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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 5
"You haven't been awake this whole time, have you?"
Enoch didn't answer. Clearly, he hadn't slept a wink.
"You can't just burn through your stamina like that. We don't know how long we'll go without food, and wasting calories like this—what will we do?"
My practical advice elicited no response from Enoch.
"I haven't yet determined whether Young Lady is someone I can trust."
His tone was flat, but his gaze as it swept over me was razor-sharp.
And yet he'd removed his jacket and draped it over my body—I'd never met someone whose words and actions were so utterly at odds.
I'd awakened around dawn.
But Enoch didn't yet know that monsters only appeared in darkness.
Perhaps that's why he remained tense even now in broad daylight, his shoulders rigid with strain.
Of course, I wasn't without tension myself. But monsters would appear frequently ahead, and I couldn't afford to cower in fear each time.
Growl.
In the midst of these thoughts, my stomach made a sudden, loud noise.
Enoch stopped arranging his things and turned to look at me. I laughed awkwardly.
Now that the tension had lifted, I felt even hungrier. I'd managed to quench my thirst with coconut, but hunger was the real problem.
"Should we go find something ‌‌to eat?"
I felt like I might starve.
"Are you suggesting we hunt?"
"We don't have time to hunt. Let's forage for berries instead."
"Berries...?"
Enoch asked with a bewildered expression. He glanced at the cracked coconut shells scattered around us.
I pointed to the palm tree standing directly behind our makeshift shelter.
"See those small fruits hanging on that palm tree? Those are açaí berries—they're edible. I was thinking we could harvest them."
Açaí berries have hard seeds and very little edible flesh, so they're honestly far from sufficient ‌‌‌to meet our caloric needs.
But ‌‌‌there weren't many food ‌‌‌sources we could obtain immediately. I should be grateful we'd found açaí palms, which bear fruit year-round. ‌‌‌‌
If I ventured ‌‌‌deeper, I might find blackberries or wild raspberries, but ‌‌‌that would ‌‌require searching extensively for where they grew—something we couldn't manage right now.
"Are you certain these berries are truly edible? I'm not sure I can trust Young Lady's word."
"Then go hungry. I'll eat."
I answered simply ‌‌‌as I prepared to climb the tree. Enoch looked ‌‌flustered again.
He stopped me as he ‌‌watched me gather and tie up my dress.
"What are you doing?"
"Climbing the tree. I need to pick the berries."
I answered while looking up at the palm. Enoch followed my gaze, trying to gauge the height with a puzzled expression.
"Couldn't we ‌‌just shake ‌‌‌the tree and make them fall? It looks ‌‌‌dangerous to climb."
"Shake a palm tree? Do you know how sturdy they are? And these açaí berries are ‌so small..."
I shook my head and prepared to climb.
"I'm not an ant, and I can't just wait ‌‌‌around for fallen fruit to appear. I'll simply climb up and break off the berry branches myself!"
Enoch still looked like he didn't understand, and he gently pushed me aside.
Then ‌‌he swung his ‌‌‌fist lightly and struck the palm tree. ‌‌‌‌
A deafening roar shattered the ‌‌‌air, and the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌vibrations rippled through both the trees and the ground beneath us.
I stood transfixed, watching as fruits cascaded down from the canopy like rain.
Enoch turned to me with a satisfied expression.
"Does this work?"
I nodded like ‌‌a fool and applauded his ingenuity. With this quantity, I ‌could simply sweep the fruits together and gather them all.
"You're the best, I admit it. More efficient than ‌‌‌a colony of ants."
I gave him a double ‌‌‌thumbs up ‌‌‌in praise. Enoch's face flushed with quiet pride.
The same man who had doubted me moments before now sat beside me without complaint, consuming the fruits.
But the moment he bit into one, his expression darkened and his brow furrowed in ‌‌disappointment.
"No flavor. And there's barely anything to eat."
Was nothing ever good ‌‌enough for Enoch's palate?
The juice itself wasn't unpleasant. The issue was simply that there wasn't ‌‌‌much flesh to consume, as he'd noted.
"This is all we can find right now. What else can we do?"
My words were meant to discourage his complaints, and Enoch seemed embarrassed—his cheeks flushed as he clamped his mouth shut.
After we finished here, I'd need to venture back to the mountain and try fishing for something more substantial. ‌
* * *
After consuming the fruits, we tidied our surroundings and ‌‌began preparing for the ascent up the towering mountain.
The nearest mountain loomed impossibly high and treacherous, demanding thorough preparation.
Though in truth, our preparations amounted to little more than organizing our clothing and gathering sturdy branches for multipurpose use.
And yet here I was, forced to navigate this dense Jungle Forest in a flowing dress and flat shoes—it was absurd.
Utterly absurd.
Enoch seemed to share my sentiment, placing his hands on his hips as he regarded me with exasperation.
"I think ‌‌‌‌it would be better if you waited here, Young Lady."
His suggestion had merit. Perhaps it would be ‌‌wiser to remain behind.
"How could I trust you? If our situations were reversed, you would have insisted on coming ‌‌with ‌‌‌‌me."
Enoch made no argument and fell silent. ‌‌‌
I couldn't be certain whether I'd actually be useful to him, but surely even a seasoned warrior ‌‌‌‌like Enoch would be facing ‌his first true survival situation.
And despite being born of a commoner, he was still Imperial Palace ‌‌‌royalty—he'd never ventured into remote wilderness like this.
While I couldn't claim to be a survival expert, I was certainly more accustomed ‌‌to such circumstances than he was.
"Fine. But I can't promise ‌‌‌‌I'll be able to save you if danger strikes."
"I understand."
Enoch studied me silently for a moment, then nodded and turned away.
We decided that Enoch would lead while I followed behind. I kept my eyes fixed on his back as we walked.
I struggled somewhat, gathering the flowing fabric of my dress in my hands to keep my legs as covered as possible.
Had I made a mistake in insisting on ‌‌coming?
But witnessing things firsthand and assessing the situation myself was crucial.
Enoch suspected Margaret of involvement, so he wouldn't share everything he knew.
And I couldn't be certain he'd truly protect my life. ‌‌‌
'No. I'll endure and follow through. I can do this!'
As we ventured deeper into the Forest, it transformed into a lush, verdant Jungle Forest.
The ground was so densely packed with vegetation and brush that there was barely space to set foot, making it rather difficult to forge a path.
Using the wooden staff Enoch had brought, I ‌pushed through the undergrowth as we walked, though my movements inevitably became sluggish.
"Are you managing?"
Enoch turned back to me with a somewhat weary expression.
I nodded, breathing heavily.
"It's bearable."
Like me, Enoch wasn't sweating profusely either. ‌‌‌Moreover, there was no stale sweat odor or the smell of damp clothing.
Was it because we were characters from a novel? Or perhaps due to the Island's peculiar nature where time didn't flow?
Or could it be ‌‌‌because magic and divine power were unusable on this Island?
Regardless, the ‌‌‌fact that our bodies produced no odor was truly a blessing.
"You're holding up ‌‌‌well."
Enoch exhaled a sigh of relief.
An ordinary adult man would ‌struggle to maintain his composure in such circumstances.
Moreover, the person I'd possessed was Margaret—an elegant noblewoman who'd never gotten her hands wet a day in her life.
Enoch had every reason to worry.
He seemed convinced that Margaret had changed, yet he couldn't suspect she was an entirely different person.
"If not for this dress and flat shoes, I would've done more than my part."
Enoch didn't respond, walking silently onward.
Eventually, we reached the mountain trail at the base of the Mountain. Judging by the sun's position, it still seemed to be morning.
The Mountain's height appeared to be roughly that of Bukhansan. We should reach the summit by midday. I'd never climbed Bukhansan in an outfit like this before.
Enoch kept glancing back, seemingly curious about how I followed without complaint, constantly checking on me.
His manner resembled an owner verifying that his pet dog was following obediently, making it difficult ‌‌‌‌to discern whether it was a favorable reaction or not.
What was truly fortunate was that we hadn't encountered anything life-threatening, like wild beasts or monsters.
Yes, being ‌‌‌‌threatened on the second day of being stranded would be far too difficult.
In any case, we safely reached the Mountain's summit, but the problem lay elsewhere.

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