I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 158

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 158
24. The Return of Seven
Noel Bennen Rutison, belonging to the Central Army of the Langrid Empire, prayed—again and again—that this sickening territorial conquest of a war would end even a day sooner.
This Continental War was unfolding once more at the Romalisan Holy Ground. With the third round of Romalisan approaching, Noel rose at dawn and poured wine before the Military Camp Barracks, offering his prayers.
At that moment, his peer Hyzen, passing by, spoke to him.
“Noel? What are you doing at dawn?”
“Can’t you see, you fool? I’m praying.”
“Seems the method of prayer has changed without my knowing.”
“It’s a legend passed down from the Northern Region. They say if you pray like this, the god of the earth will hear your prayer.”
“You believe in such superstition? If the Papal Court catches wind of this, you’re finished.”
“I’m already finished fighting with the Papal Court anyway—does it matter?”
Unable to counter, Hyzen eventually fell silent.
He was right. This mad war unfolding at the Romalisan Holy Ground was waged by every force on the Western Continent—the Papal Court and the Mage Association leading the charge, followed by the Langrid Empire, the Hestia Kingdom, and the duchies and empires of the Northern Region, all vying against one another.
“Where on earth did those missing ‘distinguished ones’ disappear to? It’s truly a mystery that will be recorded in history. Only when they return can this wretched war end or reach a ceasefire.”
Noel muttered as if sighing. As dawn broke, soldiers moved about busily, and Hyzen shrugged his shoulders while observing them.
“I don’t know. If the god didn’t actually take them, I wonder how such remarkable individuals could vanish so suddenly all at once.”
Hyzen, who didn’t believe in god, was saying such things. Noel lifted his head in surprise.
“What’s gotten into you?”
“Just the state of things these days.”
Noel immediately sympathized with Hyzen’s self-deprecating remark.
At that moment, a superior’s voice rang out from the entrance of the barracks. It was Sir Feldeym, their Central Army’s Battle Commander. Standing in perfect armor and upright posture, Sir Feldeym glared at Noel and Hyzen.
“What are you two doing? Aren’t you preparing for battle?”
“No, sir! We’ll correct this immediately.”
“My apologies. We’ll begin right now!”
Noel and Hyzen scrambled out of the barracks.
Yet that day, they witnessed it themselves at the Romalisan Holy Ground.
The missing ‘distinguished ones’ riding an enormous divine beast, tearing through the sky as they emerged.
* * *
About a week had passed since we escaped the Island.
Because we suddenly fell into the middle of the Battlefield, the war entered a ceasefire state.
At first, there was absolute chaos. Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief at the sight before them, and eventually combat ceased entirely.
Since not just one but multiple high-ranking officials who had been missing appeared all at once, the procedure for verifying their identities proceeded concisely and swiftly.
We were escorted to the Military Camp Barracks of the Langrid Empire and received meticulous protection from the upper ranks. Though the military camp was cramped, seeing the conveniences of civilization and so many people moving about alive made me truly feel that we had escaped. I felt tears welling up.
Even with Yuanna Lucy and Archbishop Luzef’s Divine Power, the Prince of Asdal’s right eye could not be restored. Fortunately, all his other wounds were healed.
Kaiden finally awoke as well, but since waking, he had not left the barracks.
I lay on the bed assigned to me in my barracks and closed my eyes. I’d rested for a full week, yet my physical strength remained slow to recover.
In truth, our problem wasn’t the visible wounds. We all bore deep aftereffects and desperately needed rest.
The Prince of Asdal didn’t immediately go to the Hestia Kingdom’s military camp; instead, he deliberately remained in the Langrid Empire’s camp—practically an enemy force—to rest.
He said it was because we had much to discuss with him, and his audacity was truly remarkable. Thanks to that, Yuanna Lucy and Archbishop Luzef could remain here as well, and Kaiden stayed too.
In this war, all forces except the Allied Forces of the Northern Nations stood in opposition to one another—a strange configuration where even the trajectory and outcome of the war could not be predicted.
However, with representatives from the Hestia Kingdom, the Papal Court, and the Mage Association all present and under the protection of the Langrid Empire’s military forces, continuing the battle had become untenable.
‘…A war, then.’
I’d suspected as much, but I never thought that suspicion would become reality.
The Papal Court, the Rohade Family, and the Mage Association had likely orchestrated this.
Just then, a commotion erupted from outside the barracks.
“Wait, Noel. Did you forget? She’s the legendary Lady Flone!”
“What does that matter? Don’t you realize this is an event that will go down in history? Regardless of the rumors, she’ll have her name recorded in history too. We should try to make a good impression while we can.”
“Ugh…. I’m embarrassed by how simple-minded and crude you are, you idiot.”
The knights seemed to be chatting amongst themselves.
‘Come to think of it, in this world they still believe I’m that vicious Margaret from before.’
In truth, that vicious Margaret was me as well, so I had to accept it. There was nothing to say in my defense.
“Ahem. Pardon the intrusion, Lady Flone. I’ve brought your meal.”
A composed voice emerged—so refined it was hard to believe it came from the man who’d been making a fuss moments ago.
In truth, I had no appetite, but I desperately needed people around me. People who could continuously prove that my escape from the Deserted Island was real, that this wasn’t a dream.
“Please, come in.”
At my invitation, a man entered the barracks. Coarse blonde hair caught my eye. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with a somewhat youthful face. He seemed to be around Margaret’s age.
I pushed myself up and sat on the edge of the bed.
The man carrying the tray with bowls of stew and water froze in shock at the sight of my appearance. His face flushed crimson as he took hesitant steps backward.
“Ah, I…. Ah, that is…. I’m, I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t realize you weren’t ready yet…. Such, such rudeness….”
The man seemed startled by my clothing. I was still wearing Walker Shoes, Cargo Pants, a crop top, and an aviation jacket.
There were no suitable clothes for me at the military camp. Yet having a noble lady borrow knights’ clothing was, by their standards, entirely improper.
So we’d decided to have clothes brought from afar, but until then I had no choice but to wear this outfit.
“I’m sorry. I startled you.”
I looked at the man with an embarrassed expression. He stood awkwardly, his face showing clear indecision about whether to leave or stay, as he gauged my reaction.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll eat well.”
I rose from my seat and took the tray from his hands. The man then scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
“I am Noel Bennen Rutison. You may simply call me Sir Noel.”
I’d heard the name Rutison somewhere before.
‘Ah. Now I remember.’
Rutison was famous in the Langrid Empire.
“Rutison? You must be from the Rutison Earl Family, the one that dominates the southern regions of Langrid.”
“That’s correct.”
At my words, Noel smiled sheepishly. He had quite an innocent face.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll eat it gratefully. And there’s something I’d like to ask….”
I trailed off and studied Noel’s complexion. His eyes sparkled with eagerness as he looked at me, his expression inviting any question.
Fortunately, the emotion he held toward me seemed to be curiosity rather than prejudice. So I asked the question I’d been desperate to ask ever since my return.
“My family…. That is, are all the members of the Flone Family safe?”
Noel’s expression clouded over. He looked at me with deep sympathy.
Though I knew the reputation Margaret had, this version of me—who appeared to have just returned and lacked situational awareness—seemed to inspire his pity.
“The Flone Family is safe and well. It appears they’ve been searching for you in every possible way. Ever since you disappeared, they’ve continued without pause.”
Did his words put me at ease?
Truthfully, I’m not sure. This is a far more complex emotion than that.
Margaret’s family was warm and close-knit—a kind of warmth that I, as Lee Jin-ju, had never once experienced in my entire life.
And so that gap only deepened my confusion.
“Ah, I heard that Duke Flone has been ill.”
“What? My father?”
I asked in surprise, and Noel Bennen Rutison watched my expression with a flustered face.
“W-well… After the Young Lady went missing, he couldn’t bear the shock and took to his bed. I’ve only heard rumors that he hasn’t even entered the Imperial Palace and has been confined to the Flone estate.”
The news that Duke Flone—my father—had fallen ill might not be mere rumor after all. Knowing how tender-hearted and affectionate he was, it seemed all the more likely.
Rather, it would be my mother and sisters, those formidable women, who would be searching with fierce determination for the culprit who kidnapped me.
As I recalled those memories, a smile bloomed across my face. Noel stared at me with curious fascination.
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
He shook his head vigorously, his expression flustered.
“The… the stew will get cold. Please, eat while it’s warm. I should be going…”
Noel seemed quite flustered, fumbling about before pointing to the tray on the table and backing away in hasty steps.
Wait, why was he backing away like that…?
But just as he was about to leave the barracks, something caught under his feet—Eun-ji, who had transformed back into her serpent form.
“What is—ugh, ahhh…!”
Eun-ji looked up at him with bright, curious eyes and tilted her head.
“What’s the matter!”
A knight with dark navy hair, who must have been waiting outside the barracks, rushed in.
“Young Lady! Are you alright—!?”
He quickly spotted Noel sprawled on the floor and couldn’t hide his exasperated expression. Then, with precise movements, he bowed respectfully to me.
“My apologies. I am Hyzen Burden Peres. Please forgive my colleague’s rudeness. I have no idea how someone with such a cowardly disposition even made it to this harsh battlefield.”
Hyzen, a man of refined appearance, apologized to me with economical movements and polished speech.
“Hyzen, you…!”
Seeing Noel point accusingly with a face flushed crimson, it was clear the two were friends.
Meanwhile, the curious Eun-ji had poked around near them, but losing interest, she slithered back toward me.
Even Hyzen, who had been standing with an expressionless face, seemed slightly startled as he watched Eun-ji.
“Could that serpent be the divine beast you rode here on?”
At Hyzen’s question, I burst into laughter.
A divine beast? Eun-ji was a magical beast at best. But there was no need to elaborate unnecessarily, so I simply laughed.
As I remained silent, they too felt too awkward to ask further and closed their mouths.
“By the way, where is Kaiden… or rather, the Lord’s barracks?”
I lifted Eun-ji onto my shoulder and stood up as I asked. It was Hyzen who answered.
“Ah, you mean the Magic Tower Master of the Langrid Empire who returned with you? I think it would be best if you didn’t see him right now.”
“Why?”
At my question, Noel’s face grew troubled.
“It’s just… his condition… isn’t good.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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