Chapter 31
Because he looked so pitiful, wandering around starving, I packed two more uncooked fish for Rujeff to take with him—so he could eat them once he got back.
Only after finishing his meal did he seem to come to his senses. He looked at me with an embarrassed expression.
Up until before eating, he’d been calling me a witch and glaring at me with utter contempt. It seemed he had finally realized the hypocrisy of accepting my charity despite that.
“Um… I was very rude to you, my lady.”
“That’s not quite it.”
Enoch, who had been standing beside me with his arms crossed and an askew posture, chimed in curtly. He didn’t add any explanation, but the way he stared straight at Rujeff was downright murderous.
Rujeff glanced at Enoch, then obediently apologized to me.
“Please forgive my discourtesy. I am sorry, my lady.”
The apology was clean and straightforward.
“All right. Take care.”
When I said my farewell, Rujeff nodded, hugged the fish I’d given him as though they were precious treasures, and disappeared.
They’re going to stink of fish…
I wondered if Yooanna, the female lead, was doing well. To be honest, that was the question I wanted to ask the most.
But I couldn’t exactly blurt out, ‘There’s a woman in your group, right?’ out of the blue, so I missed the timing and never asked.
Watching Rujeff vanish into the distance, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired and decided to turn in early.
The next day, I was leisurely hunting fish while swimming in the river.
“What’s that?”
While wandering underwater, I spotted a strange piece of cloth wedged between two cliffs.
Amazingly, it was a map.
A map showing the location of the bunker I had been searching for.
“Oh my god!”
I pulled the bunker map out of the crevice and surfaced, then immediately headed back to the cabin.
The makeshift cabin was empty. Enoch had gone hunting, and Kaiden was out scouting the area around our shelter.
Alone, I sat down in the cabin and spread the bunker map out on the floor.
“…What is this?”
The map was terribly half-assed. Inside a large island, three mountain peaks were drawn, with a massive river flowing between them.
Next to one of the peaks on the northern part of the island was an X mark, with the word “bunker” written beside it.
And that was it.
“No, for f—… Is this really supposed to help someone find it?”
I stared at the map in disbelief and let out a sigh.
Still, thinking about how hopeless it had felt standing atop a mountain and seeing the sheer size of the island, this was better than knowing nothing at all.
At least I now had a rough idea of the location, so I’d have to continue scouting steadily.
We were currently somewhere near the center of the southern part of the island. That meant we’d need to find a way to cross the massive river running through the island’s center.
…But why was the bunker map stuck between the cliffs?
“Is this a date?”
I read the numbers written at the edge of the map.
“Ingram Kingdom Calendar, Year 666.”
Wait—Ingram Kingdom?
The Western and Eastern Continents, including Margaret’s homeland, the Landrig Empire, used a unified calendar system established a thousand years ago: the Winia Calendar.
The Ingram Kingdom was a dynasty that existed before the Landrig Empire was founded.
Which meant this date was from a thousand years ago—back when the Ingram Kingdom still used its own calendar.
“What the… That’s creepy. Does that mean this map is a thousand years old?”
Who on earth made this?
There were far too many unanswered questions, but since there was no way to figure them out right now, I folded the map.
“Fine. Let’s just go to the bunker. Something should turn up then.”
I put the map into the bag Kaiden had made for me.
“But if I find the bunker… what about Enoch and Kaiden?”
Should I take them with me, or go alone as originally planned? The bunker would probably only accommodate one person, after all.
I sank into thought for a long while, then let out a troubled sigh.
After going through life-and-death situations together, wasn’t there a bond between us? Could I really just leave on my own?
It was still uncertain whether they’d change after meeting Yooanna or not.
Besides, right now, Enoch and Kaiden seemed to need my help.
“Maybe I’ll stay a bit longer and think it over.”
It wasn’t a decision I could make lightly, so I put it off for now.
Before Enoch and Kaiden returned, I also made sure to do what needed to be done.
The wooden cord Kaiden had made was running out, so I gathered willow bark and branches. When sliced thin, they were perfect for twisting into rope.
I was busy collecting branches near our shelter when—
I heard voices somewhere nearby and hurriedly hid myself among the bushes.
Not long after, a man and a woman appeared.
The first thing I noticed was the man’s short, dark brown hair and green eyes.
Seeing the royal guard uniform, I immediately recognized him as Diego Bastien Vilterheim.
So that bastard is the jerk who stole my clothes?
Diego had been carrying a woman on his back. He set her down on a fallen tree trunk. Her light brown hair, close to khaki in color, brushed softly against her neck.
The appearance matched perfectly with Yooanna’s description in the original novel, as well as the Saintess’ face from Margaret’s memories.
That woman had to be the Great Saintess Yooanna Lucien.
I was shocked to see that her holy robes were in worse condition than my filthy dress.
Her garments were torn to the point of being unusable, and judging by the wounds beneath, she’d clearly been clawed by beasts or attacked by monsters.
Covered in injuries, she looked utterly exhausted.
“Saintess.”
Diego knelt on one knee before Yooanna.
She looked terribly worn out, and Diego gazed at her with deep concern.
“I know that Crown Prince Asdal’s forceful protection has been a burden on you, Saintess.”
Oh? Talking smack about another male lead while appealing to her himself? Diego’s earnest speech instantly turned the scene into popcorn-worthy drama.
“Please trust me and rely on me.”
He then bowed and kissed the back of Yooanna’s hand, as if performing a sacred ritual.
Yet throughout it all, Yooanna showed no reaction. She merely stared at Diego with a blank expression—no, more like she found him bothersome.
Or maybe she was just tired of everything.
She looked utterly lethargic.
She didn’t seem interested in Diego at all, which surprised me, since it differed from the original story.
From what I could tell, there wasn’t even a trace of romance between them.
“Haah… well, okay. Thank you.”
Yooanna replied in an extremely soulless voice.
But Diego, oblivious, looked deeply moved.
From an observer’s perspective, Diego seemed burdened by guilt toward Yooanna, as though he felt it was his duty to protect her.
As a knight, it was a picture that fit chivalry perfectly.
I stayed hidden, watching until Diego picked Yooanna up again and disappeared.
Strange.
“After scolding me for spying on others, you seem to be doing the same, my lady.”
“Yikes!”
I yelped in shock at the sudden voice.
Turning around, I saw Rujeff standing there with fish hanging from his waist.
Not a sword—fish. And they looked like the very ones I’d given him yesterday.
“What are you doing here?”
I instinctively covered my nose. The smell of fish was strong.
“I was just passing by and saw you, so I spoke.”
The sharp edge he’d had before was gone. His demeanor was noticeably subdued.
I recalled the conversation I’d just witnessed between Yooanna and Diego.
Thinking back, there had been an episode in the original novel where Rujeff, enraged by Crown Prince Asdal’s tyranny, separated himself from the group and lived alone for several weeks.
“Do you know who those people are?”
When I pointed to where Yooanna and Diego had disappeared, Rujeff slowly nodded.
“They’re my companions.”
He said nothing more, scowling as he stared in that direction.
“You didn’t go back yesterday?”
At my question, he glanced at me and quietly nodded.
“Why?”
“There were… circumstances.”
He trailed off, clearly reluctant to explain.
Since I more or less knew the reason, I didn’t press further. Honestly, I couldn’t be bothered to hear all about his personal issues anyway.
“Why didn’t you eat the fish?”
The smell was unbearable now, so I openly pinched my nose and frowned at him.
“Don’t you know how to make a fire?”
Rujeff pressed his lips together and cautiously studied my expression.
So he really didn’t know how. It was obvious just from his face.
Which meant he’d gone hungry all day again…
“Have you eaten anything at all?”
Once again, he didn’t answer.
Grrrrrr.
His stomach answered for him.
Rujeff flushed bright red with shame and lowered his head.
Watching that, I let out a sigh.
Did someone really have to look that pitiful?
