Chapter 161
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Chapter 161
I wondered where Enoch had gone, only to discover he was behind me. He suddenly lifted me up from behind and switched our seats.
It was a round table, so I ended up sitting between Asdal and Enoch. Kaiden grumbled with a dissatisfied expression.
"Margaret, are you well?"
It was then that Enoch asked me. Only upon hearing his question did I reconsider my own state.
Am I... well?
His question suddenly left my mind blank. Not a single thought came to me.
"In truth, none of us seem well. That's perfectly normal, isn't it? Let's not pretend to be fine just for the sake of it."
At my response, Enoch regarded me silently before nodding, while Kaiden stared intently at my profile. Asdal, who had been quietly observing, smoothly shifted the atmosphere with his gentle tone.
"The Young Lady speaks truly. Pretending to be fine only festers the wound within. Look at us—we've all survived this. I'm genuinely proud of you all. Think about it: we saved the world. No one knows it yet, but we did."
Though he tends toward suspicion, he remains fundamentally bright and optimistic at heart.
Though I suspect the one most forcibly pretending to be fine is the one who lost an eye.
Then it suddenly struck me that while Kaiden and I remained in our original clothes, Enoch and Asdal had changed into fresh garments.
"I couldn't change because I don't have a dress, but where did everyone else get their clothes?"
At my question, Asdal shrugged dismissively.
"There are plenty of spare men's garments."
"The dress is being procured and should arrive shortly. For your information, no female knights were deployed to this battlefield, so acquiring a female knight's uniform would take similar time. Under those circumstances, wouldn't it be better simply to wear a dress?"
Enoch, who had provided supplementary explanation to Asdal's words, rose from his seat.
He retrieved tea leaves from the shelf beside the table and began pouring water into a kettle to heat it. Asdal started setting out teacups beside him.
"Trousers are more comfortable than a dress... No. You're right. I'll wear the dress. I must adapt. I am Margaret, after all."
At my words, all three men stared at me silently once more. It somehow felt like a pitying gaze.
"Crown Prince, I've prepared the tea you requested. I shall enter."
I looked back at Asdal and Enoch in confusion at the voice coming from outside the barracks.
Enoch's expression turned flustered, as if he'd forgotten that he himself had arranged for the tea.
The knight who entered carrying the tea set was visibly startled upon seeing Enoch and Asdal busily preparing tea.
"I... I sincerely apologize. I didn't receive separate word that tea wouldn't be needed. I shall remove the tea set."
As the knight bowed his head, stammering with a pale face, both Enoch and Asdal's faces grew ashen as well.
Both men had spent so long on the uninhabited island that they'd grown accustomed to doing everything with their own hands. Of course, Asdal had only set out the cups while Enoch was the one actually preparing the tea.
Kaiden, who had been quietly observing, clicked his tongue.
"Just leave it. That will probably taste better than what these two are making anyway."
At Kaiden's words, the knight who had been standing awkwardly glanced at Enoch. Enoch sighed with an embarrassed expression before nodding.
"Leave it."
The young knight in trainee knight's garb, thinking he'd made a mistake, set down the teacups before us with trembling hands and a tense expression.
Then, with disciplined precision, he straightened up smartly, gave a loud salute to Enoch, and left the barracks.
"Pfft."
The moment the knight left, I burst into laughter I'd been holding back. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed so freely, but it was genuinely amusing. There was a sense of camaraderie that only we could share.
"It seems adjustment will take some time."
Asdal too answered with an awkward expression while sipping his warm tea. I wiped away the tears from laughing so hard and asked Asdal and Enoch.
"Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell me? I had questions of my own as well."
At my question, everyone's gaze turned toward me. Asdal spoke first.
"Something you want to ask?"
"What did everyone say about my whereabouts while I was missing?"
As expected, Asdal answered my question.
"It would be advantageous to reveal the truth—that it was a kidnapping."
"Are you suggesting we conduct an open investigation?"
"An open investigation? I've never heard that term before, but yes, that's what you mean. As you know, the situation has grown to the point where a continental war has erupted. The entire nation is watching this incident. If we proceed with an open investigation, those behind it will certainly make some move."
"Or they might stay perfectly still instead."
Asdal and Enoch nodded at each other, seeming to understand the point.
"I'd be grateful if you did. Then we could search for Alea Island without interference."
"Alea Island?"
When I expressed my confusion, Enoch, who had been listening silently to Asdal, opened his mouth.
"We'll conduct the investigation with a public focus on finding the forces behind it, as Asdal said. But what we need to do first is find the destroyed Alea Island."
"Wait, isn't Alea Island supposed to be in a different spacetime? I thought it was an island that existed in another dimension?"
I asked back because I couldn't quite understand what Enoch was saying. Besides, hadn't Alea Island been completely destroyed?
"Young Lady, do you remember the warp gate we passed through?"
Asdal asked me. He seemed to be referring to that escape gate we had fled through on Silver Earthworm.
As I nodded, Kaiden, sitting beside me, spoke up.
"That wasn't a warp gate that opened a dimensional door or led to a place existing in a different spacetime. The coordinates were set to the southern waters of the Langrid Empire."
"Then...."
"They constructed Alea Island somewhere in the Empire's south and twisted spacetime around it."
Enoch nodded at Kaiden's words and continued.
"The island was destroyed, but the remnants will definitely still be there. We plan to find Alea Island before those behind the Experiment and secure evidence."
'You were all brought here after being betrayed by those close to you. Well, not all of you, perhaps.'
'When you leave the island, you'll see a peony flower pattern caught in a spider's web. Find that. It's the proof that identifies that faction.'
Anata had definitely said something like that. I nodded as I listened to Enoch's words.
"So there are more forces behind the Experiment besides the Papal See and the Rohade Family, as Anata said?"
Asdal nodded at my question.
"That's right. There are more. Because it's connected to this war. The Biltherheim Family seems to know something about that faction."
I was startled by the sudden mention of the Biltherheim Family and my eyes widened.
"The Biltherheim Family?"
Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen Diego. Were people from the Biltherheim Family here at the military camp?
Enoch continued with his explanation.
"It seems the Biltherheim Duchy was originally one of the factions behind the Experiment. But when it came to Diego's generation, the current Duke and Duchess rebelled against it...."
"Good heavens. So Diego being included on the Test Subjects list was also...."
"Yes. It was their retaliation."
Only then did I recall what the vengeful spirits of the trees had said to Diego.
[Bad ones—]
[The ones who killed us—]
[This bloodline—! You filthy—!]
Those words were definitely directed at Diego.
"Diego's younger brother is attached to the Imperial Knights and was conscripted for this war. He's not stationed at this camp, but at the Western Military Camp. That's where Diego is."
At Enoch's words, I nodded slowly.
"Then we should discuss this again once Diego returns."
With that, I entertained carefree worries like 'At least it'll be peaceful until Diego arrives' or 'I should just laze around in the barracks.'
That is, until the next day, when I witnessed the rare spectacle of the entire unit receiving a dressing-down from Enoch as collective punishment for a lapse in discipline.
* * *
[I naturally thought you'd tell him about me. Why are you hiding it?]
The moment Kaiden returned to his private barracks, Jenath's voice echoed in his mind. Kaiden didn't answer and lay down on the bed.
[Hey, Descendant. Aren't you going to answer?]
Kaiden, who had been quietly gazing at the barracks ceiling, opened his mouth in a low voice.
"Manifestation."
[Ugh-!]
A pained groan escaped from Jenath.
"Bound by contract, branded every time like this, and you still want to run your mouth? I'll give you credit for persistence."
[Insolent...! Ugh.]
Listening to Jenath's arrogant voice, which never once faltered, Kaiden clicked his tongue.
"You like it there, don't you? But you shouldn't be comfortable, you bastard. You need to keep feeling that pain. That's the only way you'll seem like something worth punishing."
I learned later that the lightning attacking Jenath was indeed from the vengeful spirits. Thanks to them, Kaiden was able to subdue Jenath and bind him.
First, Jenath would be eternally subjugated within Kaiden's body. Therefore, he could never harm him or go against his will and intentions.
Second, he would assist in finding the forces that participated in The Experiment. Each time they were dealt with, Jenath's soul would experience the agony of being torn apart, strand by strand.
Third, as Kaiden's servant, he could never speak falsehood to Kaiden.
Unable to completely erase Jenath's sand-grain-like soul, Kaiden had chosen the soul subjugation contract as the next best option.
The soul subjugation contract contained something called a "seal"—a punishment inflicted when the master's will was defied. A massive seal heated in fire would be pressed upon the soul, delivering excruciating agony as if one's entire body were burning.
Moreover, according to the contract, each time the forces that participated in The Experiment were dealt with, soul fragments would be torn away. Thus, without needing to directly shatter those sand-grain-like souls, eventually all remnants of Jenath remaining within Kaiden could be completely annihilated.
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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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