Chapter 37
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
Chapter 37
He bore a slightly debauched expression, whether from the low fever coursing through him or something else entirely.
Whether it was the intensity burning in his eyes or the overwhelming aura that dominated those around him, I found myself incapable of even considering pushing him away.
"You can't possibly be Margaret."
And that was what he said the moment he awoke.
His unwavering certainty that I was not Margaret left me flustered, and I averted my gaze from his.
"What are you talking about? If I'm not Margaret, then who am I?"
"I don't know either. But whoever you are, please stay as you are now."
'Stay as I am now....'
It seemed Kaiden was speaking without truly understanding what he meant. Yet somehow, his words brought me an unexpected comfort I couldn't deny.
"When you threw yourself at those monsters to kill them, my heart sank. I finally understood what it meant for your mind to go blank—for the first time in my life."
Kaiden grimaced as he recalled that moment, his face contorting with distress.
"No matter how I think about it, this doesn't seem to be a matter of me failing to control my emotions."
He tilted his head slightly to the side.
I found myself thinking how sharp his jawline was, and then I found myself staring blankly at his lips as they drew near as if to kiss me.
"What will you do, Margaret? If I've truly become interested in you?"
I quickly blocked Kaiden's approaching lips with my hand.
He widened his eyes in surprise for a moment, then smiled gently before pressing a soft kiss to my palm.
"Well? Margaret, give me an answer."
His breath tickled against my hand, creating a strange sensation. Feeling oddly unsettled, I withdrew my hand from his grasp. Fortunately, Kaiden didn't forcibly hold me back.
"What do you mean 'what will I do'? How am I supposed to answer such vague words?"
Kaiden possessed a talent for enchanting others. I needed to stay sharp and not be swayed by him.
"You still doubt me, and that hasn't changed."
My cold response left Kaiden momentarily speechless, as if caught off guard.
"For now, let's just focus on surviving on this Island."
Whether his interest was truly directed at me or merely transferred from the heroine, would it remain the same even after we escaped this Isolated Island?
Kaiden Blake Rohade.
Though he couldn't exercise much power here on this Island, he was one of the continent's most renowned mages and the Master of the Tower of Magic.
Would such a remarkable person truly say he liked Margaret—someone he had so thoroughly despised—even after leaving this Island?
There exists something called the suspension bridge effect.
It's not that your heart races because you're in love; rather, your heart races, and you mistake that for love.
While people often experience this phenomenon while traveling, we could experience something similar even here, enduring hardship together in this extreme environment.
Moreover, Kaiden hadn't yet met Yuanna, the true heroine.
"But...."
"What are you doing right now?"
Just as Kaiden opened his mouth to refute me, Rujeep appeared at the opportune moment and separated Kaiden from me.
He positioned himself in front of me, regarding Kaiden with the look one might give a shameless pervert, and wrapped his arms around me protectively.
"This shameless mage...!"
Rujeep raised one arm defensively, shielding me from view. For once, his arrival was genuinely welcome.
"Do mages have no sense of propriety whatsoever?"
"I'd rather not hear such shameless advice from a priest."
"Why would I treat that mage just to gain wealth and glory...."
"I would've survived without your treatment anyway."
Kaiden shrugged his shoulders, his tone making it clear he felt no gratitude whatsoever.
"I'm simply hard to kill. It's just the kind of body I have."
The kind of body he couldn't help but have?
"Kaiden, what do you mean by that...."
"Margaret!"
Before I could ask what Kaiden's cryptic words meant, Enoch rushed out the moment he regained consciousness and pulled me into his embrace.
Enoch cradled both my cheeks in his hands, turning my face this way and that as he examined me.
His black hair fell messily across his forehead. His golden eyes swept over me with urgent concern.
Whether it was the beauty mark beneath his left eye or the slight flush from his lingering fever, his gaze seemed captivating in that moment.
"Are you injured anywhere?"
"No."
"Does anything hurt?"
"No."
"Is there anything uncomfortable?"
"I'm fine. Really."
Only then did he relax, pulling me close again. He buried his face in my shoulder and inhaled deeply, as if savoring my scent.
"Do you know what I felt when you rushed toward that Monster?"
Enoch lifted his head and looked at me directly, speaking with firm resolve.
"Never do something so reckless again."
And the moment his words ended, Kaiden, sitting beside us, responded irritably.
"I hope you haven't forgotten that I'm here too, along with my companion."
Only then did Enoch's gaze turn toward Kaiden.
Immediately after, a deadly tension flashed between the two men's eyes.
"I'm fine, but you two don't seem to be. Let me check your conditions."
Ignoring their silent confrontation, I retrieved the medical kit and examined their wounds one by one.
Rujeep, apparently sulking because Enoch and Kaiden hadn't thanked him at all, didn't even approach us and kept his distance with a pouty expression.
It wasn't until dinner time that his mood softened and he picked at some fruit to eat.
Poor Rujeep. After quietly patting his back, I gathered the wood pieces I'd cut earlier to finish making the shoes I'd started during the day.
They wouldn't be straw sandals, but something similar would have to do. My flat shoes were torn and no longer wearable.
As I peeled the bark from the wood and smoothed the sharp edges until they were polished, I asked Enoch a question.
"The Bishop gave me a rough overview of the situation. What exactly happened to those Monsters?"
Only then did Enoch set aside his thoughts and face me directly.
"It seems the corpse of that Monster was the problem. They must have caught its scent. When they first appeared, they kept circling around the body."
It matched what Rujeep had said.
Could it be that the dead Anaconda Monster was carrying eggs, and when it died, other Monsters came rushing to protect the female and its offspring?
This was actually a plausible hypothesis.
If there really were eggs inside its belly, would the hatchlings inside have died as well?
There was no way to know, since I would never return to that place.
Kaiden rested his chin on his hand and plucked grapes with an indifferent expression, then wrinkled the bridge of his nose.
"I thought only wolf-type monsters existed, but snakes too..."
"It appears that monsters of various forms inhabit this island. We'll need to exercise particular caution once dusk falls."
Enoch's words prompted Rujeep and me to nod in agreement.
"Enoch, come to think of it, you seemed to maintain your reason even after seeing blood. Do you remember anything?"
At my question, Enoch—who had been eating fruit—furrowed his brow. He fell into contemplation, his expression troubled, before shaking his head.
"I don't remember. I have no idea how I managed it."
"Hmm. Still, the fact that you could endure through sheer willpower is a good sign. Your trauma might be healing. Try to recall what that moment felt like."
I desperately hoped his trauma would heal soon. Given how frequently we encountered situations involving bloodshed on this island, I dreaded the possibility of him losing control again.
I began weaving tree bark into knots, fashioning a flat sole for makeshift footwear.
Enoch, Kaiden, and Rujeep watched me as though mesmerized. How embarrassing—why were they staring so intently?
Creating something as sturdy as traditional sandals was utterly impossible, so I'd have to settle for a slipper design at least. Perhaps this would suffice until we found modern clothing and shoes.
Still, just in case, I carefully preserved my torn flat shoes rather than discarding them.
"We'll need to find another safe location and relocate."
My words were met with silence from everyone. That Riverside Cabin had taken such tremendous effort to construct.
The constant moving without any chance to settle was definitely more exhausting. It meant we had no opportunity to recover our strength.
"How are we supposed to escape this place anyway?"
Kaiden spoke in frustration, running his hand through his hair. Hearing his words, I offered a suggestion.
"It would be ideal if we had any clues about an escape gate, but that's difficult. Since this person named Alea seems to leave marks, what if we tried searching for those marks?"
The three men turned to look at me.
"Alea?"
Bishop Rujeep asked me with a puzzled expression.
I retrieved a flare from my dress pocket and showed it to him.
"This magical tool seems to belong to someone named Alea. Besides this, I've seen the name Alea carved into places like cliffs."
Rujeep's eyes widened as he examined the characters spelling "Alea" on the flare.
"Is this Eastern Continental script? Like the first aid kit?"
I nodded at his question.
Once we escaped the island, it would be revealed that it wasn't Eastern Continental language, but while we remained here, there was no reason for that truth to surface. Besides, I couldn't think of any plausible excuse anyway.
"Margaret is right. Finding clues seems to be our priority. So far, the only word we've discovered on this island is 'Alea.'"
I nodded in agreement with Enoch's assessment.
"There might actually be an escape gate like Kaiden mentioned. Given that magical tools and monsters exist here, I can't guarantee there isn't something else on this island."
Enoch, Kaiden, and Rujeep all nodded in agreement with my words.
"I think it would be best if we didn't settle in one place too long and instead explored the entire island."
"The entire island? I climbed the Mountain and looked around—this place is bigger than you'd think, Margaret."
When Kaiden countered my suggestion, Enoch stepped in to support me again.
"I know. The island can't be called small, but if it's necessary, then we must do it."
Enoch's words carried a weight that seemed almost mandatory to obey. Words spoken by a former military commander, by someone destined to lead a nation, simply carried a different gravity.
In any case, Kaiden couldn't counter this time and fell silent.
By scouting the island and searching various locations, we could acquire even one more hidden item, which would increase our chances of survival.
Besides, it's not entirely false that there's an escape gate.
Cowardly as it may be, I still kept silent about the bunker map. That was truly my last card.
"I take it everyone agrees with Margaret's opinion, so let's move forward now."
At Enoch's words, everyone maintained an affirmative silence.
So we ultimately decided that the next day, we would explore the island while searching for shelter.
I finally completed the slippers and put them on—they looked reasonably presentable, at least to my eye.
I'll pretend not to notice that the three men blushed upon seeing my bare feet.
They're like sandals you'd wear on a rainy day, and they're comfortable—so why the reaction?
And you all were wearing shoes convenient for movement because you're men.
I had flat shoes, and torn ones at that.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org