Castaway (1)

I put as much distance as I could between myself and the warship.

My whole body was being thrown about without mercy. The wind and rain made it impossible to keep my eyes open. Every time a wave surged up and crashed down, the sharp tang of saltwater flooded my lungs. All I could do was cling to the rope and hold on.

I just wanted this to be over. When the hell was this war going to end? I wanted to go home. You goddamn Holy Kingdom bastards. Why did I have to go through this?

A flood of random thoughts flickered through my mind like a dying man's last reel. At some point my strength gave out, and I must have blacked out.

"……."

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, the world had changed.

The rain had stopped. The waves that had thrashed about like an enraged dragon had long since settled. Only the intermittent cries of seagulls reached my ears.

How much time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had passed?

Lying in the lifeboat like a corpse, I pushed myself up and looked around.

Behind me was the sea; ahead, a stretch of gravel beach. Land. My lifeboat and I were straddling the boundary between shore and water.

"What the hell."

Where am I?

It was too large to be a simple reef. Not a continent, but something like an island.

I couldn't be sure. I was working with far too little information.

One thing was certain.

I had been cast adrift.

Of all those warships, of the enemy dragon knights—there was no sign of any of them. Judging by the circumstances, the current had swept me here alone…

Which meant my situation was far from good.

How am I supposed to get back?

To rejoin my unit, finding people would be the best move. Allies, natives, citizens of a neutral nation—anyone would do. Anyone except a Valkyrie.

I dragged the lifeboat onto the shore.

And as sensation returned to my body, a sudden chill seized me so hard I shuddered.

"Tsk."

I'd been soaked for far too long.

I knew it instinctively. If I stayed like this, hypothermia would take me.

I gauged the sky with a handspan. The sun would set within two or three hours at the latest. Before then, I had to solve the shelter problem somehow.

Wandering around an unknown place after dark was as good as suicide. I didn't like it, but I'd have to camp out.

And for that, I needed fire first.

I took stock of what I had.

The rope and tarpaulin attached to the lifeboat, a thoroughly soaked uniform, a carbon-steel knife. And a single white phosphorus stone in my hip pouch. That was everything.

I could light a fire with the white phosphorus stone right away, but it wasn't a good idea—for three reasons. First, burning white phosphorus released toxic gas. Second, after the fierce battle, the mana I could pour into a high-grade magic stone was running on fumes. Third, I needed to save it for when I truly needed it, against unknown threats.

With the carbon-steel knife, all I needed was a suitably hard rock and some dry grass for tinder, and I could get a spark.

Decision made, I wandered the gravel beach looking for siliceous rock.

Then, from the water's edge, a sinister sound reached me.

Slap.

"……?"

I turned my head, but there was nothing there.

Just a wave?

I watched the direction of the sound carefully, but nothing seemed off. An ordinary shoreline.

Something felt wrong, but I decided I'd misheard.

"Oh."

For reasons I couldn't explain, the raw stones here were excellent quality. Some even held a faint trace of mana.

"That's unusual."

My interest was piqued. But careful observation would have to wait for another opportunity. Sunset was beginning.

I wrapped up my search and left the gravel beach behind.

"Whoa."

A star-shaped stone.

I'd take this one home. If I ever made it home, that is.

"Hah."

Following the gentle slope up from the shore, I found vegetation.

Aside from one large boulder, the area was wide open in every direction—a position where I could spot and prepare for any wild animals that might appear.

I propped the lifeboat against the nearby rock. Then I picked some reasonably broad leaves and spread them on the ground. That roughly finished the sleeping spot. It wouldn't stop the wind, but it should keep out some of the rain.

All that remained was fire.

I snapped some silver grass growing nearby and crushed it into powder. I bundled together well-dried stalks. I arranged a few stones in a circle for the campfire, set aside some tinder, and placed it on a flat rock.

Finally, I recited the Whieon.

A low hum resonated.

Crystals began to grow from the rock in my hand. Mana circulated. Impurities fell away, and only the parts best suited for flint condensed and solidified.

A stone with a soft silver sheen took shape.

Luminite.

One of the magic stones corresponding to quartz's primary mana-responsive form. It was known for its high reactivity upon contact with transition metals—iron in particular.

I struck the Luminite with the spine of my carbon-steel knife.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

A single strike was enough to transfer the flame to the powdered plant matter—thanks to the Luminite's performance.

I transferred the kindled spark to the tinder. Before long, the flames began to breathe as they consumed the dry grass.

Done. The campfire was complete.

At last I had a moment to spare. I stripped off my top and dried my body and uniform. The warm heat raised my body temperature, and the crackling sound settled my nerves.

Watching the sun sink in the west, I fell into thought.

"Hah."

What now?

The faces of my seniors, my peers, my juniors flickered before me.

Especially the juniors. Their deaths were partly my responsibility. I was their superior, after all.

What had become of Admiral Dietz? I had no way of knowing. I didn't even know who had won the battle. Everything was bleak.

And yet.

There was still the hope of survival.

I watched the sunset-colored sea and steadied my mind and body. For now, rest was the best option. I'd sleep tonight and think again tomorrow. Just in case, I'd top off a little mana with meditation before bed…

But wait.

"……What's that."

Something was visible below the horizon.

It was pitch black, and round in shape. Whatever it was, it kept bobbing up and sinking back down. Too large to be a buoy.

Could it be a person?

If so, I had to go out there. My goal right now was to meet someone—anyone. Seeing it out on the water, it might well be someone who needed help.

I was just about to stand when I felt a presence behind me.

I turned around.

Footsteps—a faint vibration—rippled through the ground. Beyond the dusk, another presence was approaching. I picked up a few stones and gripped them in my hand.

What emerged was a woman.

A beauty with hair black as ebony and eyes yellow as a harvest wheat field.

Her gaze was hollow, her clothes torn in places. Water droplets dripped steadily from hair that fell to her waist. She was soaked through. She was using a tree branch nearly as tall as herself as a walking stick.

Every inch the castaway.

But the first emotion I felt the moment I took her in was neither pity nor compassion.

Rage.

An indescribable rage rose up my throat.

"Excuse me, are you……"

The woman who had started to speak narrowed her brow the moment our eyes met.

Ugly words climbed up my throat. At the same time, she shifted her tone and growled low.

Facing each other, we spoke at the same time.

"You goddamn bitch."

"Ha. You goddamn bastard."

That's right. She was a dragon knight of the Holy Kingdom. A Valkyrie of the White Lotus Battalion, no less. I could tell from the Holy Kingdom uniform and the lotus ornament pinned to her chest.

Judging by her overall bearing, she was without a doubt the same woman I'd fought at the end. The bitch who had killed my comrades and tried to kill me too.

Strange. She'd clearly fallen into the sea.

How had she survived that? And how had she gotten here?

No—it didn't matter.

This was the worst possible outcome.

Of all people, a Valkyrie. A pack of lunatics who specialized in hunting down mages.

This Valkyrie seemed to be in the same boat as me, yet she showed not the slightest hesitation. Her gaze sharpened further as she locked eyes with me.

"Lord, I thank You. For granting me the chance to avenge my comrades before I die."

Her eyes were empty as a dead fish's, rotten and curdled like milk past its prime.

I remembered seeing similar eyes on soldiers once.

Those were the eyes of someone with nothing left to lose.

The ominous feeling proved right. She gripped her spear crosswise. She lowered her hips slightly, then came at me like a cutting winter wind.

Thud!

Fast. The distance closed in an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instant.

A faint radiance settled over the crude wooden spear in her hands. She'd clad it in holy power. The power of the Holy Spirit was lethal to mages. I hurriedly opened the gap.

Whoosh!

I barely dodged.

The Valkyrie clicked her tongue.

Looking at her condition, she seemed like she needed rest immediately—yet her movements were far quicker than I'd imagined. Special forces really were different, I supposed.

If anything, I might be the one in worse shape. Both my stamina and mana were on the verge of complete depletion.

If I fought, I would lose.

But to survive, I had to fight.

Enduring that contradiction was what it meant to be a soldier.

I raised a stone and chanted a fake spell.

"Room Hukhtun, Magnahun."

"……!"

I gave her no time to catch on. I threw the stone immediately. In the opening as the Valkyrie dodged, I snatched up the hip pouch I'd left on the ground and pulled out the white phosphorus stone.

A deep hum answered.

The magic stone responded to the Whieon.

"Tsk."

A bitter taste filled my mouth. The harbinger of mana depletion. Speaking two sentences at once—and at speed—made my insides burn like hell.

The woman's eyes went wide. An oh no expression.

"You cunning bastard……!"

"That's right. You fell for it. You know what happens if you come any closer, don't you?"

That last spell had burned through nearly all the mana inherent in my body. I couldn't push any further.

No—I could, but if I did, it would start devouring my life force in place of mana.

One chance.

I had to finish this cleanly with the single white phosphorus stone in my hand.

The Valkyrie had grown considerably more cautious. Even so, she didn't give up. She prowled in a wide arc, as if hunting for an opening.

I slowly backed away.

I circled around the boulder where I'd propped the lifeboat. I'd already confirmed her excellent reflexes when I threw the ordinary stone earlier, so I needed a blind spot. Right—I'd strike the moment she rounded the corner.

Slap, slap.

The sound of feet striking the ground came from the opposite side as well. The Valkyrie seemed to have had the same idea. From here on, it was a battle of wits.

Slap.

The sound drew closer. My heart pounded. I held my breath and rose onto the balls of my feet.

I gradually slowed, then moved in the opposite direction from where I'd been heading, watching for my chance.

Just as the tension peaked—

Crack!

The sound of something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠being struck hard carried through the air.

Thud!

Right after, the Valkyrie came flying out from the direction of contact.

Thinking she was attacking, I nearly threw the magic stone—then yanked my hand back when I saw her slammed to the ground.

"Hhk, ghhh."

The Valkyrie clutched her left side, eyes squeezed shut as if something had hit her. Completely defenseless.

Immediately after, something emerged from behind the rock.

A human holding a broad iron club…… was not what it was.

"Wh-what……"

A being covered head to toe in blue-green scales.

Its face looked like a mix of lizard and fish, its back hunched like a hunchback's. Its arms were disproportionately long compared to its legs, and webbing like fins stretched between each finger joint.

Neither human nor fish—what the hell was that thing?

A wooden spear was embedded in its abdomen. The one the Valkyrie had been holding until moments ago. I roughly understood what had happened.

"Grrrk."

The creature pulled the spear free. Purple blood welled and spilled out.

Its horizontal pupils glared at me.

Then, slap, slap—it began to approach slowly, footsteps heavy. An iron bar in its right hand, the wooden spear in its left. The sight of it was grotesque beyond words.

I reflexively threw the white phosphorus stone.