Ch.101Life-Saving Actions (2)

Hundreds of years ago.

The 20th Legion, led by the Witch of Calamity, once drove a hero into a deadly trap.

The trapped hero became isolated from his companions, and all that remained was to take his head.

But the hero’s companions, risking death, shattered the Legion Commander’s barrier and penetrated to the deepest part of the military camp.

The Elf Priest.

The Beast-kin Assassin.

The Shield Paladin.

And even a small elite force dispatched to protect the hero.

A fierce guerrilla battle ensued, and eventually the 20th Legion was defeated by the power of the Goddess and the Holy Spirit.

They had lost a battle that was almost won.

Why?

After the defeat, Hermione, the 20th Legion Commander and Niemi’s superior, repeatedly analyzed their failure but claimed she couldn’t understand the cause no matter how much she thought about it.

Niemi knew.

The power possessed by humans.

It was their spirit of self-sacrifice for others.

From that day on, Niemi learned humility. Instead of becoming arrogant because she was a demon, she thought about how to win in war.

And she realized.

That truly strong human bonds cannot be broken.

Family affection, lovers’ passion, master-disciple resolve, childhood friendships. There were those who valued any of these more than death itself. So it was nearly impossible to break them emotionally.

So she chose a method to physically separate them completely.

After Legion Commander Hermione was beheaded for failing to capture the hero, Niemi began researching barrier magic.

A maze that used dead human souls as totems to supply mana, constantly changing spatial coordinates.

[“My garden…”]

Garden.

This was the moment her magic, perfected over many long years, was crumbling.

The Half-Elf Saint.

The Beast-kin Engineer.

The Magic Kingdom’s high-ranking officer.

Defeated by three women with similar positions, of all things.

*Cough!*

Niemi spat blood and hastily retreated. Her barrier broke as her last magical power was depleted.

The distorted space straightened out. They returned to the dense forest.

[“Tsk tsk, you’re quite good.”]

Niemi caught her breath and spoke with feigned composure. She had somehow moved quite far from Adora and Riyo. This was because their positions had normalized as the distorted space unraveled.

[“Today, I think it’s best to withdraw…”]

The wound was deeper than she thought. She might die if she didn’t return quickly for treatment.

Niemi ran without looking back.

“Ah! She’s escaping!”

“Wait!”

Adora stopped Riyo, who was instinctively trying to pursue. She switched to Incantation so Miyo could hear and continued.

[“We’ve achieved our objective. We found the Valkyrie, now we need to treat both of them.”]

Riyo nodded.

Tiria was already examining Erich and Rachel’s conditions. Her face soon darkened.

“How are they?”

“Major Rachel is still okay. The problem is…”

Before Tiria could finish speaking, Adora and the fox sisters felt their hearts sink.

“…Erich isn’t breathing.”

“What?”

There was no time to waste. Deciding to explain later, Tiria immediately began emergency treatment.

It wasn’t cardiac arrest.

His airway was blocked due to poison and spores, preventing proper breathing.

Unlike dealing with a drowning victim, CPR would be meaningless. In this situation, the only option was to attempt artificial respiration while clearing the airway with divine power.

Yes, there was no choice.

A life needed to be saved.

Tiria’s eyes reflected complex emotions. Nevertheless, she didn’t hesitate to press her lips against Erich’s.

Inhaling to remove air, exhaling to provide oxygen. Deploying divine power to cleanse his lungs. In her heart, she prayed:

Please, Goddess. Don’t take this man away.

And if it was his fate to be taken, then let her go with him.

“…”

“…”

Adora and the fox sisters were speechless.

Watching Tiria kiss Erich gave them strange feelings. Even knowing it was a life-saving act, it still made their hearts ache oddly.

Riyo understood this phenomenon well, but Adora didn’t.

She simply didn’t want to see her lifesaver die before her eyes.

So despite feeling uncertain about the scene between Tiria and Erich, she found herself supporting the enemy nation’s saint.

“…Ancestor Jeriem.”

Though the Giford family had been atheists for generations, today she couldn’t help but pray.

The two women weren’t idle either.

They helped Rachel regain consciousness while carefully removing the spores attached to her body one by one.

How much time passed in this anxious state?

“Cough, cough!”

Birds fluttered away at the sound of the man’s coughing.

Erich had awakened.

***

It felt like waking up from general anesthesia. When I regained consciousness, the scenery had changed.

I opened my eyes, coughing like someone choking.

The first thing I saw was the saint’s face with melancholic blue-gray eyes.

Close.

Incredibly close.

“Haa, haa, Erich!”

The saint’s iris gradually changed. From blue to yellow.

“Finally, you’re awake…”

“…What, *cough*, happened?”

“You collapsed after being hit by a serious poison. You weren’t breathing, so I… I…”

As my consciousness became clearer, I could see the saint’s face in more detail. Tears were welling up at the corners of her eyes. Transparent liquid glistened on her lower lip.

A strange sensation remained on my lips. Moist, with a pleasant scent. Almost the same fragrance as the saint’s hair.

Could it be?

But before that thought could continue, another concern pushed its way into my mind.

Rachel.

“Where is… the Valkyrie?”

“Oh, Major Rachel?”

I hurriedly looked around.

Niemi was gone.

And I caught sight of the Valkyrie’s hair as she lay surrounded by General Adora and the fox sisters.

Her hair had turned white.

Could she be dead?

No, it’s too early to conclude that. I need to see her face directly. She might still be breathing. But her condition was so serious back then.

“You shouldn’t get up! The treatment isn’t finished yet!”

This is an uninhabited island teeming with monsters. Death could come at any moment. Farewells can be sudden. Just a few months ago, I wouldn’t have particularly cared about that.

But now.

I hope Rachel, who has survived life and death situations with me multiple times, doesn’t die. Though I resent you for killing my comrades, I feel even more sorry and concerned for you.

Even knowing how strange these feelings are, I want to save you if possible.

So.

“Move aside…”

Despite the feeling that my lungs might burst, I forced myself to move. Pushing aside the General and Riyo, I examined the Valkyrie’s face.

Closed eyes.

A face covered in white spores.

Limbs that didn’t move at all.

Seeing her looking like an embalmed corpse, I lost my balance and fell.

“Major!”

General Adora caught me as I staggered.

“It’s okay. She’s still breathing. The saint will take care of her.”

“Is that so?”

My gaze turned toward the saint. She let out a short sigh. Her eyes briefly turned green before changing back to yellow.

“Yes, Erich. Don’t worry too much. I’ll find a way somehow.”

The saint said this with a somewhat gloomy expression.

***

“So, you got beaten up and came back?”

[“I’m ashamed.”]

“Sigh.”

The silver-haired, red-eyed vampire frowned as she brushed back her hair.

“No, it’s good enough that you returned alive.”

[“Still, this old woman managed to take down at least one of them.”]

“Didn’t you say you took down two earlier? Niemi, are you deceiving me?”

[“I’m not deceiving you. This old woman only speaks with certainty. The man might somehow wake up, but that woman who was said to have power similar to a hero—I made sure she was dead before I left.”]

“How exactly? Did you use cordyceps or something?”

Niemi nodded with a wrinkled smile.

[“Cordyceps is another of this old woman’s secret arts. A magic that becomes grass in summer and finally becomes our servant in winter. Even if the healer were the Pope himself, it couldn’t be cured.”]

The vampire, Bepisya, crossed her legs with a languid expression. She sniffed and wiggled her foot.

“Fine. I’ll trust you once more since you have skill.”

Labor is scarce anyway. If she executed people for every mistake like in the old days, they would be short-handed. Bepisya didn’t want to be an inflexible vampire like her ancestor.

But I can’t give up on dresses.

Bepisya rose from her seat. She moved with her dress fluttering, adorned with alternating black and white ribbons.

One of the deepest parts of the nest.

The communication room.

“Niemi.”

[“I’m still here.”]

“Look at this.”

Bepisya pointed to a magic stone tablet. Small letters had appeared on it.

[Affairs settled, returning within five days. 28th Army Commander Salvira.]

Bepisya smiled.

“After dragging her feet saying she’d come, is she finally really coming? If she doesn’t show up this time, I’m just going to proceed with the ritual. I sent a message saying I can’t wait beyond the full moon, so she should arrive by then.”

[“That’s excellent news.”]

“For now, focus on blocking the entrance. I’ll have her handle the leftovers.”

A smile appeared on Niemi’s lips.

While someone of mere division commander rank like herself might struggle, a naturally powerful army commander taking direct action would easily defeat opponents like those.

***

On the wave-washed shore.

A monster with a human upper body and spider lower body stretched and blinked its eyes. Though generally black in appearance, the human portion had fair skin, and the eyes were blood-red, giving an eerie feeling.

Extremely beautiful, but…

Because of that beauty, its appearance evoked discomfort.

Men who saw this form either became entranced, losing their senses, or felt terror and fled.

[“…I wonder what these humans will be like.”]

Arachne, Salvira.

Having arrived at the island, she wiggled her four pairs of legs and entered the forest.