Chapter 88
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Chapter 88 I looked up at Kaiden standing motionless before the door as Diego and Yuanna passed by me. He had never been particularly presentable, but now he looked absolutely disheveled. He smoothed back his hair with an irritated furrow of his brow, then gazed down at me and released a heavy sigh.
"Margaret, I've been through absolute hell."
He truly appeared exhausted. Behind him, the cheerful chatter of Yuanna and Diego greeting Asdal echoed through the space. Kaiden's gaze drifted over my shoulder.
"I seriously considered abandoning those bastards and coming back alone, but I held back thinking of you. So praise me."
Looking at the pitiful gleam in Kaiden's eyes, his complaints seemed far from exaggerated. He examined my complexion with a face full of concern.
"Those strange red flowers didn't bloom here, did they? Are you alright?"
It wasn't merely a question about my health. He scrutinized me carefully as if searching for some trace, then grasped both my cheeks and turned my face this way and that. I realized the "strange red flowers" he mentioned were Tentationem. It seemed his group had also discovered them. Suddenly my ankle itched, so I lowered my head. Silver Earthworm crawled across the floor and coiled around my ankle, then peeked up at me with a playful gesture. I smiled softly and bent down. I lifted Silver Earthworm and placed it on my shoulder, then pointed to it and spoke.
"This one ate all of it."
At my words, Silver Earthworm raised its head proudly and snorted. Then Kaiden's face, which had been blank as he stared at Silver Earthworm, bloomed with profound relief.
"You didn't become addicted. Thank goodness."
"Huh? I was addicted?"
"What?"
Kaiden's jaw dropped in shock at my words. I laughed brightly as I turned my shoulders away.
"I got better after being restrained for about a day."
"Re, restrained?"
Was being restrained really such a shocking matter? What on earth was he imagining? I asked Kaiden with a puzzled expression.
"What about your group? Where did you discover the flowers? What were the symptoms like? Are you all truly fine now?"
"Oh, were we talking about those flowers?"
Just then, Yuanna returned after greeting Asdal and asked me. I nodded and looked between her and Kaiden alternately.
"Don't even mention it. Both Diego and I became addicted—it was absolute chaos. At the worst, even restraints didn't help. Physical contact seemed to ease things somewhat, so Rodban had quite the ordeal."
At Yuanna's words, I recalled the original story's content where the protagonists became addicted to Tentationem and descended into madness. 'Physical contact with Kaiden, of all people....' I became intensely curious about what kind of physical contact it had been. However, neither of them seemed inclined to elaborate on that particular detail, and they simply moved past it. 'What is it? Are they really hiding something?' But whether or not Kaiden sensed my curiosity, he sighed and broached a different topic.
"Those two would recover, then become addicted again, then recover again—it was absolute torture for me. I have immunity to all toxins, so I was unaffected."
I had the distinct impression that certain words were being censored throughout his explanation. I doubted I was mistaken.
"That flower has the characteristic of rapidly reproducing and increasing its numbers when human body heat touches it. It also seems to gather toward people's vital energy even without direct contact."
At Kaiden's explanation, I finally grasped just how much they must have suffered. We at least had the Cabin as some form of shelter, but they had been exposed to the wilderness without any such protection.
"We didn't inhale the pollen heavily, so we were fine. Silver Earthworm ate all the flowers that bloomed around the Cabin."
I looked at Yuanna and sympathetically patted her shoulder.
"You've worked hard."
"We'll discuss the details once everyone is gathered."
She smiled softly, then made her way back to where Diego and Asdal were congregated in the Kitchen. I turned to look at Kaiden.
"You've had a rough time too."
Rising onto my tiptoes, I gently stroked his hair. Kaiden's eyes widened as he gazed down at me, and soon he smiled with his eyes narrowed contentedly.
"Why?"
"Because I enjoy this, actually."
Kaiden seized my wrist and lowered his head, placing it beneath my palm.
"Do it more."
"What?"
"Keep petting me—it feels wonderful."
Kaiden closed his eyes like a contented cat, leaning into my hand with a pleased expression. For reasons I couldn't fathom, his cheeks bore a faint flush beneath that blissful smile. I stroked his hair slowly, feeling his soft silver strands curl around my palm—a sensation that tickled delightfully. Then a large hand extended from behind me. Glancing back, I found Enoch standing with an expressionless face, now ruffling Kaiden's hair in my stead. Quite roughly, at that.
"Ow? Margaret, that hurts."
Kaiden's face, furrowed in confusion, was rather endearing. I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Pfahahaha!"
At my laughter, Kaiden's eyes snapped open and his head jerked up. Upon spotting Enoch, his expression froze in shock before swiftly transforming into fury.
"What in blazes are you doing!"
Enoch and Kaiden seized each other by the collar, their gazes locked in a deadly stare. I ultimately had to step in and mediate between them.
"Stop it."
The moment I spoke, both men released their grip. Enoch clicked his tongue and smoothed out the wrinkles in his disheveled shirt.
"Margaret."
Kaiden immediately spread his arms and pulled me into an embrace with childlike affection, nuzzling his face against my shoulder. His cheek rubbed relentlessly against my exposed collarbone as he held me in an iron grip that nearly stole my breath. I exhaled a weary sigh against his chest.
"Enoch, could you please—" Before I could finish, Enoch swiftly peeled Kaiden away from me and bound him securely to the wooden pillar standing in the center of the Living Room. Watching Rujeep, Asdal, and Diego all work in concert to tie him to that pillar left me deeply troubled. 'Kaiden... how did you become public enemy number one? Why did you live this way?' Though admittedly, Asdal seemed to be joining in simply because it looked amusing. Regardless, seeing Kaiden reduced to public enemy status tugged at my heart.
"Things certainly got lively the moment Rodban arrived."
Asdal approached me while dusting off his hands, muttering to himself.
"Well, it seems we've sorted out the situation well enough. Let's proceed with the report."
Enoch rolled down his sleeves and gave Yuanna a nod with an expressionless face.
"Sounds good. Would everyone like to gather around?"
Yuanna rose from her seat with a bright smile. We naturally gathered in a circle around Kaiden, who remained bound to the pillar. With Kaiden's extraordinary strength, he could have easily snapped the ropes binding him, but it seemed he had no desire to break the pillar and bring the Cabin down around us. I laughed watching him grumble quietly while remaining obediently restrained.
"First, I did speak with Flone Young Lady earlier, but we discovered a flower called Tentationem on our way here."
"What is Tentationem?"
At Yuanna's words, Asdal asked with a puzzled expression. I answered Asdal in Yuanna's stead.
"It seems to be the name of that red flower blooming in front of the Cabin. The Bishop and I were briefly intoxicated by it, after all."
Only then did Asdal nod in understanding. I looked back at Yuanna and asked.
"That's what you're talking about, right?"
"Yes."
"But how did you know the flower's name is Tentationem? Is it a flower you're familiar with?"
At my question, Yuanna glanced at Kaiden. Immediately, everyone's gaze turned to Kaiden, who sat obediently bound to the pillar, staring into empty space lost in thought. Kaiden belatedly noticed our stares and looked startled.
"What, why?"
Yuanna sighed and answered in his place.
"Apparently, it's a peculiar poisonous flower that the Rohade Family secretly experimented on and developed."
"What?!"
I cried out in shock. But no one paid attention to me. Everyone wore the same expression of astonishment, staring at Yuanna. This was news to me as well. Then, was there a possibility that the Rohade Marquis Family was connected to this Island? If it was a poisonous flower secretly experimented on and developed, it shouldn't have leaked to the outside. Wasn't it strange that such a rare flower existed on this unfamiliar Island? Kaiden explained the nature of Tentationem. The flower causes mental disturbances such as excitement and hallucinations, temporarily rendering a person uncontrollable.
"The Bishop and I didn't experience any hallucinations, though."
At my words, Kaiden shrugged despite being bound and explained.
"When symptoms are mild, it merely ends with intense excitement accompanied by a powerful desire for physical contact. The toxin naturally leaves the body over time. However, in severe cases of poisoning, hallucinations occur. The toxin naturally detoxifies and the seizures subside with time, but the challenge is enduring it until then."
Hearing his explanation, I finally understood why the original work "More Important Than Survival" had been rated for mature audiences. Wasn't it because of Tentationem? The reason I hadn't seen descriptions of Kaiden being poisoned by Tentationem in the original work was likely due to this secret. He was someone with a natural resistance to the poison, so he typically gave aid rather than received it.
"But why did the Rohade Family develop such a flower? What was it meant for? And why does this Island have a flower secretly developed by the Rohade Family?"
As I voiced these questions, everyone's gaze converged on Kaiden once more. Since the attention wasn't positive, Kaiden's expression grew somewhat uncomfortable. But it was a question that had to be asked. I pressed Kaiden further.
"Is our kidnapping connected to your Family?"
At my barrage of questions, Kaiden blinked his eyes slowly as if flustered.
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