Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Before long, the rain stopped.

The sky, which had been shrouded in gray clouds, was clearing as if by magic.

Sunlight streamed down in narrow beams through the thick clouds, and the sea had grown so calm that it was hard to believe it had been raging moments earlier.

Isabel gazed at the scenery.

The deep blue sea, the white sandy beach, the palm trees swaying in the breeze, and unfamiliar tropical plants.

But she wasn’t naive enough to spend even a moment marveling at such beauty.

“Quite a bit has collected.”

More water than she had expected had gathered in the makeshift water pouch she had fashioned from the lining of her dress.

Isabel gauged the amount with her fingers.

“About three liters.”

For an adult woman, that was enough to last a day or two.

However, now that the sun had risen, evaporation would soon begin.

The foundation of survival was preserving the resources one had secured.

She immediately headed into the forest behind her, and before long, she came across plants with broad, oversized leaves.

They were the kind she had encountered countless times in the jungle during her days as a mercenary.

Isabel roughly tore off several leaves and carried them back, then arranged them at an angle.

She pierced the corners of the leaves and secured their edges with branches, weighing them down with stones to keep them from being blown away.

It was a structure designed to preserve the rainwater while minimizing exposure to sunlight and contamination from foreign substances.

“That takes care of the immediate problem.”

With one knee raised, she gazed at her makeshift well, which held enough water for two days.

Now it was time to assess the situation.

Isabel drew a simple map in the sand.

Bayer, where she had departed from.

Oden, her original destination.

And the Eryl Strait between them.

Then, somewhere in between, her estimated location.

“……Things aren’t looking particularly promising.”

The Eryl Strait had always been a dangerous region.

It was riddled with reefs, countless small islands, and complicated ocean currents.

Merchant ships used the central route whenever possible to avoid the dangers.

Fishing boats rarely ventured there, either.

This area lay outside the main shipping lanes, which meant the chances of a ship passing through anytime soon were extremely low.

The likelihood of being rescued within a few days? Slim.

Within a few weeks… There seemed to be at least some possibility.

A few months? Perhaps the odds were moderate or better.

She let out a small sigh and looked toward the horizon.

The endless expanse of sea stretched before her, but there wasn’t a single sail in sight.

Yet she felt no fear.

The Ellias Mercenary Corps, which she had once belonged to, was the finest mercenary corps on the continent.

From the moment they joined as rookies, its mercenaries underwent brutal survival training before being assigned to highly demanding field missions.

Surviving in the forest without food, crossing deserts, enduring life in snow-covered frozen regions… Isabel had experienced such missions many times.

It wouldn’t be easy, but she was confident she could survive.

After all, survival had long since become second nature to her.

And at that moment, a memory from long ago surfaced.

“You always think you’ve managed everything on your own, don’t you, rookie?”

Parmel, her superior officer. A man with pale hair and a diagonal scar running across his face.

A bear-like face, a rough beard, and a manner of speaking that always seemed to rub people the wrong way… And the owner of that humble grave.

“If that man hadn’t been your father, you wouldn’t even have been allowed to take the entrance exam.”

Isabel clenched her fist tighter.

What would he say if he could see her now?

“Do you really have time to sit around reminiscing?”

It was almost as though Parmel’s voice were echoing in her ears.

“No, I don’t. Captain.”

After answering herself in a calm voice, her eyes gleaming with resolve, Isabel rose to her feet and brushed her wet hair back.

Her next task was reconnaissance.

She needed to understand the layout of the island.

She had to find out whether there was a source of fresh water, where she should establish a shelter, and above all… whether there was any possibility of escaping on her own.

She broke off a tall branch to use as a walking stick and ventured deeper into the forest.

The slope was steeper than she had expected, and the undergrowth was dense.

After an hour of climbing while avoiding sharp rocks and protruding roots, her field of vision gradually began to widen.

And finally, when she reached a hill near the center of the island, Isabel stopped in her tracks.

“……It’s not that big.”

She muttered to herself, catching her slightly labored breath.

An elongated, oval-shaped island stretching roughly from north to south came into view at a glance.

It was small enough to cross from one end to the other in about three hours on foot.

The beaches stretched widely along the eastern and southern sides, while the north and west were mostly cliffs.

“Hoo…”

Isabel frowned and sighed.

On her way up, she had been examining the surrounding vegetation.

Fruit trees, vines, traces of wild animals… And above all, water.

But she hadn’t seen a single stream or spring along the way.

Even from this vantage point, no source of fresh water was visible.

However, water didn’t necessarily have to be somewhere visible, so that didn’t mean there was none.

“……It’ll be a nuisance, but I can always dig for it.”

Grumbling a little, Isabel continued surveying the island’s landscape when her eyebrows suddenly twitched.

“……!”

In the distance,

in the reef-strewn waters to the northwest, a massive shadow lay half-submerged among the waves.

At first, she had assumed it was an ordinary rock, but upon closer inspection, its shape looked familiar.

“……A ship.”

Isabel’s lips parted.

She could make out a hull, half-destroyed and lodged against the reefs.

Debris washed ashore was scattered along the coast below it.

“Ha…”

The corners of Isabel’s lips curled into a broad grin.

It was the first smile she had worn since nearly dying in the storm.

She had no way of knowing when it had sunk, but to a survivor, a shipwreck was nothing short of a treasure trove.

**

The following morning, as soon as the sun had fully risen, Isabel set out for the northwestern shore.

She had to make her way around the dense forest and rocky terrain, so the journey took more than two hours.

And finally, she came face-to-face with the ship lodged among the reefs beneath the cliffs.

“……It’s bigger than I expected.”

Up close, it was roughly twenty meters long.

A medium-sized sailing vessel capable of carrying around thirty crew members.

Rather than a merchant ship… it looked more like a private pleasure vessel used for long-distance travel.

Parts of its hull were broken, but it hadn’t completely sunk.

Filled with anticipation, Isabel carefully inspected the vessel.

The first thing that caught her eye was the flagpole.

The flag appeared to have been torn away by the strong winds, leaving only the rope dangling loosely, but she noticed other traces behind it.

Marble carvings decorating the ship’s railing, brass ornaments engraved into the captain’s cabin door…

“A noble’s ship.”

An ordinary commoner’s vessel wouldn’t have brass ornaments decorating its doors.

It must have belonged to a family of some standing.

Isabel raised a finger and ran her index finger along the lower part of the hull.

Then she raised her eyebrows slightly.

“……There’s hardly any algae.”

Isabel’s lips parted.

“Two weeks… Three at most.”

If it had been longer than that, there would have been considerably more algae and signs of severe corrosion.

In other words, this ship had been wrecked recently.

Very recently, in fact.

“……”

Isabel narrowed her eyes and cautiously made her way inside the ship, her steps wary.

The wood creaked and groaned beneath her feet with every step, but the vessel didn’t seem on the verge of collapsing.

Perhaps because of the impact when it struck the reefs, most of the cabins were in complete disarray.

Cargo crates lay broken, chairs were overturned, and shattered glass littered the floor.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there was no sign of anyone inside the wreck.

“There’s plenty of useful stuff here.”

After finding a large leather bag, Isabel began filling it with anything she thought might come in handy.

First, she gathered the ropes scattered haphazardly around the place.

Ropes of sufficient length would be useful for survival.

Then she pulled out a small hand axe wedged into a corner.

It was slightly rusty, but she could still put it to good use.

In the kitchen, she even found two pots of a suitable size.

“It’s a shame there’s no pistol, but this is quite a haul.”

Shouldering the now considerably heavier bag, Isabel muttered with satisfaction.

But there was still something bothering her.

If the ship had remained in such a relatively intact condition, there must have been passengers aboard.

Sailors, nobles, and servants.

Yet there were no bodies to be found inside or outside the ship.

And all the food supplies in the kitchen had been emptied.

There weren’t any clothes left, either.

“……”

It was possible that someone among the passengers had survived.

But the presence of another survivor on the island didn’t necessarily mean things would turn out well…

From now on, she would need to move with even greater caution.

‘They didn’t even bother taking any useful supplies… The chances of them being someone who could help me in a place like this are slim.’

Anyway, Isabel had gathered a considerable amount of supplies essential for survival, and was just about to head back out onto the deck when something caught her toe.

Clink.

Startled by the sound of a small piece of metal bouncing, Isabel stopped and bent down.

A gold ring lay on the floor.

She bent over and picked it up without thinking.

Isabel’s eyes narrowed.

“This is…”

A double-headed eagle with outstretched wings, a crown, and a sun emblem at its center.

The imperial crest.