SAAE 23

Chapter 23

“You and your precious friends just left me behind without a care, whether I lived or died.”
“……”
“No matter what their situation was, no matter how much you wanted to help, what does that have to do with me? Why did you give them our information without thinking?”

I guess people can’t change, can they?

“You knew I’d hate it, yet you helped those guys without a second thought.”
It’s a relief that I’m finally realizing you’re still a selfish piece of trash.

“I never thought you’d welcome me helping them. Only an idiot would, right?”
“No, Rosette, I… I just….”
“Enough with the excuses.”
I looked at Felix, sternly.

“You must’ve thought I looked like some kind of fool, huh?”

Felix flinched as though he’d been stabbed by a knife and shouted.
“Rosette! No, stop jumping to conclusions and just listen to me! I wasn’t trying to do anything bad to you! I just… I had to save Jade, that’s why!”
“You’re still so confident.”

“Rosette, it’s not like that…”
“If you were so confident, why hide it?”
“Rosette!”

Now he’s shouting.

I let out a hollow laugh.
“You really have no shame, do you?”

The first one approached and gently patted my shoulder, as if trying to comfort me.

—Poison, I have it.

Then the first one’s voice echoed in my mind.

Suddenly, what poison?

I looked at him, bewildered, and his voice continued in broken fragments.

—That guy, human, no, demon, poison, use it, order.

…Was he suggesting using the poison I absorbed from Isael to kill Felix?
I could use that poison again.

‘That’s a bit tempting.’

It seemed like my first one had the ability to absorb things and then release them again.
Honestly, for a moment, I felt tempted, but quickly suppressed the thought.
‘I’ll find a more useful way to use it later.’
It would be a waste to use it on someone like Felix.

I looked at him coldly and said,
“I’m leaving you here.”
“No, no. Rosette, I’m sorry.”

Finally realizing something, Felix urgently continued.
“I should’ve apologized first, but I was trying to explain myself so you wouldn’t misunderstand. Of course, I was going to apologize, I swear.”

I ignored everything Felix was saying and spoke again.
“Stay here and hold out until your friends arrive.”
“Rosette!”
“Be thankful I’m not throwing you off the island right now.”I quickly moved to the fifth island with Isael.
The second one, holding me in one arm and grabbing Isael with the other, managed the flight perfectly.

Isael, dragged by the second one by his collar, didn’t even try to hide his displeasure.
He didn’t say anything, probably because he knew there was no more efficient way.

I smiled brightly and looked at the second one.
“Good job, second one.”

The second one gave a satisfied gesture, patting his chest with his right hand as if to say, “Leave it to me.”

‘So dependable.’

As I looked at the second one with affection, I felt a sharp gaze from the side.
Sure enough, Isael was staring at me intensely.

“…What?”

Why was he looking at me like that?
There was going to be a flower path ahead of us.
Why the frown, Isael?

I tilted my head and looked up at him, and Isael sighed deeply before speaking.
“You know, you’re unnecessarily kind. Too soft-hearted.”

…What’s with the sudden rude remarks?
Who’s kind? Who’s soft-hearted?

“You’re saving someone who doesn’t even deserve your mercy. Why save him at all?”
“Eh?”
What is he talking about?

“Are you talking about Felix?”
I didn’t get what he meant at first.

“I didn’t save him.”

Isael looked at me like he didn’t understand, his expression confused.
“Then why did you leave him on the island?”

His voice was full of dissatisfaction as he spoke.
“Let him be torn apart by monsters, or whatever. Why didn’t you just push him off the island?”

Well, I could understand why Isael felt that way.

“I thought leaving him like that would make it worse for him.”
“….”
“By the time the Camelot Empire’s people reach the island, it’ll take a long time.”
I explained calmly,
“Until then, I wanted him to suffer, regret, and live in fear of dying alone.”

He was a coward, after all.
Felix would think that being left alone would be worse than death itself.

Isael squinted at me, still looking skeptical.
What part of my words was so doubtful?
I’m being serious here.

“It’s true! Really.”
I pleaded, pounding my chest for emphasis.

“No, really. I didn’t save him.”

After repeating myself several times, Isael finally nodded, as if convinced.
Then, silence fell.

Maybe it was because Felix was gone.
It had been a while since it was this quiet, and it felt strange.

After some time, Isael suddenly spoke.
“It’s just the two of us again.”

It was an unexpected statement.
I tilted my head.
“Huh?”

Isael added, in a flat voice.
“We’re the only ones left, just like at the beginning.”
“Ah….”
Right.

I nodded silently.
It’s just the two of us again.

The fifth island was completely frozen, as if it was the only place in the world experiencing an ice age.
But for some reason, I didn’t feel cold at all.
I used to feel cold just from a slight dip in temperature, but now, nothing.

‘I feel like I’ve gotten stronger.’
Since some point, I had stopped feeling tired, and my magic didn’t drain either.
It was even more surprising that I didn’t feel cold on an island where everything was frozen solid.

‘Is this what it means to be strong?’

Perhaps the souls I control, especially the second one, are influencing my body.

I looked at the souls with satisfaction.
Then, the first one, whose gaze met mine, spoke.

—Still, not enough, get stronger.

Hmm, what does that mean?
Does it mean I can get even stronger here?
I’m already satisfied, but getting stronger sounds…
‘Thrilling just thinking about it.’

Then, who could dare stand in my way when I get stronger?

“What are you doing?”
Isael tapped my shoulder lightly.

I must’ve looked strange, standing there laughing absentmindedly.
I snapped out of my thoughts.

For a moment, I was thinking like someone who lives with a Black Flame Dragon in their right hand…
I shouldn’t be too careless. Not be arrogant.

“Oh, just thinking about something for a bit. Let’s go.”
I grabbed Isael’s hand and walked toward the center of the island.

The reason I didn’t head straight for the last island but came to the fifth one was simple.
I had to gather all the valuable items on this floor.

Once I collected everything, I planned to go directly to the seventh island.
‘The sixth island is a trap.’
I had already confirmed this by sending the second one.

The first one also told me to skip the sixth island and go straight to the seventh.
However, he insisted that I must stop by the fifth island before anything else.
He said there was something important for me to take from here.

‘The first one didn’t say that for no reason.’

The sword that helped evolve the second one on the previous island was all thanks to the first one.
So I was sure there must be a special item hidden on this island.
Maybe this time, the first one would evolve just like the second one did.

With that hope, I looked around the island and suddenly suggested to Isael.
“Isael, do you want to head straight to the last island?”

“Why the sudden suggestion?”

“No, I thought you might feel cold.”

Isael spoke firmly.
“I’m not cold.”
“…Really? You’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”

…But that can’t be true.
There’s no way he’s okay.
This is the kind of cold that you can’t just power through with bravado.