Having assessed the situation, Charlotte and Ines, along with two maids and a cooperative priest, set out to find them.

The ground was more slippery because it was raining, and the darkness that settled over the mountain felt cold enough to make one’s teeth chatter.

Although lamps had been supplied one by one in the room, they were useless in this rain. Fortunately, they could move their steps relying on dim light due to the permission of the use of oil torches that wouldn’t go out in water, granted by a mid-level priest in charge of building management.

Before going there, Ines had brought along a ring that could be hung on a rope and railing.

The fact that four, not two, were missing meant a situation where they could enter but not leave.

Ines walked ahead of the cooperative priest. The others had difficulty even taking a step, but there was no hesitation in Ines’s steps.

Perhaps two were in the cabin, and the other two were hanging on the railing. If they were alive, she could save them. She absolutely had to.

As they arrived at the bridge, the rain intensified. Ines waved the torch back and forth, calling their names. After a long time of hearing nothing, the moment the rain let up a little, a scream-like shout came through.

She glanced at the cooperative priest for a moment, but it wasn’t a situation to ask for help. The boy, who would now be around fifteen, couldn’t gather his thoughts and was shivering.

From this side, the bridge still seemed intact. Having made up her mind, Ines tightly wrapped a rope around her waist. She secured the other end of the rope to a wooden railing and pulled it to test. There was no flaw in her actions.

“What, what are you doing?”

“Going to rescue them.”

“What?”

In a situation where you couldn’t even see an inch ahead, it was hard for anyone to muster courage. But Ines unhesitatingly took the torch from the cooperative priest.

“I’ll be back, Charlotte.”

“Ines…”

“If I can’t come back, please read the letter stuck in the front of my Bible.”

“Don’t say that. Ines, I’m scared. Don’t go, please.”

“No, I have to go. I can’t ignore people who are dying.”

Charlotte could no longer hold back Ines with her firm words. Smiling at her, Ines reconfirmed her resolve.

“There are two letters, you understand?”

She held the torch in one hand and grasped the rope with the other as she took steps forward. The bridge was arch-shaped. Therefore, the bridge that had survived until the midpoint would suddenly lose its shape.

When Ines carefully walked to the midpoint, a woman who saw the light shouted, but her figure wasn’t visible.

“Here, here! There’s someone here.”

“Who is it?”

“Ines? It’s me, Anna, Anna!”

Shining the torch revealed Anna and Karen’s faint figures.

“What about Amy and Jenny?”

“I don’t know. Suddenly the path broke off on both sides, so we’ve been standing here.”

The sound of rushing water intermittently cut off their voices, but it wasn’t so far that they couldn’t understand each other. Shining the torch on the ground revealed that the bridge was broken between where Ines stood and where Anna and Karen were.

She breathed a sigh of relief for now. If she had been a bit later, they would have sunk into the water along with the broken bridge.

“Listen carefully. I’m going to come to you now. Then, we need to swim one by one.”

“What, what? I, I can’t swim.”

“No, you have to. Otherwise, you’ll die.”

Ines spoke firmly and tied the rope close to the railing. She immediately plunged into the water. Naturally, her feet didn’t touch the ground. Due to the heavy rain increasing the current, her body was swept away by the river.

However, Ines swam towards them relying on the rope. Lifting her arms over the bridge, Amy came and pulled her up. Jenny was sitting down gripping the railing; it seemed her leg was injured. First, Ines approached Anna.

“When your body is submerged, swing your arms forward. Like this.”

“Like this?”

Anna was doing as Ines did, but her face was full of fear.
“If you’re too scared, keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. Then just grab what you can see. Understand?”

Fortunately, the broken bridge wasn’t long. Ines took a deep breath and tied a rope around Anna’s waist. She knew how to tie a knot that would never come undone. She had learned this in Romfield.

“Keep a firm grip on the rope and you must move. I have to hold the torch and pull the rope, so I can’t drag you along.”

But there was no response from Anna.

“Anna!”

Only when Ines called out loudly did Anna’s eyes regain focus.

“Huh?”

“You need to be completely alert. Otherwise, not only you but both of us will die.”

Seeing Anna nod, Ines stepped into the water without hesitation. Looking at the condition of the broken bridge, she realized there wasn’t much time.

Having brought Anna to the continuation of the bridge, Ines sent her up and turned back to rescue Karen. Fortunately, due to the lightening rain, she was able to rescue Karen quickly as well.

Ines looked toward the dark void where a cabin should be.