Chapter 152
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Chapter 152
"...What? Wait, hold on...!"
Jenath walked slowly toward me as I stood within the magic circle, and I hastily spread both arms to stop him.
He raised his eyebrows with a displeased expression, looking down at me with arrogance.
"Why. Do you have something to say?"
"Are you saying right now that you're going to kill me?"
"You're already a dead woman anyway. Why suddenly act afraid? Don't worry. I'll make it quick."
Startled, I rapidly threw out another question.
"Wait, hold on! Just wait. Wait a moment. Kaiden...! Is Kaiden really dead?"
"Death would be better. Didn't I tell you? I consumed him. He will never awaken from this place."
Jenath answered again, gesturing to his own chest.
At that despairing response, my mind went blank. I struggled to compose myself and engaged in self-hypnosis.
'It's fine. He's not dead yet. As long as he's not dead, that's what matters. So pull yourself together.'
* * *
Jenath narrowed his brows and quietly observed Margaret, who was groaning with distress.
Trapped within the magic circle, Margaret resembled a cute canary in a cage. No matter how much she racked that small head of hers, there would be no answer.
A faint smile played across his face, shadowed red by candlelight. His low, baritone voice resonated through the room.
"Stop wasting energy on pointless scheming."
As he spoke, Margaret lifted her head and looked at him. A flash of displeasure gleamed in her sparkling blue eyes. Jenath accepted her hostility toward him with ease.
Margaret, her face clouded with worry, spoke carefully.
"...You asked why those people from the other world don't open the dimensional gate, remember? There is no magic in that world. Unlike your imagination, it's not magic but highly advanced engineering technology that has developed there."
Margaret's words captured his interest. A world without magic? How could such a world even exist?
Jenath nodded with an expression indicating he was willing to listen seriously to Margaret's story. As if urging her to continue.
Margaret bit her lower lip, gauging his reaction, then continued.
"It's useless even if you crack open my head. Direct experience and feeling cannot be compared to fragmented memories. You absolutely cannot adapt to that world without me. Think about it carefully. You need me."
Even as she told him that she was necessary to him, Margaret's appearance—glaring at him with barely contained fury—was quite a sight. He almost wanted to torment her further just to see her cry.
This was a type of sadism Jenath had never experienced before. In fact, it was the first time he had ever taken this much interest in someone, the first time he had found conversation enjoyable.
Jenath stroked his chin and gazed quietly at Margaret's face. She was desperately trying to persuade him because she didn't want to be killed, but she made no attempt to hide her hostile expression toward him.
'How adorable.'
It would indeed be a shame to kill her outright.
As he looked at her, Jenath couldn't suppress his smile. Unaware that he was smiling like that, he spoke to Margaret in an deliberately arrogant tone.
"Unfortunately, Margaret, I have no intention of adapting to the world beyond the dimension. I only need to conquer it completely."
Margaret's eyes trembled fiercely as she glared at him. Jenath, with his arms crossed, savored her agitated expression. Then he dragged a chair close and sat down right beside Margaret.
Seeing him do this, Margaret's face showed bewilderment.
Setting aside his subjective impressions, Margaret possessed genuinely beautiful features. However, this strange emotion Jenath felt toward Margaret naturally did not stem from such external factors.
Perhaps it was because he had heard that she had visited another dimension. She truly felt special to him.
"In a thousand years, you're the first I've ever seen like this."
At Jenath's offhand remark, Margaret's face crumpled.
"Your words are absolutely terrible. You didn't have friends a thousand years ago either, did you?"
"Friends? Why would I need such a thing? Hmm. But if your purpose is to waste time with this pointless conversation, you've succeeded. It's garbage talk since there's so little left, but this sort of thing isn't entirely bad."
I found myself wanting to set aside my duties and continue conversing with her indefinitely.
Margaret, incensed by his response, unleashed a torrent of profanities that would make most blush. Jenath listened with evident amusement, letting her words wash over him without resistance.
Desiring to prolong their exchange, he decided to shift the topic slightly.
"By the way, how did you resolve that poison last time?"
"You bastard... What?"
"The Tentationem flower. You seemed severely poisoned. Did your companions help you overcome it?"
Margaret, who had been cursing moments before, suddenly fell silent, her expression clouded with contemplation. She appeared to be grasping for the meaning behind his question.
Jenath recalled the last time they had met. When he encountered her in the Bunker, she was already gravely intoxicated by the Tentationem flower.
The sensation of her pulling him close, refusing to let go, her face pressed against his neck—it remained vivid even now.
'Don't go, please...'
As her desperate, pleading voice echoed in his memory, his mood became oddly complicated.
"Why would that matter?"
Margaret glared at him with a defiant pout. Her rebellious gaze only made him more curious about what she was withholding.
Jenath, observing her silently, made a proposal.
"If you answer me, I'll grant you one answer to a question of your choosing as compensation."
"Enoch and Kaiden detoxified me. Don't ask anything more."
Margaret answered swiftly, as if she had been waiting for this moment, then fixed him with a challenging stare. Upon hearing her response, Jenath found himself recalling the moment he had left her in Enoch and Kaiden's care.
'I should have just taken her with me then.'
Knowing the detoxification method for Tentationem, he indulged in unsavory imaginings, only to sour his own mood.
"Now answer my question. If a soul is bound as collateral on this Island, is there truly no way to survive?"
Margaret, pressed against the magical barrier's boundary, posed the question to him. Jenath immediately grasped why she was asking such a thing.
"I understand what you're curious about, but such a thing is impossible. The Holy Maiden cannot be saved."
Having spoken thus, he added another remark with an expression of benevolence, as though a god were gazing down upon humanity.
"It might be possible if you destroyed the entire Island. If everything were obliterated, there would be no place left to bind the soul as collateral. But Margaret, by what means could you possibly destroy the Island, hmm?"
Jenath briefly withdrew a pocket watch from his coat to check the time. Considerable time had passed. Though he wished to continue his conversation with Margaret, he could not afford further delay.
Yet, seeing Margaret sitting with a look of despair, he felt compelled to add one more thing rather than simply walk away.
"Actually, there is one way to destroy the Island."
Her eyes immediately brightened with hope as she looked at him. Though he had been the one to broach the subject, her expression struck him as rather amusing. That she would kindle hope from his mere words.
"This Island opens a gateway to the Langrid Empire once every year. Anata and I have received new sacrifices whenever that gateway opened. It hasn't been a year since you all arrived on this Island. What do you suppose would happen if we forcibly opened the closed gateway before the cycle completes?"
"What would happen?"
"Questions end here."
"Damn it, if you're going to speak, at least finish what you're saying!"
"You didn't answer all of my questions either."
BOOM—!
Before his words could fully settle, a tremendous roar erupted, and violent tremors shook the ground. It seemed a fierce collision had occurred outside the barrier. Jenath's gaze fixed upon the door.
Someone had breached the Cabin's barrier and entered.
"We have a visitor."
Watching him rise slowly from his seat, Margaret struck the barrier fiercely.
"Where are you going!"
"To greet our guest."
"Release me and go."
"How amusing. Stay here. I'll protect you."
"So you're saying I should stay put until you kill me yourself. If you're going to spout nonsense, just shut your mouth!"
Margaret's passionate outcry sent Jenath into delighted laughter. Yes, he would have to keep her alive until the very end. She was too entertaining.
"I'll be back soon."
With those words, Jenath left the Room of Rest, abandoning Margaret within the magical circle.
* * *
I thrashed against the boundary of the magical circle until my strength finally gave out, and I collapsed back onto the floor.
'Damn Jenath!'
As I lay there cursing him, I felt a weight settle across my abdomen. Something heavy had come to rest upon my belly.
I tilted my head slightly and saw Silver Earthworm watching me with a dejected expression, coiled upon my stomach.
What would become of Silver Earthworm?
It didn't have to be me who escaped. I just hoped Silver Earthworm would leave this Island, breathe fresh air, and live happily.
"Silver Earthworm, are you alright?"
At my question, Silver Earthworm looked up at me with sorrowful eyes. It was the first time I'd seen such an expression on that bright, adorable face.
The creature was deeply disheartened, clearly blaming itself for being unable to help me. My heart ached, and I gently stroked its smooth head.
"It's okay. There was nothing we could do."
My comfort seemed to offer little solace. Silver Earthworm buried its face against my belly and whimpered for a long time.
Then suddenly, I felt my magical power draining away rapidly.
Bewildered by this strange phenomenon, I realized the escaping power seemed to be seeping directly into Silver Earthworm's body. A faint luminescence was emanating from its form.
"Wait, Silver Earthworm, what are you doing?!"
I cried out in alarm, and the creature lifted its head with a confused expression. Immediately, a blinding light flooded the room.
When the light faded and my vision cleared, I saw the massive silver scales of an enormous Anaconda pressing down upon me.
"Ugh."
As I gasped in pain from the crushing weight on my abdomen, the silver scales bristled before moving rapidly. Even through the pain, I stared at the creature in shock.
Silver Earthworm had evolved and grown to a size that filled the entire room.
Silver Earthworm itself seemed panicked, frantically crawling about the chamber.
Due to its growth from evolution, some of the candles around the magical circle had toppled over, and the circle itself was badly smudged. Though it shouldn't have been possible to damage something drawn with magical power.
I swallowed hard and stood before the ruined magical circle. Then I slowly reached my hand toward the barrier.
My hand, which should have been blocked by the transparent wall, passed through empty air without any resistance.
'Good heavens, the barrier really has disappeared.'
I walked out of the magical circle. Silver Earthworm was still crawling about the room in confusion.
Perhaps Silver Earthworm's evolution had somehow affected the barrier.
I recalled the enormous Anaconda I'd encountered on the North Island—far larger than I'd imagined. If I shared more of my magical power, could Silver Earthworm grow to match that monster's size?
Silver Earthworm could grow even larger here.
'Then....'
A brilliant idea had just occurred to me.
"Silver Earthworm, would you like to cause some chaos with me?"
The silver Anaconda flicked its tongue happily, its expression showing it would agree to anything I said.
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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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