Chapter 81
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Chapter 81
"Such suspicious flowers shouldn't be touched carelessly. Please set it down."
Diego glanced back and forth between the flower and Kaiden for a moment before obediently placing it on the ground.
"As expected of a mage, Rodban, you certainly know a lot."
"This much is common knowledge."
Yuanna muttered with a regretful expression as she watched the discarded flower on the ground. Kaiden sighed with an irritated face and retorted to her.
And then, a sudden gust of wind swept through, scattering a considerable amount of yellow pollen from the flowers blooming around the Cabin.
"Achoo!"
Yuanna, who took the full brunt of the pollen, sneezed. Diego also inhaled the remaining particles, dropped the flower, and covered his nose.
Kaiden sensed that the two of them were reacting strangely.
The napes of Yuanna and Diego's necks were gradually turning red.
Yuanna, with a bewildered expression, clutched her throat and collapsed to the ground. She coughed dryly over and over.
Diego grabbed his shirt collar with a pained face, pulling so forcefully that several buttons tore off.
'Damn it, what is this? Does the pollen contain toxins?'
Only Kaiden, who was immune to all poisons, remained unaffected.
The two of them seemed to be in considerable pain, not moving from their spots, which made Kaiden's situation all the more difficult.
Moreover, Yuanna and Diego's complexions were withering like dried flowers.
In contrast, their unfocused, hazy eyes, ragged breathing, and the greedy way their hands fumbled across the ground as if desperate to quench some thirst felt deeply covetous.
It was an awkward situation.
Having just encountered a monster moments ago, I couldn't leave them outside either.
In the end, Kaiden decided to move the two of them into the Cabin. Simply transporting these two as they thrashed about in distress proved to be quite taxing.
"This is exactly why I hate group living—it's obviously dangerous, so why would they touch it...! Damn it!"
Kaiden finally cursed aloud.
It seemed I would have to abandon my plan of returning without incident and earning praise from Margaret.
* * *
The Silver Earthworm, which had disappeared the night before, was devouring all of the Tentationem flowers.
The moment Enoch and I stepped out of the Cabin, we discovered the Silver Earthworm tearing into those flowers at a terrifying speed.
Though there hadn't seemed to be many blooms before, overnight the area around the Cabin had become densely filled with crimson flowers.
"Silver Earthworm!"
I called out in surprise, and only then did the creature turn to me, wagging its tail happily.
The creature, whose eyes sparkled with the desire to approach me but hesitated, finally finished consuming all the remaining Tentationem before crawling painfully toward the Cabin deck where we stood.
No matter what, Tentationem was a highly toxic flower. And to consume such a massive quantity all at once...
The Silver Earthworm crawled to me and collapsed limply on the ground. Startled by the creature's unconsciousness, I quickly lifted it up. It hung lifelessly in my palm.
The fortunate part was that, seeing it breathe steadily, it was clear the creature was simply asleep.
I exhaled a sigh of relief.
"You said that monster had become synchronized with you?"
Enoch asked, observing the Silver Earthworm as it lay unconscious in sleep.
"Yes, it seems so. I can roughly anticipate the emotions this creature feels. It also seems to understand my words. According to Kaiden, this creature imprinted on me."
"It certainly doesn't seem to be a typical case."
Enoch murmured after hearing my explanation.
I recalled the conversation I'd had with everyone about Silver Earthworm's imprinting on me.
Monsters don't recognize humans as apex predators, and since Anaconda is already an apex predator itself, it's difficult for it to find other imprinted individuals. Or so the theory went.
The point was that if Silver Earthworm had encountered me—someone with vast magical reserves—there was a possibility it would form an imprint.
'Even I have to admit it's a mystery.'
Watching Silver Earthworm, I pondered this before returning to the Cabin with Enoch.
Rujeep had collapsed into sleep from exhaustion, while Asdal sat at the kitchen table drinking water.
"For a monster, it's remarkably intelligent."
Asdal spoke as he observed Silver Earthworm nestled in my arms. He clearly knew that it had consumed Tentationem throughout the night.
So he'd knowingly allowed Silver Earthworm to consume something harmful to its body? I shot him a withering glare in exasperation.
"I had no choice. It was proving useful to us."
Asdal answered calmly, understanding the meaning behind my gaze.
I set Silver Earthworm down on a soft makeshift bed and tended to it. Though I'd worried, the creature slept peacefully, purring contentedly and even snoring.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no problems. Only then did I feel reassured enough to head to the kitchen to prepare meals.
That's when Enoch approached and gently pushed me aside.
"Margaret, you should rest. I'll handle the meal preparations."
Only Enoch truly looks after me like this.
Asdal, who had been watching Enoch work while resting his chin on his hand, wore an expression of utter disbelief.
"No matter how I look at it, it's remarkable. Crown Prince Enoch has changed so much."
"People change naturally over time."
"Well, I suppose I must acknowledge it now. Even 'that' Margaret Rose Flone has changed—so why would a half-prince remain unchanged?"
Asdal pointed at me with his finger as he spoke. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he slapped his knee and grabbed my wrist.
"I've been thinking—wouldn't it be more efficient to build a raft than to keep watching the Beach for passing ships?"
At Asdal's words, I forgot about helping Enoch and turned to face him.
Only then did I remember when he'd mentioned thinking about rescue methods while staying at the Cabin.
"Consider this: the Young Lady has launched magical flames into the sky multiple times, yet no one has approached the Island all this while. Rather than waiting for rescue, it would be faster for us to attempt escape ourselves."
Asdal spoke to me in a coaxing tone, as if trying to persuade me. This was clearly his way of asking me to convince Enoch to build a raft together.
However, I knew this Island existed in a different space-time. Building a raft would be utterly pointless.
We'd likely just circle around the Island's perimeter and end up back where we started.
"...Wouldn't it be better to consider it after the Holy Maiden and her party return?"
I persuaded him in the same coaxing tone with which he'd tried to persuade me.
"Besides, we're already short-handed. If we waste energy on that and monsters attack, what then?"
At my counter-question, Enoch, who had been quietly preparing the meal, glanced at us and spoke up.
"Margaret is right. For now, let's wait for the Holy Maiden's party to return."
At Enoch's words, Asdal, who had been resting his chin on his hand, nodded with a resigned expression.
"Fine, so be it. If our half-prince says so."
"Stop with the half-prince remarks. Before I challenge you to a duel."
Enoch finally hurled the stone knife he'd been holding. The sharp-edged blade narrowly grazed Asdal's cheek before embedding itself perfectly in the central pillar of the living area.
"My, a half-prince... Ahem. If I receive a duel challenge from the Crown Prince, I won't survive it, so I'd better preserve myself."
Asdal raised both hands and made a playful surrender gesture. When Enoch cast a contemptuous glance his way, Asdal clutched his chest as if wounded.
The true irony was that Asdal, who constantly belittled Enoch by calling him a half-prince, trusted him more than anyone else in our group.
Even though we were never particularly close, perhaps there's a bond from our school days that lingers?
"In any case, if my magical power had resonated with theirs, I could have discerned the Monster's movements and patterns."
Asdal murmured to himself.
As I transferred Silver Earthworm from the makeshift cushion of gathered leaves where it slept, I heard his words and turned to look at him.
"What do you mean by that?"
In response to my question, Asdal tapped his own eyes and broke into a grin.
"Well, I've mentioned it before. I possess the Mana Eye. It's an ability passed down through generations via the Hestian Royal Family bloodline, but it's a royal secret unknown to the outside world. Given the circumstances, I'm sharing it with you specially."
"Really...? What exactly is this Mana Eye?"
"It's the ability to read the flow of mana. I can also discern the forms of various forces like mana and divine power."
True to his word, it was a secret of the Hestia Kingdom unknown to the outside world—searching through all of Margaret's memories yielded nothing.
"The Young Lady possesses an extraordinary amount of mana."
"But how do you know my mana capacity, Your Highness?"
"Because I have eyes that see such things."
It seemed his earlier words were no jest. I nodded and expressed genuine admiration.
"That's a remarkable power."
"Indeed. And it's precisely the kind of power the royal family needs. We've used this ability to recruit talented individuals."
Being able to instantly recognize hidden power would undoubtedly be invaluable for talent recruitment.
Asdal sighed, tapping his fingers on the table.
"In any case, since this power is also based on mana, I haven't been able to use the Mana Eye since arriving on this Island."
"That's unfortunate. It would have been tremendous military strength."
"Everyone's frustrated by the inability to use their power, aren't they? The Young Lady included."
"...I'm curious—did you actually see how much mana I possess, Your Highness? When I saw you in the Hestia Kingdom, it was only for a very brief moment."
Asdal nodded.
"Even a brief moment is enough if our eyes meet. It was surprising, though. To possess so much mana yet remain unknown.... Well, I suspected as much when I heard that the Young Lady shattered the test crystal at the Academy and didn't retake the exam due to the commotion."
I wasn't sure whether to be pleased or displeased by Asdal's words. I sighed and answered.
"That's right. The reason my power went unnoticed is because I never demonstrated my abilities. I absolutely despise practice. As you know, back then the only thing I was interested in was Enoch."
At that moment, Enoch, who had been quietly preparing the meal, looked at me with a pleased expression. Asdal then let out a disapproving laugh.
"How very fitting for the Young Lady."
"Yes. So being unable to use mana on this Island doesn't bother me much. I don't even know how to use it in the first place."
Asdal, who had been resting his chin in his hand, stared at me intently. He seemed to be contemplating something, then gestured to me.
I approached him with a puzzled expression.
"I'd like to give the Young Lady a useful gift. Would you extend your hand?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org