Priests wearing hooded robes with the Vatican crest surrounded Kayden.
They are holding an old book open and muttering something incessantly.
Then the basement door opened and someone entered. In the young Kayden's field of vision, he saw an elderly priest who looked quite old at first glance.
His attire is the most splendid of them all, suggesting that he might be an archbishop or a pope.
"How is it? Do you think he's comparable to Lord Jenas?"
At the old man's words, one of the priests surrounding young Kayden answered.
"Yes. His magic seems to be on par with that of Lord Jenas, so I think their compatibility is the best."
"Hmm, we've reached an agreement with the Rohade family. If Lord Jenas is involved, we'll also gain some flexibility."
"If we keep going, I think it will be perfect. It would be good to put them together on the list of final test subjects."
"Okay, I'll work hard and make a list. As this plan is broad in scope, it will be the last experiment. Write a report and post it."
The old man tapped the priest on the shoulder who answered with a satisfied expression. He then glanced down at young Kayden.
The old man's blue eyes met Kayden's red eyes.
As soon as their gazes met, Kayden quickly escaped from his memories.
Ugh.
His chest was tight and he couldn't breathe well. While he was breathing heavily, the woman sitting on top of the magic circle carefully raised her head.
Even while breathing painfully, Kayden frowned when his gaze met the woman's red eyes. That woman's face is not unfamiliar.
'Who is she?'
At that moment, the woman opened her mouth.
Run away.
At the same time, the door opened wide behind him. Kayden, caught by something unknown, was dragged out of the room.
In an instant, he was dragged down a hallway on the third floor and thrown out of the window. Having lost his strength, his body fell unstoppably from the height of the third floor.
"Oh, holy crap!"
Just before hitting the floor, someone jerked him. The acceleration of gravity was deflected sharply by the rebound of the force, and Kayden rolled on the floor.
"Fuxk!"
-coughing.
He staggered through the scattering dust to get himself up, and someone was standing in front of him.
It was a boy with his hair bobbed to his neck.
Silver hair and red eyes, a look that is not unfamiliar.
The boy looked down at Kayden expressionlessly and opened his mouth. "I was curious, but I finally met you."
Even though he is clearly a boy, he looks somehow old as if he has lived a long time. The boy, who was staring at Kayden, slowly approached him with his hands behind his back.
"But it's not the time yet."
Then he placed his finger on Kayden's forehead.
"Go."
The boy pushed Kayden's forehead with his finger. Kayden was once again enveloped in a thick fog.
The boy and the cabin disappeared.
***
After Margaret, Enoch, and Kayden disappeared one after another, Yuanna was completely in a state of confusion. She slumped down and burst into tears.
"If everyone dies...... if you all die again......!"
She uttered incomprehensible words, then took out the key and held it in her hand, sobbing. It was clear that her mind was not in a good state.
Yuanna, who had been like that all day until the sun went down, finally calmed down when it was night.
But since then, she has completely changed. She was like a person who regained her lost memory and realized something important.
'As expected, she's suspicious.'
Arthdal looked at her carefully.
In fact, it wasn't just because of Diego's unusual guilt that Arthdal had been kind to her.
'I think she has a secret, but I still don't know what it is.'
Looking at it now, it didn't seem like it was simply because of his sensitive intuition.
And then, he heard his stomach growling.
I am very hungry.
"I miss Lady Floné very much."
Arthdal sighed with a haggard face. Yuanna, who was sitting still next to him, nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I miss her very much too."
Yuanna, who had been immersed in her emotions for a long time, finally returned to her usual appearance.
"Are you feeling better now? I didn't know that you like her so much."
She looked at him as if she was puzzled by his words.
"Even if someone you don't like falls into the river, wouldn't you still be shocked by the situation?"
"That's true."
Arthdal, who sympathized with her words and had nothing more to say, shut his mouth.
He wanted to ask her something, but he didn't know where to start. So, in the end, he couldn't say anything.
"Are the three of them still alive?"
"I'm sure they are."
"So am I."
"But we have to confirm it with our own eyes."
At Arthdal's words, Yuanna widened her eyes with an enlightened face.
"First, look at the map again. You better check which way you should go."
Yuanna looked very tired, but when Arthdal snapped his fingers with a stern face, she hurriedly took out the map from her pocket and handed it to him.
Arthdal spread out the map on the ground. They'd have to climb up to find the only other way to cross the North Island.
'It would be better to go all the way west along the river.'
When Arthdal was mentally making such a plan, Yuanna asked, "Can't you catch a bird, Your Highness? I'm hungry."
"......now is time for you to find something to eat."
"If you catch a bird for dinner tonight, I will look for food tomorrow."
Yuanna begged with her usual innocent face and smiled. Of course, that smile didn't work on Arthdal.
"I won't be fooled. Get up. Let's look for some fruit together. After all, neither of us can prepare meat."
Only then did Yuanna get up. She grumbled as he glanced at the riverside.
"I wish I could catch a fish."
At Yuanna's muttering, Arthdal bitterly regretted ignoring Margaret's request to teach him how to fish.
'I should have learned it then.'
It was a very belated regret.
However, it was a regret he could feel because he was still on the South Island, and before meeting the evolved monsters.
Arthdal later reached North Island and encountered new monsters, he realized that he should have learned to fish, and that it was not the time to regret it.
***
I stood in front of the central river (the river in the middle of the island) and examined the terrain to figure out where we are.
"I think this is near where I woke up."
Enoch, who was standing alert, glanced down at me.
"Can we find the cabin?"
"Um...... we should keep going north with our back to the river."
"Then let's go in that direction. Since there are no high mountains, I don't think we will take a wrong turn."
I nodded and decided to go back with him in the direction where Jenas' cabin was supposed to be.
And we were once again surrounded by the thick fog.
"Enoch."
I called Enoch, who walked ahead, with a tense expression. He looked at me in wonder.
"How about walking hand in hand? We shouldn't be apart like we were with Kayden."
I reached out to him. Enoch, who was staring down at it, held my hand slowly.
I simply held his hand, but somehow a sense of relief came over the body that touched me. And it was very reassuring.
"Thank you."
Enoch just stared at me for a moment and smiled gently.
Just as I was about to walk again into the fog with Enoch, I heard a familiar voice.
"Margaret?"
"Kayden?!"
I looked around in surprise.
Just when I thought I had glimpsed silver hair through the fog, I found myself in someone's arms.
"Margaret."
It was Kayden's voice.
Naturally, Enoch let go of my hand. But contrary to my expectation that he would get angry, Enoch unexpectedly took a step away without a word. It seems that he was considerate of Kayden and me in his own way.
"Kayden."
I patted Kayden's back gently. Because his body was trembling. This, too, is an unusual reaction from him.
"You are safe. Thank god, thank god......"
He muttered the same thing over and over and hugged me tightly until my breath was suffocated.
"I really thought I was going crazy, afraid of what might happen to you......."
Kayden hugged me again as his anxiety didn't go away and rubbed his cheek against the nape of my neck.
"Are you okay now? Where have you been?"
After burying his face in my shoulder without saying anything for a while and breathing in, Kayden raised his head and looked at me with teary eyes.
"I've been in the fog since His Highness disappeared."
He hugged me again. "I missed you, Margaret."
Somehow, Kayden seemed to be holding back tears, so I gently patted him until he calmed down.