Chapter 105
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Chapter 105 Whether or not Enoch understood my turmoil, he reached into my crossbody bag and retrieved the disinfectant, his arm wrapped around my waist.
"Let me do it."
"That's inconvenient for you. I'll take care of it."
Every time he spoke, his breath brushed against my ear. Damn it.
"Wait, ugh."
I grabbed his arm with both hands, but a sharp pain suddenly flooded through me, and my body went rigid. Enoch gently patted me.
"Margaret, relax."
Hearing those words, I felt tears threatening to spill. If you keep doing that, I absolutely won't be able to relax. Damn it, is this some new form of torture? I finally gave up and decided to surrender my body completely to him. I released all tension from my muscles and leaned my back against his chest.
"You should take off your jacket for now."
At his words, I endured the sting and removed my jacket, then settled back against him. Wearing only a t-shirt that exposed my abdomen, leaning against him, I could feel the sensation of his taut chest muscles against my back with perfect clarity. 'This feels strange.' I tried to shake off the embarrassment creeping over me and watched what Enoch was doing. From behind, holding me in an embrace, he slowly examined the wound on my abdomen. I found myself wishing I could see his expression, though I couldn't from this angle. '...Wait? Am I losing it? Why do I care that I can't see his face?' "Mm."
In that moment, Enoch slowly peeled away the gauze he'd applied to the wound, and I forgot my wandering thoughts entirely, holding my breath.
"Easy, just bear with me a little longer."
I heard his soothing voice near my ear. It wasn't unbearable, but the way he handled me so carefully, like fine porcelain, somehow made the wound hurt even more. After removing the gauze, Enoch opened the disinfectant cap.
"Will you be alright?"
He asked for my consent, and when I nodded, he very carefully sprayed the disinfectant over the wound.
"Hiss!"
Damn it, it stings like hell! I tilted my head back and squeezed my eyes shut, resting the back of my head against his chest. After Enoch reapplied the gauze, he gently stroked my head with one hand.
"You did well."
His voice in my ear was almost unbearably sweet. Was Enoch always like this? Without seeing his face, he felt somehow less like himself than usual. He pulled me closer by gently gripping my thigh, careful to avoid the wound.
"I need to tie it down, so bear with me a little longer."
Enoch quickly unraveled the wooden vine he'd cut earlier and tossed it beneath the large branch we were sitting on. The recoil from the force brought the vine up from the opposite side. Wrapping the vine around several times, he bound both our legs firmly to the wooden vine, then connected the wooden post to our waists with more bindings. Vertically, horizontally, and crosswise. Now I had no choice but to cling to him like a cicada. I resigned myself and leaned comfortably against him. I'd think of it as resting against an uncomfortable wooden couch. It was better than leaning against the wooden post alone. Then Enoch's face gently withdrew from my shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I'm just as uncomfortable as you are."
He muttered as if making an excuse, then pressed his cheek against my shoulder.
"Enoch."
"Hmm?"
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Right now."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're torturing me."
At that, Enoch lifted his head briefly before breaking into laughter—a sound worn thin by exhaustion, pitched low and oddly sensual.
"Margaret."
"Yes?"
"Are you nervous?"
He asked me in a voice threaded with amusement.
"Are you teasing me right now?"
"So you finally caught on."
He rested his forehead against my shoulder and broke into laughter again. In that moment, I thought to myself. 'Damn it. Why does being teased feel so good? Have I finally lost my mind?' * * * My sudden flutter of anticipation and tension at Enoch's antics was short-lived—I fell into a deep sleep without even realizing when it happened. The night before, I had stayed awake all night at Jenath's Cabin, and meeting Enoch had completely dissolved my tension. The fact that I had fallen into such a sound sleep despite my awkward position said it all. Then, I suddenly opened my eyes. I had sensed something strange from somewhere nearby. As I cracked my eyes open, a sight of movement entered my vision. More precisely, a massive horde was passing beneath the tree where Enoch and I were sitting. I flinched in alarm, but even at that small movement, Enoch's eyes snapped open immediately.
"Those are... the evolved Monsters that Rodban and I encountered, I think."
Enoch whispered quietly into my ear. True to his words, the Monsters I remembered from the novel seemed to have been modeled after creatures from Earth (and indeed, all the Monsters I had encountered so far were), but these Monsters were utterly unidentifiable. Some took the form of massive two-legged fish, others crawled about like writhing larvae, and still others resembled large-headed aliens walking on two legs. All of them appeared to have started as some animal and been horrifically transformed. Even though dawn was breaking, they roamed through the Forest without hesitation. 'This is horrifying.' If I fell from here, I was done for.
"You're all right."
Then, a warm word reached my ear.
"You're not alone, so it will be all right."
If Enoch truly committed himself to fighting, it did seem like he could at least manage those Monsters and escape, even if he couldn't wipe them all out. How could his voice alone give me such reassurance when I couldn't even see his face? Silver Earthworm, who had been sleeping quietly on the Bridge, slowly opened his eyes and looked at me, then glanced below and jumped in alarm. He looked down, then at me, then down again, then at me—as if demanding an explanation of what was happening. I shook my head to indicate I had no idea either. He wagged his tail with curiosity brimming in his eyes as he peered down. I gripped his body tightly, afraid he might fall. We sat there on the tree branch, holding our breath, until the monsters completely vanished from sight. Once the monsters had fully disappeared, the tension drained away. I draped myself against Enoch's chest and exhaled a long breath.
"Phew. If we hadn't been up in this tree, things would have gone very badly."
"I owe my life to you."
Enoch added those words with obvious embarrassment.
"It would have been difficult alone."
A faint laugh escaped Enoch's lips. Nestled against him as I was, I felt every tremor of it. 'Still embarrassing.' I remained awkwardly cradled in his embrace before quietly straightening my posture.
"Should we head down now? I'm quite worried about whether Kaiden is safe."
It wasn't an attempt to evade the situation—I genuinely worried for Kaiden. I felt certain he would be alive, but still, one could never be too careful.
"You're right. We shouldn't linger here."
Though he'd always growled and kept watch over Kaiden before, it seemed Enoch was concerned about him too. We untied the cord that had bound my legs and descended from the tree. I tapped my legs and furrowed my brow.
"My legs are numb."
Enoch then knelt on one knee before me and looked up.
"Let me massage them for you. Sit for a moment."
"No, it's fine."
"It would help."
"I can bear it."
I clenched my teeth as I answered. If he actually massaged my legs, my heart would surely race wildly again—and what if he heard it? 'Absolutely not. Protect your dignity.' I shook my head, shook out my cramped legs a couple of times, then put on the jacket Enoch had been holding and adjusted my crossbag.
"Shall we go?"
Enoch rose reluctantly and nodded, a hint of regret in his expression. I picked up Silver Earthworm from the ground, placed her on my shoulder, and together with Enoch, we ventured back into the Forest to search for Kaiden. * * * Kaiden wandered alone through the mist. At some point, both Silver Earthworm who had been leading and Enoch vanished. I scanned the surroundings, but the fog only grew thicker, obscuring even a single step ahead.
"Damn it, the cabin seemed right in front of me."
The moment I discovered the massive three-story cabin, a dense fog suddenly engulfed me. After that, I couldn't make sense of anything. Walking toward where the cabin had been only made the fog thicken, as if deliberately blocking my approach. As I walked slowly, cautiously scanning my surroundings for some time, the fog suddenly lifted and a door appeared right before my eyes. Kaiden collided directly with it. The fog had been so thick that I hadn't realized an object was so close. I cursed irritably and stepped back.
"...This is that cabin from before?"
I now stood before that massive three-story cabin. Looking around again, neither Silver Earthworm nor Enoch was visible. I tightened my grip on the dagger and stared intently at the wooden door of the cabin. Margaret might be inside. With that thought, all hesitation vanished. I slowly opened the door. The interior of the cabin was silent. In the first-floor living room, a fire crackled in the fireplace, and an empty hammock hung before it. With fog rolling thickly outside the cabin, the interior was dim enough to require a lantern and felt desolate. Then, Thud. A faint noise echoed from the upper floor.
"Damn it, what was that?"
Kaiden muttered a quiet curse and slowly approached the staircase. He glanced upward, but the darkness obscured his view. Could Margaret be on the upper floor? After a moment's hesitation, Kaiden climbed the stairs. The Second Floor reeked with a stench so overwhelming that the floor was nearly buried under garbage. Pinching his nose, he methodically scanned the Second Floor. Though nothing remarkable caught his eye, it was unmistakably clear that many people had once inhabited this cabin. Thud. The sound came again from above. Kaiden found himself gazing at the ceiling. The noise seemed almost like a call—directed at him. 'Could Margaret be signaling for help?' No other explanation came to mind. He bolted up the stairs and reached the Third Floor. The Third Floor was far more desolate than either the first or second. The stench that assaulted his nostrils was incomparably more intense than the odor below—a reek that made the Second Floor's stink seem almost pleasant by comparison. Covering his nose with his sleeve, he surveyed the surroundings. The overwhelming stench seemed to emanate from a tightly sealed door beside the staircase.
"Is that where the sound came from?"
A plaque hung on the door, inscribed with "Chamber of Rest - Sealed."
Chamber of Rest? Kaiden read the plaque with a puzzled expression, then turned the doorknob. The door opened slowly. The room had no windows, and the interior was so dark that nothing lay visible beyond an arm's length. As he opened the door, light filtered in, and the space gradually came into view. A complex magical circle was drawn in the center of the room, and a chair sat within it. And in that chair sat a person.
"...Margaret?"
Kaiden stepped forward in shock, Slam! The door shut. Startled, he turned toward the closed door, but a sound of flames erupting came from behind him. Kaiden turned his head back. A magical circle was drawn beneath the chair, and candles were arranged at regular intervals around it. As the door closed, those candles ignited. The person sitting in the chair was a woman with silver hair. Her head was bowed, and she remained motionless—whether unconscious or merely still, he could not tell.
"Hey."
The moment Kaiden approached her with a bewildered expression, forgotten memories suddenly surged back, swirling chaotically through his mind. * * * Deep within the Papal See, in an underground laboratory. The floor is densely inscribed with geometric symbols. A young Kaiden lies atop them. Candles burn around Kaiden, encircling him along with the symbols.
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