Chapter 38
I felt a little sorry for him, so I packed two more uncooked fish for him.
Having finished his meal satisfactorily, he finally came to his senses and looked at me with an embarrassed face.
Until the meal, he had been looking at me with contempt, calling me a witch or whatever, but it seemed he had realized his two-faced behavior of not refusing my pity.
"That... I was rude to you, miss."
"That's not it."
Enoch, who was watching Luzef with his arms crossed and leaning to the side, added a word. He didn't give any further explanation, but Enoch's gaze at Luzef was quite fierce.
Luzef glanced at Enoch and quietly apologized to me.
"Please forgive my rudeness. I'm sorry, miss."
The apology was clean.
"Okay. Goodbye."
At my words, Luzef nodded and disappeared, holding the fish I had caught for him as if it were a precious object.
It must smell fishy...
I wonder if Yuanna is doing well? In fact, that was the question I wanted to ask the most.
But I couldn't suddenly ask, 'Is there a woman in your group?' so I missed the timing and didn't ask the question in the end.
I watched Luzef disappear and became extremely tired, so I went to bed early.
\ \ *
The next day, I was swimming in the river and leisurely hunting fish.
"What is that?"
While wandering in the water, I found a mysterious piece of cloth stuck between the cliffs.
It was, surprisingly, a map.
A map with the location of the Bunker I had been looking for so desperately.
"Oh my god!"
I immediately took the Bunker map out of the crevice in the cliff and came out of the water. Then I went straight back to the cabin.
Enoch had gone hunting and Kaiden had gone to scout around the residence.
I sat alone in the cabin and examined the Bunker map.
"...Is this a map?"
The Bunker map was marked very poorly.
There were three mountain peaks drawn inside a large island, and a huge river flowed between the three mountain peaks.
Next to the mountain peak located on the north island, there was an X mark with the word 'bunker' written next to it...
That was the end.
"No, shi-... Is this really drawn for me to find it?"
I was dumbfounded and sighed as I looked at the map.
Still, when I think about how frustrated I would have been if I had climbed to the top of the mountain and looked at the size of the island, I guess it's better than not knowing at all.
Now that I have a rough idea of the location, I should continue to scout.
Our location was near the center of the south island. So I need to find a way to cross the huge river that flows through the center of the island.
...But why is the Bunker map stuck between the cliffs?
"Is this a date?"
I read the number written at the end of the Bunker.
"Ingram Kingdom Era, 666."
Wait, Ingram Kingdom Era?
The Western Continent, including Margaret's country, the Langrid Empire, and the Eastern Continent, use the Winia Era, a unified era established a thousand years ago.
If it's the Ingram Kingdom, it was a dynasty before the Langrid Empire was established.
So this is a year notation used in the Ingram Kingdom a thousand years ago.
"What... Creepy. Does this mean this map is a thousand years old?"
Who on earth made this?
There were so many questionable points, but since I couldn't find the answer even if I thought about it now, I eventually folded the map.
"Okay, let's go to the Bunker for now. Then something will come out."
I put the map in the bag that Kaiden had made for me.
"But if I find the Bunker... what about Enoch and Kaiden?"
I was wondering whether to take them with me or go to the Bunker alone as originally planned. After all, the Bunker is for one person.
I was lost in thought for a long time and let out a sigh full of anguish.
I've been through life and death with them, and we've developed a bond, so can I just leave them alone?
I don't know yet if they will change when they meet Yuanna or not.
Besides, Enoch and Kaiden seem to need my help right now.
"Should I think about it a little longer?"
It wasn't a simple problem to choose, so I ended up postponing the decision.
And I didn't forget to start what I had to do before Kaiden and Enoch came.
It seemed like the tree rope that Kaiden had made was all used up, so I picked up willow bark and branches. It was the best material for cutting thinly and twisting into a rope.
I was gathering branches near the residence for a while.
I heard voices from somewhere, so I quickly hid myself in the bushes.
Not long after, a man and a woman appeared.
First, I noticed the man's short, dark brown hair and green eyes.
Seeing him wearing the Imperial Guard uniform, I realized that he was Diego Bastian Viltherheim.
'That bastard is the bad guy who stole my clothes?'
Diego was carrying a woman on his back and put her down on a fallen tree trunk. Her khaki-colored, light brown hair fluttered around her neck.
The appearance of Yuanna in the original story that I remembered and the face of The Saintess in Margaret's memory matched.
That woman must be the Great Saintess Yuanna Lucy.
I was surprised to see that the state of the Cleric Uniform she was wearing was more serious than my dirty dress.
Her Cleric Uniform was torn so badly that it was unusable. Seeing the wounds underneath, it was clear that she had been scratched by a beast or attacked by a Monster.
"The Saintess."
Diego knelt down in front of Yuanna on one knee.
She had a very tired look on her face. And Diego was looking at her with a very pitiful look.
"I know that Crown Prince Asdal's forceful behavior is making it difficult for The Saintess."
Oh. Is he appealing to himself while badmouthing another male lead? The atmosphere suddenly became a popcorn angle with Diego's desperate words.
"Please trust and rely on me."
Then he bent down and kissed Yuanna's instep. As if performing a solemn ritual.
I looked at the scene with a slightly embarrassed expression.
'Why would he do that...?'
Even so, Yuanna was just looking at Diego indifferently with a face that showed no agitation. To be exact, she looked like she was annoyed by Diego.
No, is she just tired of everything?
She looked very listless.
"Haa... Well, okay. Thank you."
Yuanna answered in a very soulless voice.
But Diego didn't notice it, and he had a very moved look on his face.
I stood there and watched them until Diego picked up Yuanna again and disappeared.
'Strange.'
"You scolded me for peeking at others, but you're no different from me, miss."
"Oh my gosh!"
I was startled and screamed at the voice that suddenly came from behind me.
When I turned around, Luzef was standing there with fish around his waist.
I quietly glared at the fish hanging around his waist.
He's not carrying a sword, but fish around his waist. Besides, that looks like the fish I gave him yesterday.
"No, what are you doing here?"
I blocked my nose for a moment. Because Luzef smelled fishy.
"I just greeted you because I saw you passing by."
His prickly momentum was subdued, unlike last time.
I recalled the conversation between the female lead Yuanna and Diego that I had just seen.
When I recalled my memories, there was an episode in the original story where Luzef, angry at Crown Prince Asdal's tyranny, separated from the group and lived alone for several weeks.
"Do you know who those people are?"
At my question, Luzef slowly nodded.
"They are my group."
Luzef didn't give any further answers. He frowned and glared at the place where Yuanna and Diego had disappeared.
"Didn't you go back yesterday?"
Luzef glanced at me and nodded quietly at my question.
"Why?"
"I have circumstances..."
He trailed off as if he was having trouble answering.
But since I roughly knew the reason, I didn't bother to ask further. In fact, I was too lazy to listen to his circumstances one by one.
"Why didn't you eat that fish?"
I kept smelling fishy, so I finally blocked my nose openly and narrowed my eyes at him.
"Don't you know how to make a fire?"
At my question, Luzef pursed his lips and looked at me carefully.
That means he starved all day today too...
"Do you eat?"
This time, Luzef didn't answer.
Grumble.
His stomach answers my question instead.
I sighed as I watched Luzef's face turn bright red.
