"Mr. Watson, things aren't that simple. It's your first time landing on the island, so you don't understand."
The short-haired brown-haired girl with a cloth bag slung over her shoulder barely managed to stand, still refusing Shade's help.
"I don't know how long this situation will last this time. Mr. Watson, we can't stay here. We don't know whether there are others on the island besides those two from just now. Under the current circumstances, neither you nor I can fight."
She paused before asking:
"Do you have any rope on you?"
"Yes."
Shade took a coil of thick sail rope from the inner pocket of his coat. Naturally, he always carried this sort of practical rope with him for all kinds of situations.
"Now tie the rope around your waist, then throw the other end to me."
Though he had no idea what she intended to do, Shade complied. Apothecary Miss likewise tied the rope around her own waist. They were only about 1.5 meters apart, roughly the limit of visibility in the fog.
"When I finish counting down, walk forward with me. Take three steps."
As she spoke, she called out the command and stepped forward with Shade. Apothecary Miss was tall, and her stride was similar to Shade's. For the first two steps, Shade could clearly tell that he was still walking along the forest path. But when he took the third step, the path beneath his feet vanished. A stone gravestone stood directly in front of his boots. Looking around again, he saw rows of gravestones throughout the hazy fog, along with graves enclosed by low black fences.
The transition had been remarkably smooth, as though that third step had always been meant to bring them here.
"When you've lost your sense of direction, taking a