Chapter 525: Giant Island (4)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 525: Giant Island (4)

These footprints were created approximately five hours ago. There was no need for me to even try and guess who made them. Since the odds of anyone else coming to this island were low...

This trail must be from the people who sent out that rescue request.

"There are two distinct sets of prints. Judging by how big they are, it seems they're both male. Also, it seems they were moving as stealthily as they could."

"Stealthily? Does that mean it'll be tough for us to track them down?"

"No, not at all. They didn't even try to hide their tracks. What I mean is that they were moving slowly, crouching low to the ground, and likely keeping a careful eye on their surroundings. They were probably on the lookout for monsters."

Mihail Lectus.

He was an adventurer who had apparently once been a member of the palace's investigative branch back in the day. It seemed this old timer held a similar position in the Armin Adventurer Group as Amelia did in our clan.

"It'd be best to leave the tracking to him. If he really was an investigator for the royal family, then he would be better at tracking than me," Amelia said, sounding almost dejected.

From her reaction alone, I gathered that maybe being part of the investigative unit was even more impressive than I initially thought.

"Did you say your name was Lectus?"

"That's right, Lord Baron."

"I'll leave the tracking to you."

"Certainly. I will not let you down."

From then on, I took the lead while he guided me in the right direction. We followed the trail for a while, but we were soon forced to put our search on hold when we encountered something unexpected. Or, well, it'd be more accurate to say we discovered something unexpected.

"That's..."

There was a corpse lying in the middle of the forest—not one of a person, but of a giant.

"It's the same kind of giant we saw in the ocean..."

It had to have died a while ago, given that it was clearly decomposing and the stench of rot filled the air around us. But then the question was: how?

"Judging by its wounds... it seems it was killed by another monster, not by people."

Was this the work of another monster that fell down here during the rainy season, then? Even as the hypothesis formed in my mind, I couldn't help but let out an involuntary sigh.

"Yandel, you looked bothered by something. Is there a problem?"

"Well... the corpse is still here."

The fact that the corpse was still here meant that I probably wouldn't be able to acquire an essence from these things—after all, essences only appeared when monsters disappeared.

"Ah..."

Its stats and its skills... I had gotten all excited about figuring them out, but it turned out I'd been looking forward to nothing. I felt the wind leave my sails the moment I saw the corpse, but there were a few people in our company who were practically jumping with joy.

"A giant! The corpse of a giant!"

"Not just any giant, either! What did you say earlier, Your Lordship? The name of this giant is Hipramajent."

"What are you all standing around for? We need to salvage what we can before it completely rots away!"

The wizards of the Adventurer Group descended on the giant's corpse like they'd just stumbled upon a priceless treasure, immediately and enthusiastically beginning the dismemberment process.

"Wait! Be careful with that! Whenever you remove a part from the corpse, make sure to at least record what the giant's original anatomy was!"

"Its intestines! What's in its intestines? Wait, does it even have intestines to begin with?"

I got the sense that we could send these people straight to hell, and they would be happy so long as we sent a notebook down with them.

"The wizards in your clan are... quite enthusiastic," I said in faint disbelief as I watched them go.

Myul, their captain, gave me a strained smile. "The wizards who join our group are usually the type to be interested in dangerous work that doesn't even pay well. Haha..."

Well, I guess that makes sense.

Although I wasn't nearly as interested as the wizards, I was still somewhat curious about what they would find, so I observed as they began to take the giant's corpse apart.

"How's its hide?" I asked.

"...It's very floppy. Initial tests indicate that it doesn't seem to have any resistance to mana, either."

"So it wouldn't be useful for making gear?"

"No... We'd need to do a lot of research before its coat could ever be used for crafting."

In other words, its skin was of no use to us.

"Then what about its bones?" I asked, causing one wizard's expression to immediately brighten.

"Ah! The bones are very sturdy while also being very lightweight. Also, the bones themselves are quite large, so we think that a skilled blacksmith would be able to use them to craft weapons..."

"Oh, really? What grade do you think they would be classified as?"

"Um... Well... Since they're light, they may be considered a bit more high-quality than ordinary steel..."

Huh?

I was about to get a little excited, but it turned out the bones weren't all that special either. If they were only a little bit better than steel, it was easier for blacksmiths to just use steel since that was much cheaper to both produce and work with.

"S-Still, there are advantages to making equipment from these bones. First of all, they won't rust, and..."

The wizard launched into an appeal like a researcher who was asking for more time and funding for their project, but I didn't really care to hear it.

"Got it. Just tell me if you find anything special."

"Yes sir...!"

After that, I lost interest in the body and spent my time guarding the perimeter of our camp.

I had killed about ten Giantized monsters who came at me when...

Dash.

Sensing a presence from beyond the brush, I instinctively went to swing my hammer.

"A-Ack!"

However, a scream stopped me in my tracks.

"Hah, agh..." they coughed.

It was a person. One whose face I recognized.

My hammer had frozen a hair's breadth from the crown of his head. The man tumbled backward, gulping in labored breaths like he had something stuck in his throat.

Versyl was the one to put a name to the face. "Mr. Myrtane?"

Ah, right. That was his name. He was a member of that five-person party who realized that their warrior hadn't come down to Basement Floor One with them—the same party who initially went to Human Island before leaving with the Hektz clan when there was trouble.

"Wait! Be careful with that! Whenever you remove a part from the corpse, make sure to at least record what the giant's original anatomy was!"

"Its intestines! What's in its intestines? Wait, does it even have intestines to begin with?"

I got the sense that we could send these people straight to hell, and they would be happy so long as we sent a notebook down with them.

"The wizards in your clan are... quite enthusiastic," I said in faint disbelief as I watched them go.

Myul, their captain, gave me a strained smile. "The wizards who join our group are usually the type to be interested in dangerous work that doesn't even pay well. Haha..."

Well, I guess that makes sense.

Although I wasn't nearly as interested as the wizards, I was still somewhat curious about what they would find, so I observed as they began to take the giant's corpse apart.

"How's its hide?" I asked.

"...It's very floppy. Initial tests indicate that it doesn't seem to have any resistance to mana, either."

"So it wouldn't be useful for making gear?"

"No... We'd need to do a lot of research before its coat could ever be used for crafting."

In other words, its skin was of no use to us.

"Then what about its bones?" I asked, causing one wizard's expression to immediately brighten.

"Ah! The bones are very sturdy while also being very lightweight. Also, the bones themselves are quite large, so we think that a skilled blacksmith would be able to use them to craft weapons..."

"Oh, really? What grade do you think they would be classified as?"

"Um... Well... Since they're light, they may be considered a bit more high-quality than ordinary steel..."

Huh?

I was about to get a little excited, but it turned out the bones weren't all that special either. If they were only a little bit better than steel, it was easier for blacksmiths to just use steel since that was much cheaper to both produce and work with.

"S-Still, there are advantages to making equipment from these bones. First of all, they won't rust, and..."

The wizard launched into an appeal like a researcher who was asking for more time and funding for their project, but I didn't really care to hear it.

"Got it. Just tell me if you find anything special."

"Yes sir...!"

After that, I lost interest in the body and spent my time guarding the perimeter of our camp.

I had killed about ten Giantized monsters who came at me when...

Dash.

Sensing a presence from beyond the brush, I instinctively went to swing my hammer.

"A-Ack!"

However, a scream stopped me in my tracks.

"Hah, agh..." they coughed.

It was a person. One whose face I recognized.

My hammer had frozen a hair's breadth from the crown of his head. The man tumbled backward, gulping in labored breaths like he had something stuck in his throat.

Versyl was the one to put a name to the face. "Mr. Myrtane?"

Ah, right. That was his name. He was a member of that five-person party who realized that their warrior hadn't come down to Basement Floor One with them—the same party who initially went to Human Island before leaving with the Hektz clan when there was trouble.

He was still too busy wheezing to say anything, and Versyl stepped forward to pat him on the back. "Please calm down. No one will hurt you here."

"Miss... G-Gowland...!" The man seemed to come to his senses at Versyl's touch, and he immediately bowed to her. "P-Please help us. Veryon was g-gravely injured in a fight against some monsters..."

At second glance, I noticed that there was another young man strapped to his back. We quickly undid the bindings and laid the man on the ground, where Amelia leaned over to check his breathing by placing her ear next to his mouth and nose. I was in the middle of waving the priest over when she spoke.

"...It's too late."

Myrtane's knees gave out. "N-No...! W-We were just... just talking...!" He shoved Amelia aside and gathered his companion in his arms, refusing to accept reality as he checked his breathing himself. Though it was rude of him, Amelia didn't say anything to the man, and neither did I. This was something all adventurers would experience at least once in their career—the loss of a comrade. He'd need some time to come to terms with it, whether a lot or a little.

"...Have you calmed down now?"

"Yes... First of all, I wasn't able to say so earlier thanks to the shock, so let me say this: thank you. For saving... my life."

"It's a shame what happened to your companion. Are you planning to take him with you?"

"Yes. That's something...I need to do. Could I request a bit of distortion magic...?"

"Of course."

After the spell was cast, the man took his companion's corpse and everything in his possession and put it all into his sub-space bag. Although it wasn't my place to say this, this guy's luck could have been much worse. We once lost our wizard, and we'd had no choice but to leave his body behind in the labyrinth.

Well, that was then and this was now.

"...Now then, I hope we can talk." Since I gave him some time to collect himself, I'd say I did everything I could for him. "Are the others alive?"

"...The people who are still alive are hiding in a secure location right now." He went on to add that they weren't too far from here.

"How's the hideout? Is it safe?"

"...It's safe for now."

"Really? Then why were the two of you out and about?"

"We all figured that to escape this island, we needed to know more about it. That was why... that was why Veryon and I, as the fastest of the group, were sent out to explore."

So they had been a sort of scouting team. If they had just sat tight and stayed hidden with the rest for a while longer, this never would have happened.

...I shouldn't tell him that, though.

I decided I could hear the rest of the story once we reached the hideout, so I left the conversation at that. It turned out he wasn't lying about the hideout being close, as after following him for a short while, we soon came across a large boulder covered in grass.

"So you used magic to disguise the entrance."

"I'll send the signal now."

As the man knocked on the rock to alert the people inside of our presence, the barrier soon disappeared and someone stepped out.

"Myrtane! Why are you so late—? B-Baron Yandel?" Just as he was about to start reprimanding his companion for worrying him, the eyes of the Hektz Clan's captain flew wide open when he saw me.

He was still too busy wheezing to say anything, and Versyl stepped forward to pat him on the back. "Please calm down. No one will hurt you here."

"Miss... G-Gowland...!" The man seemed to come to his senses at Versyl's touch, and he immediately bowed to her. "P-Please help us. Veryon was g-gravely injured in a fight against some monsters..."

At second glance, I noticed that there was another young man strapped to his back. We quickly undid the bindings and laid the man on the ground, where Amelia leaned over to check his breathing by placing her ear next to his mouth and nose. I was in the middle of waving the priest over when she spoke.

"...It's too late."

Myrtane's knees gave out. "N-No...! W-We were just... just talking...!" He shoved Amelia aside and gathered his companion in his arms, refusing to accept reality as he checked his breathing himself. Though it was rude of him, Amelia didn't say anything to the man, and neither did I. This was something all adventurers would experience at least once in their career—the loss of a comrade. He'd need some time to come to terms with it, whether a lot or a little.

"...Have you calmed down now?"

"Yes... First of all, I wasn't able to say so earlier thanks to the shock, so let me say this: thank you. For saving... my life."

"It's a shame what happened to your companion. Are you planning to take him with you?"

"Yes. That's something...I need to do. Could I request a bit of distortion magic...?"

"Of course."

After the spell was cast, the man took his companion's corpse and everything in his possession and put it all into his sub-space bag. Although it wasn't my place to say this, this guy's luck could have been much worse. We once lost our wizard, and we'd had no choice but to leave his body behind in the labyrinth.

Well, that was then and this was now.

"...Now then, I hope we can talk." Since I gave him some time to collect himself, I'd say I did everything I could for him. "Are the others alive?"

"...The people who are still alive are hiding in a secure location right now." He went on to add that they weren't too far from here.

"How's the hideout? Is it safe?"

"...It's safe for now."

"Really? Then why were the two of you out and about?"

"We all figured that to escape this island, we needed to know more about it. That was why... that was why Veryon and I, as the fastest of the group, were sent out to explore."

So they had been a sort of scouting team. If they had just sat tight and stayed hidden with the rest for a while longer, this never would have happened.

...I shouldn't tell him that, though.

I decided I could hear the rest of the story once we reached the hideout, so I left the conversation at that. It turned out he wasn't lying about the hideout being close, as after following him for a short while, we soon came across a large boulder covered in grass.

"So you used magic to disguise the entrance."

"I'll send the signal now."

As the man knocked on the rock to alert the people inside of our presence, the barrier soon disappeared and someone stepped out.

"Myrtane! Why are you so late—? B-Baron Yandel?" Just as he was about to start reprimanding his companion for worrying him, the eyes of the Hektz Clan's captain flew wide open when he saw me.

"It's been a while, Wyatt Hektz."

"Oh gods—!"

"Can we come in?"

"O-Of course! Please, come in!"

When I entered the cave with my companions, we found that it was more spacious inside than you'd expect when looking at it from the outside.

"I... I'm truly shocked. I never expected you to come, Baron Yandel..."

"Really? I'm kind of surprised too."

"Surprised...?"

"I thought you'd have more questions about the extra people with me."

"Oh...! R-Right!" he said like he'd only just noticed. "There were only sixty of us when we came down here..."

I got the sense that he was only pretending to be surprised. Then was this guy the evil spirit who made that rescue request? Well, since that wasn't actually relevant to me, I didn't dig any deeper into it.

"Wh-what happened?" Wyatt asked.

I gave him a general synopsis, starting from how time in the city was passing at the same rate as it was here. I also told him about how the labyrinth opened up again not too long ago and that new adventurers had entered Basement Floor One.

"One of your members used the monthly gathering of evil spirits to send out a request for help, and news of it spread throughout the city. Thanks to that, we were able to figure out the location of this island and come find you."

"Th-that's..."

"Is there anyone in your group you suspect of being an evil spirit?"

"Not particularly. B-But... they could have been one of the people who are already dead."

"Like the one who died today?"

Wyatt Hektz didn't respond, staying silent in an apparent effort to protect his companions, and I decided to stop prying. In retrospect, this was a bad habit of mine. Even when I didn't need to, I tended to poke at people just to see how they would react.

"All right, let's set that aside. So tell me your story. What happened to you after we went our separate ways?"

I let go of the evil spirit issue and changed the subject. However, his account of their adventure thus far didn't provide much insight. According to him, after we left the island, they went inside the library to check if there was anything else there, and when they found nothing, they headed back out to sea.

"We were sailing in a random direction, trying to find a new area to explore. But then, monsters started to fall from the sky like rain."

Unlike my clan, who spent our rainy season in the safety of a village, these guys had had to face it out on the open ocean. They apparently found this island right before their boat broke down entirely, and once they were on land, they made a break for it, found this cave, and took shelter inside.

I was wondering why they had less than half of their original numbers. Looks like most of them died during the rainy season.

The ones who had survived were lucky that they found somewhere to hide in just a few hours. If they had stayed outside any longer, they would've been wiped out entirely.

"That must've been tough. Good work getting through it."

"So... how about you, Your Lordship? If time is passing in the outside world as well, then we need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to find a way out of here. Have you... found it yet?"

"No, we're still looking."

When I gave him my honest answer, Wyatt's lips pinched together, and he fell silent for a moment. "...There is a way out, right?"

"Yeah. There definitely is. And I'll find it."

He was looking for anything to put his faith in, so I offered him an answer full of confidence.

"...Then we will do everything in our power to help, Your Lordship. Even if we won't be of much use to you," said Wyatt in a tone that suggested that I was the only thing in the world he felt he could trust.

"Thank you for that. Let's do our best together," I replied, mentally adjusting the count of people I now had following me.

Twelve more free slaves.

***

We still had a few hours left before we usually set up camp, but we decided to call it a day there.

"Let's rest for the rest of the day. Our plans for tomorrow are still up in the air, but we'll be staying here tonight."

Since we had acquired more members, I decided that we needed to do some inventory management before we started moving again. I also needed to gather some more information.

"Wyatt, have you found out anything else about this island?"

Although they spent most of their time in a cave, they were still adventurers and had gotten to this island earlier than us. Even better, Wyatt, their captain, had been incredibly willing to offer me helpful information so far. Right now, the only thing our group knew was that the monsters here could use Giantization.

"The rainy season you mentioned... After that was over, Veryon reported spotting a giant monster in the distance while he was out doing some scouting."

A giant monster...

However, as he went on to describe it, I realized that he wasn't talking about Hipramajent.

"According to him, he could tell at a glance that it was over forty yards tall..."

Hipramajent was only half that size...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"And it was tearing apart a Valksus with its bare hands."

And it wasn't strong enough to tear apart a rank-two monster like that.

"To be honest, we all assume he just saw a monster capable of using an illusion-type skill... but I still thought I should let you know."

"I see. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Since the person who had seen the monster was now dead, I couldn't verify any of this information, so I didn't press any further and let him continue his tale. As he went on, I received a few pieces of information that might prove useful when we resumed our expedition tomorrow—things like a map of the surrounding area drawn by their scouting team and the descriptions of new monsters we hadn't encountered yet.

And there was one more thing.

"And finally... there is something I need to show you, Lord Baron."

"Something you need to show me?"

"Could you... follow me for a moment?"

I walked deeper into the cave with Wyatt and soon found myself in a small room with a manmade carving inside. My jaw dropped as soon as I saw it.

"This is..."

It was a portal stone.

"It's been a while, Wyatt Hektz."

"Oh gods—!"

"Can we come in?"

"O-Of course! Please, come in!"

When I entered the cave with my companions, we found that it was more spacious inside than you'd expect when looking at it from the outside.

"I... I'm truly shocked. I never expected you to come, Baron Yandel..."

"Really? I'm kind of surprised too."

"Surprised...?"

"I thought you'd have more questions about the extra people with me."

"Oh...! R-Right!" he said like he'd only just noticed. "There were only sixty of us when we came down here..."

I got the sense that he was only pretending to be surprised. Then was this guy the evil spirit who made that rescue request? Well, since that wasn't actually relevant to me, I didn't dig any deeper into it.

"Wh-what happened?" Wyatt asked.

I gave him a general synopsis, starting from how time in the city was passing at the same rate as it was here. I also told him about how the labyrinth opened up again not too long ago and that new adventurers had entered Basement Floor One.

"One of your members used the monthly gathering of evil spirits to send out a request for help, and news of it spread throughout the city. Thanks to that, we were able to figure out the location of this island and come find you."

"Th-that's..."

"Is there anyone in your group you suspect of being an evil spirit?"

"Not particularly. B-But... they could have been one of the people who are already dead."

"Like the one who died today?"

Wyatt Hektz didn't respond, staying silent in an apparent effort to protect his companions, and I decided to stop prying. In retrospect, this was a bad habit of mine. Even when I didn't need to, I tended to poke at people just to see how they would react.

"All right, let's set that aside. So tell me your story. What happened to you after we went our separate ways?"

I let go of the evil spirit issue and changed the subject. However, his account of their adventure thus far didn't provide much insight. According to him, after we left the island, they went inside the library to check if there was anything else there, and when they found nothing, they headed back out to sea.

"We were sailing in a random direction, trying to find a new area to explore. But then, monsters started to fall from the sky like rain."

Unlike my clan, who spent our rainy season in the safety of a village, these guys had had to face it out on the open ocean. They apparently found this island right before their boat broke down entirely, and once they were on land, they made a break for it, found this cave, and took shelter inside.

I was wondering why they had less than half of their original numbers. Looks like most of them died during the rainy season.

The ones who had survived were lucky that they found somewhere to hide ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in just a few hours. If they had stayed outside any longer, they would've been wiped out entirely.

"That must've been tough. Good work getting through it."

"So... how about you, Your Lordship? If time is passing in the outside world as well, then we need to find a way out of here. Have you... found it yet?"

"No, we're still looking."

When ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I gave him my honest answer, Wyatt's lips pinched together, and he fell silent for a moment. "...There is a way out, right?"

"Yeah. There definitely is. And I'll find it."

He was looking for anything to put his faith in, so I offered him an answer full of confidence.

"...Then we will do everything in our power to help, Your Lordship. Even if we won't be of much use to you," said Wyatt in a tone that suggested that I was the only thing in the world he felt he could trust.

"Thank you for that. Let's do our best together," I replied, mentally adjusting the count of people I now had following me.

Twelve more free slaves.

***

We still had a few hours left before we usually set up camp, but we decided to call it a day there.

"Let's rest for the rest of the day. Our plans for tomorrow are still up in the air, but we'll be staying here tonight."

Since we had acquired more members, I decided that we needed to do some inventory management before we started moving again. I also needed to gather some more information.

"Wyatt, have you found out anything else about this island?"

Although they spent most of their time in a cave, they were still adventurers and had gotten to this island earlier than us. Even better, Wyatt, their captain, had been incredibly willing to offer me helpful information so far. Right now, the only thing our group knew was that the monsters here could use Giantization.

"The rainy season you mentioned... After that was over, Veryon reported spotting a giant monster in the distance while he was out doing some scouting."

A giant monster...

However, as he went on to describe it, I realized that he wasn't talking about Hipramajent.

"According to him, he could tell at a glance that it was over forty yards tall..."

Hipramajent was only half that size...

"And it was tearing apart a Valksus with its bare hands."

And it wasn't strong enough to tear apart a rank-two monster like that.

"To be honest, we all assume he just saw a monster capable of using an illusion-type skill... but I still thought I should let you know."

"I see. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Since the person who had seen the monster was now dead, I couldn't verify any of this information, so I didn't press any further and let him continue his tale. As he went on, I received a few pieces of information that might prove useful when we resumed our expedition tomorrow—things like a map of the surrounding area drawn by their scouting team and the descriptions of new monsters we hadn't encountered yet.

And there was one more thing.

"And finally... there is something I need to show you, Lord Baron."

"Something you need to show me?"

"Could you... follow me for a moment?"

I walked deeper into the cave with Wyatt and soon found myself in a small room with a manmade carving inside. My jaw dropped as soon as I saw it.

"This is..."

It was a portal stone.