would hardly convince anyone. Anyone could see that Oliver's heart was already fully healed.
Then Princess Mary continued.
"And I've heard talk that you might be Randolph. It was a rather credible story. So I want to know the truth."
"……"
What kind of absurd nonsense was this?
"Oliver is…… Randolph?"
"That Randolph from Pangenia?"
"Insane!"
The banquet hall erupted in murmurs. There was no one here who didn't know that name — and for good reason. Everyone was secretly searching for Randolph. The rumor held that whoever found him and earned his recognition would become king of the world. But no one had found him. No one on Earth had discovered his true body, his true face.
This is ridiculous.
Him, Randolph? How had she come to hear such a story? But if she knew about the life support device hidden beneath the castle, she likely knew a great deal more.
The fact that Princess Mary's blade is pointed at me is proof it could be pointed at Lord Randolph as well.
Oliver became more cautious than ever. If he simply denied everything here, Park Hyunmyung might surface.
"Even after humiliating me like this, you refuse the challenge, Oliver?"
"…… Very well, Your Highness."
Above all, he had no grounds to refuse. When Oliver accepted the duel, a smile spread across Princess Mary's lips.
He took the bait.
He had fallen into the trap she had dug. Unless he transformed into Randolph, Oliver could never win this duel.
"Excellent. Then allow me to introduce my champion who will duel in my place. Sir Ailon!"
"Ailon?"
"The Transcendent Ailon……!"
The moment that name was spoken, the banquet hall erupted once more. A Transcendent Awakener — the strongest knight who had defended London through countless invasions, a man whose name already ranked among the highest of Rankers.
She must be desperately curious about my identity.
Oliver clicked his tongue inwardly. Presenting Ailon meant Princess Mary was serious about this duel. A true Transcendent whom even transforming into Hudson couldn't defeat.
"I'll go. Me."
"No. I'll go."
At the same time, the two bodyguards began fighting over who would stand in for Oliver. The sight was rather childish — but knowing their true identities, Oliver couldn't simply laugh off this contest of nerves. These two ranked among the top ten strongest of the Demon Blood Species.
Ten legions. The Legion Commanders who rule those legions.
They were Legion Commanders of the Demon Blood Species who each commanded ten thousand!
"……"
"……"
"……"
When the duel finally took place, everyone fell silent at its outcome — because something impossible had occurred.
"S-Sir Ailon……!"
Princess Mary could only stare in shock. Ailon lay fallen. Before him stood Oliver's bodyguard without a single significant wound. No one could tell exactly what had happened, but one thing was certain: Ailon had been utterly crushed by overwhelming force. And Oliver was watching it all as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Impossible!
Power that overwhelms a Transcendent……!
To think he possessed a warrior of that caliber. In that moment, a single thought took root in their minds.
Is he…… really Randolph?
The suspicion that Oliver might truly be Randolph.
I opened my eyes.
At the same time, a familiar environment unfolded around me — my room, which I was returning to after a long time. Yet it was being maintained spotlessly clean, without a speck of dust.
"This foolish servant greets the great god."
I soon understood why. Someone had been in the house. They wore a human form, but I immediately recognized they were not human. A Demon Blood Species — but one I had never seen before.
"Why is a Demon Blood Species here?"
"Her Majesty the Queen sent me here. O God, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Rank 3 Black-dyed Alkar."
It seemed Hana, the Blade Dragon God, had sent a Demon Blood Species to protect me. Black-dyed Alkar. Ranks 1 and 2 would be Isera and Lucaria, so excluding those two and Hana herself, this meant the strongest Demon Blood Species remaining.
"You're guarding me instead of Oliver?"
In an instant, Alkar's face went ashen.
"Ahh……! For the likes of me to dare guard the great god — that is unthinkable. I am merely a faithful servant. If I displease you, please use me as a sacrifice!"
In other words, kill me as an offering. I shook my head.
"That's not what I meant. Shouldn't a strong Demon Blood Species be guarding Oliver?"
"Currently the Rank 9 and Rank 10 Legion Commanders are guarding him. Her Majesty judged that to be sufficient."
Hearing the answer, I shrugged. If that was Hana's judgment, then it was correct. It also meant that in the meantime, the Demon Blood Species' military force had grown that much larger and risen in rank.
I won't need the protective barrier.
The privilege of protecting my real body. Even without it, with Black-dyed Alkar here, it should be fine to some degree. Even to my senses, Alkar's aura was overwhelmingly powerful.
But there was something more urgent than that — something that made Black-dyed Alkar invisible to my eyes. The most important reason I had logged out.
… God's Island has connected to Earth.