TEOCH 62

I woke up after sleeping for several hours as if I had stopped breathing.

It took quite a long time to come to my senses. The surroundings were terribly quiet, as if everyone was asleep, and the sound of the wind, coming from far away like a dream, only served to scatter the concentration I had barely gathered.

Still, as time passed, strength returned to my stiff body and my scattered consciousness found its place. I managed to open my eyes.

‘My head hurts.’

Of course, it wasn’t unbearable, so instead of lingering, I immediately got up. I figured there wouldn’t be much to do, but it was better than being lazy. Thanks to having slept, my physical condition was definitely better.

When I stretched wide to loosen my stiff muscles, several blankets fell off with a rustle. Wait, two? Then, seeing that there were three blankets spread on the floor, I paused for a moment. Originally, it was one blanket per person. That means…

I immediately turned my head to check on my companions. I could see them sleeping, huddled together without even a blanket. In any case, the ‘Volcanic Island’ wasn’t that cold because of the geothermal heat. And yet these people.

‘Did I worry them that much?’

I looked at them, at a loss for words, then slowly got up from my spot. It was to put the blankets back on them. As I covered my huddled companions with a blanket each and looked them over, their faces were also dark and haggard. Was it due to simple fatigue, or was it because of severe heartache?

‘It’s probably both.’

Yesterday, my mind had been so unstable that I couldn’t even gauge whether my own state was normal or not, but after sleeping and thinking again with a calm head, it was a disgrace of the highest order.

At a time when I should have been soothing these people’s hearts and encouraging them, I instead poured out all my own emotions! Just thinking about it myself made my face flush hot. If Damian hadn’t stopped me in time, I would have shown an even more unsightly side of myself.

I have to thank him when he wakes up, I thought, approaching Damian. His posture made it hard to tell if he was meditating or sleeping, so I stretched his cheek out, and only after confirming that he was sleeping soundly, dead to the world, did I lay his body down on the floor. But then.

“Pfft.”

Startled by the sound of laughter from behind me, I turned around to see Rehas, whom I had thought was asleep, watching me with his eyes barely open. It seemed he had laughed after seeing me check if Damian was asleep…. When our eyes met, Rehas opened his eyes completely and grinned. I cleared my throat for no reason.

“Ahem. H-have you woken up?”

“I won’t tell, so don’t you worry. That level of revenge is pretty cute.”

“Revenge? I was just…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. What’s the big deal about pulling his cheek a little? Isn’t that right?”

Rehas chuckled and sat up, and I gave up trying to persuade him further and just shrugged. This isn’t right. It wasn’t like I did it to get revenge for being slapped on the cheek, I just wanted to check if he was meditating or sleeping!

Of course, making excuses now would only make me look pathetic, so I decided to change the subject. However, it was Rehas who changed the subject first.

“Er, Rohan. I was sorry about yesterday.”

“Pardon? Sorry for what?”

“I brought up some strange talk and made you anxious. You must have had a heavy heart in your own way, but I went and added my own thoughtless words to it….”

“…”

“It was the first time I saw you look that anxious. I was so caught up in my own anxiety that I felt sorry for making things harder on you.”

I was dazed and at a loss for words for a moment. Ah, that’s right. Now that I think about it, he also looked so anxious yesterday. He always acted so relaxed and slick, I thought that even if everyone else was anxious, he alone would not be, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

No, when you think about it, Rehas might have faced reality as quickly as I did. He must not have seen a proper answer either. But I didn’t want to see a man who was always smiling look so crestfallen, so I hastily blurted out.

“No, in a situation like that, wouldn’t it be weirder not to feel anxious? You did nothing wrong.”

“Still, that fellow Damian actually comforted you in that situation. Come to think of it, I should have been the one to do that….”

“That’s because that man is abnormally carefree. Honestly, don’t you think Damian would just laugh heartily even if he were thrown into a Harpuia’s nest?”

I looked at the sleeping Damian’s face and let out a chuckle. Such placidness, sleeping like a log in the corner of a cave he’d never seen before as if it were his own bedroom. Of course, I keep Damian around because I like that kind of personality, but I don’t expect other people to have Damian-level personalities. Rehas, after all, is a strong-willed person in his own way.

I shrugged lightly, hoping he would feel at ease. Rehas also burst out laughing. Rehas’s expression, which had been dark all this time, finally brightened.

“Well, still, your expression has brightened up a lot, so I feel good too. That fellow Damian is quite talented.”

“That’s my line. Well, things have turned out this way, but what can we do? We have no choice but to find a breakthrough somehow, right?”

With a much calmer heart, I faced reality. Yes, of course, the reality is that it’s still a cesspool. But…

‘There must be a way out somehow. I just haven’t found it yet.’

Once I thought that, I felt a little relieved. Right, no matter how much they push a person like this, there’s no way a solution doesn’t exist. Because this place is a world inside a game, made with the premise of ‘breaking through.’

Although this game pushes people more harshly than reality under the pretext of ‘difficult difficulty,’ there is also a premise that is guaranteed precisely because it is a game. In reality, there are ‘dead ends you can’t escape no matter how much you struggle,’ but such things do not exist in a game. No, they shouldn’t exist. That would be breaking the rules of the game.

Since a game ultimately exists to be cleared, they must have prepared a way to get out of this area, no matter how difficult the method. So it’s okay. I can definitely do it.

Of course, it’s not that my worries have completely disappeared. The boss battles, which are still a long way off, are one thing, but the pursuit of the enraged monsters was also a big headache right now.

I was already receiving a great deal of hatred and anger for being framed as the ‘culprit who collapsed the island,’ and with the Harpuia’s command on top of that, even just escaping this island was a huge task.

Hiding in the shelter would be safe for now, but at this rate, I would just be running away without even being able to explore properly. Then there would be no point in going around the twelve islands. How should I solve this problem? No matter how much I agonized over it, no clear solution came to mind.

“For now, just rest, Rohan. Let’s talk later when everyone wakes up.”

At Rehas’s hand patting my shoulder, I felt my heart relax, if only a little. Right, let’s rest for now. My head needs to be clear to have a discussion.

A few hours later, all my companions had woken up and gathered in front of the campfire. We decided to align our opinions on what to do from now on.

Now that the Harpuiae knew of our existence, it was obvious that the situation ahead would become even more difficult. Escaping this ‘Volcanic Island’ was a problem in itself, but from the next island onward, we would have to face both the collapse and the pursuit of monsters at the same time, and I couldn’t see an answer for what to do then.

“For now, let’s focus on getting out of this island. If we stay on this island, we’ll eventually get caught.”

“But what do you plan to do after we leave this island? It’s not like any other island will be particularly better than here. Unless the Harpuiae are fools, they will have already warned the other islands.”

“I know that. In fact, if we go to the next island, it will be even harder with the collapse overlapping. We need to start thinking of a way now….”

I racked my brain, but no particularly brilliant idea came to mind. To easily shake off the monsters’ pursuit, we would need to become stronger, but to become stronger, we would need to explore other islands. It really is a situation where we can’t do one thing or the other.

As we were wracking our brains and worrying, Tristan, who had been silent the whole time, quietly opened his mouth.

“Rohan, there is something I would like to suggest.”

“Yes?”

“Of course, it is true that we must leave this island, but do we necessarily have to move to a new island?”

At Tristan’s words, we tilted our heads. Wait, what does that mean? If we don’t move to a new island, where would we go?

“As you said, if we move to a new island at this point, it will become even more difficult with the island’s collapse and the monsters’ pursuit overlapping. So, couldn’t we build up our strength somewhere else and wait for the right time?”

“Somewhere else…?”

“Of course, we will not be able to build up our strength on this island. We cannot even explore properly because of the volcanic ash clouds, and since it hasn’t been long since the island’s collapse, the monsters’ surveillance will be tight.”

“…”

“But what about an island where a long time has passed since its collapse? Of course, the monsters there will still hold animosity toward us, but they will think we have already left for another island, so wouldn’t their guard be more lax? As long as we are not discovered, it might be better for hiding….”

By that point, I could somewhat guess what Tristan wanted to say. It certainly wasn’t a statement without merit. If we can’t stay on the island we’re on now, and moving to a new island also carries risks, then there’s only one option left.

In some ways, it could be seen as a step back, but considering our safety, it’s not such a bad choice. So…

“Your Majesty, are you suggesting that it would be better for us to return to one of the islands we previously visited and hide there?”

He nodded with an expression that seemed to lack conviction, and I was lost in thought for a moment. Tristan’s suggestion wasn’t bad. No, in fact, it was as good as the best method for now. It’s better to rest a little and build up our strength rather than forcibly moving to the next island.

Even if it’s an island we’ve finished exploring, we might be able to find some good items if we search a little more thoroughly, and if we hide for a week or two, the monsters on the other islands will lower their guard, so when you think about it, it’s like killing two birds with one stone.

It seemed at least worth considering. Damian, also thinking it was a valid argument, opened his mouth with sparkling eyes.

“Then which island would be good to return to? Come to think of it, the ‘River Island’ seemed the most comfortable to live on.”

“That is true, but unfortunately, there are too many surviving monsters on that island. We need to hide now, so it’s important to choose an island with as few monsters as possible.”

“If we’re talking about few monsters, the ‘Swamp Island’ would be the most suitable. Most of them died in the last collapse. Though the ground sinking under our feet will be a bit tough….”

“But it hasn’t been long since that island experienced a collapse, Sir Rikiel. There may be few monsters remaining, but their guard will still be tight. Besides, that island is an environment that’s difficult to escape from when cornered.”

“In that case, the ‘Forest Island’ might be better? There are more monsters than on the ‘Swamp Island,’ but their guard should have weakened a bit by now….”

“Yes, that would be the best place. And it’s also important that most of the monsters on that island are plant-types. Most of the tree roots and vines only move in reaction to light or stimuli and don’t have any real will of their own, so from the Harpuiae’s perspective, there would be no particular way to give them orders. As for the giant tree that had some semblance of reason, we already took care of it.”

In the end, everyone agreed on the opinion to return to the ‘Forest Island,’ and having finally set a goal, we began to formulate a strategy for ‘how to escape this island.’ Of course, it wasn’t an easy task. To escape from this ‘Volcanic Island,’ we needed a much more detailed strategy than the ones we had made on other islands.

Before, there was no need to formulate an escape strategy; it was enough to just hide our bodies, move to the coast, and jump off to match the timing of the giant bird’s arrival. In any case, most monsters didn’t even approach the coast due to the fear that the island might collapse again, so it wasn’t very difficult. In fact, it was so difficult to approach the center of the island because too many monsters were gathered there.

However, on this island at least, we can’t use such a complacent method. Now that the volcano, the center of the island, has erupted, most of the monsters will be gathered at the coast, and if we go to the coast thoughtlessly like before, we will obviously be attacked by the enraged monsters.

Moreover, the forest isn’t safe either. The monsters are still rummaging through the forest, searching for our traces, and if we let our guard down for even a moment, there’s a high chance we’ll be caught by them. If our vision wasn’t restricted by the volcanic ash covering the entire island, our hiding place would have been discovered long ago.

“In the end, we can’t avoid a battle itself.”

“That’s right. No matter how carefully we hide, we will run into monsters at the coast. And there’s one more thing I’m worried about….”

“Worried?”

“No matter how well we escape, it might be useless if our movements are leaked to the Harpuia.”

My companions’ faces hardened faintly. I didn’t want to disappoint my companions who had just regained their spirits, but it couldn’t be helped, because this was a really important issue.

Unless the pterodactyls are blind, there’s no way they won’t notice us escaping on the back of the giant bird. Most of the pterodactyls will probably follow us relentlessly.

Having to fight them on the back of the giant bird would be a problem in itself, but the bigger problem was that they could report our travel route to the Harpuia.

“Our current goal is to hide on another island and wait for the right time, but if the hiding place itself is discovered, it will be even more troublesome.”

“Yes, that’s about right. So it’s also very important not to let them discover our travel route. Of course, if we could both avoid battle and not have our travel route discovered, there would be nothing better, but that’s realistically impossible.”

“How about moving late at night or early in the morning, Mr. Rohan? Monsters sleep too, don’t they?”

“Unfortunately, there are quite a few nocturnal monsters on this island. Besides, most monsters have good night vision, so they can distinguish objects well enough even without proper light. If we move in that situation, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

Damian nodded with a disappointed expression. It felt like there should be some good trick, but nothing came to mind right now. I took a light, deep breath to calm my anxious heart.

‘It’s okay, there’s still plenty of time to think.’

In any case, the basic direction has been set, so there’s no reason to be anxious just because we couldn’t decide on the detailed plan right away. It’s not like the monsters are rushing in right now, and there are still nearly two days left before the giant bird returns to this island. Think slowly, slowly.

“Ugh, this is a real headache. Wouldn’t the monsters give up, thinking we’re dead, if we just hid like we’re dead for a few months? They’ll be busy trying to survive themselves, so they might start thinking that people like us don’t matter….”

“Uh, will that really happen?”

“There’s no way it would. I was just saying, my friend.”

Rehas ruffled Damian’s hair and chuckled, but I paused for a moment after hearing Rehas’s words. Wait, maybe there is a way. Of course, it would be impossible to avoid the monsters’ attention completely, but what if we could use a little trickery to deceive the monsters’ eyes?

“No, maybe it could work.”

“Rohan? What do you mean?”

“If we trick the monsters into thinking we’re dead…. The monsters on this island are relatively stupid, so if we do it right, it might be possible. If we succeed, we might be able to reach the ‘Forest Island’ safely.”

My companions still had bewildered expressions, but I began to think desperately. Several strategies came to mind and vanished futilely, but once I set a direction, it seemed like something could work. Rehas, looking quite bewildered, tilted his head beside me.

“Wait a minute, so right now… you’re saying you’re going to play dead in front of the monsters?”

“Yes. As you said, if they think we’re dead, there would be no reason for those monsters to chase us. It’s not a bad idea.”

“Hold on. I may have said it, but isn’t that too much of a stretch? No matter how much we play dead to divert the monsters’ attention, we still have to go to the coast to move to the next island. If we get caught by the monsters at the coast, all our efforts to play dead will be for nothing.”

“Then we can make it look like we died while fighting the monsters at the coast. Yes, come to think of it, that’s the best condition, isn’t it? If we make them think we fell into the sea, we can disappear cleanly without even leaving a corpse.”

“Hoh.”

“Of course, tricking the eyes of numerous monsters all at once won’t be easy, so any ordinary trick won’t work. …Right, Damian. How many times can you use the ‘Confusion’ spell now? You’ve been saving it up quite a bit, so you should have at least 5 uses left, right?”

“Yes? Uh, to be exact, I can use it about 8 times.”

“Good, that should be enough. This time, Damian, you’ll probably have to go through some trouble. Of course, that’s not to say that others won’t have to go through trouble. Sir Rikiel will have to use his wings quite a lot, too. But once we succeed, we’ll be able to hide on the ‘Forest Island’ for a few weeks and build up our strength without worry. Understood?”

“Yes, that sounds good….”

“…You seem suddenly excited.”

“Pardon? What did you just say?”

“Ah, no. Nothing. Just that it’s a good thing.”

For some reason, my companions were smiling strangely, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that. Well, aren’t they also smiling because they’re in a good mood in their own way? In any case, right now I wanted to focus only on forming a strategy for escape.

I had barely managed to find hope.

After that, we talked for several more hours and succeeded in creating a detailed strategy to escape the island. Of course, we would have to wait for about two more days to execute it properly, but there was nothing wrong with being able to prepare thoroughly during that time. After reaching a certain level of agreement, we decided to take a short break.

While my companions were talking amongst themselves, I turned my gaze to Tristan. Fortunately, Tristan’s expression was now much brighter than before.

I couldn’t guess yet whether it was due to the relief of seeing even a little hope, or because he had gained confidence from his opinion being accepted by everyone, but either way, it probably didn’t matter much. What was important was that his mood had improved, even if just a little.

‘I really hope he, at least, doesn’t suffer.’

I don’t care if I end up in a difficult situation, but the one thing I really don’t want to see is Tristan suffering. In the first place, he was here in this world suffering because of my greed.

To bring a person who could have lived happily enough with his reunited partner to a world like this and make him suffer all this time. It was so selfish that I would have no excuse….

“Rohan?”

“…Yes?!”

I was so startled by Tristan’s face, which had suddenly appeared right in front of my nose, that I backed away. I had only been lost in thought for a moment, but I hadn’t even noticed him approaching. Tristan smiled lightly like a child who had succeeded in a prank, and I cleared my throat lightly, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty? Your complexion was very poor earlier.”

“I am fine now. Rather, it is you whose face is very worn.”

Now I’m even being worried about by him. Really, who should be worrying about whom right now! Tristan examined my complexion with a bitter gaze, and I had to turn my head away, trying hard to hide my deepened guilt.

But I couldn’t hurt his feelings any further, so I tried to speak in as gentle a voice as possible. Of course, it was only an attempt.

“Ahem, you don’t have to worry about me. I am fine now, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes. For me, it is more painful to see Your Majesty with such an expression. I apologize if I caused you worry.”

“There is no need for you to apologize. You have done nothing wrong. Rather, now, even if you resent me…”

“…Pardon?”

Wait, I don’t think I heard the last part clearly. Tristan’s face as he turned his head away, mumbling something he was about to say, was so dark that my heart sank.

Wait, did I say something wrong? I tried my best to choose my words, but to think I hurt him despite that, I didn’t want this to happen…. As I hesitated in my confusion, Tristan quietly opened his mouth.

“Rohan, are you really alright?”

“Pardon? Of course, I am alright. Are you alright, Your Majesty?”

“I see.”

At my thoughtless reply, Tristan’s expression brightened back to normal as if by magic. No, strictly speaking, it was a bit much to say ‘back to normal.’ He was certainly smiling brightly as usual, but for some reason, his eyes looked as if they could burst into tears at any moment….

“If you are alright, then I am alright as well.”

“…?”

“What is it? You look as if you have seen something you should not have. In any case, I do hope we escape this island safely.”

Tristan said so and smiled brightly. For some reason, it felt like I shouldn’t pry any further, so I could only nod my head.