Chapter 29
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Chapter 29
If he lost his mind, I'd be in trouble too, so I needed to keep him occupied with work more actively.
"Listen, Kaiden, I meant going forward... I was talking about what needs to be done right now."
"Isn't hunting something that needs to be done right now too? Besides, you might want to keep moving your body in the future. Just try taking it on."
I answered Kaiden's counterargument as if I knew nothing.
Kaiden stared at my face for a moment.
"You... you're just trying to take advantage of this moment to put me to work as your cook, aren't you?"
"You caught on?"
As I asked with a smile, Kaiden shrugged his shoulders with an exaggerated motion and sighed.
"Since I asked first, I'll just play along. But in exchange."
He stepped closer. Then he slowly bent his waist toward me.
His face suddenly drew near enough to touch. When our eyes met, he smiled beautifully with his eyes.
He tilted his head to one side and tapped his cheek with his finger.
"Give me a kiss here."
"If you don't want to, I'll just go hunting myself."
I answered sharply and stood up, but Enoch's voice cut through the space between us.
"You talk too much, Kaiden. Do you want to never use that mouth again?"
Enoch pushed Kaiden away from me with a very firm and decisive motion.
'Is Enoch's tone getting rougher? Or am I just imagining things?'
Kaiden, who had been caught off guard and pushed back helplessly, stared at Enoch with a bewildered expression.
"That's harsh language, isn't it?"
Kaiden objected in a voice full of anger. At that moment, I was startled to see a wild gleam flash across Kaiden's eyes and jumped to my feet.
Both men turned to look at me at the same time.
If Kaiden, who couldn't control his emotions, and Enoch, who went berserk at the sight of blood, clashed, it would be a complete disaster.
I placed my finger on my lips, then pressed it against Kaiden's cheek.
"There. Don't misunderstand—I didn't do it because I like you. Now go hunting."
Both Enoch and Kaiden stared at me blankly, as if unable to believe what had just happened.
Kaiden, who came to his senses first, looked at me with a beautiful smile in his eyes. While Kaiden wore a satisfied expression, Enoch looked slightly angry.
"Margaret."
Sensing that Enoch was about to start lecturing me, I hurriedly made my escape.
"I'll go fish hunting. Enoch, please rekindle the fire."
I could feel the sharp gazes of both men piercing my back, but I didn't turn around.
'Kaiden won't go berserk like Enoch does, right? Should I run away now?'
I seriously considered that thought, then pressed my temples firmly. My head was throbbing.
'Still, if I regulate the flow of mana for Kaiden, he shouldn't go berserk...'
Right now, without me, there was no one to stop Enoch's episodes or regulate Kaiden's madness.
"Margaret, you concern me too."
"But Margaret, the fact that I'm becoming interested in you—regardless of the reason—that's my emotion. So I decide that. That admonishment just now was a bit presumptuous."
I recalled the words both men had spoken to me not long ago.
'Why do they say such things to disturb my peace...?'
If only he'd confessed outright, I could have rejected him cleanly and moved on. But this ambiguity—what was I supposed to do with it?
I'd been going about my days without much thought, but hearing that comment made me suddenly aware of both of them. A sigh escaped unbidden.
'I'll think about it later. Later. For now, hunting is more important.'
After spending a considerable time fishing in the water, I began preparing to make charcoal.
These days, Kaiden and Enoch often brought back wild game, so I had sufficient protein intake.
The problem was that ordinary firewood made it difficult to roast meat properly.
'Either it burned too quickly, or it didn't cook through.'
So today, I decided to make charcoal.
I dug a pit and gathered thin twigs suitable for kindling, placing them inside. Then I added shorter pieces of wood for making charcoal.
"What are you doing?"
Enoch approached me as I stacked the firewood in a pyramid shape and lit it.
"Making charcoal. Ah, charcoal is—"
"I know what charcoal is. I'm simply curious what you can't do."
Enoch didn't seem to be joking. I scratched my cheek awkwardly. If I were doing something remarkable and receiving praise, that would be one thing, but this was truly nothing special.
"It's incredibly easy to make."
I'd done it many times while camping before. Enoch, who had been staring at my face with his arms crossed, spoke quietly.
"Once we return to the Empire, I must meet the Duke Flone without fail."
At his words, spoken with such resolve, I simply nodded vaguely. That problem was still far off—I'd deal with it later.
"I'll tend the fire. Do something else. You'll hurt your wrist."
Enoch took the wooden stick from my hand and sat down quietly beside me.
He'd grown skilled now; his movements were swift, and he could kindle the fire quickly. He placed the small kindling inside the pyramid of wood and ignited it.
After confirming the high temperature by observing the flame's color, I used the ash I'd collected to firmly seal the gaps in the wooden pyramid.
"You should check it in an hour or two."
Enoch nodded at my words.
"By the way, any word from Diego?"
"It seems he's relocated recently. Beyond that, there's been no particular news."
Enoch still hadn't said he would go with them. Why was that?
Perhaps it would be better to meet her soon. Yet at the same time, part of me hoped I wouldn't meet her at all.
'I don't even understand my own heart.'
I'd simply wait patiently for the right moment.
The charcoal was ready by the time Kaiden returned from hunting.
He approached the Cabin carrying a small bird, and his eyes widened when he saw the charcoal.
"Margaret, you made charcoal too? Wow, now I can really say it—you're not a noble, are you?"
At Kaiden's question, which seemed to have become a habit, I shrugged and gave him a sidelong glance.
"And do you think you're acting like a noble?"
"No, I've never thought of myself as a noble, so I'm fine."
He was too confident for me to argue. Damn it. I wish I could speak with such confidence.
"Enoch and I will prepare dinner, so go wash up. You've worked hard."
At my words, Kaiden shook his head with a bright smile.
"I'm not going to wash."
"What? Why? How crude."
"You even kissed me, so it'd be such a waste to wash it off right away."
"When did I ever kiss you?"
Could that even be called a kiss?
I was still reeling from the absurdity of his claim when it happened.
Enoch, who had been quietly sitting beside me tending to the charcoal fire, rose from his seat.
He approached Kaiden with an unhurried gait.
As his face drew close, Kaiden startled and stumbled backward.
"What, what is it?"
While Kaiden was caught off guard, Enoch's hand moved without hesitation, rubbing his cheek.
Black charcoal smudged messily across Kaiden's left cheek—the very spot I had pressed with my fingertip earlier.
"Damn it, what are you doing?"
Kaiden swatted Enoch's hand away, his displeasure evident, though he seemed completely unaware of the state of his own cheek.
"You've got dirt on your face. Don't be unsightly in front of Margaret—go wash it off."
Enoch replied in a remarkably calm voice before turning back to me. When our eyes met, a languid smile played at the corners of his lips.
'Why is he smiling so seductively?'
As I stared, entranced by his alluring smile, he sat beside me, tending to the lit charcoal.
'Get it together.'
I forced myself to regain composure and turned my head away.
Behind Enoch's back, Kaiden was making obscene gestures, and I called out to him.
"Kaiden, stop that and go wash. You've got charcoal dust all over your cheek."
"What...?!"
Kaiden touched his cheek in alarm. When black powder came off on his palm, he cursed under his breath.
I burst into uncontrollable laughter as I watched him rush frantically toward the River.
* * *
The next day, I ventured to the River with my spear to hunt fish.
I'd need to ask Kaiden to make me a fish trap soon.
I was exhausted from wading into the water in this dress every time to hunt.
'I wish I could find modern clothes already.'
My dress was tattered, but Enoch's uniform was equally worn and frayed.
'In the original story, Yuanna definitely changed into pants and a t-shirt she found on the Island... and there were even shoes like sneakers.'
Apparently, quite a substantial amount of clothing was hidden in various places across the Island.
'It's not like a survival game where you scavenge for supplies. Finding modern items hidden on the Island just doesn't make sense no matter how I think about it.'
It's like a game, really.
Lost in such thoughts while hunting fish, I was emerging from the water when I heard it.
A rustling sound came from the nearby brush. It didn't sound like a beast—it sounded like a person moving.
I casually removed the three fish threaded onto my spear and set them on the ground.
Then I adjusted my grip on the spear and hurled it.
I threw it slightly off to the side of where the sound came from, yet a piercing scream erupted.
I picked up the flare I'd set down at the water's edge before entering and walked toward the source of the sound.
"Damn it! What in blazes are you doing, Flone Young Lady!"
There, sprawled pathetically on the ground, was Bishop Rujef—the man I'd encountered before—glaring daggers at me.
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