Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

20 – An Island Full of Ghosts (3)

The enigmatic man said a few more words and got up.

[“I should go see if any other fish have taken the bait.”]

[“Where is your abode?”]

[“Up there.”]

The man pointed to a high place. It was in the direction of the mountain foot.

[“I live up high. I barely scrape by, fishing and foraging, but it’s pretty comfortable. The only drawback is that I usually have no one to talk to.”]

The man, chuckling heartily, turned and started to walk away.

[“You said it’s difficult to go far in the lifeboat, right? Then you’ll have to come down this way. If you have time later, I’ll come visit you often.”]

That was the end of his words. The man vanished into the direction he came from.

Everything, from start to finish, was a mystery. Who was that man, why did he live in a place like this, and what was this island even supposed to be in the first place?

[‘Insufficient information.’]

There was no use in worrying about it. I rubbed my head roughly and shifted my thoughts. Instead of wasting energy trying to guess who the man was, I decided to focus on what I could do.

Now, as it was in the beginning, the most pressing thing was survival.

With another mouth to feed, the importance of food had become greater than ever. I planned to make plenty of tools to help with hunting and gathering for a while.

I also decided to make more magic stones in preparation for the unexpected.

I just imbued the raw sedimentary rock I’d brought from the last island with mana.

They don’t have proper names yet, not until mana has imbued them with some properties. Academically, they’re lumped together as ‘zero-order receptors.’

According to mana statistical dynamics, zero-order receptor stones contain the most mana. As you increase the order of the receptors—1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on—you use up more and more of that mana.

“Yeah, this should be enough.”

I made a pile of zero-order receptors. Drained nearly all the mana in my body doing it.

Until Valkyrie and the saintly claimant return, I figured I might as well make a fishing rod.

Three essential elements for a basic fishing rod:

The rod itself, the line, and the hook.

First, I checked each of the nearby trees. Found the longest, most flexible branch and snapped it off. That’ll do for the rod.

Next, the line. Here, I have two choices. One is to use fibers from my clothes, the other is to twist fibers from broad leaves into thread.

The first is easy, the second, hard.

Given that I’d received permission, there was no reason not to use the Saintess’s clothing.

I unraveled a stocking and carefully wove the threads together. I carved a groove on the rod in a cross-shape and carefully fit the line, tying it so it wouldn’t come loose.

Lastly, the hook.

I decided to use a buckle and pin from my hip bag. The end has a hook-like shape, perfect for attaching and baiting.

There. Pretty much finished.

Lastly, I added a small stone for weight. I decided to forgo a bobber. If push comes to shove, I’ll just carve one out of a piece of wood.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was already starting to sink below the horizon.

Valkyrie and the Saintess will be back soon, hopefully.

Let’s see here.

Who should I give the fishing rod to?

*

Rachel and Tyria returned virtually empty-handed. They’d managed to pick a few berries, but they were small and, without a basket, they hadn’t been able to gather much.

“This is deflating. It’s only the first day, but it feels like we got nothing.”

“The mage will have made something.”

“Can you tell me more about him?”

Rachel swallowed a groan.

“I haven’t known him long either, so I don’t know him well. Except… “

“Except?”

“He was different from any mage I’d ever seen.”

It wasn’t like Rachel had talked to loads of mages. But the ones who killed her parents had been mages, and because she’d grown up in the orphanage run by the Holy Spirit Church after that, she’d lived with a hatred for mages.

Even taking that into account, the man was different.

“If that appearance isn’t a mask, I’d say he’s a pretty decent person. At least he seemed to have some sort of morals.”

“Is there any guarantee that appearance isn’t a mask?”

“No. That’s why I’m being cautious, isn’t it?”

“Did the man, by any chance, do anything lecherous to you?”

“No.”

Rachel said flatly.

“If he had, I’d have put a hole through his philtrum by now. Oh, look, over there….”

“We’re here.”

Following the path we came, the edge of the woods finally appeared.

Tiria looked up at the sky and breathed a sigh of relief. The sun was slowly setting. It was a close call.

“Mage, we’re here,”

Rachel spoke first. The man raised his head. He was intently making something. A basket.

Tiria and Rachel offered the food they’d brought. The man sighed.

“Is this all?”

“The forest is strange. We didn’t see a single animal.”

“Hmm.”

The man looked back and forth between Tiria and Rachel. The gaze felt uncomfortable to Tiria, who was only wearing the coat Rachel had given her. Tiria flinched, gripping the bottom hem of her coat with both hands.

“Did you two go take a bath?”

“Yes. There was a river over there.”

“Really? Are there fish in it?”

“Yes. Though we couldn’t catch any.”

“That’s a relief. I should go put down a fish trap tomorrow. And take a bath too, while I’m at it.”

Tiria and Rachel exchanged a glance. Upon hearing the man’s declaration to bathe, Tiria bit her lip.

“Was anything else strange on this side?”

“I met someone earlier.”

“Someone?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure if they were a person….”

“He was a tall man, completely black and gaunt. They say he lives up in those mountains, fishing and foraging for wild greens, and that he’s a mage, like me.”

“Was he from the Mado Nation?”

“I don’t know. But, since we spoke in Hwieon, it’s less likely.”

“Surely, you’re not….”

“I’ll say it again, it’s not clear if he’s a man or a creature pretending to be one. He’s got nothing to do with me, so if you happen to run into him, please don’t mistake him for one of my companions.”

The man repeated the same words several times, emphasizing his request.

After hearing the entire story, Tiria and Rachel began to discuss it in Askalien, out of the man’s hearing.

“Is what this mage is saying true?”

“If it is, then he’s releasing this information to prevent any misunderstanding. Conversely, if he’s an accomplice of that mysterious man, this would be a highly sophisticated deception.”

It makes sense this way, and it makes sense that way. Unless you can read minds, you have to approach it with all possibilities open.

“We encountered a water ghoul earlier, right? We can’t be sure that monsters only roam at night. The being that mage met might have been a monster. Like that Siren the Major talked about, with its own intelligence.”

“…Then shouldn’t we tell them that there’s a water ghoul in that lake? They’re going to go bathing tomorrow.”

“Just wait a bit.”

Tiria glanced at the man before continuing.

“We need to see if this mage is messing with us, and this is a good chance to test him.”

“How are you planning on doing that?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the lake with the mage as a two-person team. If the water ghoul appears again, I’ll watch how the man reacts and act accordingly. If it really drags someone in, it won’t be too late to save them then. You, Major, stay here and do some fishing or something.”

“Understood. And, though it’s unlikely to happen… if the mage tries to hurt you, what will you do?”

“Don’t worry.”

Tiria patted her waist. A small, hard piece of metal peeked out. A pistol in a holster, visible only to Rachel’s eyes.

“If you do anything stupid, I’ll shoot you right away.”

*

I pieced together the situation inside the forest based on what the enigmatic man and the saint had said.

One told me to go into the lake.

The other said there were no animals in the forest.

It didn’t make sense that a Valkyrie couldn’t find a single small animal. Not with how vast this forest is.

Maybe there’s some kind of unknown, massive threat inside, and the animals all fled or hid somewhere.

Still, there are freshwater fish, so it’s not like we’re completely out of food…

[‘This just doesn’t add up.’]

They clearly said there were fish in the lake. So, the Valkyrie, if not the saint, should have been able to catch one, given her hunting skills.

Did she have a bad day today? Am I expecting too much from the Valkyrie?

[‘There might be something in the lake. Like a monster.’]

I need to be prepared just in case.

We soon began our meal. It was just a few berries the two soldiers had gathered and some fish we brought alive from the last island.

It was a little short for everyone with the added mouths, but it was fine. Honestly, just taking the edge off hunger is a success on a deserted island like this, right?

“Hey, have this for dessert.”

The Valkyrie held out a handful of red berries.

“I already ate some.”

“I had enough.”

“Seriously, it’s okay.”

“Looks like you were the hardest worker today. Consider this a reward. Eat it and work harder.”

Valkyrie stared at me, intensely. It felt like lasers were about to shoot from her eyes.

“……Fine, I’ll take it, just take it.”

If I kept refusing after she’d insisted so much, wouldn’t it be awkward? If I ate it all at once, I might get a stomach ache, so I’d have to eat it little by little when my sugar levels dropped.

If you receive something, you should give something in return.

“Here, take it.”

I handed over the fishing rod.

Valkyrie’s hesitant hand finally moved. She took the rod and turned it this way and that, looking at it. Reflected in the bonfire light, the corners of her mouth were subtly upturned.

“So.”

It was then that the Saint spoke.

“What should we do about sleeping arrangements?”

“The two of you should sleep in the life raft.”

“Huh?”

The Saint’s eyes turned orange.

“Is that really alright?”

“Yeah.”

“And where will you sleep?”

“Over there.”

I pointed to a place where there was a flat rock. Not too close, nor too far away. Just like my relationship with these women.

“I’m going to sleep on the rock.”

“Still, even so, can you even get a decent sleep in a place like that? It’s bound to be freezing and hard as a rock, isn’t it?”

“What, you want me to share a bed with two of the Holy Spirit Nation’s female soldiers?”

Of course, saying it like that doesn’t make a lick of sense. How many days was it that I slept practically naked, wrapped around Valkyrie?

But then, well, the weather was chilly so there was no choice. It was a matter of survival.

“Either way, it’s the same, no roof. Doesn’t matter where I lay down.”

“……Alright. If that’s how you feel, I won’t say another word.”

“Last thing, let’s set a watch. Who’s going to be up first?”

“Me. I’ll take the first two hours.”

“Then I’ll go lay down first. If something overwhelming comes up, wake me anytime.”

I said that and lay down on a rock a bit away.

With David beside me, I looked up at the darkening night sky.

We still don’t know what kind of dangers this island holds. That’s why tonight is the most unsettling. Will fish-people appear like on the last island? Or will other monsters show up? I have no idea.

And this iron bar I have isn’t really cutting it. If I had something like calipers, the thrill of bashing in monster skulls would be a lot better.

*

Before long the sunset was over, and deep night arrived.

Rachel was sleeping soundly in the lifeboat, and the mage had been a barnacle on the rock a little ways off for ages.

“Haa.”

Tiria, left alone, sighed.

Standing here, getting blasted by the sea wind in this sorry state, it was starting to sink in.

“I’m really… stranded on a desert island.”

So much had happened in a single day. Exhausted. Tiria rubbed hard at the dark circles under her eyes.

Yet, sleep wouldn’t come.

Because she had to stand guard?

Because she couldn’t trust the man?

No.

Of course, those things played a part, but they weren’t the main reason.

Tiria pulled out her Baculus. No direct traces of a demon could be sensed, but she, capable of spreading immense divine power far and wide, could feel more than what was visible.

They’re coming.

The moment the full moon crossed its peak, the island began to transform into a formless hellscape.