26 – Mine (4)
My leg feels strange. Tetis Libra trembled.
Drakan supported her by the side, but I couldn’t tell if it was really Drakan.
Darkness.
Only darkness.
I can’t… see anything…
“Dr… Drakan…”
“Yes.”
The response came. Tetis Libra limped and continued to move forward.
Her left leg. It seemed like some part of it was injured. Was it from being bitten by an unknown spider-like creature when I thought it stung?
I don’t know. I couldn’t predict what would happen since I couldn’t examine the wound.
“I… I can’t die here.”
“……”
“I don’t want to die…”
A vague emotion approached in front of me. Anxious thoughts continued to arise.
What if this darkness continues? With no provisions now, what should we fill our bellies with?
What would she do if her subordinates abandoned her? Can she fully trust someone who has never treated her well?
Doubt.
Just doubt.
Tetis Libra gasped for breath. She felt nauseous at the thought that had just crossed her mind.
What kind of thought was that?
To doubt the subordinate who supports her… and yet claim to be qualified as a commander?
“……”
Her head felt strange. She realized that her judgment had been clouded in such a critical situation.
Stay calm.
Think rationally.
Tetis Libra took a deep breath.
“…How far away are we from the surface?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you speculate where we are?”
“I’m not sure.”
Tetis Libra searched her pockets. All her weapons were soaked. The tools she had brought were no different.
However, it didn’t mean they were completely useless.
Tetis Libra took out a wet lighter. After flicking the flint, a fire ignited.
For the first time, the confined space became visible.
“…Phew.”
Her mind calmed down as the light returned. Tetis Libra quickly looked around.
An unorganized cave. It seemed to stretch endlessly somewhere. There was only one direction and one path.
Suddenly, something bumped against her foot. Tetis Libra quickly extinguished the fire.
“…Eek.”
She involuntarily let out a gasp. Below her were nothing but stripped bones. Torn and tattered clothes were scattered around.
“Could this be… the remains of those who were eaten…?”
“Hush.”
Drakan whispered.
“Extinguish the fire, Lieutenant.”
“Ha, but…”
“There’s something. It’s watching us.”
Drakan clutched the lighter in his hand.
“Extinguish the light. Right now.”
. . .
It’s not just a simple cave.
The glimpse of the interior that I saw for a moment was painted in darkness. Even though the flame of the lighter lit up, it couldn’t reach far.
A structure that absorbed light.
It felt artificially made.
…Above all else.
That gaze from earlier.
It wasn’t clearly visible. But it was as certain as something existing beyond the darkness.
I turned my steps around.
We must retreat for now.
“Let’s go back.”
“Ha, but…there’s only one direction…”
Ignoring her words, I forcefully pulled her along. It seemed like she also felt something and reluctantly followed me.
We retraced our steps.
To completely go back, we had to cross the water once more. But as someone with an injured leg, she couldn’t cross the river.
I stopped when the water soaked the ends of my boots.
“Please, light the fire for a moment.”
“…Didn’t you mention there was a gaze earlier?”
“I just want to briefly check the terrain.”
She lit the lighter. Once again, the surrounding terrain came into view for a moment.
A place similar to earlier. But among them, there was one spot that seemed especially hollowed out. It looked a bit cramped, but suitable enough to hide one’s body.
I felt the gaze. I quickly extinguished the light again.
I slowly moved towards where it had been seen.
“So…you saw the entire terrain in that brief moment?”
Only my senses were sharp.
“Focus on walking.”
Limping was more serious than I thought. It seems like the pain is worse than expected.
I safely entered through the crack. Now it’s time to check again. I put down the pieces of clothing I brought with me on the floor.
I took off my military jacket that I was wearing. I covered the part that connects to the outside and asked her to light the lighter.
The flames rose. I counted silently.
I counted up to ten but couldn’t feel any gaze. The soaked military jacket, which I had barely twisted to block, seemed to completely shield the light.
“…It’s cramped.”
As my vision returned, Tetis Libra’s voice stabilized. I took off her combat boots.
“What, what are you doing?”
“I’m examining your wounds.”
It didn’t seem as bad as I expected. Just a little scratched. It didn’t look like a wound from a venomous spider.
For a moment, she was engulfed in a black wave, yet there wasn’t a single minor injury. Is it good luck or bad luck?
Since I didn’t have any medical supplies, I tore a part of my shirt. I compressed and wrapped her ankle.
“…T-Thank you…”
She coughed. Her body trembled as if she was feeling cold.
I wanted to make a big fire, but it was impossible. I could burn the dried-out clothes outside, but then I would have to remove the clothes I hung at the entrance to deal with the smoke.
Then the light would seep out.
“Come over here.”
“What, what?”
“Or maybe I should go.”
I had to save fuel. I blew out the lighter after lighting it. I approached her and took off her clothes.
“W-What?!”
“Do you want to freeze to death?”
She wasn’t the only one who was cold. I also had to maintain my body temperature.
Even for a creature of her kind, the cold was biting. She could endure longer than other species, but how long we would be here was uncertain.
I could only do my best.
There was only one way to maintain body temperature in a place where I couldn’t light a proper fire. It was to roughly take off the wet clothes and place them next to us, then wrap ourselves around each other.
“…Th-This is disrespectful…”
“Please be quiet.”
“Uh…”
I embraced Tetis Libra as she was. Our flesh touched.
The s*xual desire was writhing, but given the circumstances, he didn’t reach out his hand. And a woman still remained in his heart.
We warmed each other’s bodies with our body heat. Tetis Libra hesitantly moved her body backward.
“You have to stick close to maintain body heat.”
“I-I’m fine…”
“I’m cold.”
He held Tetis Libra even tighter. She made a swallowing sound.
“…Oh, this situation…”
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“I-imposing…”
We embraced each other like that for a while.
I understand why Abacusa likes this so much.
Definitely…
It’s big.
The volume is quite substantial. If it had been visible, there would probably have been a lot of movement.
“……”
“……”
Time passed. The tense Tetis Libra soon fell asleep groaning.
Is she tired? Well, not accumulating mental fatigue is strange.
Still, she has some nerve. Falling asleep here.
But it’s not time to sleep.
“Captain.”
“Huh?! Ah, I wasn’t sleeping!”
“Let’s exchange information.”
Most I’ve seen too. But just because of that, doesn’t mean my thoughts are entirely correct.
She might have seen something I didn’t.
It didn’t seem good to linger for a long time here. There are limits to the lighter’s fuel and…
There was also nothing edible in the vicinity.
. . .
At the end of the information exchange, two things were definitely clear.
First, the external eye spider.
It was their vulnerability to light.
“I broke my headlights first.”
“It must have been a spider that hit me on the head while falling.”
“Rather than being sensitive to light…”
“It seems right to see it as a weakness.”
The second one was water.
“The spiders that climbed on Captain disappeared into the water.”
“And the fact that we don’t see a single spider around here…”
“Water must also be a weakness.”
It might be closer to say “unable to swim.”
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Regardless, I obtained two weapons. That should be enough.
The most concerning thing was the “gaze,” but there was no way to find out about it.
“Drakan.”
She, who had regained composure, gave instructions.
“I found remnants of clothes on the corpse earlier. Set fire to them to secure visibility. Secure as much light as possible and wrap the remaining clothes around the end of your rifle, then transfer the fire. “
“Then I won’t be able to shoot my gun.”
“Give me the spare magazine. Once you secure visibility, I’ll shoot. Fortunately, it seems like the moisture has dried, so my gun should work properly. I scored close to perfect in night shooting. Trust me.”
Looks like she’s not completely clueless.
I handed her my spare magazine. She wraps the remnants of clothes around the end of her rifle and ignites it.
How long would it take to ignite the clothes with the lighter flame? Meanwhile, should we just leave our “gaze” alone?
“…We have to use the oil inside the lighter.”
“What do you mean?”
“To properly secure visibility, we need to ignite the fire all at once. Since we can’t delay it carelessly, we pour some of the oil from the lighter onto the remnants.”
“You’re quick-witted. That’s a good idea.”
In the darkness, Tetis Libra sighed.
“I thought the first mission would at least be a proper battlefield…It’s absurd to have to confront monsters instead of humans in a mine like this. Ridiculous.”
“…….?”
“What’s your reaction?”
“I was surprised by your uncharacteristic words, Captain.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I thought you would follow orders,” she said.
“I also have likes and dislikes. Drakan. I’m just hiding my emotions,” he replied.
Tetis Libra turned her body around. The sharpness in her words struck a nerve.
“A soldier must obey orders. That
Suddenly, a feeling of being abruptly awakened washes over me.
To promise to protect.
She came to mind. Unpleasant memories stirred.
“It’s alright.”
I turned my head.
“Captain should only worry about their own life.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on dying.”
“…Tsk.”
I knew it in my head. To survive, one must not become attached to others.
But when I hear those words right in front of me…
Although it’s inefficient, I end up doing it.
“…….”
…Indeed.
It doesn’t feel good when someone familiar dies in front of you.
Let’s try it.
Finding a way for the two of us to live together.