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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“Ronchevich! Pichoni!”
Wagner’s voice rose in excitement at the sight of his missing companions.
Ronchevich and Pichoni, initially staring at him in stunned silence, dropped their swords and rushed to embrace him.
“Wagner! You’re alive…!”
The three men held each other close, savoring the reunion.
Ronchevich, clinging to Wagner’s neck, had tears in his eyes.
“We thought you were dead, you know!”
“Yeah! Where the hell have you been?”
Thought I was dead?
Apparently, Ronchevich, separated in their escape, believed Wagner had perished.
It had been a long time since Ronchevich and Pichoni had formed a party with Wagner.
He was their valued leader.
They had wanted to search, but stranded as just the two of them, they hadn’t dared to move.
Once the initial excitement subsided, Wagner explained everything.
How he had escaped the cave after being separated from them, returned to Tillasden, and assembled a new rescue party.
And how that party had brought him back to this very spot.
As Ronchevich and Pichoni listened with wide eyes, Wagner remembered something crucial he needed to share.
“Iyer’s here, too.”
“…Iyer?”
Pichoni’s face hardened.
Iyer’s presence was a sensitive subject for Wagner’s party.
No one ever spoke his name first.
It represented the single, unpleasant blemish on the history of Tillasden’s most renowned adventuring party.
Wagner himself hadn’t spoken of Iyer since his departure, but now, he felt, was the time.
“And he was the first to insist on rescuing you.”
“……”
“When we get back safely…let’s do what’s right. I’ll be there with you.”
Both Ronchevich and Pichoni turned away.
Their expressions spoke of a deep, shared wound.
They both knew the truth: Iyer had left to prevent the party from fracturing completely.
In essence, it had been because of them that Iyer had made that sacrifice.
He could have harbored resentment, and rightfully so.
Yet, he had been the one most eager to search for them.
Ronchevich, his back to Wagner, muttered,
“…He’s always poking at our insecurities, that guy.”
First, it was their skills that paled in comparison, then their character.
And now, even in his absence, Iyer’s actions were a stark reminder of their shortcomings.
Pichoni, trailing behind Ronchevich, beckoned Wagner forward.
“…Come on, Wagner. There’s something we need to show you.”
“Show me?”
Now that Wagner looked closely, he noticed that Ronchevich and Pichoni appeared remarkably well considering they’d been gone for more than ten days.
While undeniably grimy, they didn’t appear malnourished.
Their rations wouldn’t have lasted that long, even carefully divided.
Following Ronchevich and Pichoni deeper into the cave, Wagner witnessed an unbelievable sight.
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“Ugh, ugh…”
Guinness groaned with each step, her small cries echoing behind him.
He marveled at her resilience.
If it were him, he’d be screaming bloody murder.
All he could do was get Guinness out as quickly as possible.
Nothing else mattered.
He set down the improvised stretcher and knelt beside her.
As he feared, Guinness was drenched in sweat.
Even the pain-relieving herbs wouldn’t erase the agony of being dragged across the cave floor.
It was a testament to her will that she hadn’t broken down completely.
Guinness’s eyes fluttered open.
“How…how much further…?”
“About halfway there.”
“Alright…”
She closed her eyes again after her weak reply.
‘I’m sorry, Guinness. We’re not even close to halfway.’
He couldn’t tell her the truth.
She needed hope, however small, to keep going.
He would apologize later, face whatever wrath she might unleash.
Silently begging forgiveness, he pulled a small cloth from his bag and wiped the sweat from her face.
The cloth was soaked almost instantly.
She had to be in excruciating pain.
He couldn’t imagine her suffering.
After wiping her face and offering her water, he stood and faced forward.
Though shrouded in darkness, he could feel the destination he’d discovered earlier.
If he could reach it, they could escape.
He could bring Wagner and the others out, too.
“Let’s get going.”
He hoisted the makeshift stretcher, and Guinness’s soft moans began anew.
Just a little longer, Guinness.
I’ll buy you the best meal when we get back.
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Wagner stared at the meadow before him, speechless.
If Iyer were here, he’d probably be laughing, saying, “A meadow, in a cave?” But there it was.
The cavern’s ceiling blocked out the sky, but vibrant flowers and grasses carpeted the ground, creating a jarring contrast.
“…Can flowers grow without sunlight?”
“No.”
Ronchevich stated the obvious. And yet, there it was, defying logic.
The surprises continued.
Deeper inside the cavern, Wagner heard the murmur of voices.
“Ronchevich! Pichoni!”
People.
At least fifteen of them.
They rushed towards Ronchevich and Pichoni, relief flooding their faces.
Pichoni calmed the excited group, then introduced Wagner.
“This is Wagner. He’s a comrade who came with us, and the leader of our rescue party.”
“A rescue party…does that mean we can get out of here?!”
“Perhaps.”
Pichoni’s words sparked a wave of joyous exclamations and clasped hands.
Hearing their desperate pleas, Wagner realized who they were.
“Pichoni. Are these people…?”
Pichoni nodded, anticipating the question.
“They’re the ones reported missing. Some didn’t survive the monster attacks, but most are here.”
“How…?”
Pichoni and Ronchevich admitted they didn’t know the full story.
They had confirmed signs of previous inhabitants in the large chamber they initially occupied.
Trapped by monsters, they had rationed their supplies and waited for days.
They were discovered by the others when their food ran out.
Seeing them from the ledge above, the others helped them climb up.
“Most of them fled the monsters along the passages and ended up here. Do you have any idea what this cave is?”
“A living cave, right?”
“Yes. For some reason, it seems to be gathering people here. And…”
Pichoni walked to a corner of the cavern and lifted a cloth, revealing a cluster of purple fruits.
“We’ve been surviving on these fruits and other edible plants that grow here.”
“……”
“Strange, isn’t it? Fruits growing in the middle of a cave.”
Wagner understood how they had survived.
While the fruits alone wouldn’t provide balanced nutrition, the calories and liquid were enough to sustain them.
“So you were trapped here by the monsters.”
“…Wagner. Did you see ‘it’ on your way here?”
Ronchevich’s tone was serious.
“If you mean the Sandworm, we managed to drive it off. Didn’t kill it, though.”
“I’m not talking about the Sandworm. I guess you didn’t see it.”
Ronchevich’s words filled Wagner with a sense of unease.
What else could be so threatening, aside from the Sandworm?
“The monsters are keeping us trapped here, yes, but the bigger problem is something that roams around here.”
“Who is this ‘something’ you’re talking about?”
“…I think it’s the one controlling this strange cave.”
The cave’s master.
That’s how Ronchevich described it.
The source of the cave’s unnatural existence and the being that gathered the monsters within.
It sounded outlandish, but Ronchevich and Pichoni’s expressions were grim.
“That’s why we moved here from the chamber. It would show up there sometimes.”
“…Show up in the chamber?”
“Yes. We managed to hide each time, but…”
A chill ran down Wagner’s spine.
Kundt and Wolf Who Chases the Wind were still in that chamber, waiting for him.
If they encountered this “cave master” unaware…
“Ronchevich! Pichoni!”
Wagner’s sudden shout startled them.
“We have to go back! Now! Follow me!”
Bad premonitions were always the most accurate.
Praying he was wrong, Wagner raced back towards the ledge, Ronchevich and Pichoni on his heels.
He burst through the passage, scrambled up the sloped ledge, and looked down.
“Wagner!”
Kundt, hammer in hand, and Wolf Who Chases the Wind stood facing something.
Kundt’s desperate shout was filled with urgency.
No wonder.
What stood before Kundt and Wolf was a monster almost the size of the Sandworm.
“Of all the things to encounter here…!”
Wolf’s frustrated growl reached Wagner.
He shared the sentiment.
Before Kundt and Wolf stood a massive sand giant.
While resembling the Sandman they’d fought earlier, this was something entirely different.
Creeeak
The giant moved, its joints grating like unoiled gears.
A massive fist rose high, then slammed into the ground.
The impact sent tremors through the cavern, a cloud of sand exploded outwards like a miniature sandstorm.
The colossal sand giant, a Sand Golem, looked down at them.
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[Is teh cave farming humans??? pretty cool concept]
