132 – Night on a Deserted Isle with the Enemy Valkyrie (1)

Even the twilight had ebbed away. Full night had descended.

Rachel stood before me, her face clouded with worry. She whispered, her voice small.

“Erich, let’s walk together.”

“Where are we going?”

“It won’t be long.”

Hearing those words, I rose from my seat. Rachel’s gaze seemed so earnest that I followed her as if bewitched. I could hear the golems’ shouts, fussing over where we were going and if we were abandoning our posts.

Did she have something to say that could only be shared between the two of us?

Rachel and I walked along the beach. Many thoughts surfaced as we walked. There had been a similar arrangement on the very first day.

Back then, Rachel had sternly warned me not to walk behind her. She’d believed I might stab her in the back.

And now, this Valkyrie was allowing me, as a matter of course, to see her back.

Time had truly flown.

“Here.”

The place we arrived at was a stretch behind a rock, not far from the base. It was a beautiful spot where the white sand crunched beneath our feet, scraped by the waves.

A few starfish and strands of seaweed, swept in by the tide, were visible.

The fresh, briny scent tickled my nose.

“Here, sit.”

We settled down side-by-side on the sand.

Rachel slipped off her shoes and set them beside her. Then, she dug her toes into the sand. As she wiggled them, the grains shifted and pulsed, like something alive.

What business could she have?

I wanted to ask directly, but I waited. Rachel’s lips kept twitching, betraying her thoughts. She was choosing her words.

“Erich.”

“Speak.”

“There.”

With a strained voice, Rachel uttered my name and pointed toward the horizon.

The moonlit sea rippled with shimmering scales of light. Beyond it stretched the boundless ocean. Our homeland must be there, somewhere. And the keepsakes we left behind.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It is, beautiful.”

If I had a camera, I would’ve snapped a few pictures. A pity.

“If we go back there, it’s home. But then, Erich… we’ll be parted, won’t we? Far away.”

“Most likely.”

“Escaping is good. But I’m afraid.”

The tremor in Rachel’s voice grew stronger, little by little. The language I couldn’t understand receded, replaced by the pure emotion of fear.

“If you become a prisoner, there’s nothing I can do. Managing prisoners isn’t my unit’s responsibility. I might not see you again until the war ends.”

“Hey, Rachel.”

“What if those higher-ups do something to you in the meantime? Verify your identity and execute you as an example, or then….”

“There’s no need to worry so much.”

“Even if you somehow return to your original country, it’s still a problem. Your name is on Valkyrie’s kill list, Erich. If the war doesn’t end, I, I might receive orders to kill you again!”

“Why are you suddenly like this, agitated?”

“What am I supposed to do? If that happens, what am I supposed to do? Do I have to fight you again? Kill you, who is everything to me, with my own hands?”

The anxiousness in her voice revealed the state of her mind. She was panting, as if gripped by panic.

As her emotional equilibrium shattered, the words she used became simpler. Because of that, I could perfectly understand her final words.

“I hate it, I hate it more than death. What am I going to do, Erich? I, I don’t want to leave here…”

Rachel was crying.

My beloved woman, trembling with fear, was shedding tears.

What was it that had reduced the once-unyielding war hero of the Holy Dominion to this state?

The remnants of the Demon Lord’s army who directly caused the outbreak of the war?

The Seven Disciples and certain high-ranking officials of the Magic Kingdom, with the General at their head?

A cabal of pseudo-mages, the Pal-yeong Society?

Of course, they played a part, but the one who inflicted the deepest trauma on me lately was someone else entirely.

It was me.

The military mana stones I created killed countless of Rachel’s comrades.

Some mana stones incinerated downed dragon knights even underwater, others possessed a homing quality, relentlessly pursuing their targets, and some were toxic, causing respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

Watching her comrades disappear, one by one, what must Rachel have been thinking?

Rage.

Terror.

The emptiness of wondering when this would all end.

“Erich, I’m scared, I’m so scared…”

It’s largely my fault that an innocent girl has had to endure such trials.

Though some might retort that she, too, etched painful memories into me.

Well, so what?

The pain of someone I love is far more agonizing than any I’ve suffered.

I pulled Rachel close, embracing her sobs.

And with a warm, gentle kiss, I silenced her weeping.

“Rachel.”

“…Erich.”

“Don’t even entertain the worst-case scenario. Think of the best.”

“The… best?”

“Yes, the best.”

No country continues a war without cause or gain.

“This war happened because both sides were manipulated by the demon army and some lunatics. The two nations had disagreements before, but never a conflict of this magnitude. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The international community is more rational than one might think.

“If we can demonstrate that there’s no reason for war, the fighting will end quickly. The two nations will even unite to investigate this island, and then the truth will, to some extent, be revealed.”

Once the truth comes to light, the end of the war will be close.

The Holy Empire and the Magic Kingdom will no longer be enemies, and once the fallout has been dealt with, relations will quickly recover.

“Even if one of us ends up as a prisoner, it won’t be a significant problem. If you’re captured by the Magic Kingdom, Adora and I will do our best to ensure you’re treated well. Conversely, if we’re captured by the Holy Empire, you’ll do your part.”

Rachel and I are both treated as war heroes in our respective countries. Adora is a general in her own right, and the daughter of the Air Force Commander, holding inherent power, and Tiria is the Holy Maiden, one of the highest-ranking figures in the Holy Church. Riyou is… well, Riyou.

Anyway, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

“Don’t borrow trouble from a future that hasn’t even arrived. You’re my wife, Rachel Ronstein.”

“Ronstein, Ronstein…”

Rachel echoed my surname like a parrot, then nodded. She nestled against me, burying herself in my embrace.

Rachel’s breathing was slowly evening out.

Finding solace in the rhythm of each other’s heartbeats. We remained locked in that embrace, oblivious to the passage of time.

“Erich.”

Rachel called my name once more, tilting her head back to look at me.

“I… I have a good idea.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Um… well…”

Even the way she hesitated, nibbling at her lip, was adorable. But the action that followed was anything but innocent.

Rachel murmured, her voice trembling.

“To truly, completely avoid fighting with you… ah… that’s it. Discharge, yes, the only way is for me to get discharged…”

Her hand pressed firmly against her lower abdomen as she spoke.

“Please, Erich. Let me… let me be discharged.”

What desire lay hidden in the expression of my beloved, flushed and breathless as she gazed up at me?

Not even the most oblivious fool could fail to understand.

*

[“Emergency! Everyone, wake up!”]

[“Where in the world did those two go! aaargh!”]

David and Calon shrieked like fish on a cutting board. And Daisy and Olivia were struggling to pacify the two dolts.

[“Quiet down, will you! Don’t you two have any tact?”]

[“They’ll come back on their own eventually, just wait.”]

Despite the ruckus the dolts were making, no one else stirred. Miyo and Adora, especially. Even if Salbi was recuperating far away, these two could clearly hear the commotion, yet remained deep in slumber.

[“Hehehe, excellent. It’s going smoothly!”]

[“Rachel, hurry and launch your pregnancy attack on that idiot.”]

Daisy and Olivia were already predicting their friend’s victory when…

“Ugh, my head…”

Tiria awoke.

[“Eep.”]

Her toes turned to stone.

Tiria had slept fitfully. She was sensitive to her surroundings; even a slight change in her sleeping arrangements would cause her to toss and turn, waking frequently.

“Water…”

She uncapped the canteen that lay nearby and gulped it down, her eyes snapping wide.

That scent, coming from the canteen’s mouth…

“Erich? Ah!”

A Mado Kingdom canteen. She must have mistakenly drunk from Erich’s.

“Ah, heehee… heh heh…”

Tiria giggled softly. The color of her eyes shifted from orange to pink, then back to yellow again.

Could this be considered an indirect kiss?

Her giddy mood chased away the remnants of sleep. Tiria rose to her feet, intending to chat with Erich for a while, and looked around.

“Erich, are you keeping a good watch?”

But there was no reply.

“Erich?”

Tiria held up a glowstone, illuminating the area. Ahead, behind, to either side—Erich was nowhere to be seen.

Something was wrong.

“He wouldn’t disappear without a word…”

A sudden chill settled in her stomach at his disappearance. Had a hidden monster snatched him? Or had he been swept away by the waves? Surely, the Goddess hadn’t taken him?

As all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind, she scanned her surroundings, and realized something else.

“Lieutenant?”

Rachel was gone too.

“N-no way.”

Had they gone somewhere together?

Finding them was paramount. The odds were they were together. Tiria recalled that she could remember Erich’s magical residue. If she were to follow it she could find him.

It didn’t take long.

They couldn’t have gone more than a few dozen yards.

Right over there, behind that large rock, she could sense Erich’s presence.

“Don’t think you can get away from me, Erich.”

Tiria’s lips quirked into a pout as she started walking.

With the monsters gone, the island was safe. Right now, Tiria’s head was filled with the thought that Rachel and Erich might be indulging in a bit of clandestine fun over there.

Tiria’s face flushed crimson.

No. It couldn’t be. The fox sisters and Adora, maybe, but Rachel wasn’t the type to openly seduce Erich. The girl was upright and sharp, but lacking in boldness. It took her ages to even realize her own feelings.

“Hmph.”

All this was the fault of reading too many adult novels. Learning about relationships only through books had warped her thinking.

More than anything, Erich had been watching Tiria’s reaction lately. She’d sharply warned him not to philander and to be a little more chaste. After saying that much, there was no way he would make a move on Rachel.

Shaking her head, Tiria approached the back of a boulder. She cautiously peeked her head out to look beyond it.

“…Ah.”

A small space enclosed by several rocks. A man and a woman were writhing naked on the sand.

Tiria’s gaze took on a pallid hue.