Chapter 48
“……Pardon? What are you talking about?”
I asked back, startled, but Yuanna didn't seem inclined to answer.
“You really don’t want to come with me? Then I’ll have to take the Key.”
“Hey, Saintess. Explain what you mean by having the Escape Key……”
Ignoring my words, she reached for me again, but Luzef rushed over. He grabbed Yuanna’s wrist, pushed her away, and stood in front of me.
“Stop this.”
“Is that fair, Bishop Ruzef?”
Yuanna, who had been smiling pleasantly all along, narrowed her brows and glared at Luzef, but Luzef stood unmoving in front of me.
Beside us, Kaiden and Diego were still wrestling.
It was amazing that neither of them had bled yet, even with such a fierce fight. Diego must be quite something to hold his own so firmly against Kaiden, who possessed such Monstrous Strength.
With no sign of the fighting ending anywhere, Enoch finally moved.
“Knock it off.”
Enoch grabbed Kaiden by the scruff of the neck and pulled him back, then punched Diego in the face.
Diego, hit by Enoch, flew lightly and crashed into a tree trunk.
‘……?’
No, why is the call to stop so violent?
Besides, he sent a huge, muscular man flying with a single punch.
I stared at Enoch, speechless. I knew it, but Kaiden and Enoch were both monsters when it came to strength.
“Stop it and get up. Margaret is waiting. It’ll be a problem if there’s any blood. I’m still unstable at controlling my Berserk state.”
At Enoch’s words, Kaiden grumbled and got up.
Come to think of it, Enoch would go into a Berserk state if he saw blood, so it would have been a disaster.
‘I was so distracted by Yuanna saying strange things that I didn’t think of that.’
But the problem was that Diego returned at that exact moment with blood smeared all over his face.
“You can’t just leave. Defeat me and then go.”
Diego seemed to be forgetting that he was the Imperial Guard Commander of the Langrid Empire.
I understand that living on this deserted island with more Monsters than people can drive you crazy, but you still need to keep your wits about you.
I looked back at Enoch with a worried heart and then touched my forehead.
My ominous premonition was correct. A subtle madness began to swirl in Enoch’s Golden Eyes as he looked at Diego.
“W-Wait a minute……!”
“It’s dangerous. Don’t approach him.”
I was startled and tried to run towards him, but Luzef quickly stopped me.
“No, that’s not it……!”
Enoch slowly turned his body. Diego looked puzzled, as if he had noticed that Enoch’s condition was a little strange.
Crown Prince Asdal must have noticed Enoch’s condition as well, as he quietly called out to Enoch.
“Hey, Banhwang.”
However, Enoch did not respond to Asdal’s call.
A Spear was caught under Enoch’s foot as he slowly moved towards Diego. He stopped and quietly looked down at the Spear caught in his foot.
He didn’t take any action, but somehow, the sight felt quite eerie.
Enoch slowly bent down and picked up the wooden Spear that had fallen to the ground. I called out to Enoch while Luzef held my arm.
“Enoch!”
Of course, he didn’t seem to hear me.
“Just a moment, Enoch!”
I called him once more, but Enoch didn’t respond. No, he controlled himself just fine when the Anaconda appeared! Is his control random or something!
He slowly approached Diego.
“Your Highness.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Diego and Kaiden said, flustered, one after the other.
Enoch loosened the top button of his shirt, which was choking his neck, and tilted his head to one side as if stiff, touching the back of his neck.
“There’s blood.”
Enoch smiled, pointing to Diego’s lips, which were bleeding quite badly. While Diego was flustered and touched his lips, Enoch’s gaze slowly moved downwards.
Only then did Diego seem to notice Enoch’s Berserk state.
Not many people knew about Enoch’s trauma. The Emperor of the Langrid Empire, Enoch’s close aides, and Diego, the Imperial Guard Commander, who had a duty to protect the Imperial Family.
I knew that only a small number of people knew his secret, and the Empire had been managing him by administering tranquilizers appropriately.
So, this meant that Diego was also facing Enoch’s Berserk state without tranquilizers for the first time.
“Calm yourself, Your Highness.”
Kaiden, sensing something strange in Diego’s words, glanced at him once and then turned back to Enoch.
“What, why……”
It was when Kaiden opened his mouth with a puzzled expression.
Enoch’s steps, which had been leisurely, suddenly quickened. In the blink of an eye, he approached Diego, grabbed him by the collar, and raised the wooden Spear high. It all happened so quickly.
“Kyaa!”
Yuanna’s scream rang out. Hearing the sharp scream, I shouted at Enoch.
“Enoch, stop it!”
Enoch’s hand, which was about to plunge the Spear down, stopped in mid-air. As expected, he seemed to have reacted to the Control Word, ‘stop it.’
But that was only for a moment. Enoch’s hand, holding the Spear, slowly moved again.
“Tsk, Enoch. Don’t do it.”
With the repeated Control Word, Enoch’s body twitched and stopped completely this time.
For some reason, Diego didn’t avoid him and just stared at him.
Enoch remained in the same position for a long time.
But I saw his hand, which was gripping Diego’s collar, trembling. His hand was so tense that the veins on the back of his hand were bulging, turning red.
Enoch himself seemed to be trying to suppress his Berserk state.
I calmly said to him.
“You’re doing well. You can stop now.”
Enoch finally slowly released his grip on Diego’s collar.
Enoch’s other hand, holding the Spear, was also slowly coming down.
A sense of relief washed over me, but I didn’t let my guard down until the end. I clapped my hands and encouraged him in a soft voice.
“That’s right, good job. Let’s stop.”
Eventually, both of Enoch’s hands came down completely. The Spear in his hand fell to the ground and rolled away.
Enoch, who was blankly looking down at the rolling Spear, slowly turned to me.
The fierce look that had been glaring at Diego was completely gone, and a much gentler face was visible.
“I controlled it. Thanks to you.”
He quietly thanked me. He was finally back to his usual self. My legs seemed to give way, and I briefly sat down on the ground.
Enoch still needed me.
‘There’s someone who needs me.’
I thought that I hoped Enoch would heal his trauma someday, but I don’t know why I feel so relieved that he needs me now.
I looked down at the ground and sighed deeply, and then I lifted my head slightly because it was too quiet, and I saw everyone looking back and forth between me and Enoch with bewildered faces.
Kaiden looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“What the hell is this?”
I was momentarily stunned, but I came to my senses when I heard Kaiden’s voice.
And I loaded the Flares, pulled the hammer back, and aimed it at Asdal and Diego.
“Those two men over there, put your hands up first.”
Asdal and Diego had awkward expressions. I shook the Flares once more, as if urging them.
“Hands, up.”
Perhaps because they had seen the power of the Flares, they seemed to hesitate, but eventually they raised their hands.
“Enoch, Kaiden. Come here.”
I gestured to Enoch and Kaiden while aiming the Flares at Crown Prince Asdal and Diego. Then they ran to me with bright faces, as if they had been waiting for it.
Enoch, who came to my side, immediately pulled my hand and moved me away from Yuanna and Bishop Ruzef. Luzef gave Enoch a resentful look as Enoch pushed him away.
“Enoch goes into a Berserk state when he sees human blood. Can you wipe off the blood? Unless you all want to die like dogs.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Diego hurriedly wiped the blood from his face.
Asdal looked at Diego with a bewildered expression, then needlessly glanced at his own clean clothes, on which nothing was stained.
Yuanna, with her arms crossed, was merely watching the situation, her face showing that she found this whole commotion very amusing.
“What, you didn’t tell me last time, was that the reason back then too?”
Kaiden looked at me and Enoch and asked. I glanced at Enoch’s profile and nodded obediently. The situation called for it now.
“Hey, Banhwang. When did that start? You didn’t have those kinds of fits in the old days.”
Asdal looked at Enoch with a disbelieving expression. There was also a sense of betrayal, as if he was asking why he hadn’t said so sooner.
“……It’s a war aftereffect.”
Enoch answered simply and pulled my hand again.
“Ah, the Romallizan Battle, you mean? From the God-Demon War?”
Asdal asked back, pretending to know.
Enoch simply nodded silently without saying a word.
