Chapter 142
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Chapter 142
23. Sacrifice to Obtain What One Desires
Rumble—
As lightning struck, the Cave collapsed and light seeped through. I could see the sky. Rain still fell outside.
Screech—!
And as though they had been waiting, an enormous horde of Monsters surged toward us.
I had thought destroying the Monster's progenitor would end everything, but perhaps it merely halted their evolution?
Rujeep, who had sealed the Monster's progenitor—the mass of vengeful spirits—had not yet awakened, so this could be the Monsters' final death throes.
Enoch and Kaiden ran, each carrying Diego and Rujeep respectively. I followed in their wake while loading a flare round.
I pulled the hammer back and down, then turned to face the oncoming Monsters and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh—Bang!
Watching the Monster that had rushed toward us burst apart, I reloaded another round. This was troubling—my ammunition was nearly depleted.
The Silver Earthworm coiled around my body spewed flame toward a Monster that had drawn dangerously close.
Whoosh—
Screech!
A couple of grotesquely shaped Monsters fell away. I thanked the Silver Earthworm and ran forward again.
The firefly insects that had been helping us were nowhere to be seen. And before us stretched only an endless Clearing.
'But I do hope Margaret survives. A sort of gamble? Let's call it entertainment. Hold on a little longer. This is Alea Island, after all.'
Alea Island.
From the beginning, creatures like animals or Monsters did not fall under Alea's domain. That was the very meaning of Alea. Gambling and fortune applied only to humans.
'You know there are Monsters roaming this Island, right?'
'They weren't here from the start.'
'...What?'
'At first, they were all ordinary life forms. But they gradually evolved.'
'Monsters?'
'Yes.'
That must be why Jenath could not control the Monsters' evolution. According to Jenath, Monsters themselves were mutations born from Alea's System.
If that were the case, had the vengeful spirits achieved their desires to some degree? And they had even evolved the Monsters. Just how much resentment must have accumulated?
'If it's resentment built up over a thousand years, it might be possible.'
What could possibly be the final purpose of The Experiment? Recalling Kaiden's childhood stories of The Experiment, it seemed this was not something planned by Jenath and Anata alone.
The purpose likely was not for Jenath's personal gain either.
While thinking such thoughts, I loaded another flare round. Then I pulled the hammer back and down, and fired at the Monsters drawing near.
Boom—!
"Damn it, I can't see the path."
Kaiden spoke with urgency in his voice. Above us, the Cave crumbled and massive boulders fell.
Screech!
We were finally surrounded by Monsters. No matter where they came from, no matter how many we killed, there seemed to be no end.
"Margaret, be careful."
Enoch, with Diego slung over his shoulder, pushed me behind his back as he spoke. The situation was dire.
I checked my remaining ammunition. Perhaps fifteen rounds left.
"Margaret, get back."
Enoch set Diego down on the ground, drew his longsword, and walked into the midst of the monsters. Kaiden did likewise, lowering Rujeep to the ground before drawing his dagger.
"Guard this position."
He too wielded his dagger against the monsters.
The Silver Earthworm wrapped around my waist descended to the ground, standing vigilant before Rujeep and Diego, spewing fire each time a monster drew near.
I held the flare gun, providing cover for Enoch and Kaiden as I waited for the monster extermination to end. Yet the creatures poured in ceaselessly, with no end in sight.
As exhaustion began to overwhelm me, my strength waning,
Screeeee—
I lifted my head at the sound from above. There was a flying monster in the sky. A massive bat-shaped creature came diving through the collapsing ceiling.
'Damn it, this feels ominous...?'
I pulled the trigger on the flare gun, striking the bat hurtling toward me. The problem was that there wasn't just one.
As expected, they snatched at my waist.
"XX...!"
I saw the Silver Earthworm startled, hesitating to breathe fire for fear of harming me. The ground receded in an instant as I was lifted away.
I've lost count of how many times I've said this, but is having magical power a crime? Why do these monsters only ever target me?!
"Margaret!"
The two men rushed toward me in alarm, but I was already beyond the reach of their hands, ascending rapidly.
And then,
Whoosh—! Thud!
An arrow that came from nowhere struck the body of the bat that had seized me.
"Aaaah!"
As I squeezed my eyes shut and plummeted, fortunately someone caught me.
"Ugh. Flone Young Lady, it's been a while. Still quite the dramatic entrance, I see. What's this grand welcome for my arrival?"
Haha. I regained my senses to the sound of his carefree laughter.
That voice was not unfamiliar. It was the voice of a man I had forgotten for some time.
The one who caught me as I fell was none other than Asdal.
"Hardtack Prince?"
As I muttered this with a dazed expression, Asdal laughed heartily once more.
"You seem perfectly fine, Young Lady. I knew you would be."
I descended from his embrace with an awkward expression.
Asdal wore cargo pants and a black hoodie. The outfit was utterly at odds with his refined Crown Prince image, yet he carried it off with considerable charm, likely due to his handsome features.
He must have found the supply depot that was supposedly in this area.
"Margaret!"
A woman burst from behind Asdal and embraced me tightly. It was Yuanna.
Like Asdal, she wore a techware-style jumpsuit.
"You're safe! Thank goodness. I knew you would be."
Yuanna grasped both my cheeks and examined my complexion carefully, murmuring to herself.
But when did she start calling me Margaret?
"Margaret!"
"Are you alright?!"
In the distance, I heard the voices of Enoch and Kaiden. Surrounded by monsters, they couldn't advance toward us while protecting Diego and Rujeep.
Yuanna, who had been watching them with a faint smile, let out a soft laugh.
"There's a way out. But first, we need to bring those two here."
With those words, Yuanna pulled an axe from the backpack she was carrying.
'...Wait? An axe?'
Yuanna seemed like a completely different person.
Though she had always been enigmatic, she had maintained a cautious distance before. Now, she was more proactive than anyone else.
She turned to Asdal and instructed him.
"Our prince is injured, so please stay here. I'll go and come back. Just provide cover with the crossbow."
Injured? Now that I thought about it, Asdal's body was covered in wounds. The fact that someone with such fierce pride didn't deny it suggested the injuries were quite serious.
Did they get worse when he caught me as I fell earlier? I seemed to recall him letting out something like a groan when he first greeted me.
Feeling an unexpected pang of guilt, I also asked him to provide cover from behind.
"I'll go with you. I have a weapon too."
I checked my remaining ammunition and waved the flare to show it as I spoke. Yuanna smiled and nodded.
"Let's go."
Swinging an axe to kill monsters proved more difficult than I expected. It required considerable grip strength.
Thwack.
I watched Yuanna bring the axe down on a monster's skull and found myself momentarily speechless. A Holy Maiden wielding an axe to kill monsters.
But there was no time for admiration. Back-to-back with Yuanna, I spun and pulled the trigger of the flare toward the charging monster.
Boom! Bang!
Then again, I was hardly one to judge—a noble Young Lady shooting monsters dead with flares.
After dispatching another monster, Yuanna caught her breath and spoke.
"Even without my memories, I must have thought that subduing the Young Lady was necessary for a peaceful escape."
What? What was she talking about?
"I'll apologize for the earlier rudeness. Aren't we more like excellent partners than that?"
With those words, Yuanna smiled beautifully at me. Soon after, she swung the axe again, severing the body of a centipede-like monster charging toward us.
Could it be... she remembers what happened before the regression?
"...If you possessed such strength all along, why did you only run away until now?"
I ran toward Enoch and Kaiden while questioning Yuanna. She wiped the black blood of the monster from her cheek and answered.
"I didn't have a weapon. I wasn't skilled enough to kill monsters with a harpoon. And I didn't know how to wield a sword."
Thwack!
Whoosh— Boom!
The sound of Yuanna's axe and the explosion of my flares rang out in succession. Yuanna and I gasped for breath and paused briefly.
Enoch and Kaiden were within reach.
"I was someone who lived a life at the bottom. There's nothing I haven't done. A noble Holy Maiden? That's ridiculous."
With those words, Yuanna grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her.
A monster charged toward where I had been standing, but an arrow flew from a distance and lodged itself in the monster's head.
A direct hit.
When I turned my head, I saw Asdal in the distance lowering his crossbow after aiming, and he waved at us.
I suspected that crossbow had probably come from somewhere like the Supply Depot as well.
"Margaret!"
Enoch, who had been mere steps away, rushed over and pulled us toward where the others were gathered.
Kaiden, who had been facing the monster with only his dagger, abandoned it and ran to me, his eyes searching my face before he turned to look at Yuanna with a frown.
"Wait, where did the Holy Maiden suddenly come from?"
"Is now really the time for idle conversation?"
Yuanna answered Kaiden's bewildered question between gasps for breath, pointing toward Diego and Rujeep.
"Both of you—carry these two men on your backs and run. We'll handle the monsters from the front and rear. Don't argue about the danger. There's no other way."
Yuanna spoke with commanding force, then pushed Enoch and Kaiden forward, forcing them to hoist Diego and Rujeep onto their shoulders.
Silver Earthworm approached me, scrambled nimbly up my body, and rested its head against my shoulder.
I quickly took over Yuanna's words before Enoch and Kaiden could voice any objections.
"That's right. The hardtack king—I mean, the Crown Prince is providing cover for us from over there, and we have Silver Earthworm too. Come on, let's run!"
I loaded a flare round and looked at Yuanna. Our eyes met, and she nodded.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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