Ch.6Sleeping with the Enemy (2)

# Enhanced Translation

Clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. The four necessities for human survival.

Among these, “clothing” wasn’t a concern. Both the Valkyrie and I were wearing military uniforms.

Next, “food” was taken care of since we’d just eaten.

“Transportation” was also sufficient. We’d brought plenty from the shore. How delightful.

All that remained was shelter to protect us from wind and rain…

The lifeboat would make for a more comfortable place to sleep. I’d left it out to dry all day, so the moisture had evaporated. It was sized for 4-5 people, making it spacious enough for one or two people to lie down comfortably.

“Let’s take turns using the lifeboat. Like a bed.”

I drew a picture to express my intention.

It was a kindness, if you could call it that. Though it was closer to calculated generosity based on thorough reasoning.

“If one of us gets sick, it just makes things harder for the other person. It’s better than lying on the bare ground, right?”

Did my meaning come across properly?

I glanced at the Valkyrie’s expression.

Apparently not. The girl’s face was souring by the second.

“Share a bed? With you?”

Her voice didn’t sound pleased either.

Confused, I examined the picture I’d drawn again.

I had drawn one lifeboat and a pair of figures—a man and a woman. I connected them with lines—one dotted, one solid.

It was meant to show that while one person stood guard, the other could rest in the lifeboat.

Could this possibly be interpreted differently?

Well, I couldn’t see how, no matter how I looked at it.

“Wait, draw something else. Surely you don’t mean what I think you mean?”

The Valkyrie pointed at the drawing and waved her hand dismissively. She seemed to want me to express myself more clearly. So I divided the paper into panels like a comic and drew scenes of the Valkyrie and me taking turns.

“…”

The Valkyrie’s expression grew even more profound.

“Phew.”

She fanned herself and sighed.

“Hmph.”

I was getting equally irritated.

“Just a moment.”

The Valkyrie said that and rested her chin on her hand. Her face fell into shadow. This wasn’t working. Taking advantage of her silence, I pulled a stone from my pocket.

It was the smooth, star-shaped pebble I’d picked up yesterday.

I wasn’t planning to make it into a magic stone—I wanted to keep it purely as a pet.

Let’s see. What should I name it?

“David, from now on your name is David.”

I decided to chat with David until the Valkyrie spoke again.

“David. Do you think we can make it out of here alive?”

[‘Yes, I believe so.’]

“When we escape this hell, I’ll take you with me.”

[‘Thank you.’]

“If I make it back alive, you’ll become part of my family.”

[‘Really?’]

David seems pleased.

Stones really are great. You can truly connect with them.

“…?”

Suddenly feeling someone’s gaze, I looked up. The Valkyrie was staring at me like I was insane. So I stared right back at her.

“He must be crazy.”

Whatever. You’re harder to talk to than this stone anyway.

***

The Holy Spirit Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom face each other across an ocean. They belong to different continents.

Different continents mean different environments. Different environments mean different cultures.

But few people recognize this fact immediately.

Rachel was no exception.

Sharing a bed.

Strictly speaking, he meant using the lifeboat as a bed together. While one person stood watch, the other would rest in the lifeboat, and then they would switch.

His intention was correctly understood.

The problem was that in the Holy Spirit Kingdom, the expression “sharing a bed” was more commonly used as a marriage proposal.

“Phew.”

Rachel took a moment to clear her head. She soon recalled that she and the man came from different cultural backgrounds.

The capital of the Magic Kingdom, Hazkhail.

Where was it located again?

In a harsh, snowy mountain region at high latitude.

She’d heard it was so cold that people froze to death every year. Sharing body heat or beds would be commonplace there.

Yes, that makes sense in context.

Having come to this understanding, Rachel looked at the man. And the man was talking to a pebble.

For a brief moment, Rachel’s thoughts froze.

She had been foolish to think this mage might possess common sense. Anyone could see he’d lost his soul to an evil god. He must have cast powerful spells countless times.

Rachel clicked her tongue and glared at the man. Noticing her, he glared right back.

Indeed, no mage is in their right mind.

“Huff.”

Rachel checked her physical condition. Her body felt achy and her face was a bit hot.

It seemed she was coming down with a cold.

***

The sun was already setting.

Unlike yesterday when we were almost defenseless, today we were thoroughly prepared.

I had replenished my mana through Breath Weaving at regular intervals and created several military-grade magic stones using my expertise and experience from my time in the military.

And that wasn’t all—I had also filled my stomach.

There was nothing to fear.

“Gurgle, gurgle.”

As soon as the sun set, monsters emerged from the water. Most were the same creatures I’d seen yesterday—slow, weak fish-men with long arms.

I decided to call them “Walkers.” I think it’s a fitting name that captures their characteristic as walking fish.

Anyway, we intercepted the monsters from atop the plateau.

“Over there!”

The Valkyrie shouted. I turned my head in the direction she pointed.

A new creature had appeared.

It was a monstrosity with a body like an abalone shell and a pair of snail-like tentacle eyes. It was about the size of a large dog.

Six arms protruded from its body, three on each side, and it was crawling toward us with those limbs. It looked just like a cockroach.

[“Pierce.”]

I flicked a stone.

A magic stone the size of a bean flew through the air, trailing blue light. In an instant, it penetrated between the abalone monster’s eyes. With a loud cracking sound, purple blood fountained into the air.

“The Piercing Blue Stone is earning its keep.”

The Piercing Blue Stone is a military magic stone I developed. It maximizes penetration power relative to the mana invested. It’s also easy to make. Thanks to this, even 4th-rank mages could easily ignite it, and it played a significant role in many battles.

The ultimate in efficiency.

Though its output might be lower than using it to enhance regular bullets, there’s nothing better in a situation like this. I’ll be using it quite frequently as long as we’re on this island.

“That spell, that magic stone… could it be.”

The Valkyrie muttered something. It was a statement tinged with an emotion I couldn’t identify—admiration or shock. Naturally, I couldn’t understand her words.

“Here comes another one.”

With that, we split up again. Right now, defending our positions took priority.

The initial battle ended only after the sun had completely set. We kicked the monster corpses down the hill.

“Dealt with. Nice and clean.”

“The cleanup is more or less done. This should be enough for now.”

The Valkyrie and I gathered around the campfire.

After that post-dinner exercise, I was thirsty. We shared a sip of the water we’d collected and sat down to warm ourselves. The Valkyrie caught her breath and spoke first.

“Cough, today went well.”

“Indeed.”

Objectively speaking, there were more monsters than yesterday. Yet today was easier. Both the Valkyrie and I were in peak condition, we fought on favorable terrain, and our coordination was somewhat better.

“Wow, never thought I’d be working together with an enemy.”

“Ha, never thought I’d be coordinating with an enemy either.”

It was so absurd it was funny.

The Valkyrie got up first. She looked unwell, probably from fatigue. She greeted me as she entered the lifeboat.

“Wake me in three hours.”

I had agreed to take the first watch. After about three hours, I would wake the Valkyrie and we would switch.

I spent time with David while dealing with the occasional monster that appeared. I counted to 10,800 seconds and more. The moon had already shifted position.

I let out a long yawn. It was about time to switch.

“Hey.”

I approached the Valkyrie.

But something seemed off.

“Ugh.”

The Valkyrie was moaning softly, as if having a nightmare.

Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be psychologically comfortable to sleep under the protection of an enemy.

But why should I care?

Whether the Valkyrie was having nightmares or losing sleep because of me, what mattered now was that I was extremely drowsy.

“…haa, haa.”

Wait, something was genuinely wrong.

Her breathing was concerning. She was breathing like a patient with pneumonia. She was even sweating profusely.

Suspecting something, I placed my hand on the Valkyrie’s forehead.

“Whoa.”

It was burning hot.

“Why is she suddenly like this?”

Come to think of it, I had heard her coughing lightly a few times since this morning. She seemed fine moving around, so I thought nothing was wrong.

“Cough, cough!”

Anyone could see what this was.

A fever.

I could guess the reason. Hadn’t she been soaking wet all last night? Wearing damp clothes to sleep would naturally lead to a cold.

This meant I would have to do everything alone for the next few days.

Finding food, checking for ships or planes, fending off monsters. Everything.

“Ha.”

We’re screwed.

“You do this right after we call a truce?”

On an uninhabited island like this, even a simple cold could be fatal.

If the Valkyrie died, my own survival chances would plummet too. That’s the problem—I couldn’t abandon her even if she became a burden.

“Sniff. Sniffle.”

“…”

Ah, seriously.

I’m not usually the type to take care of others.

“…You’ll pay me back later.”

I took off my clothes and draped them over the Valkyrie’s shoulders.

Looks like another all-nighter for me tonight.