C271, 272, 273
Chapter 271: Defense (1)
Wenix Carmilla.
After healing her injured eye with a potion, she glared at her half-brother with annoyance.
He had also recovered his severed arm with a potion.
"Seriously, if you had just done your job properly, this wouldn't have happened!"
"You think you weren't too hasty?"
"...Hasty? You think that moment, when it was just the two of us and that woman, would come again? It's not my fault! It's your fault for not stabbing properly!"
The man sighed at Carmilla's accusations.
There was no point in arguing here.
"More importantly, did we get the right item?"
"You're worried about that? Can't you feel it? The mana overflowing from this jewel?"
"...If I had that much mana aptitude, I would have become a mage."
"What? You're too stupid to be a mage, you know?"
Carmilla grumbled at her half-brother as usual, but she couldn't hide her smile.
"I wonder how much this will sell for?"
That was the reason why she could laugh, even though her eye had been stabbed just a moment ago.
Noark was practically gone.
She judged that it was wise to grab a share, even if it meant taking risks, and she was right.
"Let's go. Let's stop at a random island and rest before leaving. We can live like nobles for the rest of our lives."
Carmilla drove the drake that was gliding, trying to escape the island.
That's when...
"Wait."
The man stopped Carmilla.
"Suddenly, why?"
"We have to confirm if Rainwales is dead."
"What? We already got the item, why?"
Carmilla tilted her head, but the man said firmly.
He knew better after fighting her firsthand.
Amelia Rainwales was a monster, even calling her a monster wasn't enough. If the ambush hadn't succeeded, they probably wouldn't have been able to escape alive.
"If that woman survives, we'll have to live in fear even after returning to the city."
"Survive? Don't be ridiculous! How can she survive in that state? You stabbed her stomach with a poisoned sword!"
Carmilla shouted at the man's words.
But she also had some doubts, didn't she?
"...If you're really worried, let's go check. If she's dead or alive. Of course, I'm sure she's dead, but we were in a hurry to escape, so we didn't even get her equipment..."
They quickly agreed and rode the drake back down to the island. Fortunately, the other two companions who had gone to chase the others hadn't returned yet.
"...She was able to move in that state?"
Amelia was nowhere to be seen.
But she couldn't have gone far.
"There's a trail of blood. This way."
They followed the traces left behind.
However, the trail was much longer than expected, and at some point, it completely disappeared.
"...She intentionally erased the traces. To think she had the presence of mind to do that in that state."
"Wh, what do we do now?"
Carmilla's face turned pale.
If she had the presence of mind to erase the traces, then she might really have survived.
But there was nothing they could do.
"The chase ends here."
"Ends here?"
"That's right. We don't have a professional tracker among us. It's a waste of time to stay here any longer. Let's go back."
The man then took Carmilla back to where the battle had taken place.
And...
Crack!
He destroyed the stone that was placed on the altar in the center of the island.
"Wh, why did you suddenly destroy that? Are, are you mad at me...?"
"Mad at you? There's a reason for this. I'll explain later, let's just leave for now."
"But what—"
Carmilla couldn't finish her sentence.
Rumble!
Thunder roared and dark clouds gathered.
The wind also seemed to have gotten stronger.
「The offering of Parune Island has been destroyed.」
「The wrath of the sea engulfs the island.」
She suddenly felt like she didn't know this man.
__________________
Ainar and Erwen.
The moment they appeared, I wanted to run over and greet them, but I held back to maintain my dignity as the clan master.
"Ah, you're here."
A leader should have some weight, right?
"You're late."
"Sorry. But where are the others...?"
"They haven't arrived yet."
"What? They haven't arrived yet? We thought we were the last ones, could they be..."
"Stop."
I cut Erwen off.
"They'll be fine, so don't worry too much. Something must have happened, and they're just late."
After all, Ainar and Erwen arrived this late, but they were both fine.
Ah, in that sense, let's ask this first.
"So why are you two so late?"
"Actually..."
I listened to their reason for being late, thinking it might help me guess what happened to the others.
It wasn't a big deal.
They managed to swim to shore without losing consciousness, but Erwen lost her bow along the way.
"We kept looking around, hoping it might have washed ashore. And we ran into Ainar while we were doing that."
Hmm, I thought she didn't have a bow, so that's what happened.
But at least they were able to find Ainar thanks to that, right?
"That's what happened. Don't worry too much about the bow. You can use this for now."
I said so and took out a bow from my subspace pocket and handed it to Erwen.
"Huh? This is a bow made of Bortal wood? Where did you get such a precious item...?"
Wow, this is 4th-tier Bortal wood?
It looked expensive.
"I found it."
I briefly explained how I obtained it, and Erwen tilted her head.
But she soon understood.
"Um, but... who is this person?"
Erwen looked at the man in plain clothes and asked about his identity.
"He's from Noark."
"Wow, I see! I'll use this gratefully..."
Erwen expressed her gratitude with a bright face.
She really is a kind girl.
"It's good to see you reunited with your companions. My faith wasn't in vain."
The priestess then joined the conversation.
I introduced her as well.
"She's a priest from Partslan's team. Her name is Ersina. We met along the way and joined forces."
"Lyrine Ersina is my name."
"Ah, hello..."
Erwen awkwardly responded to the priestess's greeting and then looked at me.
"Did anything happen, mister?"
"What do you mean?"
"...Why didn't you kill him? You just broke his wrist?"
Erwen looked at Nebarche and asked me why I had spared him.
"He might be useful."
"Hmm, I see? Well, if you say so..."
I awkwardly laughed and ended the conversation.
Actually, there was another reason why I spared him.
Amelia Rainwales.
I didn't want to make an irreversible enemy out of her by killing him.
'It seems like their target was just Drowus.'
And according to Nebarche, something had happened to Amelia.
Maybe we could even form a temporary alliance.
The waves were about to start, and we needed as many people as possible for the final wave.
"Let's move."
We packed up and left.
Our destination was the eastern shore where the first boss would appear.
Damn, I didn't expect to be separated from everyone until the waves started.
What are they all doing?
This is making me anxious.
"Ainar, you watch this guy and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'll clear the path."
Just in case, I had Ainar watch Nebarche and prevent him from doing anything stupid.
And we increased our speed.
However...
「Killed Lanemut Warrior. EXP +3」
「Killed Conch Shell Horn. EXP +3」
「Killed Garvel...」
「...」
The monsters that came up from the sea were all over the island, slowing us down.
Well, they were still 7th-grade monsters, so we could handle them while moving...
'I hope we can meet up before the next wave.'
I felt a sense of urgency.
The next wave would be much stronger.
Even I would have a hard time handling it alone.
"...Will everyone be okay?"
Erwen muttered worriedly, seeing the sheer number of monsters.
I quickly reassured her, not wanting to jinx it.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine."
"But there are so many monsters..."
You think we can't handle it alone?
"I was able to make it here after meeting Ersina, right?"
Maybe Misha or Raven had also met someone and joined forces.
Well, even that wasn't without its worries.
'Damn it.'
I recalled my conversation with Nebarche.
Even if my companions ran into Partslan's team, it wasn't necessarily a good thing.
After all...
[How did they know we were coming to this island and ambush us?]
When I asked Nebarche that question, he answered.
[There was a traitor among them who told us about their exploration plan. Only Lady Rainwales knows who it is, though.]
There was a traitor among them.
_____________________
Arrua Raven looked at the bushes and widened her eyes.
"It's not who we were looking for..."
"..."
"...but this isn't bad either."
Fortunately, it was someone she knew.
"Raven, it's good to see you again."
"Partslan!"
Raven let out a sigh of relief and ran towards him.
"What happened? Why are you so injured? And who is that person on your back? Are they dead?"
Partslan smiled bitterly at her questions and gently laid the mage on his back down on the ground.
And he explained the situation.
"He's just unconscious, don't worry."
"Tha, that's a relief. So what happened?"
"...We were ambushed."
They were ambushed, barely escaped, and were separated from their companions.
So they were looking for their companions.
He then carefully asked for help.
"It's good to see you, even though it's not my companions. Can you help us?"
"Help you?"
"One of our companions is in the center of the island. He stayed behind to buy us time to escape. We have to go rescue him... but where's that barbarian?"
Partslan noticed that Raven's team wasn't in a normal state and tilted his head.
"What happened to your team? And why is that beastman archer soaking wet?"
"We were leaving the island, but a storm suddenly hit... and our boat capsized, so we were separated."
Raven then told him about their promise to meet in the center of the island, and Partslan's eyes sparkled.
"The center of the island? That's good. How about we go together? Those crazy bastards are roaming around the island, so it's much safer to go together."
He was suggesting they team up.
Raven thought for a moment and then answered.
"Okay, let's do that."
There was no reason to refuse.
-----------------------------------
Chapter 272: Defense (2)
The eastern shore, where reefs protruded haphazardly.
The place where the waves surged and crashed, shattering our boat.
"We've arrived."
The beach, already half-submerged by the rising tide, was teeming with monsters.
Lanemut warriors and shamans, representative sea monsters of the 6th floor.
Conch Shell Horns, which spat venom from afar.
And Garvels, which multiplied up to three times when killed.
"Bjorn, I'll help too!"
Seeing the scale of the horde, almost a hundred strong, Ainar expressed her concern and stepped forward.
Hey, you're supposed to be watching that guy.
"It's fine."
"What? But..."
But my ass.
Ah, right, I haven't shown her this after absorbing the new essence.
"Don't worry, this much is nothing."
I held my mace like a batter holding a baseball bat.
And...
"Erwen."
"Yes, what should I do this time?"
"Wind."
I activated Elemental Barbarian (Wind) Mode.
「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Spirit Transformation].」
Sharp winds, like blades, started swirling around my body.
「The Wind Spirit has been imbued into the character's body.」
「Evasion bonus added to all damage.」
「Magic damage taken is doubled.」
「Strong bonus added to penetration and slashing actions.」
「Agility greatly increased...」
The effect of this mode is simple.
It makes me faster and allows me to tank by dodging. If I were a damage dealer, my DPS would skyrocket.
Ah, but the important part is something else.
「All attack ranges are tripled.」
This is the biggest characteristic of Elemental Barbarian (Wind) Mode.
My normal attacks become AoE attacks. In other words, even a blunt weapon warrior like me can deal splash damage.
"Kieeek!"
The surrounding monsters, sensing my ominous aura, started swarming towards me.
But I just held my stance and waited for the right moment.
There's no need to swing twice.
One good swing is enough.
'Transcendence.'
When enough monsters had gathered, I immediately activated [Transcendence].
And...
「Character has cast [Swing].」
I swung my mace horizontally, like a skilled swordsman drawing his sword.
Whiiiiiish!
The sound of wind being torn apart.
And then...
Whooosh!
The mace in my hand elongated like a magical staff, growing in size proportionally.
The effect of Transcendence Swing.
「Strike range is tripled.」
This is why most characters in Dungeon and Stone can pull off insane plays in the late game.
It's mostly multiplicative calculations.
Kaboom!
Phew, that was satisfying.
After finishing [Swing], I looked around with a satisfied smile.
'This is the way to do it.'
There wasn't a single monster left alive.
_______________________
"Bjorn! How did you do that?! Teach me!"
"You can ask Erwen to do it for you later."
"So I can do it too if I have Erwen!"
"Yeah, something similar."
I gave Ainar, who was impressed by my new combo, a vague answer and then checked the sea.
My powerful attack had cleared most of the monsters on the shore.
"Mister, the waves! The waves are coming!"
We waited for a while on the empty beach, and then a tsunami-like wave surged towards us.
「The first Wrath of the Sea has begun.」
The effect that appeared when the first wave's mid-boss appeared.
"Siren! It's the Siren Queen!"
Priestess Ersina shouted, recognizing the monster surfing on the wave.
She seemed to know about this monster, having explored the 6th floor for a long time.
"A 4th-grade monster is on this island? Why...?"
Why, you ask?
Because someone here triggered the event.
"Everyone get behind me. Erwen, get ready to fight."
"Okay."
"What about me? Am I just going to watch again?"
"For now. I'll call you if I need you, so just wait."
"Alright!"
After briefly adjusting our formation, the Siren Queen finally arrived in front of us.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaak!"
She let out a scream that didn't match her beautiful face and thrust her trident at us.
Kwaaang!
Even her normal attack was quite powerful, as expected of a 4th-grade monster.
Well, there was another reason why she was classified as 4th-grade.
「Siren Queen has cast [Song of the Sea].」
「Character's stats are decreased.」
An aura that decreased stats proportionally to exposure time.
「Siren Queen has cast [Whirlpool].」
She also spat out whirlpools that drained MP on hit.
And...
「Siren Queen has cast [Proof of Loyalty].」
Every time her cooldown was up, she summoned more Sirens, 5th-grade monsters.
Not just one or two, but fifteen at a time.
'The typical debuff shaman type boss monster.'
She's not an easy opponent.
Unless we met her here.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
The Siren Queen's difficulty lies in her numbers.
Hundreds of Sirens usually guarded her.
But when she first arrived on the island, she was alone.
Of course, she would multiply if we just left her alone...
'But why do you think I came all the way here?'
I came here to kill her before she evolved into a raid boss, even giving up on searching for my companions.
"I'll help too! Give me a weapon! You can't handle a 4th-grade monster with just three people!"
Nebarche offered to join the fight, but I just ignored him.
Ainar did the same.
"What are you talking about? Bjorn is a great warrior!"
"Hey, great warrior or not, you can't handle that monster with just three people—"
"Bjorn, can I break this guy's mouth?"
"If he says one more word."
"Alright!"
"..."
Ainar's threat must have been effective, as Nebarche shut his mouth. Thanks to that, I could focus on the battle.
A priestess, the epitome of healing and buffs.
A spirit archer.
A tank barbarian.
We were practically fighting with just three people, but the boss fight progressed smoothly.
After all, we had a healer, a damage dealer, and a tank.
「Lyrine Ersina has cast [Blessing of the Sun].」
「5th-grade or lower debuffs are removed, and stats are increased proportionally.」
The priestess dispelled the stat decrease debuff at regular intervals.
Whiiiiiish!
The [Whirlpool] that drained MP on hit could be easily dodged with good control.
'Agility is so high, it's really convenient.'
Even the summon pattern wasn't that troublesome.
Erwen, who was circling me in spirit form, took care of them before they could even reach ten.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
My threat level was so high that they didn't even try to ignore me and attack the backline.
Therefore...
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
I just had to tank and DPS the Queen.
"Kieeek!"
After about 20 minutes of fighting...
「Siren Queen has been defeated. EXP +6.」
The Siren Queen, who had taken about thirty hits to the head, finally disappeared into particles of light.
I was hoping for an essence, but there wasn't one.
'If a summoner essence had dropped, I could have sold it for a fortune. Ah, but we don't even have a mage, so it doesn't really matter, does it?'
I dismissed my regret and lowered my mace.
And then I went to where my companions were with Erwen, who had deactivated [Spirit Transformation].
"...To think they really killed a 4th-grade monster with just three people."
Priestess Ersina still seemed to be in disbelief.
Nebarche was the same.
"They said he was a 5th-grade explorer..."
Nebarche trailed off and then looked at me with a strange gaze.
"So, you were hiding your true strength...?"
What the hell is this guy talking about?
I almost laughed, but I didn't bother explaining.
'It's ridiculous. This is just because the standards here are so low.'
It was one of the things I realized after the game became reality. Explorer rank in this world was just a minimum standard.
The guild only looked at the average grade of your essences, they didn't consider the synergy between them.
For example, Nebarche was a prime example.
'This guy was 4th-grade, right?'
He had a 4th-grade explorer badge.
It wasn't his real ID since he was from Noark, but he must have earned 4th-grade himself.
But he lost to me in less than 10 seconds.
My build was strong against ranged attackers in PvP, but...
'He's just weak.'
Most explorers in this world were like that.
They had high ranks, but they couldn't utilize their full potential.
'Come to think of it, the Dragonslayer was also like that.'
He had a high level and many essences because he had explored for a long time, but that was all.
His essence combination was a mess.
Honestly, I wouldn't even hesitate to call him a noob.
'It's like those guys who quit the game after a few days, complaining that it's a trash game.'
This game was about synergy, not just having high-grade skills.
[Gigantification] was the core skill, and everyone built their characters around it, finding ways to utilize it.
'The only one with a decent combination was the Corpse Collector.'
I was organizing my thoughts when...
"Hey, Yandel!"
"What? What is it?!"
'Wait, this voice...'
I hurriedly turned my head towards the source of the sound.
"Raven! Avman!!"
"Partslan! You're okay!"
Four people were emerging from the forest.
Phew, now only Misha is left.
____________________
"Yandel, Erwen, Ainar. It's good to see you all safe."
"Avman! You're okay too!!"
We exchanged brief greetings and then quickly shared information.
"What happened?"
"Ah, that?"
Raven's story was simple.
They started together with Avman, and then they encountered Partslan and his mage companion and moved towards the center of the island together.
They then found the note I had left behind, "Going east," and changed their direction.
"But why did it take you so long to get here? We waited for over two hours."
"Sorry. We got lost on the way..."
The reason for their delay was ridiculous.
Four people, and they couldn't find their way?
'Well, two mages, and he doesn't seem to be good at anything besides using a sword...'
And Avman was hopeless.
Yeah, it's not surprising that they got lost.
"But... where's Misha?"
"Misha is still missing."
"What? Still missing...?"
"Don't worry too much. You guys also just reunited, didn't you? She'll be fine. She's somewhere on this island."
I tried to dismiss their worries and then shifted my gaze.
Partslan, who had finished greeting his companion, was approaching me.
"I heard from Ersina what happened."
"You heard...?"
"Ah, no, I heard. You protected her all this time? Thank you."
"We have to help each other when we're in trouble. By the way, have you heard about the blond... no, Drowus?"
"Ah, about that... I heard. It's hard to believe that Drowus was from Noark. Can I ask him a few questions myself?"
Partslan politely asked if he could talk to Nebarche, and I readily agreed.
"Use him well and return him."
"Of course, I'll use him carefully."
Okay, then that's settled.
I listened to Partslan and Nebarche's conversation and then approached Raven.
And I whispered to her.
"Raven, you don't have to answer, just listen."
"...?"
"There's a traitor among them."
The one who betrayed the team and told Amelia that they were coming to this island.
Only Amelia knows who it is.
"I don't think he'll try anything in this situation, but just be aware. If you notice anything strange, let me know."
Raven nodded with a serious expression.
Okay, then information sharing is done.
"Hey, mage. What's your name?"
I approached the mage who was resting on the ground and asked his name. I thought I might find something suspicious if we talked.
Well, I should have...
"Ah, nice to meet you. My name is Aulock."
The mage smiled and extended his hand.
I froze.
Priestess Ersina, swordsman Partslan,
And the archer who hasn't arrived yet.
I haven't been able to figure out who the traitor is among the many suspects...
But I had a hunch.
"My name is Hans Aulock. Just call me Hans."
I got you, you bastard.
---------------------------------
Chapter 273: Defense (3)
Hans Aulock.
From now on, he will be remembered as Hans J to me.
"Ha, Hans...?!"
"Hans...?"
The moment he revealed his name, Raven and Ainar flinched and stared at me.
They both knew.
What Hans meant to me.
"...Is there something wrong?"
Hans J looked flustered as their gazes focused on him.
I clenched my thigh tightly.
'Not now. I have to endure.'
I wanted to smash his head and turn him into an unnamed corpse.
That desire was consuming me.
But...
I had to endure.
I didn't have any proof that he was the traitor yet.
It was just a hunch.
If I told them about the ominous feeling Hans' name gave me, Partslan and Ersina wouldn't understand.
They still considered him a comrade.
Therefore...
"No, there's no problem."
I didn't do anything for now.
Even if he was the traitor, he wouldn't do anything stupid with so many people watching.
He would probably just stay quiet and wait until we returned to the city.
I had to observe him first.
"That doesn't seem to be the case..."
"I said there's no problem."
"Hmm, if you say so..."
Hans J frowned and stroked his chin.
I felt a bit bad, like I was bullying him...
"So you're just going to leave your hand hanging like that—"
But an unwanted handshake was crossing the line.
"Ah, Partslan! Are you done talking?"
I shifted my attention away from Hans J and changed the subject.
It seemed like they had also finished their conversation.
"Mostly. It seems like Drowus really was from that place... I always thought he was a bit strange."
"I see."
"So what are we going to do with him?"
"We'll take him with us for now."
"Alright."
Partslan surprisingly didn't object to taking Nebarche with us.
He almost died because of those guys.
Was he just trying to avoid causing trouble since he considered Nebarche my loot?
"Can I have everyone's attention?"
After our brief reunion, Raven called everyone together.
And we summarized the situation.
"We can't escape the island because of the waves. And monsters keep appearing."
"Those monsters, they seem to be getting stronger. We even encountered the Siren Queen earlier."
"Yes. Whatever happened on this island, it's definitely not normal. So, Partslan, do you know anything about this?"
Partslan hesitated for a moment before answering.
"...It seems like you already have a guess, so I'll be honest. We came to this island because of this."
He had heard about it from Drowus.
"I don't know the details, but... I heard we just have to endure until sunrise in two days."
"So it's not going to last forever."
Raven then presented two options.
"One is to find a place that's easy to defend and endure until then."
"And the second?"
"To search the island for our companions. We haven't found Misha yet, and Partslan's team is still missing their archer, right? If they're both stranded alone, it will be more dangerous as time passes."
I chuckled at Raven's words.
Why did she even bother presenting two options?
"So, what are we going to do?"
"We're going to find our companions."
I answered without hesitation, and Partslan agreed.
"I managed to escape, so Helga must have too. We have to go find her."
Let's first search the island for our companions.
That's when, as our course of action was almost decided...
Hans J interjected.
"Let's vote! How about we decide by voting?"
I couldn't believe it.
Even if his name was Hans, how could he say that in this situation?
"Ahem, ahem, maybe someone is against it but can't speak up."
"If that's the case, let's vote. Those who think we should go find our companions, raise your hands."
We didn't waste time and immediately started voting. Everyone raised their hands, and Hans J, after looking around, also raised his hand.
"Then it's settled."
Barbarian-style democracy is invincible.
___________________
Step, step.
I cleared the path, walking at a slightly faster pace.
Eight people followed behind me.
All the members of my clan except for Misha.
Partslan, Ersina, and Hans J, who had formed a temporary alliance with us.
And Nebarche Greenhope, our strategic prisoner.
'At least we have eight people now.'
If Misha and the archer from Partslan's team joined us, we should be able to clear this.
The priestess was a big help.
If she wasn't here, it would have been a nightmare.
"Misha! Can you hear me? Misha!"
"Heyna!"
After leaving the shore, we focused on finding our missing companions.
It wasn't an easy task.
The island itself wasn't that big...
Thwack, thwack!
Kaboom!
But monsters were appearing everywhere, slowing us down.
We were practically stuck fighting them.
「Sea Giant defeated. EXP +5.」
「Naga Archer defeated. EXP +5.」
「Serpent of Palpus defeated...」
「...」
A change occurred about 30 minutes ago.
The monsters' level had increased significantly.
Even with eight people, it was difficult to clear a path.
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere had become noticeably heavier.
No one said anything, but...
The reason for their gloomy expressions was obvious.
"With this many monsters..."
They were worried that our missing companions wouldn't be okay. Even if Misha and the archer had met and joined forces, they wouldn't be able to endure this monster wave with just two people.
But what could we do?
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!"
We had to keep moving, even if it meant facing unfavorable conditions. We had to swing our maces countless times just to take a few steps forward.
We hadn't confirmed anything yet.
Therefore...
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
We had to keep going.
Boom!
Blood splattered everywhere.
"..."
Our companions' heavy breathing.
Squelch! Thud.
The sickening sound of flesh being torn and bones being crushed. In the midst of that cacophony, someone muttered.
"...Shouldn't we stop now?"
It was Hans J's voice.
"Why isn't anyone saying anything? I don't want to be the bad guy, but... don't you all know?!"
I stopped walking.
Monsters were still swarming towards us, but...
"Know what?"
I turned around and faced him.
"Tell me clearly. Before I misunderstand."
"Think logically! Don't you realize it's too late?!"
Yeah, you're a smart mage, aren't you?
That's good.
I've been wanting to break his neck since we met. And now he's spouting this nonsense in front of a barbarian?
This is a good excuse.
Therefore...
"Gahk!"
I grabbed his neck.
"Hey, Yandel!"
Raven screamed as I attacked my teammate.
Partslan, who was fighting alongside me at the front, also left the monsters and ran towards me.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
He didn't use honorifics anymore.
And seeing that...
"You, one more step and I'll kill you."
Ainar also entered battle mode, blocking Partslan's path.
Erwen did the same.
Swoosh.
She didn't say anything, and she continued to shoot arrows at the monsters. But she had moved behind the priestess.
If a fight broke out, she would kill the priestess first.
"Ev, everyone, stop!"
Raven shouted in panic.
"Yandel, snap out of it."
Avman pushed back the monsters with his large crossbow and tried to calm me down. All of this had happened in just three seconds after I grabbed the mage's neck.
'Damn it.'
What am I doing?
This wasn't like me.
Thud.
I loosened my grip on Hans J's neck and threw him to the ground. My sudden outburst had broken our formation, and monsters were swarming towards us.
"Sorry. I got a bit carried away."
"...We'll talk about this later."
I returned to the front lines, and Partslan silently joined me, fighting the monsters.
"Phew..."
The tension that almost led to a brawl had dissipated.
But things were different now.
"..."
"..."
We were fighting together, but we were also wary of each other.
And that slowed us down even more.
Well, at least Hans shut his mouth.
'Misha...'
I had to find Misha as soon as possible.
'Damn it.'
As we were painstakingly searching the island...
"Mister! A body!"
We found a corpse.
_______________________
My heart sank the moment I saw the body.
My vision blurred, and my mind went blank. But that feeling soon turned into relief.
It wasn't Misha.
"Heyna...!"
It was the archer from Partslan's team.
Partslan ran towards her lifeless body.
And...
"Damn it!"
He punched the ground in frustration after checking her breathing.
A white wave of energy emanated from the center of our formation.
「Lyrine Ersina has cast [Declaration of Evil's End].」
[Declaration of Evil's End], one of the priestess' core skills.
It was a kind of barrier.
It couldn't block humans, but it prevented monsters from approaching for a certain period of time.
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaak!]
In other words, we were safe for now.
Therefore, I also approached the body and examined it.
The archer wasn't the only one.
There was another body next to hers.
"Who is this?"
I dragged the confused Nebarche over and asked him, and he said it was his companion.
My mind went blank.
'What... what the hell happened here?'
I could understand the archer's death.
But why was this guy's body next to hers?
"Raven, what's the cause of death?"
"There are too many bite marks to be sure, but... it seems like the stab wound in the abdomen was fatal."
Yeah, that's what I thought.
"A stab wound..."
Heyna was an archer.
But she was stabbed to death?
That didn't make sense.
"What about the other woman? Can you tell what killed her?"
"I don't know. She's even more mangled..."
"But if you had to guess?"
"...There's a large claw mark. But that's strange too. I haven't seen any monsters that could leave a mark like that. It's like she was torn apart by a giant monster..."
"Any guesses?"
"There are three claw marks, and the wounds are deep. It's usually the pattern you see when someone is attacked by a bird-type monster like a wyvern."
"I see."
This was getting more complicated.
"So it wasn't a monster."
"Yes... I think so."
Raven nodded in agreement.
The bodies were stripped of all their equipment.
"Partslan, did she have a subspace pocket?"
"No, she didn't. Someone took it."
Now there were two possibilities.
There was another explorer on this island that we didn't know about.
Or...
'There was a conflict within Noark.'
Slap!
I slapped the dazed Nebarche.
"Snap out of it. I have something to ask you."
"Do you have any idea who did this?"
"Carmilla and Belverson. Those two bastards."
"Tell me more."
Nebarche then told me that Belverson used a sword and Carmilla summoned a drake.
"But then why did they kill your companion too?"
"I, I don't know. Maybe they wanted the treasure. Or maybe Lady Rainwales..."
Hey, I don't have time to take care of your mental state.
"Tell me about the treasure."
I grabbed his hair and forced him to look at me, then asked him about the part I had glossed over earlier.
It wasn't much.
"I don't know anything besides the fact that it was passed down through the Lord's family for generations. Ah, ah! There's a legend that whoever obtains it can change history!"
Change history?
Was it really that powerful?
It sounded like a legend, so I had to take it with a grain of salt.
'But it must be important enough for them to send Amelia to retrieve it.'
They had a motive.
Noark had already left for the outside world.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to pull off a heist and start a new life in the city.
"Aulock, I'll leave Heyna to you."
"Ah, leave it to me..."
Hans J cast a preservation spell on the archer's body and then put it in his subspace pocket. That was the end of the body retrieval.
"...Yandel, so what are we going to do now?"
Partslan, ever the explorer, quickly recovered and asked me about our next plan.
But I couldn't say anything.
"Are we going to keep looking for Misha?"
I knew we shouldn't, but I couldn't bring myself to say it.
"We still have some time, but it's going to get more dangerous."
I knew it rationally.
Our stamina was being drained from constantly moving.
And we had to be wary of those two bastards, Carmilla and Belverson.
It would be much better to find a defensible location and conserve our strength.
But...
'What about Misha...?'
I couldn't think rationally.
'Maybe that's why...'
I suddenly had a thought.
Maybe Misha broke up with me because she knew this about me.
If our relationship had deepened that day...
I wouldn't even be thinking about this now. I would probably be running around like crazy, driven by my emotions.
Like when I lost my temper earlier.
"Yandel..."
I took a deep breath.
And I looked around.
Raven, Erwen, Ainar, Avman.
My precious companions were looking at me with worried expressions.
It was time for me to make a decision as their leader.
"Everyone, put down your weapons. We'll rest until the barrier is deactivated."
I felt like my stomach was churning.