Chapter 127
“I picked it up at Zenas's Cabin.”
I lied with a bit of confidence. This much is okay, right! It stung a little to have my trump card, which I had intended to keep hidden until the very end, exposed like this.
Since Zenas, the person I needed to be most careful of, already knew the location of the Bunker, there was no point in hiding it.
“What’s this?”
Kaiden asked, pointing to the marking that read ‘Bunker’ on the map.
“I don’t know exactly. Didn’t the supply location on The Saintess’s map seem to be in this vicinity?”
“That’s right. It does seem like it.”
Enoch, who was sitting next to us and looking at the map, added a word.
“First of all, it’s certain that the place marked on the map is the closest. How about we go there first? Then, it would be good to find The Saintess.”
As I listened to Enoch’s words, I suddenly recalled the Monster I had seen earlier. It seemed to be looking for something.
‘Monsters like me……’
If Monsters really thought of me as a delicacy and followed me around to attack, then I might be exposing others to danger because of me.
Maybe I’m like a ‘bug’ to everyone on this island. My presence might be distorting all causality.
‘But it’s not like I have any other options.’
I sighed.
Right. Until I come up with another solution, it would be better to stick together.
‘Is it true that the ‘Escape Gate’ will open after a year?’
If so, then we’ll probably need the Key that The Saintess has.
For some reason, I had a feeling that the Gate might be in Zenas's Cabin. The suspicious ‘Gate’ I saw in the basement of Zenas's Cabin kept bothering me.
But I couldn’t tell Enoch and Kaiden that. If I did, I would inevitably have to tell them that I was a possessor and that this place was inside the novel I was reading.
‘Besides, how can I tell you that you two were originally going to be with Yuanna!’
While I was lost in thought, I felt a piercing gaze and looked up. Enoch and Kaiden were staring at my face.
“What?”
Enoch crossed his arms and didn’t answer, while Kaiden said to me with an amused expression.
“You really have a variety of expressions.”
“Me?”
I stroked my cheek and tilted my head. I had been thinking about all sorts of things a moment ago, so I must have made a strange face without realizing it.
“Margaret, even if we escape the island, will you meet me?”
Kaiden suddenly asked a random question. I frowned, not understanding the point of the question.
“I’ll have to see when we get out, right?”
“Ah, I want to escape the island quickly.”
Kaiden said, sighing and leaning his head on my shoulder. Enoch, who I thought would get angry, let Kaiden do as he pleased more calmly than I expected.
Noticing that I was looking at him with a puzzled expression, Enoch sighed and replied.
“It’s better to be quiet up here. We’ll have to spend the night in the tree anyway.”
At Enoch’s words, I looked around the thick tree trunk with a troubled expression. It was a sturdy and thick tree that wouldn’t shake even if three adult men and women climbed up and sat on it, but I was still uneasy.
As I fidgeted restlessly, Kaiden, who had been leaning against the tree trunk, sat up and asked me.
“Should I hug you? Are you anxious?”
“That would make me even more anxious, I think?”
“Come here and lean on me. Like yesterday.”
Then, Enoch tapped between his legs and said. Kaiden looked back and forth between me and Enoch with a puzzled expression, and then frowned belatedly when he understood what he meant.
“Ah, damn it. If that’s the case, Margaret, sleep with me today.”
“Hey. That sounds really weird?”
“Sleep with me.”
Kaiden wrapped his arms around my waist and rubbed his cheek against my shoulder like a cat. Of course, he was stopped by Enoch before long.
Kaiden stared at Enoch, looking at the wrist he was holding, and the two men engaged in a silent battle of nerves with me in between.
I let out a tired sigh.
“Should I go down?”
“Sorry, Margaret.”
“I apologize. I made you uncomfortable.”
Watching the two men apologize and move away without hesitation, I sighed even more deeply. Wouldn’t I easily become Monster food if I got distracted like this?
After all, if everyone is to survive, survival over romance!
I made that resolution once again.
\ \ *
Enoch gave up his spot, so I leaned against the tree trunk and fell asleep.
Enoch and Kaiden each tied their legs to the branches in different positions and slept with only their upper bodies leaning against the tree.
I opened my eyes, feeling the faint sunrise.
We couldn’t keep sleeping in trees to avoid Monsters like this forever.
‘It would be good to find the Monster Mother and wipe out the Monsters.’
Wouldn’t that also stop Zenas from spying on us through the eyes of the Monsters?
Eunji, who had been curled up on my lap, drowsily opened her eyes and raised her head. I stroked Eunji’s head and calmly looked around.
Enoch and Kaiden must have been exhausted from not sleeping well yesterday, as they were sound asleep in uncomfortable positions today.
I took out a notebook with someone’s diary written in it from my crossbody bag. And I slowly scanned the notebook again. I couldn’t examine it in detail at the Cabin because I was worried that Zenas would return. I had skimmed through it back then, so I expected it, but there were even more memos that I couldn’t understand because the handwriting was too scribbled.
However, I discovered a phrase written in between and gasped in surprise.
-Anata, thank you.-
Anata? Isn’t Anata Zenas’s sister? I wondered if Zenas’s sister had written this diary, but it didn’t seem to be the case.
Then, with no evidence but just my gut feeling, is Yuanna the owner of the diary?
‘But it doesn’t make sense to say it’s Yuanna. This diary seems to be about something that happened in the past, but Yuanna woke up on the island around the same time as us.’
Suddenly, I had a feeling that the ‘place she told me about’ that the owner of the notebook mentioned might be the Bunker. The ‘she’ mentioned here might be Anata.
At that moment, I saw Enoch sit up with a rustling sound.
“Are you awake?”
I folded the notebook and gave him a bright smile. He looked at me, startled, as he rubbed his tired face. Then, he chuckled in a voice that was hoarse from just waking up.
“Margaret.”
“Yes?”
“I just called your name.”
“Yes……?”
“Because you were smiling prettily from the morning.”
He casually said, rubbing his face again, and then massaged the back of his neck as if it was stiff. I was speechless for a moment because it was such a direct expression, and I closed my mouth.
“Umm.”
Just then, Kaiden also woke up with a yawn.
“Ah, this is really uncomfortable.”
Enoch had a nonchalant expression, but Kaiden complained that the sleeping arrangements were too terrible. But I strongly agreed that the sleeping arrangements were not good, so I complained along with him.
“Oh, right, I picked this up at Zenas's Cabin, would you like to read it? It’s not very helpful, though.”
I held out the notebook I was holding towards Enoch. Enoch looked at the notebook as if he was thinking about something, and then stared at my face.
He must have seen this notebook when I took out the first aid kit last time.
The reason he didn’t say anything was because he was waiting for me to say it myself?
“Who wrote it? Who is this ‘she’ they’re talking about? It seems like they’re part of Zenas’s group. A master Key? Is this the Key that The Saintess had?”
Kaiden, who had taken the notebook and examined it first while Enoch was being quiet, asked me. I calmly explained what I had guessed.
“I don’t know who the owner of the notebook is, but I think the ‘she’ mentioned there is probably Anata. And the ‘place she told me about’ mentioned here seems to be the place marked on the map.”
I rested my chin on my hand and sighed. Enoch, who belatedly took the notebook from Kaiden and examined it, replied.
“Even more reason to go to the place on the map.”
“It’s really just full of questions. Then let’s go for now. We need to properly uncover what the secret of this island is and how to escape.”
Kaiden answered with a sigh at Enoch’s words, and I nodded as well.
“Then let’s go.”
And so, we moved again to find the place where the Bunker was located. I was walking with the map unfolded when I noticed Kaiden moving empty-handed and asked.
“Kaiden, where’s your bag? I think the remaining Bombs were in there.”
“Ah, won’t Luzef pick it up? I left it there. I can’t swim with a bag on my back.”
At Kaiden’s nonchalant words, I thought about the weight of the bag. It was heavier than I thought, would Luzef really be able to carry it?
“Where did you decide to meet the Bishop?”
“Huh? We didn’t decide to meet?”
At Kaiden’s words, I was at a loss for words and closed my mouth.
Luzef would have a hard time surviving alone. I should take care of Luzef, if no one else. I was a little worried about that guy.