The news brought by the ice maiden plunged the group into a somber silence. Du Wei felt a heavy weight settle over his heart, furrowing his brows in deep contemplation.
A beast that could easily devour a dragon whole.
A creature formidable enough to vanquish both a dragon and an eighth-level mage without effort.
Leaving the two sisters behind, Du Wei wandered to the seaside, seeking solace in the crisp, cool ocean breeze to untangle the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind.
A beast... A place where magic is suppressed... No spells, no food, no fresh water…
He sighed, muttering to himself, "It seems there's only one way forward…"
With that, he turned and returned to the forest where the sisters were engaged in a heated exchange. Or rather, the ice maiden was scolding Vivian fiercely—it could hardly be called an argument. Given Vivian's stuttering, she was utterly incapable of holding her own in any verbal sparring.
"You should have handed over that cursed phantom beast to me long ago! Do you even understand? That old man has no idea where we are now. Are you still deluding yourself into thinking he'll come to rescue you? Hmph…"
"What's wrong?" Du Wei asked as he approached, glancing at Vivian. Her red-rimmed eyes and dejected expression betrayed her feelings. She hesitated, then replied softly, "N-n-nothing…"
Du Wei smirked as he sat down and began gathering branches to build a fire. "What's with you two? One of you is as meek as a fledgling, and the other? As fierce as a mother dragon."
The ice maiden snorted coldly. Though annoyed by his audacious comment, she restrained herself, mindful of her earlier promise not to trouble him in gratitude for saving her life. She couldn't bring herself to go back on her word so soon.
Vivian stole a timid glance at her sister, then at Du Wei, before inching slightly closer to him as if seeking refuge.
The ice maiden noticed this and muttered under her breath, "A sly rogue, seducing innocent girls."
Du Wei raised an eyebrow and retorted without hesitation, "And a shameless thief, snatching what doesn't belong to her."
Her eyes flared with anger, and she glared at him, clearly on the verge of an outburst.
But before she could unleash her fury, an unexpected sound broke the tense atmosphere.
Grumble... Grumble...
Du Wei couldn't suppress his grin, his gaze falling mockingly on the ice maiden.
Her face flushed crimson, her rage melting away into a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. The once-intimidating anger on her face now seemed almost laughable.
"How strange," Du Wei mused loudly, feigning bewilderment. "Did I hear something just now? Could it be the beast on the island roaring?"
The ice maiden's cheeks burned even brighter, nearly as red as fire. She shot him a venomous glare and muttered through gritted teeth, "It's... It's me!"
"You?" Du Wei widened his eyes in exaggerated surprise.
"…Yes!" she finally snapped, her composure shattering. "It's me! My stomach is growling! I'm starving! It's almost nightfall, and none of you seem to care about food!"
"Of course, we eat," Du Wei drawled lazily, stretching with an air of indifference. "If there were any food to eat, I'd gladly partake myself."
Vivian hesitated, then reached into her bag. Under her sister's incredulous gaze, she timidly produced a handful of dark, unidentifiable roots, whispering, "S-s-sister... If you're hungry… you can… eat this…"
"What is this?" The ice maiden wrinkled her nose in disdain, then abruptly exploded with rage. She leapt to her feet, glaring at Du Wei. "You let my sister eat this garbage? Tree roots?!"
Du Wei's voice turned cold. "If you don't want it, then go hungry."
The ice maiden's fury only deepened. "You useless scoundrel! Can't you catch a single wild animal?"
Du Wei laughed heartily. "Wild animals? By all means, try! If you manage to catch one, I'll compose a hymn to the gods in praise of your greatness. Go ahead!"
Vivian tugged gently at her sister's sleeve and murmured, "S-s-sister… Th-there's n-nothing on this island…"
Du Wei turned his back to them, his voice icy. "The choice is yours. Eat, or starve. By tomorrow, when hunger saps your strength, perhaps I'll take revenge by kicking you into the sea."
That final remark proved more effective than any argument.
The ice maiden snatched the roots from Vivian's trembling hands and began chewing on them begrudgingly.
She grimaced with each bite, her face contorting in disbelief. Never in her life had she tasted anything so vile. Heaven help her—she was eating grass? Roots? Was she a horse? A cow?
The indignity of it all was almost too much to bear, while Du Wei smirked in silent amusement.
The more she ate, the more indignant she became, and yet her hunger drove her to eat faster. Before long, the bundle of roots was gone, leaving a faint feeling of fullness in her stomach. Reluctantly, she glanced at Vivian and asked, "Is there any more?"
"...None," Vivian replied helplessly.
"None?" The ice maiden froze for a moment, her mind reeling.
What kind of world is this? No fish, no meat—fine. But even eating roots leaves me half-starved?
"Listen carefully." Du Wei turned to face her, his expression cold, his gaze unwavering as he fixed it on her. "I think it's time you understood our situation. We're stranded on a deserted island—no food, no water. Do you realize the roots you just devoured were what Vivian saved from her own meager rations today? Do you know I spent nearly the entire morning scavenging for that? And you? You sat there, took it, ate it, and not a single trace of guilt or gratitude crossed your mind. All you did was complain. So let me make this clear—if you're still hungry, then find your own food. Tomorrow, don't take from someone else's share. Here, no one is a noble—neither you, nor me, nor Vivian. No one is here to serve you."
Though his harsh words stung and his stern demeanor infuriated her, the ice maiden found herself at a loss for retorts. She stared at the frail youth before her, a boy she could easily knock down with a single kick. Yet, faced with his reprimand, she felt an unfamiliar pang of guilt—an unsettling, hollowing sense of shame that kept her from meeting his eyes.
For the first time in her life, the ice maiden found herself unable to muster any defiance against such blunt reproach. Before her stood a slender boy, yet his calm, resolute gaze seemed to root him like a great tree against the darkness of the night.
"I... I understand. I didn't mean to take Vivian's food, I just…" she began, but faltered. Her voice sounded so meek, so unlike herself.
Why am I bowing my head to this child?
Du Wei chuckled softly, breaking the tension as he turned his gaze to the starless, foggy sky.
With a sigh, he murmured, "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we have much to do."
He fed a few more branches into the fire before turning to Vivian, who sat silently nearby. His gaze softened as he reached out to pat her head gently. His tone was warm, almost tender. "Silly girl, are you hungry?"
Vivian blinked, hesitating before shaking her head. But a moment later, as if unable to lie, she nodded shyly.
"I'm sorry," Du Wei said with a wry smile. "As the only man here, I should be taking care of you. But it seems I've let you go hungry. Well, here's an idea. Close your eyes and imagine this island as a giant cake, with the trees around us as candles. Picture yourself lying on the softest, sweetest slice of cake. Sleep, and in your dreams, you can feast to your heart's content."
Cake? Vivian's eyes lit up.
As Du Wei turned away, she continued to gaze quietly at his back, her thoughts unknowable.
...
By dawn, Du Wei was awake.
To be precise, hunger had roused him. The meager fruits he had eaten the previous day left his stomach hollow, aching as though it might cave in. The bitterness of the fruit, mingled with stomach acid, had kept him restless through the night.
When he sat up, he noticed that the ice maiden was already awake, sitting in silence with her arms wrapped around her stomach.
"You're up? Hungry?" Du Wei asked, his tone softer now, guilt perhaps tempering his harshness. After all, she still didn't fully grasp the hardships of this island.
"No," she lied, shaking her head. Then, after a pause, she asked, "Where can I find water? I need to wash my face."
"Walk a little further, and you'll see the sea," he replied.
"You expect me to wash with seawater?" she asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Apologies, but our fresh water is scarce, barely enough for drinking."
This time, she offered no argument. With a sigh, she stood and headed toward the shore.
Later that morning, Du Wei ventured out again to search for food, spending even more time scouring the island now that he had an additional mouth to feed. When he returned, he carried another bundle of roots.
This time, the ice maiden took the roots without a word and began to eat.
"Hey," Du Wei called out, smirking.
"What?"
"Just a thought…" he began, stifling a chuckle as he observed her determined munching. "Though the food is simple, at least you could wash the dirt off before eating it."
"..."
Seeing her face darken, Du Wei quickly changed the subject. "Since we're all stranded here together, let's get along. We're shipmates now, after all. By the way, I don't even know your name."
Standing, he offered a flawless bow befitting a nobleman. "I am Du Wei Roland, current head of the Roland family, Deputy Commander of the Imperial General Staff, and son of Count Raymond."
The ice maiden hesitated, reluctant, but eventually replied, "Joanna."
Joanna... A lovely name.
Before Du Wei could say more, Vivian piped up eagerly, "You-you can also c-call her JoJo!"
JoJo? How peculiar.
"Be quiet, Vivian," Joanna snapped coldly before fixing Du Wei with a glare. "That name is for my parents alone. If you dare call me that, you're dead."
"Understood." Du Wei shrugged, unconcerned. "Miss Joanna, now that we've been formally introduced, it's time to get to work."
"Work? What work?"
Du Wei's smile faded, his expression growing serious. "We need to find a way off this island. I have an idea…"