Chapter 86
At her question, Diego’s face fell in despair.
“Well… it’s about the Saintess…”
Just as he seemed about to tell the truth, Kaiden quickly interrupted him.
“Saintess… you don’t remember anything? Not a single thing?”
The words Yuanna had spoken while suffering hallucinations had sounded traumatic even when overheard casually. In a situation where she didn’t remember at all, there was no need to force her memory.
“I don’t remember anything. It all stopped the moment that strange flower wrapped around my ankle.”
Kaiden exhaled and alternately looked at Diego and Yuanna.
“That red flower is called Tentationem, a special poison secretly experimented on and developed by the Rohade family.”
Both of them looked at Kaiden with wide eyes. He continued explaining without concern.
“The poison from the Tentationem flower is more acute than chronic. So, if someone is poisoned by it, it causes impulsive excitement, hallucinations, and other mental disorders, temporarily leaving them out of control.”
“Excitement and hallucinations… that sounds exactly like what Diego and I experienced last night.”
Yuanna replied with a haggard face, and Kaiden nodded.
“Right. There’s a neurotransmitter in the human brain that triggers excitement, and the addictive substance from this flower works in a similar way. Only a low body temperature in someone unpoisoned weakens its effect. That’s all I know.”
Diego, listening seriously, asked him with concern:
“Why on earth would the Rohade family make such a flower? What were they trying to do? And why is a flower developed by the Rohade family here?”
“I don’t know either. I’m not close to them. But it’s definitely suspicious.”
“And Rod, you’ve given up using formal speech now?”
Diego frowned slightly, clearly a bit displeased. Kaiden shrugged in disbelief, answering as if it didn’t matter at all.
“After everything you two put me through last night, formalities are the last thing I’d expect.”
Diego had no response to that and fell silent.
“It seems this island might be connected to the Rohade family.”
Yuanna said, and Kaiden nodded in agreement.
“It’s just speculation, but it’s possible.”
“Also, it seems Lord doesn’t get poisoned.”
Diego asked, and Kaiden propped his chin on his hand, recalling memories.
“My memory’s hazy, but I was experimented on as a child. That’s why I’m immune to poison.”
“What kind of experiments did you undergo…?”
“Diego, it’s impolite to ask such things directly.”
Yuanna scolded him. Diego scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, and asked her:
“Saintess, are you alright?”
Kaiden clicked his tongue at Diego, who seemed overly preoccupied with Yuanna’s well-being. Rubbing the stiffness from his neck, Kaiden quietly asked:
“But Diego, why do you care about the Saintess so much? Do you like her?”
“Compared to how Rod acts with Lady Florne, this is relatively mild, isn’t it?”
At that moment, Yuanna, back in her usual condition, grinned mischievously. Kaiden was left speechless.
“And Diego caring about me? It’s nothing. Both Asdal and Diego feel guilty toward me. I didn’t want to talk about it, but given the situation…”
She spoke casually, as if describing something trivial. Diego silently continued tidying her messy clothes.
‘Seems like there’s some troublesome story behind this,’ Kaiden thought, quietly regretting having pried and simply listened to her explanation.
“When attacked by monsters, you two abandoned me.”
“You weren’t abandoned. You were attacked by the Tarantula monster and fell off a cliff. We thought you’d died instantly.”
“But I survived.”
Diego immediately contradicted her, and Yuanna raised both hands with a nonchalant shrug.
Hearing that, Kaiden was momentarily astonished.
‘…Surviving a fall off a cliff isn’t exactly common, is it?’
He couldn’t help but ponder seriously.
“Even before the Saintess arrived, we were still dealing with the monsters. There wasn’t time to search for you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Yuanna nodded at Diego’s continued objections. It wasn’t sarcasm; she genuinely seemed to understand him. Kaiden folded his arms and quietly observed their exchange.
“That’s why you said you’d give your life to protect the Saintess.”
“No, I really am fine.”
Yuanna sighed, then pointed to Diego and asked Kaiden for confirmation with her gaze.
“See? I said I understand, yet he acts like that. He probably didn’t intend to save me in the first place. Otherwise, he wouldn’t feel this guilty.”
Yuanna shook her head, clearly exasperated. Kaiden clicked his tongue in agreement.
Yuanna brushed her hair back with a rough gesture, scratched her ear in annoyance, and looked down at Diego.
Even Kaiden, seeing her rough manner, couldn’t help but be somewhat taken aback. Her behavior mirrored his own in its bluntness.
“Sigh… so annoying. I don’t really resent him. I would’ve done the same. We were all strangers back then.”
Yuanna sighed at Diego. Kaiden, seeing her speak so casually, realized the situation had been more serious than it appeared.
After observing their standoff for a while, he looked up at the sky.
Time had already passed considerably. Would they be able to reach their destination in the allotted time?
Kaiden tried to interrupt the conversation naturally but then remembered something and looked at Diego.
“By the way, your chivalry isn’t exactly perfect, right? You even stole Margaret’s dress while she was bathing.”
Everyone had witnessed the incident in the cabin where Margaret had taken revenge on Diego. Yuanna didn’t hesitate to step back and let him face the consequences.
Diego slowly knelt before them with a troubled expression.
“Yes. I lack proper chivalry. I wanted to ease my guilt toward the Saintess. Even if my actions were wrong, I wanted to lessen that burden.”
Silent tears ran down Diego’s cheeks. Droplets fell onto his fists resting on his knees.
To an onlooker, he could have seemed a perfect embodiment of chivalry.
Yet Kaiden felt something subtle in Diego’s reaction. It didn’t look like he was caring for her out of guilt alone.
‘Seems like there might be some personal feelings mixed in.’
Yuanna sighed, exasperated, clearly at a loss with that fool. Kaiden, equally fatigued, looked down at Diego.
Diego seemed overwhelmed by a mix of guilt for betraying his beliefs and some inexplicable emotion toward Yuanna, as if he had lost his mind.
‘Come to think of it, nobody here seems completely sane. Maybe I’m the normal one?’
Kaiden rested his chin on his hand, pondering, and nodded in agreement.
Now that they knew what had happened with the Saintess, Kaiden thought he deserved some praise from Margaret.
A while later, Kaiden and his group finally arrived at the place where Yuanna had first awakened. It was a gravel bank where a massive river would soon flow.
“The Crown Prince and I also woke up not far from here.”
As Diego surveyed the gravel bank, Kaiden stood atop a large rock, resting his chin on his hand, looking down.
“The key was just lying on the ground. Within reach. Strange… it doesn’t seem special at all.”
Yuanna stood where she had first fallen, carefully examining her surroundings.
Diego returned after briefly checking the surrounding area and reported to them:
“I checked over there too; nothing unusual.”
At that moment, Yuanna, bending over at the water’s edge, reached into the water and pulled something out.
“Oh? There actually is something here.”
“Huh?”
She had picked up a thin piece of cloth, adorned with pictures and writing.
