Chapter 33
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Chapter 33
I still hadn't made a decision. And I had no intention of leaving immediately.
What was I supposed to say in a situation like this?
Enoch, who gazed at me, was always meticulous.
Ever since he began to favor me, it seemed there had never been a moment when he failed to look after me.
I knew he'd picked up on my hesitation, but I never expected him to ask so directly.
"I also...."
Enoch opened his mouth again. I waited for his next words with a tense expression.
"Will I be abandoned and left behind?"
There was no change in Enoch's expression. His face remained endlessly composed. So I couldn't fathom what intention lay behind such a question.
Abandoned? As if he had ever been mine to begin with.
I was somewhat flustered and hastily chose my words.
"Who would abandon anyone? That's not what this is about."
He stepped closer to me and slowly lowered his head.
"Then let me stay by your side, Margaret."
His voice, whispering near my ear, was soft. For some reason, a ticklish sensation stirred within me, and I unconsciously drew my neck back.
"Don't abandon me."
His large hand gently cradled the nape of my neck.
"It's alright to do that, isn't it?"
His golden eyes, which had been fixed on my neck, slowly traced across my skin. Soon our gazes met.
Though his expression held no emotion, there was a certain pathos gleaming beneath that composed facade.
I found myself captivated by those golden eyes gazing down at me.
What was I to do?
Even though there would be no room in the Bunker, I found myself wanting to make space for Enoch.
"...Don't regret those words later."
I deliberately did not answer his plea about being abandoned.
A soft smile played at Enoch's lips. His large hand, which had been gently cradling my neck, moved to caress my cheek.
"I promise you, that won't happen."
He shouldn't make such promises so easily.
Fortunately, Enoch did not press me further or demand an answer.
An awkward silence lingered for a moment, and then we moved on.
I scouted around the River Bank, and Enoch followed me before catching two rabbits.
Watching Enoch tie the rabbits with cord and fasten them to his waist, I recalled the image of Rujeep with fish hanging from his belt. Still, rabbits were better than fish.
By the time the sun began to set, Enoch and I decided to return to the Cabin.
"It's strange—I haven't seen any Monsters lately. Do the wolf-type Monsters not come down to the River Bank?"
At my question, Enoch glanced at me while remaining vigilant of his surroundings.
"They haven't ventured near the Beach where we awakened either. It seems the wolf Monsters dislike water."
At Enoch's words, I nodded and recalled the novel's contents.
Certainly, this Island harbored many types of Monsters besides the wolf-type ones.
Among the Monsters, the most dangerous were those shaped like anacondas and those shaped like tarantulas.
If I recall correctly, the anaconda-type Monster could spray poison from its breath.
They typically inhabited the Swamp, but were frequently spotted near rivers, so the protagonists had been extremely cautious whenever approaching the River Bank—a memory that now surfaced vividly.
'Wait, the River Bank?'
"Wow. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I was reckless."
Looking back, our makeshift shelter was situated near the River Bank, hardly a location one could consider truly safe.
Could it be that the wolf Monsters didn't venture down to the River Bank precisely because of this threat?
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Enoch must have heard me muttering to myself, as he asked what was wrong.
"It's nothing. The sun is setting anyway—shall we head back?"
Enoch studied my expression with a puzzled look before nodding in agreement.
At least one reassuring fact remained: Monsters didn't emerge while the sun was in the sky.
...Or was that more dangerous?
"What is this?"
On our way back to the Cabin, Enoch discovered an empty box among the undergrowth.
It resembled military equipment, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly a supply crate.
"Hmm..., it looks like someone already opened it. Could it be Rujeep's group?"
At my question, Enoch rested his chin on his hand and stared at the empty box before nodding.
"Seems likely. Since the only people on this Island appear to be them and us."
I hadn't expected to find a supply crate.
The box bore Korean characters reading "Military Supply."
Seeing that, I felt renewed conviction in my hypothesis that this Island might be some Isolated Island belonging to Korea.
"The sun is already setting. Let's hurry back."
No matter how long I stared into the empty box, nothing new would appear. Enoch and I resumed our journey toward the Cabin.
Yet upon arriving at the Cabin, we witnessed a sight that left us utterly stunned.
"...What on earth."
Enoch muttered in disbelief.
I too was left speechless at the sight of the anaconda Monster stretched out along the River Bank before the Cabin.
Over a dozen harpoons were embedded in the feebly writhing creature's body.
Rujeep lay unconscious in front of the Cabin, while Kaiden—covered in wounds—stood with one foot planted on the Monster's head, driving harpoons downward.
I froze momentarily upon seeing Kaiden drenched in the Monster's blood. But as the anaconda continued to writhe, I urgently grabbed Enoch's arm.
"Wait here."
Enoch hurled the rabbit at his waist to the ground, gripped a harpoon firmly, and rushed toward Kaiden. Together, they drove harpoons into the Monster's head.
How had this situation come to pass?
"Damn. I thought I was done for."
Hearing Kaiden's curse, I finally snapped back to awareness and approached them.
The anaconda appeared completely dead.
"Are you alright?!"
I rushed to examine Kaiden. His body bore numerous fresh wounds—not merely lacerations and scratches, but also wounds that appeared infected with poison.
Kaiden turned to face me, his disheveled form drenched in crimson blood, his red eyes gleaming with a deep, unsettling madness.
The moment I assessed Kaiden's condition, I turned to Enoch, who stood trembling with one hand shielding his eyes.
He was barely maintaining his sanity, and the veins in his reddened neck bulged prominently.
"What's wrong with him?"
While Kaiden watched Enoch with a puzzled expression, I rushed to pick up the fallen rope from the floor and hurried toward him, binding his hands and feet tightly.
"What are you doing, Margaret? What's this about?"
Kaiden rushed after me and watched what I was doing. I answered him while securing Enoch's limbs firmly.
"Calming him down."
"Calming what?"
I had no time to answer Kaiden. Enoch's breathing was growing ragged.
"Enoch. Can you hear me?"
Fortunately, he still retained some semblance of reason, and he nodded calmly.
But he gripped with such tremendous force that the rope snapped with a sharp crack. Angry muscles rippled across his forearms. He was exerting every ounce of his strength to restrain himself.
I patted him gently and steadily.
"No one is hurt."
"Margaret, I'm hurt."
Kaiden chimed in from beside me, placing a finger to his lips and giving me a sharp look.
Shh.
He closed his mouth in surprise and nodded. Seeing him fall silent, I turned back to soothe Enoch.
"No one has died. This isn't a Battlefield. There's nothing to fear."
It was a terrible place in a different sense than a Battlefield, but I needed to calm him first, so I glossed over it.
Enoch's shoulders trembled violently, his eyes squeezed shut. His lips twisted.
"How do you see that as a frightened face? To me, it just looks like the face of someone about to slice a person in half...."
Kaiden, about to add another word, closed his mouth again at the look in my eyes.
What was truly fortunate was that controlling Enoch had become easier than before.
Previously, he had even suggested throwing him out violently, but now it seemed unnecessary to resort to such measures.
Enoch hadn't lost consciousness, and his seizure subsided quickly. If his calming speed continued to improve like this, perhaps later I could control him without even restraining his limbs.
I exhaled a sigh of relief and rose to my feet.
"Are you alright?"
This time I turned to Kaiden and examined his wounds again. I had put him aside to prioritize Enoch, but his condition looked serious enough to worry me.
"What's happening right now? Why is the Crown Prince acting like that?"
"I'll explain later. But you look serious too, so I'm asking."
At my words, Kaiden looked at me and flashed a smile.
His attractive dimples deepened, but with so much blood splattered across his face, the sight felt somewhat eerie.
"Ah, Margaret. I'm glad you were here. That lackey passed out the moment he saw him."
Kaiden answered somewhat off-topic and pointed to the unconscious Rujeep. I glanced at Rujeep as Kaiden said, then cast a quick look at Enoch.
"Don't look at him."
And noticing that I was looking at Enoch, Kaiden turned my chin to face him, fixing my gaze on himself. When our eyes met, only then did he look satisfied.
"Look only at me now, Margaret."
Then he whined like a child seeking attention.
"I worked hard. Give me some praise for doing well."
His fine silver hair was completely soiled with blood.
I gazed at him quietly for a moment, then slowly reached out and stroked his hair.
"You've endured so much alone, Kaiden. I'm genuinely relieved you're safe."
Kaiden's face brightened with radiance.
If he had possessed a tail, I imagined it would be wagging fiercely at this very moment.
Yet those crazed eyes of his were still somewhat frightening. And now, drenched in blood as he was, they were all the more terrifying.
He wiped the blood smeared around his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned wickedly—he looked absolutely unhinged.
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