Chapter 144
Turning around to disappear, he felt a hand tugging at his robe. Margaret, who had collapsed on the magic circle, was struggling to pull at his robe.
Zenas stopped and frowned.
He looked back at Margaret, who was pathetically clinging to him, and sighed with a troubled expression.
"I told you not to do this."
"Wait...!"
It seemed her mind was slowly returning.
Zenas watched the pillar of fire blocking Kaiden and Enoch's path fade away, then turned back to Margaret.
He then removed the hem of his robe from her hand and whispered in her ear.
"I'll be waiting. At the cabin."
As a boy, there were many restrictions on conversation.
Zenas wanted to have a proper conversation with her when he was in his adult form.
Of course, he knew it was better to just keep it as a thought.
Zenas pulled on one of the Tentationem Flowers that filled the wall. The wall rotated half a turn, creating a space behind it. It was a secret passage in the Bunker.
"You XX bastard, wait!"
Leaving Kaiden's scream-like shout behind, Zenas disappeared into the secret passage of the Bunker beyond the wall.
"Damn it! Margaret!"
Enoch was the first to pick up the collapsed Margaret.
Huff!
She, who had been gasping for breath, took a deep breath as her body temperature met Enoch's.
"Damn Zenas..."
She muttered curses and wrapped her arms around Enoch's neck. Then, she buried her face in his shoulder and burst into tears.
Kaiden, who had approached the wall where Zenas had disappeared, belatedly discovered the Tentationem Flower and quickly covered his nose.
"Damn it. Crown Prince. Crown Prince! There's Poisonous plant here...! We have to get out!"
But already, Enoch, Kaiden, and Margaret were all poisoned by the Tentationem Flower.
Asdal stood before the vast swamp with a tired face.
It was a chilling place that exuded a bleak atmosphere even in the midday sun. The trees that rose above the water's surface here and there were also grotesquely bent, and the drooping leaves added to the eerie atmosphere.
Even in the middle of the day, the surface of the water was foggy, and the surface, heavily covered in green algae, was closer to a tomb covered in mud than a river.
Once you set foot in it, you can't get out and disappear into the mud, so maybe it was a tomb.
The problem was that Asdal and Yuanna had to pass through this place to get to the Northern Island.
After taking one step and almost dying, they tried various methods, such as placing trees on the surface to cross. But they failed every time.
In fact, he was very skeptical about crossing the swamp. He was even prepared to be isolated and die on the Southern Island.
'To think I'd be isolated with Crown Prince instead of Sir Diego. Good heavens, the gods are so heartless.'
'I'm also very sorry that I'm isolated with The Saintess, but I don't say it out loud. That's good manners.'
'Oh, if you feel wronged, Your Highness doesn't have to be polite either. I'm used to being cursed at, so it's okay.'
Asdal had to suppress his anger once again at Yuanna's reply. Talking to a rock wouldn't be this frustrating.
But he had to endure all of this.
When he first opened his eyes on this island and was attacked by a Monster, he didn't think he had the capacity to take care of Yuanna.
He hadn't eaten for days and was going crazy on the island, and now he was facing a life-threatening situation. He didn't want to die saving Yuanna, whom he had no acquaintance with.
So he abandoned her to her death and cowardly comforted himself, saying that it couldn't be helped.
Diego seemed to feel guilty about abandoning Yuanna to her death, but Asdal owed Yuanna in another way.
It was Yuanna who saved him when he was about to be completely eaten by a Tarantula monster.
She smeared the blood of the Tarantula monster all over her body and lured the Monsters away.
At the time, he had almost died and come back to life, so he couldn't think straight. So he thought it was just a coincidence.
But when Enoch went into Berserk state and wiped out the Tarantula monsters, didn't he realize that the Monsters gathered because they smelled the blood of their comrades?
Yuanna had known that fact from before.
Asdal had also been constantly suspicious of her suspicious behavior, but he had a debt to repay for his life, so he remained silent until decisive evidence came out. But in the end, he couldn't find anything that could be called evidence.
In the end, he thought it might be better to take responsibility and watch over her, and stop her in case of emergency. He had to take this much responsibility. If he was human.
Yuanna, who had brought him to the swamp, seemed like a different person. Even her eyes were different.
Before, she was listless and devoid of vitality, but now she was overflowing with energy and confidence.
"I told you I don't agree with The Saintess being the bait. I'd rather do it myself."
Despite his objections, Yuanna smiled leisurely.
"I'm saying I'll do it because I know how to lure them, I never said I'd be the bait alone, did I?"
Unable to understand her words, Asdal narrowed his brow. Was she telling him to be the bait then?
"It's better for Your Highness to act with me. I'm going to lure the Monsters and knock them into the swamp. You step on the Monsters that fall into the swamp and go across."
"You're crazy."
"Yes. It's a crazy method. You could die if you slip up even once."
Yuanna admitted it readily with a smile.
"But do you have any other way?"
Asdal couldn't answer her question. He had been unable to do anything in front of this swamp for days now.
"The distance to the end of the swamp is quite far. I don't know if there's any chance of success."
Asdal swept back his hair with a skeptical look. Either way, he was going to die, but this might be suicide.
"This is also the best way to screw over that damn brat, and it's the only way we can survive..."
"Damn brat? Who is that?"
Asdal kept asking, as if he couldn't understand, and Yuanna smiled prettily.
"I'll explain later."
Then, she brought a wolf that he had killed with an arrow last night and dissected the corpse with a sharp Stone Knife. Then, she smeared black blood all over her body.
Seeing that, Asdal felt a somewhat eerie feeling.
"It's still dangerous. We could both die."
"So I'll make sure to succeed. You know I'm fast, right? I'm not as good at surviving as Margaret, but I'm confident in my skills."
She was right. Her agility and quickness were better than his.
'Still, it's crazy.'
While he was thinking that, Asdal felt a slight tremor in the ground. It seemed the Monsters were gathering just in time.
"I'll lure the Monsters, so please cover me. With that arrow."
He didn't like the plan at all. Asdal frowned and stared at her, but there was no time to hesitate for long. The Monsters were gathering quickly.
Asdal had no choice but to quickly scan the nearby terrain. Then, he hid in the bushes, drew his bow, and took a ready stance.
Not only Wolf-type Monsters appeared, but also various types such as Tarantulas and Mole-type monsters. It seemed that the distinction between habitats had become completely meaningless.
On top of that, the number of Monsters rushing in like a wave was enormous. If they were all pushed into the swamp, it seemed like they could fill it up.
Yuanna stood right in front of the swamp as planned. And she stood there until the Monsters were right in front of her, and when they opened their mouths wide towards her, she quickly ducked and dodged. It was an amazing quickness.
As she planned, a couple of Wolf-type Monsters fell into the swamp. The Orangutan-type monsters, which were somewhat slow and large, were very good for using as stepping stones in the swamp.
Asdal shot and killed the Monsters that had approached her with arrows. In the meantime, Yuanna, who had strode up to him, grabbed his collar.
"What, what is it?"
He shouted in confusion, but Yuanna dragged him and ran without answering.
"No time to talk, run!"
Asdal was grabbed by the collar and stepped on the bodies of the Monsters sinking into the swamp and ran.
Behind them, half of the Monsters chasing them stepped on the Monsters and ran, and half of them fell into the swamp and floundered.
"Damn it!"
It's a really ridiculous plan, but it's strangely effective.
Even while being dragged by Yuanna, Asdal took out arrows, drew his bow, and shot the approaching Monsters.
When they were isolated and could no longer move forward, Yuanna grabbed his collar and shouted with a fierce face.
"Can you follow what I'm doing?!"
"What?"
"Follow me!"
She ducked as she looked at the Wolf-type Monster rushing towards her, then kicked the monster's belly and stepped on the monster falling into the swamp.
Then, she avoided the Monster jumping towards her from afar and moved by stepping on the bodies of the Monsters falling into the swamp like stepping stones.
"Damn it, how can I follow that...!"
But Asdal couldn't finish his sentence. An Orangutan monster was rushing towards him.
He had to do it to survive!
He quickly ducked. As the monster's heavy body tilted towards the swamp, he kicked it and climbed on top of it.
After repeating that a couple of times, Asdal tore at his hair. It seemed like he had only passed about two-thirds of the way, but there was still one-third left.
Now, even the Monsters hesitated and didn't approach. Unlike Yuanna, he didn't cover himself in the blood of the Monsters, so they didn't lose their minds and rush at him.
In the end, Asdal was isolated in the swamp.
Even that was because almost half of the Monster under his feet was submerged, and soon even that would be submerged in the swamp.