Chapter 149 – Gain's Rescue

“Marie. Sorry. Got a minute?”

Heart’s voice snapped me awake.

Whoa. I must’ve conked out without realizing it. It’s full daylight now.

I scrambled to my feet and smoothed out my hair.

“Yes.”

“Word just came in—Gain’s squad is missing. Scouted it out, and it looks like they holed up in a side tunnel but can’t budge.”

Gain was missing?

I bolted from the private room like a shot.

“What happened?”

My vision swam. What if something happened to Gain?

I’d had this gnawing feeling all along. If only I’d pushed harder back then…

“Easy now. There’s movement, so they’re still kicking. That guy’s not the reckless type. Probably got folks to pull out.”

Heart’s face was set like stone.

It was like he was telling me, Get it together. Do your job.

Right. I had to focus on what I could do.

No time for freaking out.

“Take me there.”

I gave myself a mental slap, lifted my chin, and straightened my spine.

We rode up to the higher vantage point, but the midway path was choked with a landslide.

Scores of soldiers, priests, adventurers—even merchants—were toiling to clear the rubble.

Fernet, looking green around the gills, was scouting right on the edge.

“Marie, over here. They’re right below.”

“Fernet!”

The spot was where debris from above had gouged the slope, baring the mountainside.

I dismounted and slid down the muddy incline alongside Fernet and the others.

Fernet got there first and caught me on the way down.

“They’re straight under us. It hit in a flash while we were pulling survivors…”

…No way to dig this out by hand.

The debris from up top had piled into a mountain at our feet.

If there was a side tunnel below, the entrance was buried—oxygen wouldn’t last long.

“They went still a little while back. Marie, save Gain!”

Ted was holding Fernet back as he lost it.

I scanned the direction Fernet was pointing.

“It’s okay. I’ll find them for sure.”

Scouting as I went, I shoved rubble aside with wind magic, threw up walls with earth magic, carving out a path.

Careful. So careful. Just like before.

Reinforcing overhead to stave off a secondary collapse, I somehow pushed through to here.

“Gain! Gain!”

“Ooo—!”

Fernet’s endless shouts finally got a response from Gain.

Yes! He’s alive!

I linked the path to the side tunnel, and Gain—big guy that he was—emerged cradling a kid.

Fernet shook off Ted and dashed over, hauling the child up first.

“Fernet. Knew I could count on you.”

“Screw you! You had us scared shitless!”

Gain, who’d climbed out under his own steam, said it with a grin. Fernet, pissed but relieved, turned away to hide his grin.

Gain caught the look and chuckled wryly. “Sorry for the worry.”

“Gain, lean on me.”

“Appreciate it.”

Ted offered his shoulder, and with Fernet helping, they made their way back to us.

Almost there.

I kept shoring up the surroundings. Collapse risk wasn’t zero, but safer now.

Heart batted away the small rocks tumbling down now and then, shielding me.

“Marie. You saved us.”

Gain mustered a weary smile.

Too soon to relax. We pressed lower to the main route.

Finally hitting safe ground, I hit the kid and Gain with recovery magic and fatigue cures.

“Thank you! Saintess!”

The kid, set down and caked in mud—you couldn’t even tell if it was a boy or girl. But probably grinning.

I rinsed them off with water magic and blasted the moisture away with wind.

“Whoa! So cool!”

“Oh? What a pretty little lady.”

The seven-year-old girl giggled. “Hee hee. Obviously.”

Good. No signs of trauma. Gain must’ve stuck close the whole time.

“Hit me too.”

Oh, right—Gain was filthy too.

Haha. Somehow we’d all ended up covered in muck.

“Well, then…”

I doused the whole group with water magic and dried them off in one wind blast.

Heart jumped at the sudden spell, then shot me a wry smile.

“Walking down from here’ll be quicker.”

The girl clung to Gain’s hand like glue. Reminded me of myself as a kid.

Gain ruffled her hair. “All good now.”

We reached the camp shelter below—a makeshift base—and I steered them straight to the kitchen area.

“Left the horses up top. Tell the holy knights to grab ’em later.”

“Got it.”

Behind us, Heart was barking orders at a white priest.

“Nelly!”

A merchant-looking guy by the missing persons board waved us over. The girl broke free of Gain and bolted to him.

“Daddy!”

She leaped into his arms and started bawling.

She’d been all smiles moments ago. Guess the relief hit hard.

The father scooped her up and came over, bowing over and over.

Gain scratched his head, looking sheepish, chatting away about this and that.

I glanced over—Heart was watching the scene with a kind of dazzled look.

Family means something special to him…

What would happen if something happened to Gain?

One thought flickered through my mind. But…

“No more survivors out there. This is the king’s turf. Hand reconstruction off to the crew he sent.”

Down the line of my master’s gaze, civil engineers were rolling in by the wagonload.

“Marie.”

Gain finished up his talk and walked over to me.

“Been thinking nonstop since that day we headed out together. About my…”