Translator: Nox

Chapter 39

I'm not as good at starting fires as Enoch, but I wasn't bad at it either.

I cut some dry bamboo and split it in half. I made a small hole in one of the split pieces, put tinder underneath, and turned it upside down. I rubbed the other piece on top of it as if I were sawing. This was to create a spark by pressing down and rubbing the wood back and forth.

After sawing for a while, smoke started to rise from below, and I blew air into the bamboo hole. When I saw a spark, I removed the bamboo and continued to gently blow on the tinder.

"Bring me some dry leaves. Quickly, the driest ones you can find."

Luzef, who had been watching me in a daze, hurriedly moved and brought back some dry leaves.

I used them as secondary tinder to turn the spark into a flame.

"Good heavens."

Luzef clapped his hands with a blank look on his face.

"Did you see that? You're doing it next, Bishop Ruzef."

At my words, Luzef nodded vigorously.

In the end, I made a fire, grilled some fish for him, and shared some purified water.

But this guy diligently ate the fish, drank the water, and didn't even think about going home.

To make matters worse, he voluntarily cleared away the branches he had used to eat the fish and even started cleaning up.

"Um, can't I stay here?"

"Don't you remember calling me a witch? Have some conscience."

At my words, Luzef shut his mouth again. Even when I told him to get out and go home, he stubbornly stayed until Enoch and Kaiden arrived.

It was only natural that Enoch and Kaiden made a fuss when they found him.

Seeing that, I was reminded of when Kaiden had settled down in our cave.

Ominous. This route, it feels familiar.

But the sun was setting, and I couldn't just kick Luzef out into the night where Monsters roamed, so I decided to let him stay for one night.

"Hey, you lackey. Don't even think about coming in, just guard the front. Isn't that what you clerics are good at? Guarding."

Kaiden growled as he chased Luzef away, who was trying to come into the cabin with us.

Luzef glared at Kaiden with a face full of anger, but in the end, he couldn't say anything back.

He couldn't wander through the forest at night, so it seemed he was trying to endure it somehow.

"Still, it's dangerous outside..."

As I suddenly started to speak, Luzef looked at me with a face full of anticipation and emotion.

But unfortunately, I had no intention of fulfilling his expectations.

"Sit and guard the entrance. If you smell like people outside, Monsters might flock here."

Luzef looked at me with a face full of despair, and Kaiden burst into laughter.

Anyway, after moving to the riverside, the number of times we encountered Monsters at night decreased, and the frequency of wolf howls also decreased significantly.

Could it be that Monsters don't come down to the water?

When I woke up in the morning, Enoch had picked a whole bamboo tube full of blueberries.

I was sitting in front of the cabin, brushing my teeth with a chewing stick I had made a few days ago.

Luzef tilted his head with a curious look on his face as he watched.

"What is that?"

Enoch and Kaiden sat on either side of me, chewing on their respective wooden sticks to brush their teeth.

"It's for brushing your teeth."

I brushed my teeth with the twig, rinsed my mouth with water, and then asked Luzef.

"Ah, by any chance, don't you brush your teeth, Bishop Ruzef?"

At my question, Luzef blinked in confusion.

Thinking about it again, it's really strange that everyone doesn't smell, maybe it's because of the Magic on this island or something. Still, not brushing your teeth is unsettling.

First, I cut a thin twig about the size of my forearm and about 1cm wide. Then I had Luzef chew on the end of the wood.

The fiber of the wood promotes saliva secretion, and saliva neutralizes food debris. So, you could brush your teeth with the part that had been split into fibers like this.

"Simple, right?"

At my question, Luzef nodded, chewing on the stick.

"Hey, lackey. You should go back now."

Kaiden glared at Luzef while eating blueberries for breakfast.

Kaiden's face, twisted with cynicism, scanned Luzef's appearance unpleasantly.

"I might have before I met Lady Flone. But now that I've met her, how can I live without her? I'm not going."

Luzef said something strange, but I diligently ate my blueberries, not caring.

It would be good to scout the way to the Bunker today. I even found a map with the location of the Bunker, so finding the way should be a piece of cake, right?

"Don't try to be slick, go find your god. Why, isn't your god answering? Serves you right. There is no god."

"Have you said everything you want to say?!"

"Did it look like I did? I didn't. Think about it, if there was a god, would we have fallen here?"

"Watch your mouth!"

The two men's voices gradually rose.

My ears hurt, so I frowned for a moment, and Enoch, who seemed to have been watching me, quietly opened his mouth.

"Both of you, stop it. Don't be noisy in front of Margaret."

Maybe there's Magic cast on the word Margaret?

I swallowed a hollow laugh as I watched Kaiden and Luzef quietly shut their mouths and look at me.

I looked at the two of them, tidied up the empty bamboo tube, and got up from my seat.

Then, I tied a tree trunk around my waist, put a stone axe in it, and looked back at Kaiden and Luzef with a Spear in my hand.

"I'm going on a scouting trip."

Now that we had come to a new home, we needed to explore the surroundings. It was very important to find out if there were any dangers or anything nearby that we might need.

Luzef distorted his face as if he were looking at something very strange when he saw me like that.

"I still can't get used to seeing Lady Flone looking like that, no matter how many times I see it."

Is that a mandatory line for the male leads when they first meet me? Is it on a must-say list?

This time, neither Kaiden nor Enoch answered Luzef's words. Enoch didn't answer because he was preparing for the hunt, and Kaiden seemed to not answer because he was too lazy.

Luzef didn't give up and asked another question.

"Are all noble ladies as adaptable as Lady Flone?"

Of course not. Of course, I was too lazy to answer, so I ignored Luzef's question.

"Kaiden, try to send Bishop Ruzef back in the meantime."

"Don't worry, I'll give him a good scolding and chase him away."

"Can't you let me stay a little longer?"

And at my words, Kaiden and Luzef opened their mouths at the same time. But their voices overlapped, so I couldn't hear what they said.

But I was too lazy to ask again, so I decided to just leave.

I could hear a commotion behind me, so it seemed like the two of them were fighting again.

In the meantime, Enoch took his weapon and followed me.

I turned around to look at Enoch, who was following me, with a puzzled look on my face.

"Do you have something to say to me?"

"It's my turn to hunt today."

He answered quietly to my questioning gaze.

"Wasn't Kaiden always the one hunting?"

At my question, Enoch looked at me and burst into laughter.

"Didn't you complain that Lord only catches birds?"

I was a little embarrassed by his answer.

"I didn't complain..."

I just said that I was tired of eating only birds and fish every time, so I should catch some meat now.

Of course, I didn't tell Kaiden to catch it. I also said that I would make a trap to catch game like wild boars myself by tomorrow.

"I'll catch you a rabbit."

At Enoch's suggestion, I looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"Really?"

Enoch, who had been rolling up the sleeves of his jacket with an indifferent face, nodded.

Perhaps because the cabin was noisy because of Kaiden and Bishop Ruzef, Enoch looked relatively dignified and majestic. He's the Crown Prince, after all.

Ever since I decided to call him 'Enoch' instead of 'Your Highness,' I keep forgetting that fact.

If we escape this remote island and return to the Empire, what will happen to our relationship?

"But why do you keep following me? I'm just going on a scouting trip?"

"I thought it would be good to hunt while following you."

I was a little troubled by Enoch's words.

Because I was planning to leave Enoch and go find the way to the north river alone.

Enoch's face darkened slightly as he noticed my trouble that I hadn't been able to hide.

"Do you not want to go with me?"

"It's not that..."

In the end, I sighed.

"It's nothing. Let's go together."

I can't help it. I'll have to give up on finding the location of the Bunker today.

I didn't want to arouse suspicion, and I couldn't tell anyone about the Bunker, not even Enoch.

This was really my last resort.

I followed behind Enoch and rummaged through my dress pocket.

The Flares were safely stored in my pocket.

Neither Kaiden nor Enoch asked me for the Flares.

I didn't have any reason to give them what I had found, so I was keeping them myself.

I had brought the Bunker map with me before I left, and thankfully it was also safely in my pocket.

After rummaging through my pocket for a while, I bumped my face into Enoch's chest as he stopped walking.

I mean, not his back, but his chest.

That means Enoch had been watching me rummaging through my pocket all along.

I realized that and felt a little empty. Am I a bit of an idiot...?

Enoch's face was cold and hard. And he always had a perfect face with no room to pry.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I know you're preparing to leave."

At Enoch's sudden words, I lost my words for a moment and closed my mouth.