Chapter 106
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Chapter 106
Priests clad in robes bearing the Papal See's insignia, their hoods drawn up, encircled Kaiden.
They held ancient tomes open before them, their lips moving in ceaseless, murmured incantations.
Then.
The basement door swung open and someone entered. In young Kaiden's field of vision, an elderly priest appeared—one whose age seemed quite advanced.
The ornate nature of his vestments suggested he might be an archbishop, or perhaps the Pope himself.
'What do you think? He seems to have excellent compatibility with Jenath.'
One of the priests surrounding young Kaiden answered the old man.
'Yes. His magical power appears comparable to Jenath's, so the compatibility should be optimal.'
'Hmm. We've already reached an agreement with the Rohade Family. Once he becomes entangled with Jenath, they'll develop some flexibility too.'
'If he grows as expected, he'll be perfect. I believe he should be added to the final test subject list together.'
'Very well. Prepare the list with utmost care. Given the scope of this plan, this will be our final experiment. Have a report compiled and submitted.'
The old man, satisfied, tapped the responding priest's shoulder twice. He glanced down at young Kaiden.
The old man's blue eyes met Kaiden's crimson gaze.
The moment their eyes locked, Kaiden was yanked from the memory.
Gasp.
His chest felt suffocating, his breathing labored. As he gasped for air, the woman sitting atop the magic circle slowly lifted her head.
Even as Kaiden struggled painfully to breathe, his eyes met hers—those crimson eyes—and his brow furrowed. Her face was not unfamiliar to him.
'Who is she?'
In that moment, the woman opened her mouth.
Run.
Away.
Now.
Simultaneously, the door behind him burst wide open. Seized by something incomprehensible at the nape of his neck, Kaiden was dragged bodily through the doorway.
Hauled into the Third Floor Corridor in an instant, he was hurled straight out through a window. His powerless body plummeted from the third-floor height without hesitation.
"Damn it!"
Just before impact, someone snatched him back. The sudden jolt sent him tumbling across the ground.
"Hell."
Cough, cough.
Rising unsteadily through the swirling dust, someone stood before him.
A boy with short silver hair that shimmered around his neck.
Silver hair and crimson eyes—features equally unfamiliar.
The boy looked down at Kaiden with an expressionless face and spoke.
"I've been curious, and finally we meet."
Despite his youth, the boy bore the weathered countenance of one who had lived countless ages. He regarded Kaiden intently, then clasped his hands behind his back and approached slowly.
"But the time isn't right yet."
He then placed a finger against Kaiden's forehead.
"Go now."
The boy pushed Kaiden's forehead with his finger. Kaiden was engulfed once more in thick fog. With that, the boy and the cabin vanished without a trace.
* * *
After Margaret, Enoch, and Kaiden disappeared one by one, Yuanna fell into a state of complete delirium.
She collapsed where she stood, weeping uncontrollably, unable to regain her composure.
"If they all die... if they die again...!"
She rambled incoherently, her words tumbling over one another, before pulling out a key and clutching it in her hand as she sobbed.
It was clear her mind was not functioning properly.
Yuanna remained in that state until sunset, only finally calming down when night fell.
But from that moment onward, she was a completely different person—as though she had recovered a lost memory and awakened to something profound.
'That's strange indeed.'
Asdal observed her carefully.
In truth, his favorable treatment of her thus far stemmed from more than just guilt comparable to what he felt toward Diego.
'There's definitely some secret here, but I still can't figure out what it is.'
Now, it seemed his intuition alone wasn't responsible for this suspicion.
Just then, a rumbling sound emanated from his stomach. He was ravenously hungry.
"I miss Flone Young Lady terribly."
Asdal sighed, his haggard face etched with exhaustion. Yuanna, sitting quietly beside him, nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, I miss the Young Lady very much as well."
Yuanna, who had been lost in thought with an unfamiliar demeanor, finally responded to Asdal's words as she normally would.
"Are you alright?"
At his question, she looked at him with confusion.
"I didn't realize the Holy Maiden cared for them so deeply."
"Even if it were someone I disliked, most people would be shocked in a situation like this."
"That's true enough."
Asdal, finding her words reasonable, fell silent.
He wanted to ask her something, but he couldn't decide where to begin. So in the end, he said nothing at all.
"Do you think the three of them are alive?"
"They will be."
"You're certain of that."
"I won't believe they're dead until I see it with my own eyes."
At Asdal's response, Yuanna's eyes widened with understanding. Regardless of her reaction, Asdal gestured toward her.
"Let's look at the map again. We should check which direction we need to go."
Yuanna looked utterly exhausted, but when Asdal snapped his fingers with a stern expression, she reluctantly pulled a map from her pocket and handed it over.
Asdal spread the map on the ground. They had to find the only path that would allow them to cross to the North Island.
'It would be best to follow the River Bank and head straight east.'
He was formulating this plan when—
"I'm hungry, sir. Could you catch some birds for us?"
"...It seems the Holy Maiden has finally come of age to earn her keep."
"If you provide us with roasted bird for tonight's meal, I'll do my part starting tomorrow."
Yuanna responded with her usual shameless composure, as though she hadn't been crying moments before, and smiled. Of course, that smile had no effect on Asdal.
"Stop playing games and get up. Let's gather berries together. Neither of us can butcher animals anyway."
Only then did Yuanna rise to her feet with an accepting expression. She glanced toward the River Bank with a grumble.
"I wish we could at least catch some fish."
At Yuanna's murmur, Asdal was suddenly struck by sharp regret at having ignored Margaret's instruction to learn how to fish.
'I should have learned it back then.'
It was a very belated regret.
But even that was merely a trivial remorse possible only because they were still on the South Island, before encountering evolved Monsters.
Asdal would later realize that regretting not having learned to fish was not something to be done after reaching the North Island and encountering new Monsters.
* * *
I stood before the Central River—we had decided to call the river running through the island's center by this name—and surveyed the terrain to determine our location.
"It seems we haven't escaped the vicinity yet. This looks like the area near where I first awakened."
At my words, Enoch, who had been standing alert to his surroundings, glanced down at me briefly.
"Can you find the Cabin? It would be best to focus our search around that area."
"Well... I kept going north with my back to the River Bank."
"Then let's head in that direction. Since there are no high mountain ranges, we shouldn't lose our way."
I nodded and decided to turn back with him toward the direction where Jenath's Cabin should be.
And so, upon entering the Forest, we encountered the thick mist once more.
"Enoch."
I called to Enoch, who walked ahead with an anxious expression. He turned to me with a puzzled look.
"I'd feel better if we held hands while walking. Just like I did with Kaiden—we can't afford to be separated."
I extended my hand toward him. Enoch, who had been gazing down at me intently, slowly clasped my hand in return.
Though we merely held hands, a wave of reassurance washed over me through the warmth of our contact. It felt deeply comforting.
"Thank you."
Enoch did not answer my words; he simply looked at me for a moment before offering a soft, subtle smile.
Just as we were about to step into the mist together, a familiar voice reached my ears.
"Margaret?"
"Kaiden?!"
I spun around in surprise, looking about frantically.
The moment I thought I glimpsed silver hair through the mist, I found myself cradled in someone's arms.
"Margaret."
It was Kaiden's voice.
The hand I had been holding with Enoch naturally slipped away, but contrary to my expectation that he would be angry, Enoch unexpectedly stepped back in silence—his own way of showing consideration for Kaiden and me.
"Kaiden."
I gently patted his back, for his body was trembling. This too was an uncharacteristic reaction from him.
"You're safe. Thank goodness. Thank goodness..."
He continued murmuring the same words as he pulled me into a suffocatingly tight embrace.
"I thought I was going to lose my mind—not knowing what had happened to you..."
Kaiden, his anxiety and worry unabated, held me close again and pressed his cheek against my neck.
"Are you alright? Where were you?"
After burying his face in my shoulder and breathing deeply for a long while in silence, Kaiden lifted his head and looked at me with glistening eyes.
"Ever since you disappeared, Your Highness, I've been in the mist."
He pulled me into his arms once more.
"I missed you, Margaret."
There seemed to be a tremor in Kaiden's voice, so I quietly patted his back until he composed himself.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org