Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

61 – How to Overcome Trauma (1)

A full day had passed since we set sail.

“Ugh.”

Valkyrie, unable to withstand the seasickness, threw up. The Saintess and Riyo were rowing, so I patted her back.

“Hey, you alright?”

“Don’t talk to me…”

There was nothing I could do to help. It’s not like we could get seasickness medicine here.

“Awoo!”

Riyo suddenly howled.

“Wizard, Major!”

“What?”

“Over there, an island! I see an island!”

“Where?”

“That way!”

I narrowed my eyes. It was true. It could be a reef, but it’s land nonetheless. If we could at least set foot on it, Valkyrie could rest.

We rowed hard, picking up speed. Thankfully, it wasn’t a reef, but a new island. Finally, we were clear of that one.

But, the island’s condition was strange.

“What is that?”

“Looks like a fire.”

Fires were rising up all over the island.

“Could it be because it’s so dry?”

“Wait, I don’t think it’s just a wildfire.”

I examined the rising flames closely.

“No smoke is rising. Plus, that bluish color of the flames…”

The flames burned neither too weak nor too strong, staying in place. Bluish sparks scattered like flower petals. Even approaching closer, I couldn’t smell anything burning.

This isn’t normal.

Never seen anything like it, fascinating. Curiosity, that was about the extent of our feelings.

Except for one person.

“Th-that’s what… what is that.”

Valkyrie, who’d been suffering from seasickness, lifted her head. Her already gaunt face started to turn even whiter.

A trembling voice, breath getting faster and faster.

“N-no way. Absolutely not.”

Valkyrie raised her voice, almost having a fit.

“We absolutely can’t go there! We can’t! Fire is everywhere! I absolutely can’t go! I hate it! I hate it! I hate itttttt!”

“Major? Major! Snap out of it!”

“No, I said no, *sob*.”

The most violent reaction she’s shown so far. The Saintess and the fox sisters both look genuinely flustered. I told them Valkyrie had trauma related to burning flames, but I guess they didn’t expect it to be this bad.

I was a little surprised too. Still, I know her past well, so I can understand it. For Valkyrie, the scenery of this island is probably overlapping with the memories of that day.

“No, o, just go back, qu, ickly…”

“Okay, okay. Let’s go back.”

I patted Valkyrie’s back and checked the water and food.

Enough food to last until we get back. We might be a little short on water, but we can purify seawater with zeolite, so we can manage.

It’s a shame to turn back after coming this far, but it’s better than taking risks. This island definitely seems dangerous. If we come back, we’ll need to prepare more.

[“Flow.”]

I took out the Origin Stone and injected mana into it.

This stone should resonate with the beacon remaining on the island, guiding us back to camp. Now, obediently show us the way.

[“Huh?”]

[“Eh?”]

“Huh?”

The Origin Stone is pointing to our current coordinates.

This usually means one of two things. Either it’s trying to reset the location, or there’s no set location to begin with.

Thinking it might be an error, I tried again. Same thing. The Origin Stone can’t point in any direction.

It’s clearly the latter. There’s no set location. And no set location means there’s no device to receive the signal.

“Tch.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No signal.”

“Huh?”

“Looks like the signal device is destroyed.”

Everyone’s expression turned serious. Especially Valkyrie. She looked as if she’d lost her entire country. I continued calmly.

“If it’s broken, it’s either monsters or a natural disaster. I hid it in the safest place I could, but I never imagined this would happen in just one day.”

“So, what do we do now? Can’t we go back? To our original island?”

“We can go, but it’ll be a much tougher journey than coming here.”

Relying on instinct. That’s real madness on the open ocean.

Especially since lifeboats are so susceptible to wind and rain. Even if we know the location of each island, the waves could push us somewhere we don’t want to be.

“If we run into a storm, we could be adrift at sea for days. Worst case scenario, most of our food rots and we starve.”

If it gets that far, our chances of survival plummet.

Right, we spent a lot of time getting to this island.

Time to choose.

Go into the island, or retreat and regroup.

“……”

“……”

The Saintess and Riyo exchanged glances. The Saintess spoke first.

“Couldn’t we just quickly grab the boss and get out?”

“That’s a valid point. But we don’t know what kind of monsters live on this island. We need to gather information at least, then play it by ear.”

“I guess so. Still, I think advancing is better than going back. Personally.”

I asked the fox sisters the same question. Their thoughts mirrored the Saintess’.

“Magician, what about you?”

“I concur.”

The mana compass points to this island. Unless we take down the boss here, we’re as good as stuck.

Three minds aligned.

Just one more approval and it’s unanimous.

The Saintess took Valkyrie’s trembling hand.

“Major, get up. That’s just a wildfire. A downpour will put it all out, right? So just bear with it and let’s go down.”

“S-sorry… Colonel. I’m so scared. Can’t even open my eyes properly.”

“The mana compass is pointing at this island. Your friends, the ones you’re looking for, could be here.”

“…Daisy and Olivia?”

“Yes. Would you turn your back on those friends even if they were here?”

The Saintess’ persuasion seemed to work, as Valkyrie raised her head. Her gaze properly fixed on the island. Golden eyes, shaking like an earthquake.

Trauma is a disease of the mind. Telling someone with trauma to overcome it with willpower is like telling someone without legs to run. If that were possible, they’d be a superhuman.

“Hng, hng… Fu… freaking…”

Was Rachel Brokenheart someone you could call a superhuman?

I don’t know. At least to my eyes, she was a fragile girl. Strong, sure, and her tactical assessment as a soldier was quicker than anyone else’s, but still, a girl with wounds that hadn’t healed.

“I’ll go… down. I’ll try. If I can’t overcome it this time, then… for life…”

Valkyrie squeezed her eyes shut.

“…I can’t live like this for life.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Still, the Saintess being so kind meant no major conflict erupted. If it had just been me and the fox sisters, it might have been much harder to persuade them.

“Let’s split into two teams.”

I dropped the Saintess and Liyou off at the shallows and asked them a favor.

“Set up camp here first. Valkyrie and I will circle the island to get a sense of the coastline.”

“Okay. How long will you be?”

“We’ll be back before sunset, at the latest.”

I started rowing. The figures of the Saintess and Liyou grew smaller and smaller. Valkyrie gripped the oar on the opposite side, matching my pace. Her eyes were glazed over from that damn seasickness.

“……”

“……”

For a while, we were silent.

We understood each other without needing to speak. One of the purposes of exploring this island was Valkyrie’s comrades. That’s right. I had to find the enemy soldiers I killed.

Let’s assume they turned to stone like David or Calon. What would they think, seeing the person who killed them with their friend? They’d definitely urge Valkyrie to kill me.

What would Valkyrie do then? Would all the goodwill I’d built up be for nothing? Could this delicate relationship already be starting to crack?

“Hoo.”

“Hoo.”

Valkyrie let out a heavy sigh. She didn’t look good. Maybe I should have let her get her feet on solid ground for a bit.

“Could you hand me that stone?”

“This one?”

I took the slate tablet and poured mana into it.

I traced the island’s edge, copying it exactly. I marked down what kind of terrain and structures were in each section of the edge.

This was crucial work. I needed to find where the boss might be.

The island was largely composed of three structures:

A sandy beach that seemed relatively free of flames and safe.

A field with quite a few flames scattered about and plenty of dry grass.

And, the most dangerous looking, a coastal cliff with the most flames.

I focused my mind, and I felt a thick flow of mana coming from the direction of the cliff. The boss had to be over there.

Climbing the cliff from this side would be close to suicide, so it’d be right to circle around through the beach and field to get in.

As the edge of the sun hung on the horizon, we returned to the beach.

“How did it go?”

“I roughly figured out where the boss lives. It’d be good to get through tonight and decide what to do. How far along is the camp?”

“Truthfully, I didn’t get much done. Flames kept popping up and going out all over the place. I’ve never seen such a crazy island.”

“Does this mean everyone will have to sleep in the lifeboats?”

“I’m afraid that might be the case.”

“Let’s eat first. We should finish off the meat before it goes bad.”

Rio prodded a nearby flame with a resin-covered stick and brought it over. He put the meat directly on the bonfire he made right then and there to roast it.

I shook off the sweat and said,

“It seems like the first day is the hardest on any island.”

“But it’s not the worst, right? We have water to drink, meat, and someone to talk to. Especially having you here seems like the best part. This is abundance for a deserted island, isn’t it?”

“Right. Ah, it’s done.”

The meat’s only had a rough pass with vegetables to kill the gamey smell, so objectively, the taste isn’t great. And since nobody here’s a cooking expert, it’s dry as hell.

Still, for a deserted island, this is a feast. Gotta eat with gratitude.

I dished out portions for the Saintess and Liyo, then turned around. Valkyrie hadn’t stepped out of the lifeboat once since we arrived.

“Food. Here. I’ll bring it.”

“Don’t do that, come on out. Seems safe enough here.”

Valkyrie’s expression soured. She looked tormented. I couldn’t force her. Our relationship was already strained; I didn’t want to break it entirely.

“Hoo, hoo-ah.”

Valkyrie took a deep breath, then stretched out a smooth leg. Slowly, like a cat testing the water, she took a step. So careful that I unconsciously swallowed hard. *Gulped.*

Valkyrie started walking like a toddler just learning. The sand was a little hot, but she was wearing shoes, so she should be okay.

“……”

The instant she thought that, a strange mana surged beneath her feet. The nature was scorching, the power intense.

My gaze locked downwards. The sand was writhing.

A monster?

The thought barely formed before I launched myself. A bug monster, its exterior covered in rock, burst out of the ground, engulfing Valkyrie in a blast of blue flame.