Aiysha closed her eyes again, making sure she hadn’t made a mistake when enabling her blessing and locking it onto Cassien.

’He’s not lying...’ She thought. ’But—’

"You’re probably thinking how it’s possible I won through sheer [Luck], aren’t you?" She stiffened for a second. "That pause in thought answers my question, and don’t worry, my sweetheart Ms.Moon, I’ll tell you it all, from the very start."

Cassien leaned against the railing behind him. The ocean stretched endlessly around the ship, the moonlight reflecting off the water below.

Aiysha folded her arms. "Then explain."

Cassien looked up toward the moon. "Simple." His smile widened. "I cheated."

Aiysha narrowed her eyes as Cassien scoffed.

"Not literally. How would I even get the opportunity to cheat with all these high-class instructors surrounding us?"

"Stop wasting my time."

"Fine," he placed both hands behind his back. "Let’s begin from the start. From the very moment the exam was announced, when I told you there was a [Traitor], it was my [Luck] factor at work."

Aiysha remained quiet.

"Most people think luck only affects outcomes. The solution. The very end of everything." Cassien shrugged. "For me, it affects intuition."

"That’s ridiculous."

The blessing remained silent. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Yet it’s true." Cassien continued. "When the exam was announced, everyone began preparing for the island. Food, supplies, and pinpoint locations on the map. But I didn’t. I focused on the internal factors."

"Wait..."

"You’re catching on, it seems." Cassien’s smile remained cold. "I assumed the traitor was [Siv] from the very beginning. When you asked, ’What if the person planning to deceive your class isn’t confident enough to kill?’ You remember that, don’t you?"

She nodded, her fingertips resting against her chin.

"I never once thought I was wrong. I always assumed the traitor was [Siv], no matter how much time passed. Why waste time chasing intricate details when common sense already points toward the answer?"

"Impossible."

Cassien shook his head.

"No, Aiysha. It became inevitable."

His gaze drifted toward the horizon.

"Think about it. Siv is unstable. Jealous. Obsessed. All someone had to do was apply pressure, and that’s when the cracks begin to form."

He looked back at her.

"From day one, I’ve always studied my classmates quite harshly. Some received a mean eye, while others left a more passionate impression."

"Mhm..."

"Siv has always been a liability. That’s simply the type of person he is..."

Cassien briefly thought back to his old life. To the countless people who ruined hard work because they couldn’t control themselves.

"I’ve dealt with plenty of people like him before. This wasn’t anything new."

"So you..."

"Correct!" Cassien grinned, pretending he already knew what Aiysha was about to say. "I let him get fooled by Class-1A."

He laughed.

"People like him always lean toward what they perceive as greater power without thinking about the consequences. Remember the saying, ’Desperate times call for desperate measures?’"

She nodded.

Cassien honestly hadn’t expected her to know it. Apparently, that phrase existed in this world as well.

"He grew up with Audrey."

"How’d you know?" She asked.

"Because I formed a light bond with him and connected slightly with Audrey." He obviously couldn’t tell her he had read the novel. "Once I learned their backgrounds, I immediately began studying their personalities."

"Audrey isn’t the type to fall for petty murders like that unless you completely break her down first."

His grin widened.

"And Siv?"

Cassien laughed.

"He’s the type who would do absolutely anything if he believed it could save someone."

Aiysha remained silent.

Cassien spat over the side of the ship.

"And that’s why I hate background characters."

She blinked.

"It’s always people like him who try stepping into the spotlight to save the day. Then they die and suddenly everyone feels emotional about it."

His voice remained calm.

"But letting him die was easy."

"Out of everyone, if Siv disappeared, almost nobody would care. His absence wouldn’t damage our class chemistry. Siv didn’t contribute anything meaningful, and he never really tried to."

Cassien didn’t stop speaking.

"I knew Class-1A would make a move. It was obvious."

"So I simply assumed they would."

Aiysha continued absorbing everything he was saying.

"But what if you were wrong?"

Cassien laughed.

"Then I would’ve failed."

His answer came instantly.

"And that would be it. Game over."

His grin widened.

"But I trust my [Luck] more than you think."

Aiysha let out a short laugh.

Then another.

Then another.

Until she was laughing hysterically.

"Y-you’re insane!"

Cassien grinned.

"But that’s not all."

He waved a finger left and right.

"I still haven’t told you why I ended it early."

Aiysha slowly calmed herself.

"If I let the exam continue any longer, Audrey might’ve gotten involved."

He shook his head.

"I didn’t prepare her for this occasion. That was never my goal."

A pause followed.

"Her uses come later."

His smile widened.

"Much later."

Aiysha stared at him.

"You’re a villain."

"A bastard," Cassien corrected.

"I’m not a villain."

His grin remained.

"I’m a bastard."

She still wasn’t fully convinced.

"But what does any of that have to do with figuring out the leaders?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"How did you even get them right?"

"Well," Cassien stretched his arms slightly.

"Which class would you like me to start with?"

Then he suddenly pointed at her. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Why don’t I begin with yours?"

Aiysha froze.

"It makes sense. You’re the one dying to know how I figured out that Ray Foster, the third-degree noble, was your assigned leader."

She shook slightly.

But Aiysha really shouldn’t have been surprised.

Class-1C got first place after all.

Ray Foster.

The third-degree noble.

Just as Cassien described.

Back when they first met, it was inside the arena.

Ray was the man Cassien fought the night before boarding the cruise.

The same individual whose arm shattered because Cassien decided to crush that noble’s ego.

Ray was the same guy Cassien obliterated.

The same man with an [8-0-0] record.

But what he didn’t know at the time...

Was that the fight had been arranged by Aiysha so Cassien could win.

She used Ray as a sacrifice.

Her only real attempt at tricking Cassien.

But somehow...

It didn’t work.

And Cassien was about to explain why.