A Distant Reverie

Chapter 35

"Ngh..."

The cultist groaned as he drew his last dying breath. The sword that had pierced his heart was pried out of his body. Without anything to stop his fall, the cultist collapsed. His blood slowly seeped into the rain-soaked earth, joining his fellow adherents who all met a similar fate. The ground was already littered with corpses wrapped in ebon cloaks.

Marine gave her sword a firm swing to shake off the blood and bits that had clung to the blade. A faint buzz coursed through her arms. The tips of her fingers quivered incessantly, refusing to remain still. When her surroundings remained quiet, Marine let out a deep breath. The damp, temperate air felt suffocating as it filled her lungs, granting her the briefest of respite.

She glanced down at her blade. She could feel it. Her sword was starting to dull. She had to thrust with more force than usual to cut flesh and bone. The compromise was to use more strength and energy, and the aftermath was starting to wear her down.

When was the last time I fought for this long?

Marine wiped the side of her face with her sleeves. Blood, sweat, and rain from an entire night of fighting had coalesced on the surface of her skin. For the first time in ages, she felt gross. Like a barbarian who had no qualms wading in their own filth. She was a pirate, mind you, and there were very few opportunities for a good cleaning aboard a ship at sea. Marine didn't want to admit it, but she was well-accustomed to this sort of unkempt environment. But even so, she couldn't help but feel disgusted by the grime all over her body.

There was some faint shuffling behind her. Marine turned around, unfazed. A set of familiar faces emerged from the undergrowth. Reine stepped out into the open, accompanied by her three knights. Her face was wrought with fatigue. Cuts and tears sullied her formerly pristine clothes. The lady looked like she had just stepped out from hell, but Marine felt no sympathy for her. This was her idea after all—to raid the cultist's stronghold in search of the missing princess.

"...I'm impressed," Reine said. Marine smirked. The corners of Reine's lips were faintly trembling. The noblewoman was trying her hardest to stay indifferent at the carnage sprawled before her.

"I can count on one hand the number of people in the kingdom who might be your match. Just how did someone like you remain unknown?"

Because I arrived in this world earlier today.

How bizarre of a statement would that be? Marine was almost tempted to speak the truth just to witness Reine's reaction.

"Thanks for the flattery, but I only take praises in gold," she replied, making sure to stay consistent with her cover as a wandering mercenary.

"Yes, of course."

Reine carefully stepped past the slew of corpses obstructing the ground. Before them was the entrance to a cave. Reine reached out with her hands while staring at the ring on her index finger. There was a gray gem affixed to the center of the ring. Marine learned that it was called a wayfarer stone. It was utilized as a tool to approximate a person's relative distance to someone who also possessed a similar wayfarer stone. The closer the stones were to each other, the faster it would pulsate.

"So?"

"I think she's inside. The stone's pulse is getting stronger," Reine replied.

Fun.

Marine frowned as she scanned the entrance of the cave. She had her own share of unpleasant experience with them. The narrow spaces, dim illuminations, and unpredictable terrain made caves extremely difficult to infiltrate. With the threat of traps and ambushes, it was going to be a bloody raid, and this was before considering that they were going in blind with only a pulsating stone to find their target.