Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers - Chapter 66



65 – How to Overcome Trauma (5)

Mana and Sephiron formed an arc as they struck the lizard’s neck.

When Mana and Sephiron meet, a neutralization reaction occurs. When they collide violently like this, the reaction intensifies, and in some cases, creates a powerful shockwave.

The lizard’s head exploded in the Mana-Sephiron storm. A cruel blow that didn’t even grant it the mercy to scream.

[“Goddamn it!”]

The small lizard cut off its tail and scurried away. Pursuit is impossible. The sun is setting.

“Hah, haah! We won! We won!”

Valkyrie placed the axe down with trembling hands. Our fists bumped.

“I’ve fought fire and won for the first time!”

“See? You can do it if you try!”

This is the first time I’ve seen Valkyrie so happy. It made me feel good too. The Saintess cleared her throat after looking at us.

“You two have gotten a lot closer, haven’t you?”

“Ah, ahem.”

We put a little distance between us.

But it wasn’t long before Valkyrie showed signs of anxiety again. It seemed a little better than before we took down the lizard, but she was still shaking.

I moved closer to her, trying not to make it obvious. I reached back as if to hold my hands behind my back, and felt a warm, delicate touch. Valkyrie grabbed my hand from behind.

“Y-Your, your body. Just gonna use a little.”

“……”

“You don’t like it? Me neither. But this can’t be helped. We have to live.”

Thanks to the Saintess’s lessons, Valkyrie and I were slowly learning to communicate.

At first, I thought it would be good to be able to talk, but now I’m afraid.

“Well, everyone’s had their fill and we’ve taken down monsters, shall we go to sleep?”

“Uhuu, it’s that fun bedtime again, without fail…”

Riyo yawned widely and dove into the lifeboat.

“Riyo’s gonna sleep first. I did a lot of exploring and made a bunch of tools so I’m tired. Wake me up when it’s my watch.”

“I’ll go to bed first too. Goodnight everyone.”

I’m starting the night watch tonight. I grabbed the rope and sat on a rock.

Even though it’s a night watch, I’m mostly just on standby. The times when monsters swarm are set. If we’re lucky, they might not even come.

Looks like we’re lucky today. Not a single one in sight.

I examined the magic stones I got from hunting monsters. As dangerous as the island is, the quality of the rewards was good. Each of the magic stones contained a deep magic power.

[‘Looks like an iron ore type.’]

[‘If refined well, it might be possible to make magic bullets. But we can’t shoot them without a gun.’]

[‘Why worry? The engineer said he’ll make a rifle later.’]

[‘Well, isn’t that something you do when you get closer?’]

[‘The way I see it, she’s already fallen.’]

[‘That’s just what you think, isn’t it, senior? Su-in could be different.’]

Iron, and fire affinity.

Good and all, but its compatibility with the monsters on this island is the absolute worst.

The quality of the magic stone itself is good, so I decided to imbue it with a piercing spell. With this, I can create an attack magic stone that is fatal to all beings that aren’t ghosts.

I was throwing myself into my research like that when…

“Ugh…”

A groan came from inside the boat.

“Ugh, ugh…”

It was Valkyrie. She was covered in cold sweat. Judging by the way her face was all scrunched up, she must be having a nightmare.

Well, she did see flames right in front of her eyes several times, so it’s no wonder her trauma is resurfacing. This symptom will likely continue for a while.

No matter what happens this time, I have to help her overcome it.

Funnily enough, it seemed like I was the only one who could calm her trauma.

I took Valkyrie’s hand as she flailed in her sleep.

“Oh.”

My body was pulled in as if caught on a hook. Valkyrie rubbed my hand against her face. The stones started to scream.

Damn it, how do I pull my hand away?

Actually, there wasn’t even a need to think about it. It was almost time to switch shifts.

I shook Riyo with my other hand.

“Hey, wake up.”

“Uuung.”

“Time to switch shifts. Get up.”

“No way. Just look at Riyomane.”

What’s this fox babbling about?

Guess she’s really out of it. Shaking her shoulders or a light tap wasn’t even making her twitch.

Looks like I’m gonna have to use more drastic measures.

First, I touched her left tail.

[“Ugh, ah, aah?”]

Then, I touched her right tail, too.

“Uht, hee, hicu.”

Didn’t they say the tail was one of a beastkin’s most sensitive spots? Like she was proving it, Riyomane started fidgeting and sat up.

“…Pervert.”

[“…Pervert.”]

I got a combo of insults as payback for waking her.

[“Couldn’t you wake me up in a more elegant and wholesome way?”]

[“I *did* shake your shoulders and even tap you, but you wouldn’t wake up.”]

[“That’s because it was only that much.”]

Miyo rubbed her cheek with her hand.

[“There’s a method where you kiss me here, you know.”]

[“……”]

[“Just kidding, kidding. Why the long face, huh? Makes me wanna bite you.”]

Riyo grinned, eyes crinkling, and pushed herself up. She tapped my head with her tail, then leaped onto a rock. Graceful, like only a beast-kin could be.

I sighed.

My left arm was still occupied by Valkyrie. Held firm. I could yank it free if I really tried, but that risked waking her.

I had no choice but to lie down next to Valkyrie.

“Uhhhn.”

Valkyrie let out a low moan and shifted. Of all things, her leg landed right on my thigh.

And if that wasn’t enough, she tugged my arm, nestling her head against it. Her breath, hot on my shoulder. This was way too close.

Valkyrie’s expression, lit by the glowing stone…

She was smiling.

A serene smile, like a still lake. No hint of anxiety or fear. Pure, fleeting. Beautiful, in a way I never imagined she could be.

“Ha.”

I’ve lost it. Thinking the woman who killed my friends is beautiful.

Even if I can understand the Saintess and become close with Riyo, Valkyrie is different. It’s absolutely impossible to feel genuine affection for her, right?

Of course, knowing her past, I can’t say I don’t understand… but that’s that, and this is this, isn’t it?

There’s only one thing I can do.

Offer a small contribution to her overcoming her trauma.

Even this is just a stopgap measure to get through this island. It doesn’t mean Valkyrie and I won’t be enemies. The best-case scenario for me is that the war is over by the time we escape this island.

With trembling hands, I wrapped my arms around Valkyrie.

“…Warm. Nice.”

Yeah, this is survival, and nothing more.

“Stay by my side… forever…”

Just fake kindness offered for the sake of survival.

*

The whole world was burning.

Smoke rose from every direction. People’s screams echoed from afar. Rachel was running through the chaos of the city.

I need to get out of here, fast.

As Rachel sprinted, a strangely shaped flame blocked her path. The flame gradually took on the form of a person, and approached her with a chilling sneer.

A demon. A demon was trying to devour her.

She had no suitable weapon. Rachel desperately fled. Her breath grew ragged. Her lungs felt like they were tearing, on the verge of coughing up dry blood.

As she ran, she saw a man running towards her from the opposite direction.

“Rachel!”

His face was obscured by the smoke. But the voice was familiar.

A mage.

The mage grabbed Rachel’s hand and turned her around. He handed her a holy spear and said.

“Let’s fight together.”

Rachel’s body moved on its own. Against her will, she found herself aiming the holy spear at the demon. At that moment, the mage took out a magic stone and began to chant.

As the mage spoke the words, water gushed from his fingertips like a waterfall. The torrent of water engulfed the demon, extinguishing its flames. The dried-up husk of the creature was revealed.

Rachel mustered her courage and leaped.

I jammed the spear into the devil. He fell, splattering blood and screams.

Rachel, drained of strength, plummeted to the ground. The mage caught her.

“You okay?”

He smiled. A smile of such relief. One I’d want to see, kept by my side, for the rest of my life.

And this warmth I felt at the same time. Warm as being with family. The temperature Rachel had searched for so desperately, after only dreaming of hot or cold.

“……”

That’s right. It was a dream.

Rachel snapped awake.

Another shitty dream. Lucky it didn’t end as a nightmare, but still, hugging the enemy and being happy about it?

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped me.

Rachel’s internal clock was precise. Even with the watch schedule changing daily, I woke up right on time, like a ghost.

Hazy senses slowly returned.

And, a warmth, unfamiliar yet familiar, washed over me.

“……!”

My body and the mage’s were half intertwined.

Not just touching.

Not only was I being cradled by his arm, but I had buried my face in his chest until just before waking. Practically hugging him.

Just… why?

Judging by the position, there’s no way the mage would have done that.

That meant there was only one possibility.

That she’d sought him out in her sleep, unconsciously.

Could it be the influence of the dream she’d just had?

“Shit…”

Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Her face felt strangely hot. Rachel slowly disentangled herself, careful not to wake Erich.

It was then.

The mage covered his own head with his right hand. Rachel was so startled she couldn’t even breathe.

This touch, it was the same as she’d felt in the dream. Warm. Even though she hated it, a part of her was strangely relieved.

This couldn’t be happening. Remembering how Daisy and Olivia died, and at whose hands, she couldn’t let herself get used to this touch.

Despite that, Rachel’s body and unconscious were honest. The last four months, living a primitive life on a deserted island, had made her body adapt like this. Her body was accepting it, that she was safe next to this man.

Rachel was feeling confused by the conflicting emotions.

“Major?”

Liyo, who had come to relieve the night watch, muttered, looking down at Rachel.

“Why are you erasing the pheromones I buried?”