<Episode 24>
He immediately threw the note with ominous words straight into the fire.
I had just woken up, still half-asleep, but because of the contents of the note, sleep fled, and I felt confused.
What on earth is going on?
The red note that was helping me, and the white note that appeared to Elkais.
So, does the red note provide help and the white one doesn’t? And why steal my gun? Besides, I don’t even have a gun right now.
Could it be that the ones who sent us here are magicians?
But even if they were magicians from the Cropper’s Empire, would they not know about guns?
“Eve.”
“Brother.”
“Eve, me too.”
“Ugh…”
Abellard seemed to have just woken up, but he groggily sat up and hugged me.
Behind, Elkais wrapped his arm around my waist like a rope, and in front, Abellard held my hand and hugged me.
“It’s hot.”
“…”
“…”
“It’s unbearably hot.”
In fact, it wasn’t so hot that I would die. It really seemed like it was still before sunrise, as Elkais had said.
However, perhaps because we were on the beach, there was the salty smell of the sea, the humid air, and the sound of crashing waves.
At the same time, there was also the scent of the forest and a refreshing fragrance coming from somewhere. The refreshing scent was similar to the smell of the sea, but it wasn’t as salty, giving a feeling of cold water.
“Eve.”
“If you’ve woken up, move aside.”
“I love the smell on Eve.”
“Yes. Move.”
“Eve.”
“Yes.”
“It’s a relief that Eve is alive.”
“…”
Although the words telling me to move were filling my throat again, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to say them anymore.
It was Abellard who saved me from nearly dying yesterday. Well, I should say he saved me from being dead.
“Brother.”
“I hate being called brother the most in the world.”
“Abellard.”
“Yeah.”
He replied without even opening his eyes. The pink hair resting on his chest tickled me whenever he shifted.
“How’s your body?”
“I think I’ll feel better if you kiss me.”
“Then you’ll be in pain forever.”
“That’s mean.”
Abellard opened his eyes slightly, looking resentful. Then he grabbed my shoulders and pushed himself up.
His damp breath touched my forehead.
“Hey!”
“Oops.”
But it wasn’t my hand that covered his lips. My hands were occupied holding Abellard on both sides.
It was Elkais’s hand that covered Abellard’s lips. The one that had been resting under my neck.
“Aren’t you going to remove your hand?”
“You’re being noisy.”
“Oops.”
He said so and pushed Abellard’s face away with his hand.
“How about we make the decision we couldn’t make last time?”
“If dying is your wish.”
I really wanted to abandon both of them. Repair the broken cabin alone and live alone.
* * *
“Living in a cave isn’t ideal, is it?”
“No. It’s too cold in the evenings, and it’s far from the forest. Plus, there’s no clean water, and how do we bathe? There has to be a lake nearby.”
“Then we have no choice but to check the cabin.”
We had to check the cabin. It might have been struck by lightning and burned, but since it rained immediately afterward, it wouldn’t have burned much.
Besides, I couldn’t stay with them without suppressants.
Although Abellard did save me, that was then, and this was now.
“Eve.”
“Yes.”
“Can’t we hold hands while walking? My feet hurt too much.”
“No, we can’t.”
“Then, I can’t walk anymore.”
“Then stay there. We’ll check it together and come back.”
Abellard’s face still looked pale, indicating that he hadn’t fully recovered.
“Or would you rather stay in the cave after all? I’ll check and come back.”
Being near the cabin would make bathing easier, and the lake water would be drinkable. Staying nearby was the right choice.
“No, I don’t want to. I want to stay together.”
“…”
Elkais looked at Abellard with a subtle expression, then stepped forward again.
“Let’s hold hands then.”
“Yeah!”
He grabbed my hand eagerly, and we resumed walking.
Even though we were holding hands tightly, his palms were not sweaty at all. I looked back several times, wondering if something was wrong with him, but every time our eyes met, he smiled.
But his face was so pale that he looked like he might faint any moment.
“Your Grace.”
“…”
“Let’s walk a bit slower.”
“Okay.”
He glanced back slowly and then resumed walking.
With Elkais clearing the vines with his drawn sword, it was easy to walk.
Suddenly, feeling a cold sensation on my thigh, I looked down and saw the grip of a gun protruding from under my negligee. I gently touched it with my hand, confirming it was indeed a gun.
It seemed longer and heavier than before, with a suppressor attached.
Seems like they gave me back the Desert Eagle.
If they’re going to give me a gun again, I’d prefer a K5 or a Kujishi instead.
“Eve.”
“Yes?”
“You’re so beautiful even when you walk.”
“…?”
“You’re even more beautiful when our eyes meet.”
“…?”
Seeing the nonsense increasing, it seemed like the situation was getting serious.
“I’m so happy whenever Eve looks at me.”
“You’ll see me often, so stop saying strange things.”
“Okay.”
We walked for a while until the sun rose above our heads, and we arrived at the cabin.
“It’s not as burnt as I expected.”
“It rained, remember?”
The cabin seemed relatively intact, with only a few charred marks. So I let go of Abellard’s hand and took out the gun.
I didn’t know what might be inside the cabin.
As expected, there was a suppressor attached.
After loading the bullets and holding the gun with both hands, I lowered it to the ground and walked inside.
“Let’s go inside. Eve, or rather, Abellard, stay here.”
“Okay.”
“Sure.”
Elkais opened the door with his sword drawn.
“There’s no sign of anyone inside.”
He said so and sheathed his sword. So, I unlocked the safety, removed the gun from my thigh, and put it back on my holster.
“Can it be restored again?”
“I don’t know. It reappeared.”
“What a fascinating magic.”
“Indeed.”
Seeing him chuckle, I looked around.
Fortunately, the interior of the cabin wasn’t too damaged. The drawer where the suppressants were stored seemed untouched by the flames. The books weren’t burned either.
Swish, thud!
“All the suppressants are here.”
“So it seems.”
The suppressants in the drawer were quietly waiting there.
“We just need to repair the roof.”
“Agreed.”
Looking up at the ceiling, I noticed holes. It was natural since rain had come in and extinguished the flames.
Seeing that the wedding dress I left behind last time wasn’t burned at all, I felt strange.
“Why is this intact?”
“Look over there. My clothes are intact too.”
“Oh.”
It seemed like all the clothes were perfectly fine, as if someone deliberately chose not to burn them.
“Let’s lay Abellard down first. He seems unwell.”
“Okay.”
With that, I led Abellard inside and made him sit on the pile of clothes.
“Eve, I’m feeling better now.”
“Yes. But still, rest.”
“Can I help with anything?”
“Help if someone gets hurt. Stay like this until then.”
“I’m strong, you know.”
“Strength isn’t needed right now.”
With a somewhat disappointed expression, he sat on the pile of clothes. His face was pale as if he might collapse at any moment, and his lips were a shade of crimson.
“Your Grace, could you fetch some palm leaves? Let’s cover the roof a bit. I’ll go find something edible.”
“Isn’t it better the other way around? I’ll gather food, and Lady Eveline can get the palm leaves?”
“The palm trees are too high, and I don’t know how to use a sword. Oh, bring some coconuts too.”
“How many?”
“As many as possible.”
“Understood.”
After a moment of confusion, he handed me a knife for tableware that hadn’t been burned nearby and handed me the sword he had been holding.
“Just in case.”
“Would you like to keep using that sword?”
“Haven’t you seen it before? I’m fine with a fork.”
“Show me a fight with forks next time.”
“Sure.”
As I joked to lighten the mood, he chuckled brightly. Finding it amusing, I watched him for a moment before taking the sword and leaving first.
Since I would be using the gun anyway, I didn’t think I needed the sword, so I slung it behind my back using a strap.
As I climbed up the mountain, I took out the gun again, unlocked the safety, loaded it, and held it with both hands as I walked.
The weather started getting noticeably hotter, and sweating was inevitable.
“Bang! Bang!”
I saw the finches I had seen before.
“Hello.”
As I said that, it tilted its head and flew away.
As I watched the flying finch, I heard rustling in the forest.
“A puma?”
It was indeed a puma, and fortunately, the finch it held in its mouth was still alive.
“Nice to meet you. You’re just a cub.”
Bang!
I shot at the chest of the cub puma. The finch that came out of its mouth fluttered its wings noisily before flying away.
The shadow of the bird, now tainted by the bright sunlight, seemed almost sacred.
“I found food too quickly, didn’t I?”
I was about to pick up the cub puma’s corpse with satisfaction.
“P-please… spare me…”
Someone was holding onto my ankle, speaking in a pitiful voice. It sounded like they hadn’t had water in a very long time.
The person holding onto my ankle was Rubellite Cropper, the twin brother of the Ferite Cropper Crown Prince.
