Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers - Chapter 81



80 – The Body is Honest (1)

A poison stinger lodged in the Valkyrie’s shoulder.

“Ghk!”

“Major!”

The bee-demon, its stinger implanted, dropped to the floor like a mayfly and never rose again. The Saint and I, horrified, rushed to Valkyrie.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Hah… I… I’m okay.”

Valkyrie’s and my eyes met. Valkyrie was smiling faintly. She had shielded me, taken the poisoned stinger in my place.

Why?

We were cooperating, sure, but we were still enemies. Why take the hit for me?

Liyo, who had been rummaging through the toolbox, came over with tweezers.

“Here!”

“Thank you, Sergeant. Major, it might hurt, but just bear with it for a little bit.”

The Saint used the tweezers to remove the stinger, then disinfected the wound with water and divine power. The emergency treatment took only a few minutes. Valkyrie groaned softly.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“It’s bearable.”

“The swelling’s already starting. Since it’s a demon, we don’t know what kind of toxin it might have, so we should monitor her progress for a while. For now, Major, you shouldn’t move around today and get some rest.”

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“Understood.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Do you have any specific allergic reactions?”

“No, I don’t. I was stung by bees often as a child and never had any major problems.”

“I see. I’ll come back quickly, just in case.”

I can’t understand what the three women are saying. But I do understand that Valkyrie needs to rest.

This is bad.

The boss definitely knows our location. At this rate, we’ll be raided every night from now on. With Valkyrie like this, there’s a huge gap in our forces. The Saintess and Liyo surely know that too.

“Mage.”

The Saintess said.

“There aren’t any bees that remotely shoot poison darts. The type of poison will probably be different too. I don’t even know what symptoms will show up. Just in case, I’ll gather as many herbs as possible.”

“Alone?”

“I’ll take Sergeant Liyo. If the Sergeant’s searching skills are there, they’ll be extremely useful. Mage, please take care of the Major here.”

“Are the two of you going to be alright?”

“It’s fastest and easiest for the two of us to go. We’ll be back before sunset, no matter what, so don’t worry too much.”

The Saintess’ expression was quite serious. She grabbed my hand and urged,

“Right now, you’re the one with the best combat ability. Whatever happens, please protect the Major.”

The Saintess and Liyo soon gathered equipment and drinking water and left.

I’m worried about the two of their stamina and health. I didn’t sleep a wink last night.

*

Tiria had an eye for herbs, and Liyo had an eye for finding them. Tiria drew pictures on a wooden board, showing what to look for.

They looked for things with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties as a base, and, depending on the case, collected things known to be good for bee venom.

“Lieutenant, is it really alright to leave the Mage and the Major together?”

“Sergeant.”

Tiria lowered her voice.

“This isn’t the time for a love triangle fight. It’s most efficient for the two of us to search for herbs so the Major can get better quickly and…”

“No, I was talking about being worried that the two of them might be attacked by monsters while we’re gone like this.”

“Kuh, *kuh-hem*.”

Tiria turned her head. Her ears twitched up and down.

“Colonel. Honestly, you were worried about that too, weren’t you?”

“…I won’t deny it.”

She genuinely hoped Major Rachel was alright. Separate from that, it was also true that she was on edge about what might happen while she was with a mage.

This, too, must be a feeling born from a lack of faith. Faith in the Goddess. Faith in the Major. And, faith in the mage.

Tiria, trying her best to calm her heart, said:

“She’ll be alright. There are rules, after all. Even if the Major gets off lightly, just a mild bout of sickness, she wouldn’t insidiously pounce on the mage right then and there.”

Tiria saw Rachel as an upright person. At least, she wouldn’t lie or pull any morally slimy tricks.

“We came prepared for the worst-case scenario. Let’s gather as many herbs as possible and go back. Alright, now, look for those tangy-scented purple berries.”

Riyo nodded. She sniffed the air and stepped forward.

*

Rachel was left alone with Erich.

“……”

“……”

The two of them had become so awkward that they could hardly exchange a word.

They hadn’t fought. On the contrary, now could be considered the closest they’d ever been during their time together. Their trust in each other was, arguably, relatively high.

And yet, why was it so difficult to strike up a conversation?

Barely having had time to even consider such a problem, Rachel yawned, overcome by the deluge of sleep. Erich sighed softly and placed his hand on Rachel’s back.

“Lie down slowly.”

Couldn’t sleep, so I’m exhausted. Wonder if it’d help to just close my eyes until Tiria and the others get back from gathering herbs.

The bee venom was starting to make my head feel a little fuzzy. Like I was catching a cold.

The real symptoms hit an hour later.

Rachel’s arm was stiffening and swelling, the area around the sting blooming red and angry like a flower.

Her heart hammered, she wheezed for breath, and the world was tilting bit by bit. Rachel, who’d been dozing lightly, woke up startled by the sound of her own heart.

“Valkyrie?”

“Huh, huh, huh.”

“What, you okay?”

“Hah, hah, hah.”

Her ragged breathing wasn’t right. Erich’s face scrunched up in a frown deep enough to wrinkle skin.

Erich didn’t have any proper medical knowledge.

But even a civilian with a little common sense could see this wasn’t good.

If these symptoms came on after a bee sting, usually…

“…Anaphylaxis?”

Anaphylaxis. A severe allergic shock.

An acute allergic reaction that could lead to death if it got bad enough. As deadly as it was, it was dangerous if you didn’t deal with it right away.

But there wasn’t much Erich could do.

The stinger was already out. All he could manage was to prop her upper body up a little, to keep her airway open.

“Hngh, hngh.”

“Hey, snap out of it!”

Erich grew desperate. Rachel’s eyes were glazed over, like someone who’d lost their mind. At this rate, she might really die.

Valkyrie, dead?

Absolutely, absolutely couldn’t let that happen. Not just a matter of survival. A love-hate relationship. If he couldn’t untangle the complex skein he’d built with this woman, the rest of his life wouldn’t be peaceful.

Erich shouted.

“Valkyrie!”

Hearing that, Rachel looked up.

Wasn’t there a mage with a tearful face?

Within her ragged breathing, Rachel gathered the last of her reason and observed her body’s condition.

Her heart was beating fast, her breathing was rough, but it wasn’t suffocating. Rachel had lived her whole life without a single allergic reaction, so the possibility of anaphylactic shock was extremely low.

Then what the hell was it?

“Valkyrie! Valkyrie! Hey, you can’t die like this! Snap out of it! Rachel—!!”

The moment the mage, Erich, called her name.

Rachel felt a warmth spreading from inside her body.

The feeling was slowly spreading, centered on her lower abdomen. Rachel repeatedly squeezed and released her thighs. Her heart beat at a moderately fast pace, like after a long run. When she blinked, she could see Erich’s anxious face. Seeing that face, he looked cute, lovable.

This is insane.

Rachel, pushing herself up, knocked Erich flat onto his back.

“Haa, haa.”

Rachel breathed hot air onto Erich’s face. A sweet scent clawed at Erich’s mind.

“Rachel? Hey, wait, you, you’re okay, right?”

A flustered Erich hurriedly tried to push her away, but it was useless. Rachel, in a mount position, pinned Erich down and leaned in close. Their breaths were close.

“Ughhh! Why the hell is this happening?! Are you insane!”

“…Hey, mage.”

“Uh, uh? What?”

“I, I feel weird.”

“Really? That’s what’s up, huh? Just calm down for a second. Where does it hurt? Tell me calmly. Ah, right. First, let’s try to get your breathing under control and then…”

“Haa, I don’t know! Haaah!”

A tug-of-war between reason and instinct.

And there was no way a mere handful of reason could win against rampaging instinct. Humans were, after all, just insignificant creatures influenced by hormones.

Eventually, Rachel’s instincts overwhelmed Erich.

“Mmph!”

Their lips met.

Upper lip covering the lower, lower lip enveloping the upper. She leaned in, putting all her upper body weight into it, slipping saliva sweeter than honey into his mouth.

Erich was suffocating. He desperately shook his head, trying to break free, but even that was blocked. Rachel pinned his arms with her legs, then firmly secured his head with her hands.

Rachel, who already possessed considerable strength from her usual training, was not weakened by the poison stinger, but rather, seemed to have been doped up with energy.

Erich felt his pride as a man being eroded in real time. Strangely, even the clamorous voices of the stones weren’t audible as they usually were.

That wasn’t important.

He had to get out of this situation. Erich pulled himself together.

Rachel Brokenheart was not the type to suddenly do something like this. It had to be the stinger. Erich had felt a similar urge when he inhaled pollen a while back.

Could the pollen or venom contain an aphrodisiac component?

“Hngh, haaah.”

Just then, Rachel pulled her lips away.

“Hek, hek.”

The ace of the Holy Spirit Nation’s Air Force, Black Cat Rachel, was no longer here. All that remained was a she-cat, making vulgar and base moans, clawing and scratching to tear off the enemy mage’s clothes.

This was the chance. Erich shot up and rebuked Rachel.

“Get a hold of yourself! Idiot! Have you forgotten who I am? Your enemy! The b*stard who killed your friends! How can you kiss someone like that? What face will you show your dead friends?!”

“……Ah.”

Rachel faltered. At least her ears were still working, it seemed. Erich felt a slight relief and began to formulate his next plan.

Scold Rachel well enough to put her to sleep, and when she wakes up again, act as if nothing happened. Cover up what just happened as much as possible. That would be the path that benefits everyone.

“Please, regain your sanity! When the Saintess and Riyo return, they can somehow heal you…!”

And then, at that moment.

Rustle, rustle.

White pollen began to fall from the sky.