Chapter 105

Enoch, who was holding me tightly around my waist, took out disinfectant from my crossbody bag.

“I will do it myself.”

“It’s uncomfortable. I’ll do it for you.”

His breath touched my ear every time he spoke. Damn.

“Wait, ugh.”

I grabbed his arm with both hands, and the pain rushed in for an instant. My body stiffened, and Enoch gently patted me.

“Margaret, relax.”

Hearing that, I felt like I was about to burst into tears. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to relax if you do that. Dammit, is this a new kind of torture?

I finally gave up and decided to give myself completely to him. I relaxed my strength and leaned my back against his chest.

“You’d better take off the jacket for a while.”

I endured my embarrassment at his words, took off the jacket, and leaned against him again.

As I sat leaning against him wearing only a t-shirt, I could feel the raging pectoral muscles behind my back.

‘It feels a bit strange.’

I tried to shake off the feeling of embarrassment and watched Enoch do the treatment.

As he hugged me from behind, he slowly examined the wound on my stomach. I’m a little sad that I can’t see what his expression is like now.

‘……no, what? Am I crazy? Why am I sad because I can’t see his expression?’

“Eub.”

I held my breath as Enoch slowly removed the gauze from my wound, forgetting what I was thinking.

“Hang in there.”

His comforting voice reached my ears.

He was doing it with the utmost care as if dealing with fragile pottery, so it felt like my wound was getting sore for no reason.

After removing the gauze, Enoch opened the lid of the disinfectant.

“Are you okay?”

As soon as I nodded, he sprayed disinfectant over my wound with great care.

“Ugh.”

Damn it, I’m going to die of embarrassment! I tilted my head back and closed my eyes tightly, leaning my head against his chest. After Enoch put the gauze back on, he gently stroked my hair with one hand.

“You held up well.”

The voice that sounded in my ears was so sweet.

Was Enoch originally like this? I couldn’t see his face, but somehow I felt that Enoch was different from usual.

He grabbed my thigh to avoid touching my wound, and gently pulled me back to him.

“I have to tie you up, so hang in there a little longer.”

Enoch immediately took the rope he had made from branches and wrapped it many times around the large branch where we were sitting. After that, he tied his legs with mine tightly with rope.

Now I had to stick to him like a cicada. Eventually, I leaned on him comfortably. It’s like leaning back on a hard, uncomfortable couch. Well, this is better than leaning against a tree.

“Sorry, this isn’t comfortable for me either,” Enoch muttered as he rested his face gently on my shoulder.

Making such an excuse, he then rubbed his cheek against my bare shoulder.

“Enoch.”

“Hm?”

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re torturing me.”

Then Enoch raised his head for a moment and laughed. The tired, terribly low-pitched laughter was rather sexy.

“Margaret.”

“Yes?”

“Are you nervous?”

He asked me as if teasing me.

“Are you teasing me now?”

“I guess now you know.”

He leaned his forehead on my shoulder and laughed again.

‘Ha, damn it. Why does it feel good to be teased? I guess I’m finally crazy.’

***

I was suddenly excited and nervous about Enoch’s actions for a while, then I fell into a deep sleep without me realizing it.

The day before, I had stayed up all night at Jenas’ cabin, and I think that my tensions were completely relieved after meeting Enoch, so I fell asleep in an uncomfortable position.

Then, suddenly, I opened my eyes. It’s because I sensed a strange presence somewhere.

I saw something moving in my field of vision. To be precise, a huge group was passing under the tree where Enoch and I were sitting.

I flinched in surprise. Even with that small movement, Enoch immediately opened his eyes.

“They seem to be the evolved monsters that Lord and I encountered,” Enoch whispered quietly.

It seems like the monsters in the novel I remember—and the ones I’ve met so far—were created by taking samples of ordinary animals on the earth I used to live in, but those monsters with strange shapes are hard to recognize now.

Some look like two-legged giant fish, some look like caterpillars and slithered around, and some look like big-headed aliens walking on two legs.

They all seem to have originated in some animals and their forms are horribly deformed.

Even though it was dawn, they were strolling through the forest without difficulty.

‘It gives me goosebumps.’

If I fall from here, I’ll become their meal.

“It’s okay.”

At that moment, Enoch’s peaceful voice rang out.

“You’re not alone, so you’ll be fine.”

Certainly, if Enoch made up his mind to fight, he could somehow get rid of those monsters or run away even if he couldn’t wipe them out.

I couldn’t see his face, but he gave me so much relief with just his voice.

Eunji, who had been sleeping peacefully on the branch, opened his eyes and looked at me.

He looked down, then looked at me, then looked down again and looked at me. It seems he asked me to explain the situation. I shook my head, saying I don’t know.

He waggled his tail and looked down curiously. I held on tight to his torso, fearing that he would fall.

We sat up in the tree holding our breath for a long time until the monsters were all out of sight.

After the monsters completely disappeared, the tension was relieved. I sighed, still in Enoch’s arms.

“Haa. If I wasn’t up in the tree, I would be in big trouble.”

“You saved my life.” Enoch added a somewhat embarrassing remark, “It would be hard if I was alone.”

I heard Enoch’s light laugh. Being embraced by him, the trembling was palpable.

‘I’m still embarrassed.’

Then I straightened my back after awkwardly leaning against his chest.

“Should we go down now? I’m very worried whether Kayden is okay.”

I’m not trying to avoid the situation, but I’m really worried about Kayden. If it’s Kayden, I’m sure he’s still alive, but I’ll have to check for myself.

“He must be fine.”

Enoch seems to be worried about him too.

We undid the rope binding our legs and climbed down from the tree.

“My legs go numb.” I tapped my feet and narrowed my brows.

Enoch knelt before me and looked up at me.

“I’ll massage you, sit down for a minute.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“It’d be better if I do it.”

“I have to put up with this.”

I answered with my teeth gritted. I can’t believe he’d massage my legs himself. Then my heart would definitely jump again, and what if Enoch hears my heart beat?

‘That’s not allowed. I have to protect my legs.’

Shaking my head, I rubbed my cramped legs a couple of times before putting on Enoch’s jacket and fixing my crossbody bag.

“Shall we go?”

Enoch stood up regretfully and nodded his head. I picked up Eunji on the ground and put him on my shoulder, and started wandering the forest with Enoch again looking for Kayden.

***

Kayden was wandering alone in the fog.

Eunji and Enoch, who had been leading the way for some time, disappeared. He glanced around, but the fog continued to thicken and he couldn’t see an inch ahead.

“Damn it, I think the cabin was right in front of me.”

The moment they found a large three-story cabin, a thick fog suddenly enveloped them. After that, they couldn’t figure out what was going on. As soon as they walked in the direction of the cabin, the fog thickened. As if to prevent them from coming.

As Kayden was walking slowly, wary of his surroundings for a long time, suddenly the fog lifted and a door appeared in front of him.

Kayden immediately ran to the door.

The fog was so thick that he was oblivious to his surroundings and just walked. He cursed in annoyance and took a step back.

“……isn’t this the cabin from earlier?”

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the huge three-story cabin. He looked around again, but Eunji and Enoch were nowhere to be seen.

He added strength to his hand that was gripping the dagger and stared at the wooden cabin door.

Maybe Margaret is there.

When he thought about that, his hesitation disappeared. He carefully opened the door.

It was quiet inside the cabin.

In the living room on the first floor, a fire was burning in the fireplace, and an empty hammock was hung in front of it.

Because of the fog outside the cabin, it was so dark inside that it seemed like a lantern was needed, and it was terribly bleak.

Then,

-thud.

A small noise came from upstairs.

“Shit, what is that?”

Kayden cursed and carefully approached the stairs. He glanced up, but it was dark and he couldn’t see very well.

Perhaps Margaret is upstairs.

Kayden thought for a moment, then stepped on the stairs and went up. The moment he reached the second floor, he smelled a stench. It must be because there was so much rubbish scattered on the floor.

He pinched his nose and scanned the second floor calmly. There was nothing much, but he could see for sure that it was a cabin where quite a few people had lived before.

-thud.

Again, there was a noise from upstairs.

Kayden unconsciously looked up at the ceiling. The sound seemed to be calling him.

‘Is Margaret asking for help?’

There was nothing else he could think of. He hurriedly ran up the stairs and reached the third floor.

The third floor was bleaker than the first and second floors. In addition, the smell that was incomparable to the stench on the second floor pierced his nose.

Covering his nose with his sleeve, he glanced around and saw that it seemed like a stench wafting from the tightly closed door next to the stairs.

“Is this where the sound came from?”

Sealed

There was such a sign on the door.

Break room?

Kayden, who read the sign with a puzzled face, turned the doorknob.

The door was easily opened. There were no windows in the room, so it was so dark that he couldn’t see an inch in front of him, but when he opened the door, a little light came in and he could see the inside dimly.

In the middle of the room, a complex magic circle was drawn and a chair was placed in the middle of it. And there’s a person sitting on the chair.

“……Margaret?”

Kayden was surprised and walked over.

-bang!

The door is closed.

As he looked back at the closed door in surprise, he heard something burning from behind. Kayden turned his head again.

Under the chair, a magic circle was drawn, and candles were placed around it at an equal distance. The candles seemed to be lit the moment the door was closed.

The person sitting in the chair is a silver-haired woman. She had her head down and didn’t move.

Is she passed out?

“Hey.”

The moment Kayden approached her with a puzzled face, memories that had been forgotten suddenly came back and started swirling in chaos in his head.

***

In a deep underground laboratory in the Vatican, geometric symbols are engraved on the floor.

Little Kayden lay on it.

Candles are burning around him.