Ch.21Ghost-Filled Island (3)

The mysterious man spoke a few more words and stood up.

“I should go check if I’ve caught any other fish.”

“Where are you staying, sir?”

“Up there.”

The man pointed toward a high place, in the direction of the mountain foothills.

“I live up in those heights. I get by fishing and gathering herbs, and it’s quite comfortable. The only downside is not having anyone to talk to most of the time.”

The man chuckled and turned to leave.

“You said it’s difficult to go far from the lifeboat, right? Then I’ll come down from my side. I’ll visit occasionally when I have time.”

That was the end of it. The man vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

Everything about him was a mystery. Who was he, why was he living in such a place, and what was this island in the first place?

‘Not enough information.’

There was no point in overthinking it. I rubbed my head vigorously and redirected my thoughts. Rather than wasting energy speculating about the man’s identity, I decided to focus on what I could actually do.

From the beginning until now, one thing remained the priority: survival.

With another mouth to feed, food had become more important than ever. For the time being, I planned to make plenty of tools for hunting and gathering.

I also decided to create more Magic Stones as a precaution.

I infused mana into the sedimentary stone I had brought from the previous island.

These stones don’t have a specific name yet because I haven’t assigned any properties to the mana. Academically, they’re collectively called “zero-order resonators.”

According to mana statistical mechanics, zero-order resonator Magic Stones contain the most mana. As you increase the order of the resonator—first, second, third, and so on—that much mana gets consumed.

“This should be enough.”

I made plenty of zero-order resonators, using up almost all my mana in the process.

I decided to make fishing rods while waiting for the Valkyrie and the Holy Maiden to return.

There are three essential components for making a simple fishing rod:

The rod itself, the fishing line, and the hook.

First, I touched the nearby trees one by one, looking for a suitably long and flexible branch, which I broke off. This would serve as the pole.

Next, the fishing line. There were two options here: either use fibers from clothing or twist fibers from broad leaves to make thread.

The former was easy, the latter difficult.

Since I had permission, there was no reason not to use the Holy Maiden’s clothes.

I unraveled the threads from her stockings and wove them together well. I carved a cross-shaped groove in the pole and tied the line securely so it wouldn’t come loose.

Finally, the fishing hook.

For this, I decided to use the buckle and pins from my hip pouch. The end part was hook-shaped, perfect for attaching bait.

Done. It was roughly complete.

Lastly, I attached a small stone as a weight. I decided to skip the float. If necessary, I could always carve a piece of wood to use as one.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was already preparing to disappear beyond the horizon.

The Valkyrie and the Holy Maiden would be back soon.

Let’s see.

Who should I give the fishing rod to?

***

Rachel and Tiria returned virtually empty-handed. They had picked some berries, but they were small, and without a basket, they couldn’t gather many.

“It’s discouraging. Even though it’s just the first day, we didn’t accomplish much.”

“The Mage probably made something.”

“Can you tell me more about that man?”

Rachel swallowed.

“I haven’t known him long either, so I don’t know much. However…”

“However?”

“He was different from other Mages I’ve seen.”

Rachel hadn’t conversed with many Mages. She merely harbored hatred toward them because Mages had killed her parents, and she had grown up in an orphanage run by the Holy Spirit Kingdom.

Even considering that, the man was different.

“If that appearance isn’t a mask, I’d say he’s a person with decent character. He seemed to have at least basic morals.”

“Is there any guarantee that appearance isn’t a mask?”

“No. That’s why we’re being cautious.”

“Did the man do anything inappropriate to you?”

“No.”

Rachel replied matter-of-factly.

“If he had, I would have already put a hole through his philtrum. Oh, there…”

“We’ve arrived.”

Following the path they had taken, they could see the edge of the forest.

Tiria looked up at the sky and sighed with relief. The sun was already setting. It had been a close call.

“Mage, we’re back.”

Rachel called out first. The man looked up. He was busy making something—a basket.

Tiria and Rachel presented the food they had brought. The man sighed.

“Is this all?”

“The forest is strange. We didn’t see any animals at all.”

“Hmm.”

The man looked Tiria and Rachel up and down. For Tiria, who was wearing only the coat Rachel had given her, his gaze was uncomfortable. She nervously pulled down the hem of her outer garment with both hands.

“Did you two take a bath?”

“Yes. There was a riverbank over there.”

“Really? Were there any fish in it?”

“Yes, though we couldn’t catch any.”

“That’s good news. I’ll have to go set some fish traps tomorrow. And take a bath while I’m at it.”

Tiria and Rachel exchanged glances. Upon hearing the man’s declaration about taking a bath, Tiria pressed her lips together.

“Did anything happen on your end?”

“I met someone earlier.”

“A person?”

“Actually, I’m not sure if they were human…”

Tiria listened silently to the man’s story. Rachel provided real-time translation so she could understand too.

“He was a tall, thin man with dark skin all over. He said he lives up in the mountains, fishing and gathering herbs, and that he’s a Mage like me.”

“Was he from the Magic Kingdom?”

“I don’t know. But since we spoke in Incantation, it’s more likely he’s not.”

“Could he possibly be…”

“Let me clarify again, I’m not sure if he’s human or a monster mimicking a human. He has nothing to do with me, so if you encounter him, please don’t think he’s my associate.”

The man repeated the same warning several times.

After hearing the story, Tiria and Rachel began discussing in Ascalian, making sure the man couldn’t understand.

“Do you think what this Mage says is true?”

“If it is, he’s sharing information to prevent our misunderstanding. Conversely, if he’s in league with that mysterious man, this would be a sophisticated deception.”

It could make sense either way. Without the ability to read minds, they needed to approach the situation with all possibilities in mind.

“We encountered that water ghost earlier. We can’t guarantee that monsters only roam at night. The entity the Mage met might be a monster. One with intelligence, like the Siren the Major mentioned.”

“…Then shouldn’t we tell him about the water ghost in the lake? He said he’s going to bathe tomorrow.”

“Wait a moment.”

Tiria glanced at the man and continued.

“We need to test whether this Mage is deceiving us, and this is our chance.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the lakeside with the Mage as a pair. If the water ghost appears again, I’ll observe how the man reacts and act accordingly. If it really tries to drag him in, we can still save him then. Major, please stay here and do some fishing.”

“Understood. And, though this is unlikely… what will you do if the Mage tries to harm you, Colonel?”

“Don’t worry.”

Tiria touched her waist. A small, hard piece of metal slightly protruded. Rachel could see a pistol tucked into a holster.

“If he tries anything, I’ll shoot him immediately.”

***

Based on what the mysterious man and the Holy Maiden had told me, I tried to assess the situation in the forest.

One said to go into the lake.

The other said there were no animals in the forest.

It doesn’t make sense that the Valkyrie couldn’t find even a small animal. The forest is so vast.

Perhaps there’s some unknown massive threat in the forest, causing all the animals to flee or hide somewhere.

But they said there are freshwater fish, so it’s not like there’s nothing to eat…

[‘This doesn’t add up again.’]

They clearly said there were fish in the lake. Even if the Holy Maiden couldn’t, the Valkyrie, skilled in hunting, should have caught at least one.

Did they come up empty-handed today? Am I expecting too much from the Valkyrie?

[‘There might be something in the lake. Like a monster.’]

I should prepare for that possibility.

We soon began our meal. All we had were a few berries the two female soldiers had brought and some fish we had brought alive from the previous island.

With an extra mouth to feed, we ate slightly less than enough, but it was fine. On a deserted island like this, just staving off hunger is a success.

“Hey, have this for dessert.”

The Valkyrie offered me a red berry.

“I already ate some.”

“I’ve had enough.”

“I said I’m good.”

“From what I can see, you worked the hardest today. Consider this a reward. Eat it and keep up the good work.”

The Valkyrie stared at me intensely. It felt like lasers were coming out of her eyes.

“…Fine, I’ll take it. I’ll take it.”

It would be awkward to keep refusing after she insisted so much. I should eat it little by little when my energy drops, as eating it all at once might upset my stomach.

If you receive something, you should give something in return.

“Take this.”

I handed her the fishing rod.

After hesitating, the Valkyrie finally reached out. She took the fishing rod and examined it from different angles. Her lips, reflected in the bonfire’s light, were slightly curved upward.

“So.”

It was then that the Holy Maiden spoke up.

“What should we do about sleeping arrangements?”

“You two sleep in the lifeboat.”

“What?”

The Holy Maiden’s eyes turned orange.

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes.”

“Where will you sleep?”

“Over there.”

I pointed to a place with a flat rock. It was neither too close nor too far away. Much like my relationship with these women.

“I’ll lie down on the rock to sleep.”

“Even so, can you really sleep properly in such a place? It must be very cold and hard.”

“What, should I share a bed with two female soldiers from the Holy Spirit Kingdom?”

Of course, saying this creates some inconsistencies. How many days had I essentially slept embracing the Valkyrie’s nearly naked body?

But that was different—the weather was cold, and we had no choice. It was a matter of survival.

“It’s all the same without a roof anyway. It doesn’t matter where I lie down.”

“…Alright. If that’s what you want, I won’t argue.”

“Finally, let’s decide on watch duty. Who wants to take the first shift?”

“I will. I’ll stay up for two hours.”

“Then I’ll lie down first. If anything unmanageable happens, wake me up anytime.”

With those words, I lay down on a rock a short distance away.

I placed David beside me and looked up at the darkening night sky.

I still don’t know what dangers this island might hold. That’s why tonight is the most worrisome. Will fish-people appear like on the previous island, or will some other monster show up? I have no idea.

Also, this iron club I have now doesn’t feel quite right. If I had something like Callipers, beating monsters would be more satisfying.

***

As the sunset faded, complete night fell.

Rachel was sleeping soundly in the lifeboat, and the Mage had long since become motionless on the rock some distance away.

“Haah.”

Tiria, left alone, sighed.

Being in this state, exposed to the sea breeze, the reality of the situation was finally sinking in.

“I really… got stranded on a deserted island.”

Too much had happened in a single day. She was tired. Tiria rubbed her eyes, which were marked with dark circles.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t fall asleep.

Because she had to stand guard?

Because she didn’t trust the man?

No.

While those were factors, they weren’t the main reason.

Tiria took out her Baculus. Though she couldn’t directly detect any monsters, with her ability to spread vast divine power widely, she could sense more than what was visible to the eye.

They were coming.

As the full moon crossed the zenith, the island began transforming into a formless hell.