CH 39

Chapter 39 - From Ilstadt to the Fort

Under Thomas’ lead, the group continued to move at a brisk pace. In order to avoid exhaustion, the conversation was kept to the bare essentials, such as introductions, confirmation of skills, and battle formations.

It was dusk, and the purple sky was clear and cloudless, but I wasn’t in the mood for star gazing at the moment.

“…… There’s a campsite. Let’s rest here until early morning. I’ll keep watch. Thomas-kun and Rebecca-kun must be exhausted from the round trip. Please get some rest right away.”

They continued walking, and as night fell and the date was about to change, Souya suggested that they prepare for camp. Souya, Mia, and Merylou made the preparations, and Thomas and Rebecca, who were very tired, went to bed immediately.

“Mia-kun, you had also used Cure Wounds and should be exhausted. Don’t stand guard and get some rest.”

“I’m sorry, Souya-san. I’ll take your word for it.”

After picking up the firewood, Mia also finished her prayer briefly, spread out her blanket and prepared for bed.

“…… So it’s two shifts for me and Souya …… Okay, I’ll go to bed first. Wake me up at a reasonable time.”

She took off her hair strap and wrapped herself in a blanket from her luggage.

As his companions went to bed, Souya sat on his stump, his hands folded, staring at the flickering flames.

The faint warmth of the fire and the cool breeze of the night chill were comforting. If it weren’t for this situation, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to gaze at the stars and enjoy the atmosphere, but I can’t help but feel a little choked up.

(This is my second request …… I think you’re being very mean. Goddess, isn’t this a little too accidental?)

In the flickering flames, the face of the goddess Eris comes to mind vaguely. Now that I think about it, even after I returned to this world, I sometimes saw her in my dreams. However, Souya, whose memory had slipped, did not know who it was for a long time.

(I’m not getting any younger. Can’t you at least let me live a leisurely, slow life for my second transfer to another world?)

Souya had a fantasy of living a leisurely life with Mia, Merylou, and the others in a quiet village, making convenient use of magic. I’m sure that mean goddess won’t let me do that. It’s not that I don’t remember anything about it, so I won’t say that I have any grudge against her, but this is a bit hard.

“Merylou-kun. Please wake up.”

“Hmmm …… Souya …… what do you want from me?”

“It’s time.”

Souya pinched both of Merylou’s cheeks with a straight face, and the sleepy Merylou came to her senses, jumped up in a panic and prepared herself. 

“I’m going to rest now. If you notice anything, please wake me up immediately.”

“Hey …… Souya, honestly. What do you really think? …… Do you think their friends are going to make it?”

Merylou was staring at the fire with a serious expression. She didn’t seem very interested, but was she that curious?

“I’ll have to observe it to be sure.”

“I think it’s going to be tough …… Mia seems to believe they will, but this is one of those things where prayer alone won’t help …… Well, Thomas and Rebecca doesn’t seem as bad as I thought they would, so I hope they can handle it.”

Merylou had a dry personality. If you’re a stray Wood Elf who sees life as a curse, your view of life and death may be completely different.

I was in the mood to talk to Merylou some more, but I didn’t have time for that right now. Souya took off his glasses, wrapped his cloak around his body, and fell into a shallow sleep.

The next day. Early in the morning, we started our forced march again under Thomas’ lead. Having discussed the bare minimum the day before, everyone was less talkative on the second day.

Thanks to their haste, the group was able to reach the fort safely before the setting sun fell in the west.

“By the way, where’s the pattern that Thomas-kun’s friend identified as the presence of a Dark Priest?”

“Ahhh …… Souya-san, it’s that. Look at the door.”

Thomas was pointing to a two-story high castle wall with the appearance of an ancient castle. On the wooden door, there were some evil patterns and unfamiliar letters painted with red and black dye. Souya activated the Translation, one of the functions of the glasses given to him by the goddess Eris.

“…… Death. Curse. Rupture. Destruction. Misery. Annihilation. End. A curse of destruction …… Dark letters of the God of Destruction Ragnus. If there is a Dark Priest of the God of Destruction Ragnus, it’s troublesome.”

It was said that Ragnus, the God of Destruction, was one of the most troublesome ones. The doctrine is that he desires the destruction of everything in the world, and the target of his ultimate destruction is no exception, not even himself.

When Mia heard the name of Ragnus, the God of Destruction, she looked at him suspiciously. It was naturally at odds with the teachings of the Earth Mother Goddess Mikaela, who praised the blessings of the earth. But it would be difficult to find a god who is not at odds with Ragnus, the God of Destruction, who desires the destruction of all.

“Well, let’s get ready to move in — Stone lump. Become soldiers and obey my command. [Rock Golem].”

Souya grabbed a random in the ground and created two rock golems.

“Ohhh. There’s two of them, Souya.”

“I’m going to let one of them walk in front and use them as decoys for surprise attacks and traps. The other one will be placed in the rear to protect the rear guard.”

“I see. What about the wind spirit Sylph?”

“You’ll have to use up some of your magic power, so don’t worry about that just yet. –Rebecca-kun, can you help me with the lighting?”

Rebecca nodded at Souya’s request and raised her magician’s staff, chanting.

“–Be a light in the darkness. “Lighting.”

As Rebecca finished her chant, two small balls of light floated up and drifted fluently in the sky, illuminating the two stone soldier rock golems.

“It’s a good job. The light source is just right, you might be more familiar with it than I am.”

When Souya praised her, Rebecca felt relieved that she had accomplished her minimal task. At her side, Mia was finishing the preparation of a Western lantern that she planned to use as a backup light source.

“Order. Rock Golem A. Destroy the door at the front.”

Souya gave the order to the Rock Golem A in the vanguard, approached the wooden door with the curse written on it at the entrance of the fort, and slammed its stone fist into it repeatedly in the same motion. The wooden door, which may have deteriorated over time, was literally torn to pieces.

“…… There seemed to be no enemies near the entrance. Considering the size of the fort, the goblins may have been mostly taken care of by Thomas-kun and the others.”

Souya drew his saber. Thomas and Merylou also have large and small bows at the ready. Rock Golem B is at the rear of Mia and Rebecca with their staff ready.

“Well then, let’s move in.”