Chapter 12
Paragraph Spacing
Paragraph Spacing
When you really thought about it, my precious resentful spirit was far more capable than Felix.
So I figured that if the three of us—me, the spirit, and Isael—opened the path ahead together, we could move a bit faster. If we crossed over to the next island quickly, we would definitely avoid wasting stamina like before.
Still, I hesitated to entrust the rear to Felix. I had no idea what kind of stupid stunt he might pull back there.
Ha... Seriously, what am I supposed to do with that guy?
It was a situation where even using every possible means would not be enough. After all, hadn’t we barely managed to reach even this first island with great difficulty?
And if it weren’t for eating the beans and healing, both Isael and I would still be nursing injuries from the last battle. Even now, we had only light wounds.
With so many islands still left, the right choice was for Isael and me to take the lead if we wanted to move quickly and avoid further injuries.
“Felix.”
“Huh?”
“Do you think you can keep up while dealing with the beasts from the rear?”
“I’ll try!”
Felix answered energetically.
I looked at him with a doubtful gaze.
“You’re not planning to attack Isael from behind or use me as bait or anything, right?”
“Of course not! Do you have any idea what kind of person you’re making me out to be?”
“What do I see you as? Someone who already has a record of abandoning me once.”
“......”
Felix shut his mouth, as if he had nothing to say.
Isael, who had been quietly watching the exchange, stared at Felix with a cold expression.
After a moment, Felix finally spoke, “...I’m not stupid enough to not realize that you’re the one keeping me alive right now.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah! So don’t worry. I’ll do my best to be useful.”
I studied Felix’s face closely.
He didn’t seem to be lying.
Even if he was, there wasn’t any other clear solution available to us right now.
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you, so this time you follow from behind.”
“Got it.”
Leaving Felix behind, Isael and I walked into the river together.
The moment we stepped off the island, the demonic beasts that had been fighting among themselves nearby began to glance toward us one by one.
The eyes of those creatures, shaped like all manner of monsters, were filled with nothing but killing intent.
―Krrrhh!
The first to charge was a beast shaped like a dog.
I dealt with it using the resentful spirit.
Slash―!
In an instant, the spirit tore the beast apart.
Meanwhile, Isael had just finished cutting down a creature whose upper body looked human, while its lower half belonged to a four-legged beast.
After confirming that Isael was handling his opponents with ease, I turned to deal with my share of the demonic beasts.
Splat!Blood splashed upward and spattered across my face.
I quickly wiped the blood obstructing my vision with the back of my hand, then swung my dagger at the next beast.
At the same time, beside me, the spirit was tearing another beast apart.
The three of us advanced like that, slowly forward, step by step, pressing on without pause.
At least it’s a relief that the demonic beasts aren’t coordinating their attacks.
That was the one advantage on our side.
We were tightly grouped and attacking together, while the demonic beasts were merely rushing at us individually, consumed by killing intent and having lost all reason.
I controlled the resentful spirit with everything I had, all while swinging my dagger relentlessly.
I have to conserve the beans as much as possible.
They were absolutely necessary for times of severe injury or when suffering from hunger.
I couldn’t just keep eating beans recklessly just because my mana felt a bit lacking.
The first island we had passed through was the smallest among the islands on this floor.
The closer an island was to the one with the door, the larger it was.
There had been nothing on the first island, but maybe we could find food on the next one.
Or perhaps some usable item, anything at all.
Thunk!
Slash!
Gritting my teeth, I killed another beast, and then another.
What amazed me was that the sword Isael was wielding, its blade completely chipped and worn, stubbornly refused to break.
No, not only did it not break, it looked perfectly fine.
Was the Holy Sword still a holy sword even without awakening?
Thud! Another demonic beast collapsed under the edge of Isael’s swinging blade.
“The island is just ahead! Hang in there a little longer, Rosette! Please hold on, Your Highness!”
I heard Felix shouting encouragement from behind.
If you have the energy to yell, use it to kill at least one more beast, you bastard…
Anyway, just as he said, the second island was right in front of us.
Together with Isael, I pushed through the flowing river water, cutting down the endlessly swarming demonic beasts as we moved forward.
At that moment—
“Ugh.”
I heard Isael swallow a small groan.
Even though the roars of the demonic beasts were so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst, I still heard it.
It was an extremely faint sound, yet Isael’s groan came through clearly.
“…Isael?”
Paragraph Spacing
* * *
Paragraph Spacing
“Isael!”
The moment Isael climbed onto the island, he collapsed.
He wasn’t completely unconscious, but his body was utterly limp, as if all strength had drained from him.
“Is His Highness badly hurt?”
Felix, who climbed onto the island right after us, ran over with a shocked expression.
I bit down hard on my lower lip and rummaged through my bag.
I needed to give him a bean first, then check his wounds.
Carefully holding Isael’s face, I parted his lips and pushed a bean into his mouth.
While I was doing that, Isael simply looked up at me with eyes barely open, struggling to stay conscious.
No matter how I looked at it, his condition didn’t seem normal.
As proof, his complexion was terrible.
Like someone who could die at any moment…
Felix, who had been examining Isael’s condition beside me, muttered as if something felt off.
“There doesn’t seem to be any fatal wound, so what’s the problem…”
I was only able to reach a conclusion after carefully examining Isael’s body all over.
“I think the wound on his neck is the problem.”
There was a long gash on the back of Isael’s neck.
It was the only significant injury that could explain his worsening condition.
However, even that wound was not severe enough to leave Isael in this state.
Felix stared intently at the wound on Isael’s neck that I pointed out, then spoke, “It looks like a scratch from something sharp. Like claws, maybe.”
“Could it be poison?”
I voiced the suspicion that had suddenly crossed my mind.
“I’m thinking there might have been a beast that attacks with poison-coated claws.”
“Uh… I can’t be certain, but we can’t rule out that possibility.”
Felix nodded, saying it was suspicious enough to consider.
As I talked it over with Felix, my doubts gradually solidified.
It seemed likely that Isael had been poisoned.
Should we have rested a little longer before moving…
If we delayed too much, it felt like we would only end up wasting the resources we had.
That was why I had decided it was better to move as quickly as possible and hurried us toward the next island.
Letting out a small sigh, I handed a bean to Felix.
“…For now, you eat this too.”
Felix was fairly injured as well. His face alone was smeared with blood.
“You should eat one too, Rosette.”
“I’m fine.”
“……”
“Eat it quickly before I change my mind.”
“Ah, okay.”
After confirming that Felix had hurriedly eaten the bean, I stood up.
“Where are you suddenly going?”
“Wait here. I’ll go look for anything useful in the forest over there.”
“Y-you’re telling me to stay here alone?”
“Someone has to keep an eye on Isael’s condition.”
“…Right. Oh, yeah. Got it.”
Felix nodded with a pale face, as if forcing himself to suppress his fear.
He looked far from reliable, but there was something I needed to do.
I let out a small sigh and turned away.
Nothing would be solved by just sitting still.
I had to find something on this island that could help Isael recover, and fast.
I scanned the forest, which gave off an ominous atmosphere.
That was when it happened.
Tap, tap.
“…Huh?”
Someone tapped my shoulder.
I thought it was Felix, but it wasn’t.
The one who made me turn around was the resentful spirit, which had not yet disappeared.
The spirit raised its arm and pointed at itself.
As I stared blankly, wondering what that meant, a voice echoed inside my head.
—If I, absorb, the poison, it will, be fine.
Paragraph Spacing
Paragraph Spacing