Chapter 110
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Chapter 110
"I apologize—I should have considered that you weren't feeling well."
As I listened to Enoch's murmur, I blinked my eyes drowsily.
Kaiden's robe was a bit too small for the three of us to cover ourselves with, but we huddled together beneath it like a blanket nonetheless.
As our body heat mingled and warmth enveloped us, I began to feel a little better.
Once my senses returned, embarrassment flooded back, and I cleared my throat before offering an excuse-laden explanation.
"Now that I think about it, it seems like just a common fever. I haven't slept properly in days, and yesterday I fell asleep uncomfortably on a tree branch. My wounds still haven't fully healed, and I've been in a constant state of tension."
Enoch sighed and patted my head gently.
"Rest for now. We'll keep watch over you."
"Yes. Sleep, Margaret."
My eyelids were already growing heavy without their prompting, and before I could resist, I fell into an unconscious sleep.
* * *
For the first time in ages, I slept deeply and soundly. It had been so long since I'd rested so refreshingly that I felt a profound sense of contentment.
My body felt light—the fever had completely broken. A faint brightness stung my eyes, so I carefully lifted my eyelids.
I was still cradled in the arms of Enoch and Kaiden. The night had been bitterly cold, but now that my illness had fully passed, I felt quite warm.
"I..."
"You're awake, it seems."
"You're up, Margaret?"
I had barely opened my mouth, yet both men questioned me simultaneously.
They truly hadn't slept all night, sharing their warmth with me. An unexpected wave of guilt and gratitude washed over me.
"I'm fine now. Thank you."
I carefully extracted myself from their embrace and sat up. The two men rose as well, following my lead.
Kaiden stretched with a yawn, while Enoch rubbed the back of his neck, clearly stiff.
"It seems you all lost sleep because of me..."
Silver Earthworm, who had been coiled at my feet sleeping, blinked awake and wriggled toward me.
I stroked the creature as it climbed onto my lap and nuzzled affectionately against my palm, then I lifted my gaze.
Both men were watching me with rather peculiar expressions on their faces.
"What is it?"
Kaiden scratched his cheek awkwardly and averted his eyes.
"I wouldn't mind seeing yesterday's Margaret again."
'Yesterday's me?'
...Could he possibly be referring to when I was delirious and asking to be held?
Enoch said nothing, but his expression clearly agreed with Kaiden's sentiment.
"I think I caused you both trouble yesterday. I'm sorry."
"Trouble? It was actually quite—"
"Kaiden."
When Enoch called his name as if to restrain him, Kaiden obediently fell silent and shrugged his shoulders.
Enoch sighed, then quietly placed his hand on my forehead. He gently caressed my cheek afterward.
"Your fever has completely subsided."
At Enoch's words, Kaiden glanced at him before adding his own comment.
"Your body was a complete mess yesterday—freezing one moment, burning the next."
"Thank you all. I can stand watch now, so both of you should rest."
At my words, Enoch and Kaiden exchanged glances, then shook their heads dismissively.
"We have good stamina. One day is fine."
Their claim about stamina wasn't a lie, so I had nothing to say. Before I could even broach another topic, Enoch rose from his seat.
He picked up the shirt that had fallen to the ground and put it on. Kaiden also dressed in his discarded shirt, stood up, and extended his hand to me.
I took Silver Earthworm in hand, grasped his hand, and stood.
"I think we should search for Jenath's Cabin today. We can plan our next steps after that."
Enoch spoke to me while carefully surveying the surroundings.
"Margaret, if you're feeling up to it, I think we should explore the area right away. The Barrier's effects will likely fade soon anyway."
At Kaiden's words, I tidied my clothes and found my crossbody bag, slinging it over my shoulder.
"All right. I'm ready to leave immediately."
When I answered energetically, Enoch let out a dry laugh and patted my head.
"Then, let's depart."
We set out to find Jenath's Cabin and wandered the surrounding area for quite some time, but as expected, we couldn't locate it.
"How could it vanish so completely?"
Moreover, the closer we approached the cabin, the deeper the fog enveloped us, forcing us to halt our advance.
"It would be dangerous to proceed inside like this."
"Can't we do something with magic?"
At my question, Kaiden rested his chin in his hand, stared at me intently, then surveyed the surroundings.
"I could, but... the magical formulas I use are rather intricate and require considerable mana."
"Then, isn't there something simpler yet effective that doesn't require such precision?"
"Hmm, I could manage that much."
In response to Kaiden's answer, Enoch drew his sword and stood guard, surveying the area before speaking to us.
"Silver Earthworm and I will keep watch over the perimeter. You two handle the fog."
Silver Earthworm, coiled around my arm, startled at the mention of his name, then cautiously slithered down to the ground.
He took position beside Enoch and flicked his tongue at me.
I smiled at him, then grasped Kaiden's hand. Light emanated from our joined hands as Kaiden began tracing magical formulas in the air.
Having swiftly completed the magical circle, Kaiden infused it with mana.
However, the problem was that despite the magical circle activating, nothing happened.
"What? The magic isn't working?"
Kaiden furrowed his brow and muttered with confusion. Feeling the fog grow denser, I grabbed his collar.
"We should get out of here for now."
Kaiden glanced at me. Enoch agreed with my words and spoke.
"Right. If magic won't work, we should retreat as Margaret suggests for now."
Enoch swept through the thickening fog, sheathed his sword, and picked up Silver Earthworm from the ground.
In the end, we had to emerge to where the fog thinned and reconvene our strategy. On a tree branch, no less.
I sat wedged between the two men, my hips fidgeting with bewilderment.
"But do we really have to climb all the way up here for a meeting? We could just set up a Barrier."
At my words, Kaiden clicked his tongue.
"Don't squander your mana like that. Conserve it. You need time to recover. If you keep this up, you'll collapse again."
At his words, I nodded obediently.
Enoch quietly observed us for a moment, then brought his index finger to his lips and made a gesture for silence.
Kaiden and I understood immediately what he meant and held our breath, peering down beneath the tree.
A wolf-like Monster with an bizarre form—long ears like a rabbit's and six legs—was sniffing its way across the ground below us. I held my breath.
At that moment, Jenath's words came back to me—that these creatures favored me.
'Could it have followed my scent?'
The creature circled around us, sniffing as if searching for something, before finally disappearing after what felt like an eternity.
"Jenath might be borrowing the eyes of creatures like that. We should definitely avoid him."
Kaiden, who had been lost in thought, murmured quietly, and Enoch nodded in agreement.
"We should establish a plan for what comes next."
When Enoch spoke quietly, Kaiden nodded, resting the back of his head against his interlaced hands.
"Whether it's Jenath or Anata, to find out what they're hiding, we'd need to reach Jenas's Cabin, but it seems impossible to locate right now...."
"Why don't we search for other clues first? Or we could find the Holy Maiden."
Both men nodded at my suggestion.
"The map the Holy Maiden has shows the location of supplies marked on it. Isn't it on the way down to the South Island?"
Kaiden, who had an excellent memory, suddenly recalled this and spoke to me with a thoughtful expression.
Now that he mentioned it, that was indeed the case. I was certain that location with the supplies had been marked near the Bunker.
"Margaret, didn't you draw a map before?"
Kaiden asked me. I shrugged and sighed.
"It got soaked in water."
Then I suddenly remembered when Enoch had opened his crossbody bag to treat my wounds.
I was certain that at that moment, I'd seen the notebook we found in Jenas's Cabin and what appeared to be a cloth fragment of a Bunker map.
Why hadn't he said anything about it?
I glanced at Enoch. When our eyes met, he raised his eyebrows as if confused.
'I suppose I have to reveal the Bunker now...?'
The Bunker could no longer be my Plan B. Tears threatened to spill. The thought of losing my escape route.
I looked around cautiously, then fumbled in my pocket and unfolded the Bunker map.
"I have another map."
Kaiden crossed his arms and looked at me with an expression of surprise.
"Where did you get this?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org