Chapter 22
The cave was a temporary base camp.
It wasn’t a comfortable place where we could stay for long, so we had to find a better shelter. That was why we regularly scouted the area around the cave.
While scouting with Enoch, we looked for ways to send a distress signal or information about escaping. And without Enoch knowing, I also searched for cabins and bunkers.
Kaiden had said he would leave once his wounds healed, but even after they improved, he didn’t leave the cave.
At first, Enoch chased him away. But Kaiden wasn’t the type to back down so easily. He stubbornly stayed in front of the cave, guarding it, even staying up for two nights in a row.
I had no idea why someone who’d said goodbye suddenly changed his mind.
In the end, Enoch had no choice but to let him inside. Leaving someone outside the cave at night, giving off human scent while monsters roamed around, could lead to an unimaginable disaster.
So far, Kaiden hadn’t done anything particularly problematic, but since he was clearly not an ordinary sane person, Enoch stuck close to me at all times, wary of when he might do something crazy.
After a few days of this, both Enoch and I grew tired, to the point that even when Kaiden came close, we just let him be without saying anything.
“You’re more diligent than I thought. What kind of noble wakes up at dawn and works like this?”
Kaiden, who had been watching me move busily since early morning, made a remark.
I glanced at him as I was pouring purified water into coconut bowls for distribution.
Just as he said, I really was moving diligently.
Every morning, I first went to the stream to purify water, then gathered fruit. Sometimes I went hunting as well.
Fishing at the beach was usually done by Enoch and me taking turns, while starting fires was always Enoch’s job.
Because of that, we burned a lot of calories, which meant we had to secure even more food, but there was no helping it.
“If we’re going to move the base camp, we need to prepare diligently.”
I replied as I filled bamboo tubes with purified water. These bamboo tubes served as makeshift tumblers.
Then I wove them together with long, sturdy vines to make a crossbody bag and slung it diagonally over my shoulder.
“You’re moving? Why?”
“This place doesn’t have many food sources, and the environment isn’t comfortable.”
As I said that, I adjusted my flat shoes.
“Where are you going?”
“To scout the surroundings.”
More precisely, to climb the mountain. One last climb. If I didn’t find a cabin or bunker this time either, I planned to leave this area for good.
I hoped that if luck was on my side, I might at least find some clue about the island’s secrets.
Enoch had gone out for morning hunting, so it was the perfect time to go alone.
“Then rest up.”
“Huh? W-wait—!”
Kaiden tried to follow me out, but perhaps his wound hurt—he let out a long groan and collapsed back down.
I waved at him casually and left the cave with a light heart.
By now, I’d adapted somewhat to life on the island, so even Enoch, who used to be overly protective, let me roam around as long as I returned before sunset. His overprotectiveness could be a bit much, but still—being able to move around alone was something.
It had been nearly three weeks since we arrived on the island, but the amount of information we’d gathered was close to zero.
Standing halfway up the mountain, I took a deep breath and looked down. Even from this height, I could survey part of the island. If I climbed a bit higher, I could probably see even farther.
Seen from above, the cave where Enoch and I stayed wasn’t that far from the beach.
Well, it made sense. Since it was close to the shore, fishing trips were quick.
A cave deep in the mountains would’ve been dangerous in its own way. This island was crawling with monsters and wild animals.
I opened the lid of the bamboo tube I was holding and drank the water inside.
Maybe because I’d been pushing Margaret’s body too hard lately, I felt extremely exhausted. Starting tomorrow, I really needed to train my stamina.
If I ever made it back to the Flone estate, Margaret’s mother would probably faint, clutching the back of her head, upon seeing the muscles I’d gained—but it couldn’t be helped. Survival came first.
After what felt like another hour of climbing, I finally reached the summit.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and lay down on the ground for a moment. I was so out of breath it felt like I might suffocate. I drained the remaining water in my bamboo tube in one go.
A pointless thought crossed my mind—what if I die like this?—but the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.
“Why am I even finding a sense of achievement on a deserted island like this?”
The sun was steadily sinking. I grew anxious that it might set while I was descending. So I got up and quickly scanned the surroundings.
Seeing the island again from here, it was enormous. At this size, it really did feel comparable to Jeju Island.
“Damn it. How am I supposed to find a cabin or bunker in a place this huge?”
No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t spot anything resembling a cabin.
Still, I had a rough idea of where a cabin might be. I’d been told there was one deep in the mountains near a cliff, and there were quite a few cliffs that matched the descriptions from the novel.
I carefully memorized the path to the next mountain, the locations of the rivers, and the cliffs, forcing them into my memory before preparing to descend.
After stretching, just as I was about to leave, something red and rod-like caught under my foot.
“What’s this?”
Looking closer, it wasn’t a rod—it looked exactly like a gun. It was covered in dirt, but the faint red hue made it look strange, so I picked it up.
“No matter how I look at it, it looks like a gun.”
As I examined it, I noticed letters engraved on the side. I wiped away the dirt with my hand and read them.
Alea
“Alea? What does that mean?”
Was it the name of the manufacturer?
But instead of a company mark, it looked like someone had carved the letters with a knife. It might be someone’s name.
It looked like a revolver, but smaller and simpler in design.
“A red handgun… I’ve never seen one before.”
“But why is this here?”
I knew there were modern items on this island. But in the original story, were things really just lying around like this?
On a whim, I checked the cylinder. All six chambers were filled with what looked like rounds.
Looking more closely, the internal and external finishing was rather rough—like it had been modified by hand.
“Did someone named Alea modify this?”
As I examined it with a puzzled expression, I noticed a pouch at my feet. It was stuffed with ammunition—probably for this red gun.
“Oh my god. This is a total eureka moment.”
Just in case, I should take everything. I carefully tucked the ammo pouch into the pocket of my dress.
“But does this even work?”
It looked very old, so I had my doubts. If it didn’t work, it’d just be a fancy piece of junk.
“But what if it’s real…? If it is, I don’t have much shooting experience, which is a problem.”
I’d only been to a shooting range once.
Still, just in case, I tore off a small strip of my dress for noise reduction, dampened it with the remaining water from my bamboo tube, and stuffed it into both ears.
Then I took my stance, checked the cylinder, cocked the hammer, and pulled it back.
“No way this works… right?”
With a hopeful thought, I pulled the trigger, aiming into the distance.
No matter how many times I pulled it, the gun didn’t fire. Just as I suspected—maybe it was broken from age.
“Figures. It looked old.”
I kept pulling the trigger at random, and without thinking, I aimed at the sky and pulled it again.
At that moment, red smoke burst out like a flare and shot into the air.
……?
Why is it suddenly firing now?!
Seeing the red smoke, it seemed it wasn’t a gun—it was a flare.
I stared blankly up at the sky. The red smoke soon exploded into brilliant sparks, decorating the heavens.
………??????
Wait. Not just a flare—was this fireworks?!
What the hell is this thing?!
Cold sweat ran down my back.
The sun was just starting to set, and with something like that lighting up the sky, monsters were bound to come swarming.
“Fuck!”
Realizing the situation, I started running like mad.
