Chapter 268: Farune Island (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 268: Farune Island (2)
The account of Lairin Ersina, priest of the Church of Tovera, went as follows.
"While we were exploring the center of the island, an unknown team suddenly attacked us."
They had been ambushed by a team of five people. Each one of them was strong, with equipment from at least the seventh floor, and these guys had been on the verge of annihilation before they could even mount a proper counterattack. The biggest factor was that they lost their wizard right at the start. Well, it sounded like they still fought hard under those adverse conditions.
"The situation continued to deteriorate, and in the end, Mr. Drous couldn't take it any longer and made a decision."
One of the team members inevitably made the call to sacrifice himself to save his team. But it was a distinctly different sentiment from the time with Dwalkie.
"...So while your teammate bought you time, you all ran away?" I scoffed.
The priestess blushed, then came up with an excuse. "I was against it. I told him over and over that I could never abandon him, but..."
What was this woman saying? If she had really been against it, she wouldn't have even been out here for me to run into. "Stop. Enough explaining, just tell me the important parts. What happened after that?"
"...I don't know what happened to Mr. Drous, but someone started chasing me soon after. As a result, I got separated from my team."
No wonder she had been running around all alone. I now got the gist of the situation, so it was time to focus on the details, starting with this one. "But who's Drous?"
"Guardweaver Drous. He was the blond-haired swordsman who gave you the potion and saved you that day."
Oh, so his name was Drous. I was finally learning the name of the blond after over a year but there was no time to relish in it. "Who are the guys who attacked you? Describe them in detail."
Then I inquired into the unidentified team of five and the priestess told me everything she could remember, from their appearances to the abilities they'd revealed in battle, and even the names they called each other. I was listening attentively to every tidbit, knowing that this information could end up saving me, when one thing she said knocked me off my axis.
"Wait, red-haired woman?" The description of one of the attackers matched someone I knew.
"Yes. That woman seemed like the leader of the group. But is there a problem...?"
God damn it, of course there is. How many human women in the city have red hair and use a dagger?
When I asked for more information, even the position of her tattoo and the fact that her right ear was almost cut in half matched up. This meant it couldn't just be someone who looked similar to her.
Amelia Rainwales, again?
A suffocating feeling began to balloon from deep within my chest, and rightfully so, because Amelia was from Noark. It was highly likely that the other four people with her were as well.
Simply put... that means this isn't a simple case of looting. Ugh, it looks like I've gotten caught up in some real trouble here.
When I unwittingly sighed, the priestess studied me cautiously. "...Have you heard of that woman?"
"Maybe." Half-heartedly glossing over that, I asked a few more questions. "Now that that's done, let's continue our conversation. Ersina, was there anything special about them?"
"By anything special, you mean...?"
"Like, was something strange about them? Do you have any idea why they ambushed you?"
"That's..." The priestess trailed off and continued after a moment's thought. "I was in a hurry so I wasn't able to stop and think, but now that I think about it, there was something strange."
"Stop dragging it out and get to the point."
"Mr. Drous said something to us when he stepped forward to buy us time. He said this was his responsibility and that there was no need for us to get involved. At the time, I thought he was just speaking as our leader, but..."
"That certainly is strange."
"Yes. And he seemed to be acquainted with the people who ambushed us. When they first attacked us, they called Mr. Drous a traitor... and told him to give them something I didn't recognize."
What?
"Why are you only mentioning that now?" That was clearly the reason they were attacked.
When I stared at her, dumbfounded, the priestess faltered. "I-I was just so distracted earlier..."
Ignoring the priestess's frustrating behavior, I found I was starting to get a clearer picture of what was going on in my head.
"Right before Noark went into lockdown, they sent a few people aboveground. Their goal is to kill one specific adventurer! Shocking, huh?"
According to Clown's statement at the Round Table the month before last, Amelia and a small number of infiltrators had been assigned an assassination mission. Of course, until now, I didn't know who their target was.
It's possible this guy was the target.
Then who the hell was this Drous guy?
"But why are you..."
"Baronet."
"Ah, right... Anyway, why are you alone in a place like this, Baronet Yandel?" This was the priestess' first question after my interrogation. It seemed she had belatedly grown suspicious of my own circumstances.
"I was trying to leave the island when my boat sank and I was separated from my comrades."
"Pardon?"
Pardon what? The gist of it was that the two of us would have to work together for a while. "Let's walk and talk."
"Pardon? What do you mean... Are you saying you want to go in there?"
"My comrades and I promised to meet up in the middle of the island if we got separated."
"I-I see. But over there is..." The priestess looked resistant to my suggestion. It was clear what she was thinking. It must have felt like walking into a tiger's den, but she was separated from her team just like I was.
Geez, this priestess only thinks about herself.
"Don't if you don't want to. I'll go alone." Instead of politely persuading her, I spoke firmly and the priestess had no choice but to go along with me. Rightfully so, because what could a priestess do on her own? Not only were there no boats in the water for her to use, but even if there were, the sea was in a state like that.
"...But do you know why the wind is blowing like this? Like there's a sudden storm."
Actually, that's what I want to know.
"I don't know, but monsters are gathering on the shore."
"...I see."
This was as much a mystery to me as who the hell Drous was. I knew there had been an ambush, but who had triggered the island's event and why? If it was someone who knew the triggering conditions, they would have known how dangerous things were about to get too.
"That's..." The priestess trailed off and continued after a moment's thought. "I was in a hurry so I wasn't able to stop and think, but now that I think about it, there was something strange."
"Stop dragging it out and get to the point."
"Mr. Drous said something to us when he stepped forward to buy us time. He said this was his responsibility and that there was no need for us to get involved. At the time, I thought he was just speaking as our leader, but..."
"That certainly is strange."
"Yes. And he seemed to be acquainted with the people who ambushed us. When they first attacked us, they called Mr. Drous a traitor... and told him to give them something I didn't recognize."
What?
"Why are you only mentioning that now?" That was clearly the reason they were attacked.
When I stared at her, dumbfounded, the priestess faltered. "I-I was just so distracted earlier..."
Ignoring the priestess's frustrating behavior, I found I was starting to get a clearer picture of what was going on in my head.
"Right before Noark went into lockdown, they sent a few people aboveground. Their goal is to kill one specific adventurer! Shocking, huh?"
According to Clown's statement at the Round Table the month before last, Amelia and a small number of infiltrators had been assigned an assassination mission. Of course, until now, I didn't know who their target was.
It's possible this guy was the target.
Then who the hell was this Drous guy?
"But why are you..."
"Baronet."
"Ah, right... Anyway, why are you alone in a place like this, Baronet Yandel?" This was the priestess' first question after my interrogation. It seemed she had belatedly grown suspicious of my own circumstances.
"I was trying to leave the island when my boat sank and I was separated from my comrades."
"Pardon?"
Pardon what? The gist of it was that the two of us would have to work together for a while. "Let's walk and talk."
"Pardon? What do you mean... Are you saying you want to go in there?"
"My comrades and I promised to meet up in the middle of the island if we got separated."
"I-I see. But over there is..." The priestess looked resistant to my suggestion. It was clear what she was thinking. It must have felt like walking into a tiger's den, but she was separated from her team just like I was.
Geez, this priestess only thinks about herself.
"Don't if you don't want to. I'll go alone." Instead of politely persuading her, I spoke firmly and the priestess had no choice but to go along with me. Rightfully so, because what could a priestess do on her own? Not only were there no boats in the water for her to use, but even if there were, the sea was in a state like that.
"...But do you know why the wind is blowing like this? Like there's a sudden storm."
Actually, that's what I want to know.
"I don't know, but monsters are gathering on the shore."
"...I see."
This was as much a mystery to me as who the hell Drous was. I knew there had been an ambush, but who had triggered the island's event and why? If it was someone who knew the triggering conditions, they would have known how dangerous things were about to get too.
Well, I'm sure I'll find out later.
Like it or not, I was trapped on this island. I would run into Amelia or her comrades eventually.
For now, I'm just going to focus on meeting up with my clanmates.
Shaking off the bad thoughts as much as possible, I headed inland with the priestess. At first, I took the lead and the priestess followed behind.
"This is going to take several hours at this rate. Come here."
I eventually put the priestess on my back and started running. The monsters we encountered along the way were not a problem. If I were alone, I would have been able to get through scot-free anyway, even barehanded, and priests had a unique skill.
[Lairin Ersina has cast Non-Aggression.]
This buff-type divine spell prevented monsters below rank seven from attacking a designated creature first. It was a bit funny, though, because the Church of Tovera, one of the three churches of Rafdonia, had a very specific rule. The damned rule stated that their divine power could not be used on barbarians.
Ugh, that narrow-minded god.
Apparently, a barbarian got drunk thousands of years ago and peed on Tovera's statue. As far as I knew, this rule came about after that. It was probably for this very same reason that she hadn't treated me back when I was crawling through the cave.
"Looks like the sun god is understanding when it comes to breaking the rules at times like this?"
"I understand how you feel, Lord Yandel, but please do not insult him," the priestess retorted, her tone growing a bit sharp at my barb. "Breaking the rules is my own problem. If you need to condemn someone, condemn me."
Jeez, so blunt.
"There's been a misunderstanding. I had no intention of condemning you."
Yeah, no, you'd better use it if you want to live. No matter how much you love your god, I'm sure you don't want to go meet him so early.
"If you were hurt by what happened back then... I apologize. But the reason why I insisted on following that rule that day was because it was an issue that could be solved with a potion. It really wasn't to forsake you."
That did make me feel a bit better. "It's fine. I understand your situation too," I replied, brushing off any lingering resentment. What could an individual do against the decision of a group? "Anyway, let's stop talking about this. That's not important right now."
"Yes."
The chitchat ended there, and we focused on moving from that point on. A long while later, we arrived at our destination at the center of the island.
"H-Here it is. The plunderers attacked us here—"
"Be quiet." There was nothing around. All that was left were traces of a battle from a little while ago. "...I think you can drop your divine power."
First, I got the priestess to terminate her divine spell. Then I slowly searched the area. It looked like I was the first to arrive, as none of my clanmates were there.
"There's really no one here..."
I couldn't even see the corpse of the wizard who had apparently been the first casualty, not to mention the team leader, Drous, who had opted to sacrifice himself. What really happened here?
"Then what are you going to do now?"
I answered the priestess's question without hesitation. "We will wait until someone arrives. Friend or foe."
"Right, I see. All right." Contrary to my expectations, the priestess did not complain about my decision and accepted it. When I asked why, this was the answer I got in return: "I have to reunite with my teammates as well."
"What do you mean?"
"It's impossible to get off the island, anyway. If my teammates escaped and ran into your comrades on the beach, they are likely on their way here now."
So, that was how far ahead she had been thinking when she decided to follow me. "Ersina, are you not afraid that all your teammates are dead?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Of course I am afraid," the priestess answered. "But all I can do is have more faith the more afraid I become." Oh, right. She was a priestess. For a moment, I wondered if I'd asked a pointless question. "That is all that's permitted to us."
But she wasn't exactly wrong.
Please, I hope everyone is safe...
That was about all I could do right now.
***
The harsh sound of crashing waves pounded against her eardrums.
"B-Bleghhh...!" Missha opened her eyes, regurgitating the seawater filling her stomach. Then she hurriedly scanned her surroundings. "A-Ainar!"
Her heart dropped. Ainar had been right next to her until the very end, after the shipwreck. Missha had clung onto Ainar through those raging waves with the single thought of taking care of her, as Ainar couldn't swim.
"I lost herrr."
All kinds of anxious thoughts filled her head. Was Ainar okay? What would she tell Bjorn when she saw him later? No, was Bjorn even—
Slap!
Missha slapped her cheeks with both hands. That sobered her up.
"Think positive, positive..."
She had woken up on the shore in one piece even after losing consciousness.
Everyone will be fine. Yeah, so...
"Meet at the center of the island if we get separated!"
Missha thought back to Bjorn's shout earlier and brushed the dirt off her hands and face. She slowly walked toward the forest.
Tap.
Then she heard something nearby.
"...Ainar? Is that you, Ainarrr?" Missha shouted despite her raspy voice. She ran in the direction of the sound and soon encountered a stranger.
"You."
"H-Huh?"
"You are Bjorn Yandel's comrade." It was a red-haired human woman who was missing half of her ear, a scar her only memento.
Well, I'm sure I'll find out later.
Like it or not, I was trapped on this island. I would run into Amelia or her comrades eventually.
For now, I'm just going to focus on meeting up with my clanmates.
Shaking off the bad thoughts as much as possible, I headed inland with the priestess. At first, I took the lead and the priestess followed behind.
"This is going to take several hours at this rate. Come here."
I eventually put the priestess on my back and started running. The monsters we encountered along the way were not a problem. If I were alone, I would have been able to get through scot-free anyway, even barehanded, and priests had a unique skill.
[Lairin Ersina has cast Non-Aggression.]
This buff-type divine spell prevented monsters below rank seven from attacking a designated creature first. It was a bit funny, though, because the Church of Tovera, one of the three churches of Rafdonia, had a very specific rule. The damned rule stated that their divine power could not be used on barbarians.
Ugh, that narrow-minded god.
Apparently, a barbarian got drunk thousands of years ago and peed on Tovera's statue. As far as I knew, this rule came about after that. It was probably for this very same reason that she hadn't treated me back when I was crawling through the cave.
"Looks like the sun god is understanding when it comes to breaking the rules at times like this?"
"I understand how you feel, Lord Yandel, but please do not insult him," the priestess retorted, her tone growing a bit sharp at my barb. "Breaking the rules is my own problem. If you need to condemn someone, condemn me."
Jeez, so blunt.
"There's been a misunderstanding. I had no intention of condemning you."
Yeah, no, you'd better use it if you want to live. No matter how much you love your god, I'm sure you don't want to go meet him so early.
"If you were hurt by what happened back then... I apologize. But the reason why I insisted on following that rule that day was because it was an issue that could be solved with a potion. It really wasn't to forsake you."
That did make me feel a bit better. "It's fine. I understand your situation too," I replied, brushing off any lingering resentment. What could an individual do against the decision of a group? "Anyway, let's stop talking about this. That's not important right now."
"Yes."
The chitchat ended there, and we focused on moving from that point on. A long while later, we arrived at our destination at the center of the island.
"H-Here it is. The plunderers attacked us here—"
"Be quiet." There was nothing around. All that was left were traces of a battle from a little while ago. "...I think you can drop your divine power."
First, I got the priestess to terminate her divine spell. Then I slowly searched the area. It looked like I was the first to arrive, as none of my clanmates were there.
"There's really no one here..."
I couldn't even see the corpse of the wizard who had apparently been the first casualty, not to mention the team leader, Drous, who had opted to sacrifice himself. What really happened here?
"Then what are you going to do now?"
I answered the priestess's question without hesitation. "We will wait until someone arrives. Friend or foe."
"Right, I see. All right." Contrary to my expectations, the priestess did not complain about my decision and accepted it. When I asked why, this was the answer I got in return: "I have to reunite with my teammates as well."
"What do you mean?"
"It's impossible to get off the island, anyway. If my teammates escaped and ran into your comrades on the beach, they are likely on their way here now."
So, that was how far ahead she had been thinking when she decided to follow me. "Ersina, are you not afraid that all your teammates are dead?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Of course I am afraid," the priestess answered. "But all I can do is have more faith the more afraid I become." Oh, right. She was a priestess. For a moment, I wondered if I'd asked a pointless question. "That is all that's permitted to us."
But she wasn't exactly wrong.
Please, I hope everyone is safe...
That was about all I could do right now.
***
The harsh sound of crashing waves pounded against her eardrums.
"B-Bleghhh...!" Missha opened her eyes, regurgitating the seawater filling her stomach. Then she hurriedly scanned her surroundings. "A-Ainar!"
Her heart dropped. Ainar had been right next to her until the very end, after the shipwreck. Missha had clung onto Ainar through those raging waves with the single thought of taking care of her, as Ainar couldn't swim.
"I lost herrr."
All kinds of anxious thoughts filled her head. Was Ainar okay? What would she tell Bjorn when she saw him later? No, was Bjorn even—
Slap!
Missha slapped her cheeks with both hands. That sobered her up.
"Think positive, positive..."
She had woken up on the shore in one piece even after losing consciousness.
Everyone will be fine. Yeah, so...
"Meet at the center of the island if we get separated!"
Missha thought back to Bjorn's shout earlier and brushed the dirt off her hands and face. She slowly walked toward the forest.
Tap.
Then she heard something nearby.
"...Ainar? Is that you, Ainarrr?" Missha shouted despite her raspy voice. She ran in the direction of the sound and soon encountered a stranger.
"You."
"H-Huh?"
"You are Bjorn Yandel's comrade." It was a red-haired human woman who was missing half of her ear, a scar her only memento.