"Darn it! Margaret, be careful."
"If there is danger, run away unconditionally, because your safety is more important than anything else."
I nodded hearing Kayden and Enoch's worries.
I took off down the way with Eunji in front of me, flare gun in hand, while Yuanna was alert for any attacks coming from behind us.
Arthdal helped out with his crossbow at the occasional hazard, and Enoch and Kayden ran alongside, fighting with sword and dagger in one hand.
After such an arduous struggle, we were fortunate enough to barely reach Arthdal's location.
Behind him was a path that seemed to lead into a cave, and he beckoned to us and we ran into it.
As soon as we entered the narrow path, the entrance ghostly collapsed, blocking our way. Luckily, I was relieved that we wouldn't be chased anymore.
"It's a short path, we'll be out in no time. Just a little further, and we'll be outside."
Yuanna led the way through the dark cave with Arthdal at her side.
True to her word, we were soon outside.
As soon as we were bathed in bright light, I sat down in relief.
"There's a hut we saw on the way here, we'd better take shelter there."
At Arthdal's words, we nodded and moved together.
***
We had a lot of questions for each other, but there was no time to share our joy at being reunited.
Upon entering the narrow, one-story hut, we first checked on Diego and Ruzef, who were still unconscious.
Diego, who had been shot through the abdomen, was the most critical.
I then checked on Arthdal, who also had quite a few wounds.
However, I was unable to use Kayden's healing magic on Arthdal, as I had used up all of my mana healing Diego.
I grabbed the first aid kit from Kayden's backpack. I picked out some medicines to treat Arthdal's wounds and examined him closely. It was full of scratches and cuts.
"Fracture? I mean, if you have a fracture, you shouldn't have caught me falling from that height."
Arthdal's brow furrowed at my words, then broke into an easy smile. He's trying to maintain his dignity in the midst of such seriousness, so typical of a prince.
Arthdal gently lifted his shirt to reveal bruised ribs. "It looks like something similar to when you were injured before. You said it was a fracture."
But I'm not a doctor, so how can I tell by looking at it, it's not like I'm taking a CT scan.
"Still, the wound seems to be healing quickly, and I've made a noticeable recovery, but as you said, my condition got a little worse I caught you falling from a great height."
No, then, in the midst of such pain, he helped us by shooting a crossbow. In a sense, Arthdal is also really great and venomous.
Judging by the way he reacted when I pressed lightly on the wound, I'm pretty sure it was a cracked bone, because if it was broken, he'd probably have trouble even moving.
Arthdal groaned in pain and took a deep breath before turning to me.
"Now that I've been through it, I understand. I'm sorry for everything. I've been through a lot."
I looked up as I applied the medicine to his wound. His words were so unexpected.
Arthdal looked away, shy. I've never seen Arthdal, who always had a smirk on his face, look so shy.
"Anyway, please understand. I should have known what it was like to live a life of sacrifice and consideration for others."
I chuckle at that. "Am I supposed to thank you for finally understanding me?"
"There's nothing to be grateful for."
"I don't think you know how to make an oxymoron."
"I've never lived a twisted life, so I don't understand twisted words."
"You're a politician, that's a big deal."
"I'm glad you're so worried. I've missed you so much, the void has felt so big."
Arthdal's eyes lit up like he was genuinely happy to see me. He still looks good enough to remind me of Manager Kim.
"I didn't really miss you. But I think that's a good thing, so why don't you do your best while you can? If you don't help, I'll leave you here."
"Oh, no, that's not fair, I got here with a lot of struggle. I'll do well from now on."
Arthdal was still very talkative. As usual, I took in most of what he said.
The others didn't say a word to each other.
It had been a long time since I'd seen Yuanna, so I expected them to say hello to each other, but they all seemed to be waiting for me to speak first.
"Enoch, Kayden. Come here, show me your wounds."
I looked at Enoch and Kayden's wounds, then closed the first aid kit.
As I tended to Enoch's and Kayden's wounds, Arthdal stood beside me, talking softly. "Young lady, did you also get that outfit from the supply box? Isn't that too revealing? It's unusual."
Enoch, who had finished getting his wound treated, glared at Arthdal irritably. "Stop joking around. First, let's talk about the situation."
"I'm sad, Banhwang. You could ask about my well-being in a more friendly way. We are best friends."
"Hey, Cheekydal. You'd better keep your mouth shut when I'm saying something nice. When have we ever been friends?"
It's been a while since I've heard Enoch call Arthdal by his nickname, and it's clear that Arthdal is the only one who can bring out the childish side of Enoch.
Anyway, we sorted things out to some extent and talked about Diego and Ruzef.
"He sealed the mother of monsters inside his body?" Yuanna asked me with a serious face.
"Yes. You must know that, too. It seems like it's something every priest knows."
"Oh, yes. We learn it in catechism class, but only in theory," Yuanna affirmed, resting her chin on the back of her hand in deep thought and looking at the unconscious Ruzef.
We all waited for her to speak again.
After a long silence, she said, "I think it will be a problem if the Archbishop wakes up."
"Why?"
"If he sealed the spirits inside his body, he hasn't completely destroyed them."
"Ah...... that's right."
"If the spirits were strong enough to fuel the evolution of monsters, they must have had a great influence on this island......"
She's right. Even Jenas seemed unable to stop them.
Yuanna stroked her chin with a thoughtful face and came to a conclusion. "I feel like part of the system that makes up the island is going to collapse. The components that make up the island are organically linked, and if one collapses, the rest are more likely to collapse because the links are weaker."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Kayden asked, still listening to our conversation.
Yuanna shrugged. "I don't know. Is it really good for us or good for Jenas?"
As I listened to her, I sighed at the thoughts that crossed my mind.
"Maybe it's a good thing for Jenas, because he was the one who told me that if we get rid of the mother of monsters, they would stop evolving."
I can't tell if what he said to me was true or if it was an elaborate trap. It was a conversation between the test subject and the experimenter, an unfair fight to begin with.
"I guess we should be prepared for when the Archbishop wakes up," I muttered.
Kayden, sitting stiffly with arms crossed, chimed in, "It would be better to put a barrier around Ddaggari. Just in case."
"I've used up all my mana, so......"
I blurted out in confusion, and Kayden waved his hand in surprise.
"Not right away, of course. We have to wait until your body recovers. It would be best if he regains consciousness before then though."
"That's a very nonchalant way to put it."
Arthdal, who had been quietly listening to our conversation in silence, leisurely chimed in, and Kayden looked back at him.
He asked sarcastically, "Is there any other way, Your Royal Highness?"
"......"
"Even a fool is seen as wise when he is silent."
"Who said that?"
"Margaret."
Enoch and Yuanna looked at me at the same time, and I felt embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Margaret. I didn't mean to argue with you."
Arthdal apologized to me very quickly. His demeanor was so different from before.
I pursed my lips, unable to find the right words, but eventually changed the subject.
"For now, I think we should rest and regain our strength before we make a plan."
Everyone nodded in agreement with what I said. Except for Arthdal who was injured, and me who needed to recover mana, everyone decided to take turns standing guard.
But in the end, Yuanna and Arthdal were on guard together. I felt really bad that I was going to rest alone, but they didn't seem to mind and told me to sleep quickly instead.
"Young Lady Floné."
As I spread leaves on the ground where I was going to lie down, I looked up. A light brown bob of hair was visible in my sight.
Yuanna tilted her head slightly, then smiled at me. "Nice to see you again, I've missed you. We have a lot to say to each other, don't we?"
I knew the meaning of those words all too clearly: they were addressed to Margaret, the Margaret before the regression.
"Saintess, don't get too close to Margaret."
Kayden stood close to me, wary of Yuanna.
"I have something to say to Lady Floné, could you please step aside? You're intruding."
Of course, Yuanna is not a woman of ordinary temperament. She didn't even bother to smile, but rather confronted Kayden. Come to think of it, I don't think the two of them like each other very much.
I looked at Yuanna and asked, "Do you remember? Everything?"
At my question, Yuanna smiled with an unwavering face. "I do, and that was recently. You must have seen 'it' in the underground bunker. Then, are you the Lady Floné I know?"
"Wait, what's with the question and answer, are you two exchanging passwords?" Arthdal could not grasp the situation and cut off our conversation. Then Kayden clicked his tongue.
"If you don't understand, just keep your mouth shut. No talking."
Arthdal grumbled in response to Kayden's words.
"I'm Margaret, but not Margaret."
That should have been enough for Yuanna to understand. In response to my words, Yuanna made an unreadable face and stared at me for a moment. Then she bit her lower lip and frowned as if she was holding back tears.
"So you're basically Margaret, right?"
"Yes, I'm Margaret, but–"
Yuanna gave me a big hug.
"Thank you for coming back safely."
There was a slight sob in her voice. Her back trembled as she hugged me.