"…she saved my life. When I was stranded, she took me to her village. She patched me up, fed me, and took care of me. And when her chieftain wanted me to battle a warhound, she was the one who fought for me and trained me. And when it was all said and done, she cried for me. I loved her, I still do."
Alexander raised a hand to cover his face.
"They're a race of survivalists, Hinata. But they aren't heartless. And yet, I'm being told they aren't worth it. So who's really the monster here? Them, or us?"
Hinata raised her hand from his chest, taking Alexander's hand from his face.
"Neither," she answered, "the monsters are the pirates who forced this situation to occur. They are the ones who bear the sins of what will happen, and you will be the goddess's judgment."
Alexander's hand remained in hers, the words hanging in the air between them.
She was right.
He couldn't save everyone, but he could punish those who hurt the innocent.
Just as he was about to respond, a sharp 'sir' rang out.
Alexander looked behind Hinata, a marine standing there, saluting.
"The sergeant major, requests your presence, we're in position for the assault."
Alexander looked up to the sky, it was pre-dawn.
"Right on time."
He let out a long breath, his commander's mask sliding back in place.
"Let's go, Hinata."
She nodded, following him as he marched towards the aft.
As they walked, they noticed the ship was almost completely dark.
Even the steam engine, which had been off for an hour.
Along the deck, marines checked their rifles and adjusted their packs.
Looking like shadows in the pre-dawn light.
Klaus, Hans, and Wagner stood by the quarterdeck, all three men chatting quietly.
"Status," Alexander's voice was firm.
"We're two kilometers off the coast, masked by the cliff line. The wind is low and the sea is calm, perfect for insertion."
Alexander nodded, then let's not waste time.
He turned to Hinata.
"You're up. You need to get to that tower and clear it for Hans. Then flash the lantern three times to single completion."
— — —
*POV shift, Dame/D'élite Hinata.*
Alexander looked at me with those same golden eyes.
His shoulders tense.
I'll have to speak with her highness about this.
His fondness for Demi-oids is more than compassion.
It's personal.
She will not be happy.
"Of course, I will not fail."
Alexander gave me a firm nod, his gaze shifting to my rowboat.
I climbed inside, giving a thumbs-up to the sailors.
They lowered me into the sea below.
My boat rocked as I untied the ropes.
I picked up my oars, gliding my boat along the dark sea.
Hardly making a ripple.
As I rowed, my thoughts drifted back to Alexander.
I remembered being told that he was lost on the demon continent.
To think, he fell in love with a demon.
It's not unheard of, people to fall in love with female demons.
But, usually, you don't live long enough for that to happen.
They kill on site.
And if not, they force you to fight a creature to prove your worth.
This lines up with Alexander's story.
To think… he survived a warhound at such a young age.
Her majesty was right, he's worth protecting.
But, he needs to be molded into a proper leader.
This will be good for him, I hope.
My boat scraped softly against the rocks as I looked up the cliff face.
I let out a soft sigh, stepping out of my boat and scaling the rock.
I was never the best climber, but I could get a job done.
I was hoisting myself up the summit in less than a minute.
Crawling on my stomach, I could see the watchtower as Martine described.
Two guards laughed softly on the top, leaning on the parapet.
At the base of the tower, two guards threw dice and drank from wooden mugs.
The air smelled of alcohol.
I could also see the wooden shack, where a chained goblin sat playing with rocks.
I studied the scene for a moment, my eyes narrowing.
I rose from my stomach, staying crouched as I approached the tower.
The structure was old, the stone chipped and broken.
<"That's a six you idiot! Pay me!">
<"nah, it's on its side, throw it again!">
<"Why you–">
The guards at the front of the tower began to scuffle, cheered on by the two at the top.
This should be easy.
I pressed my hands against the cool stone, scaling the tower.
My movements were masked by the shouting.
As I reached the top of the tower, I could properly hear the guards up top.
<"Vic, who do ya got your money on?">
I climbed over the parapet, quickly and quietly.
<"Demir, hands down, you seem him lift before?">
I drew my twin knives, stepping on their words.
Just a little more…
<"yeah, but he's–">
I kicked in the guard's knee, before jamming a knife in the back of his skull.
Blood gushed as his body was violently jostled.
In a split second, just as the other guard turned his head, I jammed my knife in his throat.
I pressed both men to the floor, their bodies twitching as they gurgled on their blood.
Two down…
I looked over the parapet to see that the two guards from earlier had settled back down.
<"Alright, I'll throw it again, you cheating bastard.">
The larger guard grunted.
I jumped down from the tower, a 6-meter drop.
I landed behind the larger guard.
His head snapped up.
"What was–"
I covered his mouth and slit his throat.
I tossed his body aside with a thud, the last guard stood there.
His eyes were wide.
<"wait, wait, wait…">
I stepped toward him at a blitzing speed, gripping his neck and snapping it.
He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Screeee!"
My eyes narrowed as I turned towards the shack.
The goblin chained to it was shaking its chain and throwing rocks at me.
I sighed, "What an ugly thing."
I reached behind me, pulling out my spear and throwing it.
The weapon pierced its skull with a crunch and pinned it to the ground.
Silence…
I turned to the wooden shack, walked over, and pressed a hand against the cool door.
"No vibrations… "
I pushed the door open, and inside were stacks of food and ammunition.
Enough for a few days.
"…clear."
I turned away from the shack, and into the tower.
The interior was illuminated by a lantern.
And the only thing inside was a rickety ladder that led to the top.
I took the lantern and climbed the ladder.
Once up top, I faced the direction of the ship and flashed the signal.
— — —
*Normal POV.*
Alexander pressed the binoculars to his face, his grip unreasonably tight.
"Come on…" he whispered.
Then, he saw it.
The flashes cut through the pre-dawn gloom.
Alexander breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his binoculars before turning to Hans and his unit.
"Go! Go-go!"