"Diana..."

"...What? Are you willing to call me Diana now?"

"Weren't you calling me Galleher before?"

Diana clenched her lips, tightly rolled her sleeves, and firmly gripped the gun in her hand, smashing it against Merka's cheek. Sprays of blood splattered onto Diana's hand, and Merka's nose instantly snapped.

"Why did you drop out of school?"

"Was it because the school's professors' magic couldn't match up to you anymore?"

Without warning, Diana threw another punch, but Merka quickly blocked it with their elbow.

"My comrades told me that you broke up with your boyfriend, got scolded by your mother, and ran away from home."

"But you're not that kind of person at all!"

"Don't I know you? Why would you care about that stuff?"

Merka expertly kicked, and Merka curled their body slightly to block the kick. Merka clearly felt that the force was much weaker than before.

"Tell me! What have you been doing all this time?"

"Why did you lose to me in such a simple painting technique? Did you really go fall in love?"

Diana seemed like she was about to cry, but she didn't stop throwing punches and kicks.

"Are you secretly reading those books under the shade of the trees like you used to during Physical Education class, books that I couldn't understand?"

"Are you pretending to have forgotten about this, like during the end-of-term awards ceremony, leaving everyone waiting in the classroom, even though you're the top student?"

The emotional intensity in the tone grew stronger, but Diana's strength diminished. In the end, Diana's punches were as weak as those of a little girl, ineffectively pounding Merka's shoulder.

"Where do you need to go to be satisfied?"

"What kind of unreachable achievement do you need to attain in order to give it a rest?"

"Tell me!"

"Why do you always leave me behind?"

Diana could barely hold the gun. She collapsed onto Merka's shoulder, her body trembling, crying with a painful force.

Merka was terrified by this situation. They wanted to embrace Diana with both arms, but they hesitated, not sure where to place their hands.

"...Diana."

Although Merka wanted to gain Diana's trust even more, they didn't know what to say at this moment, so they could only softly call her name.

It worked!

Merka thought.

The evidence was that the amount of dropback decreased.

There seemed to be a blush on Diana's face. She raised her head again and stared into Merka's eyes, placing the barrel of the gun against Merka's chest.

Wiping away her tears, Diana regained her usual cold and indifferent expression and said to Merka, "My subordinates told me that Turing has an assistant who can impersonate others."

"They even said that you could be someone else right now."

"But I don't believe it."

"Based on my understanding, the real Turing would never refuse a challenge that comes knocking on their door."

"She would definitely participate in the competition and wouldn't stoop to winning through underhanded means."

"But I don't care whether you are the real person now."

"I only have one question."

"If your answer doesn't satisfy me."

"You will have only one outcome."

"And that is death."

Diana narrowed her eyes, her captivating gaze seemingly able to penetrate souls.

"Don't think I can't do it."

"I know how to awaken Jade without your magic."

"I can easily blame your death on it."

Diana lifted her free hand, gently releasing the safety lock of the Glock pistol in her hand.

Merka swallowed nervously, focusing his full attention on Diana's forthcoming question.

"I ask you... when we were flipping the rope underwater in the cave beneath the cliff in Alexandria Harbor, what did I use as the rope?"

At the moment he heard the question, Merka felt his heart skip a beat. He understood every word and could comprehend every individual term in the entire sentence, but when put together, Merka was at a loss.

In what context did this happen?

Why flip the rope?

Why ask this?

Merka stared at Diana's eyes, a mixture of sadness and expectation, and his mind went blank.

Merka, who excels at reading people's minds and finding solutions in adversity, was now completely helpless.

If only he had known Turing a little better...

If only he had been more honest and open with Turing earlier...

Merka's regret poured down like a torrential rain, falling from the Ninth Heaven, merging into rivers, sinking into the ocean, and disappeared without looking back on the sorrowful beach.

Seeing Diana's eyes gradually shift from hope to disappointment, and finally to despair, Merka realized that he couldn't delay any longer. At the very least, he had to give an answer.

Or saying nothing could also be a decent choice.

While she still had about 60-70 percent certainty of my identity, I could knock her out and it would be better than randomly giving an unreliable answer.

But, should I really do that?

Merka's brain started to race, and everything around him seemed to slow down. The microcosm became incredibly clear.

There are things that can't be done...

Joan taught me the difference between something that can be done and something that can't be done.

But is this really a situation where there is no solution?

Should I just give up easily?

Or...

The sound of a branch breaking echoed in Merka's mind. The condensed images of the vast world crowded into Merka's tiny brain, and a brilliant insight suddenly dawned upon him.

There is a very likely answer that Merka should try.

"I'm sorry, Diana."

"I forgot."

Oedipus can use less precise aside.

So Turing's memory must be the version that Oedipus, who had been carefully crafted for a long time, was most satisfied with.

With such repeated alterations, Turing must have a forgetful nature.

Although my answer is incorrect,

it is likely the closest match to Diana's memory of Turing.

As long as Diana's doubts are eliminated, it will be my victory.

"Hmm..."

"Hmm...hahaha."

"Haha...haha..."

Diana weakly lowered the barrel of the gun, her head drooping in disappointment. A profound sense of loss and sadness permeated between the two of them.