Chapter 46: A Perilous Rescue
by xennovel“…Just as expected.”
“…Huh?”
Lara slowly turned her head. In another way, her heart began pounding wildly.
“Pea…?”
Lara’s eyes widened as a hand suddenly gripped her shoulder. The figure drew closer until a warm heat grazed her cheek. Clutched in his arms, she blinked twice before trembling at a voice coming from above.
“I’m relieved you seem unscathed. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Pea… How did you end up here? Were you stranded?”
“I came to rescue you. Where are the others?”
Releasing Lara, he asked in a low tone. Lara snapped out of her daze and took a cautious step back. As she put distance between them, he began closing the gap with long, deliberate strides.
“Don’t come any closer!”
If only his sharp cry didn’t betray a hint of suspicion.
“Are you really Pea? But something’s off. While Lady Elina I was dealing with an incident and the Commander was away, you approached me. In other words… are you a monster?”
He stood dumbfounded, his expression twisting into a slight frown as if questioning his own words. Watching his dark red hair sway in the breeze, Lara slowly picked up a coconut palm fruit from the ground.
“If you truly want to prove you’re Pea, turn around.”
“Understood. So, I should put that down…”
“Hurry up!”
From the very moment he embraced her, Lara had sensed something amiss. Glaring at the creature wearing Pea’s guise, she repeated, “Turn around now!” After a low sigh, he obeyed her silent command and turned.
The instant his broad back was exposed, Lara sprinted forward and struck his head with the palm fruit—just like the heroes in novels and comics. The moment she deemed him a fake, she struck without hesitation.
Thud. As he collapsed onto the ground, Lara exhaled in relief and wiped the sweat from her brow, nearly losing strength from the thrill of defeating a monster.
‘Now’s my chance—quick, I must reach Lady Elina I and the Commander…’
‘…What?’
‘…Th-th-that’s right.’
In a state of shock, Lara looked down at the man sprawled at her feet. Could it really be? Is he truly Pea?
Slowly, Lara sank to her knees and cradled the man, whose head now sported a large bump. He was breathing steadily, his pulse calm, yet he showed no signs of waking.
“No—! This can’t be happening!”
***
“Are you coming to your senses?”
A faint voice reached her ears. As Karlahee opened his eyes, he noticed a round, coral-colored object. Recognizing the warm, soft texture supporting his head, he groaned and clutched his throbbing back as he slowly sat up.
“I’m sorry…”
“Ah, you really shouldn’t push yourself yet.”
Lara looked at him with concern as he rose from the ground. Gazing at his sleeping face, she couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of happiness, though it might have sent chills down his spine.
“But what happened…? It seems something attacked me from behind.”
“Well, it looks like a wild monkey threw a coconut palm fruit…”
“In a place like this, having wild monkeys isn’t all that surprising. Youngae, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Hoho… I’m fine.”
Avoiding her beautiful blue eyes, Lara replied. He pulled out a compass from within his embrace, apparently checking their position. Yet, the needle spun wildly, refusing to settle.
“Isn’t it broken?”
“Everything was fine until we got here, but this is odd. If the compass isn’t working, we’ll have to use another method.”
He tucked the compass away and retrieved a magical communicator.
“Can you hear me? Answer!”
After several attempts produced only crackles, the silence grew even more unsettling. Standing with a stiff expression, Lara suddenly recalled the presence of Lady Elina I and Diches.
“Ah, more importantly, we must go rescue the two of them!”
“Are there two people involved?”
“Yes—Duke Diches and…”
“…Aaaahhhh!”
A piercing scream on the wind directed Lara and Karlahee to run. Soon, they reached a swamp where two enormous ancient trees loomed. Karlahee paused briefly to scan for another route.
“It seems that way. The ground’s slippery down there, so be careful.”
Just as Karlahee reached out to steady Lara’s hand to prevent a fall,
“Ah~AAAAAA!!”
Suddenly, a shadow fell over them and something streaked by overhead. Lara looked up to see Diches clinging to a vine, swinging like a modern-day Tarzan.
Diches swung like a pendulum before leaping down in front of Lara and Karlahee, landing nimbly.
“Your Majesty,”
“Duke, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve always wanted to try this when coming through a jungle.”
Overhearing their conversation, Lara surged ahead of Pea, confronting Diches face-to-face.
“Do you even realize how critical the situation is? You’re completely oblivious!”
“Honestly, I don’t think I do.”
“That’s inexcusable…!”
Lara, who once adored reading tales of the Female and Male Leads, could not believe that the Male Lead was playing around like Tarzan when the Female Lead was in peril.
“It’s been 40 minutes since that scream! By now, she must be trembling alone—and the Commander is probably waiting for you!”
“Ah…”
Diches’ eyes widened as he recoiled, as if suddenly struck by an important life revelation. He staggered back and eventually sank to his knees.
“What have I done…!”
“You’ve really messed up.”
“I must go rescue her. She must be terrified all alone by now—I have to hurry…”
“Even if you leave now, you’ll probably be blamed. Even traffic jams wouldn’t excuse you.”
As Diches dashed off frantically, Lara quietly watched his retreating figure until a resonant divine voice echoed in her mind.
‘No, he IS the Male Lead. He’s supposed to be like that. Oh—he’s slacking off again!’
Before long, Lara spotted Diches stopping to admire mushrooms growing beneath an ancient tree. He beckoned her over, then lowered his voice seriously as she approached.
“These look like wild pine mushrooms. We should collect some in case we need supplies on the way back.”
“The Female Lead is in serious trouble.”
“Ah…”
Diches’ dark eyes went wide as he gripped the damp earth, shaking his head in disbelief.
“What have I done…!”
“I heard earlier! We must set off now—it’s been 45 minutes!”
At Lara’s urging, Diches got to his feet and dashed off again. Lara followed closely behind, watching him like a coach to ensure he headed in the right direction. After about five minutes, a panting Diches stopped and glanced back at her.
“It would be ideal if we could find a three-seater bicycle. Let’s search the forest for any abandoned bikes.”
“There’s no way such a thing exists on this deserted island—you know that!”
There he was, the Male Lead, pedaling away on a three-seater bicycle in pursuit of the Female Lead—a notion that utterly shattered any illusions.
“Did you really think Lady Elina I would be happy? I bet she’d prefer if you just left her be!”
“…I’m not buying it.”
Diches looked at Lara as though he were a spiteful extra trying to sow discord between the Female and Male Leads. A faint anger simmered in his eyes.
“Lady Elina I is waiting for me. No matter how much you tease with that cute little mouth, my resolve remains unshaken. I’m just waiting to ride this three-seater bicycle here.”
‘You just want to ride it, don’t you?!’
In an effort to stop him, Lara grabbed Diches’ arm, but he coldly shook her off and strode in the opposite direction. Just as she resigned herself to his departure, a comforting warmth draped over her shoulder.
Glancing sideways while still trailing Diches, Lara saw Pea clutching onto her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’ll follow the Duke.”
“Ah, no need for that!”
“But can you really leave someone who spouts nonsense about bicycles on this island? He’s bound to lose his way if left alone.”
“I’ll go and stop him. I can’t let Pea get dragged into this… Hoho.”
Lara waved off his concern, but he remained unmoved. After a moment of contemplation, he carefully grasped Lara’s hand as it flailed in the air.
“Then let’s search together.”
“…?”
Startled by the warmth of his hand, Lara’s eyes widened. As he led the way, she had no choice but to follow, hand in hand.
She knew she should run after Diches, but her heart pounded too wildly to risk sprinting.
‘Could it be that Pea feels the same way as I do?’
Perhaps his slow pace was simply out of concern for her. After all, their joined hands were burning hot.
Then, it happened.
With a clattering sound, a long three-seater bicycle burst through the foliage. It was Duke Diches, helmet in place.
‘It actually exists?!’
“What is the meaning of this? Why isn’t anyone riding behind me!”