Chapter 101

***

The battle with the monsters that began in broad daylight showed no signs of ending until sunset.

Cornered by the monsters, Enoch and Kayden’s backs faced the river, and had nowhere to retreat. Due to injuries here and there, their fighting spirit was slowly being broken.

Kayden glanced at Enoch covered in blood, and bit his lower lip anxiously.

“Are you okay, Your Highness?”

Enoch immediately understood what Kayden meant by asking such a question. It was a question filled with concerns that he might show signs of having a seizure and go on a rampage.

“It’s okay.”

Enoch answered, roughly wiping the blood stains from his chin with the back of his hand.

“I can control it.”

I can. No, to be exact, I have to.

It is an urgent situation where it is not even confirmed whether Margaret is alive or dead.

Besides, what happened after the last time he intentionally went on a rampage to wipe out the monsters? Didn’t she almost get hurt? So he couldn’t lose his reason until he confirmed that Margaret was safe.

I have to overcome this. Nothing can be solved by letting go of my mind.

He tightened his grip on his sword. In the aftermath, his veins could be seen on the back of his trembling hand.

The monsters surrounding them had strange appearances that they had never seen before. The level is different from the monsters in the South Island.

One of them cut through the pack and ran at them fast. It’s a strange monster in the form of a fish with legs.

-kraak!

It lunged at Kayden, opening its huge mouth.

Looking at the sharp and dense teeth, Kayden turned half a turn and handed over the right to attack to Enoch. Enoch immediately thrust his sword straight up from under the fish’s snout.

Starting with the attack of the fish monster, the monsters that had been just watching rushed at them again.

-roar!

-kraak!

The sun set and the dark night came, but the battle showed no sign of ending because monsters kept flocking to surround them.

“Damn it, we are outnumbered, why don’t we just run away?”

Kayden gasped for breath.

Enoch, covered in his blood and aiming his sword at the monsters, let out a weary breath. Then he calmly scanned the monsters and frowned.

“I’d love to.”

But the number of monsters surrounding them was quite a lot. It’s difficult to find a gap to escape. Things continued to not go the way they hoped.

At that moment, Enoch couldn’t help but ponder. If I go on like this, I might really die without even finding Margaret.

“Damn it! I can’t see a way out,” shouted Kayden in a very irritating voice.

Enoch looked at Kayden after easily slashing the monster that was charging at him with a terrifyingly expressionless face once again.

Then, in an instant, things became quiet.

At that moment, Enoch went straight into a seizure state.

“Fuxk! I think it’s better to target only one side and break through— Your Highness?!”

Kayden’s shouts went far away.

Enoch’s ears were filled only with the sound of his loud beating heart and hot breathing.

His field of vision was full of red. Enoch could see nothing but red blood.

The turbulent emotions gradually made him lose control of himself.

He was so helplessly dominated by the unconscious, and even his awareness of who he is was fading and disappearing beneath the surface.

“Don’t think about protecting me, worry about yourself first. You wouldn’t last a day on this island without me.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry. It’s not your fault.”

A clear and refreshing woman’s voice rang in his ears.

“Enoch, I want to survive. I hope you can survive, too. I mean it.”

It was Margaret’s voice.

The moment he recalled her face, Enoch’s vision, which had been all red, slowly began to return to its original state.

I just have to control it.

If he runs out of control, he will be able to kill all the monsters, but he will be far from truly overcoming his trauma.

That would save his life from immediate danger, but it could put Margaret in danger someday.

That should not happen.

Even if it means being bitten to death by monsters, it would be better to die thinking of Margaret while remaining rational.

His focus is clear and his blurry mind disappeared.

He could tell by what he was feeling. Now is possible to control himself in his rampage state, perfectly.

As soon as Enoch came to his senses, what he found was the sight of two monsters pushing Kayden to the edge of the river, rushing towards him.

Enoch ran straight to him. He quickly slashed one of the monsters that ran into him and pushed Kayden away.

At that time, another monster rushing towards Kayden bit Enoch on the shoulder.

“Damn it, Your Highness!!”

After a death-like scream from Kayden, Enoch was thrown with the monster and fell into the river.

He was driven deep into the river with the monster. However, he didn’t lose and grabbed the monster’s neck and thrust his sword into its body.

Enoch threw the monster away and swam straight up. He could see a strong fire raging over the shimmering water.

-pooh.

As soon as he raised his face above the surface of the water, he saw huge flames erupting through the dark sky.

-kwaak!

The flames soaring high into the sky swept away the monsters surrounding Kayden in front of the river.

-kwaak!

The screams of monsters writhing in agony were rife through the air. Hearing the sound that tore the eardrums, Kayden covered his ears for a moment and looked around.

Meanwhile, Enoch walked out of the river, dripping blood with a large scar on his shoulder.

“Damn, you are safe. I knew it! Sometimes Your Highness is scarier than a monster,” said Kayden, stroking his chest.

Enoch wiped off the water from his sword once and nodded toward Kayden. Thanks to the fire, there is a gap between the monsters.

“Lord, this way.”

As Kayden and Enoch slipped between them, they saw a silver snake breathing fire in the distance.

“I knew it would be him too. Hey, Eunji.”

Kayden called him, and the snake, which managed to recognize his name, gave them a sidelong glance. The reason why he glanced sideways was that the work of burning the monsters was not yet finished.

-kwaak!!

However, there were still so many monsters that the little snake couldn’t possibly kill all of them.

Enoch and Kayden eventually ran to Eunji. Eunji looked up at the two men running towards him and tilted his head with his mouth closed. The wind extinguished the flames.

Kayden picked up the bewildered Eunji at once and ran with Enoch.

-kyaak! kwaah!

Along with the screams of the monsters behind, came the sound of chasing after them.

Kayden ran with Eunji in his arms and looked down at him.

“Where have you been?”

In response to his question, Eunji only blinked his eyes and remained in his arms as if not understanding what he was saying.

Seeing that innocent face, Kayden clicked his tongue. In the first place, without Margaret, he had no idea what this snake wanted, so he quickly gave up on communicating.

“Lord, hold on.”

Enoch blocked Kayden as he was running with a long, steep breath.

As he was running and panting heavily, Enoch blocked his way.

It’s a dead end. The screams of the monsters behind them were getting closer and closer.

“Damn.”

While Kayden was cursing, Eunji, who had slithered down his wrist, fell to the ground.

“Huh? Hey!”

Kayden stretched out his hand in shock. Eunji ignored him and slithered somewhere and then turned his head towards them.

Enoch, who was quietly looking at Eunji, said, “I think he is asking us to follow him.”

Only then did Kayden remember that Eunji had imprinted on Margaret.

“Oh, come to think of it, that kid had been following Margaret even before he hatched.”

Even as an egg, he pursued her like a ghost, so even if she is far away, he probably knows where she is.

Seeing the monsters getting closer, Enoch nodded at Kayden again.

“Let’s go.”

At Enoch’s words, Kayden fixed the dagger he was holding in its holster and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

They started to move following Eunji.

***

I have no idea what the monster wrapping around my waist is. It has a long trunk like an elephant, but no eyes, and only its sharp teeth gleamed in my sight.

I was hung upside down from a height of three stories, unable to move.

Jenas leaned out of the window on the third floor and spoke to me. “Oh, Meg, there’s a saint in your group.”

“Fuxk, what?”

“You are good at cursing.”

Jenas burst into laughter. What is so funny?

“Keep an eye on that person.”

“Tell me so I understand! And release me!”

Jenas shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just borrowing the monster’s eyes, not manipulating them. They just like you.”

Still hanging upside down in the air because of the monster, I shouted at Jenas, “Why do monsters like me?”

“You must smell delicious, Meg, different from the others.”

Delicious you say?! Shit.

Jenas leaned against the window and stared at me, ignoring any further explanation.

“What do you mean to keep an eye on the saintess?”

“It’s just that the saintess seems to know something.”

“What?”

“Ask her directly. I am also curious.”

You brat!