Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

63 – Overcoming Trauma (3)

The island’s highest cliff.

A five-story stone pagoda, encircled by blue flames, stands proudly.

And at the pagoda’s highest level.

A humanoid monster, its entire body covered in rock, sits upon a stone throne.

[-Record from Division -28. Division 3 suffered catastrophic losses and has effectively disbanded. Specific cause is under investigation. End of report.]

The monster reads the words that appear on the stone tablet and murmurs softly.

[“……Vignole has fallen.”]

The report stated that the cause was under investigation, but only fools would take that at face value.

Someone has omitted part of the information.

But, why?

He closed his eyes and was lost in thought.

[“Lord Redoff!”]

A fire salamander comes rushing in, breathless.

[“What’s going on.”]

[“Humans have come to this island!”]

[“Be specific.”]

[“Two humans, one beastkin, and one Lumina. They dragged a small boat ashore at the southeast beach. They killed our scout and set up camp!”]

Ledoff opened his eyes and sat up. Fragments of stone scraped and fell around him.

[“So, it’s them.”]

[“What do you mean?”]

[“Recently, we’ve lost contact with several islands. There can be no division within the Emperor’s legion, so it must be them, sweeping through the area.”]

Just what kind of b*stards are they? What kind of crazy sons of b*tches are sabotaging the Paradise Project?

[“Investigate further. Once we know their strength, we’ll make a plan to capture them.”]

[“There’s no need for you to bother, Commander. We’ll slaughter them and bring them back ourselves.”]

[“Hmm, yes. That’s right.”]

Ledoff smiled with satisfaction.

As soon as the Salamander Soldier shook his tail and left, Ledoff moved to a small room. A space where magic stones and elaborate instruments were gathered as if on display.

[“Beautiful.”]

*Hummmmm.*

The stones vibrated in unison. Ledoff’s gaze, sweeping over the surroundings, lingered on one place for a long time. There, were two magic stones, with colors as gorgeous as jewels.

Today, I think I’ll experiment with these.

*Click.*

As he plugged the stones into the signaler, a woman’s voice flowed out.

[“Cough, cough! You think you’ll actually live through this?”]

[“Our Holy Spirit Nation rescue squad is coming soon. When Captain Rachel gets here, you’re as good as dead!”]

Ledoff chuckled. He didn’t care and continued with his agenda for the day. He implanted two magic stones into the dummy golem, then brought a heated piece of iron and seared them.

[“aaagh!”]

[“Kyaaagh!”]

[“6 seconds, 7 seconds. Something like that.”]

It was only after a few seconds that the two stones cried out in pain. This wasn’t nearly enough. The time it took to react to the stimulus was far too long.

[“Useless like this.”]

Even if a soul descends, it’s worthless if it doesn’t synchronize with the flesh. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his client’s requests, let alone facilitate *His* return.

Ledoff continued his research, agonizing over it. And so, screams of two women echoed throughout the uppermost floor of the stone tower for hours.

*

“…I’m sorry.”

Rachel lowered her head.

“I showed weakness. I’ve caused trouble, so I have nothing to say. Dispose of me according to military law.”

“Major, get up. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Tiria helped Rachel up.

“You’re just sick in the head right now, Major. Anyone who blames a sick person is the weird one. None of us are mad, so stop being so down.”

“That’s right, Major.”

Riyo agreed. The mage stayed a bit away, just nodding. He didn’t seem to care much about Rachel’s mistakes either. No, his eyes looked more worried than anything.

“Even so, I was truly sorry.”

“Apologies to us are unnecessary. Give your thanks to the mage instead.”

“Excuse me?”

“Thanks to the mage, the Major was able to pull out of the panic attack quickly.”

Rachel’s gaze drifted blankly.

“I know the two of you have a deep-seated grudge. But it was the mage who calmed the Major at the critical moment.”

“But… why…”

Rachel knew it too. She had recovered her mental and physical stability sooner than expected, thanks to the magician.

Suddenly, she retraced her memories of that day.

The day she encountered the Siren.

Rachel, caught in an illusion spell, had an unpleasantly vivid experience. She died once more in front of her parents that day. And if that wasn’t enough, she was almost beaten by the mages again.

If she had been beaten to death there, Rachel would have been completely broken. It wasn’t a priest of the Holy Spirit Church who appeared before her at that moment and dealt with the pseudo-mages.

The mage, Erich Ronstein.

She thinks of that name. Although it was an illusion, Erich was outraged by the mages’ actions. He knocked them down and then took Rachel and escaped from the illusion.

Illusion magic is forbidden sorcery. In the end, it turns the test subject’s brain to mush, leading to death. Rachel almost died that day, but thanks to Erich, she miraculously survived.

He was a lifesaver.

And, this time as well.

“Ah…”

Not only had he saved her from the monster’s surprise attack, but he had also calmed her seizure.

If he had simply handed her food or blocked the monster’s attack, she would have thanked him without hesitation. That much could be written off as calculated kindness.

This isn’t it.

I was completely, irrevocably in debt to him.

Rachel had already spent months with the mage, constantly seeing only his kind side. There couldn’t possibly be someone so kind. The only wrongdoing the mage had committed against her was killing her two comrades.

She had used that as a barrier in her heart, to withstand everything until now. Drawing a line. Not giving him any more kindness than was necessary for survival on the deserted island.

Because of that.

If she said thank you here, it might be irreversible.

“Major, hurry.”

Tiria said gently. Her tone implied that she should at least keep up the basic human courtesy.

Rachel opened her mouth with difficulty.

“T-thank you…”

The mage gave a small nod. He also had a rather complex expression. Perhaps he was struggling with the same dilemma as her.

Yeah, if you think about it, this is really just an act of kindness for survival. He needs her help to catch the boss of this island. He helped her out of necessity.

But even if it’s a false kindness, it’s still kindness, and she couldn’t coldly reject it.

“…Haa.”

Rachel sighed.

At this rate, she might not be able to avenge her dead comrades.

Truly, it was a frustrating day.

*

After flattening the boundary between the sand and the sea, they lodged the boat on the edge. They secured the rope to a large rock, firmly anchoring it so the boat wouldn’t be swept away by the waves.

And so the four of them lay down in the lifeboat. Lay down, but.

“Ugh, it’s cramped.”

Yeah, space is tight as hell.

Good thing is, one of us has to be awake. Gotta stand guard.

“I’ll take the first watch.”

The Saint perched on a high rock. In the boat, Valkyrie, Riyo, and I were the first to lie down side-by-side. Sleeping arrangement was Valkyrie, Riyo, me, in that order.

Made sense, in a way. Riyo liked me, Valkyrie pretty much didn’t. This was better for everyone, relatively speaking.

Night deepened. Riyo faced me and grinned.

[“Aren’t you cold, with it being night?”]

[“Not really?”]

This island’s dry and hot. I’m shirtless, but don’t really feel any chill.

Riyo puffed out her cheeks.

[“I told you before, you’re so clueless.”]

[“What are you talking about?”]

[“You’re supposed to say you’re cold in situations like this. Then I would’ve taken off my jacket for you.”]

I thought for a moment before opening my mouth.

[“I guess I’m a little cold?”]

[“Hmph.”]

Riyo’s eyes narrowed. She rustled around and took off her outer garment, draping it over her shoulders and mine.

[“Now we’re sharing the same blanket, huh?”]

[“…What’s your angle here?”]

[“Gue, ss, the, ans, wer.”]

Miyo tilted her head. Her eye-smile sent the stones into a frenzy.

[‘oooh, I’m actually tearing up a little. I’m finally seeing Erich-senpai flirting with a woman. Even if she’s a beastkin.’]

[‘You said it. Is that really Erich, the same pathetic guy who said back in the academy days that he’d rather fuck a rock than a woman? My heart is swelling with emotion.’]

Seriously, these rocks?

[‘But he’s like this with Valkyrie, and like this with the artificer, and like this with the Saintess, so who’s he actually gonna end up with?’]

[‘I, I… I’ve awakened to a new world. Beastkin are the best, it seems.’]

[‘You crazy b*stard. Even still, don’t you have a natural aversion to it?’]

[‘She’s just got ears and a tail on a human body, what’s wrong with that? Speaking of which, who do *you* think is better?’]

[‘Personally, I’m going with the Saintess. Erich-senpai is overflowing with affection, but he’s also subtly taciturn. He needs to end up with a kind woman who gives good reactions for maximum potential, wouldn’t you agree?’]

[‘Potential? What potential? Gravitational potential? You fool, David. You know nothing. Marriage is about compatibility in interests. The artificer is interested in magic and engineering, so why are you trying to pair him with a devout follower of the Holy Spirit Church? That’s a recipe for a broken home!’]

[‘I prefer a homemaker to a tomboy, that’s all. Look at what that Saintess is doing right now. She cooks, she does laundry, she comforts, she just does everything, doesn’t she?’]

[‘GAL—!!’]

I’m going insane. Now even the damn rocks are giving me advice on who to marry. Just go to sleep quietly!

[‘We’re rocks, we don’t need to sleep.’]

[‘We might be tired, so we will speak softly.’]

Just don’t do it.

[‘Let’s keep going. It seems we need to find a compromise.’]

[‘If not the Saintess, how about the Valkyrie?’]

[‘The Valkyrie killed us, so she starts with a point deduction. That’s also why Erich is so lukewarm about her. But who knows what the future holds, right? If the two of them want each other, we can’t not support them.’]

[‘Realistically, will that day ever come?’]

The two idiots’ debate showed no signs of stopping. Maybe out of consideration for me, their voices had become softer, but the seriousness was still there.

[‘Damn it, David. No matter how I think about it, I like the beastfolk better.’]

[‘Why can’t you grasp the aesthetics of the Saintess? I never realized your academic depth was so shallow, senior.’]

[‘Y-you, little, rotten, b*stard, you, piece, of, shit…….’]

I fell asleep first.

How much time had passed?

It felt like it was almost time to switch shifts, so I came to.

“……?”

I tried to sit up, but a warm, heavy sensation enveloped me from chest to legs.

Ah, right. The fox sisters.

Even breaths came from within my embrace. I pried open my eyelids and reached for the lightstone at my bedside, intending to wake Riyo.

“…….”

It wasn’t Riyo.

Valkyrie was snuggled in my arms, breathing softly.