Chapter 129
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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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Chapter 129
Kaiden's expression twisted into a scowl.
"What the hell? That damn brat looks just like this?"
"I apologize for failing to meet your expectations. This is my true form, after all."
"What are you talking about, Jenath? What did you do with your body?"
Jenath gazed at them with an expression of profound fascination.
Enoch and Kaiden immediately sensed something was gravely wrong with Margaret's condition as she lay cradled in his arms.
They moved to restrain Jenath, but somehow he wielded his mana with such ease that he slipped past them effortlessly, vanishing in an instant.
Kaiden discovered the ground where Jenath had disappeared was densely carpeted with Tentationem flowers.
At the same moment, an enormous magic circle materialized before the flowers, standing like an impenetrable wall to shield them.
"Damn it, what is this now...?"
The patterns of the magic circle suggested it was layered with protective enchantments.
Kaiden belatedly remembered Enoch and Margaret, who had no immunity to poison.
"Curse it. Your Majesty! Your Majesty! There's toxic flora here...! We must leave!"
But it was already too late.
"Damn."
As the poison spread, Enoch muttered a quiet curse and collapsed to the ground with a dry cough.
Kaiden halted his approach toward him. Light suddenly emanated from the magic circle blocking the Tentationem flowers.
The magic circle began rotating slowly, generating a faint breeze. Silver Earthworm spewed flames toward the flowers, but the rotating magic circle consumed every bit of it.
Kaiden rushed desperately toward Enoch and Margaret.
"We should evacuate this area immediately."
The wind created by the orbiting magic circle caused the Tentationem flowers covering the wall to sway and undulate violently.
Soon, the yellow stamens dispersing from the flowers were drawn into the magic circle.
Pop—
The yellow powder that passed through the magic circle burst forth in a massive gust, spreading and scattering densely throughout the Basement.
"Cough, cough, damn it."
Kaiden inhaled the powder in its entirety and collapsed to the ground.
Until moments ago, even breathing in the flower's fragrance had caused no reaction, but what passed through the magic circle felt entirely different.
'Damn. Right. If the magic circle's purpose is to protect something, it could certainly have such a trap.'
This wasn't poison—it was closer to pure magic.
'How foolish of me not to calculate even this.'
Heat flushed across his cheeks. Kaiden exhaled hot breath as the fever rose within him. This maddening thirst for contact with another person mirrored the addiction symptoms of Tentationem.
Then Enoch lifted the collapsed Margaret from the floor and cried out toward Kaiden.
"Kaiden! Snap out of it!"
It was remarkable self-control. Barely clinging to consciousness at Enoch's cry, Kaiden mustered every ounce of his endurance and helped him move Margaret.
As they fled the flower pollen toward the exit, they discovered a Bedroom within the Bunker.
Being poisoned and exposed outside where Monsters could emerge at any moment seemed far worse than taking shelter in a sealed room.
They entered the Bedroom, closed the door, and the flower's fragrance no longer permeated the air. They laid her down on the bed.
Neither Enoch nor Kaiden remembered anything beyond that point.
* * *
When I blearily opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a plush bed. A splitting headache crashed over me. My body still burned with fever, and my mind remained hazy.
Fine, worm-like sensations crawled across my entire body, an unbearable tickling I couldn't endure.
Ugh.
As I let out a pained moan, a gentle hand suddenly touched my forehead. Where that hand made contact, my forehead cooled pleasantly, bringing relief.
Gasping from a maddening thirst, I felt a rush of joy as if I'd discovered an oasis.
I desperately grasped the arm of whoever had placed their hand on my forehead. When our skin touched, my mind and body found stability, yet it remained woefully insufficient.
Opening my eyes halfway, I looked at the person before me—Enoch, his cheeks flushed. He clenched his teeth, his brow furrowed as if enduring something.
I struggled to sit up.
Enoch's eyebrows sharpen as he helps me rise by holding my hand.
Someone approached from behind and pulled me into an embrace, lying down with me. It seemed to be Kaiden.
It appeared I wasn't the only one addicted to Tentationem. Both men seemed poisoned by the toxin.
In truth, my mind was so hazy that I couldn't properly comprehend what I was doing in this moment.
How had things come to this? Everything felt chaotic.
After discovering the magic circle in the Bunker and learning shocking truths, I became addicted to Tentationem, and I thought I saw Jenath....
When did Enoch and Kaiden arrive?
Is this a dream?
Kaiden, embracing me from behind, buried his face in my shoulder. Enoch was before me. The same position as last time.
Sharing body heat with another loosened my breathing slightly.
Enoch's eyes gleamed with desire, yet he didn't rashly approach me. Remarkable restraint. Yes, Enoch had always been that way. He constantly observed my reactions first and showed consideration before his own needs.
'But I can't hold back....'
I pulled Enoch's arm, which tickled my face as if barely touching it.
He followed my pull and carefully embraced me.
Stretching both arms, I pulled him close in return, releasing a satisfied sigh as euphoria surged through me. I rubbed my cheek against his sculpted chest, stroking his lower back as if seeking the elixir of life itself.
Yet something still felt lacking. The thirst continued unabated. Physical contact alone seemed insufficient, leaving me with a hollow, incomplete sensation.
In that moment, heat suddenly flooded my face.
Gasp.
Sudden breathlessness seized me, and I clutched at my throat. As I twisted my body in anguish and whimpered, Enoch took my hand to calm me.
"...Margaret. Compose yourself."
His forehead came to rest against mine.
His sharp nose gently brushed the tip of mine, and his sweet golden eyes swept across my face. His body burned even hotter than mine.
Kaiden, embracing me from behind as if gripping a lifeline, also radiated considerable heat.
As Enoch, facing me, placed his hand on my cheek, I mirrored him in my breathless state, placing my hand on his cheek.
I felt the soft touch of lips against my shoulder. Kaiden continued to seek me out urgently.
"Ah."
As I released a satisfied breath, I heard Kaiden's low chuckle.
I know that if one becomes this severely addicted to Tentationem, it cannot be resolved by merely letting time pass.
Enoch, sitting across from me, appeared to be enduring this through the same willpower that suppressed his rampage. Yet there were limits to enduring in such a manner.
Enoch, who had supposedly overcome his trauma because of me.
Since when had he begun to regard me, to care for me?
"...Enoch."
Enoch's golden eyes landed on me.
'I did consider the possibility that you might truly be someone else. Quite often, actually.'
'But I'm not confused about it. What I fell in love with is who you are now. I need you to understand that.'
Did the feelings contained in those words remain unchanged even now?
I was still overwhelmed by the shock I'd received moments ago, my mind in complete turmoil.
Am I Jin-ju Lee, or am I Margaret?
Now that I don't even know what I am, how can these complete strangers claim to love 'me'?
Lost in such thoughts with a muddled mind, Kaiden—who had been pressing his lips to the nape of my neck—called out to me in a hoarse voice.
"Margaret."
As his low voice tickled my ear, my throat involuntarily constricted. Kaiden grasped my chin and turned my face toward his.
Then his soft lips met mine.
It was a tender kiss.
The moment our lips touched, the suffocating breathlessness that threatened to drive me mad began to gradually subside.
"Ha... Margaret. I love you so much...."
His soft yet passionate movements rendered all my previous hesitation and deliberation meaningless.
Before I knew it, my eyes grew hot with tears.
I wished those words were sincere.
Would he love me more if I were truly Margaret? Or would he love me more if I were someone else?
Or worse—if I told him the truth, wouldn't he hate me for deceiving him?
I hated myself for thinking such things. Kaiden desired me as though every thought running through my mind was nothing but useless worry.
Unable to restrain himself, Kaiden furrowed his brow and exhaled a pained breath. He leaned toward me again. The moment his face drew close enough that I could see his eyes,
"Margaret."
Enoch pulled me toward him. As if to say, look at me too.
His gaze traced slowly from my forehead, across the bridge of my nose, and finally settled on my lips.
Kaiden looked at my lips with longing. Under normal circumstances, he would have flared up in anger, but this time he simply turned his head away without complaint.
"Ah."
Then he gently pressed his lips to the nape of my neck. With the warmth and tenderness one shows to someone precious. At the ticklish sensation, I found myself closing my eyes tightly.
Enoch, drawing closer, brushed my cheek with a gentle hand. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at him.
"Margaret...."
Enoch's lips moved as though he desperately wanted to say something, but in the end, he clenched his teeth and said nothing. His sharp brows twisted in pain.
"Are you... alright...?"
I asked him carefully.
In truth, it wasn't a question I should have been asking. My own mind was far from sound.
"Do I look alright to you?"
His words stung, and I averted my gaze. He seized my chin and fixed my face toward his. As if to say, don't look away.
"I'm not alright. Not at all. Even without this damned flower... I was on the verge of losing my mind."
I could see him swallowing hard, suppressing emotions that threatened to overflow.
"Imagining how terrified you must have been alone—just thinking about it makes it impossible for me to breathe."
He closed his eyes tightly, his expression heavy.
"I'll be the one to reach out and hold your hand as many times as it takes. So you do whatever you want. I'll wait."
Enoch had always been this cautious with me.
Kaiden was the type to act before he spoke, but Enoch was the opposite.
Perhaps that was why I thought it would be nice if I made the first move toward him. I reached out with both hands and cupped his cheeks. Enoch's eyes widened in surprise.
I tilted my head toward him slowly and closed my eyes. Soon our lips met, and hot, humid breath intertwined between us.
"Ah."
A suppressed sigh escaped through Enoch's parted lips. Following him, I too let out a soft moan.
This reaction had nothing to do with Tentationem, and a faint shame washed over me. My mind, which had been foggy like mist, was clearing.
Kaiden pulled me close with his thick arms, drawing me firmly against him.
"Margaret. I also... I can't exist without you."
Kaiden pulled me toward him once more. Enoch's face slowly receded.
"It's not that I like you because you're Margaret. I like you simply because you're you."
Kaiden leaned his upper body forward from behind me and whispered, as if he had glimpsed into my very heart.
He pulled my chin, and I turned my head slightly. The moment his approaching face entered my vision, my wet lips were consumed by his.
Kaiden didn't close his eyes when our lips met. He gazed at me clearly with burning crimson eyes, as if he wouldn't miss a single expression on my face.
He looked like a ravenous beast.
Enoch, who held me from the front, pressed his lips firmly against my wrist. Soft sensation traced the inside of my wrist.
My mind grew clearer and my heart gradually steadied. Both Enoch and Kaiden must be suffering greatly, yet they were exercising maximum restraint.
That warm consideration felt so poignant that tears threatened to spill. I was grateful to them.
Then, noticing that my mind was elsewhere, Kaiden grasped the back of my neck with his large hand.
As my head tilted back slightly, Kaiden leaned his face toward mine and consumed my lips more deeply. So much that breathing became difficult.
Enoch, Kaiden, and I—we all seemed to be losing our minds.
Tentationem did this to us.
It's because of the poison.
Because of the poison...
Really...
Is it really because of the poison...?
---------------
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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