Chapter 92
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Chapter 92
I hastily climbed down from Enoch's arms and sprinted toward the base of the hill, aiming my flare gun at the two orangutans barreling down and squeezing the trigger.
Whoosh.
Boom! Crack!
With a dull, heavy sound, the flanks of both orangutans erupted in flames.
I clutched my abdomen and hunched over for a moment. Cracked ribs made even the simplest movements agonizing. Still, the fact that I could move at all suggested the injury wasn't critical.
When I lifted my head again, I spotted Kaiden on the hilltop, locked in combat with three orangutans.
'But where did Silver Earthworm go?'
The Silver Earthworm that had been coiled around my forearm was nowhere to be seen.
As I frantically scanned the surroundings searching for her, I gasped when I saw flames erupting from the hilltop and looked up.
Silver Earthworm had climbed onto Kaiden's shoulder and was breathing fire at the orangutan monsters.
The young Anaconda had no discernible expression, yet somehow radiated an aura of absolute fury.
'That creature's mobility is remarkable too.'
Rujeep, who had been watching from the hilltop, rushed toward me with a medical kit in hand.
"Margaret. Are you alright?"
Enoch supported me.
"What about Enoch? The other wolf monsters..."
In that moment, I noticed the clearing in front of the cabin piled high like a mountain with the corpses of wolf monsters.
Diego stood before them, checking to ensure none remained alive.
"Flone Young Lady, are you well?"
Rujeep examined my complexion.
"I'm not certain. Since I can move, it doesn't seem critical...... It feels like my ribs are cracked. A back brace would help, but there's no way to obtain one here. This is quite troublesome."
Just then, Asdal and Yuanna descended from the tree and rushed toward me.
"Flone Young Lady, are you alright?"
"Young Lady, are you okay?"
I was bewildered to see that no one rushed to help Kaiden.
"Shouldn't we help him over there? Why is everyone coming here?"
Immediately, everyone's gaze shifted simultaneously to Kaiden, who was struggling against two orangutans on the hilltop.
"Rodban will...... be fine."
"That's right. He'll manage on his own."
"Have no concern, madam. Did he not declare himself the greatest mage?"
Asdal, Yuanna, and Rujeep answered in turn.
Just then, Kaiden lifted an orangutan twice his size with brute strength and slammed it into the ground.
Boom!
Once again, everyone's attention fixed on Kaiden.
"See?"
"He's doing well."
"There is nothing to worry about."
Asdal, Yuanna, and Rujeep spoke again in succession. Enoch, meanwhile, paid them no mind and remained focused on checking my condition.
'Kaiden...... are you perhaps being ostracized......?'
Rujeep asked me.
"By the way, Young Lady, what is a waist brace?"
"It's like a band that wraps around the abdomen to stabilize the waist. I need something thicker and stiffer than thin cloth..."
Upon hearing my explanation, Enoch suddenly removed his jacket and tore the hem with his bare hands. It was astounding that such a thick jacket could be torn by hand, yet he showed no hesitation in ripping the precious Crown Prince's uniform.
In one swift motion, he wrapped it around my waist and secured it with the pin I had used when wrapping the bandages.
"Does it feel alright?"
At Enoch's gentle question, I nodded. Then he smiled softly and stroked my head.
Being with Enoch truly made me feel cared for.
"Do you need any painkillers?"
Rujeep, who had been quietly observing the situation, asked me. I shook my head.
"I'm fine. I can bear it."
"If the bone is cracked, there's no medicine for it. It would be ideal if we could use divine power, but for now, all we can do is rest and hope the bone heals properly."
Probably even a doctor at a modern hospital would say the same thing. I nodded obediently at Rujeep's words.
Kweeeek!
Kuuuung!
A tremendous boom echoed across the ground, accompanied by the monster's bizarre shriek.
Kaiden, with his hand still in his pants pocket, was crushing the orangutan monster beneath him and letting out a weary sigh as he stood atop it.
Silver Earthworm was also wrapped around Kaiden's neck, perched on his head, spewing flames with eager vigor.
"Isn't that the Young Lady's pet snake?"
"To be precise, it's an Anaconda monster. It's not a pet, and it's not just a snake either."
Since Rujeep asked with a puzzled expression, I answered firmly.
Silver Earthworm, whose eyes met mine belatedly, crawled down the Hill with a wriggling motion and approached me curiously.
I reached out toward it. Silver Earthworm naturally coiled around my arm and climbed up, rubbing its face affectionately against me.
"Good job."
As I gently stroked Silver Earthworm's scales, I heard Kaiden's cheerful voice.
"Margaret! Pet me too!"
Kaiden came bounding down the Hill. Of course, Enoch immediately stopped him.
"We should move quickly. Everyone has their belongings ready?"
Enoch pushed Kaiden aside and swept his gaze around with an expressionless, composed face.
Kaiden cursed at Enoch while dutifully shouldering the backpack he had set down in front of the Cabin. The others were also gathering their belongings.
"Let's depart."
Once everything seemed roughly organized, Enoch spoke.
We all left the Cabin together and headed toward the Northern Island.
"Should we search for supplies first, or should we look for the mysterious star marking first?"
"We'll pass through the area with supplies on the way to the northwestern tip of the Northern Island. We'll secure the supplies first, then head to the location with the star marking."
Asdal answered Yuanna's question faithfully.
Now that I think about it, I was so preoccupied that I never asked about our destination, but it seems Asdal and Enoch had already discussed it and finalized where we were heading.
'You two have it all figured out? I should have known.'
They're definitely the leader types, more so than me.
Since it seems the Northern Island is our destination anyway, I'll just follow along quietly and get a better sense of the Bunker's location while I'm at it.
We passed through a Forest thick with mangroves. Gazing upon those exotic trees, I was struck anew by the reality that this was an unfamiliar Island.
I walked quietly along the riverbank, casting occasional glances at the mangroves whose roots twisted grotesquely above the water's surface.
It was Enoch who broke the long silence.
"I can't fathom where all these Monsters came from in such numbers."
I agreed with his sentiment.
"Especially since wolf Monsters don't even inhabit this region. It's strange how they gathered as if they'd coordinated with the orangutans. I naturally assumed it would be Tarantula Monsters that would swarm us."
If Monsters attacked, I had expected them to be Tarantulas.
This was the territory where Tarantula Monsters dwelled, and if they'd appeared drawn by the remains or scent of a fallen companion, it could only be them.
Yet contrary to my expectations, what appeared were wolf Monsters and orangutan Monsters.
'It was as if someone had pinpointed the Cabin's coordinates and sent them there.'
As if someone had actually manipulated those creatures into attacking the Cabin.
"Thanks to that, we've learned there's no safe zone on this Island. From now on, I'll remain vigilant, so we won't fall prey to carelessness."
Rujeep responded quietly to my words. It was true, but somehow it felt melancholy. It meant I'd have to stay perpetually on edge.
"And, Margaret. Thanks to you, I was able to use sword energy. I didn't know mana infusion was possible from such a distance."
Enoch turned to me then, expressing his gratitude. Yuanna, who had been following from behind, agreed.
"I saw it too. You seemed to use an enormous amount of mana. So transferring mana to others is possible from a distance?"
"What exactly is Flone Young Lady? Rodban, tell me. Is such a thing possible?"
Asdal turned to look at us, then directed his question toward Kaiden, who stood directly behind me.
"It's not impossible. However, while I have no problem with it, it's a difficult feat that even seasoned mages find challenging."
At Kaiden's words, my shoulders rose with pride, and I raised both hands in a somewhat exaggerated gesture, preening.
Everyone kept calling me remarkable—surely I could enjoy a bit of praise like this.
"I've been overshadowed by the title of madwoman all this time, but truthfully, I'm quite exceptional."
"That such remarkable talent has been wasted chasing after the Crown Prince is truly lamentable."
At my response, Asdal sighed ruefully, then turned his body forward and resumed our advance.
"Loving me is not a worthless endeavor, Margaret."
Enoch immediately objected.
"Margaret, I think loving me is worthless."
Kaiden whispered in my ear from behind. I sighed and, pretending not to hear their pointless remarks, followed Enoch forward.
We had nearly perished at the Monsters' hands mere moments ago, yet now peace reigned as if nothing had happened.
I hoped we could continue navigating our problems this way and escape the Island.
...Of course, such hopes rarely come to fruition.
* * *
'Was it just a bruise rather than a fracture?'
The pain in my injured area subsided faster than expected. In such wilderness, a serious injury would have been truly hopeless, so I counted myself extraordinarily fortunate.
Taking breaks periodically to avoid overexertion meant it took a full four days to reach the Bridge leading to the Northern Island.
We finally halted before the Suspension Bridge to the Northern Island, and we were quite taken aback by what we saw.
The Suspension Bridge that Yuanna had mentioned was so rotted that it wouldn't have been surprising if it snapped immediately.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org