Chapter 109
I sighed, dried the wet items on the gravel, and checked my notebook. The notes I had made were all smudged because the notebook had gotten wet.
"Damn it! Nothing's working out!"
But fortunately, the cloth with the Bunker map was intact. Was it printed with dye? I don't know if it's modern technology or Magic technology, but it's a relief that it's okay even when wet.
"I need to move, first of all."
I took a deep breath and slowly got up. Since the wound was on my side rather than my lower abdomen, I thought I could move if I was careful.
I looked around. Across the huge river that I was presumed to have fallen into, there was a dense forest.
Of course, my companions were nowhere to be seen. On top of that, I don't even know if I'm on the North Island or the South Island, so this is a big problem.
I stood blankly on the gravel field and sniffled. I felt like I was going to cry again.
"Could it be that I'm dead?"
That I died and became a ghost bound to this island. A ghost bound to a place doesn't realize they're dead. So they constantly repeat the same time in that place.
"No way. That can't be it. My wound hurts too much."
I've experienced so many unreal things that my imagination is getting richer, but my thinking and judgment are getting duller.
"Maybe I'm just going crazy."
I blankly stared at the flowing river. Because my head was too dizzy.
What happened to the others? Especially Enoch.
'Enoch can't do without me.'
Then I remembered that Enoch was left on the South Island with Asdal and Yuanna.
If Yuanna is with Enoch... it might be okay. In the original story, Yuanna solved Enoch's seizures with love.
Thinking about that made my chest ache. I didn't feel good imagining the two of them together.
'I'm worried about Kaiden too.'
I wonder if everyone is safe.
Why did this have to happen to me? A feeling of misery and despair swept through me like a burst dam.
'It's hard.'
I swallowed the sob that rose to my throat.
If there is a god, what do you want from me? Why are you doing this to me?
'I've lived really hard.'
And I'm still desperately trying to survive.
My eyes welled up. I tried to swallow my tears and pressed my eyelids hard with the back of my hand.
"Oh... I thought you were dead."
Then, a childish voice came from somewhere.
I was startled and turned my head, and a young boy who looked like an elementary school student was standing on the island's hill, holding a bunch of coconuts in his arms, looking at me.
I stared at the boy for a long time. Am I seeing things?
"Are you a person?"
I was so surprised that I asked the boy an absurd question.
'Then what else would he be, a ghost?'
The silver-haired boy, who was looking at me with a blank face, widened his eyes and looked surprised. After a moment of silence, the boy asked me in a low voice.
"...Idiot?"
"No, I'm not!"
I was embarrassed and my face flushed.
I forgot that I had been digging into the ground with depression until just now, and put the back of my hand on my cheek to calm the burning heat. And I looked at the boy again.
He was an incredibly handsome boy with neat, chin-length hair that shimmered around his neck. He was also staring at me intently.
He had no expression on his face, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"I thought you were dead."
After saying that, he paused for a long time again, then added,
"You weren't breathing earlier."
He's going to take my breath away.
I looked at the boy more calmly than before. He looked very young to be alone on this harsh island.
"How old are you?"
At my question, the boy tilted his head and looked like he was thinking for a long time. He looked at the ground, then looked up at the sky once, thinking, and then belatedly opened his mouth.
"...Twelve?"
"Why are you thinking so hard when you're talking about your age?"
I asked, puzzled, and the boy frowned and thought for a long time again.
"I don't know how much time has passed."
Does the fact that he doesn't know how much time has passed mean that this boy was also forcibly moved to this island and doesn't know how long it's been since then?
In the original story, there was no one else on this deserted island besides the main characters.
'Nothing matches the original story.'
I pressed my temples hard.
Even though he's just a young boy, can I trust this child who doesn't appear in the original story?
'I definitely need to be cautious.'
While I was thinking about that, the boy tilted his head slightly and asked me.
"How old are you, noona?"
"I'm twenty-two."
The boy nodded at my answer. Then he calmly replied.
"You're old."
"This is young."
Twenty-two is youth, youth!
While grumbling like that, I realized that my mood had improved a lot since before.
It's thanks to the boy showing up. There was another survivor. Until just now, I was in despair at the thought of having to survive alone on this cold, remote island, but I felt a little hope.
I suddenly lowered my head. One of the coconuts the boy dropped had rolled to my feet.
The boy was picking up the coconuts he had dropped and coming towards me. I wanted to pick up the coconut at my feet, but I couldn't bend over because of my wound.
The boy finished picking up the coconut at my feet and looked up at me intently.
"Is your wound okay?"
The boy asked in a nonchalant voice, pointing to the blood-soaked dress.
"No, it's not."
"I see. It looks painful."
The boy said to me with a face that didn't seem to feel anything.
I stared at the boy silently and carefully examined his appearance. Because the boy's clothes were very unique.
First of all, the boy was wearing sneakers. And they were white NaXki Dunk Highs that came up to his ankles. What was most surprising was that the sneakers were spotless.
I secretly looked down at my sneakers. The sneakers I picked up from the cabin were already dirty and grimy.
On top of that, the boy was wearing shorts and a neat short-sleeved hoodie.
What was strange was that he was wearing an Imperial Wizard Robe over it. It was the same Magic Tower-issued robe as Kaiden's.
'Very suspicious.'
But, isn't it possible that he picked up modern items like sneakers somewhere, just like me?
The boy is definitely an Imperial. There are no people with silver hair and red eyes on Earth.
"Who are you? How did you get here? Are you alone?"
I asked the most basic questions first.
Then the boy stared at my face again, and after a long time, he gave an irrelevant answer.
"Noona is pretty."
"Can you answer my question? I know I'm pretty."
The boy nodded slowly at my answer.
"Zenas Igran."
"Is that your name?"
At my question, he nodded slowly again. Zenas Igran. Judging by the fact that he doesn't have a middle name, he doesn't seem to be a noble.
"How did you get here?"
"I don't know either."
After answering that, the boy, Zenas, paused again,
"I opened my eyes and I was here,"
he replied. It seems to be a habit to speak in fragments.
'Overall, his actions and speech are leisurely.'
He opened his eyes and he was here, which was similar to our situation. Even such a young child was dragged to this dangerous island.
"What about the others? Have you been alone the whole time?"
At my question, Zenas nodded slowly.
"I've been alone the whole time."
After answering that, he looked at me hesitantly, with a face that seemed to be very worried about whether to say something or not.
"Tell me, what is it?"
"The people who came with me are all dead. That's why I'm alone."
"...What?"
It was a series of surprising stories.