Chapter 36
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If she listened closely, she could hear the sound of water flowing below.
Adrien mentally replayed the moment Samuel had fallen, trying to picture it under the assumption that he was still alive.
“I’m going down.”
“Then over here—Adrien!”
Linton pointed out the winding path down, but Adrien was already leaping off the edge of the cliff. She moved quickly, navigating the jagged terrain with the ease of an esper, even on a precipice most people wouldn’t dare descend.
Linton could only let out a sigh.
* * *
Adrien pulled her arm from the water; her jacket was soaked up to her shoulders, but the stream was still too deep to reach the bottom. If someone fell in, maybe—just maybe—the water could have broken their fall.
She quickly walked downstream, searching for any sign of Samuel. But no matter how far she went, there was nothing—not even a scrap of clothing or a trace of a body.
Was he still alive, or had his remains vanished altogether?
Anxiety crawled up her damp shoulders and settled on the back of her neck.
‘Stay calm.’
Adrien forced herself to breathe, raking her hand through her hair, crimson eyes fiercely searching the riverbank.
Suddenly, she stopped. Her foot had pressed into unusually damp earth.
She glanced back over her path. Most of the bank was dry, except for where she stood—it was wet, as if someone or something had recently disturbed it.
Quickly, Adrien looked away from the river, eyes scanning the ground. There, something glimmered.
“…A necklace.”
It was the guiding measurement necklace, the one she’d given Samuel, now cracked, the gemstone split.
She gripped the broken piece so tightly that the shard bit into her palm. Her heart began to pound.
‘He’s alive.’
She broke into a run, energy surging through her veins. Whether she was smiling or crying, even Adrien couldn’t tell.
He couldn’t have gone far, and he’d probably be hurt. As night and cold closed in, his best chance would be to find a cave for shelter—something Samuel Norah would definitely know to do.
Certain of what she’d find, Adrien stopped where a rocky bluff rose thick with outcroppings.
“Samuel!”
She searched every hollow that looked big enough for a person, calling his name.
“Samuel Norah!”
At last, a faint voice caught Adrien’s ear.
She whirled around and spotted a hole just big enough for someone to crawl through, then pushed inside.
There he was—a dazed young man with a blank expression. Adrien gave a crooked, relieved smile.
“Is it a hallucination? No, it’s not.”
She was glad to be able to answer that tiny voice she’d heard.
“…Commander?”
Samuel looked up at her in disbelief.
“You heard my voice? That tiny voice…?”
Maybe he really was hallucinating. That’s what Samuel had thought.
And he certainly looked like he’d been through hell.
His shirt was torn, water dripping from every part of him. His face was streaked with small cuts, and his fingertips were bloody.
Adrien’s heart plummeted at the sight, and she couldn’t hide her reaction. Yet at the same time, she felt immense relief—Samuel Norah had survived. That alone was enough.
Unbuttoning her shirt as she approached, she saw surprise flash across Samuel’s face.
“Uh, are you…?”
“Give me your hand.”
Adrien tossed aside her jacket and stripped off her shirt. With a stern, almost angry expression, she gently took Samuel’s hand. The sound of fabric tearing filled the silence as she ripped up her shirt to bandage his battered fingers.
“Anywhere else hurt?”
“…I think my ankle is broken.”
“Are you cold?”
“I’m freezing.”
Adrien took in his condition with a look, seeing the answer written all over him. She sighed and stood up.
“Wait here. I’ll go send a signal.”
Samuel’s chosen cave was so low that even crouching was hard. Once outside, Adrien took a signaling flare from her pocket. At that moment, a raindrop splashed onto her hand.
She looked up at the sky.
“…Of course. Just my luck.”
The sky had grown so dark it was almost menacing, and it looked like the rain could start at any moment.
Adrien quickly lit the flare and set it on the ground. The dirt nearby darkened as droplets started to fall.
Whoosh! The flare shot into the sky—and right at that moment, a heavy downpour began. The flare barely managed a single spark before it fizzled out, smothered by the rain.
“…Ha.”
Of all times to get this unlucky.
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