Eligator (1)
Alive.
There was definitely someone in the cave.
His pace quickened.
He slipped through the brush that sealed off the entrance. Astin, who had come in last, carefully draped the brush back over the opening so the Eligators wouldn’t notice anything amiss.
“……”
The cave interior was thick with the smell of Lamael.
Smoke, having nowhere to go, drifted in pale wisps through the air, making it hard to breathe unless he covered his mouth.
For now, he needed light.
“Shadow….”
A cool presence settled over his head.
From the darkness, someone was aiming a sword at Lawrence.
“Don’t move.”
For some reason, the voice sounded familiar.
“Balik?”
“You know me?”
The tip of the sword trembled.
There was no need to make any unnecessary movements and invite suspicion.
Lawrence opened his mouth.
“Shadow Light.”
Light drove the cave’s darkness away.
Perhaps because the brilliant glow had burst into view before his eyes, the man, who had turned his head slightly away, looked back at Lawrence again.
“You’re alive. Thank the heavens, Balik.”
“No way…. Lawrence. Is that you?”
Balik’s face, revealed in the light, was bloodless and gaunt.
But only for a moment.
Once he recognized Lawrence, he pulled him into a fierce embrace.
“How did you get here?”
“We came to rescue you. We heard from the Ulvaniers. You went deep into the swamp to hunt an Eligator, and then contact was suddenly lost.”
Astin, standing behind him, raised a hand in greeting.
“Astin.”
“I’m glad you’re safe, Balik. Honestly, I was starting to think I’d be lucky just to find a body.”
“Looks like it wasn’t my time to die yet. Since you found me like this.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Balik embraced Astin as well, gratitude plain in the gesture.
“Thank you. Truly.”
“We’re not done yet. We can’t say anything’s safe until we get out of here in one piece.”
Lawrence judged the situation coldly.
First, they needed to shake off the Eligator’s pursuit.
Until they escaped those monsters’ grasp, nothing could be called safe.
“I heard there were ten mercenaries total. How many are still alive in there?”
At Neil’s question, Balik’s expression darkened.
“...Three, including me.”
“Seven dead?”
“What about Gawd? Don’t tell me Gawd died too?”
At Astin’s frantic voice, Balik gave a heavy nod.
“He passed away two days ago. The wound in his abdomen from being torn up by the Eligator was too severe. There was nothing left we could do, so we used a potion, but… he just stopped breathing.”
“Gawd….”
Astin raised a hand to his temple as if his head ached.
“Who’s left alive?”
“Garrick has a high fever and is on the verge of death. Morus was also so badly wounded he can’t take a single step.”
“What about Ronan….”
Balik said nothing, only shook his head.
“What happened to the body?”
“We couldn’t recover it.”
“……”
For a moment, the silent mercenary’s face came to mind.
It had only been a short time, but he had been a man worth trusting.
Ronan, who had fought shoulder to shoulder with Balik at the front line without a word, was no longer of this world.
“Did he die without pain?”
“It was instant. The Eligator’s tail took his head clean off.”
That might have been a mercy, at least.
Praying for Ronan’s peace, Lawrence spoke again.
“Let’s go deeper inside first. We should check on the other two who are in serious condition as soon as possible.”
The cave was deeper than it had looked.
The Lamael wasn’t being burned near the entrance but somewhere around the middle of the cave. Beyond that point, a small clearing opened up.
There, the remaining survivors lay on top of the brush.
“Garrick.”
Garrick, who usually loved to toss out little jokes, was burning up like a furnace.
Even unconscious, he kept groaning in pain, and the sounds spilling from his lips spoke for him.
“I treated everything I could in a hurry, but… honestly, I don’t know if he’ll make it.”
“Neil, please.”
“Hold on.”
He left Morus, who was lying nearby, to Astin.
Neil checked Garrick’s condition, then took out some herbs from his pouch and began grinding them with a stone.
He poured the resulting juice into the mercenary’s mouth.
“Did the guide die too? The treatment looks amateur at best.”
“When things got bad, he ran.”
“He ran? The guide?”
“He ran off on his own and got killed by an Eligator.”
“Next time, hire a guide you can trust.”
“He was the guide Gawd found. They’d traveled together more than once. We never imagined he’d run. Because of that, they wandered the swamp until one after another they started collapsing.”
Everything happened for a reason.
In the end, it meant they had been stranded here because the guide had died.
“Morus will be fine. Even if the wound has festered a bit, it’s not to the point of death. If we take him back to the village and treat him properly, he should recover.”
“This mercenary is the problem. It’s not just the wound. The fever started where the poison insect bit him. Even if he’s lucky enough to survive, the fever may leave him unable to use his legs or feet. He’ll probably never work as a mercenary again.”
Neil prescribed medicine for both men.
The painful breathing that had sounded so terrible gradually grew calmer by the time half a day had passed.
“Will they live?”
“They’re past the dangerous moment for now. But if we don’t get them to the village and treat them quickly, complications could still arise.”
They were short on time.
Lawrence understood why Neil was saying this.
You couldn’t catch two rabbits at once.
If they intended to look after the mercenary party, then they would no longer be able to continue deeper into the swamp.
“The Ulvaniers are waiting behind us. Isn’t Harlag waiting too? Once we join up with them, the rear will be secure.”
“There are three injured men. Two of them are severely wounded. Outside, there are Eligators still hunting us. Even if we somehow get out of here, going back the way we came, like when we crossed the river, is impossible.”
Lawrence’s expression darkened.
To cross the river, they’d have to cling to ropes and fight against the surging current.
Could two mercenaries who could barely move possibly endure that?
They couldn’t.
If the current swept them away, they’d be carried off helplessly.
This wasn’t a matter of training.
The swamp was no place for the wounded.
Foolhardiness wasn’t courage; it was just a quicker way to die.
“The situation is unfavorable. It won’t end with helping three people along. We’ll have to escort them and get out of the swamp at the same time. To reach where Harlag is, we should allow at least ten days—maybe fifteen.”
“That long?”
“We’d be moving with injured people. If something unexpected happens along the way, it may take even longer. Yes. To be safe, it could take twenty days.”
“……”
The number was more than he had expected.
Twenty days. And even that was a generous estimate. If he considered the time it would take to return to the swamp’s depths and then go to the Bugbear nest, they might end up staying in the swamp for over a month.
“Roughly a month. Plenty of time for something to happen at the Bugbear nest.”
Would he really be able to accept that?
“...I need some time to think.”
“Take your time. They’ll need a while before they wake up anyway.”
Neil started speaking with Balik.
He must have something to say about the condition of the two mercenaries.
Lawrence knew what mattered most.
As the church always said, nothing was more precious than human life.
For now, the priority was to lead the surviving Balik’s group to the Ulvaniers.
But in the meantime, something might happen at the Bugbear nest.
Having come this far only to possibly fail to achieve the one goal that mattered most, the boy’s expression turned grave.
“Mister Mage.”
“What is it?”
Lost in thought, Lawrence looked up as Astin approached.
“I heard you were going deep into the swamp. Are you heading for the Bugbear nest, by any chance?”
Had Neil told him?
There was no reason to deny it now.
“Yes. I know it’s dangerous. And you don’t need to worry about me asking for Astin’s help, either.”
“No, that’s not it…. It’s just that Mister Mage has places to be too, doesn’t he? I was wondering if it’s really all right to keep taking up your time.”
“Human life comes first. Even if it takes a while, I think saving Balik’s group should come first.”
The words came out with surprising ease.
Yes. There was no need to agonize over it.
Once he voiced his thoughts, his mind felt clearer.
“The Bugbear nest is deep in the swamp. Even if you take Balik’s group outside and come back, it’ll take at least a month.”
“That’s fine. The Bugbear nest doesn’t have feet, does it? Let’s just think of it as taking a longer route.”
Once he let go, he felt oddly lighter.
It wasn’t enough to rescue someone and stop there.
Being responsible for the hand he had extended—that was what a decent person did.
“Ha, as expected, Mister Mage is different. You’re refreshingly generous in spirit. I feel foolish for having worried so much.”
Astin broke into a clear, hearty laugh.
“Actually, there’s a path through the swamp only the Ulvaniers know. As thanks for helping with this mess, I’d like to show it to you.”
“There’s a way to the Bugbear nest too? I heard the nest was the deepest part of the deepest part….”
“Why would that be the only place? Follow the waterways, and there’s nowhere in this swamp we can’t reach.”
He thumped his left chest as if to say, trust me.
“It’s also a shame to keep holding up Mister Mage’s feet. Move with us only as far as the middle. After that, we’ll take responsibility for getting Balik’s group back to the village. I’ll show you the way, and from there you can go with Neil to the Bugbear nest.”
Lawrence’s face brightened at the unexpected offer.
The thing weighing on him was time.
Astin had just offered a way to solve that in one stroke.
“When you reach the river where the water runs low, we’ll also prepare a boat for you. Once you put it on the river, it’ll carry you along with the current, so getting to the monsters’ nest shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Thank you, Astin.”
“Don’t mention it. Just keep this between us, all right? We’ve got our own reasons, and if word gets out, it could become troublesome for us.”
“That hardly seems difficult. Understood.”
Lawrence brought the good news to Neil.
“The Ulvaniers are going to show us the way?”
“Yes. They say we can take the river where the water runs low straight there.”
“There’s a convenient route like that? Hard to believe.”
“They have no reason to lie, do they? And I do remember hearing that there was a path only the Ulvaniers know.”
The reason the Ulvaniers weren’t afraid of Bugbears.
That was what Isolde had said. Since the Ulvaniers knew the swamp like the back of their hand, they could avoid encounters with monsters.
“Not all the way to the deepest part. It’s only safe because the Ulvaniers normally travel on horseback. You should assume there’s no such thing as a safe zone now that we can’t ride horses.”
“Still, it’s true that we’ve found a way to get there in one shot. That should save a lot of time.”
“Well, if there really is a river where the water runs low, then getting there won’t be a problem. We won’t even need to build a boat.”
Half a day later, Morus, whose condition had recovered somewhat, finally regained consciousness.
“Balik! You bastard!”
The first thing Morus said when he opened his eyes was a curse.
“Everyone died because of you! Even Mister Gawd! Why didn’t you go to rescue them!”
He shouted so hard that pain seemed to ripple through his body, and a groan escaped him.
But the murderous glare he fixed on Balik never wavered.
What on earth had happened?
Unprepared for such a reaction, the others all turned to look at Balik.
“There was no choice. If we had tried to save Gawd, none of us would have survived.”
“That’s what you have to say!? Ralph was… Ralph was planning to finish this request and go back home….”
“You can only say that because you’re still alive to say it.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Morus raised his voice.
“You can’t even say you’re sorry?”
“Why should I apologize? I don’t regret my choice. It was a place where anyone could die. Gawd and I both had to choose how to survive. I lived only because I was lucky.”
“So you’re saying Gawd and the others died because they were unlucky?”
“Yes. If Gawd were alive and standing here, he’d say the same thing I’m saying now. That’s what a mercenary is.”
“……”
At Balik’s blunt declaration, Morus was left speechless.
“Don’t get it twisted. We were comrades brought together to handle a purge request, yes, but there was no reason to throw away our lives for a place where death was all but certain. Gawd became a silver-plate mercenary the same way. I, too, became a silver-plate mercenary only after surviving at the crossroads of choice.”
“Goddamn it. Goddamn it….”
As if unable to refute it, he lowered his head.
Only curses with nowhere else to go drifted around the cave.
“Cool your head first. If you’ve got the strength to curse me, focus on recovering. If it weren’t for the people here, you’d never have opened your eyes again.”
“I know that without you telling me. Damn it. What the hell am I doing, leaving the village just to make a living as a damned mercenary….”
Once Morus calmed down, Balik quietly stepped away.
Neil and Astin tended to him as he coughed weakly.
He could leave this to them.
Lawrence followed after Balik, who had wandered off alone.
“Balik.”
Balik was tossing Lamael into the flames.
“Are you going to resent me for failing to protect Ronan too?”
“No. I don’t know the details, but I can tell it was a choice you couldn’t avoid.”
Balik probably hadn’t wanted to abandon his comrades either.
But mercenary work was a profession that always walked hand in hand with the worst possible outcomes. In a situation where everyone might die, it was right for at least some people to live.
Balik and Gawd, who had been watching over the group’s leader.
The two of them had definitely chosen the path that allowed the greatest number of comrades to survive.
“You say that, but you probably couldn’t abandon a comrade either.”
“I wonder. I’m not that good a person. If I were faced with such a situation, I might be the first to run.”
“No. Lawrence. If you were the kind of man who could do that, you wouldn’t have come all the way here to save us.”
Balik turned the Lamael over with a branch as he spoke.
“I’ll tell you this while I have the chance. You don’t suit mercenary work.”
“Are you trying to tell me you’re full of sentiment too, Balik?”
He had heard that line so many times he was sick of it.
It was time to admit it. Everyone he met said the same thing, and he’d realized there was no point insisting otherwise all by himself.
“I’m glad you know that much. If you don’t want to die young, quit being a mercenary. And use your talent like a proper mage should—go join a magic tower. It’d be better for you.”
“And yet because I’m so sentimental, you made it through the crisis too, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know about that. If our luck had been bad, both you and I might have died here. Don’t underestimate the Ulbazar Swamp. No matter how impressive your magic is, if even a few Eligators gather, we’re all dead.”
As if urging him to judge the world coldly, Balik continued.
“If the worst happens, abandon the wounded first. Morus and Garrick. I’m no exception.”
“Balik.”
“I’m not saying this only for your sake. It’s best if that situation never comes, but mercenary work is the kind of thing where you can’t see even a step ahead. Leaving behind the worst-injured people first is how you keep more people alive. Or what is it, then? Some kind of hobby where you die together?”
“That’s not what I’m saying, is it? Seven people are already dead. We need to find a way for the rest to survive.”
“That’s exactly why only the three of us are left.”
Was he being too idealistic?
And yet Lawrence didn’t want to watch the three people he’d found after all this suffering die.
“Be cold. If you can’t do that, then be ruthless. And not just in mercenary work. The first ones to die on the battlefield are sentimental fools like you. I’m serious. This world is screwed because kindhearted idiots die first.”
“……”
Balik reached into his coat and took something out.
The dirty bottle with a reddish tint was a potion.
“I heard you’re going to the Bugbear nest. Take it.”
“I’m fine. I have potions too.”
“If I say take it, take it. This doesn’t count as owing me a life.”
More than anything else, the important thing was to settle matters cleanly.
At Balik’s insistence that he didn’t want to be indebted, Lawrence answered,
“All right. But this debt won’t be settled by one potion.”
“Money? Fine. If we make it out alive, I’ll cover it.”
“Money’s fine too. More than that, I heard a bard came to the inn recently. Once we’re back in the village, just buy everyone a meal and have the bard sing for us.”
Balik wasn’t stupid. A promise made on the assumption that they’d return to the village was no different from a vow to get out of the swamp alive.
“...I can’t promise anything. But all right. If we make it back to the village, I’ll buy.”
“Yes. And while we’re at it, let’s invite Isolde too. Turns out she has a younger sister.”
He frowned slightly.
“I heard stories about her. She doesn’t look anything like Isolde, does she? One pair of those awful feet is enough.”
“Ahaha. Well, about that. Doris is completely different from Isolde. You’ll probably be surprised when you see her.”
The tension that had been pulled tight seemed to loosen just a little.