Ch.7Sleeping with the Enemy (3)

It was a chilly night for the tropics. The wind was howling, making it feel even colder.

I gathered some large leaves, trimmed them carefully, and warmed them by the campfire. Then I draped the heated leaves over the Valkyrie’s shoulders. This would be much warmer than just sleeping with clothes as covers.

“Mosquitoes from somewhere…”

As if the weather wasn’t irritating enough, blood-sucking insects were gathering too. These creatures are breeding grounds for disease. I sat on the lifeboat and shooed away the unwelcome visitors trying to bite the Valkyrie.

“Grrrr.”

“Oh, you’re here?”

And then there was dealing with the monsters that occasionally showed up.

I’m basically doing everything myself—beating the drum and blowing the trumpet. It’s exhausting.

If my dead comrades could see me like this, they’d definitely shoot me and then some. I apologized to them in my heart.

After enduring that lonely night, as dawn approached…

“Ah.”

I had reached a semi-enlightened state.

“I’m dying.”

Standing guard for two nights straight is killing me.

But I can’t sleep now. I need to get more water and find food. There’s so much to do.

As the sun rose, the monsters disappeared. I got up. As long as I don’t go too far, I should be fine on my own now.

Before the Valkyrie woke up, I searched the sea and undergrowth. Along the shore, I easily found oysters and seaweed, and in the bushes, I collected some herbs I recognized.

These won’t fill our stomachs.

But they’ll help with the cold and fever.

[“Carve.”]

I picked up a suitably sized stone and carved it. I made three bowls and dried them thoroughly with a dehydration spell. Then I placed a stone plate over the campfire and set the bowls on it.

I was in the middle of boiling freshwater with the ingredients when the Valkyrie stirred and sat up with a groan.

“Ughhhh.”

“You’re up?”

“What? Why is the sun already up?”

Her voice sounded a bit off.

The Valkyrie’s gaze drifted downward. She frowned. The leaves and military uniform I had covered her with slid off her shoulders.

She pushed my clothes aside and spoke.

“I told you to wake me after three hours. What were you doing? Don’t tell me you dozed off?”

“You’re sick.”

I mimicked a cough and pointed at her. Her expression immediately hardened.

“You seem to have caught a cold. Haven’t you?”

“What are you looking at? I’m fine.”

“Fine, my ass. You had a fever all night.”

“Don’t pretend to care about me. I really don’t have any problem… Cough! Cough!”

Sudden coughing made the Valkyrie cover her mouth. Her eyes widened.

Once the coughing started, it spread like wildfire. It seemed difficult to stop even if she tried. It was too late to pretend she was fine.

I waited until she calmed down.

“Huff, huff.”

“See?”

The Valkyrie squeezed her eyes shut.

Trembling shoulders, flushed face. Quivering lips and sunken eyelids.

Anyone could see she needed care.

“Cough, cough!”

“This is ridiculous. Here, drink this.”

I poured the brewed tea into a small bowl and offered it to her. But the Valkyrie didn’t take it right away. She seemed suspicious about where the tea leaves came from.

“You don’t think I used poisonous herbs, do you?”

“…”

“Hey.”

This is a bit much. We got through last night without incident and even made a truce. Even if she can’t open her heart, shouldn’t she at least recognize goodwill?

“Geez.”

I took a sip of the water myself to prove there was nothing strange in it.

Not satisfied with that, I even showed her the herbs from the bowl.

“It’s Peredi leaf. You should see plenty of it in your country too.”

Only then did the Valkyrie accept the stone bowl.

At first, she just sipped a little, but soon she nodded and slowly drank the rest. A few droplets trickled down her jawline.

“You’re so helpless. Here, eat this too.”

I fished out an oyster from the boiling water. I removed the shell myself, skewered the plump, cooked flesh with a knife, and offered it to the Valkyrie.

But again, she didn’t take it.

“What now?”

I went to all the trouble of getting oysters because they’re good for immunity. She’s refusing this too? What poison could be in an oyster?

Or does she think I’m giving her something spoiled?

“My arm’s going to fall off at this rate. What’s wrong with this now… hello?”

Half-closed eyes. Head bobbing up and down.

She’s completely out of it.

Wow, seriously. Do I have to feed her too?

I moved the oyster closer. The Valkyrie opened her mouth slightly.

Munch, munch.

Seeing her eat it, she must really be feeling bad.

“…”

I rubbed the back of my neck. This is driving me crazy.

From what I can tell, she’s been sick since yesterday. She probably didn’t show it because she didn’t want to appear weak.

“Get better soon. That way I won’t have to work so hard.”

Whether she understood me or not, the Valkyrie nodded slightly. Feeling frustrated, I took out David and rolled it around in my hand.

“David. When am I getting rescued?”

[‘I’m not sure.’]

“Will helping this woman like this actually help my survival?”

[‘It will.’]

“If the Holy Spirit Kingdom finds this island first, that’s another problem. I’m making an investment… yes, an investment for that case. Even if they’re Mages, they’ll treat prisoners humanely, right?”

[‘With this much care, you probably won’t die. Though you might end up a prisoner for life.’]

“Ah.”

A prisoner for life? I’d rather die.

“By the way, David. Will it rain soon?”

[‘It’s about that time.’]

I looked up at the sky. The color of the clouds was concerning. The weather had become gloomier than yesterday at this time. This wasn’t something to take lightly.

“I should reinforce our shelter, right?”

David answered that I should indeed, and I nodded. The Valkyrie was still looking at me with suspicious eyes.

“What, never seen someone talking to a stone before?”

The Valkyrie quickly averted her gaze. Her face was slightly flushed. A sign that her fever was rising in earnest.

My tasks were set for the time being. First, find food, then gather materials to repair our shelter.

I gathered the remaining Piercing Blue Stone and got up.

“Where are you going?”

“The forest.”

“Where?”

“I’m going over there. Don’t move around unnecessarily and stay put.”

Having explored the forest once yesterday, I at least knew how to get in and out. I moved slowly, staying alert for any potential monster threats.

“David. What foods are good for a cold?”

[‘Warm tea. Or protein-rich meat.’]

Rustle.

Just then, I spotted a squirrel passing through the undergrowth.

To think small animals live on such a small island.

No, that’s normal. If there are fish monsters, why not squirrels?

I flicked a stone and recited an incantation.

[“Pierce.”]

The squirrel, sensing danger, quickly fled. By a hair’s breadth, my first attack missed and hit a tree instead. Its small body made accurate targeting difficult.

After several attempts, I finally succeeded in hunting it. The squirrel, pierced by a heat ray from the Piercing Blue Stone, fell with a squeak.

“Phew.”

It would have been much harder without magic.

With something this convenient, I don’t understand why the Holy Spirit Kingdom prohibits it.

I moved on with my prey and branches tucked under both arms. My pocket also contained a few raw stones I had picked up along the way.

When I returned to our shelter…

For some reason, the Valkyrie was nowhere to be seen.

“…Where did she go?”

She wasn’t in the lifeboat or behind the rocks.

Where could she have gone?

This is ominous. Could she have been attacked and dragged away by monsters while I was gone? No, there are no signs of a struggle…

“Mage.”

A voice came from behind.

When I turned around, the Valkyrie was there. She was slowly walking up a gentle slope. In one hand, she held a spear with fish on it, and in the other, a basket made of branches and twine.

“Where did you go?”

The Valkyrie pointed to the shore.

“The beach? In your condition?”

“See? I told you I was fine. So, cough, don’t look at me like that.”

The Valkyrie’s face quickly turned red as she coughed. She was swaying as if about to fall, so I quickly sat her down and fed more wood to the fire.

“Ugh.”

“If you’ve caught a cold, come closer. You need to warm up by the fire to get better quickly.”

No matter how much I coaxed her, the Valkyrie kept her distance from the campfire.

In the end, all the cooking fell to me. Not that I was planning to make a sick person do it anyway.

Crackle, crackle.

I roasted the skinned meat with herbs. I wasn’t sure how to completely remove the gamey smell. This was the best I could do for now.

While the meat was cooking, I stared blankly into the fire.

Suddenly, I remembered what Admiral Dietz used to say.

He said I was unusually compassionate.

“Haaah.”

What compassion? This is just being a pushover.

“It’s cooked. You can eat now.”

“…”

“Hey.”

I put some meat in a bowl and brought it to her.

“Should I feed you directly like before? Hmm?”

The Valkyrie started moving her hands slowly to put food in her mouth. I roasted and ate the fish she had caught.

Right after the meal, I worked on repairing our shelter for exercise. Making a roof to block the rain was the top priority.

I moved the lifeboat close to the rocks and used the branches I had gathered as supports to make a frame. After creating a cross-shaped structure for the roof, I tied the intersections with twine made from twisted bark.

Finally, I placed large leaves densely on top, and it was done.

“Phewww.”

My skills from driving stakes as a soldier hadn’t gone anywhere.

I handed the Valkyrie some Peredi tea and said:

“Don’t do anything foolish. Drink this and lie down to sleep.”

“But…”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

The hesitant Valkyrie drank the tea and went into the lifeboat. She glanced in my direction before lying down.

I took off my uniform and threw it into the lifeboat. But the Valkyrie huffed and tried to return it.

The Valkyrie threw my clothes. I lunged forward and caught the uniform before it hit the ground. Then I threw it back into the lifeboat.

“Ow!”

“Three-point shot.”

It was a historic moment—Magic Kingdom supplies scoring a direct hit on a Holy Spirit Kingdom Dragon Rider’s head.

“Cover yourself with it and sleep.”

“…”

There was no reply. Just rustling sounds.

And this time, no clothes came back.