Episode 24

I threw the note with the ominous message straight into the embers.

I had just woken up and was still half-asleep, but the contents of that note jolted me wide awake, leaving me confused.

What on earth is going on?

The one that had helped me was the red note. The one that appeared for Elkais was white.

Then, does the red note mean help, and the white one doesn’t?
And why did it tell him to take my gun?
Besides, I don’t even have my gun right now.

Could it be that the ones who sent us here are magicians?

But even if they’re magicians from the Croppers Empire, they wouldn’t know about guns, would they?

“Eve.”

“Brother.”

“Eve, me too.”

“Ugh…”

Abellard looked like he had just woken up. He sluggishly sat up and pulled me into his arms.

Behind me, Elkais was wrapped around my waist like a rope,
and in front of me, Abellard was holding my hands while clinging to me.

“It’s hot.”

“…”

“…”

“I’m dying from the heat here.”

Actually, it wasn’t hot enough to die.
Just as Elkais said, it still seemed to be before sunrise.

But since we were on the beach, the salty scent of the sea, the humid air,
and the sound of crashing waves filled the air.

At the same time, somewhere nearby came the scent of the forest and a cool fragrance.
It was similar to the smell of the sea but without the saltiness—more like cold water.

“Eve.”

“If you’re awake, please move.”

“The scent from you is really nice.”

“Yes, now please move.”

“Eve.”

“Yes.”

“I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“…”

The words telling him to move rose again to my throat,
but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to say them.

After all, the one who saved me from dying yesterday was Abellard.
No, maybe I should say he brought me back from death itself.

“Brother.”

“I hate it more than anything when you call me that.”

“Abellard.”

“Yeah.”

He replied without even opening his eyes.
His pink hair brushed against me every time he shifted, tickling my chest.

“How are you feeling?”
“If you kiss me, I think I’ll be all better.”

“Then stay sick forever.”

“That’s too cruel.”

Abellard suddenly opened his eyes and looked up at me with a pitiful expression. Then he grabbed my shoulders and started to move closer.

His damp breath brushed against my forehead.

“Hey!”

“Mm.”

But it wasn’t my hand that stopped his lips.
Both of my hands were caught in his.

The one who blocked Abellard’s lips was Elkais—the one lying beneath me.

“Aren’t you going to move your hand?”

“Shut up.”

“Mmph.”

With that, he pushed Abellard’s face away with his hand.

“How about settling the score you two couldn’t last time?”

“If you’re wishing for death.”

I really wanted to abandon them both.
Just leave these two here, fix the wrecked hut, and live alone.

***

“Isn’t living in the cave a bad idea?”

“Yes. It’s too cold at night, and it’s far from the forest.
Besides, what about drinking water or washing? We need to be near the lake.”

“Then the only option is to check the hut.”

We had to check the hut.
It had been struck by lightning and caught fire, but since rain followed right after, it shouldn’t have burned down completely.

And I couldn’t stay around these two without a suppressant.

Even if Abellard had saved me, that was that, and this was this.

“Eve.”

“Yes.”

“Can’t we walk holding hands? My feet hurt so much.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Then I can’t go any farther.”

“Then stay here. We’ll go check and come back.”

Abellard’s face was still pale—he didn’t seem fully recovered.

“Or how about staying in the cave after all? We’ll check the hut and come find you.”

If it was near the hut, it would be easier to wash, and the lake water was drinkable, so it was better to stay nearby.

“No. I want to be with you.”

“…”

Elkais glanced at Abellard with a complicated look before walking ahead again.

“Fine, then let’s hold hands.”

“Okay!”

He eagerly took my hand and started walking again.

Even though our hands were tightly clasped, his palm wasn’t sweaty at all.
I kept glancing back at him, worried he wasn’t doing well, but every time our eyes met, he smiled.

Still, his face was so pale that it looked like he might collapse at any moment.

“Your Excellency.”

“…”

“Let’s slow down a bit.”

“…Alright.”

He turned back slowly before facing forward again and kept walking.

Elkais drew his sword and cut down the vines hanging here and there, making it easier for us to walk.

Then, I suddenly felt a cool touch against my thigh. When I looked down, I saw a bulge beneath my negligee. I reached down to check and felt it—it was a gun.

It seemed longer and heavier than the previous one, and it even had a silencer attached.

It looked like the Desert Eagle I had before had been returned to me.

If they were going to give me another gun, they could’ve just given me a K5 instead.

Or better yet, a K7 submachine gun with a built-in silencer.

“Eve.”

“Yes.”

“Even when you walk, you’re too beautiful.”

“…”

“You’re even prettier when our eyes meet.”

“…”

Judging from the nonsense he was spouting, his condition seemed quite serious.

“I feel happy every time you look at me.”

“I’ll look at you often, so please stop saying weird things.”

“Okay.”

We walked for quite some time, and by the time the sun rose above our heads, we finally reached the hut.

“It didn’t burn as much as I thought.”

“It rained afterward.”

The hut was surprisingly intact on the outside, with only some soot marks left. So I let go of Abellard’s hand and drew my gun.

There was no telling what might be inside.

As expected, it did have a silencer attached.

I loaded the gun, held it in both hands, and walked with it lowered toward the ground.

“Let’s go inside. Brother—no, Abellard, please stay there.”

“Okay.”

“Alright.”

Elkais was the first to open the door with his sword drawn.

“There’s no sign of anything inside.”

After saying that, he sheathed his sword. I unloaded the gun, set the safety back on, and reattached it to my thigh.

“Can you summon that again if it disappears?”

“I don’t know. It just reappeared.”

“Fascinating magic.”

“Yeah.”

He let out a small laugh, and I glanced around.

Fortunately, the inside of the hut hadn’t burned too badly either. Most importantly, the drawers seemed untouched by the fire. The books were unscathed as well.

Clatter, click!

“All the suppressants are still here.”

“Good.”

The suppressants sat neatly in their place inside the drawer.

“We just need to fix the roof.”

“Right.”

When I looked up, there was a large hole in the ceiling. It must’ve collapsed when the rain poured in, so it made sense.

Seeing the wedding dress I had taken off last time completely unburned gave me a strange feeling.

“Why is this completely fine?”

“Look over there. My clothes are fine too.”

“Oh.”

It was as if the fire had selectively burned what it wanted. All the clothes were untouched.

“Let’s lay my brother down first. He doesn’t look well.”

“Alright.”

We brought Abellard inside and sat him on a pile of clothes.

“Eve, I’m fine now.”

“Yes, but still, please rest.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“If someone gets hurt, you can help then. For now, just stay like this.”

“I’m strong, you know.”

“We don’t need strength right now.”

He looked a little disappointed but sat back down on the pile of clothes. His face was pale, as if he might faint at any moment, and his lips had a pearly sheen.

“Your Excellency, please gather some palm leaves. We’ll patch up the ceiling. I’ll go look for something edible.”

“It might be better if we switch. I’ll find food, and you, Lady Eve, can gather palm leaves.”

“The palm trees are too tall, and I don’t know how to use a sword. Ah, and while you’re out, could you get some coconuts too?”

“How many?”

“The more, the better.”

“Understood.”

He looked a bit puzzled, then picked up an unburned kitchen knife nearby and handed me his sword.

“Just in case.”

“Will you be alright with only that knife?”

“Didn’t you see last time? I could fight with a fork if I had to.”

“Show me that next time.”

“Sure.”

I joked to lighten the mood, and he gave a bright smile. It was so refreshing that I stared for a moment before taking the sword and heading out first.

Since I’d be using the gun anyway, the sword didn’t seem necessary, so I slung it across my back with a strap.

I climbed up the hill, drew my gun again, released the safety, loaded it, and held it in both hands as I walked.

The weather was quickly growing hotter, and there was no avoiding the sweat that followed.

“Pyak, pyak!”

It was the same finch I’d seen before.

“Hello.”

It tilted its head at me, then fluttered its wings and flew away.

As I watched the finch disappear, a rustling sound came from the forest.

“A puma?”

It really was a puma—and in its mouth, the finch was still miraculously alive.

“Nice to meet you. You’re just a cub, huh.”

Bang!

I fired the gun toward the young puma’s chest. The finch tumbled free from its jaws, flapping its wings wildly before soaring into the sky.

Under the bright sunlight, the bird’s shadow looked almost sacred.

“Found food faster than I expected.”

Just as I bent down, satisfied, to lift the cub’s body onto my shoulder—

“P-please… s-save… me…”

A faint, desperate voice reached me.
Someone was clutching my ankle, their voice dry and cracked, like they hadn’t had a sip of water in days.

The person holding my ankle was none other than Rubellite Croppers, the Crown Prince Ferite Croppers’ twin brother.