'Conqueror of the Seas…'

The old woman had also mentioned that being. Having studied the history of this world as well as the various eras that existed in the past, the name sounded familiar to Evangeline. That was because the name Conqueror of the Seas was quite similar to the name Conqueror of the Deep Seas.

The Conqueror of the Deep Seas had been one of the four mythical rulers in the Era of Terror. So if Evangeline were to assume that the Conqueror of the Seas indeed referred to the same being, it would suggest that she was currently in the Era of Terror.

But then there were mentions of the fourteen gods and the three factions, which would suggest that the current era was the Era of Divide.

Evangeline pulled her hair in frustration.

'Ugh, why the hell is everything so complicated and confusing? Can't things just be simple for once?'

Lilias continued.

"It was only a few months after my birth that a colossal sea creature, larger than this island itself, attacked this place. The being's might was simply too overwhelming for anyone in the kingdom to even think of defeating it. Even blocking a few of its attacks was already hard enough. All the strong people were united to battle the creature, and as the strongest individual in the kingdom at the time, my father had been at the forefront of the battle."

'Huh? That's strange…'

Based on how the Conqueror of the Deep Seas had been described in the history books, even the weakest of its attacks could not be defended against by anyone other than the other mythical rulers. This had been the case for all four of those creatures; their strength was supposedly in another realm entirely.

So no matter how strong the previous king was, being able to defend against that entity's attack should've been impossible for him.

'Is the Conqueror not as strong as a mythical ruler yet?'

Lilias's voice turned weak as she continued.

"But it was useless. We were utterly helpless in that fight. In the end, the creature simply lost interest in us and left. But by then, most of the kingdom's strong individuals had perished, including my father. Due to their absence, it became much harder to repel the occasional attacks from the sea creatures. Fear and desperation began spreading among the citizens, and there was no one they could rely on. My mother had been a mere Phase Two, on the same level as an average guardian. Moreover, she had been an outsider, not originally part of this kingdom. With all these facts combined, she became an outlet for the people's frustration."

Evangeline unconsciously lowered her gaze, not being able to bear to look at Lilias's current expression.

"I was quite young at the time, so I didn't understand a lot of things back then. But I can finally understand how my mother must've felt at that time."

Taking a deep breath, Evangeline placed a hand on Lilias's shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone.

"It's okay. I think I have a pretty good idea of what to do now. I think the next loop is going to be our last one."

After that, they spent that entire loop discussing the details in that hidden underground room.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Opening her eyes to the familiar ceiling, Evangeline quickly removed the blanket and looked at Lilias underneath.

"You can do it like we discussed, right? I am kinda nervous, to be honest."

Lilias smiled confidently.

"Who do you think I am? On the other hand, are you confident that you can pull off things perfectly on your end?"

Evangeline stretched her lips into an awkward smile.

"I dunno… but I will certainly try my best!"

Saying that, she got off the bed and aimed her hand at the room's window. Moments later, she shot a wind blast that destroyed the window completely, causing the wooden splinters to scatter in all directions.

"Let's go."

Lilias walked forward and jumped out of the window. Evangeline followed behind her moments later.

As they landed below, they found themselves surrounded by a dense crowd of people. Many of them wore similar-looking leather armor. They were all likely part of the Guardian Order.

One woman was aiming her hand at the now-shattered window of their room, as if moments away from unleashing an attack.

The old lady could be seen not too far away, standing alongside the burly man carrying a hammer, as well as the young man who had killed Evangeline in the beginning.

The entire crowd was looking at the two of them in confusion.

Evangeline clenched her fists behind her back.

'Here it comes.'

Everything would depend on how the situation progressed from this point.

She took a few steps back, allowing Lilias to become the center of everyone's attention.

Lilias, meanwhile, took a step back with a calm expression. Her turquoise eyes looked incredibly resolute as she opened her mouth and spoke confidently.

"I am aware that you were all about to attack the castle so that you could take my life. I… do not blame any of you for that."

Her words caused the crowd's atmosphere to change. The confusion slowly settled, and in its place came tension. The crowd had a mixture of different reactions.

Some frowned as they heard her words, while some still stared at her in confusion. There were even those who wore expressions that clearly reflected their anger.

Lilias suddenly bent down slightly, bowing to the crowd.

"However, I still cannot permit you all to return to the continent. It is extremely dangerous there. As the fourth ruler of the Gracias kingdom, I do not wish to make a decision that will bring ruin upon this land and its people. So I request you all to listen to my warning—"

"Princess," a familiar voice cut Lilias off. The speaker was the old woman. "Have you seen this danger? How can you be so sure that it exists? Or do you want us to believe that—"

"No." Lilias shook her head firmly. "You are correct; I have indeed not seen the danger myself. But the reason I am so confident is that I trust my mother."

The old woman narrowed her eyes.

"And besides," Lilias suddenly turned and pointed at Evangeline. "I have proof. This girl is a messenger who has come here from the continent. She can tell you all about the danger that exists there."

Evangeline gulped nervously.

'So it's finally my turn, huh?'

She slowly stepped forward as the focus of the crowd shifted onto her.

Evangeline had really wondered about the current situation of the continent. She was confused about which era they were in, and a lot of details seemed twisted. But she didn't want to outright lie to the people in front of her.

Because she was in the past, whatever she said in this moment was going to change that past. And it was entirely up to her whether that change was good or bad. She didn't wish for lies to reshape history.

But it was not as though she knew the truth either.

'In the end, I can only improvise.'

She hesitantly opened her mouth and addressed the crowd.

"The Queen speaks the truth. The state of the continent is far worse than this island. The divine clash is the most intense at this moment, and the people living there don't even know whether they will be able to see tomorrow. But things are only going to get worse with time."

The burly man frowned.

"Things are going to get worse there? Why is that? Is there going to be some kind of war between the gods?"

"No, it's not that." Evangeline shook her head. "A prophecy is circulating on the continent. According to that prophecy, the humans will become cattle to the four mythical beings that are going to rise in the future. What is worse is that this prophecy seems to be coming true."

This was the method Evangeline had chosen in the end. She couldn't just tell them that she was from the future since she couldn't know how they would react, but by framing her knowledge of the future as a prophecy, it would become easier for her to explain and easier for the people to accept.

The elderly lady took a step forward.

"What do you mean by that? How do you know that this supposed prophecy is coming true?"

Evangeline lowered her head and answered in a grave tone.

"The creature that attacked this island all those years ago, the one you call Conqueror of the Seas, is going to become one of those mythical rulers. It will be known as the Conqueror of the Deep Seas. The other three are the Monarch of the Land, the King of the Scorching Earth, and the Supreme Ruler of the Dark Skies. These beings would be on a level that nobody would stand a chance against them. And the continent will become their playground…"

And so, Evangeline began reciting her knowledge of the Era of Terror, all while framing it as a prophecy and making it sound even more terrible.

Internally, though, she was desperately praying.

'Please work! Please! Just believe me, and all the problems will end.'