TEOCH 57

The day after I somehow resolved the conflict with Rikiel, we spent the entire day exploring the rest of the island.

Normally, we would have invested at least four days into exploring the island, but now that more than half of it had collapsed, we didn’t need that much time. We circled the island’s outskirts, collecting tree sap, searching through bushes for useful medicinal herbs, and rummaging through the corpses of monsters.

In truth, to conduct a proper search, we would have needed to investigate the area around the river and the mountain more thoroughly, but the situation was not favorable for that. Most of the monsters that had flocked here to escape the island’s collapse were gathered around the river and the mountain. If we were to greedily push our search, we could have put ourselves in danger.

In the end, I decided to give up on exploring the monster-infested areas. No matter how important items were, I couldn’t neglect the safety of my companions. Fortunately, we were able to gather quite a few useful things even on the island’s outskirts.

We returned to our temporary shelter with our backpacks full of our harvest. In the evening, as the sun was setting dimly, we gathered around the campfire, tending to the medicinal herbs and talking.

“Still, it’s a relief. There are almost no monsters on the outskirts.”

“It’s only natural, since they’ve already experienced the island’s collapse once. They’ll be too anxious to come this way.”

“I suppose that’s true. But are we going to be okay? If the island collapses again…”

“We’ll be fine, Lord Rikiel, since Damian properly fixed that jewel. At the very least, there won’t be any more trouble on this island.”

I explained calmly and shrugged. This wasn’t a story I had fabricated just to reassure them. It was still just a guess, but it seemed the cause of the island’s collapse was a problem with the ‘jewel’ that cast the magic supporting the island. It was likely a mechanism where the island would collapse if the problem with the jewel wasn’t resolved within a time limit, just like last time.

But to put it another way, it also meant that as long as the problem with the jewel could be solved, the island wouldn’t collapse. It was a plausible hypothesis, not only logically sound but also considering the game’s balance. An island that had already collapsed once collapsing again would essentially make clearing it impossible.

‘Well, it’s not something to be entirely happy about, though…’

It was a relief that a collapse wouldn’t happen more than once on the same island, but the fact that a collapse might happen at least once on every island we set foot on from now on made me feel dejected.

Of course, there was a possibility that collapses wouldn’t happen on other islands, but rather than gambling on such a flimsy possibility, it was better to assume the worst-case scenario and prepare for it.

“That large bird will probably pass by the island around tomorrow afternoon, so we should be able to move to the next island then. Let’s prepare ourselves thoroughly.”

“The next island… will that island collapse too, Mr. Rohan?”

“It probably will. We’ll only be able to catch our breath without being chased until today, so everyone, please rest as much as you can.”

My companions nodded, and I put the prepared herbs into my bag, lost in various thoughts. This island had a relatively easy difficulty level compared to the others, and yet we had struggled so much. How much would we have to struggle just to survive from now on? No, would we even be able to survive?

‘Stop it. There’s no point in getting depressed like this.’

As my thoughts grew increasingly extreme, I tried my best to compose myself. It was better to try and prepare for what’s to come rather than fretting over fruitless worries about the future. If I truly wanted to survive on the next island, I had to somehow strengthen my gear and acquire new skills. Without doing so, it would be difficult to even escape from the monsters, let alone stop the island’s collapse.

I poured the sap I had collected today into a wooden bowl. At a glance, it might look similar to the ‘berserker fluid’ I had gathered yesterday, but this sap was a completely different type from yesterday’s. It didn’t have as dramatic an effect as the berserker fluid, but it had no risks to speak of, so it could be used without any burden. It didn’t directly affect the body either…

I was about to naturally dip my vambrace into the tree sap when I flinched. Well, it probably wouldn’t be a problem if I just dipped it in… but after what happened yesterday, I didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

When I glanced around, my other companions seemed quite curious about what I was planning to do with this sap. I finally looked at Rikiel and opened my mouth.

“Ahem, ahem, there’s something I need to tell you first.”

“…What is it?”

“About this armor we’re wearing right now, you all know that it’s conceptually similar to a parasite’s cocoon, right?”

“Oh, was that it?”

“Now that you mention it, I do recall you explaining something like that. Did you say it gets stronger if you smear monster blood on it?”

Rehas nodded, while the other companions were trying to recall the memory with expressions that said, ‘Did he say that?’ I felt inwardly grateful to Rehas and continued my explanation.

“Yes. These weapons and armor are, for all intents and purposes, living things, so they get slightly stronger each time they are supplied with nutrients like blood. But there’s a much better method than supplying them with monster blood, and that is to have them absorb this sap. It’s a similar mechanism to when they absorbed the glowing fluid last time.”

Having said that much, I cautiously watched my companions’ reactions. Just as I expected, they had noticeably tense expressions. It seemed to be because of what happened yesterday… Thinking that it was a good thing I had brought it up beforehand, I spoke firmly.

“Let me say this in advance: it is not dangerous.”

“…!”

“It doesn’t harm the body, and it doesn’t cause you to go berserk. There is no danger at all in carrying armor or weapons imbued with this sap. Do you understand what I’m saying? It is absolutely not a dangerous item.”

Honestly, it was a pain to repeatedly explain these trivial things, but at least this time, I couldn’t just skip the explanation and move on. I didn’t want to fight with them again. I didn’t feel like making my companions worry over something unnecessary, and I didn’t want to be saddled with strange misunderstandings. So…

“If you’re really worried, you can test it on your own weapons or armor first. It’s truly not a dangerous item.”

“…”

“I won’t cut open my leg and pour sap into it like yesterday. Just lightly moistening the weapon or armor with the sap is enough.”

“…”

“It’s really, truly, just ordinary sap. There’s nothing dangerous about it at all.”

It felt like my tongue was twisting every time I spoke, so I cleared my throat several times. By the way, my companions’ gazes seem to have changed strangely. Was it just my imagination? The gazes that had been looking at me with worry just a moment ago seemed to be changing in a strange direction…

“S-so what I’m saying is, don’t make a fuss over something like this. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Perhaps because I usually didn’t explain things, even when I tried to, the words didn’t come out as smoothly as I had intended. I tried to hide my anxiousness and slowly averted my gaze. In any case, I had done all I could. I had explained enough, so what happened next was up to how they took it. That’s right. So…

“…Pfft.”

At that moment, a suppressed laugh burst from Rikiel’s lips. He seemed embarrassed for having laughed himself, as he cleared his throat and tried to compose his expression, but it didn’t seem to be working well.

I was dumbfounded. Wait, did that man just laugh? Why? What did I do?

“Ah, no, I’m sorry. I just…, pfft, phhbt!”

“What is it, do you have a problem?”

“I mean, heh, no, that’s not it…! No, I just can’t hold it in…!”

Rikiel’s body trembled as he tried to hold back his laughter, but in the end, he couldn’t and burst out laughing. But that wasn’t the only problem. Tristan, who had been watching, suddenly started laughing as well. Tristan was more restrained than Rikiel, but that didn’t make the situation any better. Even Rehas, who was watching, was laughing as if he found it amusing, and then even Damian started to burst out laughing…!

“Why, why are you laughing! Are you trying to pick a fight with me again?!”

“No! Th-that’s not…!”

“He’s probably not laughing with bad intentions, Rohan. It’s just…, hahaha!”

“Your Majesty, why are you doing this to me too! Damian, don’t just laugh, say something!”

“Yes? Me? Well…, if Mr. Rohan says it’s safe, then it must be! I believe you!”

It’s not convincing when you say it while giggling like that, Damian! Left with nothing more to say, I just kept clearing my throat. They were reassured, so I had clearly achieved my initial goal, but I just felt needlessly embarrassed. What on earth did I do wrong for them to laugh? It didn’t seem like there was any malice, but it was just… strangely embarrassing.

Feeling resentful toward Rikiel, I said nothing more and poured the sap onto my sword, desperately hoping that what I was doing looked as natural as possible.

The next day, after a final exploration of the island in the morning, we waited on the coast for the bird to arrive. It was the time of day when the sun was slowly setting, but there was still no sign of the bird, so we sat in the shade of a tree and sorted the items we had gathered in the morning.

I generously sprinkled the sap I had collected in the morning onto my vambrace. The vambrace, having absorbed the sap, writhed and transformed repeatedly, eventually taking on a more bizarre shape. I briefly looked at the sharp thorns that had sprouted on the edge of the vambrace. It would be quite useful for self-defense.

“Did you get any decent effects?”

“No, its defense just increased a bit. Unfortunately, there were no special changes.”

“Is that so? But it’s always so fascinating to watch…”

Rehas muttered as he fiddled with his bow. His armor, having absorbed enough sap the night before, had become much sturdier and lighter, and his bow, which had been just an ordinary shortbow, was now enhanced to exert two or three times its previous power. Of course, it was the same for the other companions’ armor and weapons. With luck, a special ability might be applied to the armor or weapon, but unfortunately, no such luck came our way this time.

“It can’t be helped. We’ll just have to hope for better luck next time.”

“I suppose you’re right. Hmm, wait a moment. I think I just heard a bird’s cry.”

We immediately stood up and ran to the edge of the island. Looking down below the island, the giant bird we had seen a few days ago was flying toward us from afar with its wings spread. It looked like it would be close enough for us to board in about four or five minutes, so I was about to start hurrying our preparations.

“It’s about time to leave. Now, Damian. To Lord Rikiel…”

“Won’t you come here, Damian? I’ll carry you this time instead of the Captain of the Guard.”

Wait, what? Before I could even finish my sentence, Rehas suddenly cut in from the side. Damian himself, the person in question, wasn’t flustered at all and just tilted his head, but I couldn’t help but be quite surprised. That person isn’t usually the type to interrupt others like this, is he? I studied Rehas’s face, but he just showed a cryptic smile.

“Wait a minute, Rehas? What are you doing…?”

“I’ll carry you, and the Captain of the Guard can carry His Majesty the King and Rohan. That works out perfectly. Doesn’t it?”

“Can’t I just not be carried, Mr. Rehas?”

“How can you say something so frightening? What if you get blown away by the wind by mistake?”

“Um, I’m not that light, though…”

Damian tilted his head while saying something that sounded unconvincing even to me(!), but Rehas was insistent. Honestly, at this point, I felt like I somewhat understood his intentions. That is, it seemed that man wanted to pair me up with Rikiel by any means necessary. But, this isn’t like mediating a children’s fight!

“Ahem, ahem, Rohan.”

“What is it, Lord Rikiel.”

“It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Isn’t it at least worth considering?”

“Pardon?”

“Last time, you and Rehas went together, so it wouldn’t be strange for you and me to go together this time. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Th-that’s true, but…”

Seeing Rikiel acting strangely favorable toward Rehas, I was momentarily lost in thought. His words themselves certainly weren’t wrong, but I had a feeling that if I agreed to that proposal, I would end up playing right into Rehas’s hands…

But I couldn’t hesitate for long. While Rehas was looking at me with his cryptic eyes, the bird was already passing below.

“Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll be in your care.”

I let out a deep sigh and approached Rikiel, and Rikiel held me and Tristan in his arms with a strangely relieved expression. When my eyes met Tristan’s and he grinned happily, blood rushed to my face, but thankfully, no one other than Tristan seemed to have noticed. Relieved that neither Rehas nor Rikiel had caught on, I caught my breath.

“Alright, let’s go!”

At the exact moment the giant bird passed beneath our feet, Rehas and Rikiel leaped off the island with all their might. It was the moment we finally escaped the first island.