Chapter 5

“No way…….you weren’t awake the whole time, were you?”

Enoch did not answer. It looks like he really hasn’t slept.

“You can’t use your energy like that when you don’t know how long you’re going to starve.”

Even with my realistic advice, Enoch still didn’t care.

“I haven’t decided yet whether Young Lady is someone I can trust or not.”

The tone was blunt, but the eyes that looked over me were sharp.

It’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone whose words and actions don’t match up like this.

It was around dawn when I woke up.

However, Enoch did not yet know that monsters only appeared when it was dark. Maybe that’s why, even when the sun came up, he was tense all the time and there was a lot of strength in his shoulders.

Of course, it’s not that I’m not nervous at all. However, monsters will appear frequently in the future, and I can’t help but shudder in fear each time.

growling.

As I was thinking about it, my stomach suddenly made a loud noise.

Enoch looked at me. I smiled with an awkward face.

Feeling the tension somehow made me feel more hungry. I can solve my thirst with coconut, but the problem is hunger.

“Shall we go get something to eat?”

I feel like I was going to die of hunger.

“Do you mean to go hunt?”

“I don’t have time to hunt. I’ll go get some fruit.”

“Fruit……?”

Enoch asked with a puzzled face. It seems that he had never collected fruit before.

I pointed to the palm tree just behind our makeshift shelter.

“Do you see the little fruit on that palm tree? Those are edible fruit called acai berries. I think I’ll try to collect those.”

The acai berry has many hard seeds and few edible parts, so it is a fruit that is not enough to fill the required calories.

However, there was not much food available right now. I must say that I am fortunate to have found an acai palm that bears fruit all year round.

If I go a little further, I think I could collect blackberries or raspberries, but to do so, I had to go to the place where the fruit bears—which I don’t know where it is, so it was impossible right now.

“Is the fruit really edible? I don’t know if I can trust Young Lady.”

“Then stay hungry. I’ll eat.”

I answered briefly as I prepared to climb the tree. Again, Enoch had a bewildered face. He stopped me as he watched me roll up my dress and tie it up.

“What are you doing?”

I looked up at the palm tree and said, “I have to climb the tree to pick the fruit.”

Enoch followed me with a puzzled face, measuring the height.

“If I just hit the tree, the fruit will fall, so do you have to climb it? It looks dangerous.”

“The palm tree is tough, and the acai berry is such a small fruit……”

I shook my head and prepared to climb the tree.

“I can’t just collect fruit that have fallen over time like worker ants. I’ll climb the tree and pick up all the fruit branches.”

Enoch made a face that still didn’t understand what I was saying. Then he sneaked beside me and gently waved his fist and struck the palm tree.

Not only the tree but also the ground shook.

I stared at the sight of the berries falling from the sky like rainwater. Enoch looked at me with a blank expression.

“Is this how it’s done?”

I nodded like a fool and clapped. If it is this amount, it is enough to only sweep all the fruit.

“You’re the best. I admit it. More efficient than worker ants.”

I complimented him by raising my double thumbs up. Enoch looked proud inside.

He said he would not believe me until a while ago yet he sat next to me and ate the fruit.

However, after chewing the fruit, he frowned his forehead in disappointment.

“It doesn’t taste good. There aren’t many edible parts.”

The juice itself isn’t bad. It’s because there’s not much to eat as he said.

“This is the only thing I can get right now, so what can I do?”

When I told him not to complain about the fruit, Enoch seemed embarrassed and closed his mouth with red cheeks.

Maybe I should hunt for fish after I go to the mountain.

After we ate the fruit, we organized our seats and prepared to climb the high mountain.

The nearest mountain seemed very high and steep, so I had to prepare well.

In fact, when it comes to preparation, it was only about organizing clothes and obtaining a solid branch that can be used for various purposes.

I can’t believe I have to go through this jungle forest wearing a thick dress and flat shoes……this is ridiculous.

Perhaps Enoch thought the same way, he put his hands on his waist and looked at me with an annoying face.

“I think it would be better for Young Lady to just wait here.”

As he said, it might have been better to do so. However……

“How can I trust Your Highness?”

Enoch, speechless at my words, shut his mouth.

In fact, I wasn’t very good at judging whether I would be of any help to him. However, no matter how much Enoch roamed the battlefield, it would be the first time he was in distress.

Besides, even though he was born of a commoner, he was born into a noble imperial family, so he would have never explored such a remote area before.

I can’t even call myself a survival expert, but at least I’m more familiar with this situation than Enoch.

“Fine. But I can’t guarantee that I will always save Young Lady in a dangerous situation.”

“I know.”

Enoch stared at me without a word, then nodded his head and turned his back.

Once Enoch took the lead, I decided to follow him. I looked at Enoch’s back and walked.

It was a little difficult to gather the hem of the dress with my hands and try not to reveal my legs as much as possible.

Should I say I won’t follow you?

However, it was also very important to judge directly with my own eyes.

Enoch still thinks of me as a suspect, and it seems unlikely that he will share all the information he knows. I can’t be sure he’ll really guarantee my life.

‘Okay, let’s endure it and follow along. I can do it!’

As I went deep into the forest, the vegetation grew vigorously.

In addition, it was somewhat difficult to penetrate the road because it was full of all kinds of bushes.

I walked through the bush using the wooden stick that Enoch had brought, but I had no choice but to slow down.

“Are you okay?”

Enoch looked at me with a rather tired face.

I gasped for breath and nodded.

“It’s bearable.”

Enoch didn’t sweat too much. The same goes for me. In addition, there was no smell of sweat or wet clothes.

Is it because we are the characters in the novel? Or is it because of the nature of the island where time does not flow?

If not, maybe it’s because it is an island where neither magic nor divine power can be used.

It’s a good thing I don’t smell anything from my body.

“Good.”

Enoch sighed with relief.

Even ordinary adult men would have a hard time surviving in such a situation. In addition, the person I possessed was Margaret. A noble aristocratic young girl whose hands are very precious. So Enoch was worried enough.

He was convinced that Margaret had changed, but he didn’t seem to suspect that she was a different person at all.

“If it wasn’t for this dress and flat shoes, I would have done better than this.”

Enoch walked without answering.

Soon, we finally climbed the mountain’s entrance hiking trail. Looking at the direction of the sunrise, it seems that it is still morning time.

Looking at the height of the mountain, it looked like Mt. Bukhan[1]. I think we will be able to reach the top by lunchtime. I have never climbed Mt. Bukhan in this kind of outfit.

[1] Mt. Bukhan is a mountain in the northern periphery of Seoul, South Korea.

Enoch looked back in surprise that I was following him silently without complaining.

It was similar to the appearance of the owner who checks to see if the dog is following well, so it was not clear whether it was a good response or not.

What’s really fortunate is that I have not yet encountered anything that could threaten my life, such as a wild beast or a monster. Yes, even on the second day of distress, it is very difficult if my life is threatened.

Anyway, we arrived at the top of the mountain safely, but the problem lies elsewhere.