Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

28 – The Ghoul’s Altar (2)

An unidentified man had arrived.

I hadn’t even heard him approaching. He had appeared so naturally, as if he’d been here from the start.

[“Almost two weeks, isn’t it? I came to see how you’ve been doing.”]

The man’s attire was the same as it had been two weeks ago. Black and elongated. He was covered head to toe in black bandages, leaving no bare skin visible.

He still looked suspicious, but I didn’t let it show. I responded to the man’s greeting with a calm tone.

[“What brings you here?”]

[“What else? Just passing through.”]

The man plopped down haphazardly on the sand. And for a while, we exchanged small talk. What I’d been up to, how many tools I’d made, if I had solid escape plans.

I gave only textbook answers. The man seemed to have an itch to talk, spewing words endlessly.

[“You seem worn out. By the way, how was your trip to that stream?”]

[“The lake, you mean?”]

[“Same difference. Anyway.”]

[“I almost got dragged to my death by a water ghost. Why didn’t you warn me beforehand?”]

[“Huh? A water ghost?”]

The man retorted, sounding genuinely confused.

[“There’s no water ghost in the lake. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”]

[“This island is crawling with monsters. Look at this. This is a monster I caught this morning. It’s just bones, but it was moving, attacking me!”]

[“It’s the wild, so something like a bone-walker is to be expected. I figured you’re so cautious that you’d be prepared, so I didn’t tell you separately.”]

The more we talked, the more suspicious he became.

The man glanced around the base.

[“Looks like you have two other companions.”]

[“How did you know?”]

[“I guessed it from the number of bowls.”]

[“What if I’m just using all three?”]

[“Us wizards, aren’t we always striving for what’s logical? No need to make three of the exact same thing.”]

Suspicious. The more we talk, the more questionable things become.

I’d had the thought from the start that this man might actually be a demon. We have the precedent of the Siren, after all.

But I don’t show it.

With neither a Valkyrie nor a Saint around, it’s too risky to openly express hostility.

No, even if they *were* here, I shouldn’t just fight recklessly. So much requires physical exertion – battles should be avoided if possible; it’s the best policy.

[“So, what kind of people are your companions?”]

[“They’re… not really ‘any kind of people.’ We just met.”]

I watched the man’s reactions, gradually revealing bits of the story about the Valkyrie and Saint. I intended to gauge how much he already knew about us.

[“I see. So you’re forced to cooperate with your enemies, is that it?”]

Is he truly clueless, or just playing dumb while knowing everything?

But the next moment, with the words that came out of his mouth, I could be certain.

[“Can you really trust those two?”]

This was an attempt to turn us against each other.

*

Tiria and Rachel headed down to the stream to check the fish traps first. They’d only caught a single minnow.

“Pretty much a bust, huh?”

“It happens. We’ll just have to try our luck with fishing today.”

Rachel and Tiria took the net the man had made and went into the lake. There was a risk of being dragged down by water spirits, but there were also a lot of big fish.

The net the wizard made was very useful. They just had to lower it below their waists, wait for fish to swim above it, and then lift. It required less effort and saved a lot of time.

“Whoa! Jackpot today, a real jackpot! Look at this!”

“…Colonel?”

“Ah, ahem.”

Tiria’s eyes flushed pink. She’d just been too childish.

It was understandable, really, having lived most of her life in a cathedral in a major city. Fishing was nothing short of a wondrous experience.

“Anyway, this much should be enough to eat our fill.”

“You have to think about reserves, too. We don’t know how long it will take to reach another island.”

Rachel expertly placed the caught fish in the basket. Tiria tried it once, but it kept slipping out of her hands.

“Aah!”

Released.

“……”

“S-sorry.”

In the wild, food was paramount.

An extraordinary situation unfolded where a major was giving a colonel the side-eye.

“It’s alright. We can just catch more tomorrow.”

After fishing came time to gather edible greens. Although she’d lived in the countryside, Rachel had zero knowledge in that area, so Tiria, who had studied herbalism, took the lead.

Still no sign of land animals. Not even birds. The forest was quiet.

It was eerily quiet, and the two hurried out of the forest with their gathered greens.

Perhaps from walking quickly, even though the sun was overhead, they soon reached the shore. Relieved, Tiria hurried ahead.

“Mage, we’re back…!”

[“Can we trust those b*stards?”]

Tiria’s breath hitched.

Rachel, who was trailing behind, couldn’t hit the brakes in time and bumped, *thunk*, into Tiria’s back.

“Colonel? Why did you stop so suddenly…?”

“Shh.”

Sensing something, the two women slipped into the underbrush.

It didn’t take long to grasp the situation. An unidentified man was speaking to a mage from the magic kingdom. And in the high tongue, no less.

“Who is that man?”

“That mage… he must be the enigmatic man he mentioned before.”

“I sense a foul miasma.”

“A demon, a monster. One of the two, most likely. Or maybe…”

Tiria trailed off. Surely, it couldn’t be them. Monsters maybe, but those others? She’d had it hammered into her that the church had eradicated them for good.

Tiria was someone who served the will of the celestial being. To distinguish the words of god from the imitations of demons, she’d studied the high tongue to some extent.

Because of that, she could hear and understand the conversation between the mage and the mysterious man, word for word.

[“From what I see, you’ve built up enough trust.”]

[“Not yet.”]

[“You’re too cautious. As long as they won’t kill you in your sleep, that’s enough trust.”]

[“You call that trust?”]

[“Ha ha, my friend. Didn’t I say last time? A mage has to be cunning.”]

The mage from the magic kingdom didn’t respond. It was a signal that the conversation was over.

[“I’ll be going now. Come again.”]

The foul energy recedes in an instant. The stiffness leaves Tyria’s legs, which had been locked tight.

A stagger.

Rachel caught her just before she almost fell. Rachel asked, hurried, what was wrong, if she was hurt, what those two had talked about that had made her like this, but she had no energy to answer. Her vision was swimming.

What…what did I just hear?

“…Major.”

“Yes, yes. Colonel.”

For now, I don’t know. Not yet.

“Tomorrow, you and I will go hunting again. Leave the mage here.”

*

That mysterious man was, at the very least, not on my side. The moment he told me not to uphold the virtues of a mage, nor those of a human, I felt it.

But, that doesn’t mean I can just look at him and say ‘Oh, you’re our enemy?’ That’s not how it is, either.

I know nothing about that man.

He appears and disappears like a ghost, so if I fight him needlessly and lose, I’m just dead.

Even if he is a monster, if they don’t want to fight, I should let them go. My goal is escape, not extermination.

So, I placated him and held my tongue. Seeing my serious expression, the man seemed quite satisfied, and left.

Of course, I have no intention of betraying my own people.

That I have no intention of betraying my own people, it sounds a bit odd, but…anyway, the reason I treat the Valkyrie and the Saintess so well is just one:

To prepare for when I’m rescued by the Holy Kingdom.

This guideline is unlikely to change. That I killed the Valkyrie’s companions in the last battle was a self-defensive action I took because my own life was in danger, and it was also the first time I’d ever killed anyone.

Murder, honestly, I never want to do that again.

“Wizard. We’re, here.”

“……”

A while later, Valkyrie and the Saint appeared, laden with fish. They really caught a lot.

“It seems the net worked.”

“……I guess so.”

The Saint replied weakly. Looks like she spent all her energy catching fish.

I’m in her debt from this morning. Thanks to her, the stinging in my hands, which would’ve lasted for days, healed in less than half a day.

“I’ll cook alone today. Mr. Caston, please rest.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you.”

She really must be exhausted.

After a late lunch, we decided to fix the sleeping quarters. Seeing the state of the clouds, it looked like a downpour was coming, so I went and got more large leaves to make a dense ceiling over where the two women slept.

After that, I was tinkering with various things, and the sun was setting.

Anyway, it seemed like another day had passed without incident.