Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

43 – Let’s Make It (5)

The third night arrived. Liyo and the male mage lay down on the stone bed without waiting for each other.

“Tired.”

“Sleeeepy…”

Like they’d made a pact, both of them yawned at the same time.

They were tired, but there was no time to rest. Or rather, they didn’t *want* to rest.

Erich Ronstein.

This was the first time he’d met someone so in sync.

Especially his stone-related magic, it drew Riyo’s attention. It was magic, but interesting. Just watching it sparked ideas.

Putting interest aside, it was definitely a helpful ability for survival.

Riyo grinned brightly.

“What should we make after the cart?”

“How about making a water pipe? Honestly, it’s a pain to flip over a water bucket to wash your face and hands every day.”

“Or furniture? Chairs and tables are easiest and best. Eating on the floor like a dog isn’t very elegant. Hehehe.”

“Building a palisade to keep monsters away wouldn’t be bad either.”

They clearly didn’t speak the same language.

But their engineering minds broke down even the language barrier.

The will to improve what’s uncomfortable. That was a desire held by any intelligent creature, human or beastkin.

Even though they were enemies.

Riyo understood the man, and the man understood Riyo well.

“Huuuh. This island is a little cold.”

Riyo hunched over, a sudden gust of wind making him shiver. With no warm blankets, not even a thin one, he felt the cold even when the temperature dropped just a little.

Riyo buried her face into her tail, embracing it tight. It felt soft and warm, even to herself. But it wasn’t quite enough.

“Can’t we make something like a heating system? Or a really efficient lantern…?”

As if reading her mind, Erich pulled out a dark, smudged magic stone. The moment he infused it with mana, a wave of warmth surged outwards.

“Oh!”

It was a rock she’d never seen before. Riyo’s eyes went wide and bright.

Riyo turned the magic stone over in her hands, then swallowed a small sigh.

“Hmm, it’s warm alright, but the output’s kinda… lacking.”

What Erich had pulled out was a lightstone. The very first magic stone they’d acquired after catching the merfolk on the first island. It had the property of emitting heat when mana was infused, but the level of heat wasn’t very strong.

Riyo was all about efficiency. And she figured wizards probably were too.

Ideally, something super hot, enough to get through even the dead of winter…

Lost in thought for a while, Riyo’s gaze caught the bonfire.

“Ah!”

Riyo clapped her hands.

“Wizard, give me that! That thing!”

“Huh?”

“You know, the thing you showed me before! The one that went, *whooosh*! The fire one!”

Seeing Riyo’s frantic gestures, Erich seemed to understand and pulled out a different magic stone.

A flame stone.

Not a spreading fire, but a stone that created a swirling flame.

Erich imbued the flame stone with mana. *Whoosh*, the flame stone roared to life, scattering heat that dwarfed that of the lightstone.

Stable.

The output is quite strong, but it’s producing flames fine enough to create laminar flow. It can’t be the function of the petrified flower itself. It must be that the mage’s mana control is so skillful that this phenomenon is occurring.

“Ouch, hot.”

Just getting close enough with my hand feels like it’ll get burned.

The output is too powerful to handle. At least, not just like that. There’s a risk of fire and burns.

It was a shame. If I could solve this problem, I could make a cost-effective heating lantern that wouldn’t falter even in the winter.

But giving up was also a waste.

Riyo’s mind raced.

It didn’t take long to find the answer.

*

Tiria heard it. Senior Riyo, sitting beside the mage, asking to sleep together again tonight.

And she saw it. The mage accepting the request, and now, the two of them are tumbling around on the bed.

“……”

It was unbelievable.

It’s only been three days. Riyo and the mage haven’t even known each other for a week. Although Tiria and Rachel had explained the situation and mediated in the beginning, and they are the superiors…

She never dreamed they’d build a bond this quickly.

Well, it’s better than mistrust and fighting, I guess. The goddess of healing she follows didn’t she preach for love and harmony.

Yet, a subtle unease was creeping in.

Unable to pinpoint the cause, Tiria just fiddled with her rosary.

And at that time, there was another woman with complex thoughts, just like Tiria – Rachel.

“……Huh.”

Seeing those two chatting cozily on the bed gave me a strange feeling.

They’re supposed to be enemies.

At the very least, they should be on guard.

Even if nothing else, they should be suspicious of each other for the first few days.

“Why…”

Why are they getting along so well?

When Colonel Tyria Casten joined us, Rachel had secretly welcomed it. Now she had an ally, and it was now a 2-on-1 situation.

Most importantly, she wouldn’t have to talk to the magician, her life-long enemy, directly.

But now, two months after the Saint joined, and nearly three months after being stranded on this deserted island…

“…….”

I don’t know.

I just have this feeling of emptiness somewhere inside.

It’s not like I’ve forgotten what happened that day, but at the same time, the days I’ve spent surviving with the man since the shipwreck have also been etched into my mind, impossible to forget.

Watching Erich laugh and joke with Riyo, Rachel suddenly thought.

That magician can make such a pure expression, too.

Rachel and Tyria both let out breaths almost simultaneously. Rachel greeted Tyria, then went into the lifeboat first. As she lay down, *whoooshing*, a chilly wind brushed past her shoulders.

Cold. Shivering, chilled to the bone.

Lately, Rachel’s body has been reacting strangely. Her body would get hot, then a little while later, it would cool back down, repeating the cycle.

It wasn’t terribly painful, but ignoring it could lead to a serious illness, so it was a problem. Even though Tyria had her divine power, her power wouldn’t be omnipotent either.

“……”

Alright, alright.

Rachel closed her eyes.

This island seemed to have a lower average temperature than the previous two. She was dozing off without even realizing it.

Rachel curled up on her side, drawing in her arms and legs. An instinctive pose to ward off the cold.

But, how much time had passed?

The cold was melting away as if it were snow.

It’s warm.

What is making it warm?

Fire?

Could it be that the campfire had spread somewhere else?

“……!”

Rachel’s eyelids reflexively snapped open. She gasped for air, jolting upright.

“Hah, hah.”

Memories flooded back. The memory of sleeping soundly at home, then sorcerers setting her house ablaze, the loss of her parents, the soot covering her entire body, reduced to ashes. Nothing left.

At that moment, a voice reached her.

“Well, you’re awake?”

“Ha, ha, haa.”

Rachel slowly regulated her breathing.

There was no need to adjust to the darkness. There was light. It glowed softly, like a mood lamp in a newlywed’s bedroom.

The man and Rachel’s gazes meet. The silence is awkward. The man hesitates for a moment, then speaks first.

“Surprise. I was just going to leave it and go. Guess your night-ears are sharp.”

“Why are you here?”

“Look at this. I improved the heating stone while you were sleeping.”

With that, the mage held out a stone that glowed a deep cyan.

“I trapped sunstone inside a glowstone, lowered the brightness and raised the temperature. I got a little, no, actually a lot of help from that fox beastkin. Using Sephiron to make a thin film helps maintain the temperature without overheating. The stability is also better because of it.”

Rachel couldn’t understand the mage’s words, but their meaning came across.

“Don’t get the wrong idea.”

This is, a calculated favor.

“I told you before, the hunter deserves the most respect, right?”

An insurance policy the man is taking out, so he won’t be killed by her, and in case he becomes a prisoner of the Holy Kingdom.

“So, I’m bringing it to you first. Any other intentions, well, you know there aren’t any.”

In other words, hypocrisy.

It had to be that way.

She was afraid. Trembling. She was going to falter. She didn’t want to get any closer to the enemy who had murdered her two closest companions in front of her eyes.

“Whatever, thanks.”

Rachel answered indifferently, as usual. It was nothing more than a perfunctory thank you.

Taking the stone, it was somewhere between hot and warm.

“Ugh.”

“Is it too hot? Wait a sec.”

The wizard chanted, and the brightness dimmed a bit. The temperature dropped too, settling to a perfect warmth.

“How’s this? Is it okay?”

“Yeah, uh, sure.”

“It’s about the same temperature as a campfire. I’ve noticed you never sleep near one, and that’s probably why you keep catching colds. I’ll keep making this for you from now on. So carry it around like a charm. And don’t go causing trouble, got it?”

“Yeah, thanks. Now stop yapping and go.”

Rachel waved her hand dismissively. Erich shrugged and got up.

And then, Rachel grabbed his sleeve.

“…Stay for like, five more minutes.”

“Why?”

“Just…I don’t trust something you made. I just want you to stay a bit and watch over it.”

Erich sighed and sat back down. He stayed by Rachel’s side for about thirty minutes after she fell asleep, before returning to his stone bed.

*

Two days later.

The Empty Flask and I finally finished the cart. We also succeeded in modifying the sunshine fossil into a standing heater, so we no longer had to feel the chill at night.

We’d created two pretty decent things in just about four days.

“Alright, good. The Major and I will take care of getting the food.”

The Saintess authorized the division of labor.

“But, Mr. Kaston.”

“What is it?”

“You don’t look too well.”

“You must have seen wrong. I’m perfectly fine.”

The Saintess quirked one side of her lips into a smile. She pulled out her platinum rosary, one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit Church, and began toying with it.

“Is there some issue with your faith?”

“Because of you…!”

“Because of?”

“…Isn’t it time? We should be heading out soon.”

The Saintess pointed behind her. The airman, rubbing sleep from his bleary eyes, was putting on a show of teary yawns.

“Magician, let’s move it. We’re supposed to make that thing today.”

“Ah, that thing?”

The Saintess tilted her head, a puzzled look on her face.

“That thing? What is that?”

“Ah, it’s just… a thing.”

I gave an awkward chuckle.

“We’re planning to make something quite unexpected. It’ll take a lot of effort, though.”

“What is it? Give me a hint.”

Truth be told, my mouth is itching to spill.

Should I just tell her a little?

“It’s… something that feels good.”

I said that, then turned and started walking.

I thought for a split second that the Saintess’ eyes turned grey, but I decided it was just a trick of the sunlight.

After all I did on the last island, what more could there be to doubt me?