episode_0010

Perhaps it was an expected outcome. Sasha didn’t release me. Moreover, she didn’t seem to take my advice seriously. I firmly believed that there was another reason why the Franquia army was withdrawing to the other side of the Delpine River. It was a very sensible thought process from someone who had never encountered monsters before.

Regardless of whether she believed my words or not, the direction of our reconnaissance was set towards the west where the Delpine River lay. Even just capturing the 93rd Division’s orders would have been a commendable achievement, but I couldn’t grasp why Franquia’s forces were risking heading towards a place where they could stumble into danger. She didn’t tell me. Perhaps it was a warning that if I drew my sword, I might as well use it. Maybe it could benefit me. If I were to escape captivity, being closer to Franquia’s forces would increase the chances of a successful escape.

Speaking of escape, Sasha hadn’t touched me since the first day. Not once during the entire week. Of course, this was only at night. During the day, whether it was whipping or biting, it was always the same. After expressing her refusal once, we simply slept in the same bed with nothing more happening. It felt somewhat like being treated as a human heater. The only complaint was that I often felt drowsy. There was a peculiar habit of hers to frequently rest her arm on my neck.

Escape attempts were made every night. To escape, I needed to get out of bed, but removing Sasha’s arm from around my neck proved to be a challenge. Every attempt failed as even the slightest touch would immediately wake her up.

However, today was different. For some reason, her arm was in its normal position. It was late at night. She had been suffering from sleep deprivation, staying up every night to seize an opportunity to escape, but today seemed like the day it would all end. Carefully getting up, she peeked out of the tent entrance. As always, there were no guards at the entrance. Good. She cautiously lifted the flap and peeked outside. In the distance, she caught sight of a soldier’s back, seemingly patrolling. The distance was considerable, so even if there was some noise, it seemed okay.

There was nothing to take. Her Charleville musket had been confiscated when she first became a captive, and her Francian Kingdom Madobyeong uniform was practically in tatters, long relegated to the status of a rag. Even the documents on Sasha’s desk didn’t seem worth taking; they wouldn’t fit in my small pouch, and I didn’t even know what was important.

Dressed in civilian clothing rather than a military uniform, it was quite chilly outside. The uniforms of the Royal Guards were warm, but the ones here were not. It seemed that the uniforms of a country used to cold weather paid much more attention to insulation than those of the Francian Kingdom. Swiftly moving between the shadows of the tents to avoid the soldier’s gaze, once she left Sasha’s bed, the escape went smoothly. As long as I avoided the eyes of those guarding the outermost perimeter of the camp, success was almost guaranteed.

Passing by the stables, I briefly considered riding a horse for a quicker getaway, but quickly dismissed the idea. Riding might get me across the river faster, but my riding skills were average at best. I was by no means skilled enough to outmaneuver the guards. It was best to escape without being noticed and safely.

As I reached the outskirts of the camp, I could faintly hear Moscobia trying to alleviate the boredom of the guards. I just needed to get through here. I moved stealthily, keeping as low as possible and using the shadows until I safely reached the dark spots between the guards. They remained completely unaware of my presence until I arrived safely at the outskirts of the camp, where the guards’ attention was directed elsewhere.

“Phew.”

Ando let out a sigh, but he hadn’t completely escaped yet. He needed to put some distance between himself and the military base. Enough to be able to flee once Sasha realized he was gone.

The military base of the Changgi Battalion and other infantry divisions was close to the Delphine River. Over the past week, the Moscovi Kingdom’s army had advanced to the Delphine River, plundering every visible village along the way. While pillaging was expected of armies in this era, having experienced 21st-century military, it still struck me as a despicable act. After seeing the ravaged villages, I grimaced, to which Sasha remarked,

“It seems that outraging unarmed civilians is more infuriating to you than disrespecting the corpses of Frankia’s soldiers.”

In any case, from my vague memories of a past life, mistreating unarmed civilians was a more heart-wrenching matter. Especially when they made a deliberate display of it, slowly moving through to ensure everyone saw.

“A river, it’s the river!”

I found myself shouting involuntarily as I caught sight of the dark river. I belatedly covered my mouth with a gasp, but the sound might have already carried to the surroundings. It was several hundred meters away from the Moscovi military base, so perhaps I hadn’t been heard. They had set up the base closer than I thought. Well, the Delphine River was so wide that it wouldn’t have been feasible to shell from the opposite side. It was the largest river in the eastern part of the Frankia Kingdom.

As I pondered how to cross the river, I soon spotted something suitable. It was a bridge. A massive stone structure. The width of the Delphine River made it highly inefficient to ferry people and supplies across by boat. The eastern side of the Delphine River was a large-scale industrial area, and to guard that area, the military needed bridges for movement. Consequently, there were quite a few bridges over the Delphine River.

“A beam of light, no, a deity! This is my first prayer, please let me safely cross the bridge!”

My prayer for a safe crossing until I reached the other side was rendered futile the moment I set foot on the bridge, as I encountered an unexpected visitor.

“How did a monster end up here??”

Even though I half-heartedly pretended to pray, creatures emerged from the murky waters of the Delpine River. I never had much faith to begin with, and the god who sent me to this world didn’t listen to prayers anyway, so there was no chance of developing anything resembling faith.

The creatures that emerged from the water were the antithesis of mermaids. Their upper bodies resembled fish, while their lower halves were something akin to humans. They weren’t numerous—only seven. However, considering the killing power of these monsters, that number was not small. I had no weapon in my hands, and the magic suppression device still clung to my neck. I fervently wished that these creatures were slower on land than they appeared, and I promptly turned and ran.

I headed straight for the hideout of the Moscovi Army, where I had just escaped from a harrowing ordeal. Running without the ability to use magic was too cruel a task for me. My already frail body quickly reached its limit, my breath becoming labored, and my steps slowing. It felt like I was always just running away.

“Kyaaaah!”

As the creatures’ shrieks echoed right behind me, I gritted my teeth and tried to pick up more speed, but I couldn’t last even ten seconds. My exhausted legs gave out, and regardless of my will, I could no longer run. I crashed to the ground at full speed.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Unable to absorb the impact with my hands, my chest collided with the ground, leaving me struggling for breath. In agony and unable to speak, I saw the yellow eyes of the approaching creatures. They didn’t rush, as if considering me their captured prey. I tried to get up, to distance myself from the monsters, but it wasn’t easy.

If only I had magic, I could have escaped! I tried to release the suppression device around my neck with trembling hands, but it was futile. If only this urgent situation had allowed me to release it with a mere playful touch, I would have done it days ago. As I slowly faced impending death, all I could do was curse the god who had sent me here. What was the point of the “demonstration case” gift they had given me? If this ordinary magic suppression was their idea of a gift, I would curse them even in death.

The monster’s clawed foreleg coming at my face was to be the last scene I’d ever witness in my life.

– Well, what do you think? Do you feel like having a little faith now?

“Huh?”

The gruesome foreleg in front of me remained, moving so slowly that it was almost imperceptible. There was no sign of the god who spoke to me. But creating such a surreal phenomenon was undoubtedly his doing. Otherwise, it couldn’t be explained. I immediately voiced my dissatisfaction with the voice ringing in my head.

“If you accidentally kill someone and then resurrect them in the wrong place, shouldn’t you at least do something right?”

I have no intention of being respectful. What did I do well?

“Changing my gender is one thing, but what’s with this ‘gift’ you give as some kind of test case or whatever?”

– No one can escape death. Not just humans, but all living beings. Even those in front of you. I bestow upon you the power to break such a cycle.

“What, what? All of a sudden?”

Is he talking about something like snapping his fingers and turning everyone to dust, like in the movies? He wouldn’t give me that. After all, God defaults to putting me in extreme situations and then giving miracles. Such tremendous power is by no means an extreme situation.

– You’ll know when you experience it yourself.

As soon as I felt the disappearance of the god’s voice, the monster’s foreleg began to move faster. Although I thought I could avoid it, my body had already slowed down like the monster’s, making it impossible to escape. Should I resign myself and face death? The claw touched my cheek, and at that moment, the speed returned to normal.

Thud!

It wasn’t a fatal blow. Before an immense pain could even register in my brain, my body was struck at least five more times. Despite the sensation of my body being torn apart, there was nothing I could do. The only thought that crossed my mind was, “Huh?”

As if electricity had entered my darkened vision, the surrounding scenery suddenly came into focus. It was now dawn. But when I was attacked by the monster, it was definitely deep in the night. The creature was nowhere to be seen around me. As I slowly got up, I realized there was no problem standing. When I lowered my head to look at my body, an unbelievable sight met my eyes. My clothes were torn, blood was caked all over, and encountering a monster and being attacked was not something out of a dream or imagination. Yet, through the tears in my clothes, my body appeared unscathed. When I touched my cheek with my hand, it felt just as soft as before. The device that had been on my neck was also gone.

“I… resurrected, didn’t I?”

Certainly. It was a miracle of the highest order among miracles. However, the voice echoing in my mind said that this would increase my faith. Just because I resurrected, I didn’t suddenly feel like praying or anything. How exactly was this supposed to increase my faith? It seems like I failed again this time.

– I didn’t say anything, but of course, there’s a penalty for that too. If I tell you everything, it won’t be fun, so why don’t you find out for yourself this time?

“Well, I guess so.”

Giving me the ability to resurrect probably meant that it would provide extreme conditions even when using that ability. What kind of sin did the people living in this world commit? I sighed deeply and headed west towards the Delfine River.