Escape From a Deserted Island With Enemy Female Soldiers - Chapter 98



97 – Truth Revealed (5)

Monsters roamed every corner of the maze. All of them were eyeless, but their ears were sharp. A single sound was enough to alert them, sending them scrambling.

Luckily, they weren’t many. We dealt with them quickly and kept moving.

The paths were narrow and winding, making it hard to get our bearings. Shut off from the outside world by the barrier, sunlight was scarce. We had to use the glowing spores as lamps to guide us.

“We don’t have time to try and navigate by just sticking to the right wall.”

“Got any bright ideas?”

“Can’t Jindo just blast a path through?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

The Section Chief slammed his mana into the wall. The mushrooms that made up the wall shuddered, spitting out white powder. Spores. One look told you they were dangerous, you couldn’t inhale them.

The spores, drifting like dandelion seeds, were incinerated by the Section Chief’s continuing blade strikes. Around then, the wall, carved up by his sword, started to twitch and repair itself.

“The wall itself is alive.”

“Looks like it’s a self-healing maze.”

“Is there even an exit?”

“Probably not.”

When people think of mazes, most think of escape. Me and the Section Chief subconsciously did too. Sticking to the right wall was proof of that.

But I just realized.

To get out of this maze, we shouldn’t be looking for an exit.

Instead, we need to find the most dangerous place.

In other words, wherever the leader might be.

“Hold on.”

The Major chimed in, adding to my thought.

“They don’t know enough about the enemy. Even if we know the boss’s location, charging straight in is reckless. If those Holy Spirit Nation soldiers are here, we need to link up with them first.”

“You’re right, sir.”

“That’s the main problem, then. How are we going to find those kids in this huge place…”

The fastest and simplest way would be to wander around calling out their names. But every single mushroom monster here is sensitive to sound, so if we mess up, we’ll get pincered.

A good idea came to mind.

“Let’s use the fact they’re blind against them.”

I took out a glowstone and tossed it into the sky.

A silent burst of light exploded. The sky brightened momentarily, then faded back to darkness.

The effect was temporary, but if those Holy Spirit Nation female soldiers are here, they definitely saw it. And they’d know right away it was me who did it, not some other monster.

Because, that light, that flash, is filled with memories of me and those three.

*

Riyo blinked.

“Ugh, where am I?”

She only blinked, but she was already in a completely new place. What happened just a moment ago felt like a dream. Or maybe this situation *is* the dream.

Riyo’s eyes quickly scanned her surroundings, and her ears perked up left and right, flexibly gathering auditory information.

“A maze?”

[‘This is… space teleportation magic.’]

Her older sister, Miyo, whispered.

[‘There’s a lot of monsters around. They’re all blind, but their ears are sharp, it seems. Move carefully.’]

Riyo thought she’d gotten pretty good at surviving on this deserted island. It wasn’t hard to figure out it was the work of monsters. Just for a moment, she panicked, but then Riyo calmly touched the wall and kept moving forward. Her footsteps were quiet and stealthy.

And then, at some point.

“……Sniff sniff.”

A scent began to rise.

A little ways off.

The same scent as her own was caught on the air. The unique pheromone scent of a fox demi-human.

And in that place, there was also the scent of a male.

Riyo put her nose to her left shoulder and inhaled her own body odor. The mark where Erich bit her. She immediately realized that the scent coming from this shoulder and the faint scent detected over there were the same fragrance.

A demi-human in heat leaves their scent on a partner they like. Until that scent naturally dissipates, the demi-human can continuously pinpoint the location of the person they are attracted to. That detectable range is easily dozens of kilometers.

Now that she’d pinpointed the scent’s location, finding him wouldn’t be a problem.

“……Honey, I’m coming.”

Riyo took out her main weapon, her axe, and moved.

She stomped on and slashed through the heads of the mushroom monsters in her path, moving at a fast walk. Even though she looked like she was on the verge of running, not even the slightest sound was made.

It was then that a flare shot up into the sky.

“Huh?”

[‘Hm?’]

It was exactly in the direction of the scent.

“No way, honey?”

[‘Might be a rescue signal.’]

If Sister’s words are true, I need to hurry. Liyo’s steps quickened.

Meanwhile, there was a priestess watching the same flame from a distant location. It was Tiria Karsten.

Tiria, having been thrown into the maze, was immediately certain this was the work of the boss monster. She exhaled deeply, trying to calm her mind and body.

The color of their eyes is, needless to say,

Purple.

Tiria had been trembling with worry and unease since a while ago. She couldn’t utter a single word. The moment she was detected by a monster, she would be chased immediately. And if she were driven into a dead end, she would die.

Even with the Staff of Divinity, Bakulus, it wouldn’t inflict much physical damage. Lacking sufficient self-defense measures, Tiria could only move passively.

“Huu.”

At least she had a pistol, which was some consolation.

But even with that, she wouldn’t be able to stop those seemingly indestructible monsters.

Like that, stuck in the middle, she slowly moved her feet, when a silent firework exploded in the sky.

At the same moment, she felt it.

“Erich?”

Erich Ronstein’s mana signature.

Come to think of it, she remembered Erich’s mana signature using Holy Magic back on that island.

From noble mtl dot com

Their foreheads had touched, and she had felt his warmth for several minutes. That day was also the first time Tiria had touched skin with a man she wasn’t related to.

Recalling the memory, a flush rose to her face, but she quickly shook it off and focused.

Having memorized his mana signature, she could find Erich semi-permanently if she just concentrated. No matter where he was. Detectable range? Theoretically infinite, and practically several tens of miles.

Wait for me, honey. I’m coming for you.

Tiria muttered thoughts too heavy to speak aloud, and courageously stepped forward.

*

The Holy Spirit Kingdom soldiers must have seen the flare stone I shot. But that doesn’t guarantee they can find me right away.

Maybe they’re in the middle of a fight with monsters, or worse, got taken down by the boss.

I gotta keep moving too.

How long have I been walking?

An unutterably evil atmosphere wrapped around my neck.

Instinctively, I backed away. Adora also seemed to hesitate.

Heh heh heh.

A chilling laughter echoed.

[“Tough, tough. Feels like I fought the hero from hundreds of years ago. But in the end, this body won.”]

It’s the monster’s voice.

It’s talking to someone. The other person is letting out small groans. Just that tone is enough to know who it is.

Valkyrie.

[“That divine power, it’s quite overwhelming, but it’s still only half-baked. Not properly trained. Well, it’s all the better for this old woman. Thanks to you, I can easily obtain the sacrifice needed to resurrect the Demon Lord.”]

“……Kuh.”

This is bad. At this rate, Valkyrie is going to get dragged away.

I quickly scanned the area around where the sound was coming from, but there was no place that could be called an entrance.

[“Hmm, come to think of it, those Eight Shadows b*stards said they’d send a greeting party… why aren’t they here yet?”]

A greeting party?

“You’re talking about me.”

Adora quietly whispered, raising a finger.

“Lift me. I’ll draw the creature’s attention by talking to it on the other side of the wall. In that gap, you approach from the other side and save Valkyrie.”

I cupped my hands, palms facing up. The Commander stepped on my knees and hands, then onto my shoulders.

*Crack!*

Like a cat springing, the Commander pulled out a dagger and stuck it in the mushroom wall. She climbed up the wall swiftly.

Landing lightly, the Commander shouted with all her might.

[“Hey!”]

[“……Hmm?”]

I stepped back a little, watching the Commander’s back. She pulled out the cult’s necklace and continued speaking.

[“That greeting, I have it here.”]

[“Oho. Speak of the devil.”]

[“Why is the path so complicated? It’s hard to meet you.”]

Watching the Commander calmly continue the conversation with the head of the creature, anger rose before doubt.

[“This time it’s a spirited young one. Is that old geezer not coming anymore?”]

[“Old geezer?”]

[“Why, you know. There was a high-ranking official in the navy. This old woman is senile so I don’t remember his name, but his face is clear.”]

[“I am from the army, and as a presidential guard of the Supreme Commander, I am not familiar with navy personnel.”]

[“Is that so. It seems you and I are meeting for the first time, so we should introduce ourselves. This old woman is Niemi, one of the division commanders of the 20th Corps.”]

[“I am Adora Giefold, a Major General of the Seven Knights directly under the President.”]

My teeth clenched.

Was it our country behind it all, in the end? Then what the hell have I been doing all this time? What did my classmates and superiors die for?

[‘Oh, you fucking b*stards, how could they wear the mask of a nation and commit such a horrific act?!’]

[‘Feels like I’m about to puke up the rock I ate yesterday.’]

[‘This isn’t a time for jokes, you guys! You were sacrificed unfairly, dammit!’]

[‘Just leave him be, Daisy. He fought and died for his country, but if that death was to revive the Demon Lord… If that was the reason, I’d lose it too.’]

Revive the Demon Lord?

What a goddamn joke.

The magic kingdom is now my enemy.

I turned back and found the lowest part of the wall. I scratched spores everywhere with my dagger, then grabbed the opening and climbed upward.

The first thing I saw was Valkyrie.

She was collapsed, covered in white spores. She already looked dangerous enough.

“…Ha.”

I clenched my teeth and dropped to the other side.

While fighting in the war, so many of my comrades, friends, precious people had died. Now I barely had anyone my age left.

So.

Rachel, I won’t let you die too.