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Chapter 11
The ‌creature's ‌‌‌‌gaping maw seemed ‌‌‌easily twice the size of my head.
Viscous saliva dripped from the wolf-like beast's jaws, pooling into a murky slick on the ground.
A grotesquely elongated ‌‌tongue unfurled from the creature's ‌‌‌throat like a serpent, writhing like a tentacle before plunging downward toward where I sat.
I threw myself sideways in panic. The beast's tongue pierced the spot where I'd been lying moments before.
My mind went blank with terror.
'I have ‌‌‌to survive. I can do this. I won't be a burden to Enoch.' ‌‌
With trembling arms, I barely managed to push myself upright, then ‌‌quickly snatched ‌‌‌‌‌up my flat shoes from nearby and slipped them on.
Thud!
A heavy, earth-shaking sound reverberated across the ground.
In the distance, Enoch had dispatched one of the beasts with a wooden club.
He rushed toward me immediately, hauled me to my feet, and pulled me behind his back. ‌
The moment his solid frame shielded me ‌‌from view, profound ‌‌‌‌relief washed over ‌‌‌me. I gripped his clothing like a lifeline and quickly assessed the situation.
The two remaining beasts swished their tails and turned toward us, their serpentine eyes gleaming yellow.
I picked up a fallen branch from the ground. It was a pitiful weapon, but I clutched it as though it were a talisman.
"Don't come out from behind me."
Enoch's voice was taut with tension.
But these wolf-like beasts possessed intelligence. They split apart on both sides and attacked us like hunters driving prey.
Staying behind Enoch proved useless.
I rolled across the ground to evade the charging beast. I was grateful that Margaret possessed more ‌‌‌agility than I'd expected.
Just when I thought I'd shaken it off, the creature's sharp teeth snagged the lace trim of my dress with a sickening catch.
"Damn it!"
At my cry, Enoch spun around. He kicked the ‌‌beast charging toward me, then desperately ‌‌‌‌reached out his hand.
But the creature was faster. It clamped down hard on my dress and yanked with brutal force.
I was hurled to the ground face-first. Immediately after, the beast's rough tongue slithered between the folds of my dress and coiled around my ‌‌‌ankle.
"No! This wretched thing—why is this happening to me?!"
"Young Lady!"
I was dragged away violently.
'Damned beast!'
It was absolute chaos. In the frenzy of being dragged, I couldn't make sense of what was happening.
The crushing force around my ankle pulled taut, then suddenly went slack. My body catapulted through the air from the recoil.
I crashed hard into the dirt.
Thud! Crash! Boom!
The earth trembled. A heavy form struck the ground—the beast that had been dragging me.
When my senses returned, I found myself hoisted onto someone's shoulders. It was Enoch, of course.
Yes, there was no one else who could save me like this.
He set me down before ‌‌a thick wooden post and turned back toward the fray.
As he swung his wooden club, I saw dark blood—unmistakably the creature's—spray into view.
Screech! Crack!
The arc of the wooden club hurled at the beast traced a brilliant path through the air.
The creature's body had already grotesquely warped and ceased its movements. Though it appeared certain the beast was dead, Enoch showed no sign of stopping.
I lifted my gaze from the soil, now drenched in the creature's black blood.
There was a wound on Enoch's left arm. Dark red blood seeped through the torn fabric of his shirt.
'...I remember now. What his post-war trauma ‌‌was like.' ‌‌‌
He goes berserk at the sight of blood. And that frenzy only ceases ‌once he's driven his own body to the point of collapse.
'I have to stop him.'
Otherwise, I might become his next target.
I found a sturdy branch and rushed at Enoch, striking his head hard. Fortunately, the blow landed true, and he staggered before losing consciousness.
I ‌‌‌swallowed back the nausea at the sight of the creature's mangled corpse.
Witnessing firsthand what happens when Enoch's trauma is triggered filled me with even greater dread.
Barely collecting myself, I gathered his heavy body with trembling hands.
* * *
I have no idea how I managed to support him ‌‌‌all the way back to the Cave.
Moreover, the wound on Enoch's forearm looked ‌dire. The creature's sharp claws must have carried some kind of venom.
First, I laid him flat on the Cave's smooth floor. If it was poison, I needed ‌‌‌‌to keep his forearm positioned lower than his heart.
The coconut bowl still held water I'd collected the night before.
I immediately tore strips from my dress hem, soaked them in the water from the coconut bowl, and used them as a makeshift cloth to clean the wound.
"What if it really is poisoned...?"
I know basic first ‌‌aid, but I'm no doctor.
"Still, I have to do my best."
I couldn't just leave him as he was.
I tore more strips from my dress ‌‌and bound them ‌‌around Enoch's forearm. I had to apply ‌‌pressure above the wound ‌‌‌‌‌to prevent the poison from spreading further.
The blister on my own foot had burst as well. I had no choice but to clean the wound with the damp cloth and wrap my foot with what remained.
All I could do was pray ‌‌‌it wouldn't become infected.
Exhaustion washed over me, but I pushed through and continued tending to him.
If only Enoch hadn't woken up in the middle of it all, I could have cared for him smoothly.
He still bore faint ‌‌signs of convulsions and seemed desperate to flail about and cause chaos.
I calmly took the cloth I was holding and bound his wrists firmly.
"Ugh. What is ‌‌this...!"
He glared at me with a bestial gaze. His damp bangs and flushed cheeks caught my eye. He looked utterly anguished.
But I showed no mercy, pushing his shoulder and forcing him back down onto the ground.
"Stay still. You'll hurt yourself."
Of course, he didn't listen ‌‌to me. ‌‌
"Release me. Now."
Enoch growled at me like a beast, issuing a warning.
He continued to struggle, trying to break free from the bindings.
I had no choice but to grip his jaw and fix his gaze on me. Then, looking directly into his eyes, I spoke.
"Bear the pain."
I spoke to him as if casting a spell. I didn't know exactly where it hurt—that was something only Enoch would know.
"What are you...!"
"Shh. Stop. Everything will be fine."
I spoke firmly once more. I'd worry about what he might say after he regained his senses later.
"No one is hurt. ‌‌So let go of your worries and rest."
Enoch's current symptoms stemmed from post-war trauma. The fact ‌‌‌that he convulsed ‌‌at the sight of blood meant the trauma from his comrades' deaths ran deep.
I wondered if this would actually work. The odds ‌‌were extremely low. So I expected him to thrash about again soon, but surprisingly, it was effective.
Enoch's gaze, which had been fierce as a wild beast, gradually softened and ‌‌‌‌calmed. I watched him with fascination as he settled.
'He calmed down with just those words? This isn't even a reaction I've ‌‌‌seen in the original story?'
Of course, the novel did contain scenes of Enoch going berserk at the sight of blood. But back then, Yuanna had directly....
I stopped my thoughts there and quickly pushed the memory away.
In any case, I remembered that the high-intensity event between Yuanna and Enoch occurred because of this convulsion symptom. Through this incident, their relationship deepened....
What was clear was that what had been a richly ‌romantic situation for Yuanna was a survival ordeal for me.
'I'm always the one getting the hardcore treatment. Ugh, this is exhausting.'
Of ‌‌course, there was no time to dwell on it deeply. Whether from his wound or something else, Enoch ran ‌‌‌‌a fever all night.
"Please, bring the fever down...."
Fortunately, no ‌‌‌‌‌additional shock symptoms occurred, and his wound gradually improved. Now it seemed like all I needed was for ‌‌the fever to break.
As I prayed and wiped his sweat-dampened face with a cool ‌cloth, exhaustion crept in and sleep began to overtake me.
Sitting beside him and dozing while tending to him, dawn broke before I knew it.
Fortunately, Enoch's fever had subsided. I looked at him as his eyes opened and ‌‌‌‌‌asked in surprise.
"Are you alright?"
He nodded with a strained expression. It didn't seem like his mind had fully returned yet.
While his ‍‌condition had improved, he needed proper medicine to treat his wound. If left as is, Enoch's condition could worsen further.
I anxiously bit my nails before standing up.
"I'll go find some medicinal herbs. I'll be back soon, so wait here."
I wasn't sure ‌‌if Enoch properly heard my words. He simply stared at me with a hazy expression.
After checking his condition once more, I left the Cave.
I wondered how I could find medicinal herbs capable of treating wounds in this vast Forest, but I ‌‌‌couldn't just sit ‌‌idle and watch his condition deteriorate.
'I need to ‌‌‌‌return before it gets dark.'
As I wandered through the Forest ‌‌searching for medicinal herbs, I heard rustling sounds right in front of me.
I paused and held my breath, tensing.
Could it be a demon? No, the midday sunlight was too intense for demons to appear.
Then was it a person? If it was a person, that would be a serious problem too. The only people on this Island were the five male ‌‌‌‌‌leads, Yuanna, and myself.
Regardless, not wanting to encounter anything, I carefully stepped backward. Tension made my palms sweat.
I was wiping my sweaty ‌‌‌‌palms on my tattered dress and backing away when it happened.
Rustle.
The sound of ‌‌footsteps on leaves came from behind me, not ahead.
Startled, I spun around, and brilliant silver hair caught my eye first. Then, blood-red eyes came into view.
He was clearly in front of me—when did he move behind me?
And silver hair ‌with crimson eyes at that. I knew who he was.
The man who had found me slowly widened his eyes.
"Huh? What's this. There's a person here?"

---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------