Chapter 80
15. Butterfly Effect
I returned to the cabin with Kaiden, but no one was there. The surroundings were very quiet.
Just in time, it was getting dark. The sunset was casting shadows across the sky.
"Where did everyone go?"
Kaiden took out his dagger, held it in his hand, and moved slowly.
We searched the cabin, but no one was there.
It didn't seem like they had left for good. Their belongings were scattered around the cabin. It was as if they had all left in a hurry.
And then it happened.
Koo-oong--!!
A huge roar echoed through the forest. Kaiden and I looked at each other, exchanged glances, and hurriedly left the cabin.
Thump!
Another roar echoed, and we saw bushes shaking and trees falling in the distance.
Flap flap-
Birds flew into the sky as a result.
"It looks like something's happening over there?"
"Let's go."
At my words, Kaiden nodded with a nervous expression.
Eunji the earthworm wriggled out of my pocket and looked up at me pitifully. As if telling me not to abandon him.
"I'll be back. Guard this place."
But even at my words, he spun around in place, showing signs of anxiety.
"It might be more dangerous over there."
Even at my words, Eunji still fussed, protesting that he wanted me to take him with me. I stared at the wriggling earthworm on the floor for a moment before reaching out my hand.
"Hey, are you confident you won't fall off my arm?"
Then, as if he had been waiting for it, Eunji crawled onto my palm and wrapped his body around my wrist.
The feel of the scales wasn't very pleasant, but it didn't seem like he would fall off easily, as he was tightly wrapped around my wrist.
In the end, I wrapped Eunji around my arm and took the two wooden Spears that were placed at the entrance of the cabin.
"What's that?"
Kaiden took the Spear from me and asked, looking dumbfounded at Eunji, who was quietly wrapped around my wrist like an accessory.
"He was being stubborn about wanting to come along."
When I smiled and shook my arm, Eunji raised his head as if protesting that he was dizzy.
"Okay, I'll stop."
I smiled and lowered my hand. And Kaiden, who was watching me, shook his head as if he was seeing something strange.
"Anyway, let's go."
At Kaiden's words, I readjusted my Spear and moved with him to find the place where the roar had echoed.
\ \ *
Margaret had disappeared.
Luzef and I had taken a light patrol around the cabin, but Margaret was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe she went to gather mushrooms. Lord is also not here."
Luzef said after scanning the cabin once.
Just then, Yuanna was coming down from the second floor. Enoch strode over to her.
"Margaret."
"......Yes?"
Yuanna looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Where is Margaret?"
Enoch asked again. Then Yuanna looked at Luzef with a bewildered expression. However, Luzef also didn't know the reason for Margaret's absence, so he was speechless.
"I don't know...?"
She looked at Enoch with a questioning face. As if she really didn't know. Enoch sighed irritably and looked around the cabin.
"Where are the Crown Prince and Sir Diego? Don't you know that either?"
Yuanna frowned at Enoch's question, which he asked with a scowl and an arrogant tone.
"You're being very rude."
"Just answer the question."
Enoch's face, asking in an overbearing tone, was quite fierce. It was as if he had no business with anyone other than Margaret.
"Prince Asdal is resting on the second floor. I don't know about Sir Diego..."
Before Yuanna could finish speaking, Enoch turned his back. Yuanna looked at Enoch's back with a dumbfounded expression, as his attitude was completely different from his usual self.
Even in the Langrid Empire, Enoch had never lost his noble, royal nature on the island. Not affectionate, but a man with polite speech and gentlemanly manners ingrained in him.
But he was different now, looking impatient as if he had lost his mind.
"What's wrong?"
Diego entered the cabin just in time. Enoch quickly approached him and asked about Margaret's whereabouts.
"If you're talking about Lady Flone, I saw her leaving with Lord a while ago."
"When did they leave?"
"Come to think of it, it seems like quite a bit of time has passed. It's getting dark, this is a big problem... Your Highness?"
Enoch didn't even listen to Diego's words until the end and stormed out of the cabin.
Diego looked at Yuanna, not knowing what was going on. And then, Enoch, who had opened the door and came back in, asked Diego again with a grim face.
"Where did they go?"
"Yes?"
"Did you see where they went?"
"I saw them going in that direction. I just thought they were going out to get food."
Enoch left the cabin with his sword and walked aimlessly in the direction Diego had said.
Behind him, Luzef hurriedly ran out.
"Your Highness!? Your Highness!"
But as if he couldn't hear Luzef's voice, Enoch silently continued to move forward.
The sky had already darkened, and the forest was dark.
Because the bushes were so thick that they blocked the sky, there was no moonlight. It was difficult to walk while looking ahead.
"Your Highness, I don't think it's safe to go any deeper."
Luzef scanned the surroundings with an uneasy expression and closely followed Enoch. He was very nervous, worried that a Monster might appear.
But Enoch didn't stop walking.
They soon left the forest and reached the edge of a cliff. Under the moonlight revealed as the bushes and clouds cleared, a truly gruesome sight unfolded.
"Ugh, eugh!"
Luzef discovered a huge Tarantula lying dead in front of the cliff and collapsed on the spot.
A terrible stench wafted over, and he covered his nose and stepped back.
In addition, there were several smaller spider corpses around the giant Tarantula.
Enoch, who had been scanning the surroundings as if trying to understand the situation, soon took something out from under the Tarantula's legs.
"Isn't that Lady Flone's bag?"
Luzef rose from his seat with a questioning expression. Enoch froze like a statue and just stared down at the bag in his hand.
"......I think so."
Only after a long time did Enoch answer Luzef's question.
Luzef glanced at the dead spiders and slowly approached Enoch. And he carefully examined the bag in his hand.
There was a notebook and Flares bullets, and some first aid supplies were rolling around in the bag.
Strangely, the 'Flares' that Margaret used to attack Monsters and the round Magical Artifact she called 'Flame Bomb' were nowhere to be seen.
In the case of the Flame Bomb, it was a one-time use item, so maybe she had already used it. Because the spiders were dead.
Then where are the Flares and Margaret? And where did Lord and Kaiden disappear to?
"Where could the two of them have disappeared to, leaving this here?"
Enoch didn't say anything even at Luzef's muttering. It would have been better if he had been a little more anxious like before. Because at least he showed some emotion then.
But now, not only was it impossible to know what he was thinking, but he also seemed to have no emotion. Like an inanimate object that feels nothing.
