Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers

27 – Ghoul Altar (1)

Just like on that island where Valkyrie and I shared life and death, I was certain there would be monsters here too. Not ghosts, but literal, physically real monsters.

I didn’t know what kind of monster might pop out. Like on that island, sea people could rise from the ocean, or a werewolf might appear from that forest. We maintained strict night watch.

My prediction wasn’t wrong.

“Magician, over there.”

I narrowed my eyes, following the direction Valkyrie was pointing. Something was beyond the bushes. It was dark, so it was hard to see clearly, but the presence was distinct.

Using a sap-covered branch as a torch, I illuminated the area ahead, and a grayish-white shape revealed itself in the darkness.

Shit. What the hell is that?

It wasn’t a ghost. Its feet were on the ground. Like those sea creature monsters, its form was close to human.

No, it was just a human. Not a living human, though.

There was no skin, no muscle, no organs. All that remained was bone. Where eyes should have been, only an empty void lingered.

Even in death, with only bones left, a being that stubbornly defied the will of the heavens to continue its existence.

“….Are they all skeletons here?”

“They look horrific.”

Skeletal monsters are famous enough to appear in countless heroic tales, even children’s stories. The demon king’s army. The epitome of the undead. The old folks used to call them *Dokuro* (skull).

I never thought I’d see them with my own eyes, though.

Half a dozen skeletons surrounded us in an instant. Just as I thought, they had no intention of letting us just pass by.

We readied ourselves for battle. Valkyrie imbued her spear with divine power, and I drew on my magic power to charge the gemstones.

Clink.

The skeletons approach. Valkyrie charges to meet them. As she thrusts her spear into the skeletons ahead, I fire magic towards one trying to flank.

It’s been a month working with Valkyrie. There are no stumbles. We efficiently deal with the monsters.

Some try to get back up, but those we simply shatter their bones to pieces.

“Mage. Look.”

Valkyrie, kicking away bones, pointed to the ground.

“Stone.”

“Yeah. It’s a stone.”

Just like with the fish-men. A magic stone was found inside the skull. It had a dark crimson light, a kind I had never seen before.

Even if I concede that the skeleton monsters arose naturally, there’s no reason for stones to be embedded in their heads.

“Looks like they were controlling them with this…”

Examining the magic stone closely, I realized each stone was acting as some sort of transmitter. Which begs another question: who on earth is doing this?

I can’t figure it out by pondering. Further research is needed, including the magic stone we got after catching the Siren last time.

“Huuuh.”

“Good work today.”

I held out a fist to Valkyrie.

Valkyrie blinked, then chuckled. Our fists lightly touched and then separated.

“That was close earlier, but you helped at just the right time. You have good instincts?”

If this woman had been my ally from the beginning, how great would that have been. Then, I would be able to trust and rely on her much more… That’s what I’ve been thinking lately… But it’s impossible.

A month has passed, but that day’s experience is still vivid. The sight of Valkyrie burning my companions with the holy lance. I can never forget it. To the point it keeps appearing even when I close my eyes.

Lying down to sleep, almost every night a Valkyrie appears. It’s always the same dream: a dragon knight from the enemy nation, finding me to kill me. But then, I wake from that unsettling nightmare, and there’s Rachel, rubbing her sleepy eyes, standing night watch to protect me.

This gap is confusing.

My head knows it, but my heart won’t accept it. We’re enemies, we’re only cooperating out of necessity, we’re supposed to aim our guns at each other when we return to our units…

But after fighting so well together, sharing hard-won food, struggling to survive by joining forces like this, it becomes impossible to tell friend from foe.

And so.

I fear the monsters that come to me every night less than that smile the Valkyrie sometimes gives me.

*

“You worked hard. Go get some rest.”

After trading watch with Teria, Rachel lay down in the lifeboat.

“Haa…”

It’s been over a month since they were stranded on this deserted island. It’s already been that long since she began coexisting with the man who was her enemy, all to survive.

A month.

Short if you see it that way, long if you see it that way.

But time has density. Even if the volume of time spent with this man is small, its weight is by no means light.

When she thinks back, the memories of that day are still vivid.

The day she lost two of her close friends from the orphanage right before her eyes, and then she herself was hit by a mage’s attack, falling into the cold sea.

It was all because of this man. So, when Rachel reunited with him on this remote island, she decided to carry her anger towards him to the very end.

That’s why it was so confusing.

Her head knows it, but her heart won’t accept it. We’re enemies, we’re only cooperating out of necessity, and she knows the kindness that man shows her is all calculated…

But after fighting so well together, sharing hard-won food, struggling like this to save each other, it’s like she’s about to forget that he’s the enemy who killed Daisy and Olivia.

So.

For Rachel, the wizard’s occasional disheveled side was more frightening than the monsters that came every night.

*

How many days had passed?

[‘About two weeks, I’d say.’]

The island survey was pretty much done. We knew what kind of monsters lived there, how to prepare for their attacks, and what their weaknesses were.

Here, there were only undead-type monsters. They wouldn’t die no matter how much you attacked them, but you could neutralize them by cutting off their limbs and crushing them. They were also vulnerable to fire, and sunlight was their natural enemy. Unlike the merfolk who didn’t die even in the morning, these guys completely lost their power at dawn.

That was good. It meant guaranteed safety during the day.

Still, there was one problem.

[“Kill the military police and the valkyries to avenge us!”]

There were too many souls on the island.

All the souls were fallen soldiers. Every time we encountered them, we heard their complaints. Sometimes they would even attack us. They came day and night.

[“Isn’t life fleeting? I have no regrets. But for some reason, I can’t leave this island. Cainley and Hans haven’t been around since yesterday. Did you perhaps help them, Major?”]

The spirits, whether by choice or not, couldn’t find peace. To grant them rest, we needed both the Saint’s prayers and my consolation.

“At this rate, all my magic stones will be gone from building these cairns.”

“It’s my first time too. I’ve never used this much divine power before.”

The Saint sighed and sat on a rock. The night was deep. I sat next to her and continued the work I’d started yesterday.

What I was building was a net. A few days had passed, but since not a single animal had shown its face, I was spending day and night making fishing gear.

To get a lot of food, things like fish traps or fishing rods were useless. So I came up with this net. Once it was done, I planned to set it up in the narrows of the stream to sweep up the fish.

The method itself was simple. Twist two strands of things like palm leaves or tree bark to make a rope, then make two more of those ropes and lay them crosswise. Tie the intersection with a third rope, and that’s one set.

I keep repeating this damn chore. Simple, but that’s what makes it annoying, and there were times I struggled because each of the strings I’d made was different in material and strength.

“Hah, sss.”

“What’s wrong? Is it not going well?”

“This part isn’t tying properly…”

“Give it here.”

The Saintess took the string and, in less than a minute, tied the knot. Wow, and here I was wrestling with it for over ten minutes.

“I thought you were good at crafting. Seems you have your shortcomings too.”

“It’s because I’ve been doing it all by myself.”

“Is that an excuse?”

“It’s not an excuse. Look at this. My palms are all cracked.”

My hand, lit by the campfire, was all red and blotchy. There were thick horizontal lines packed closely together on the areas where my palm creases are. They were marks left from constantly twisting the rope and tying knots to make the net. Ah, it kinda stings.

“Good heavens.”

The Saintess covered her mouth with her hand.

“You did this until you got to this state?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do. We agreed to split the work. The Valkyrie hunts, you gather and heal… ethically, I should at least take care of the water and tools, shouldn’t I?”

“Still, I could have helped a little.”

The Saintess’s hand, which had been hovering in the air, finally moved. She clasped my blistered hand. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t even have time to react.

Her eyes, reflecting the campfire, briefly flashed pink before turning back to black.

“Uh…”

“Just stay still. I’ll heal you.”

The saint’s cherry-like lips parted, murmuring an incantation. A faint light, along with a gentle warmth, rose from her hands. Not overpowering, just warm enough to soothe the heart. The stinging sensation was gradually fading.

“How do you feel?”

“Much better.”

The saint smiled softly. Her eyes were a mix of yellow and blue. Sadness and joy, two emotions coexisting within them. Even looking at the color of her eyes, it was hard to discern her true feelings.

Only this thought came to mind.

Her smile was truly beautiful.

Around dawn, I handed the net to the Valkyrie who had just woken up. Today was the day the two of them, the saint and the Valkyrie, would head to the stream. The saint and the Valkyrie whispered amongst themselves, then turned to me.

“Major Brokenheart said to tell you. You’ve worked hard, and you should rest this morning.”

I responded with a smile. The saint shrugged, then turned and left with the Valkyrie.

I couldn’t just rest.

I raised my head and looked beyond the forest. There was a small mountain there. Not too high, it seemed like I could climb it and come back down in a single day.

Today, I would scout the route to the mountain and make a new spear for the Valkyrie.

It was around that time…

[“Long time no see, friend.”]

The enigmatic man appeared again.