FSFSLU 25

Chapter 25

I started doing pull-ups.

One of the patients Isabelle had treated was a miner who’d been injured because he lacked arm strength. That made me think—if Isabelle was going to keep carrying her staff around, wouldn’t she need stronger arms too?

So I built a pull-up bar over the sandbox at the playground. But when I tried to move up and down, it felt like my arms would pop out of their sockets, so I decided I should just start with hanging.

I once saw a guy in the hospital rehab room working out as if he were in a full-on gym. He had big muscles and tattoos… but at some point, he stopped showing up. I wonder if he got discharged safely.

“Phew…”

While I was in the middle of hanging for as long as I could, I glanced through the window and saw Isabelle. She had gone into one of the vacant city hall rooms that Thompson had given us. It was apparently a storage room from when city hall used to have more employees, but now everything too difficult to organize was just piled in there.

Isabelle borrowed a mop, cleaned the floor, and as soon as it dried, she started praying for me.

I thought I wouldn’t get many chances to pray here in the Rat Hole, but surprisingly, situations came up more often than I expected.

I climbed down from the pull-up bar too. The results of this workout would be saved for the next quest reward.

“Lord Smiel!”

“Yes, Isabelle.”

How does she stay this energetic? She worked all day, yet she still has this much strength left?

“I saw the quest! You said we have to find the Demon Sword by tomorrow morning, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a great idea! But can we really find it all in one night?”

“We can. I know the way to find it, so tonight, we’ll sneak out of city hall.”

I answered while watching her expression.

She still hadn’t noticed.

There had to be a reason she was suddenly being driven out like this. No doubt Gerolt had threatened Thompson.

For all I knew, Lilton’s severed finger wasn’t from mishandling a kitchen knife—it was probably Gerolt’s doing.

No, more than likely, that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t know the details, but the best way to pressure Thompson—the Rat Hole’s puppet manager—would be to use the one person in the city who truly served him: Lilton.

And by torturing Lilton, Gerolt could’ve pried out information, like how Thompson had once released slimes to check his power.

So rather than calling it misfortune, I should see being forced out tomorrow morning as a stroke of luck.

We weren’t being kicked out immediately—we had until tomorrow morning. We had to make use of that.

That meant tonight, everything had to be settled.

“But Lord Smiel, what did I do wrong?”

Isabelle looked upset, close to tears.

“The treatments all went well… Was Lilton actually in more pain but just enduring it?”

“No, Isabelle. Thompson was just… pressured. By Gerolt.”

Isabelle narrowed her eyes fiercely. Even when she tried to look angry, she only looked cute.

I guess first impressions really are powerful.

“Gerolt did this? How awful! I want to punish him!”

“Me too. But right now, it’ll be hard. We’ll think about it later.”

“Yes! But Lord Smiel, say I really do find the Demon Sword tonight…”

Still fuming, Isabelle suddenly seemed to realize something.

“How can we deal with it in just one day?”

Hmm.

That was the troublesome part.

Originally, we had been granted five days’ stay. The plan was: while we did volunteer work in the Rat Hole, Marcel would search for the Holy Sword, and we would hunt for the Demon Sword.

But I hadn’t expected finding the Demon Sword itself to take long. I already knew its location and how to find it—one day would be enough.

The problem was that the Demon Sword was hidden inside the Dragon-Scale Cavern.

Three hundred years ago, the Allied Forces had hidden it there to keep it from the remnants of the Demon Lord’s army. Dragon scales are tougher than any material and, more importantly, immune to both magic and holy power.

The Dragon-Scale Cavern is a tunnel with its walls completely lined with dragon scales. The sword’s magic couldn’t leak out through them. To store such a dangerously corrupting sword, this was essential.

Even in the first round, Daike only got his hands on it because part of the cavern collapsed during an earthquake.

So even if Isabelle found the sword, she’d face the problem of breaking through the cavern walls alone.

If we had more time, we could’ve spent days chipping away with pickaxes or something. But now, that wasn’t an option. No wonder Isabelle was concerned.

“Let’s give up on destroying the Demon Sword, Isabelle. Instead, once we locate it tonight, tomorrow morning as soon as we leave the Rat Hole, we’ll head straight to the Tetina Church. There are plenty of holy knights there. We’ll explain everything and get their help.”

“What if the knights don’t believe me?”

“You’re the envoy of an angel. Just tell them I revealed it to you.”

“Ah, I see!”

She finally looked relieved.

“So first, we need to go find Liz.”

We had originally planned to eat and rest with Liz’s family after today’s work. But now that Gerolt’s faction was blocking our contacts, we had no choice but to change plans.

Isabelle looked disappointed, but there was nothing we could do.

“If we don’t tell her, Liz might wait for us. We should go let her know so she doesn’t.”

“By tomorrow, we’ll have to leave the city… I won’t be able to see Liz, or Jeremy, or Yan anymore…”

Her face was full of sadness.

“Couldn’t we just play together one last time…?”

I couldn’t answer easily.

What should I say? In the first round, Liz had been discarded and killed by Gerolt. She and Isabelle wouldn’t have been close anyway.

The only reason I’d hoped they’d get along was because, among Gerolt’s group, Liz was the least likely to bully Isabelle.

The two of them becoming friends was good—but leaving like this would hurt them both.

“…It’s okay, Isabelle.”

I spoke firmly.

“Once we find the sword’s location, even if we’re forced out tomorrow, we’ll return with the holy knights. We can meet her again then.”

“Do you really think so…?”

“Gerolt only took over the Rat Hole to find the sword. If we find it first and hand it to the Church, he’ll be in huge trouble. That’s when we’ll expose all of his crimes. We’ll make sure he’s thrown in prison.”

I purposely spoke brightly.

I didn’t know it at the time, but everything I said was just to reassure Isabelle.

“Excuse meee, Hero—no, I mean, Marcel!”

Isabelle cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the bubbling waters of the Tames River.

After a moment, Marcel surfaced, looking exhausted as he pushed through the dark current.

He pulled a sprig of Starfall flower from under his tongue, held it between his fingers, and leaned on his wrist for support.

“You called me?”

“Have you seen Liz?”

Wiping oil from his face, Marcel asked nervously, “Since you told me to find the Holy Sword, I haven’t taken a break. Do I need to look for Liz too?”

“Oh! No, no. You just keep looking for the sword! I’ll find Liz!”

She shouted confidently, but Marcel gave her a long look before asking,

“Something wrong?”

Isabelle froze.

She had expected to stay in this city longer. She never thought the Holy Sword would be found in a single day. She had planned to linger.

But now, that wasn’t possible.

So she needed to tell Marcel what to do after she was gone.

She thought carefully about how to say it.

“I-Isabelle?”

“Wait! I’m thinking.”

“You are?”

“Yes!”

In truth, she was just waiting for Smiel to send her a quest.

Thankfully, Smiel seemed to be watching her.

[If the Holy Sword isn’t found by tomorrow morning, teach Marcel to tell Gote that he’s searching for it. (0/1)]

Isabelle didn’t know this, but in the first round, Gote had seen Marcel draw the sword and entrusted him with his dying wish to protect the world. He knew about the sword, so even if Isabelle left, he could help.

“Marcel! If you can’t find the sword by tomorrow morning, tell Gote you’re searching for it! He’ll definitely help!”

“Even if I don’t find it by then, you want me to keep scouring the riverbed until I do?”

“Yes!”

She tilted her head. Marcel’s face looked so troubled.

“…Isabelle, I know you gave me a blessing that lasts five days, but you realize I can’t just spend all five days underwater, right?”

He looked up at her with a bitter smile.

He had mixed feelings. The bright, radiant priestess hardly knew him at all—the mudlark of the Rat Hole.

How much could she really know about him? And how great was this so-called angel she believed in, that she could trust so completely?

Her faith in him as the Hero was so strong he couldn’t bring himself to break it.

The truth was, he wasn’t searching for the sword because he believed he could find it… but because he didn’t want to disappoint her.

“I was happy when you said I was the Hero. And when you healed old man Gote too. But… I can’t cling to this alone. Being a mudlark is just a side job—I still need to go back to the mines. So… don’t rely on me too much.”

He looked up at her as he spoke.

And almost slipped right back into the Tames.

He lost his grip when he saw Isabelle’s face.

She was staring down at him with tears brimming, about to spill.

“How could I not rely on you…”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Marcel almost reached to wipe them, but stopped when he saw his hands were filthy with river muck, hastily pulling them back—nearly falling again.

He was flustered. Hadn’t she cried the day they first met too?

“How could I not rely on you? You’re the Hero…”

Isabelle had seen everything. Marcel saving her when she was surrounded by monsters, Marcel fighting the Demon Lord, Marcel leading the Hero’s Party.

The idea that he might fail to find the Holy Sword? That he might not pass its trial? She never once considered it.

She simply believed. She believed in the Marcel she had seen with her own eyes.

And in the time she had spent as his companion.

Marcel didn’t fully understand her heart, but he wasn’t so clumsy that he’d keep complaining after seeing her tears.

“D-Don’t worry, Isabelle. I’ll keep looking. Mining work is tough, sure, but it doesn’t mean I’ll have no time. If your angel says I’ll find it, then… I have to believe it.”

Isabelle rubbed her eyes a little more. Marcel looked at her sadly, wondering if he’d let her down.

As he hesitated, he noticed Jeremy walking by behind her.

“Ah, Jeremy!”

“Hm? Hey, why are you in there! You’ll catch—ah, never mind, you’re with the priestess.”

Jeremy waved and ran toward them.

“Have you seen Liz? You two are always together!”

“I’ve been looking too, but she’s nowhere! She disappeared before we finished sorting supplies at the shelter, and still hasn’t shown up…”

Jeremy glanced at Isabelle, suddenly realizing.

He already knew. Isabelle would be gone tomorrow.

And guilt weighed on him. No one had changed this city as much as she had—yet here they were, driving her out.

“…Sister, I’ll pass on the message to Liz. Don’t worry about it and head back in.”

“Okay! Thank you for helping me today, Jeremy!”

“Haven’t I heard that thanks like ten times already…?”

She smiled, then skipped off toward city hall. Marcel and Jeremy silently watched her go.

“…Marcel. You sure it’s okay to be diving like this?”

“Isabelle’s blessing makes it doable.”

“You didn’t tell your brother?”

“Daike hasn’t finished work yet.”

“When did you get so casual with the priestess?”

“Huh?”

“She looked like she was crying just now.”

“W-What?”

“Did you make her cry?”

Marcel froze under Jeremy’s sharp glare. He couldn’t think of a reply. To answer honestly might mean spilling everything about the Holy Sword too.

So Marcel—

Splash!

—chose to dive under again.

Jeremy’s indignant shouts echoed from above the surface. They weren’t words he could completely ignore.