Chapter 128
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Chapter 128
"Damn it, damn it! This makes no sense!"
Yuanna continued to be attacked by the monsters because she was drenched in their blood.
The monster Asdal was trampling had nearly sunk completely into the Swamp.
Asdal had abandoned all hope of survival. Drawing his bowstring, he shot and killed a monster that leaped toward Yuanna from the opposite side, helping her.
If it's come to this, I might as well save her.
That's when Yuanna suddenly changed direction. She immediately lured the monster toward where Asdal was sinking.
The Swamp was dotted with desolate trees, and she grabbed a drooping tree branch that hung down to the water's edge, hanging from it.
Using the momentum of her grip as a rebound, she kicked the monster with her feet, expertly utilizing the terrain and surroundings.
I knew Yuanna was agile. However, she had only ever used that advantage to flee and evade the monsters.
So this was the first time I was witnessing her employ her strengths so effectively.
In an instant, she closed the distance between us and seized my collar.
"Listen here, Your Highness. Have you ever been hit by anyone in your life?!"
At Yuanna's cry, Asdal's brow furrowed sharply. What an absurd question to ask at a time like this.
"Is that what you call conversation?"
"Well then, this must be your first experience."
"What?!"
Asdal couldn't ask another question. The Orangutan Monster that had crept up behind Yuanna prevented it.
It trampled over the monsters following Yuanna and swung its massive fist toward them.
Yuanna, who had been gripping Asdal's collar, quickly ducked, and as a result, Asdal took the creature's punch directly and flew far backward.
"Damn!"
The force of the blow was so tremendous that it felt as though my bones had shattered. Never in my life had I cursed so profusely.
I was immediately hurled out of the Swamp and crashed onto the flat earthen ground beyond.
I had escaped the Swamp by being beaten by the monster.
Had I been struck differently, I might have died instantly. It was a reckless action, but ultimately, she had saved my life once again.
Moreover, the real problem wasn't me—it was her.
Yuanna continued to lure the monsters across the stepping stones. It was perilously dangerous, so much so that I worried she might be torn apart by them at any moment.
Unable to steady myself properly, I lay sprawled on the ground, watching Yuanna approach from a distance with anxious eyes.
It was terrifyingly close, but she was ultimately caught by the Orangutan Monster just before reaching solid ground.
"Damn it, be careful!"
She plunged into the Swamp along with the massive Orangutan Monster. Just as she was swimming with her head above water to escape, she was seized again by a monster submerged beneath the surface, and she vanished completely.
"This... what is... this can't be... this can't be..."
Asdal stood dazed, his face wet with shock, staring only at the place where Yuanna had disappeared.
Across the murky, silent water, monsters could be heard roaring from the opposite bank.
And then, suddenly, the water's surface churned. Then something went splash! and shot upward through the surface.
As if it had been struck and launched, it was hurled directly before Asdal's eyes.
It was Yuanna.
Covered in mud, algae, and monster blood, Yuanna let out a faint groan as she pushed herself upright.
"Are you all right!"
At Asdal's startled cry, she caught sight of him and broke into a grin.
She rummaged through her pocket and withdrew something rectangular, no larger than a finger and rigid to the touch.
Asdal had once seen Margaret pack a similar object into her bag at the Southern Island Cottage.
Yuanna wiped the mud streaming down her face away with a careless hand, then took a deep breath. The moment she opened the lid of the rectangular object, flames erupted with a whoosh.
Asdal flinched in surprise and recoiled.
"Where did you obtain such a magical artifact...?"
"I picked it up this morning. I just remembered how to use it—an older sister I knew taught me long ago."
An older sister she just knew? Her explanation was vague at best. When Margaret had carried a similar object, she'd shown no sign of understanding what it was...
A glint of madness flickered across Yuanna's green eyes. She smiled despite her disheveled appearance.
Her half-crazed expression was unsettling to behold.
"Did you know that fire catches easily when water mixed with monster blood is involved?"
Yuanna posed the question to Asdal. He seemed to recall hearing something similar through his aide when commanding the monster subjugation unit. Yet the memory wasn't clear enough, so he furrowed his brow and shook his head.
She rose to her feet. As Asdal attempted to follow, he cried out in agony and collapsed back to the ground. His bones were definitely broken.
"Just watch."
Seeing his condition, Yuanna grinned wickedly and hurled the flame toward the Swamp.
Whoosh—
The Swamp was already filled with monster corpses, so when the fireball landed in the center, flames spread across the entire expanse.
The horde of monsters that had gathered to devour them caught fire all at once.
The vast Swamp erupted in flames along with the monster horde. Agonized roars from the burning creatures filled the air.
"Are you watching? Jenath! Stay there, will you?! I'm coming soon!"
Yuanna shouted while watching the monsters burn and die, then burst into laughter at the top of her voice.
Asdal had no idea who she was talking to. He stared at her with a bewildered expression.
She truly seemed like a madwoman. At the very least, she didn't appear to be thinking rationally.
Witnessing her in that state, Asdal came to a realization.
The reason two people with no survival instincts could endure—it was because she had gone mad.
She had changed somehow from the moment Margaret's group fell into the River.
Then, recently, she had suddenly begun to act as though she'd recovered lost memories, as if she knew something, speaking in incomprehensible words.
He was curious about what had happened, but before asking, he should at least thank her for saving him.
Yet he couldn't voice those words. The overwhelming pain had turned his mind white.
With broken bones, he couldn't move his body. Moreover, having surrendered all the fruit he'd gathered over the past several days to Yuanna, he'd eaten almost nothing, leaving his mind in a haze.
Though he'd survived, he wondered if death might have been preferable. Asdal let out pained groans before losing consciousness.
Thus, it was much later that he would hear the 'truth' from Yuanna.
* * *
'The Margaret you know isn't Margaret.'
'It seems another soul has entered Margaret Rose Flone.'
When Jenath first spoke those words, Enoch felt no surprise. He had already suspected as much.
'The Young Lady has truly become someone else.'
'She's a different person, that's right.'
'I've truly become someone else. Just think of it as being reborn, more or less.'
Enoch suddenly recalled the conversation he'd had with Margaret when he first opened his eyes on this Island.
Damn it.
I muttered a curse laden with self-reproach. Perhaps Margaret had been sending signals from the very beginning.
Asking me to recognize her.
Kaiden's expression wasn't particularly shocked either. Though Rujeep and Diego seemed to have different reactions.
'She must have known it herself.'
'You were all deceived.'
Jenath's words lacked evidence. Yet to those who had come to regard Margaret as a different person altogether, his statement was no different than fanning embers into flame.
Jenath wore a satisfied expression as he surveyed the confusion he'd sown.
'That's what I came to tell you.'
After that, he vanished without a trace.
I watched Jenath disappear, but I had no intention of pursuing him. Finding Margaret took priority.
"Let's start by finding Margaret."
No one answered my words—they were all dazed. Only Kaiden wore an expression of deep contemplation.
I exhaled heavily.
"Everyone, snap out of it. The young mage has vanished."
Only then did everyone look up in alarm at the tree branch. Just as I said, the silver-haired boy who had been perched there had already disappeared without a trace.
"What on earth is happening here?"
Rujeep gathered his belongings and struggled to hoist the heavy backpack onto his shoulders as he asked me. Kaiden, who had been watching Rujeep quietly, snatched the bag from him and slung it effortlessly across his own shoulder.
"I think it would be better to discuss this after we find Margaret?"
Kaiden turned back to me as he spoke.
"Let's split up and search for Margaret. We don't know what that bastard might do next. Our best course of action right now is to find her."
My indifferent gaze, with arms folded, fell upon Kaiden's face. I nodded in agreement with his words, then turned to Diego.
"Diego."
"Your orders, Your Highness."
Before my summons even finished, Diego dropped to one knee with precise, disciplined movements.
"You move with the Bishop."
"Yes? But..."
Diego glanced sideways at Rujeep. He said nothing, but his gaze was precisely the kind one casts upon an untrustworthy ally. Rujeep, quick to read the atmosphere, furrowed his brow with displeasure.
"Any objections?"
"None, sir."
Diego answered my question without hesitation. Kaiden, watching this exchange while shouldering the backpack, spoke to me.
"Let's move quickly."
I discussed with Diego where and when we would meet again, how we would signal each other, and other such details before moving forward with Kaiden.
Only after I felt we had put sufficient distance between ourselves and Diego and Rujeep did I turn back to Kaiden.
"You're thinking the same thing, aren't you?"
Kaiden ran his hand through his hair while shouldering the backpack and sighed.
"The Bunker is the only place Margaret would go from here."
"Whatever the truth is, whatever Margaret is doing in the Bunker, we need to know first, no matter what."
At my matter-of-fact words, Kaiden sighed and muttered irritably.
"Of course. That way we can protect Margaret from the others."
For once, Kaiden and I are in agreement. I nodded, endorsing his words.
"Then let's head to the Bunker."
"Ah. But the map is with Margaret."
At Kaiden's words, Enoch walked ahead with an unbothered expression.
"I spent so long on the Battlefield that I'm accustomed to reading maps. I can memorize it after seeing it once."
At Enoch's response, Kaiden finally felt relieved.
Thanks to that, they didn't wander long and found the entrance to what appeared to be the Bunker in half a day. Though they did search the area for quite some time since it was hidden among the Thicket.
The problem was that someone had arrived before them.
At first, they didn't even realize it was a door. Had the door not been slightly ajar with a small gap visible, they might have simply passed by. They only then noticed the door handle attached to the stone door.
Enoch and Kaiden exchanged a glance before pushing open the door and stepping inside.
The moment they opened the heavy stone door, a staircase descending downward came into view.
All the walls were made of solid stone. It seemed that no matter what happened outside, this place alone would remain safe.
As they slowly descended the staircase, they encountered an unidentified man cradling Margaret in his arms.
A man with silver hair and crimson eyes, possessing striking beauty. Unlike Kaiden with his sharp features, this man exuded a languid air, yet he remained composed even as he faced them.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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