Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

1 – Stranded (1)

I got as far away from the battleship as possible.

My whole body was shaking haphazardly. I couldn’t open my eyes because of the wind and rain. Every time a wave surged up and crashed down, the salty tang seeped into my lungs. The only thing I could do was cling to the rope and hold on.

I just wanted this situation to pass quickly. When the hell is this war going to end? I want to go home. You goddamn Sacred Empire b*stards. Why the fuck do I have to go through this?

A jumble of random thoughts flashed through my mind like a slideshow. Then, I must have lost consciousness from exhaustion.

“……”

When I opened my eyes, the scenery had changed.

It wasn’t raining anymore. The waves that had tossed and turned like angry dragons had subsided. The intermittent cries of seagulls were the only sounds I could hear.

How much time had passed, anyway?

I, lying like a corpse in the lifeboat, pulled myself up and looked around.

The back was the sea, and the front was a field of pebbles. Land. Me and the lifeboat I was in straddled the boundary between land and sea.

“What the…”

Where am I?

It seems too large to just be a simple reef. Not a continent, but maybe an island.

I can’t tell for sure. I’m critically short on information.

One thing was certain.

I was shipwrecked.

The numerous warships, and even the enemy dragon knights, were nowhere to be seen. Judging by the situation, it seems I was swept away by the current and washed ashore here alone…

If that’s the case, things aren’t looking good.

How do I get back?

To return to the unit, it’d be beneficial to meet people. Friendlies, natives, or citizens of a neutral country. Anyone would do. As long as they’re not Valkyries.

I pulled the lifeboat towards the shore.

Then, as my senses returned, I was suddenly hit with a bone-chilling cold.

“Tss…”

I was rained on for way too long.

I knew it instinctively. If I stayed like this, I’d get hypothermia.

I measured the sky with my hand. The sun would set in two or three hours at the latest. I had to figure out shelter before then, no matter how.

Venturing out into the night in a place I don’t even know is suicide. I didn’t want to, but I’d have to rough it for the night.

And to do that, I need to start a fire.

I checked what I had on me.

The lifeboat’s rope and plastic, soaked military fatigues, and a carbon steel knife. And a single white phosphorus piece in my hip pack, that’s it.

I could start a fire right away with the white phosphorus, but it’s not a good idea. Three reasons. First, burning white phosphorus releases toxic gas. Second, the magic power I can infuse into my high-grade mana stone is low due to the fierce battle. Third, I need to save it for when I really need it, in case of unknown threats.

I have a carbon steel knife, so if I can find a reasonably hard rock and some dry grass for tinder, I should be able to get a spark.

Having decided that, I wandered around the gravel field, searching for quartz rock.

Just then, a sinister sound came from the sea.

*Sploosh.*

“…?”

I turned my head, but there was nothing.

Was it a wave?

I stared intently in the direction of the sound, but nothing was out of place. It was just a normal shore.

Something felt off, but I decided it was just my imagination.

“Oh.”

No idea why, but the quality of the raw stones was good. Some of them even held a bit of residual mana.

“This kind of thing is rare.”

My interest piqued. But observing them closely will have to wait. Sunset was starting.

I finished my work and headed out of the gravel field.

“Whoa.”

A star-shaped stone.

I have to take this home. Though I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back.

“Hoo.”

Climbing the gentle slope of the mound, it was all vegetation.

Except for one large rock, the area was wide open. A position where I could spot any wild beasts and prepare.

I leaned the dinghy against a nearby rock. Then I gathered some reasonably broad leaves and spread them on the ground. That was enough to make a makeshift bed. It might not stop the wind, but it’d offer some cover from the rain.

Now all that was left was fire.

I snapped some reeds growing nearby and pulverized them. I wove together some well-dried grasses into a bundle. I gathered a few stones to make a place for the fire, and took some tinder aside, placing it on a flat rock.

Lastly, I recited the incantation.

[“Earth, may new flesh grow.”]

Wooong.

Crystals sprouted from the rock in my hand. Mana circulated. Impurities were purged, and only the parts suitable for flint remained, coalescing.

A stone with a pale silver sheen was formed.

Yoseong Stone.

One of the mana stones, corresponding to a primary mana receptor for quartz. It was known for its high reactivity when in contact with transition metals, especially iron.

I struck the Yoseong Stone with the spine of my carbon steel knife.

Kaang!

Sparks flew.

That single strike was enough to ignite the pulverized plant matter. Thanks to the Yoseong Stone’s efficiency.

I transferred the smoldering embers to the tinder. Soon, flames began to breathe, consuming the dry grass.

That’s it. The campfire was complete.

Finally, I could take a break. I took off my top and dried my body and uniform. The warm heat warmed my body, and the crackling sounds soothed my mind.

Watching the sun set in the west, I was lost in thought.

“Hoo.”

What should I do now?

The faces of my seniors, colleagues, and juniors flicker in my mind.

Especially my juniors. I bear some responsibility for their deaths. As their superior.

What happened to Admiral Deetz? I have no idea. I don’t even know who won the battle. Everything felt hopeless.

Even so.

There was still a hope that I had to live.

I calmed my mind and body while watching the sunset-colored sea. For now, rest was the best option. I should sleep first and think about it again tomorrow. I should also refill some of my magic through meditation before bed, just in case…

Wait, a second.

“…What is that?”

Something was visible below the horizon.

It was pitch black, and its shape was round. It was repeatedly rising and falling. It looked different from a buoy.

Could it be a person?

If so, I had to go out there. My goal right now was to meet anyone. Since they’re in the sea, they might need help.

Just as I was about to get up.

I felt a presence behind me.

I turned around.

Footsteps, faint vibrations, echoed. Another being was approaching from beyond the twilight. I picked up a few stones and gripped them in my hand.

The one who appeared was, a woman.

A beauty with hair as black as ebony, and eyes as yellow as a wheat field at harvest.

Her eyes were hollow, her clothes ripped here and there. Water droplets fell, *drip-drip*, from her waist-length hair. She was soaked through. The woman was using a branch, almost as tall as herself, as a walking stick.

She was the very image of a castaway.

But the first emotion I felt, the moment I took her in, wasn’t pity or compassion.

It was rage.

An indescribable fury rose up my throat.

“Excuse me, are you by any chance…”

The woman, about to say something, met my gaze and furrowed her brow.

An unkind word forced its way past my lips. At the same time, the woman changed her tone, growling low.

We spoke simultaneously, staring each other down.

“You b*tch.”

“Ha, you b*stard.”

That’s right. She was a Holy Spirit Knight, a Valkyrie no less. From the White Lotus Battalion. Her Holy Spirit military uniform and the lotus emblem on her chest gave it away.

Judging from her overall aura, she was undoubtedly the same woman I’d fought at the very end. The one who had killed my comrades, who’d tried to kill me.

Strange. She had definitely fallen into the sea.

How had she survived that? How did she get here?

No, it doesn’t matter.

This is the worst.

Of all people, it had to be a Valkyrie. That crazed group that hunts mages.

This Valkyrie seemed to be in the same predicament as me, but she didn’t hesitate at all. Her gaze sharpened as she glared at me.

“Lord, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to avenge my comrades before I die.”

A gaze as empty as dead fish, as rotten and curdled as spoiled milk.

I remember seeing eyes like that once, on soldiers.

That was the look of someone with nothing left to lose.

The ominous feeling was spot on. The woman gripped the spear. She lowered her waist slightly and, like a biting north wind, she surged forward.

*Thwack!*

Fast. The distance closed in an instant.

A faint glow clung to the crude wooden spear she held. Infused with holy power. Holy power is deadly to mages. I quickly widened the gap.

*Whoosh!*

A close call.

The Valkyrie clicked her tongue, *tch*.

Looking at her appearance, you’d think she needed rest immediately, but her movements were faster than I imagined. Is this the difference with special forces, after all?

Maybe it’s me who’s not in good shape. My stamina, my magic power, all about to drop.

If I fight, I’ll lose.

But to survive, I must fight.

Enduring this contradiction, that’s what a soldier is.

I raised a rock and recited a fake spell.

“Ruum hukteun, Magnahun.”

“……!”

I didn’t give her time to realize. I threw the rock immediately. While the Valkyrie dodged, I snatched the hip bag I’d left on the ground. From it, I pulled out white phosphorus.

[“O sea, breathe. As you leave my embrace, sing in flames and lament.”]

Whooosh!

The mana stone reacts to the whisper.

“Tsk.”

A bitter taste filled my mouth. A precursor to mana depletion. Speaking two sentences at once, and that too in a rush, it feels like my stomach’s going to burn through.

The woman’s eyes widened. Her expression was one of “Oh crap.”

“You sly b*stard…!”

“Yeah, you fell for it. You know what happens if you come closer, right?”

I just used almost all of the mana inherent in my body with that spell. I can’t push it any further than this.

No, I *can*, but if I do, it’ll eat away at my life instead of my mana.

I only get one shot.

I need to end this for good with this single white phosphorus stone in my hand.

The Valkyrie became even more cautious than before. But she didn’t give up. She prowled in an arc, as if trying to find an opening.

I slowly retreated.

I circled around the rock where the lifeboat was propped. I already confirmed that her reflexes were sharp when I threw the ordinary stone earlier, so I need to aim for a blind spot. Yeah, I’ll attack the moment she turns the corner.

Thud, thud.

The sound of her stomping on the ground comes from the other side. It seems the Valkyrie had the same idea. From now on, it’s a battle of wits.

Thud.

The sound is getting closer. My heart pounded. I held my breath and rose onto the balls of my feet.

I slowly decreased my speed. And, moving in the opposite direction from the one I was going just now, I waited for an opportunity.

The tension was at its peak, at that moment.

* * *

* * *

PAAK!

The sound of something being struck carried through the air.

THUD!

Immediately, a Valkyrie shot out towards our rendezvous point.

Thinking she was attacking, I was about to throw a mana stone, but seeing her slam into the ground, I quickly pulled back my hand.

“Hrrk, uhhh.”

The Valkyrie was clutching her left side, wincing, like she’d been hit by something. She was completely vulnerable.

Right after, something emerged from behind the rocks.

A human holding a wide iron club… no, it wasn’t.

“Wh-what…”

A creature covered in turquoise scales from head to toe.

Its face was a mix of lizard and fish, and its back was hunched like a hunchback. Its arms were unusually long compared to its legs, and each finger had a webbed membrane.

Neither human nor fish, what the hell was that thing?

A wooden spear was stuck in its abdomen. The one the Valkyrie had been holding just a moment ago. I roughly understood what had happened.

“Krr-urk.”

The monstrosity pulled out the spear. Purplish blood gushed and pulsed out.

Its horizontal pupils glared at me.

Then, *thump, thump*, it started approaching slowly, making sounds with its steps. In its right hand, it held the iron bar, and in its left, the wooden spear. The sight of it was utterly bizarre.

I reflexively threw a white phosphorus stone.