Chapter 108, During the Night

Translator: Barnnn

 

 

“Phew, that was a good soak.”

 

Hal stepped out of the bath, stretching lazily as he glanced around the cavern.

He spotted Ize and Sato chatting animatedly near Bardveles, clearly caught up in something.

He took a step toward them, intending to let them know the bath was free now–

 

A thunderous roar exploded through the vast cave.

 

“GROOOAAARRR!!”

 

The sound hit Hal like a physical force. His body lifted from the ground and tumbled backward, bouncing like a ragdoll across the rocky floor.

 

“Guh — ghk!”

 

He crashed into the ground, his limbs slamming against the stone a handful of times before he skidded to a stop. His breath came in short gasps. Pain throbbed through his ribs, and the thin clothes he wore after the bath offered no protection. Skin tore open, blood beading at the surface where stone had scraped flesh.

The roar echoed, vibrating through the walls. Stones rained from the ceiling as the ground continued to tremble. The cave was collapsing — there was no time to waste.

 

“Dammit, that hurt…”

 

Grimacing, Hal pushed himself upright, cradling his shoulder with one hand.

 

“What the hell is going on…?”

 

Just ahead, he saw Fieda and Volhelm sprawled on the ground, like him, shaken but already regaining their footing. They crouched low, scanning their surroundings.

At least they weren’t injured. But–

 

“Ize… Where’s Ize!?”

 

She had been right at Bardveles’ feet just moments ago.

Now, the Dragon still roared like thunder, its massive legs stomping with enough force to rattle the entire cave like a cradle.

But Ize was nowhere in sight.

 

“Ize!? Where are you!? IZE!”

 

Hal screamed her name, but his voice was swallowed by the chaos. Panic constricted his vision — he couldn’t see her. Not even a glimpse.

 

“IZE! IZE!”

“Hal!” Fieda’s voice, hoarse and raw, barely carried over the noise. “Behind the Dragon — look!”

 

Hal turned his gaze toward the towering form of Bardveles, peering behind its massive legs.

There — just past one colossal foot — lay a small, crumpled figure.

 

“Ize!”

“Hal, wait! Don’t–!”

 

But Hal was already moving. His mind blank, his body acting on instinct, he sprang to his feet and ran.

The heaving ground, the stones pelting down from above — none of it mattered.

 

“Ize! Ize!!”

 

He stumbled as the earth shifted beneath him. Was it his own faltering limbs, or the cave still quaking around him? He didn’t know. He scraped his hands, tore open his knees, but never stopped.

 

“Ize!”

 

Falling again and again, he finally reached Bardveles’ feet. The Dragon’s roar had lessened, but its wings still trembled violently, stirring violent gusts that whipped sand and pebbles into the air.

Hal shielded his face with both arms, forcing himself forward, step by step.

Ize was lying face-down on the ground. He couldn’t see if she was conscious — but then he noticed something.

Sato was clutched protectively in her arms.

 

“Sato!? Sato, are you okay!?”

“…G-Gegyo…”

 

A faint, muffled croak. But it was enough — Sato was alive.

Relief flooded Hal, just for a moment.

He reached out, only a few steps away from them now–

 

“GROOOAAARRR!!”

 

Another roar. Another quake. The ground shook as Bardveles’ foot came down again.

Ize’s body rolled like a doll in the shockwave.

If he didn’t act now, she would be crushed.

 

“Dammit!”

 

With all his strength, Hal dove forward, arms outstretched. He caught Ize just as she tumbled past, pulling her into his chest as his momentum carried them both into a roll.

He hit the ground hard, the impact jarring, but she was safe in his arms.

He could feel her weight, solid and real, against him.

A rush of relief nearly made his knees give out. He clenched his jaw, forced himself to focus.

But when he looked up–

His vision was swallowed by despair.

 

–Clatter.

 

In the midst of the chaos, a single sound rang unnaturally clear in Hal’s ears.

The sound of stone — massive stone — beginning to fall.

 

“Shit…!”

 

A gigantic slab of rock, dislodged from the ceiling, wobbled as it began to descend. It made a deceptively light clatter, about to drop.

 

“Gyo!” Sato yelped.

“Sato, don’t move!”

 

Hal’s arms tightened around Ize’s, as well as the Mandragora. They had seconds to escape, if that.

 

“Damn it…!”

 

Hal scanned their surroundings, and spotted a narrow fissure between the ground and wall.

Not much room. Barely enough for Ize’s body. But it would have to do.

He shoved Ize and Sato into the crevice, wedging them both in as gently but quickly as he could.

Then he dropped to the ground beside them, using his own body to cover the gap — shielding them with himself.

He reached for Ize’s head, about to cradle her close — when her eyelids fluttered.

 

“Ize!?”

 

She was almost conscious.

He just needed a little more time–

But they didn’t have it.

Hal pulled her tight, folding himself around her small frame, as if trying to hide her from the crashing world behind them.

The next moment, the cave shook violently. A deafening impact rang out as the stone finally fell, slamming into the earth.

Pain seared down Hal’s back. His breath hitched.

And then, everything went dark.

 

◆

 

“You got way too carried away!” someone shouted, distant and angry.

“I didn’t expect it to be that… impactful,” a deep voice rumbled in reply — Bardveles, unmistakably.

Another voice chimed in, amused. “Still, Ize, you really pulled it off. Or maybe the Potion from your world did?”

“It was the Potion,” Ize’s voice answered modestly. “It was just a regular medicine back there, actually, but something about this world altered it.”

 

[Ah… they’re all safe…]

 

Hal’s mind slipped deeper into unconsciousness, lulled by relief.

 

“It was indeed quite amazing,” Bardveles mused. “Even in centuries of my life as a Dragon, I’ve never been so startled.”

“Just sit there and think about what you did,” Fieda snapped.

“Fieda, must you be so cruel?”

“You nearly killed us. You nearly killed Hal. Just saying — if he holds a grudge, I won’t rein him in.”

 

Voices swirled in and out of the haze, pulling at Hal’s drifting mind.

Then — another voice. Softer.

 

“Hal… are you still not awake?”

 

The sound wrapped tight around his heart.

 

“C’mon, Hal… please wake up.”

 

A hand closed around his, warm and insistent.

 

[No, just a little longer. I wanna sleep…]

 

But that warmth wouldn’t let him go.

 

“…Ngh…”

“Hal? Are you awake?”

“Jas and Ted were doing stand-up comedy. They said they’d practice their skits next…”

“…It’s frustrating how that might not be a dream,” Ize muttered.

“Ize…” Hal blinked slowly, his voice dry. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“You idiot, Hal.”

“…Huh? What’d I do?”

“I should be asking you that.”

 

Her grip tightened painfully around his hand.

 

[Ow, ow… Ize… that really hurts…]

 

He didn’t dare say it aloud.

Silently, he endured it — because something told him that if he complained now, it might just break her.

And Hal couldn’t bear to do that. Not now.

But Ize showed no mercy.

 

“Does it hurt?” she asked calmly.

“Yes. It hurts,” Hal replied.

“Then you’re alive. That’s proof enough.”

 

Hal stole a glance at her, studying her face as she let out a sharp huff through her nose. She didn’t seem injured — no blood, no torn clothes — so she must have avoided being caught in the collapse.

 

[Come to think of it…] Hal furrowed his brow. [There was a sharp pain in my back at the very end. What exactly happened to me?] “Um… is it okay if I ask what happened?” he ventured.

 

He found that he was on a pile of futons spread across the stone floor. A little ways off, he saw Fieda standing with arms crossed and a brooding expression, Volhelm looking utterly drained, and Bardveles — wings folded small against his back — sitting low, subdued.

 

“I’ll explain from the beginning,” said Ize. “Let me go get everyone.”

“I can go…” Hal started to sit up.

“Hal. Stay.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

 

Resigned, Hal let his head sink back into the futon. The command, said like one might to a dog, made further resistance feel pointless.

Cautiously, he began testing his body, moving a little at a time.

There was no pain. Not even a trace.

He clearly remembered a rock slamming into his back before he lost consciousness. He should’ve had bruises, at least some scrapes, from making his way to Ize.

Perhaps Ize had healed him — in which case, the amount of magical energy that would’ve required must have been enormous.

Just then, Fieda jogged over and knelt beside him.

 

“Hal. How do you feel?”

“I was just checking,” he said. “Weirdly enough, nothing hurts. What the hell happened?”

“It’s thanks to a Potion Ize had with her,” said Volhelm, who arrived just behind Fieda.

“A Potion? You mean… the painkillers?”

“That’s right,” Ize nodded. “Fieda had to administer it by mouth– ow!” she winced as Fieda karate-chopped her head.

“Idiot. I just opened your mouth and dropped it down your throat,” he grumbled.

“…I’m glad you didn’t choke me to death,” Hal said, rubbing his throat subconsciously.

 

That kind of first-aid was wildly inappropriate for someone unconscious. If it had been a regular Potion, he might not have survived.

At least one major mystery was solved. He let out a quiet breath of relief.

Now for the next one. There was still one enormous question looming in his mind — but he wasn’t quite ready to ask it yet.

 

“So… what’s going on with this cave?”

 

Even from where he was, Hal could see that the place looked exactly the same as it had before Bardveles roared. The cave walls were unbroken. The futon, the container house, the toilets, the bath — everything was still here.

He couldn’t recall the details clearly, but he knew for certain that the walls had collapsed. Rocks had rained down, crushing everything.

 

“I restored it with my power,” Bardveles explained.

“…Restored it?” Hal parroted aloud.

“Indeed. I’ve never told anyone this before, but this place exists somewhere between the real world and illusion.”

[Well, that’s delightfully fantasy,] Hal thought, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

 

He waited, almost giddy, for Bardveles to continue. He could feel Ize’s cold stare prickling his side like needles, but for once, he didn’t care. It stung a little, but not enough to ruin the moment.

 

“Think about it. A space where my body can move freely isn’t exactly common. While I was wounded and resting underground, I used my magical energy to build this place. Bit by bit.”

 

Bardveles snorted proudly, as if waiting for applause.

This was, after all, a world where Dungeons sprang into existence from otherworldly energy. If a Dragon had enough magical power to spare, it stood to reason it could construct a pocket dimension.

And since Bardveles hadn’t needed to fight or fly after its scuffle with Fuya, its surplus energy had gone into modifying the space to its liking. It hadn’t used the word renovation, but that was more or less what it meant.

 

“So because the space was created with magic,” Hal said slowly, “you can also reconstruct anything inside it?”

“Correct. There are limits, of course, but it can be done. Recreating your personal belongings was especially taxing. You should be grateful.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Fieda snapped. “It was your tantrum that wrecked everything in the first place.”

“Wha–! Fieda! How dare you take that tone with me! That’s — blasphemy!”

“Shut it. Hal, you okay? Want something to drink if you can sit up?”

“Yeah. Everyone else is standing around — I feel weird lying here like this.”

“I’ll help,” Ize offered, dropping to one knee beside him.

 

She slipped an arm under his and helped him sit. As he rose, Hal glanced at her and spoke her name.

 

“Ize.”

“Yes?”

“You’re stubborn.”

“…What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”

“I’m always telling you not to be. Don’t be so stubborn.”

“I am not.”

“Then you’re just holding it in.”

“I am not.”

“You totally are.”

 

Hal took her hand before she could protest again. It trembled slightly in his grip.

 

“You can’t hide from me,” he said softly. “Not anymore.”

“It’s… just your imagination.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

 

She looked away, face half-turned — something Hal wouldn’t normally see. But now that he was sitting, he could read her expression clearly.

 

“–Come on. You don’t have to hold it in.”

 

He reached for her. Just like he had in that final moment, when everything was falling apart.

He drew her close and let her face press into his chest.

 

“Just cry if you want to,” he whispered.

 

A soft sob escaped her lips.

 

“N-no, wait–” Ize shook her head, struggling to pull away, but Hal held her fast.

 

She was trembling in his arms. More than her words, her body said everything.

 

“It’s okay. We’re alive. You’re alive. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“I-I’m sorry,” she gasped. “Hal, I’m sorry…”

“It’s all right,” he murmured, brushing her back. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“I was scared. You were covered in blood and you wouldn’t wake up, and I thought — I thought it was my fault. I acted on my own and–”

“No. It’s fine. Really.”

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

 

She apologized again and again, her voice thick with tears that soon gave way to sobs, no longer coherent.

Hal held her, stroking her back slowly, trying to calm her.

 

“It’s okay, Ize. Really. You did what you believed was right. I’ll be here with you — every step of the way.”

“Don’t die,” she cried. “Please, Hal — don’t die. I don’t want you to die…”

“Yeah… sorry about that,” he said with a wry smile. “Would’ve been cooler if I’d saved you without almost dying.”

“That’s not what I wanted! That’s not what I wanted at all!”

 

Her arms wrapped around him, fists pounding lightly, as if to reject his words with her whole being.

 

“Ize. I’m just glad you’re okay. I didn’t want you getting hurt either.”

“If you die saving me, I’ll never forgive you! Never!”

“Hah… all right. Next time I’ll save you without dying.”

“Y-you’re not taking this seriously… sniff…”

“Hey — don’t get snot on me.”

“It’s not snot. It’s… the sweat of my heart, leaking from an alternate exit.”

“So… snot.”

 

Hal chuckled and gently patted her head.

He guided her ear to rest against his chest — right over his heart, so she could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat.

Proof that he was still here — still alive.