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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please ‌‌‌read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 113
I was startled to notice Rujeep drawing steadily closer to our position.
"They can't see us from outside, right?"
Kaiden nodded at my question.
"That's right. They can't see us."
Yet Rujeep ran directly toward where ‌we were hiding, a massive bag slung across his shoulder making him look utterly exhausted.
He barely managed to stop right before the Barrier, took a ‌‌‌deep breath, then turned to face the Monsters pursuing him. So it was true—we were indeed invisible to them.
Looking at it objectively, I thought Rujeep might be the luckiest among ‌‌us. Of all directions he could have run, he chose to sprint toward the Barrier where we were concealed.
And he was doing so right in front of Kaiden's face.
Kaiden stared at Rujeep's back with wide, vacant eyes.
"Kaiden."
I called to him, wondering why he wasn't pulling Rujeep inside. Only then did he grab Rujeep by the nape of his neck and drag him through the Barrier.
"Oof! What, what, what...!"
Rujeep, who had landed hard on his backside, ‌‌spotted Kaiden and his mouth fell open in shock. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
I brought my index finger to my lips, silencing him, then turned my gaze ‌‌‌‌toward Diego.
Diego was glancing around, searching for the suddenly vanished Rujeep. Three grotesquely-shaped Monsters clung to ‌‌his heels.
I opened the magazine of my flare gun, checked the rounds, and loaded it.
"I'll go take a look."
"Absolutely not."
"I can handle this much."
I answered Kaiden firmly as he tried to stop me, then stepped outside the Barrier. ‌‌Without a moment's hesitation, ‌‌‌Enoch followed right behind me and took position at my side, covering me.
Kaiden, forced to remain and guard ‌‌the Barrier, furrowed his brow deeply.
I turned my back to Kaiden and called out to Diego, who stood bewildered and lost.
"Diego!"
He spotted us and his face went pale with shock. ‌‌‌‌
"Come this way!"
At my call, he hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and rushed ‌‌‌toward us.
I grabbed ‌his hand and hurled him through the Barrier. Then I pulled the hammer of the flare gun, ‌‌‌aimed it between the approaching Monsters, and pulled the trigger.
Boom! ‌‌‌Crack!
Fragments of the Monsters' bodies exploded in all ‌directions along with brilliant flames. Enoch wrapped his arms around me and leaped back through the Barrier.
We barely made it before another Monster could be drawn to the flare gun's dazzling light.
I exhaled in relief, thanked Enoch, then looked down at the two men sitting on the ground with ashen faces.
Diego and Rujeep looked utterly haggard, as though they hadn't drunk a single drop of water.
When Rujeep, sitting with a pallid complexion, met my eyes, his expression bloomed like a flower.
His movements as he rose unsteadily and approached me seemed as delicate and fragile as a butterfly's wings.
"Young Lady! You're safe!"
He immediately pulled me into an embrace.
The strength of his hold was no different from that of any other sturdy man.
His body trembled faintly with ‌‌‌anxiety as he held me so tightly I could barely breathe. I gasped and, feeling his tremor, ‌‌‌asked in surprise.
"...Are you crying?"
"I'm not ‌crying."
Kaiden, standing behind me, must have caught sight of Rujeep's ‌‌‌face because he burst into hearty ‌‌‌‌‌laughter. His ‌‌cheerful voice instantly shattered the heavy atmosphere. ‌‌
"Hey, lackey. You crying is actually hilarious."
"Silence, you uncultured mage."
Rujeep hurled harsh words at Kaiden before slowly releasing me.
In that moment, I examined Rujeep's face. His eyes were indeed ‌‌‌‌reddened. For some reason, it felt like I'd found a lost cat and brought it home—my chest tightened with an ache of sympathy.
"Are you ‌‌‌‌alright?"
At my question, Rujeep bit his lower lip firmly and nodded. His expression was profoundly sorrowful, like a dam had burst under the ‌weight of accumulated sorrow.
"I missed you. I'm relieved ‌‌you're safe."
The priest of the god who spoke of human distrust gazed at me with eyes brimming with deep trust.
I was somewhat startled by the straightforward meaning contained in that gaze.
He had expressed faith in me before, but never had he revealed his feelings so directly and candidly. ‌
'If it were Enoch or Kaiden, maybe, but wasn't Rujeep just fond ‌‌of me because I took good care of his meals?'
Kaiden, who ‍‌‌had been quietly observing my reaction, suddenly furrowed his brow and glared at Rujeep.
"Who do ‌‌‌you think ‌‌‌you are, missing our Margaret?"
"Please, just close that mouth of yours."
Of ‌‌course, Kaiden wasn't the type to stop there. He was too busy mocking Rujeep like a fish in water.
Rujeep refuted Kaiden's words one by one with an angry expression, but soon enough, he seemed utterly fed up and surrendered, turning back to me.
Then, ‌‌‌as if only just noticing my clothing, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Young Lady, what's wrong with your outfit! Where did you get this unfinished dress...?!"
Unfinished? This is how it's supposed to be. He's being rather harsh.
I suppose I'll have to endure this kind of reaction from everyone else who's left. I'm already growing tired of it.
"I found it. I couldn't possibly wear a dress."
"What...?! That doesn't make any sense...."
"Don't bother our Margaret."
Fortunately, Kaiden cut off Rujeep's words at just the right moment. But as their childish argument resumed for ‌‌‌round two, I shook my head and turned to Diego.
Diego rose ‌‌from his seat and quietly organized his belongings, ‌blending into the background like a shadow.
As if he were a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit with our group, he stood there, present ‌‌yet absent.
"Are you alright?"
At my question, Diego, who had been standing composed, looked at me.
He glanced briefly at my clothing before hastily turning his head away. I could see his ears flushing a deep crimson.
"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to look... please forgive me...."
Diego stammered before frowning ‌‌‌‌at himself for doing so, biting his lower lip firmly.
'Why do all the men here act like ‌‌‌‌such fools?'
Well... the t-shirt is rather thin, and it's short enough ‌that my ‌‌‌‌stomach is completely exposed.
Just then, Enoch returned after confirming that no more monsters had appeared around the Barrier.
He seemed suffocated, so he boldly undid ‌‌‌‌the top button ‌‌of his shirt with one hand. Then, with his chin raised, he fixed Diego with a somewhat oppressive gaze.
"So you're alive."
Enoch spoke with a tone laden with displeasure, as if Diego's survival ‌‌‌‌were unexpected.
His cold voice proved that he hadn't been overlooking Diego's rude behavior all this time.
Diego's flushed face ‌‌‌finally calmed once Enoch appeared. As if he had anticipated Enoch's reaction, he nodded matter-of-factly before kneeling on one knee before us and lowering his head.
"I have been deeply reflecting on my foolish actions. I am simply grateful that both of you are safe."
His apology and contrition were as measured and refined as his movements.
Of course, I had no intention of forgiving him. I had never considered him one of my own in the first place.
As I regarded Diego with a somewhat detached expression, Enoch exhaled a sigh.
"We'll have to see whether Diego truly believes that."
Enoch answered without mercy before glancing at me, seeming to ‌‌‌‌pass the conversational lead to me. So I calmly posed my questions to ‌‌Diego.
"What is this situation? How did you get here? How did you end up being chased by monsters?"
Diego then rose from his seat slowly, his face weary as he splashed water on his face and sighed.
"That is..."
He began his explanation calmly.
After the three of us fell into the River, they ‌‌‌exchanged signals with Asdal on the opposite bank. They were to meet at a place on the ‌‌West of North Island where a star was drawn.
So while ‌‌‌heading westward with Rujeep, they encountered monsters, and whether the monsters possessed intelligence or not, they chased Rujeep and Diego day and night.
As a result, they spent several days ‌‌without proper sleep or food.
Hearing their story, I felt a twinge of pity for them.
'They had it far worse than I did?'
It seemed ‌‌‌my time being sheltered by Jenath was comparatively better.
"Is this a Barrier?"
Once his quarrel with Kaiden had ended, Rujeep opened his mouth with a curious expression.
The Barrier was transparent ‌‌‌‌‌and invisible to the eye, but when one brought their hand close, it emitted a bluish light and the Barrier's activation became visible.
Kaiden, who had been watching Rujeep sitting on the ground with his chin propped up, uttered a single remark.
"Be careful. Touch it and you'll be cursed."
"Eek! Really?"
Rujeep reached his hand toward the Barrier, startled, and fell backward on ‌‌his rear.
Watching Rujeep, we shared a moment of brief silence. Though I knew it well, Rujeep seemed remarkably simple-minded. No wonder Kaiden ‌‌‌enjoyed teasing him.
I prepared to build a campfire with Enoch. Assured by Kaiden's words that we need not worry about smoke since we were in a Cave with a Barrier, I had Silver Earthworm light the fire.
As the fire blazed, Diego, who had been quietly watching us, looked at me with a choked expression.
His face was sorrowful, like a child ruminating over days long past.

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