By Zephyria =======
〔They say they miss their mommy! Mommy! Mommy!〕
〔They want to play with their daddy! Daddy!〕
〔Everyone. You must return home.〕
The voice urged them on with a tone of condemnation. By then, the warriors seemed to have gradually realized the trickery of this place. One warrior pinched his own forearm. Others checked their senses by forcefully pounding their chests or kicking the ground. Axes that had been strewn across the floor returned to their owners’ hands. Silver also rubbed the floor with his shoe. It wasn’t smooth. He wouldn’t have to worry about slipping while running.
Anyway, we have to go all the way over there, right? Is that why they fed us so much?
〔Go home! The babies are crying!〕
〔Mommy! Daddy!〕
Without blinking, Silver observed the warriors. Slowly but clearly, they were forming a wedge formation. A structure designed to point forward like a sharp blade. The strongest warrior stood at the vanguard. Using him as the central axis, the warriors lined up on both sides like spreading wings. A wedge formation allowed warriors to rely on one another and pressure a breakthrough point in a single burst. It was a strategy faithful to the basics, and the only way to maintain direction in this distorted space.
The vanguard was a man younger than the Warrior Chief. The formation was set.
Silence.
Even the fox fairies had fallen silent at some point. The vanguard slowly raised one hand. The hand gripping the axe tightly was a tangle of thick, protruding veins and scars. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on that single hand. In an instant, the vanguard’s arm shot out like a spear. The axe aimed precisely into the air. A shout erupted.
“March—!”
Immediately, the warriors took a step. One step. Two steps. Disciplined, yet slow.
Only then did Black Weasel flick a hand.
「Follow me.」
Black Weasel dove into the center of the formation. It was a position where he could be protected by the warriors. In front stood the adults, Black Weasel and the Eyepatch Woman. Behind them were Silver, Wolf, and Red Eagle. Matching the warriors’ pace, they too took one step, then two.
Black Weasel tilted his head slightly toward Silver.
“Stick close behind me, Silver. Stop worrying about the Prince and the Attendant now.”
At those words, Silver glanced at Wolf. Wolf was walking while tightly holding one of Red Eagle’s hands. His face was a picture, but his pace was that of a snail. He looked like someone even a drunkard would look down upon, yet strangely, he gave off a dangerous impression. Like seeing a madman who, instead of avoiding a boulder rolling rapidly down a hill, would rather collide with it with his bare body.
Had he steeled his resolve? To survive here no matter what? However, this task was a battle of endurance. Skeleton wraiths might play nasty tricks along the way. Red Eagle would undoubtedly die. Perhaps—no, certainly Wolf as well.
His gaze drifted again.
He was being pulled in.
As if being pulled taut by an invisible thread.
Silver averted his eyes. With his mouth shut tight, he stared only forward.
Thump. Thump. Heavy footsteps echoed. The warriors marched straight ahead. Persistently, tenaciously, and slowly. It was a strategy to conserve stamina. The fox fairies, who had been quiet for a while, wailed again.
〔The babies are crying because they want to sleep with their mommy and daddy!〕
〔They say they won’t eat if their mommy and daddy aren’t here!〕
The voice joined in.
〔Everyone, what on earth is with that snail’s pace? Do you not wish to return home?〕
〔How disappointing. Was your family only worth this much to you? Your young children and elderly parents are suffering in your absence.〕
〔Those who do not keep their family in mind are not qualified to be warriors. You are not warriors.〕
The warriors did not react. Everyone knew. This was a battle of wills.
〔Show your warrior’s spirit even now. Please act honorably!〕
〔My. Have you abandoned not only your family but also your warrior’s honor?〕
〔Sigh… I have no choice. I suppose I must be the one to consider your families.〕
Suddenly, screams erupted. The formation broke as several warriors came to a halt. Black Weasel and the Eyepatch Woman also staggered and stopped.
“W-Wolf…”
Red Eagle slumped to the ground. Wolf remained motionless, staring straight ahead. Silver’s entire body froze as well.
There was a door. At a distance of a single arrow’s flight.
* * *
〔I couldn’t bear to see the families waiting for you, so I’ve made arrangements. How is it?〕
〔Now, go and meet your families.〕
It felt like the final moment of a gladiatorial match where only two people remained on stage. No one even dared to breathe. To the door, it would take the time it takes for half a candle to burn down. At a glance.
The door’s height was five times Black Weasel’s? He didn’t know the width. That wasn’t important.
「It’s an iron door. How are we supposed to open that…」
Red Eagle spoke Silver’s inner thoughts for him, mixing in a desperate sob.
Indeed, it looked so solid that it seemed it would take at least a hundred strikes from a giant siege hammer to open. Silver was suddenly overcome with doubt. That blacksmith the Ice Armor Warrior said he happened to meet—was he perhaps an invisible man encountered while smoking hallucination herb?
“Great! Let’s just settle down and live here. The food is good, right?”
At Silver’s remark, Wolf shot him a glare. Three deep creases were carved into his forehead. I was just joking, man. And honestly, is there any other way?
The moment he sneered,
〔Do not misunderstand. It will open automatically once you reach the door.〕
The voice spoke. It was a statement that sounded as if it had looked into Silver’s mind with a magnifying glass.
An extreme silence fell. Even a newborn kitten would have realized what was occupying the thoughts of the people here. They could escape. If they just caught their breath twenty times and ran with all their might.
The warriors slowly lowered their bodies, their eyes never leaving the door. Black Weasel and the Eyepatch Woman did the same. It felt as if they would all charge out like a swarm of bees if even a single cough erupted from somewhere.
The vanguard’s hand rose. Again, slowly, cutting through the heavy silence toward the air. A single word followed.
“Charge—!”
Not a march. This time, it was a charge.
“Yaaaaah—!” A roar erupted. The warriors dashed forward all at once. It was a sight like countless crossbows being fired simultaneously. The sound of footsteps struck the ground like whips.
“Hey, you, Silver!”
Black Weasel looked back and shouted.
“Run faster! Stick close behind me!”
Only then did Silver realize. Since some point, he had been running busily like a mouse with its tail on fire. As expected, no matter how good the food was, he absolutely hated the idea of settling down here.
The warriors were already far ahead. The wedge formation had changed into a neat straight line. The sight of them sprinting in a line, faster and faster, was as threatening as a giant centipede moving multiple legs. If this were an ordinary tribal village, people would have been terrified and scattered in all directions. But…
Huh?
Something was strange. Even while running for his life, he turned his head and saw the space beside him was empty. Where did these guys go?
「Silver! Over here!」
As if answering the question, Wolf shouted. Turning reflexively, Silver was left utterly bewildered. Far off in the distance, Wolf and Red Eagle were walking slowly, holding hands like an elderly couple on a stroll in front of their house.
「Silver! Over here! Uncle and Aunt too!」
Wolf shouted repeatedly, waving one arm. Red Eagle was blubbering like a young child being dragged away by a kidnapper. Silver’s pace slowed down unconsciously.
Why is Wolf doing that? Has he finally gone cra…
Suddenly, a chilling cold rushed in, crushing the question. His heart hammered and his entire body turned cold. Silver was familiar with this sensation. It was the physical change that occurred when his intuition sent a warning signal. That something was wrong right now, that you are running in the wrong direction…
No, he shouldn’t trust it blindly. This wasn’t some moderately interesting situation, like dozens of swordsmen lying in ambush beyond the bushes. It was perilously dangerous to entrust a critical decision to a vague premonition at the crossroads of life and death. Therefore, yet, nevertheless, as if possessed, Silver turned around. His hesitant steps soon became as fast as a sled sliding down a winter hill. Damn it, I don’t even know why!
「Silver! Do something about Wolf!」
As Silver approached, Red Eagle wailed as if he had been waiting.
「We have to run, but he says he’ll keep walking like this! No matter how much I beg, he doesn’t even pretend to listen!」
Red Eagle’s wrist, held in Wolf’s grip, was pale from how tightly he was being grasped. Silver frowned and looked at Wolf.
「Why aren’t you running? Don’t tell me you’re planning to live here?」
A low but clear answer returned.
「Because there’s no need to run.」
50 – Hell Execution Order