Translator: Nox

Chapter 49

The history of conflict between the Temple and the Magic Tower spans a thousand years.

After constantly keeping each other in check for a long time, the God-Demon War, that is, the war between the Temple and the Magic Tower, finally erupted.

Currently, the number of people with Mana or Divine Power in the Western Continent was decreasing day by day. However, the Holy See and the Magic Tower started a war and wasted valuable manpower.

The God-Demon War was fought on the Anes Plains in the center of the Western Continent. At that time, the Holy Knight Order lured the Wizards to Romallizan Holy Land, their home ground in the northern part of the Western Continent.

And unbelievably, the Magic Tower's army fell for that obvious trick and headed to Romallizan Holy Land, causing massive casualties.

In the end, the Langrid Empire and the Hestia Kingdom, unable to watch any longer, formed a coalition to mediate them, and the commander of that coalition was none other than Enoch.

"Hey, Banhwang. Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"Did I have to?"

"Of course! We were close enough to fight every day back in the Academy."

Asdal shrugged and answered nonchalantly.

'Fighting every day is being close...?'

The definition of close friends in this world seems a little different from what I knew.

"I heard about the war too. When I came out of hibernation, the Magic Tower was suddenly at war."

Kaiden, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, added. I was dumbfounded and turned to look at him.

"Hibernation, are you a snake?"

"I was kidnapped and experimented on by the Temple when I was young. It was an unavoidable choice to recover the Mana I lost at that time."

I was flustered by Kaiden's words and lost my words for a moment.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. More than that, are we going to stay in this standoff?"

"Then Enoch and I will keep an eye on those guys, so why don't you go and see if there's anything to pack in the cabin?"

He obediently followed my instructions and went into the cabin.

It felt a little strange to see him like that. It was the same as Kaiden trusting me that much.

'Maybe it's the psychology of uniting because there's a common enemy.'

Suddenly, Enoch, who had been wary of Asdal, said to me.

"I hope you'll stay by my side like this."

I found Enoch's words a little strange, so I looked at his profile. His gaze then slowly moved and turned to me.

"I can't completely control my Berserk state yet. So right now, you're the only one who can handle me."

That's true. Yuanna doesn't seem to know how to stop Enoch's Berserk state yet.

His soft Golden Eyes, which had been blurred at the end of his words as if he was thinking about something, flickered roughly for a moment.

"Margaret, I need you. So please don't leave. I beg you."

I couldn't find the words to answer Enoch's words this time either, and only opened and closed my mouth.

I remembered what Kaiden had said before.

"The Crown Prince is looking for you and going crazy as if he has some kind of separation anxiety..."

As Kaiden said, Enoch seems to have developed a tendency similar to separation anxiety.

While I was thinking that, Enoch, who had been looking down at me quietly, smiled.

He patted my head once and turned his head. He gripped the Spear tightly again and was wary of Asdal's group in the distance.

Only then did I remember that a sword was stuck in the backpack I had won.

"Enoch, use this."

I carefully pulled the sword out of the backpack and handed it to Enoch while aiming the Flares at Asdal's group. Enoch obediently took the sword from me.

"I can't use it anyway."

"Thank you."

Enoch, who gave a simple thank you, immediately threw away the Spear and drew his sword. As expected, a sword suited Enoch better than a Spear. It's messy, but he looks good standing there in the Crown Prince's uniform with a sword.

While I was admiring him, Enoch said to me.

"Living in the cabin doesn't seem like a good choice."

"I think so too."

I nodded, looking at Asdal's group in the distance.

This cabin is special.

For some reason, Monsters didn't come near the cabin. That's why I remember the protagonists staying here for a long time in the original story.

But no matter how good the cabin is, we can't live with them. The other group is too aggressive to live together.

If we want to occupy the cabin just by ourselves, a battle seems inevitable, but I didn't want to take that risk.

"Living in a base camp exposed to the enemy is not a good choice. Let's just take what's useful and get out of here."

I classified Crown Prince Asdal and Diego as 'enemies'. They threatened us, so it's right to express them as enemies, isn't it?

And Enoch nodded with a very satisfied expression at my words.

But before leaving the cabin, there was one last thing I needed to find out.

"I have a Key. An Escape Key."

I have to ask Yuanna what that means, but I missed the timing. Should I call her separately before leaving when things are settled?

At that time, Asdal reached out to Yuanna with a very arrogant face.

"The Saintess, come here."

Yuanna, who had been watching the situation leisurely with her arms crossed, glanced back at me. When she met my eyes, she winked lightly.

"Think about it carefully. Living with us. Well, in fact, it's better to follow my will without even thinking about it."

Leaving those words behind, Yuanna walked towards Asdal leisurely.

Enoch looked at me after hearing her words. His expression seemed to be asking what Yuanna meant.

"She wants us to join them. And she wants me to be her exclusive maid."

That's what she means by serving her. Enoch looked surprised when I sighed and sneered.

"Such nonsense...!"

She was the protagonist in the novel, but even so, it's hard to imagine Margaret, a noble young lady from a prestigious ducal family, serving a Saintess from a commoner background, isn't it?

'Is this why Margaret hated Yuanna in the original story?'

If she had Margaret's personality, it was possible.

Just as Enoch was about to express his anger towards Yuanna, Asdal's frosty voice was heard.

"Bishop Ruzef. Come here."

Asdal gestured to Ruzef this time.

Ruzef looked back at me with an anxious face.

"L, Lady...?"

He even called me and looked at me with eyes asking what he should do. No, he really seems to think I'm the leader of this team.

"What are you dawdling about, Bishop?"

When Asdal called him again with an annoyed tone, Ruzef moved with a helpless face.

In that way, Yuanna and Ruzef completely went over to Asdal's side.

In fact, what was more surprising than them all going over to Asdal's group was that Diego, who should absolutely follow Enoch's orders, was still standing there. He must be crazy about Yuanna.

Enoch also didn't react to Diego's attitude. It was as if he knew Diego would do that, or as if he didn't care whether he did or not.

Kaiden came out of the cabin.

"There wasn't much."

He was holding white women's sneakers in his hand.

Then I found a silver, square Zippo lighter the size of a finger in his other hand. It was a classic design lighter with a lid connected by a hinge.

"Oh my god."

I couldn't help but exclaim.

'A lighter, and a Zippo lighter!'

Unlike regular lighters, Zippo lighters are less likely to go out even in the wind, making them suitable for use in the wild.

It's a flint ignition method and works by filling it with oil or gasoline, so it becomes useless when it's all used up, but when I shook it lightly, it seemed to be full of oil.

I didn't turn on the lighter in front of Yuanna's group and quietly received it and put it in my dress pocket.

Fortunately, no one knew about the use of the lighter, so no one suspected my actions.

"This seems to be women's shoes, but they look strange. Do you want to wear them?"

Kaiden said, showing the white sneakers. There's no concept of sneakers in the Empire, so he seems to be calling them shoes.

Just like in the original story, there might really be modern clothes in the cabin. There are sneakers, so there might be clothes too?

"Margaret, do you want to wear them?"

Kaiden asked me again. His eyes were anxious to get rid of the crude wooden slippers from my feet.

"I'll wear them."

"I'll put them on for you. You keep holding that."

Kaiden said, pointing to the Flares aimed at Asdal. I nodded obediently.

He knelt down in front of me on one knee and put on the shoes himself. His large hand wrapped around my ankle at once. Kaiden also had big hands.

He took off the wooden slippers from my feet and even patted the soles of my feet with his hand.

He caressed my bare feet with careful movements as if handling a glass bowl, and he caressed my bare skin so slowly that my feet tickled. Is he torturing me?

"I, it's my first time touching someone else's feet."

"I didn't tell you to touch them, I told you to put on my shoes, okay? I don't have time, Kaiden."

"They're so soft."

Kaiden ignored my words and fiddled with my feet for a long time. This bastard...?

Of course, it goes without saying that Enoch's atmosphere, who was watching the scene, became suffocatingly grim. In the end, Enoch muttered in a low voice.

"Should I break his fingers off?"

Calm down, he's on our side.