Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 12 - Chapter 14

14. Death is Not the End

There were many small holes in the rocky wall that rose high along the coast.

The seabirds apparently nested here during the spring mating season, but there was no way they had dug those themselves.

There were no holes to be seen lower on the wall, with them only appearing around seven to eight meters above the surface, so it was hard to imagine they were the result of erosion by seawater.

Had the sea breeze, or rain water, or something like that gouged out these holes over a long period of time? Haruhiro didn’t know. It was a mystery.

Soon, night would come.

Haruhiro climbed up the rock wall, clinging right next to the holes.

When he looked down from the rock wall, he saw that his comrades, the K&K company’s KMW Momohina, Section Chief Jimmy, Managing Director Giancarlo, and the runaruka pirate Tsiha were all looking up at him. So was Honey Den, who was bound and gagged.

He wasn’t especially afraid of heights, but he was quite high, and there were rocks down below. If he messed up and fell, he’d get hurt badly. Merry was here, though, so if he didn’t die instantly, he’d be all right. He just had to be sure not to strike his head. Yeah. It was fine, just fine.

Stretching his neck out, he quietly peeked into one of the holes, which had a diameter of about 1.2 meters.

It was maybe 1.5 meters deep. This hole had likely witnessed the drama of sea birds building their nests, laying eggs, and then the chicks growing large enough to leave the nest. There were feathers and nest materials scattered around, and in the middle of them, or rather on top of them, a single man was snoring loudly.

His feet were turned this way, so it wasn’t possible to make a facial confirmation, but not many people would be coming out here, three to four kilometers from Roronea, to find a place to sleep.

It was more or less certain. This man was Red-Eyed Ben, AKA Benjamin Fry.

According to the testimony of Honey Den, even after the sinking of the Great Tiger-go, Ben had been targeted by the dragons for days. However, perhaps because of his devilishly good luck, he had somehow managed to escape from danger.

Ben and Honey Den had been seeking a way out of the Emerald Archipelago. However, partly due to the uproar surrounding the dragons, right now, it was hard to find any ship willing to take men with reputations as bad as theirs aboard. The two had considered stowing away, but if they were caught, they’d get the stuffing beat out of them, and it wouldn’t end there. They’d likely be cast into the sea. If that happened, the odds of survival were minimal.

Honey Den had despaired and turned to drinking heavily in the emergency marketplace, but Ben hadn’t given up. With this hidey hole as his base of operations, he’d sought out old associates, certified noggoodniks, the lowest of the low, even among pirates, and threatened them, buttered them up, deceived them, and tried to find a way to get himself on a boat.

That was going to end today. But how to end it?

According to Honey Den, Ben had hidden the treasure, and its location remained unknown. It was too big for him to keep it hidden beneath his clothes, so if he were to carry it with him, it would have to be inside a bag or something. That was what he’d done while they were in Roronea, but as far as Honey Den knew, ever since he’d moved his hiding place here, Ben had gone around without carrying anything.

He’d asked where the treasure was, but the response had been less than friendly.

“What, are you planning to steal it?”

He’d nearly gotten himself killed, so he’d never tried asking again.

Would the treasure be in this hole? From the looks of it, there was nothing like a bag lying around, but Ben might very well be using it as a pillow.

Before Ben and Honey Den had taken the coastal route to the dragon’s nest, they’d needed to rest a night here. Ben had used this hole, while Honey Den slept in the one next to it.

In other words, Ben knew that Honey Den knew where his hideout was. Out of caution, he’d probably keep the treasure in another place entirely.

By Haruhiro’s reasoning, the dragons attacking Roronea were trying to get their treasure back. He wanted to ask Ben where it was. Would the man honestly tell them?

Take a deep breath. Deeper. Deeper.

Haruhiro was pressed against the rock wall, so his feet weren’t on the ground. Rather than sink into the ground, he would enter the wall. Become one with it. That was the image he used.

Stealth...

No good, huh? I feel like I should be able to enter it, but I can’t. What could it be? It doesn’t feel completely impossible. Is something off? It’s not coming together. I’m probably almost there. The difference between almost there and there is huge, though.

Am I in a slump, after all? What should I do in times like this? I could do it normally before. I should be able to. There’s no way I can’t. It’s weird that I can’t. The more I think that, the more I panic. Calm down. Take a different tack. Well, it’s one thing to say that to myself, but it’s another thing to do it.

His comrades down below must have been thinking, Huh, what is Haruhiro doing?

Haruhiro couldn’t waste time. He couldn’t slip into it smoothly, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t use Stealth at all.

Fine, let’s do this.

Once his mind was made up, he didn’t hesitate. Haruhiro went into the hole, making hardly a sound. Ben was still snoring.

Haruhiro drew his dagger with his right hand. Then, suddenly, he took a kick to the right leg.

“Guh...!”

Taking repeated kicks as he faltered, Haruhiro was nearly forced out of the hole. He instinctively braced himself with his left hand and both legs to hold on.

Red-eyed Ben. This guy, he wasn’t sleeping. He’d been awake. Since when?

“Gahhhh!” Ben sat up, trying to take another kick at Haruhiro.

Haruhiro shouted, “Dammit!” He thrust out with his dagger.

Ben pulled his foot back. “Who the hell’re you?!”

He was feeling around for something. The treasure? No. A curved sword.

In a cramped crouching position inside the hole, Ben swung the curved sword’s sheathe away. He turned its cutting edge towards Haruhiro.

“I asked, who’re you?! Answer me, you scallywag!”

Haruhiro kept mum. In the current situation, it was best to provide Ben with as little information as possible. Still, the hole was tight. Ben had the advantage, being deeper inside it.

Haruhiro decided to get out of the hole.

“Hey, you...!” Ben shouted.

Haruhiro didn’t go far from the hole, circling around to the opposite direction from which he’d come, and waited for the man there.

“Ha...!” Yume started to shout for him.

Haruhiro looked down and shook his head.

Yume hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands.

Ben was taking his time to come out.

Don’t think, Haruhiro told himself. Not about what Ben’s like, or what he’ll do when he comes out. If something happens while I’m thinking, it’ll slow down my reaction. For now, deal with him when he comes out. That’s all I have to do.

Eventually, Ben poked his head out. He was facing the opposite direction from Haruhiro.

“Nnngh!” Honey Den made noise through his gag.

Ben noticed, and looked down. “You...”

“Nnnnnngh...!”

Is Honey Den trying to tell Ben something? I can’t tell, but Ben’s shocked. Now’s the time.

Haruhiro jumped on Ben. First he stabbed the dagger into Ben’s shoulder, tangled with him, made it so they fell into the hole together, and then grappled with him.

“You little shit, what do you think you’re doing?! That hurts, dammit!”

“Where’s the egg?!” Haruhiro shouted.

“Damn your mouth, Honey Den! It’s not here, you idiot!”

“I’ll bet! What hole did you hide it in?!”

“I dunno!”

With the dagger still buried in his right shoulder, Ben couldn’t use his right arm properly. He let go of his curved sword. Haruhiro wanted to choke him out. If he were unconscious, the rest would be easy.

“Now’s the time!” Haruhiro shouted. “If you talk, I’ll let you go!”

“You think you’re in a position to say that?! I don’t even know who you are, kid! Don’t act so full of yourself!”

Haruhiro didn’t think he was acting full of himself. If anything, he was desperate. This man, he was strong. That, and he stank...

What was that? It was awful. He was beyond stinking. Was it his armpits? It was impossible to tell where the stench came from. Even if he tried not to breathe through his nose, Haruhiro could detect the strong smell. Just grappling with the guy was enough to make it unbearable. It was driving him nuts.

“You stink!” Haruhiro shouted. “Seriously!”

“Wahahahahahahaha!”

Oops.

Until that point, Ben had tried to throw Haruhiro off him, or tried to poke him in the eyes, but now he must have decided his stench was a weapon. He got really damn close.

This is terrible. I want to puke. It’s mind-numbing. This guy is dead. I swear I’m going to kill him. He stinks too bad to let live.

“Guuuuuaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Haruhiro mustered all his strength and slammed Ben up against the wall. He bashed Ben’s head into the wall repeatedly. Ben screamed as he struck back. Up, and down.

Haruhiro took a hit in the solar plexus, and it hurt badly. Oh, crap. He got flipped over, pinned, and now his head was outside the hole.

“Screw you! Screw you! Screw you!” Ben was strangling him. With both hands. He could clench his right hand, too, apparently.

Was it a burst of hysterical strength in a time of crisis? Ben’s eyes weren’t just reddish brown; they were blood red. He was dripping snot and spittle, too.

Gross, Haruhiro wanted to moan. I can’t take this anymore. This is the worst.

At the foot of the rock wall, his comrades were all shouting. Haruhiro grasped the hilt of the dagger, and stabbed into Ben’s shoulder.

“Aghhhh, it huuuuuuuuurts!!”

Ben’s right hand loosened its grip. Haruhiro tried to slip free, but Ben was having none of that. They were both desperate. Haruhiro was on the verge of suffocation, so he was fighting for his life.

The next thing he knew, he was falling.

“Ohhhhh?! Damn you! Ohhh! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!”

Ben was trying to point Haruhiro’s body downwards. He meant to use Haruhiro as a cushion to save himself.

Am I going to die this time? No, no, no. I’m the younger one. Is it because I’m younger? Haruhiro didn’t really understand, but that was what he thought. I’m still young. I can’t die.

Maybe that thought gave him the strength, or maybe it didn’t.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!” He twisted around, and left the rest to luck.

He heard a crunching, breaking sound.

Ben was beneath Haruhiro, his eyes wide. His jaw was slack, and his mouth open.

Haruhiro knew he wasn’t unharmed himself, but he wanted to get away from this man as soon as possible. He tried to stand, but intense pain shot through his body, and he let out a scream despite himself.

Maybe I’m not just not unharmed, but really badly harmed? Like, huh? My consciousness is fading...

If Merry hadn’t raced over to cast Sacrament, who knew what might have happened.

It was too late for Ben. There was heavy damage to his head, back, and probably internal organs, too. He died nearly instantly.

“Uwahhh,” Haruhiro mumbled. “What now...?”

He crouched down and clutched his head. Honey Den had warned him that Ben was tough, but he’d underestimated the guy. Who knew he’d be so stubborn? Or, more importantly, that he’d stink that bad.

“The location of the egg...” Shihoru murmured.

That was all Shihoru said.

Sorry. Try to understand.

Everyone sighed, frowned, or stared off into space.

Yeah, I know...

In the middle of all that, Kuzaku crouched down next to Haruhiro. “Yeah,” he said with a nod. “Still, I’m glad. You nearly gave me a heart attack for a moment there. You’re still alive, at least. That’s the most important thing. Well, we’ll work something out. We always have before.”

Then Kuzaku added, “Okay!”

He grabbed Haruhiro’s arm, and stood up dragging Haruhiro with him.

“Let’s look! I’m sure it’s gotta be in one of these holes. There are a lot of holes, but there’re a lot of us, too. I’m sure we’ll find it in no time.”

Are you an angel? was what Haruhiro wanted to ask him, but he felt like it would be misunderstood. He was too big to be an angel, anyway. Maybe size had nothing to do with it.

Haruhiro sniffled. “You sure are positive, Kuzaku, man.”

“It’s thanks to you, and to everyone.”

“You’re able to say these things so easily...”

“What things?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

There might not be countless holes in the rock wall, but there were dozens, maybe about a hundred. What was more, they had no proof Red-Eyed Ben had hidden the treasure in one of the holes. That said, they had no idea where else it could be. For now, they would have to try checking the holes one by one.

“We’re climbing up there?” Managing Director Giancarlo objected. “You’ve gotta be kidding...”

Yeah, he muttered, but he was quick to start clambering up the wall. KMW Momohina the kung-fu master mage seemed like she could walk up walls if she put her mind to it, so there were no problems there. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Tsiha decided to stay on the ground and guard Honey Den.

Shihoru stayed with Jimmy and Tsiha, while Haruhiro, Kuzaku, Yume, Merry, Setora, and Kiichi each went on checking the holes one by one.

With seven people and one pet on the job, it obviously still took a fair amount of time, but it might not have been an unbearable amount of work. It felt like Kiichi might do the work of two to three people on his own.

When they had been searching the holes for a while, Shihoru informed them the dragons were flying in.

Taking a look, Haruhiro saw that she was right; there were indeed three dragons circling over Roronea.

The dragons had descended on Roronea again yesterday, leveling a few buildings. If they found the treasure, like it was lying out somewhere, would the dragons take it back, and leave everything settled? That would be up to how the dragons felt, he supposed.

When they kept searching the holes, someone called up to them. “Hey! Hey!”

It was unquestionably Shihoru’s voice. But shouting “hey” like that? It just wasn’t like Shihoru. Had something happened?

Haruhiro broke off the search, leaning out from the hole. Shihoru was pointing in the direction of Roronea.

“Th-Th-The dragons...!”

“Huh? The dragons...?”

What was she on about?

Looking in the direction of Roronea, wasn’t one of the dragons that had been circling over the city heading their way now?

“O-Oh, crap...” Haruhiro gasped. “This is bad, right? Huh? Wh-What do we do?”

“For now, we pull out!” Jimmy shouted.

The man slapped Tsiha on the back, and kicked Honey Den in the butt. He grabbed Shihoru by the sleeve, saying, “Come on!” as he pulled. “Everyone, get in the holes! I think we’re probably the ones in danger!”

In the holes? Was that okay? Would it be all right? Jimmy, Shihoru, Tsiha, and Honey Den were running as fast as they could.

Haruhiro looked to the dragon. It was just one, and didn’t seem that fast. But then, even one was dangerous enough, and it wasn’t slow. Or rather, it was damn fast. Haruhiro hurried deeper into the hole.

The dragon was coming. He could sense its presence, the sound of it. It screeched loudly, and the sound echoed. He felt wind, too.

Was this the sound of its wings beating? Perhaps it was trying to land. That was the sense he got.

Where’s the dragon?

Has it landed already?

What is it doing?

It’s moving—I think...?

It bothered him. It wasn’t so much curiosity he felt, as it was concern for whether Shihoru was safe.

If Shihoru was being targeted by the dragon, he had to save her. If he drew its attention and then hid out in the hole, the dragon couldn’t come in. Probably. Well, there had to be something he could do.

Haruhiro got down on all fours and poked his head out.

The dragon was there.

Right beneath the hole where Haruhiro was.

It was doing something on the rocks.

It was big. Its wings were folded now, but it still had to be more than twenty meters long.

Emeralds. It was like its whole body was actually covered in emeralds. Beautiful. It was unbelievably pretty. It was hard to think of it as a living creature. But it was moving. What was it doing with its head lowered, like a dog sniffing for something?

Haruhiro didn’t see Shihoru and the others. Had they hidden somewhere?

He pulled his head back in. The dragon went to spread its wings.

It was scary. He backed away. Retreated. Haruhiro backed off to the very bottom of his hole.

The dragon flew. It wasn’t just noise and wind. As the dragon ascended, for just a moment, he saw it with his own eyes. It had been almost right beneath him, so it was passing by the hole Haruhiro was in.

This was no wyvern. Like birds, wyverns’ front legs had developed into wings. The dragons of the Emerald Archipelago had wings on their backs and separate front legs, even if those weren’t as strong as their hind legs. In fact, they were less like front legs, and more like arms.

Maybe the dragon was holding something in its hands?

The dragon cried loudly once again. It happened immediately after that.

Whoosh! Something fell at an incredible speed. Then, afterwards, there was a splat, or maybe not.

Had the dragon thrown whatever it was? The thing it had in its hands before.

The dragon went quiet.

Where was the dragon? Had it left? Or was it still up there?

Haruhiro hesitated for a good long while, then stuck his body out from the hole as little as possible, first checking above him. Not there. There were over Roronea. How many? One, two... three. It looked like that dragon had already left, and had returned to the group.

“Shihoru...?! Shihoru!” Haruhiro got out of the hole and climbed down the rock wall. Before he had fully descended, Shihoru, Jimmy, Tsiha, and even Honey Den rushed over.

The four had run as far as they could, hiding themselves in a low place among the rocks. Thanks to that, they were safe. Which likely meant the dragon had never been interested in Shihoru and the rest to begin with.

Momohina and Giancarlo, as well as Kuzakum Yume, Merry, Setora, and Kiichi came out of their holes and down the rock wall.

“What was that?” Haruhiro muttered, then, Ulp, he covered his mouth. It was clear what it was.

There were scraps of meat, bone, what looked like organs, and blood splattered all over the rocks.

Come to think of it, I killed him. That thought occurred to him too late. If he hadn’t done it, he’d have died himself, so what choice had he had?

Could this be the first time he’d killed a human being? It wasn’t a good feeling, but honestly, he didn’t feel all that guilty. He’d taken a whole lot of lives before. Maybe it just meant that he wasn’t so pure that his victim happening to be human this time was going to make him feel pangs of conscience.

Red-Eyed Ben. Benjamin Fry had been a uniquely wretched piece of scum. Though, seeing him reduced to the point where he was unrecognizable, even if Haruhiro didn’t feel bad for the guy, he did feel a sense of ephemerality.

Honey Den must have been shocked, because he sat there, staring at what had once been Red-Eyed Ben.

Haruhiro shook his head lightly, sighing once. “I wonder if the dragons followed his stench?”

“They wanted revenge, but he was already dead, so the dragon took out its frustrations. Is that what you mean?” Giancarlo mused with a shrug. “Well, if they’re satisfied now, then good...”

“I don’t know about that.” Jimmy pointed towards Roronea.

The dragons were descending.

“Foo?” Yume tilted her head to the side.

“Nyo?” Momohina narrowed her eyes. “Aroro? That’s north of the town, isn’t it?”

“North, but—” Kuzaku was speechless.

Giancarlo took off running. “I’ll go take a look! If the emergency market gets hit now, it won’t be pretty!”