Chapter 104
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Chapter 104
Diego knelt on one knee and began transferring heavy items from his bag into his leaf pouch with practiced efficiency.
Most of it consisted of necessities for daily life—bowls, wooden utensils, and the like.
"Is that everything?"
Diego handed the now-lighter bag to Rujeep, who nodded with a somewhat awkward expression.
"Thank you."
Diego didn't respond, simply walking ahead in silence.
"The Holy Maiden and the Crown Prince will follow us, won't they?"
As Rujeep murmured this, Diego nodded silently in agreement.
"It should be fine since Prince Asdal has weapons with him."
After the Suspension Bridge collapsed and Margaret, Enoch, and Kaiden disappeared one after another, they had fallen into complete chaos.
The distance to the South Island was considerable, so not only were voices inaudible, but communication by other means proved nearly impossible.
But soon, Asdal on the South Island cut a massive leaf and formed a star mark, and only then did Diego and Rujeep understand what he meant to convey—to meet at the location marked with a star, just as originally planned.
However, Diego and Rujeep, lacking both compass and map, faced considerable obstacles in setting out.
After much back-and-forth debate, they decided to mark the path they'd come and return to their original position if they became lost. Only after making this decision did they begin walking aimlessly toward the western direction of the North Island.
"To be honest, it was unexpected. I thought you'd go find the Holy Maiden right away."
To Rujeep's words, Diego walked on in silence and answered matter-of-factly.
"The Holy Maiden is not as fragile as she appears. And right now, isn't it more important to determine whether Flone Young Lady is alive or dead?"
Diego glanced back at Rujeep as he spoke. It sounded somehow like 'worry about yourself instead,' and Rujeep twisted his mouth in displeasure.
"Flone Young Lady isn't particularly fragile either. I'm certain she's alive."
His trust in her was unwavering, yet truthfully, Rujeep was anxious too. He suppressed the anxiety churning within him and repeatedly reminded himself that she would be safe.
"Honestly, isn't it true that the absence of Flone Young Lady weighs more heavily than the absence of the others?"
And then Diego uttered these unexpected words.
"On this perilous island where anyone could disappear at any moment, for some reason I believed only the Young Lady would be safe. I never imagined she would vanish so suddenly like this..."
"Flone Young Lady does seem to be the kind of person who inspires such faith."
Rujeep smiled bitterly. But what good did it do? Now they didn't even know if she was alive or dead.
Diego nodded with a troubled expression.
"I hope she's safe. I mean it sincerely."
* * *
Silver Earthworm tracked my location as if I had a tracking device attached, yet seemed oblivious to where the others were.
I rummaged through my crossbody bag somewhat frantically.
"Is there anything of Kaiden's? If Silver Earthworm could smell it, wouldn't that help find him?"
"...Do you really think that creature is a dog?"
At Enoch's retort, I had nothing to say and lowered the bag. Silver Earthworm tilted its head in confusion, tongue lolling out.
After patting Silver Earthworm's head, I ultimately had to search for Kaiden on foot with Enoch.
But my ominous premonitions were never wrong. We wandered through the Forest until sunset, yet couldn't find Kaiden anywhere.
Moreover, the mist had completely cleared, yet we still couldn't determine where in the Forest we were.
"It seems like we're near Jenath's Cabin. Where on earth did the cabin go?"
Awoooooo!
At the sound of a wolf's howl from somewhere, Enoch drew his sword and surveyed the surroundings.
"First, we need to find a place to hide for the night."
I retrieved the flare gun Jenath had given me, loaded it, and nodded.
"If Monsters are roaming even during the day now, waiting for morning isn't an option either."
"True. The Forest and River Bank areas both risk being surrounded by Monsters."
As I listened to Enoch's words, I surveyed the Forest around us carefully.
The Forest we occupied resembled a Jungle Forest, dense with trees that had sturdy, remarkably thick roots.
I turned back to Enoch.
"We climb into the trees."
Enoch followed my gaze upward into the canopy. Scaling the trees wouldn't be easy, but it was our only option.
"There's a risk of falling."
At Enoch's murmur, I quickly scanned the surroundings. In a Jungle, there were always plenty of thick, fibrous vines that could serve as rope.
"If we tie ourselves down, it should work. Even if our bodies shift while we sleep, we won't fall immediately, so we can prepare for any accidents."
I selected suitable vines and offered them to Enoch.
"Would you cut them with your sword?"
I watched quietly as Enoch sliced the vines into long lengths with his longsword.
The Silver Earthworm, which had been coiled around my arm, sensed what was coming and quietly climbed onto my shoulder, peeking out from behind my neck.
It seemed the creature had accumulated enough awareness—anticipating that I'd soon need my arms, it had relocated to safety on my shoulder.
'How adorable.'
Enoch gathered a considerable amount of vine with one hand effortlessly, tucked it against his side, and turned to face me.
I was eyeing a suitable tree to climb when he called out to me in a low voice.
"Margaret."
I turned to him with a puzzled expression, and our eyes met as he regarded me with a serene gaze.
"I've wondered if you might truly be someone else. Quite often, actually."
"What? Suddenly, what do you mean by—"
I froze mid-sentence, staring at him in shock. He held my gaze with an untroubled expression before slowly lowering his head and whispering against my ear.
"But I'm not confused. What I love is who you are now. I wanted you to know that."
His low voice tickled my ear. Not understanding his intention, I could only gape silently. Would my heart stop altogether?
Interpreting my expression somehow, Enoch offered a bittersweet smile and stepped back slightly.
"I wasn't seeking an answer, so I'd prefer you say nothing."
I found myself unable to respond at all.
'What I love is who you are now.' Those words echoed in my mind like a refrain. This was an unmistakable confession.
Struck by his unexpected declaration, I suddenly recalled our first meeting.
At first, I had wanted only to flee from him. He terrified me. I never knew when he might kill me.
At some point, I began fearing he might abandon me without warning. So I avoided him to protect myself from hurt.
But now...
I wanted to survive together, not alone.
Though my feelings weren't the same as his, my heart had changed from what it once was.
"Margaret."
Enoch called out as he moved away, his expression asking why I wasn't following.
I set aside my thoughts. I was grateful that he demanded nothing of me and asked nothing in return.
I followed after him at a quick pace and selected a tree where we could spend the night together.
Using Enoch's shoulders as a foothold, I climbed the tree first, and he followed after me. Since I was wearing trousers, scaling the tree wasn't particularly difficult.
We settled ourselves on a branch positioned quite high up. As I climbed, the wound on my abdomen throbbed with considerable pain, but I did my best not to show it.
Then Enoch leaned his back against the tree trunk and tapped the space between his legs with his hand.
"Come here."
"Ah... Is that really necessary?"
I sat facing him and asked with an uncomfortable expression. To my question, Enoch responded as if puzzled.
"You don't have anywhere to lean your back, do you? And I can't very well sit in front of you when I'm this large."
He gestured toward my exposed back. I glanced behind myself and fell silent, having nothing to say. After hesitating briefly, I crept slowly toward him.
I observed his expression for a moment before carefully settling in front of him. The closeness of our bodies felt awkward, and I found myself unconsciously stiffening my spine. A sigh escaped from behind me.
"We'll need to secure ourselves anyway, so relax and lean back. It's not as if we won't sleep, after all."
"I suppose that's true, but..."
This wasn't my first time having physical contact with him, but surely a back hug was different from a simple embrace, wasn't it?
'This is awkward.'
I hesitantly leaned my back against him. The Silver Earthworm that had been on my shoulder descended and settled on my lap. My body tensed with nervousness.
'Damn, my shoulders feel a bit stiff. I've already settled into position, and it would be embarrassing to shift now.'
I was caught between discomfort and pain, wondering how to resolve this situation.
"Pardon me."
His voice, impossibly low, pierced my ear. Before I could protest, thick arms wrapped around my waist.
"Huh?"
He lifted me slightly and pulled me close before him, positioning my back against his chest.
The position became far more comfortable. However, pressed so intimately against him, I felt terribly embarrassed, and the slight movement caused my wound to throb painfully.
Now that I thought about it, it seemed I hadn't properly treated the wound earlier—the gauze was still stained with blood.
"The medical supplies—are they in your bag?"
Enoch, who seemed to sense my condition with uncanny perception, asked me. The supplies should still be usable since the container was sealed tightly, even if it had fallen into the water. Probably.
"Ah... yes."
I had been repeating foolish responses like a broken automaton. Meanwhile, he rested his chin on my shoulder.
His breath brushed against my ear. I felt my hair stand on end from the tension.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org