After that, Arthur walked around the camp, exploring it and meeting all the survivors. Apart from Sergi and Deka, there were no other familiar faces which made him feel a tinge of bitterness. After all, Deka’s group was made up of four people and now there are only two left. He had already seen Fangs’ corpse which only left one person.
Arthur didn’t even need to ask around to know what could’ve happened to the fourth member of the squad. What happened to them was truly a tragedy.
For the next hour or so, Arthur learned all the layout of the cave which wasn’t that hard since the cave itself wasn’t that deep. Still, he wanted to make sure he knew his surroundings perfectly well in case of emergency.
Outside, the wind had grown even stronger and the snow was falling endlessly on the white world. The weather dropped a few more degrees, making the mercenaries shudder from the cold. With their injuries and exhaustion, things like hypothermia were a true threat to them which they could only resist with blankets and fire.
Arthur didn’t struggle with that weather as his body was extremely strong and it could resist the low temperatures with ease. In fact, the young man was confident that he could go outside shirtless and he still wouldn’t freeze to death.
Eventually, Arthur stopped when he heard Deka’s voice calling for everyone. All the mercenaries gathered around the fire. Meanwhile, Arthur simply rested his back against the hard wall with his arms crossed in front of him.
“How is everyone doing?” Deka asked in a calm tone. Even though uncertainty was still drawn all over her face, she still seemed composed enough to talk.
“… Not bad.”
“Definetly feeling a lot better.”
“I can move my arm a little now.”
Numerous responses came back with most being mild and neutral. Nobody was excited to say that they were feeling good as they were truly in a lot of pain. But, for the sake of the group’s morale, no one wanted to admit that.
“Good…” Deka nodded. “As you all know and I have to be very straightforward here, our situation isn’t good.”
“…”
Silence loomed over the group again as they listened to Deka speak.
“We’re stuck inside this cave with many monsters looking for us outside in the storm. Many of us are injured and even more are… gone.” She hesitated to say the last word but she still forced herself through it. “It has definetly gone really bad for us.”
‘Is she trying to demoralize them even more?’ Arthur frowned, feeling rather odd from her speech. He expected her to try and alleviate their spirits.
“But, this is not the end.” Deka continued. “We’re still alive and that means we can still find our way back home.”
“…”
“I don’t want to see those gloomy faces. What? Do you want to die too? Our comrades had sacrificed their lives so the seven of us could survive and go back. Are you not going to honor their sacrifices by going home?” She asked. “Hey, you! Look at me! Do you want to die here, freezing to death or as food to those Yetis?!”
Her eyes looked at every single mercenary harshly, trying to probe them for answers. Her words struck the men hard and made them look down in shame. Some could even be seen struggling to hold back their tears. It was a moment of a lot of pain and also a moment of realization that things weren’t truly over.
They had seen the sacrifices of their comrades with their own eyes and if that meant anything then it meant that they cannot give up until they made it back.
“If so, then what is stopping us? Lift your heads up! We are the Royal Mercenaries! We have taken this task upon our shoulders so that we can make the world a better place. For the sake of our people! Do you understand?”
“… Yes…”
“It’s not loud enough!”
“Yes!”
“It’s not loud enough! Are we going to do it, yes or no?!” Deka slammed her hand on the ground.
“YES!!” The entire group screamed in union. Her words have given them a huge boost after feeling like the entire world was crumbling on top of their heads.
“We will make it back! Those Yetis won’t get all of us!”
“I’m not giving up either!”
“Let’s do it!”
Arthur watched the amazing shift in attitude and he could only shake his head silently. ‘Well, at least she got them riled up a little. I don’t want to carry dead weights on my shoulders. If they can at least walk, that would be a huge help.’
However, even with that spirit, the young man knew that the task was going to be extremely hard, and perhaps from the seven people there… Some might not see home again.
***
At the same time, outside the tower, deep into the capital.
“Thank you for buying from us!”
A gorgeous girl walked out of the shop, catching the eyes of every single person passing by. Her appearance stood out with ease as she almost seemed divine. The moment a person looks at her, they’re put under a sort of charm spell that makes them unable to look away.
However, the girl herself didn’t really care about those looks as they have been a part of her life for the longest time and it was now very normal. Still, that day, in particular, she was in a very sour mood.
Stopping at the door she opened her menu and then her messaging tab and then closed it with an even darker expression.
After that, she started walking silently through the streets of the city.
‘He didn’t reply still…’ She exhaled a small breath. ‘Isla, you idiot… You absolute idiot. You have failed miserably.’ Clenching her fists slightly, she tried to keep her composure. However, the sheer feeling of frustration she had at that moment made her unable to stay calm.
Every single second passing without Arthur reply to her message made her regret what she said more and more. She knew that she had done something really wrong. Even if she were to refuse him, she had to at least not make it sound so… cold.
‘I cannot keep losing my cool over this… Not toward Arthur… Not him of all people…’
Just remembering what she said ached her heart greatly, more than she even thought was possible. She didn’t even understand how painful it was to go through this. It was as if someone was shredding her heart to pieces. Such a feeling was a completely new experience for her.
She knew that it was a special feeling and a very first experience for her. But, that didn’t change the fact that she had to meet Arthur no matter what. She had to clear the misunderstanding before things got out of control.
As she was like that, Isla suddenly halted her steps as she looked up. Something had caught her eyes and made her trail of thoughts completely stop. Blinking slowly, she stared at it with a blank expression.
“… What?”
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!