Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

107 – How to Save an Enemy (7)

Commander Adora lost consciousness before long. I quickly went to the Saintess and asked her to check on the Commander’s condition.

“Femoral artery hemorrhage.”

It seemed the Saintess had made a diagnosis.

“There’s a bit of a blood shortage. Sergeant Riyo, I think the Sergeant will have to help a little.”

“Me?”

“I understand it’s difficult, but there’s no other way.”

Riyo furrowed his brow.

The dilemma was that Riyo was the only one here with the same blood type as the Commander. To have to save the Commander, a member of the Eight Shadows Association who has persecuted beastmen, with my own blood. And not just once, but twice.

But as the Saintess said, it was unavoidable.

“Let’s get ready.”

“…Understood.”

After the transfusion, the Commander’s breathing was returning to normal. Riyo complained of dizziness, but it was mild.

The two of them soon fell asleep. I was so tired I was ready to pass out. But the spider woman hadn’t returned yet. I couldn’t sleep before talking to her.

The Saintess looked at me and continued.

“You must have had a hard time.”

“Yes, I almost died.”

I said that, showing her the Little White Grass. The Saintess looked at the gleaming white leaves with an expression of wonder.

“You must have suffered. Were you very cold? Here’s some warm water.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“But… can I ask you something?”

“Please do.”

“The kiss with Commander Gipold, how was it?”

My shoulders flinched, a sharp twitch. I swallowed the water wrong, and a torrent of coughs burst out.

“Oh dear, you must be careful.”

Tap, tap.

The Saintess stroked my back as she whispered.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m alright.”

“I’m not.”

The next instant, an icy chill raised goosebumps all over my body.

I was looking down, and the Saintess leaned in close, meeting my eyes.

“Look at my eyes. What color are they?”

“…Green.”

“That’s strange. They should definitely be yellow.”

They *were* yellow a moment ago. Back when she first saw me, when I returned.

“Tell me, how was the kiss with the Commander?”

“……”

“I know. You can’t lie. That’s why you’re trying to avoid talking, right? But you need to know this too.”

The Saintess’s eyes, meeting mine, are glowing faintly.

“I have eyes that can trace mana residue, you see.”

I’m screwed.

“Erich.”

“Yes.”

“You have a thick trace of the Commander’s mana around your lips.”

The Saintess pressed her nose to my cheek, inhaling.

“And, it smells incredibly sweet and sticky. It’s definitely gum, isn’t it. You were rolling that lump of rubber around in each other’s mouths, sucking and kissing. I wonder what kind of strange noises you made. What kind of dirty noises……”

“Ms. Carsten?”

“Can you see my eyes here? They’re dark underneath. I was so anxious, worrying you wouldn’t come back, wondering if you were dead. I couldn’t sleep, I prayed so much. And you were out having a good night with that woman?”

“No, I almost died!”

I have something to say here too.

“Ms. Carsten, the Commander actually confessed to me.”

“……Huh?”

“Last night, the Commander was on the verge of death. Her body was incredibly cold. She was soaked from the rain and hadn’t eaten properly, so she had no strength at all.”

I related the events in detail.

“We turned on a single glowstone for light and shared body heat. That’s when the Commander said this to me. She said she might die here, so she’d rather I make an unforgettable memory for her.”

I refused at first.

Even so, I couldn’t completely reject it.

“I don’t even know what’s what. But I think I’m into men. My head’s all jumbled and I can’t sort it out. Sorry.”

“No, why are *you* apologizing…”

“Because I had feelings for Saintess Carsten too.”

“Huh?”

The Saintess’s eyes, which had been all green, started to turn cherry blossom pink.

Really intense.

“We definitely weren’t *that* kind of thing, right? Still, it doesn’t sit right with me. Like I’m just casting a net or something…”

[‘Information. You are net-fishing.’]

“I know this isn’t right in a relationship. That’s why I’m saying I’m sorry.”

“……”

The Saintess spaced out for a good while. I waited until she snapped out of it and spoke again.

“Hoo,” the Saintess sighed, and said,

“You’re just, excessively honest.”

“Is being honest wrong?”

“No. It’s because you’re this way that I can’t hate you.”

The Saintess’s touch, which had been sending shivers down my spine, suddenly warmed up. She gently stroked my back and continued,

“I just think we can’t waste time fighting over stupid stuff on this deserted island.”

“I think so too.”

“You don’t have to pick one of us until we escape. At least, the three of us decided that’s how it’s going to be.”

“……Was there something you were talking about?”

“Shhh.”

The Saintess put a finger to my lips, smiling brightly.

“It’s a secret just for women. Don’t ask.”

“……”

“Answer me properly.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The Saintess nodded and apologized to me one last time.

“I’m sorry I got so worked up earlier. I guess I’m still lacking in my training. I’ll try harder to become a woman worthy of you.”

*

[“Impressive.”]

That’s what Salbira, the spider woman, said to me as soon as she returned. I thought it was praise for going to the mountain peak and picking the Sobaek Herb.

[“I never imagined even his descendants would have such a flamboyant taste for women.”]

[“What do you mean?”]

[“Your surname is definitely Ronstein, right?”]

[“Yes. That’s correct, but……”]

[“Do you remember the name of the human who founded your lineage?”]

Our founder.

In other words, the father who established the Magic Kingdom.

[“Jeriem, isn’t it?”]

[“Everyone knows the name. I mean, do you know his family name?”]

[“I understand Jeriem was born a slave, so he wouldn’t have had a family name.”]

[“Didn’t you ever think he might have created a family name himself after achieving his great work?”]

[“If he had, it would have been known by now. He’s a man from hundreds of years ago, but not prehistoric. Don’t you think at least one document with his name would have been found by now?”]

[“Yeah, you wouldn’t know. Because the demons snatched away his family name so all races would forget it.”]

Salbira’s red eyes bore into me.

[“Jeriem prayed to the demons to prevent mages from using sacrifices. It was probably the moment the cornerstone known as the Covenant of Magic was codified in your Magocracy. But in exchange, the demons placed two hereditary constraints on Jeriem’s clan. One is what I just told you, and the other is a curse that drastically reduces the amount of mana passed down through the generations.”]

[“How do you know that?”]

[“Because he performed the offering with my help.”]

[“Are you trying to deceive me?”]

[“Sometimes a truth can be more false than a lie.”]

The spider’s words twisted my expression.

[“Jeriem’s family name was Ronstein.”]

[“So what? What does that even mean?”]

[“That man is your ancestor. Can you store less than 10% of the mana that others can? Then it’s certain. You are not only a descendant of your nation’s founder, but a direct descendant.”]

My first reaction here was suspicion, not surprise.

It’s still difficult to trust this demon. I brought the Sobaek Herb because I was willing to be deceived if there was even a small chance of saving Valkyrie. Humans and demons are fundamentally different.

What is he trying to achieve by linking me to Jeriem?

[“Looks like you don’t believe me.”]

[“Even if everything you said is true, it’s meaningless here. I only look forward. So, can you save that woman with the Sobaek Herb or not?”]

[“Okay.”]

I handed the spider woman the medicinal herbs.

[“You brought a generous amount. Judging by the scent of blood clinging to you, you seem to have taken down that witch too. So, you wanted that wench to live that badly, huh?”]

[“Yes.”]

[“Even though she’s a female soldier from the enemy nation?”]

[“Does that give us a reason to let Rachel die?”]

Salbira chuckled softly.

[“It’ll take two days.”]

[“Thank you in advance.”]

[“You’re awfully polite for someone talking to a fiend.”]

That was the end of the conversation with the demon.

Just as I was about to go to bed, I heard the woman mutter something.

[“‘Blood doesn’t lie,’ is it….”]

*

After defeating the Queen Bee and the Witch of Calamity in quick succession, I realized a lot.

First, that we were too weak.

Second, that our chances of survival plummeted if we didn’t stick together.

Major Adora, with her serious shoulder and leg injuries, would have to return to patient status for the time being. While taking care of her, I also kept an eye on Valkyrie. I fed her the herbal medicine that Salbira brought and monitored her progress.

Thankfully, my worries that the medicine was fake or even poison, were unfounded.

“Cough, cough.”

The powders coating Valkyrie’s body began to slough off. With each dose, her expression brightened, color returned to her face.

“Huh?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just… the seed’s gone.”

Contrary to Salvira’s prediction of a month, Valkyrie recovered in just a week.

Even accounting for individual differences in drug response, it was exceptionally fast.

[“This abnormal recovery rate, it can only be explained by the blood of a Hero.”]

The spider woman was at it again with the bloodline nonsense.

“Major Rachel, how are you?”

“I feel much better. Thank you.”

“If you’re going to thank someone, thank Erich and that woman over there.”

“…A demon?”

I could see Valkyrie biting her lip slightly. She wore a displeased expression, but quickly lowered her head.

I, too, expressed my gratitude to Salvira with the magical kingdom’s etiquette.

[“Thank you for your help.”]

For the first time, a look of surprise flickered across the spider woman’s usually impassive face.

[“Why? I suddenly feel… good.”]

[“Aren’t you… proud?”]

[“Proud?”]

Salvira shook her head.

[“Bullshit. We demons don’t have emotions like that.”]

[“Then, would you care to tell us? Why are you helping us humans with the body of a monster?”]

[“That’s…”]

All of our gazes turned towards the spider woman’s mouth. Salbira hesitated for a moment, then tucked her lower lip in, and turned around.

[“Let’s rest for now. If you have the strength to listen after you’ve rested enough, then come back and I’ll tell you.”]

Then, in the blink of an eye, she disappeared. Only a small spider monster remained where she had been, acting as our servant and guard.

It wriggled around, squeaking and beeping, disgusting but secretly kind of cute.

“Hkkiaaa!”

As Riyo stretched, the spider made a *pyak* sound and scurried up the wall.

“We got through the worst of it!”

“Yeah, looks like we can rest for a while.”

“Hmm.”

And everyone’s gaze turned to Valkyrie and me.

“Now it’s my turn to ask.”

Valkyrie murmured that in Holy Spirit Nation language. She turned her head and looked directly at me.

“Magician, Erich.”

“Speak.”

“Difficult mountain. Heard you went. Almost died. Why? For me?”

Valkyrie’s fingertip points to the young master.

“Me, no need anymore. That woman strong. Same as me. So, could throw away. Me… your enemy. Your foe. Don’t trust, right.”

Valkyrie’s words couldn’t continue. Because I gently took her hand.

“Don’t know.”

“…You don’t know?”

“Just… I didn’t want to see you die, that’s all.”

At first, it was hatred, but we were forced into a cooperative relationship.

But after crossing the line between life and death several times, entrusting each other with our lives, it evolved into a love-hate relationship.

Now that even the hatred had been diluted like water, I couldn’t understand anything anymore.

I could have answered Valkyrie’s question with something like, ‘Because your survival increases my chances of survival,’ but that wouldn’t explain this action.

So.

“I just acted as my heart led me.”

I said plainly in the Holy Spirit Kingdom’s language.

“I wanted you to live. To live, to escape from here, and to live the rest of your life happily. Why? That’s all. Is that an answer?”

“Ah…”

Valkyrie’s lips moved soundlessly. She let out a sigh, and I could see her cheeks gradually reddening. I felt the heat on my own face as well.

Ha, damn it. Was I too honest? There should have been a better answer, did I say something unnecessary?

What if she suspects I have other motives and becomes suspicious?

Really, I just wanted you to live. That’s why I did it.

It was then that Valkyrie spoke again.

“…Then, can I… do it too?”

“Do what?”

“My heart leads the way.”

*Grip.*

Valkyrie seized my hand back, crushing it in hers. Right in front of the other female soldiers, she brought her face close.

*Smack.*

The warm touch on my cheek, sticking then pulling away, left me numbly stroking my face.

I tilted my head slightly to see Valkyrie, who wore the same blank expression, as if surprised by her own actions.

“Woah.”

“Ah.”

The Fox sisters gaped at the sight of us in stunned admiration, while the Saintess massaged her forehead and staggered backward.

And then, Major Adora…

“…Daring to, declare war?”

She glared daggers at Valkyrie, like she wanted to kill her.