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

Chapter 8
* * *
The next morning, I woke early and returned Enoch's jacket to him.
And then a rather trivial problem emerged between us—a conflict born from our diverging objectives.
My goal was to survive safely on ‌this Island for a year, while his was to escape it immediately.
"To survive as long ‌‌‌as possible, I think it would be better to venture deeper into the Island rather than stay near the Beach. We need to find where a river flows—that's where our survival chances improve. And it would be far easier to establish shelter there."
"You don't intend to signal for rescue? If we go deeper into the Island, our survival chances may increase, but rescue becomes far less likely."
His logic was certainly sound.
But since we can't escape until the "Door" opens anyway, I can't explain that fact, and it's frustratingly helpless. ‌‌‌
Well then, there's no choice. ‌‌‌‌I'll have to play my trump card.
"In that ‌‌‌‌case, I think it's best we part ways here."
"...What?"
His ‌‌expression showed he hadn't ‌‌‌expected me to say such a thing. He'd probably assumed I wouldn't venture out alone.
I'd been watching for the right moment to leave anyway, so this worked out perfectly.
"You can't seriously expect me to listen to Young Lady just because you say so so abruptly...."
"I'm serious."
I slipped on my flat shoes, which I'd set aside while wading in the seawater, and tidied my clothes.
Then I twisted a couple of fish I'd caught this morning onto thin branches and slung them over my shoulder.
Enoch looked genuinely flustered. But paying him no mind, I bowed respectfully in his direction.
"I'm truly grateful you saved me from that beast. And being with ‌‌‌you, even for a brief time, has been a comfort. If I'd been alone when I first awoke, I might have lost my mind."
At my final farewell, his expression twisted.
"Young Lady Flone. I'm not in the mood for jokes."
Regardless, I shrugged my shoulders and offered him a cheerful parting gesture.
"Think of it however you wish. Well then, farewell!"
Just as I was about to pass him and enter the Forest, I felt urgent movement behind me.
"Wait."
Enoch followed ‌‌‌after me ‌and grabbed my shoulder, bringing me to a halt. Only then did I turn to face him.
"I ‌don't understand what you're doing." ‌‌‌
"Our opinions don't align, so I made the rational choice."
"This dangerous act right now...!"
Enoch raised his voice in anger, but upon seeing my face, he clamped his mouth shut.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, then spoke again.
"Are you saying ‌this dangerous action is a rational choice?"
I couldn't understand why he was angry. Why? ‌‌‌‌It was almost as if he were worried about me.
After pondering for a moment, I asked.
"Could it be that you're worried about me? That something dangerous might happen?"
'Or are you trying to keep a suspicious Margaret nearby and watch her?'
It's probably the latter. Well, the truth is I do seem suspicious, so I can't really argue.
Strangely enough, Enoch looked shocked, as if my words had struck a nerve. Watching his expression, I exhaled softly.
"I'm more resilient than I appear. Don't worry about me—worry about yourself instead."
Monsters were the greatest threat, but as long as I ‌could hide somewhere when dusk fell, I'd manage. I was confident in my ability to conceal myself.
I couldn't afford to cower on the Beach ‌‌‌out of fear and miss the moment the door opened, leaving myself stranded.
Whether it was a Bunker or a Cabin, I had to find shelter. And I needed to uncover the secrets of this Island.
Only then could I understand why I'd suddenly possessed Margaret's body.
I bowed once more to Enoch before turning to leave, ‌‌but he suddenly grabbed my arm with urgency. ‌‌His desperate grip felt genuinely earnest.
This time, I felt a flicker of irritation. So I deliberately made my annoyance obvious before turning back, and he spoke to me with ‌‌resolute ‌‌determination.
"Come with me."
It was truly an unexpected choice.
Had living alongside me weakened his wariness toward Margaret?
"I'll stay with Young Lady, but I'll continue searching for a way to signal for rescue and find ‌‌a path ‌‌‌‌off this ‌‌Island."
If there was a way to escape without relying on the original plot's exit, that would naturally be ideal. It was something ‌‌‌I desired as well.
Moreover, the fact that Enoch hadn't pressured me and had yielded to my opinion felt like a signal that our relationship was gradually shifting.
Enoch was quite a capable asset, and ‌‌‌having him with ‌‌me would complicate my plans somewhat, but it wasn't without merit.
For now, survival was the absolute priority.
"Very well."
In the end, we decided to search for new shelter together.
After wandering through the Forest for roughly half a ‌‌‌day, we discovered a steep Cliff.
With genuine relief, I pointed toward the towering Cliff ‌‌within ‌‌sight of Enoch.
"Caves are always found beneath Cliffs like that. The path ‌‌‌down might be treacherous, but you won't find better shelter anywhere."
"How on ‌‌‌‌earth ‌‌do you know such things?"
Enoch stared at me with utter bewilderment.
"Did the Floné Duchy teach you this?"
As if that were possible. But if I couldn't deflect the question skillfully here, suspicion would arise.
I simply nodded with a vague smile, as if confirming his guess.
"Yes. I received diverse education from the family. Knowledge is a ‌‌burden."
Just as I was about to brush past the topic, Enoch erupted, saying he'd misjudged the Duke and demanding to know how he could subject Young Lady to such harsh training.
Why was he suddenly so angry?
I couldn't fathom his reaction, so I tilted my head in confusion and replied.
"But thanks to it, I'm being quite helpful right now, aren't I? ‌‌‌‌I consider myself fortunate."
Finally, Enoch fell silent. He had no counterargument.
Fortunately, we discovered the Cave safely before sunset.
Enoch searched inside the Cave to ensure no wild beasts were lurking within.
Once we determined the Cave was secure, we moved heavy stones and stacked them at the entrance. Then we covered everything ‌‌with large leaves to create a natural camouflage.
The moment we settled into the damp, cool Cave, rain suddenly began pouring down ‌from the ‌‌previously clear ‌sky.
With thunder and lightning accompanying the torrential downpour, Enoch and I had ‌‌‌to retreat deeper into ‌‌‌the ‌‌Cave.
Fortunately, the Cave's entrance was positioned about a hand's breadth above the ground, so water didn't flood inside.
"Oh! I should collect ‌‌‌rainwater instead."
I handed Enoch the coconut I'd brought along.
Enoch accepted the coconut with a puzzled expression, then cracked it open with his ‌‌‌‌bare hands and passed it to me. By now, he no longer questioned my requests and simply did as I asked automatically.
'Has some trust finally been built between us?'
I shared the coconut sap with Enoch, beaming with satisfaction.
After ‌‌‌draining ‌‌‌the sap, I used the sharp wooden blade I'd fashioned for cleaning fish to scrape the inside of the hollowed coconut shell.
It wasn't as precise as a real knife would have been, but the result was a passable vessel.
I crafted four coconut bowls this way and arranged them atop the stones near the Cave entrance.
I positioned them as close to the entrance as possible so that rainwater wouldn't be splattered with mud or swept away by the wind.
Enoch ‌‌watched me with a curious expression, ‌‌wondering ‌what I was doing. Now he asked with his eyes ‌‌‌rather than his voice.
"If we collect ‌‌rainwater, we won't need to distill stream water or anything like that. It saves us effort."
Rain falling from ‌‌‌the sky could be drunk as-is. It was already ‌‌‌‌‌‌as pure as distilled water.
"I see."
Enoch replied somewhat flatly. After that, neither he nor I spoke, and silence settled over us.
The Cave was filled only with the soft patter of falling rain.
Somehow the tension eased, ‌‌‌and I leaned against the Cave ‌‌wall with a weary expression.
The rough, uneven walls and floor of the ‌‌Cave were uncomfortable and difficult to sit on for long. It was dark and desolate as a Cave should be, and the air was thick with moisture.
There were no notable features, but it was hardly a pleasant space.
With the rain, it would be difficult to find dry tinder, so we wouldn't be able to make a fire.
It ‌‌was a bit cold, but there was no other choice.
"I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but I have to admit it. Young Lady, you've changed."
At Enoch's quiet words, I turned my head toward him.
The only light was the dim glow seeping in from outside the Cave. Thanks to it, I ‌‌‌could faintly make out Enoch's face as it caught that meager light in the darkness.
His composed features showed not a trace of agitation.
It was the same when he'd dispatched the monster with a single hand—that demeanor gave his companion tremendous reassurance.
Enoch still seemed to dislike me, but there was no denying his reliability.
"See? I told you I'd changed."
I answered ‌‌with a touch of smugness, but Enoch merely glanced at me and offered no response, leaving me feeling rather ‌‌‌‌‌embarrassed alone.
In any case, if I continue building trust like this, couldn't my future change as well?

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