Chapter 122 - <11>
When they reached the exit of the cave, the rain was already coming down in earnest. Finally let down from Lef's shoulder, Franz shivered at the sight.
The ceaseless sound of water hitting the surface of the lake became a clamor that further stirred his anxious heart, filling the forest. Though it was still time for the sunset, it was already dim all around.
"This is… not good."
"Yeah, it's not."
Ritz and Lef shouted to each other to be heard over the sound of the rain. Franz nodded silently. The worst-case scenario they had imagined was happening right before their eyes. They would have to hurry.
"Lef, go on ahead and lift Franz up."
"Yes."
Lef gave a short reply and then, in one go, climbed up the cliff where Franz couldn't see any footholds at all. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared into the dim, splashing water.
"I'm counting on you."
Ritz said in a low voice and took out the rope he had been carrying on his shoulder.
"Sorry. No time for a practice run."
Ritz skillfully tied the rope around the waist of Franz, who had been staring blankly at the dark, rainy gloom. That finally brought him back to his senses. It seemed he was going to be pulled up by Lef with this.
In a situation where a delay could be fatal, even Franz had absolutely no intention of resisting out of pride or anything else.
Silently being wrapped in the rope, he looked at the Sara-chan lamp in his hand. It seemed a little weak. Come to think of it, he had heard from Orphe that the power of fire spirits weakens when the influence of water spirits is strong. This must be that situation.
"That should do it."
Franz, who had been lost in thought, was brought back to his senses as his waist was cinched tightly at Ritz's words. He touched the rope he was tied with and could feel that it was tied with considerable force to prevent him from falling.
"Alright. Put your feet on the cliff and climb up as Lef pulls. It's faster than just dangling on a vertical cliff."
"Got it."
"Grab the rope above where it's tied to your waist. Preferably above your chest. In this rain, losing your balance could be fatal."
"Yeah."
Remembering the height from when they came, he swallowed hard. Fear crept up from his feet, but this was no time to be scared.
"We're in a bit of a hurry. Sorry, but I can't tell you to take your time."
With a stern tone, Ritz looked up at the top of the cliff. Following his gaze, he saw that the red earth of the cliff was slowly crumbling under the heavy rain. There was no doubt the footing was bad. As he continued to look up at the top of the cliff in silence, a large drop of rain fell on him and streamed down his face. It was a terrible rain. And it was already so dark that Sara-chan's lamp could only illuminate a very short distance.
What would happen if that water flowed into the river in this situation?
Franz, who had never faced a river disaster like that, could understand the terror on an intuitive level, but he couldn't grasp what would actually happen. Living in Yuresla, with its many rivers, he could imagine a muddy torrent flowing down a river, but he couldn't imagine a flow strong enough to wash away a village.
He slowly lowered his gaze from looking up to his feet. There should have been beautiful blue water where he entered. But now, with the dark sky and the pouring rain, the water's surface was dark, and not a trace of that beautiful blue remained. It was supposed to be a small lake, but with the opposite cliff shrouded in mist from the rain, it couldn't be helped.
"I'm ready!"
Lef's voice, loud enough to be heard over the drone of the pouring rain that sounded like a swarm of insects, rang out.
"Got it! Pull him up!"
The moment Ritz shouted that, the rope was pulled sharply upward. As instructed, he grabbed the rope above his chest and placed his feet on the wall in front of him. As the rope slowly rose, Franz climbed the cliff.
It was slippery because of the rain, but it was much easier than coming down. It was easier to feel the weight on his feet. Even if he slipped occasionally, Lef would pull him up, so he could climb calmly.
As he climbed with focused intensity, he realized that Lef had grabbed his arm and was lifting him up.
"Are you alright?"
Though he asked gently, what Lef was doing was quite rough. His grabbed arm hurt, but resisting would be more dangerous, so he just nodded and let Lef handle it.
"Thank you for your hard work."
With that, Lef smiled, his hair and ears soaking wet. He untied the tightly bound rope with ease and showed concern for Franz. He must be worried about his village, yet he could maintain such a gentle demeanor. Lef was very strong. All Franz could do was take his anxiety out on others.
"Lef!"
Ritz's voice came from below, but Franz didn't have the luxury of looking down. Lef replied and peered down the cliff. The two seemed to be talking about something, but Franz, for the time being, took shelter under a nearby tree. Water was dripping from it, but it was much better than the pouring rain. He let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his wet, plastered hair.
His bangs, which he kept long because he hated people staring at his face, were incredibly annoying. Taking advantage of the fact that they were wet, he slicked them all back and finally felt refreshed. Still, his soaking wet clothes stuck to him, and he was cold.
When he finally looked up at Lef, Lef was lowering the rope down the cliff, and Ritz was climbing up it in no time. It seemed he hadn't tied it around his waist, but had climbed up by grabbing the rope like he was climbing a tree. Despite the rain, his athleticism was incredible. Though he was no match for the beastman Lef, who had climbed the cliff in one go without a rope.
"Let's hurry."
Though soaking wet from the rain, Ritz's breathing was steady as he said this and gathered the rope.
"Wait. You should go on without me."
As the two started to walk, Franz made the suggestion.
"What?"
"Why?"
The two turned back, their brows furrowing in suspicion.
"I'll just be a hindrance."
Knowing there was no time, he wanted them to leave him behind and hurry to the village as quickly as possible. He would make his own way back to the village, even if it took hours. He felt he could manage that much.
He had once let Ritz and Anna go on ahead and walked the traveler's highway alone, and he had been fine then. What's more, he now knew that Lef's village was nearby.
He couldn't sacrifice the villagers because of his own dawdling. He couldn't think like Anna, who would sacrifice herself to protect everyone, but he hated the idea of sacrificing many people because of his own fault. He had to take responsibility for his own life, but he couldn't bear the weight of others' lives.
"No."
Lef immediately rejected Franz's proposal.
"But I…"
"It's dangerous. This is a forest. It's fine for us who are used to it, but there's no guarantee that someone entering this forest for the first time can safely return to the village in this rain."
"But…"
As he persisted against Lef's firm words, Ritz cut in.
"I'm not stupid enough to create a second victim in this rain when I know the danger is approaching."
This was the same as saying that Franz would definitely get lost. Moreover, Ritz's eyes, when he glared at him, were sharper than usual and completely unapproachable.
"Lef, carry Franz on your back."
Throwing that out, Ritz started walking back the way they came. From Ritz's colder-than-usual words and actions, Franz had an idea. Ritz was probably anxious.
After all, his best friend and his ward were in the village. If that was the case, there was no time to waste. Franz bowed his head slightly to Lef, who was a step ahead of him.
"Lef, I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
Smiling brightly, Lef moved the bag holding the rock salt to his neck and hoisted Franz onto his back. It was a sturdy, strong back. If only he had built up this much physical strength, he wouldn't be a burden. He bit his lip, frustrated with himself for neglecting basic physical training until now.
I'm so coddled. It's true.
As he thought that, a sound like a stifled sob escaped him. Lef probably noticed, but he smiled and pretended not to.
"Hold on tight."
He gave a small nod, and Lef, as if not feeling Franz's weight at all, ran gracefully. He quickly caught up to the fast-walking Ritz. Without turning back, Ritz continued walking, and the equally fast-walking Lef spoke to him.
"Ritz, shall we walk along the river?"
"So we can keep an eye on the water level as we go."
"Yes. It's a bit dangerous, but I have good hearing, so I'll know by the sound if the water overflows upstream. We should be able to take refuge in the trees or something."
"Yeah. We'll be in trouble if we don't know the current situation."
Without a moment's hesitation, the two started walking toward the river. Franz no longer knew which way the river was and which way the village was. As Ritz and the others had said, it would have been impossible for him to return to the village on his own.
As the two of them ran silently through the forest at a flying speed, Franz, though surprised, was also relieved. He was a piece of luggage on Lef's back, but it seemed he wasn't having as much of an impact as he had worried. At this speed, they would reach the village in no time.
In his state of just being carried, the rain soaking his entire body gradually chilled him, but strangely, Franz didn't feel cold. Lef's hair was wet and cold, but the fur sticking out from around his back was as soft and warm as the fleece of a sheep or a pet.
He's a beastman, he thought, feeling the difference between himself, a human, and Lef, even in such a small thing. Come to think of it, the three of them here were, by chance, of three different races: human, spirit folk, and beastman. Thinking back to his time in his hometown of Saradio, it was an almost impossible combination.
Compared to those days when he believed the world was only filled with humans, and that all humans were watching Ville Lucina's every move, and that dealing with them was unbearably annoying, he felt that his perspective had widened a little now.
If he could overcome his coddled nature, perhaps his world would expand even further.
"…Is that the river?"
Ritz said this without stopping, even though he couldn't see ahead yet. The sun had completely set, and Ritz, not being a beastman, should have had great difficulty seeing the scenery. Their only guide was the Sara-chan lamp that Franz, carried on Lef's back, held, but even that lamp was weak.
"Yes. You could tell?"
Lef, who could see clearly even in the darkness, nodded seriously.
"I can tell. From this sound."
When Ritz said that, he strained his ears and could hear the sound of swirling water, more intense than the sound of rain hitting the trees or soaking the ground. It was like the sound of a violent storm. Eventually, the three of them reached the river.
"It's a raging torrent."
He muttered, still being carried.
"A raging torrent it is."
Replying thus, Ritz, who had stopped once, started walking in the direction along the river's flow. If they continued down along the river, they would reach Lef's village. In other words, this raging river and the river flowing through Lef's village were one and the same.
The river, which had been a clear stream, was now濁り, carrying away reddish-brown earth, and washing away a large amount of trees and leaves. Its appearance was less like a river and more like a raging red water dragon.
How long had it been raining since they entered the cave? From this situation, it might have been raining for quite some time.
The place where they had practiced using spirits before was a light walk across the river from the village, but it was hard to believe that this raging torrent was the same river that even someone with poor athletic ability like Franz could easily jump over.
"If the water from that lake flows in under these conditions… it will be a catastrophe, won't it?"
When he muttered this, Lef nodded without speaking. When Lef had said it would wash away the village, it was no exaggeration.
"In this situation, we should evacuate the villagers to the cliff we came down to get into the village. We need to make sure the villagers are instructed to be ready to climb up the cliff immediately."
The fast-walking Ritz said this without losing his breath, and without stopping, he turned to look at Lef.
"Or is there some high ground in the village?"
"There isn't. I agree with your idea, Ritz."
"Then, when we get to the village, you and Adlif will thoroughly evacuate the villagers. I'll help as much as I can."
"Yes."
Once they had a plan, the two fell silent again and simply hurried on. He hesitated to speak to the two who were in a great hurry, but he had one thing he wanted to ask, so he opened his mouth.
"Is there anything I can do?"
Ritz turned slightly toward him. The smile on his lips was not a cold one.
"You're in charge of the light in case of an emergency."
"…Light?"
"That's right. The beastmen have good eyesight. But I, Ed, and Anna can't see anything in this darkness. And even beastmen would have some trouble with their vision obscured by the rain, right?"
"Yes. Even with good eyesight, it would be difficult in the darkness and rain."
Lef nodded gravely.
"Right? So, in an emergency, you'll make a huge ball of fire for everyone and light up the area."
In other words… he was to use the same trick Ritz had used when he was pretending to be a spirit user. He would have to hold a large fireball, not a small one like that time, in the air with his own power. In this place where the power of fire was diminished.
Before, he would have immediately replied, "That's impossible," but Franz managed to swallow those words. Instead, he nodded with determination.
"…I'll try."
"Yeah. Give it a try."
Ritz nonchalantly pushed him on. He hadn't turned to face him, of course, but he somehow felt that he had.
As they continued to walk silently alongside the heavy rain and the roaring, muddy torrent, Lef suddenly cried out.
"Ah, that's… Ritz!"
Lef shouted for Ritz and pointed to the sky.
"What is it?"
Ritz, who had been walking ahead, turned back and looked up at the sky where Lef was pointing. Franz, following Ritz's lead, also looked up at the sky. It was already dark, and the raindrops were hitting his face, so he couldn't see well.
"It's that!"
When Lef said that and pointed, something came swooping down from the sky. It was a sight like a transparent waterfall suddenly appearing and pouring down on them, and Franz instinctively covered his face. If that fell on them, he would surely drown.
But that didn't happen. Instead, Ritz's tense voice reached his ears.
"Water Dragon… Anna?"
When he looked up, the Water Dragon was slightly above his line of sight. The rain was pouring down on the water scales that covered its entire body, creating countless ripples, but the Water Dragon itself was beautifully clear. It was bigger and more full of life than usual. The power of water was indeed full, and the power of fire was diminished.
"Why is it here?"
As he muttered this, Ritz spoke to the Water Dragon.
"If you have a job to do, follow your master's orders and continue."
Though he wasn't a spirit user, his words were resolute. Anyone who didn't know the situation would not doubt that Ritz was a spirit user. In fact, Ritz was of the spirit folk. But unfortunately, he couldn't use spirits.
As if Ritz's voice had reached it, the Water Dragon, which had been looking at them as if in thought, eventually flew off down the river. It is said that spirits only listen to their masters, but since it was Anna's Water Dragon, perhaps it also listened to Ritz's words.
"What does it mean that the Water Dragon was here?"
Franz, still carried on Lef's back, asked at the same time as Ritz started to run toward the village. Lef immediately followed, so the question seemed to have been heard. Ritz replied in an irritated tone.
"It means a situation has occurred in the village that requires the use of the Water Dragon."
"What could have… ?"
"How should I know!"
Throwing that out, Ritz picked up his pace even more. He was almost running. Franz sighed, wondering how he could run at such a speed on the muddy ground.
"Franz, Edward should be making sure Anna doesn't use the Water Dragon."
"Huh?"
"Because the spirit user and his apprentice are just Ritz and you, Franz."
"Yeah."
"Which means a situation has occurred where Anna wanted to use the Water Dragon, and Edward gave his permission. Because all the villagers would find out that they had been hiding the fact that there was another spirit user."
Indeed, that would mean they would have to pile another lie on top of the fabricated story. Did Edward decide that was okay? As Franz thought about it, Lef muttered softly.
"Anna wouldn't use the Water Dragon even if it meant defying Edward's orders, unless a life was at stake, right?"
"That's true."
Which means a life was at stake. That's why Ritz was in a hurry. The fact that the Water Dragon was here meant that, although the possibility was low, the life in danger could be Edward's, or even Anna's own.
At that moment, a heavy sound, like something collapsing, echoed from deep within the forest. The heavy sound continued for a while before gradually fading. But though it had faded, it had not disappeared.
Ritz, who was running ahead, shouted as he ran.
"Lef, how much further to the village?"
"If we keep going like this, about ten minutes."
"Too slow! Full speed!"
"Understood!"
The speed of the two suddenly increased. The naturally nimble Ritz and Lef, carrying Franz, ran side-by-side as if flying.
"What? What's going on?"
As he was violently shaken on Lef's back, Franz asked, and Lef replied.
"That sound just now was a landslide."
"Huh?"
"A landslide occurred where the lake's water came out!"
"Wh…"
So now they were in a life-or-death race with that landslide. If they were slower to reach the village, the village, along with its inhabitants, would be swallowed.
All Franz, being carried on Lef's back, could do was pray. Franz, who had never been to a church, was a spirit user in training, so he had at least prayed to the Goddess.
Please, please let us make it in time.
Soaking wet from the cold rain that streamed down his body, Franz shivered and prayed earnestly.