Chapter 36
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Chapter 36
10. The Suspension Bridge Effect
I couldn't quite remember how we'd managed to escape after defeating the Anaconda and fleeing the toxic gas.
I knew I'd clung to Kaiden's shoulder like a sack of grain and we'd taken refuge somewhere deep in the Forest, but....
My blurred vision gradually came into focus.
The first thing I saw was a broad, enormous leaf. As it swayed in the gentle breeze, glimpses of brilliant blue sky appeared between its movements.
I slowly pushed myself upright.
In an instant, my head spun and I fell backward again, exhaling a sigh.
Sensing a presence beside me, I turned my head slightly and caught sight of soft silver hair. My vision then filled with Kaiden's entire face, his eyes gently closed.
I carefully shook his shoulder. Yet he didn't open his eyes. I couldn't tell if he was in a deep sleep or if he'd collapsed and couldn't wake.
'What on earth happened?'
Beside Kaiden lay Enoch. I quietly placed my fingers beneath their noses to check if they were breathing.
Fortunately, both seemed to be breathing steadily, and only then did I feel relief wash over me.
We were huddled together beneath the massive Tree Roots, with an enormous leaf covering the entrance to shield us from view.
It appeared someone had covered us with the leaf to prevent exposure to wild beasts or Monsters.
I brushed the leaf aside and crawled out from beneath the Tree Roots.
As I tried to stand, I heard a dull sound of something rolling across the dirt floor.
Thud, thud-thud, thud. Coconuts rolled across the ground.
As I slowly lifted my head, Rujeep stood before me with a startled expression.
"Flone Young Lady...?"
Ah, it seemed Rujeep had fortunately survived unharmed.
'But why does he look so shocked?'
He collapsed in front of me and stared blankly. His legs seemed to have given out.
"Are you... alright?"
He asked me hesitantly. I rolled my stiff neck for a moment and nodded quietly.
"How long was I asleep? Aside from some dizziness, I'm fine. I feel refreshed after such a good rest."
As my words ended, tears rolled down Rujeep's pale cheeks. His clear gray eyes streamed with endless tears.
I was momentarily flustered watching the teardrops fall from his chin.
"Thank goodness. You awoke after two days, Young Lady. It was likely the effects of the toxic gas."
"...What? Two days?"
Startled by my own question, Rujeep nodded with a sorrowful expression, tears flowing.
"Lord Kaiden and His Highness the Crown Prince have been unconscious for two days now, hovering between life and death."
He then wiped his tears with the back of his hand and sniffled.
Seeing such a beautiful, refined man in this state made me wish I could offer him a handkerchief.
"I... I truly thought everyone was going to die... and there was nothing I could do...."
So Kaiden and Enoch weren't simply asleep—they really had collapsed.
Alarmed, I examined their condition more carefully.
Their bodies bore numerous small wounds, and the deeper ones were wrapped tightly in pristine white cloth.
It appeared Rujeep had administered first aid. Well, he was a priest, so he would have learned basic healing techniques as a matter of course.
"I couldn't identify what medicines were in your medicine pouch, Young Lady. I only provided emergency treatment with the knowledge I possess...."
Only then did I notice the first aid kit placed at the head of Enoch's and Kaiden's beds.
Beside it lay a wooden crate containing incendiary bombs.
When I placed my hand on Kaiden's cheek, I felt a mild fever. Perhaps the intense heat from earlier had subsided somewhat. I hoped his condition was improving.
I checked Enoch's temperature as well and confirmed he too had a mild fever, then turned to look at Rujeep. He was busily gathering coconuts that had fallen to the ground.
"Why didn't you return to the rest of the group?"
Rujeep looked at me with a resentful expression, his face trembling with emotion.
His gaze seemed to ask how I could possibly ask such a question, and I felt somewhat flustered.
How could I be so insensitive...
"How could I abandon the injured and leave? All three of them are hovering between life and death."
Only then did I truly remember that he was a virtuous priest devoted to his god.
I'd forgotten because in the novel, he did so many questionable things with the female lead.
Caring for three injured people over two days must have been quite arduous. Especially since all three were poisoned and on the brink of death.
Seeing that Kaiden and Enoch, who had suffered critical wounds that threatened their lives, were still safe suggested that Rujeep had devoted considerable care to nursing them.
"You've worked so hard. And thank you."
At my words, Rujeep's face contorted, and tears streamed down his cheeks once more.
Growwwl.
At that moment, a thunderous sound erupted from his stomach. I was startled by the noise and asked him.
"You haven't been starving for two days, have you?"
His face flushed red, and after hesitating, he shook his head.
"I managed to fill my stomach with wild strawberries and blueberries."
I'd suspected as much.
After recovering some strength, I went to a nearby Valley and caught some fish.
I too hadn't eaten anything for two days, and now that my mind was clearing, hunger crashed over me like a wave, causing me considerable suffering.
After instructing Rujeep to start a fire, I brought back the fish, but he was still fumbling about, unable to get the fire going.
"You still haven't managed to start a fire? I showed you how last time."
At my question, Rujeep floundered, unable to answer, his face troubled.
"That is... seeing something with one's eyes and actually doing it are two different things, are they not?"
Rujeep wrung his hands and answered in a meek, pitiful voice.
I had no choice but to start the fire myself, create a campfire, skewer the fish on branches, and roast them. Only after feeding the roasted fish to Rujeep could I finally rest.
"What exactly happened with those Monsters?"
I sat before the campfire, caught my breath for a moment, and asked Rujeep.
He fell silent with an extremely gloomy expression, and only after a long pause did he finally speak.
"I'm not entirely certain myself. While I was packing my belongings in the Cabin, arguing with Rodd, I heard the Crown Prince urgently calling me to come out, so I went..."
He clasped his hands together as if in prayer and rested his chin on them with a serious expression.
"I saw those creatures circling around the corpse of a Monster that had died the day before. Perhaps the Monsters were drawn by that carcass... at least, that's my hypothesis."
"Kaiden said the Monster he killed the day before was eating something. Do you know what it was?"
"If I recall correctly, it seemed less like it was eating and more like it was preparing something."
"Preparing what?"
"Who knows. Perhaps it was trying to hatch eggs."
Hatch eggs. There was some logic to that theory.
Bishop Rujeep didn't know anything beyond that, so it seemed I would need to hear the more detailed circumstances from Enoch.
I was so worried about Enoch and Kaiden that I ultimately couldn't sleep and stayed up the entire night examining their wounds alongside Rujeep.
And fortunately, the next day, Kaiden opened his eyes first. The moment his eyes opened, he searched for me.
At that moment, I was twisting thinly cut branches to make a shoe-like slipper, when a large hand stretched out from behind me and pulled me into an embrace.
"Margaret."
Startled, I snapped the branch in two.
'Damn it, I was almost finished.'
Warm breath touched my shoulder. Soft hair tickled against my bare skin.
"Margaret..."
At Kaiden's plaintive voice, I turned around and sat up. He was gazing at me with a drowsy expression, having just awakened.
"I didn't realize you were awake. Are you feeling alright?"
He soon lowered his head and rested his forehead against my shoulder. For a long while, he simply remained in that position, leaning against me in silence.
Right. He had just awakened, so his mind must still be foggy. I let him be.
"You're really not Margaret."
But then he suddenly said something unexpected and calmly lifted his head.
I had always thought his crimson eyes were merely blood-red, but now they seemed to shine as beautifully as rubies.
My body went rigid at his words, and I couldn't manage any response.
"From what I can see, you're truly a different person."
His large hand caressed my nape, and his fingers intertwined through my hair.
His face drew closer. The tips of our noses nearly touched.
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