Chapter 149
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
Chapter 149
I descended to the first floor and exited through the window at the rear of the Cabin where Yuanna and I had entered.
Patter. Tap.
A few drops of rain began to fall. The front of the Cabin should have been chaotic with battle, yet I heard no sound whatsoever.
Ominous.
Soon, a steady drizzle began to dampen the ground.
Cough. Through the curtain of rain, I heard Rujeep's coughing. I rushed toward him immediately.
"Bishop, are you alright?"
I helped him to his feet while continuing to survey my surroundings. The sky was dark with heavy clouds, and the front of the Cabin in the rain was desolate and gloomy—like the eerie silence before a time bomb detonates.
Unease gripped me, and I swallowed hard. My hands trembled with tension that made every hair on my body stand on end.
After coughing a few more times, Rujeep wiped his rain-soaked face and lifted his head. His gray eyes flickered slightly as they met mine.
The moment our eyes met, I felt something strange. It was Rujeep, yet it wasn't. Something about him felt subtly different.
Whoooosh—
Only the sound of falling rain filled the silence.
The sounds of battle from Jenath and Enoch's group, which should have been audible from the front of the Cabin, still did not come. What was happening? Had something happened to them? My mouth went dry with anxiety.
I barely managed to get Rujeep on his feet, then looked around. I needed to find a place to hide. I had to leave this spot and conceal myself quickly.
Whatever was happening, if Jenath discovered me here like this...
"Ah, so you were here?"
An unfamiliar yet familiar youthful voice came from behind me.
My heart plummeted violently, as if it had been struck to the depths of the earth. My mind went blank, and my body froze as though shackled to my feet, unable to move.
Without turning around, I knew who he was.
It was Jenath.
Could it be that they all fell to him?
'That can't be. Enoch and Kaiden were defeated so easily?'
I couldn't believe it.
I had to hold out until Yuanna could get Anata to safety. Could I do it alone? Against Jenath?
Despair washed over me in the face of this bleak situation.
As I struggled to swallow the flood of frustration and tried to convince myself that everything would be fine, Jenath called out to me again.
"Meg. What are you doing?"
I barely regained my composure and stared blankly at Rujeep, who was leaning against me.
I couldn't fall apart. I couldn't collapse here. I steeled my resolve and slowly turned around.
First, brilliant silver hair caught my eye. Then a beautiful face and eyes as red as blood—chilling in their intensity—came into view.
Jenath, with the innocent face of a young boy, tilted his head. Then he pointed to himself with his hand and spoke.
"Don't worry, Meg. I told you, didn't I? I'm restricted in my magical power on this Island just like you all are."
I furrowed my brow. That wasn't what I was concerned about.
"What about the others...?"
"Ah. I used some mist. I was only interested in you all."
The moment Jenath finished speaking, mist that had spread from the front yard of the Cabin extended toward us. The mist surrounding the Cabin appeared to be magic intended for disruption.
But that was only temporary. The widely spreading mist hesitated briefly, then began to fade and grow thin. The mist was gradually clearing.
Only then did I remember the Barrier that Kaiden had erected around the Cabin using my magical power.
"Hmm. Magic has been cast here. I sensed magical energy earlier. Our descendant shows promise."
Jenath watched as the mist cleared away, his expression intrigued.
But that interest was short-lived. His attention quickly shifted to Rujeep, whom I was supporting.
"That priest should show signs by now. The rain is coming at just the right time—convenient."
What signs?
I raised my eyebrows in confusion, but when I saw him approaching us, I drew out a flare gun and aimed it at him. Jenath raised both hands in surrender.
Screech! Silver Earthworm, clinging to my shoulder, bared its fangs sharply and bristled with wariness toward Jenath.
Soon Silver Earthworm spewed fire at Jenath, but thanks to Anata's magical power surrounding the cabin, he wasn't harmed in the slightest.
Damn it. I just need to hold out until Yuanna gets Anata to safety. I can do this, right?
"Meg, isn't it a bit much to threaten me with the weapon I gave you?"
"Shut up."
"Besides, you won't kill me until you find a way to escape the Island anyway."
Jenath laughed mockingly. That damned bastard!
But the real problem I faced was something else entirely.
Rujeep's body was emitting a faint glow.
Rujeep's face contorted in pain.
"Bishop! Are you alright?"
As I examined Rujeep's complexion with concern, Jenath drew close enough to touch.
"Meg, does that bishop look fine to you? Those things that became the source of monsters—it must be because of that."
He gestured toward Rujeep while peering curiously. I raised the flare gun again to signal him not to approach. He immediately raised both hands and straightened his posture.
'That priest should show signs by now. The rain is coming at just the right time—convenient.'
I recalled Jenath's words from moments before.
It was ominous. How much did he know, and what exactly was he planning?
"Damn it. The sealed power seems to be breaking free...."
Rujeep cursed and clutched at his chest.
Sealed power breaking free? Could it be the monster's source? Of all times, why now? What happens if the seal breaks here?
Yuanna said the Island's system might collapse. Or perhaps the monsters could evolve again.
If the worst-case scenarios weren't deliberately chosen to test me, how could this be happening?!
'...This isn't the time for this. Get it together.'
I had to get Rujeep away from Jenath's sight and find shelter elsewhere.
I'd hide Rujeep safely in the thicket, then lure Jenath away to a different location. The Forest was right ahead. I just needed to move Rujeep that far. That would work.
Cough.
But then Rujeep suddenly coughed up blood. An even brighter light poured from him than before.
Hell. What is happening?
The ground beneath Rujeep's feet began to tremble. Despite the wet earth, the ground cracked open with a sharp sound.
"Bishop, I think we should move away from here. Can you run?"
I whispered low enough for only Rujeep to hear. His face twisted in agony as he struggled to lift his head and look at me, then nodded.
Once the mist clears, Enoch and his group will arrive, so I just need to hold on a little longer.
Jenath remained composed, as if he anticipated everything we would do. As if nothing we could do would affect him in the slightest.
Perhaps this is what it feels like to be a rat trapped in a jar, stared at by a predator.
Seeing that face, our resolve and hope of being able to escape crumbled with a sickening, devastating collapse.
'No. I can't fall apart. I mustn't.'
I forced myself to compose my emotions and supported Rujeep. Then I pulled a flare bomb from my crossbody bag, yanked the pin with my teeth, and hurled it toward Jenath.
Boom!
Because I was supporting Rujeep, I couldn't get far before the blast sent both of us tumbling across the ground.
Riiing—
Damn it. I clutched my ringing ears and quickly regained my senses.
With my exhausted body, I supported Rujeep and tried to move again, but we didn't get far. Rujeep collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood in succession.
He seemed to regain some consciousness, and with a trembling voice, he spoke to me with difficulty, blood dripping from his lips.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Young Lady. I've become a burden to you again...."
"No, don't speak. I understand, so please don't."
Just a little further. Just a little more. I supported Rujeep and tried to stand again.
Splash—!
If his body hadn't erupted with such intense light, I could have managed it.
Light so blinding I could barely open my eyes consumed my entire vision. The brilliance, squeezed out to the very last drop, suddenly vanished like a television screen being switched off.
And at that same moment, something bound within me stirred violently, coursing through my insides.
When I opened my eyes again, Rujeep lay collapsed on the ground.
"Bishop!"
His breathing was barely perceptible. I shook him urgently, trying to wake him, but he didn't regain consciousness easily.
"Bishop, please wake up. Please...."
Helplessness drained all color from my mind. Surely Rujeep wasn't going to die like this? He couldn't. He mustn't.
The plan was still proceeding as intended, wasn't it? Jenath wasn't paying attention to the Cabin.
My hands began to tremble violently. I had to find a place to hide from Jenath and move quickly. Quickly.... Quickly....
I hoisted the unconscious Rujeep onto my shoulders. But because of his considerable weight, I stumbled after just a few steps, fell, and fell again.
Then I heard a low sigh from behind me.
"Aah. So your magical power has finally awakened."
I turned my head and caught sight of Jenath in my peripheral vision, now appearing as an adult.
Silver hair shimmering at his neck, those unsettling crimson eyes, modern clothing stretched to fit his towering frame, and an ornate mage's robe.
He rubbed the back of his neck as if stiff, and regarded me with a languid expression. A leisurely smile spread across his lips.
"It's been a while, Margaret."
'...What the hell. How did this happen.'
Of course, I was in no state to properly comprehend the situation.
I watched Jenath reach toward me and begin drawing a magic circle, so I quickly aimed a flare at him and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh—.
The flames flying toward Jenath were sucked directly into the magic circle he had created. Damn it!
Silver Earthworm, clinging to my shoulder and observing cautiously, also breathed fire toward Jenath, but it was equally useless.
"How disappointing. I didn't think you'd actually shoot."
"Did you think I was stupid enough to let a homicidal maniac trying to kill me do as he pleased?"
"Well. You're not wrong about that."
Jenath muttered with a repugnant expression, resting his chin in his hand. Knowing it wouldn't work, I still kept the flare trained on him as I issued a warning.
"Stop this madness at once. Tell me how we can leave this Island."
"That's going to be difficult. There is no such method."
"You're lying...."
"Ah. If our descendant were here, they might know the way."
"What are you talking about? Kaiden?"
"Margaret!"
At that moment, I heard Kaiden's voice calling out to me as if by some supernatural sense.
After the mist had cleared, Enoch and Kaiden were rushing toward me from a distance. Behind them, I could see Yuanna and Anata emerging from the Cabin.
Everyone is safe. Thank goodness.
Jenath clicked his tongue as he watched them approach. He seemed to have clearly seen Anata, yet he appeared entirely unconcerned.
Thump!
Jenath suddenly scooped me into his arms and leaped into the air.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------