Chapter 148
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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 148
As that thought crossed my mind, I grew deeply concerned for Kaiden.
Before Yuanna and I headed toward the Cabin, I turned to Kaiden with a parting word.
"Be careful. If you get hurt, I won't forgive you."
Kaiden, who had been standing with an indifferent expression, tilted his head slightly and looked down at me.
"Wish me luck. Then I think I'll be fine."
"I'll be praying for you."
"Not that kind of thing."
He lowered his head and brought his lips to the ends of my hair, kissing them gently.
I flinched reflexively, then was surprised. I had expected him to kiss my cheek without warning.
Noticing the meaning in my expression, he smiled. Charming dimples appeared in his cheeks.
"I want to be remembered as a gentleman, at least at the end."
"Margaret. We need to go."
With Kaiden's words, Yuanna called out to me. I nodded and waved my hand toward Kaiden.
As we departed, Asdal offered his parting words.
"Please, be careful."
At his warm words, both Yuanna and I smiled and nodded.
"Margaret."
"Margaret."
Enoch and Kaiden called my name simultaneously, then glared at each other's faces.
"Be careful."
"Be careful."
They spoke the same words once more in unison, then glared at each other again.
Yuanna, watching us with an exasperated expression, grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
"We're really going now."
I was pulled along by Yuanna's hand while waving back toward the two men.
"You two be careful as well."
The two men, who had been glaring at Yuanna with displeasure, brightened considerably when they looked at me and nodded. The stark contrast was so amusing that I let out a laugh before belatedly turning my head away.
After returning to our designated position and hiding in the Grass Field, Yuanna grumbled.
"I'm so sorry we became close to Margaret so late."
"Pardon?"
"Well, you see, I always wanted to become close to Margaret, but in the end, those dark men got closer again."
Yuanna pouted her lower lip and spoke with clear dissatisfaction.
"I don't have any friends."
"I'm honored that you would consider me a friend."
At my response, she smiled beautifully. That radiant smile made her appear as innocent as a naive girl.
Smiles are contagious. So is good energy.
Thanks to that, I found myself smiling alongside her, forgetting that our very lives hung in the balance.
* * *
Jenath rose from his seat, which had been positioned in front of Anata.
"Everyone seems to have gathered."
Anata, bound to the chair, narrowed her brows and stared at him.
"How would you know that? You said there weren't enough Monster individuals left to borrow eyes from."
"It's not that. I can feel the magical power. Right in front of the Cabin."
Anata bit her lower lip firmly. Anxiety gnawed at her. She couldn't fathom what he was planning.
"This is the final experiment. We can't afford to fail. That's why I need to intervene directly."
As I thought about how close we were to the success of this thousand-year-long experiment, even I couldn't completely hide my excitement.
A very long time ago, I discovered a dimensional rift by pure chance.
While researching and investigating this phenomenon I'd never seen before, I learned that the wavelengths flowing through the dimensional gap affected the world I inhabited.
I was convinced I could reverse-engineer those wavelengths and control them perfectly. So I decided to open the dimensional door, but it proved far more difficult than expected. It required an enormous amount of magical power.
While devoted to my research, I discovered something crucial one day: humans amplify their magical power by over a hundredfold when facing a threat to their lives.
This was such a monumental discovery that it could compress what would take tens of thousands of years to accomplish into merely hundreds of years.
Of course, I never anticipated it would still take this long.
Jenath asked Anata with bright, slightly excited eyes.
"I think it's better to release the magical power, don't you? I can't bear to wait. I need to subdue them all at once. I'll kill everyone except one."
"You know the magical power can't be released until the experiment ends—we designed it that way ourselves. And don't you know the principle is not to intervene directly in the experiment?"
At Anata's words, Jenath laughed.
There were various reasons why they didn't intervene directly in the experiment.
The first was that the test subjects needed to feel a genuine threat to their lives in an extreme environment without magical assistance.
The second was,
'Never meet the test subjects directly. You'll psychologically synchronize or assimilate with them. The moment that happens, it's over. You won't be able to kill them.'
It was for Jenath and Anata themselves—the designers.
Beyond that, they had created countless troublesome rules throughout the course of the experiment.
At Anata's sharp question, the excitement drained from Jenath's face. His expression turned cold and eerily devoid of emotion as he spoke to her.
"That principle was already broken the moment you intervened directly, Anata."
Anata's brows furrowed for a moment.
"Even so, it's impossible to modify the Island's system to suit our convenience now."
"If we can't modify it, we can destroy it instead. Destroy it and enable the magical power release."
"How?"
"I have something remarkable that can partially collapse the system. You'll see soon enough."
Anata's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, you don't mean...!"
"I'm not going to explain the details, so don't ask."
Jenath cut off her words sharply and draped a sorcerer's robe over himself.
Anata clenched her teeth and glared at Jenath. Yet he paid her no mind and continued muttering eagerly to himself.
"I've spent a thousand years hoping for the success of this experiment. What if the ending turns out to be anticlimactic?"
At his words, Anata shot back with a voice full of fury.
"Then stop it now."
"If I could have done that, I wouldn't have remained here for a thousand years. Anata, is that easy for you?"
Of course it wasn't easy at all. Anata bit her lower lip firmly.
Even after a thousand years of life, there remains an attachment to existence. Such is humanity.
Jenath sighed as he observed her.
"How indecisive. You wait here. I'll handle it myself."
* * *
I was about to use my magical power to lure Jenath out, but as if he had been waiting, he emerged from the Cabin.
The boy who opened the Cabin door and stepped out with an unhurried, leisurely gait was unmistakably Jenath.
He walked toward Enoch, Kaiden, and Asdal.
"I've been waiting."
Jenath slowly scanned the group before furrowing his brow with a dissatisfied expression.
"But where are the others?"
He thoroughly searched the surroundings. It seemed he was looking for me, Yuanna, and Rujeep.
I confirmed once more that Rujeep, hidden in the Grass Field, remained out of sight, then retrieved a flare gun.
I was grateful that Yuanna and Asdal had brought spare ammunition in their supply bag—otherwise I would have abandoned the flare gun.
They had even remembered the shape of the incendiary bombs I carried and brought them along, which gave me great reassurance.
I checked the bombs in my crossbody bag once more, then picked up the Silver Earthworm, who was poking around on the ground, and placed it on my shoulder.
"How unfortunate. All the important ones are nowhere to be seen."
At that moment, Jenath's voice pierced my ears.
Important ones?
"Will it be fine to leave those three to their own devices?"
Jenath asked, looking at Enoch's group. What did that mean?
"Stop spouting nonsense and tell us how to leave this Island."
At Kaiden's response, Jenath burst into laughter.
"That wasn't a question expecting an answer, was it?"
When mockery came in return, Kaiden spat out a curse.
Observing the situation, Yuanna and I headed toward the back of the Cabin.
Crack!
Boom!
The sound of trees splintering echoed from the front of the Cabin. Dull, thunderous crashes erupted—the battle had begun.
Yuanna, who had opened the first-floor window and climbed inside, turned back to me.
"Margaret?"
I, whose attention had wandered for a moment, finally grasped her hand and quickly entered the Cabin.
The interior of the Cabin was dark despite the midday hour. The desolate atmosphere persisted. The Silver Earthworm, resting its head against my shoulder, gazed curiously around the space.
"The Room of Rest is on the Third Floor."
I spoke to Yuanna, who was examining the first floor. She turned to me and nodded.
Yuanna gripped an axe in her hand, while I retrieved the flare gun, checked the magazine, and carefully ascended the Underground Staircase.
"Holy Maiden, you have the key, don't you?"
Upon reaching the Second Floor and surveying the area, I asked Yuanna just to be sure. She pulled the key from her pocket and smiled.
"Don't worry."
I exhaled a breath of relief.
The Room of Rest would certainly be sealed, so I needed to find a way to open the door by considering various possibilities. A master key was one of them.
Flash! Rumble, crash!
Suddenly, thunder and lightning descended from the clear sky.
I startled and peered out the window. What was happening outside?
Flash, flash—boom!
The lightning striking the same spot repeatedly reminded me of when Rujeep sealed the Monster's progenitor.
'Surely not....'
I hurried to the window and looked out. The front yard of the Cabin had become a battlefield, and Jenath was nowhere to be seen.
"My goodness, it seems the Bishop has awakened?!"
Yuanna, peering out from the opposite window, spoke to me. I rushed toward her and looked outside.
Between the thickets, I glimpsed blue hair. Then a man slowly rose to his feet. Rujeep had finally awakened.
"Holy Maiden, please go upstairs first. There's a Room of Rest on the Third Floor. I'll go to the Bishop. He won't understand the situation, and if he gets captured by Jenath...."
"Understood. Don't worry about me. Please take care of the Bishop."
Yuanna, grasping my meaning at once, squeezed both my hands firmly and nodded.
I gazed at her bright face for a moment. There was no time for this, yet I couldn't bring myself to release her hand.
I pulled her into an embrace.
"Thank you. For saving me again. I realize I never properly thanked you."
I held her briefly, then let her go.
When I looked at her again, her eyes were glistening with tears.
"See you downstairs."
At Yuanna's words, I nodded. With that brief farewell, we parted ways.
I could only hope that everyone would remain safe in their respective positions.
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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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