SAE 14

Chapter 14

The distance was too far to clearly see their expressions.

But I could make out roughly what they were doing.

Ariana seemed unable to believe I was alive; she covered her mouth with both hands.

The others surrounding her, as if protecting her, were pointing toward us while talking among themselves.

Suddenly, Leonard brought his hands to his mouth and appeared to shout something in our direction.

I can’t tell what he’s saying.

One thing was clear: they seemed to have something to say to me.

But I couldn’t hear it.

Every island on this floor was equipped to block internal and external sounds.

So we couldn’t hear them, and they couldn’t hear us.

People on different islands couldn’t communicate at all.

Maybe it’s for the best that I can’t hear anything.

I didn’t want to hear whatever they wanted to say to me.

I wasn’t curious either.

“What… what are they saying?”

Felix, on the other hand, seemed genuinely curious about what Leonard was saying.

“Guess they’re surprised I’m alive, that’s all.”

“……Huh?”

“They probably want to ask how I survived and got down here, right?”

Or maybe Felix was curious why I was with him.

Whatever it was, they probably never imagined meeting me again.

My expression probably wasn’t very visible, but I deliberately put on a mocking smile toward them.

Even if Leonard got lucky, he wouldn’t have gotten items as easily as he did when I was with his group.

I could tell just from seeing Felix fall into hallucinations on the fourth floor, separated from his group.

Everyone was probably starving and exhausted.

Yet they still hadn’t realized how valuable what they abandoned was.

Turning my back on them, I walked away.

Heading back toward the lake, my steps felt unusually light.

While picking mushrooms for a while, I ran into Isael coming out of the lake.

“What are you doing there?”

Isael approached and tilted his head slightly, looking down at me.

I squatted and lifted my head to look up at him.

“Oh, you’re here?”

At that moment, a drop of water fell from Isael’s jet-black hair.

I wiped the drop off my eye with the back of my hand.

“You already finished washing?”

“Yeah.”

Isael nodded and squatted next to me.

I had been so absorbed in picking mushrooms that I had forgotten, and now I quietly looked at his side profile.

Perhaps because his hair and face were wet, Isael looked unusually wistful today.

He’s really handsome.

His face was still undeniably perfect, but somehow it had a different charm than usual.

No wonder the main character’s appearance was never ordinary.

“You were picking these mushrooms?”

“Ah, yeah. They said these are edible.”

I showed him the mushrooms I had just picked, and he nodded in acknowledgment.

Looking closely, he seemed unusually… gentle today.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just today. Lately, Isael didn’t show any suspicion toward me at all.

Since when did he stop being wary…?

I couldn’t pinpoint a specific time.

Probably because he had been so preoccupied with survival and struggles.

Regardless of the reason, it was a good thing that Isael no longer distrusted me.

“You’re taking all of these?”

“Yeah.”

Of course I’d take them all. Who am I leaving them for?

“I’ll take everything.”

I said while looking at the mushrooms gathered around the base of the tree.

“It would be better if we cooked them, but given the circumstances, we’ll eat them raw… well, they still seem edible.”

Isael glanced at me and quickly began gathering the mushrooms.

“You don’t have to help.”

“It’s fine. Hand me the bag.”

He had picked all the mushrooms around us and placed them in my bag.

“At least we’re lucky that we can tell what’s edible and what’s not…”

“Hey, I can hear that, you know?”

Who told him to mutter that so loudly?

I chuckled awkwardly, and Isael replied immediately:

“I said it so you could hear it.”

“……”

Speechless, I watched as Isael handed me the bag.

I grabbed it and slung it over my shoulder, glaring at him.

“I’m not eating things I can’t eat. I’m eating them because we need them.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Isael nodded vaguely, seemingly taking my words lightly.

I felt a little frustrated but stayed silent.

Sigh… what’s the point of talking…

I got up slowly.

Having squatted for a while, I rubbed my sore back and stretched lightly.

Isael, who had stood up beside me, spoke.

“I’m not doubting your judgment.”

…Hmm?

“I trust it. Your instructions have been reasonable so far, and probably will continue to be. I trust you.”

Why is he saying something so embarrassingly sweet all of a sudden?

I looked at him, surprised, and he continued, eyes fixed on my bag.

“I’m just worried that you might eat something wrong and get sick.”

“Oh… I see.”

This kid actually cared about me.

Watching Isael speak without looking me in the eye, I felt a bit warm in the face.

“This place is far more dangerous than the outside world.”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

Well, it wasn’t unreasonable for him to worry.

If the roles were reversed, I’d be worried if someone kept picking strange things in front of me.

I awkwardly lifted the corner of my mouth into a smile.

“Th-thanks… for worrying?”

Isael finally lifted his head slightly to meet my gaze and cleared his throat.

“No need to thank me… it’s natural.”

“Still, thanks are thanks.”

I nudged his side with my elbow.

Isael cleared his throat again and turned his head away completely.

So shy…

This guy had some cute traits, it seemed.

“By the way, are you really okay?”

Isael had just recovered from poison a few hours ago.

I worried that he might have lingering effects.

“I’m fine. Really.”

He looked me straight in the eye.

“It’s thanks to you. Without you, I might have died. No, I would have died.”

“……”

The atmosphere became a bit heavy instantly.

Isael really thought he would have died without me.

It made sense he thought that, but I knew he was wrong.

You’re someone who could have successfully left this tower on your own.

No matter what hardships came, Isael would have overcome them by himself.

Knowing that, I felt a little sorry for his downcast demeanor.

I deliberately looked him in the eye firmly.

“Who’s dying?”

“……”

“Don’t even joke about dying. Words become reality.”

“……Understood.”

Isael nodded obediently.

“Anyway, having monsters with poison was unexpected. There might be others with special abilities, so we need to be cautious.”

We’ll need to be more careful when fighting monsters from now on.

Just as I decided it was time to head back, Isael grabbed my arm.

“Since it’s just the two of us, I want to ask something.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“You handled a dagger really well. Did you learn swordsmanship?”

“Ah… yeah. I learned.”

Someone had taught me swordsmanship since I had no aptitude for magic.

“Well, it’s not exactly swordsmanship… more like self-defense.”

The person gave me a dagger as a child, saying it was easier to use than a long sword because it dispersed force, and that I should at least learn a way to protect myself.

“If I’m not around, shouldn’t you at least know how to defend yourself?”

I should have realized something was off back then.

Giving a sword to a young girl, especially a noble, was far from normal.

But at that time, I was young, innocent, and loved my family dearly.