Chapter 65
A shiver ran through me, every hair on my body standing on end.
The last time I’d seen it, it had grown from finger-sized to about the size of a fist—now it seemed even bigger than that.
“What is this, Margaret. Doesn’t it look like that thing we saw at the cliff?”
Kayden narrowed his brow and crouched down to examine the egg.
“I think… it really is growing.”
“Huh?”
“And it keeps following me around.”
“This thing…?”
Kayden alternated his gaze between me and the egg, his face full of disbelief.
“Now that you mention it, it is strange that something we left in the forest showed up in front of the cliff.”
“But what if it’s actually a monster?”
At my words, Kayden stared at the silver egg with a troubled expression.
“It feels ominous. We should get rid of it.”
He reached out to touch the egg, and I hurriedly grabbed his wrist.
He looked at me, puzzled.
“I’ll do it. What if you get hurt?”
Kayden withdrew his hand, seeming convinced. Just then, black smoke tried to seep out of the egg, only to fizzle out with a hiss.
Kayden jumped back, staring at the egg in shock.
“Still, be careful, Margaret.”
At his warning, I nodded and cautiously picked up the egg.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just… kind of warm.”
Once again, I turned the egg this way and that. Why did it keep getting bigger? How much more was it going to grow?
“It really does seem like a monster. For something that was finger-sized to grow this much… it feels bad.”
Kayden nodded in agreement.
“Let’s take it far away and dump it.”
I nodded, followed him deeper into the forest, placed the egg down far from our campsite, and came back.
Then we quietly settled down beneath the roots of a tree to sleep.
I lay on the inside, Kayden closer to the entrance. The space was so narrow that we had no choice but to lie pressed close together.
I was shifting uncomfortably when—
A thick arm wrapped around my waist. I felt a solid, warm body against my back as he turned over.
Startled, I stiffened and lifted my head, only to meet Kayden’s red eyes.
“You looked uncomfortable. I thought this would be better. It’s cramped, after all.”
He spoke flatly, his face showing no hint of ulterior motives.
Held in his arms, I could only blink blankly. Kayden really didn’t seem to have any impure thoughts, and if I pushed him away now, it would probably make things awkward.
In truth, in this narrow space beneath the roots, it was easier to sleep like this.
So in the end, without protesting, I closed my eyes in his arms.
Then, breaking the silence, Kayden spoke again.
“Margaret. Don’t you think it might be okay for just the two of us to live like this?”
He asked in a soft, whispering voice. His low tone brushed against my ear.
I rested my face against his chest, drew my neck in slightly, then carefully looked up.
Our eyes met again—his red gaze fixed on me. Looking down at me, he spoke in an unusually gentle voice.
“Want to leave together? Just us?”
Enoch had made the same suggestion to me before. To leave together. Just the two of us, like at the beginning.
“…Even if we go together, it doesn’t mean anything without the key the Saint has.”
Besides, Kayden’s backpack—with the survival kit (medicine, spare bombs, and the like)—would be at the cabin. We needed to retrieve that at least.
Rather than answering whether I wanted to leave with him or didn’t, I chose a realistic response.
The red eyes staring at me narrowed, as if gauging my thoughts.
“You really only think about survival, don’t you?”
“Then what else am I supposed to think about in a situation like this?”
At my question, Kayden stared at me with widened eyes for a moment—then burst out laughing. Since I was in his arms, I could feel his chest rising and falling with each breath.
After a while, the shaking subsided, and he looked down at me with a pleased smile. His face was far too close.
“Well, fine. Just don’t change. Stay like that.”
He gently pulled me closer, hugging me tightly. Then he rested his chin on my head and said,
“Because you’d give the same answer to the other guys too, wouldn’t you?”
At his words, I silently nodded.
His body trembled softly again. He was laughing quietly.
“That’s enough. That’s all I need.”
Naturally, I had no idea what he meant—I just blinked, still held in his arms.
What exactly is ‘enough’ supposed to mean?
Unlock soon (￣(ｴ)￣)ﾉ~