Chapter 32
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Chapter 32
Compared to Enoch, I wasn't particularly skilled at starting fires, but it wasn't as though I couldn't do it at all.
First, I cut down some thoroughly dried bamboo and split it in half. I drilled a small hole in one of the split pieces, placed tinder inside, and flipped it over. Then I rubbed the other piece against it vigorously, as if sawing. The pressure and reciprocal friction motion were meant to generate an ember.
After sawing away for some time, smoke began rising from below, and I blew gently into the bamboo hole. When I saw the spark, I moved the bamboo aside and continued softly blowing on the tinder.
"Bring me some dry leaves. Very dry ones, quickly."
Rujeep, who had been watching me with rapt attention, hurriedly scrambled to gather dry leaves.
I used them as secondary tinder to transform the spark into flame.
"My goodness."
Rujeep clapped his hands with an astonished expression.
"Did you see that? Next time, you'll be the one doing it."
Like a diligent student heeding his teacher's words, Rujeep nodded vigorously.
In the end, I started the fire and roasted some fish for him, then shared some purified water as well.
But this fellow eagerly ate the fish and drank the water, showing no intention of returning home.
Going even further, he voluntarily cleaned up the stick used for the fish and began tidying the area.
"Um, would it be all right if I stayed here?"
"Don't you remember calling me a witch? Have some conscience."
At my words, Rujeep clamped his mouth shut again. Even when I told him to get back to his own house, he stubbornly refused to leave until Enoch and Kaiden arrived.
It was only natural that chaos erupted when Enoch and Kaiden discovered him.
Watching their commotion, I recalled when Kaiden had first settled into our cave.
This feels ominous. This pattern seems oddly familiar.
However, the sun was setting, and I couldn't chase Rujeep away into the night when monsters roamed freely, so I ultimately agreed to let him stay for one night.
"You worthless lackey. Don't think about coming inside—just guard the front of the cabin. You priests are good at that sort of thing, aren't you? Guarding."
Kaiden growled as he drove Rujeep away from entering the cabin.
Rujeep glared at Kaiden with fury blazing in his eyes, but ultimately offered no rebuttal.
Still, he couldn't wander through the Forest on a night like this, so he seemed determined to endure somehow.
"But outside is dangerous, so...."
When I suddenly spoke up, Rujeep looked at me with a face full of hope and deep gratitude.
Unfortunately, however, I had no intention of fulfilling his expectations.
"Sit at the entrance and keep watch. If the scent of humans drifts outside, monsters might swarm in."
Rujeep stared at me with a face full of despair, while Kaiden burst into raucous laughter.
In any case, since moving to the River Bank, the frequency of encountering monsters at night had decreased, and the frequency of wolf howls had definitely diminished.
Could it be that monsters don't venture down to the water's edge?
When I woke in the morning, Enoch had gathered blueberries in a bamboo container.
I was sitting in front of the Cabin, brushing my teeth with a chewing stick I'd made a few days prior.
Rujeep tilted his head curiously at the sight.
"What is that?"
Enoch and Kaiden each sat on either side of me, chewing their own wooden sticks to clean their teeth.
"It's for brushing teeth."
After cleaning my teeth with the twig and rinsing with water, I asked Rujeep:
"Oh, don't you brush your teeth, Rujeep?"
At my question, Rujeep merely blinked, his face flushed with bewilderment.
Even now, it struck me as peculiar—whether due to some enchantment woven into this Island or something else entirely, none of us produced any odor. Still, skipping oral hygiene felt unsettling.
I first cut a thin twig, roughly the length of my forearm and about a centimeter in width. Then I had Rujeep chew on the end of the wood.
The wood's fibers stimulate saliva production, and saliva neutralizes food debris. So by brushing the teeth with these frayed fibrous sections, one could achieve the desired effect.
"Simple, isn't it?"
At my question, Rujeep nodded while chewing on the stick.
"Hey, lackey. You can go now."
As Kaiden ate blueberries for breakfast, he gestured dismissively at Rujeep.
His face twisted with cold derision as he swept his gaze over Rujeep's appearance with obvious displeasure.
"Before meeting Flone Young Lady, perhaps I wouldn't know. But now that I have met her, how could I possibly continue without her? I won't leave."
Rujeep spouted nonsense, but I paid it no mind and continued eating my blueberries earnestly.
Today seemed like a good day to scout the path to the Bunker. I'd already found the map marking its location, so finding the route should be child's play.
"Stop spouting nonsense and go find a god. Why isn't your god answering? Well, that makes sense. There is no god."
"Are you quite finished speaking?!"
"Did it seem like I was? I'm not. Think about it—if gods existed, would we have fallen here?"
"Mind your tongue!"
The two men's voices grew progressively louder.
My ears ached, so I frowned briefly, and apparently noticing my discomfort, Enoch quietly spoke up.
"Both of you, stop. Don't make a racket in front of Margaret."
I wondered if the word Margaret itself carried some sort of enchantment.
Watching Kaiden and Rujeep fall silent and gauge my reaction, I suppressed a hollow laugh.
I observed the two of them, then tidied away the empty bamboo container and rose from my seat.
I wove a wooden branch around my waist to secure a stone axe, gripped a spear in my hand, and turned back to face Kaiden and Rujeep.
"I'm going out to scout the area."
Since we'd arrived at our new shelter, I needed to explore the surroundings. It was crucial to determine whether any dangers lurked nearby and to identify anything we might require.
Seeing my appearance, Rujeep contorted his face as though witnessing something utterly bizarre.
"I still cannot acclimate to Young Lady's peculiar appearance, no matter how many times I witness it."
This seemed to be a mandatory line for male leads upon first meeting me. Perhaps it was on some essential script list they all had to recite.
Neither Kaiden nor Enoch responded to Rujeep's remark. Enoch didn't answer because he was preparing for the hunt, while Kaiden simply couldn't be bothered.
Rujeep pressed on undeterred, hurling another question.
"Do all noble Young Ladies adapt as quickly as Flone Young Lady?"
How could that possibly be true? Of course, I found his question tedious as well, so I let it go in one ear and out the other.
"Kaiden, keep Rujeep the priest occupied while I'm gone."
"Don't worry, I'll thrash him thoroughly and send him packing."
"Couldn't you let me stay a bit longer?"
Both Kaiden and Rujeep answered simultaneously at my words, but their voices overlapped, making it impossible to hear what either said.
Too lazy to ask again, I simply decided to depart.
The commotion behind me suggested they were quarreling once more.
In the midst of it all, Enoch gathered his weapons and followed behind me.
I turned back to regard Enoch following in my wake with a puzzled expression.
"Did you want to say something to me?"
"Today is my turn to hunt."
He answered my questioning gaze quietly.
"Isn't Kaiden the one who's been hunting all along?"
At my question, Enoch looked at me and burst out laughing.
"Didn't you complain that I only bring back birds?"
The way he said it made him sound like a child whining about side dishes.
"I never complained..."
I simply mentioned that since we've been eating nothing but birds and fish every time, I was genuinely tired of it and needed to catch some meat.
Of course, I hadn't asked Kaiden to bring anything. I'd even said I would personally make traps to catch game like wild boar by tomorrow.
"I'll catch you a rabbit at least."
At Enoch's offer, my eyes sparkled as I looked at him.
"Really?"
Enoch, who had been rolling up his jacket sleeves with an expressionless face, nodded.
Perhaps because Kaiden and Bishop Rujeep made the Cabin so lively, Enoch seemed relatively dignified and imposing. Well, he was the Crown Prince, after all.
Ever since I decided to call him "Enoch" instead of "Your Highness," I kept forgetting that fact.
When we escape this Isolated Island and return to the Empire, what will become of our relationship?
"But why do you keep following me? I'm going on a reconnaissance mission."
"I thought it would be good to hunt while following you."
At Enoch's words, I felt a bit troubled.
Because I had intended to separate from Enoch and search for a way to go north of the River alone.
Noticing my unease that I hadn't quite managed to hide, Enoch's expression darkened slightly.
"Do you dislike going with me?"
"That's not it..."
I finally let out a sigh.
"No. Let's go together."
There was nothing I could do. I'd have to give up searching for the Bunker's location today.
I didn't want to raise suspicion, and I couldn't reveal the Bunker to anyone—not even Enoch.
This was truly my last resort for survival.
I walked behind Enoch while rummaging through the pockets of my dress.
The flare was safely stored in my pocket.
Neither Kaiden nor Enoch had asked me for the flare.
I had no reason to give them what I'd found, so I was keeping it myself.
I'd brought the Bunker map before we set out, and fortunately, it was also safely in my pocket.
After rummaging through my pockets for quite a while, I suddenly stopped and bumped my face directly into Enoch's chest.
So his chest, not his back.
Which meant Enoch had seen everything as I bustled about searching my pockets.
Realizing that, I felt a bit deflated. Was I being foolish?
Enoch's face was cold and firm. And as always, it bore that perfect expression that left no room for anyone to probe.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I know you're preparing to leave."
Enoch's sudden words caught me off guard, and I closed my mouth, momentarily at a loss for what to say.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org