Chapter 113

I was surprised to find Ruzef getting closer and closer to us.

“He can’t see us from outside, can he?”

Kayden shook his head at my question. “No one can.”

But Ruzef ran right in our direction. He looked very tired as he was carrying a large bag on his shoulder.

He stopped in front of the barrier, took a deep breath, and then turned to face the monsters following him. It seems true that he can’t see us.

Seeing it, Ruzef was quite lucky. Even though he was running chased by monsters, he was running towards our barrier.

It was also showing his back right in front of Kayden’s nose.

Kayden widened his eyes as he looked at Ruzef’s back.

“Kayden.”

I called him because I wanted him to do something with Ruzef. Only then did he grab Ruzef by the shoulder and pull him into the barrier.

“Aagh! What what what……!”

Ruzef, who fell backward, was surprised to find Kayden. He stared at Kayden as if he saw a ghost.

I put my index finger on his lips and quieted him, then looked toward Diego.

Diego was looking around for Ruzef, who had suddenly disappeared. Behind him were three monsters with bizarre appearances.

I opened the magazine of the flare gun, checked the bullets, and loaded them.

“I’ll go out.”

“No.”

“I can do this much.”

After answering firmly to Kayden, who held me back, I went out of the barrier. Enoch followed me without hesitation and stood next to me to protect me.

Kayden, who couldn’t come out because he was guarding the barrier, frowned.

I called Diego, who was standing with his back to us, lost in his direction.

“Sir Diego!”

When he saw us, he made a surprised face.

“Come this way!”

At my call, he faltered for a moment, and soon clenched his teeth and ran toward us.

I grabbed his hand and pushed him into the barrier.

Then, after pulling down the hammer of the flare gun, I aimed it at the approaching monsters and pulled the trigger.

-bang! bang!

Along with the gunshots, the monsters’ bodies exploded in all directions. Enoch immediately hugged me and jumped into the barrier.

We survived.

After letting out a sigh of relief and thanking Enoch, I looked at the two men sitting on the floor with pale faces.

Diego and Ruzef were really looking very haggard as if they hadn’t even had a sip of water.

Ruzef, who was sitting down with a pale complexion, made an expression as bright as a flower when his eyes met mine.

His gestures, fluttering as he rose from his seat and approached me, looked pure and fragile, just like a butterfly flapping its wings.

“Young Lady! You’re safe!”

He hugged me right away.

The strength of his hug was no different from that of other strong men.

Ruzef’s body trembled lightly with anxiety as he held me tightly. I took a deep breath as I felt his tremble.

“……are you crying?” I asked in surprise.

“I’m not crying.”

Kayden, who was standing behind me, laughed out loud. Cheerful laughter instantly reversed the heavy atmosphere.

“Hey, it’s not my fault. It’s really funny to see you cry.”

“Shut up, you uncultured wizard,” said Ruzef to Kayden as he slowly let me go.

Looking at him, there are indeed tears in his eyes. Somehow, I felt like I had brought home a cat that had left the house, so I was deeply touched and even felt sorry for him.

“Are you okay?”

At my question, Ruzef bit his lower lip tightly and nodded. He had a very sad expression on his face as if a dam had burst due to a pile of sorrow.

“I missed you. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Ruzef, the priest of God, looked at me with eyes filled with deep trust.

I was a little surprised to see his eyes looking at me.

He had expressed his trust in me at times, but I don’t think he ever expressed his feelings so directly.

‘I’m not sure about Enoch or Kayden, but doesn’t Ruzef just like me because I take good care of him?’

Kayden, who had been quietly looking at me, frowned and glared at Ruzef.

“Who are you to want to see our Margaret?”

“Please shut that mouth of yours.”

Of course, Kayden is not a man who will stop there. He was busy mocking Ruzef like a fish out of water.

Ruzef refuted each and every one of Kayden’s words with an angry face, but he gave up for a moment, as if sick and tired, and looked back at me.

Before long, he widened his eyes in surprise, noticing too late on my clothes.

“Young Lady, what’s wrong with your clothes?! No, why did you make your clothes like that……?!”

What do you mean I made it? It’s originally like this. His words are too harsh.

I guess I’ll have to see this kind of reaction as much as the number of people left in the future, no? Somehow I’m already getting tired of it.

“I picked it up. I couldn’t wear my dress at all.”

“Yes……?! What nonsense…….”

“Don’t bother our Margaret.”

Fortunately, at the right moment, Kayden stopped Ruzef from speaking. However, before the second round of childish arguing started again, I shook my head and looked back at Diego.

Diego got up and quietly tidied up his clothes, quietly blending into the background like a shadow.

He stood there silently as if he was a misplaced puzzle piece for our group.

“Are you okay?”

Diego, who was standing calmly, looked at me.

After glancing at my clothes for a moment, he hurriedly turned his head. I could see his earlobes turning bright red.

“I am sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to see…… sorry…….”

Diego uttered continuous apologies, frowning between his brows, and biting his lower lip gently as if he hated himself.

‘No, why are all the men here acting like Sukmaek[1]?’

[1] A person who cannot discern things and does not know the affairs of the world well.

Well…… the t-shirt is a little thin, though. And it’s short, so my stomach is clearly visible.

At that time, Enoch returned after confirming that no monsters appeared around the barrier again.

With one hand, he boldly undid the top button of his shirt. Then, with his chin raised, he glared at Diego with a somewhat overbearing gaze.

“You are alive,” said Enoch, as if it was surprising to see Diego still alive.

His stern voice proved that he didn’t condone Diego’s rude behavior.

Diego only calmed his flushed face when Enoch appeared. As if he had expected Enoch’s reaction, he lowered his head calmly, then knelt down in front of us and bowed his head.

“I am deeply reflecting on my foolish actions. I’m just glad that both of you are safe.”

It was as neat an explanation and atonement as the moderation action.

Of course I didn’t mean to forgive or anything. I never thought of him as mine in the first place.

Enoch sighed as I watched Diego with a somewhat skeptical attitude.

“It remains to be seen whether you really think so.”

Enoch answered mercilessly and then looked at me. He seems to hand over the initiative of the conversation to me. So I now calmly ask Diego questions.

“How did this happen? How did you get here? How did you get chased by the monsters?”

Then Diego got up and sighed while rubbing his weary face.

“Well…….”

He calmly began to explain.

After the three of us fell into the river, they exchanged signs with Arthdal on the other side of the river: Let’s meet on the west side of the North Island, at the place where the star was drawn on the map.

So, while recklessly heading west with Ruzef, they ran into monsters. The monsters chased them day and night as if they had intelligence.

Thanks to that, they couldn’t sleep properly and didn’t eat for several days.

Hearing that makes me feel a little sorry.

‘Wasn’t it more difficult than what I went through?’

It’s to the point where I wonder if I, who was taken away by Jenas, was at least better.

“But is this a barrier?” asked Ruzef with a curious face.

Is his bickering with Kayden over?

The barrier is transparent, so you can’t see it, but when you put your hand close to it, you can see the barrier activating with a bluish light.

Sitting on the ground with his chin propped up, Kayden looked at Ruzef and shouted, “Be careful, if you touch it, you will be cursed.”

“Ahh! Really?”

Ruzef, who reached the barrier, was startled and fell backward.

Looking at Ruzef like that, we had a short moment of silence. I already know that Ruzef is very simple. Maybe that’s why Kayden enjoys teasing him.

I prepared a bonfire with Enoch. I was relieved at Kayden’s words not to worry about the smoke being inside the barrier, and I ordered Eunji to start a fire.

As the fire started to burn, Diego, who had been quietly watching us, looked at me with a teary face. He looked sad as if he were a child reflecting on the past.