Chapter 28
Kaiden watched my reaction, then snapped off some branches and made something. A moment later, he handed me a bag he had finished by weaving together wooden cord and large leaves.
My goodness, a leaf bag—how cute is this?
Having received such a nature-friendly gift, I looked at Kaiden with a touched expression. It was amazing that he’d whipped up something this cute with those big hands of his.
I examined the bag he’d made for me, then finally made up my mind and spoke.
“Let’s go together.”
Enoch didn’t like it, but Kaiden turned out to be a huge help to us.
Kaiden was excellent at survival skills, and Enoch was good at using strength and hunting, so the team composition was perfect.
We packed up all our belongings and set out on a journey to move… which sounds like a grand adventure, but as always, reality wasn’t so beautiful.
Rather than spending calories building a cabin, it was better to look for a cave like the one we’d been living in, somewhere near the river.
Of course, a place that met all our conditions wasn’t easy to find.
As we moved inland, I scanned the cliffs I’d noticed a few days earlier, not forgetting to look for one that might hide a bunker.
When evening came after leaving our old cave, just as Kaiden had said, we found a large river.
The gently flowing river looked perfect for fish to live in. It would be good for purifying water for drinking or washing ourselves, too.
The riverbank was a flat bed of pebbles. Beyond that was a slope, and once you climbed it, there was another wide, flat stretch of land.
Surrounded by trees, it offered protection from animals and was far enough from the river to serve as a refuge if heavy rain caused flooding.
“I think it’d be good to build a branch hut here.”
We didn’t know how long we’d be staying, so it wasn’t the place to build a proper cabin.
Using thick branches to make a simple shelter seemed most appropriate.
“But, Margaret… how do you even make a branch hut?” Kaiden asked, looking bewildered.
Enoch also looked at me expectantly, apparently not knowing how either.
Ah, right. It makes sense they wouldn’t know.
I crouched down and drew a diagram of the hut in the dirt with my finger.
“First, we need two short wooden poles and one long one. Thick, sturdy wood would be best.”
Enoch and Kaiden nodded attentively as they listened.
“At the entrance, set the two short poles together in a triangle, then place the long pole on top to act as the roof’s backbone. That tripod is the main support of the hut.”
I kept drawing the hut enthusiastically on the ground.
The two of them listened like scholars burning with academic zeal, eyes wide.
“Then you add rib-like supports along the long pole that forms the roof. After that, lay small branches on top and cover them with leaves. That completes a temporary hut. Got it?”
“Not too hard,” Enoch said.
“Easy!” Kaiden added.
They nodded almost simultaneously, and I smiled before adding one more thing.
“It’s better to build it slightly off the ground. We need to watch out for ants and scorpions.”
“Then we can build it like the temporary shelter we made on the beach—lay down stones, then make a floor with branches, moss, and leaves,” Enoch said.
I nodded vigorously.
“Yes, that’d be perfect.”
I set down the bag Kaiden had made and looked around.
“We’ll need sharper tools to cut wood,” Enoch muttered, sounding troubled.
I moved as soon as I heard that.
Tools could be made.
“What are you doing? Tell me. I’ll do it for you, Margaret. You shouldn’t be doing this,” Kaiden said.
Ignoring him, I struck one rock against another.
After repeating it a few times, I picked out thin, sharp fragments from the broken pieces and handed them to Enoch.
“I’ll make a few more, but if you shape them with stone, we could probably make axes.”
The two men stared at me with strange expressions. Kaiden rested his chin in his hand, looking very serious, then asked,
“Be honest. You can really tell us now. You’re not Margaret, are you? How does a noble lady of a ducal family know how to do this?”
Naturally, I didn’t answer him and instead went into the bushes to gather wood.
Enoch was sharpening the stone I’d given him by rubbing it against a rock.
Kaiden followed me to help, picking up branches while bombarding me with questions.
“Does the Flone ducal family teach this stuff too? Margaret, is there anything you don’t know?”
He looked genuinely curious. People said mages were obsessed with research, and seeing Kaiden, that didn’t seem wrong.
“I was thinking of taking this. It’d be good for pillars when we set up the hut. Can you help me?”
I pointed to a long, broken tree trunk and asked for his help.
He smiled and gently nudged me aside.
“Help with what? I’ll do it. Step back for a moment.”
Then Kaiden hoisted the trunk onto his left shoulder and lifted it with ease. Were mages normally this strong?
With all three of us working, the job finished faster than expected.
That was partly because we were building a very small, simple hut, but Enoch and Kaiden were both incredibly quick with their hands.
By the time we finished, the sun had set, so we settled for a meal of açaí palm and went into the hut.
It was big enough for about four adults, but still cramped, so it would probably only be used for sleeping.
We really needed to find the cabin from the novel. No other place could be as spacious and comfortable as that one.
“It’s better than I expected,” Kaiden said, lying down.
Sleeping pressed together with two men bothered me a little, but I didn’t dwell on it. I was exhausted and lay down on the floor.
With two large men beside me, it felt oddly uncomfortable.
Maybe I should build a separate hut just for sleeping when I get the chance.
I was thinking that when—
Kaiden rolled over and moved closer to me. I turned my head to see what he was doing, and suddenly he wrapped his arms around me from behind.
My back pressed against his chest. He slowly lowered his head, buried his face in my shoulder, and let out a warm breath.
“What are you doing?” I froze.
I felt the soft touch of Kaiden’s lips against my bare shoulder.
“It’s cramped. Let’s sleep like this.”
“…Are you insane?”
Kaiden chuckled softly, his lips still against my shoulder. I could feel the warmth of his breath and the faint brush of his mouth.
I frowned and reached out to push him away—but Enoch was faster. He kicked Kaiden’s side and shoved him back.
Kaiden grimaced and glared at him.
Without the slightest hesitation, Enoch slipped between Kaiden and me and lay down. Kaiden jumped up, protesting and asking what he thought he was doing.
I watched the two men’s annoying standoff for a moment before speaking.
“…Um, should I go sleep outside?”
Both Enoch and Kaiden sat up at the same time.
“Sorry. I’ll be quiet,” Kaiden said first.
“I won’t do anything. Stay here,” Enoch added.
I could understand Kaiden, but even Enoch was getting more childish by the day.
I looked at them with an uneasy expression, then settled into a corner and finally drifted off to sleep.
