episode_0149

000

Her appearance had changed so much that you would never have recognized her as the same person unless you saw her eyes up close. Of course, the fundamental aspects had not changed. Brown hair and green eyes. And, even without looking closely, she inherited his features that made him handsome, resulting in a decent beauty.

If you went into detail, comparing each aspect one by one. You could certainly tell that there were traces of her original appearance left somewhere.

But everything else.

Although he was not yet as robust as Cleon, his masculine body, which had been gradually developing, had become so soft and slender that it was impossible to tell where all the muscles had gone. In contrast, his developed breasts and thighs had swelled to the point where he could no longer call himself a man.

His jawline had become thinner, with slender fingers, and plump, protruding lips. Eyelashes. Wavy long hair that came down to his back.

Moreover, if he were wearing such tightly fitting clothes, an unflattering bulge would naturally occur for him as a male.

But beneath the rubbery material of the clothes, there was nothing but the Venus mound, as if there was nothing there at all.

“Eustace…?”

When Cleon called his name in a voice full of astonishment, he staggered, trying to step back, but then firmly. He planted his feet on the ground, turned around, and closed the curtain. Aruru and Iona, also surprised by the fact they had realized and unable to continue speaking, were simply looking at him with bewildered expressions.

“Did you… come to find me? Cleon.”

For the first time, her—, no, his voice came out of his mouth. The voice was so thin and high that it could not prove at all that he was originally a man. Eustace himself frowned as if he was disgusted with his own voice.

“So, it is Eustace. That appearance-”

At Cleon’s question, Eustace glanced down at his body and bit his lip as if he was resentful. There were even tears in his eyes.

“Ah. As you might guess. It’s the work of a succubus. Not only me, but all the humans working here who are not succubi. They are all men who were originally adventurers and forcibly turned into women.”

The facts conveyed from his mouth were enough to shock everyone gathered there.

And it was a story that was more than enough to understand where the men of the Adventurer’s Guild had disappeared to.

“First… please sit down. It’s originally a place like this, so they won’t be suspicious even if you don’t go back.”

As Iona said that and patted the seat next to her, Eustace went to sit down in the seat with slightly awkward steps. He seemed not to be used to walking as a woman. Watching him slowly sit down in the chair and sigh as if his shoulders were stiff, Cleon asked.

“…What happened?”

“Haha… It’s a pathetic story.”

Eustace says with half-dead eyes. In those eyes, there was a mixture of anger and frustration at his own powerlessness.

001

Eustace, tied to the pink-haired incubus- Kamala’s tail and teleported together, let out a groan of pain as he felt his body float momentarily and then be struck by a strong impact as he hit the wall.

“Keuk…”

First, what he saw was a dark, prison-like space. Dirty, sticky, and smelly was a given-

But more than that, what made him uncomfortable was the lingering scent of thick black magic that permeated this entire space. No, perhaps a high concentration of black magic still remained around here.

Originally, it was difficult for him, who had a low aptitude for magic, to sense the energy of black magic. Even the concentration spread out in the alleyways was only slightly unpleasant. And, when he came to a place like this, he felt as if his body was melting from the skin, and he felt nauseous. Then, the Mistilteinn at his waist would somehow spread the remaining magic around its owner to prevent the encroachment of black magic.

At that moment, when he turned his eyes to the sound of the bars clanging next to him, he saw Kamala locking the place where Eustace was- that is, the door of the prison.

“Lilim, sis~♡ Nice timing! You really showed up just in time! I almost got forcibly repatriated to hell!? Can you see the bump behind my head!?”

Whether Eustace was crawling on the ground and groaning in pain or not. Kamala, who brought her here, clung to the black magic succubus who had saved her. `Lilim`, and made a fuss with coquetry and charm. Looking only at her appearance, Lilim looked younger than Kamala, but the size of the power she possessed was incomparably greater.

To put it simply, it’s about the difference between Cleon and Eustace.

Lilim pushes away Kamala, who is clinging to her, with a expressionless face. Her face showed no emotion whatsoever, but you could tell that there was a mixture of annoyance and irritation in her gesture.

“Ehehe~ She’s shy☆ That’s cute too….”

Kamala said that, shaking her tail, waving it like a ripple. The sight was like that of a pet dog towards its owner.

“…Now, I’ll go… Ishtar, is waiting….”

“Yes, yes~! Please be sure to give my regards to Ishtar, sis!”

Lilim disregards Kamala’s words and waves her hand to open a dimensional door.

Eustace barely managed to get up and raised his voice towards them beyond the bars.

“Wait… you guys… why in the royal capital…!”

Then, Lilim glances at Eustace for a moment, then turns her head as if she has no interest and disappears through the dimensional door. When Eustace saw that and uttered `Keuk…`, Kamala waved her hand to see Lilim off until she disappeared-

“Hey. Trash.”

She suddenly changed her attitude and swung her tail like a whip towards the bars that Eustace was clinging to.

With a clang! a sound that hurt the ears, and sparks flew, Eustace unknowingly took a step back.

“You gave me a painful experience earlier….☆ I ended up eating one of my poor little sisters who was nearby without even realizing it….”

She was speaking with a smiling face, but the voice and attitude conveyed that there was an uncontrollable, almost insane emotion swirling inside. No, that was only the case from a human perspective. Perhaps, for the demon race, this was the most natural emotion.

She still had a smiling face and made her tail, wriggling like a snake, slither through the air as if crawling towards him, who had moved away from the bars.

Eustace felt threatened by her actions and backed away, further and further. He felt his back touch the wall of the prison.

“Hmm. Half-baked hero. Skill and potential are both half-baked. Low probability of blossoming.”

“Blossoming…? What are you talking about…!”

When Eustace raised his voice once again at the incomprehensible words following her taunting words, Kamala sighed.

“If I had known, I would have brought the little kid next to him… Well. You’re useful in your own way.”

“Keuk… Answer the question properly!”

Eustace was furious at Kamala’s attitude and drew Mistilteinn. The production of magic that had been cutting away at his body, which had been stopped by the intrusion of Saint Princess and Rubella, began again. When Mistilteinn, which had regained its power, shone brightly-

“Why should I do that? There’s no reason why I should listen to the orders of a weakling like you☆”

Kamala laughs and opens her tail. From within, she emits an even higher concentration of magic than the concentrated black magic in the air.

“Kuek…!”

With just that, all the magic that had gone into the holy sword had to be turned into a thick wall to protect Eustace’s skin.

If he were exposed to that magic, his body would literally melt away while he was still alive.

“Aahaha~! It’s fun to see you struggling to endure with sloppy magic control and low-quality magic power☆”

Looking at her giggling as if she was truly enjoying it, Eustace was furious inside. But as she said. All he could do now was endure this state.

However, how much longer would the magic, squeezed out by grinding away at his life force, last. Eustace needed to act somehow and escape this place.

“…What, those eyes? Don’t tell me. You still think there’s hope?”

Looking at Eustace like that, as if she didn’t like the fact that he wasn’t despairing. When Kamala looked at him with a serious expression, Eustace unknowingly felt goosebumps on his spine. That’s because her eyes were no different from the eyes of a child disappointed that a toy wasn’t moving as desired.

And, those children usually. They would vent their anger on the toy.

Kamala’s tail is swung like a whip. This time, it wasn’t a threat swung at the bars, but a swing aimed directly at Eustace’s body. Eustace hastily lifted Mistilteinn to block it, but when the sound of Kaang! rang out once again, a powerful shock went through Eustace’s hand. The tail wrapped around the hilt of the holy sword and snatched it from Eustace’s hand.

“Mistilteinn-Aaaaaaaack…!!”

The moment Mistilteinn, the keepsake of his mother and her younger sister, fell from his hand, Eustace hastily tried to grab his sword. At the same time, his whole body was overwhelmed with a burning pain, and he collapsed to his knees. With the blessing of divine magic gone, his body was completely exposed to black magic. It was as if dozens, hundreds of bugs were crawling on his body, biting his skin.

“Hahahaha! You immediately drop to your knees when the holy sword is gone! As expected, whether they’re half-baked or not, heroes are the same now as they’ve always been!”

Kamala, looking at that, raised her voice as if she was having fun.

Only Eustace’s screams full of pain and Camilla’s laughter echoed in the underground prison.

Those imprisoned in other cells covered their ears and trembled, or tried to check the condition of the new victim through the bars.

“I can roughly guess why you came to this back alley. You’re looking for the missing adventurers, right? I don’t know if you heard it from someone, but~ No can do. A guy who shows off without any skill is just asking to get hurt.”

While whipping Eustace’s body with her tail because he was screaming and unable to answer, she laughed again.

Laughter. Laughter. Laughter.

In his fading consciousness, Eustace regretted his recklessness and foolishness. And, he realized that he had become a little arrogant at some point. Gradually, gradually. Just like his melting body, even his spirit was about to scatter. What he saw in his memory. The images of illusions like a revolving lantern. His father, who was like trash, and his mother, who tried to reform him but eventually gave up. Rubella. Tio. Talcheck. And-

“…Leo…na…”

Kamala, who heard the voice flowing from Eustace’s mouth, paused. The fact that Eustace’s consciousness, which shouldn’t have remained as he was already melting away, was still there.

“Hmm? What is it. Are you calling the name of your loved one?”

And at the act of calling the name of a precious person instead of asking to be saved. Feeling something strange and the tail paused for a moment.

Eustace drew the iron sword made by the 2nd Bolt, which was attached to his waist, like lightning.

With his remaining hand, he grabbed the tail that was hitting him and pulled it.

Looking only straight ahead with gleaming eyes.

He thrust the sword between the bars.

The sword, stabbing through the wind and passing through a thin gap, Kamala’s face, whose tail was grabbed and pulled close to the bars. Aims straight ahead.

Eustace also had a plan. Ordinary swords cannot wound demons. But, if the opponent is a demon, he had thought of some countermeasures.

He couldn’t rely only on Mistilteinn. That’s why, before leaving. He had finished coating this sword with holy water.

The faintly lingering sacred energy mercilessly burned the demon’s skin. If it succeeded in piercing her head.

Even the most powerful demons would suffer so much damage that they would have to retreat.

But-

“Kuek…!?”

Suddenly, the strength that had gone into his whole body drained away in an instant. What is it? What happened?

A feeling that he had become shorter. And, a feeling that his arms had become thinner and his body balance was strange.

As his body collapsed forward, the trajectory of the sword went awry.

In the end. The sword only grazed Kamala’s cheek, who was flustered. Of course. Even with just that, Kamala received pain from the holy water and let out a `Kuek…!` voice, but when she lightly swept over the area with black magic, the wound disappeared in an instant.

And, Eustace fell. It didn’t take him long to realize that something was strangely changing in his body.

Not only had the sticky black magic fallen off his body, but his arms had become thinner, his clothes seemed to be a little bigger somewhere. And, heavy breasts and hips.

“Kut… Pu… Kuhhehe… Kahahahahaha!!!”

The demon in front of him laughed like crazy. And, when she snapped her fingers, a magical ice mirror appeared next to her and showed Eustace that appearance.

There-

There was the appearance of Eustace, who had become a woman.

“What… is this…!”

“Aahahahahaha! What, what else could it be! It’s you as a female! Originally, I injected black magic with such a high concentration that it would dissolve you, but you overcame it with your will! Congratulations! That’s your appearance from today!”

Eustace, who received such a great shock that it was difficult to come to his senses due to Kamala’s clearly mocking voice and his changed appearance, staggered and tried to reach out for his sword that he had dropped.

“Ah~ah~ What are you doing. Even if you grab a sword with that body, you won’t be able to swing it properly. All you can grab now is a customer’s cock. Or, a cart for carrying food.”

But. Camilla kicked away Eustace’s precious sword with her foot.

“Keuk… Who, would do such a thing…”

“…Hehe. But. That was good just now. I was startled even though it was me. To think I would feel such a heart-wrenching crisis from trash like you.”

Camilla ran her fingers over her cheek where she had been wounded and gave a joyful smile. That expression was full of emotions that ordinary people would find difficult.

“But. In the end, trash is trash. Too bad☆ Your book of adventure has disappeared here~”

She looked down at Eustace with a sneer, then sighed as if she was tired of laughing and brought her face close to Eustace.

“…Should I give you a chance? You. And, I can free the adventurers in the same situation as you from here.”

“… …”

“Of course. Not for free. You have to work. If you work at our store from tomorrow and collect the necessary essence, I’ll let you go. Ah, of course, I’ll give you back the holy sword too.”

She said that and shook Mistilteinn, which she had carefully grabbed with her tail.

“Work, you say…?”

“Yeah. Simple customer service, and. Some incredibly enjoyable work that you can do with that body…☆”

Showing a shining eye and smiling at the despairing Eustace, she once again filled the underground prison with loud laughter.

002

“…So, that’s why you were wearing that kind of outfit and working here.”

“Yeah, that’s right. From this morning, it’s already my several customers… I haven’t gone up to the 2nd floor yet. …I know. That that offer is just a nicely packaged temptation. But, if I don’t cling to that… I…”

Eustace says that with his shoulders slumped. In the meantime, Aruru had been judged by Iona to be `no problem with the food` and had finished off the things they had ordered.

“…Are the other employees possibly?”

“Yeah… They’re male adventurers who have become women like me. …For some reason, those guys are gradually forgetting that they were men and becoming slaves to the succubi. They exhaust the customers they take to the 2nd floor and then hand them over to the succubi.”

Cleon and Aruru closed their mouths for a moment after hearing Iona’s answer to the question. The events that had happened at the academy naturally came to mind.

However, Iona shook her head and spoke as if trying to reassure the two of them.

“Perhaps, it’s not Demiurge. It’s a process of gradually becoming contaminated with the magic that the succubi have.”

“Could it be that I’m going to become like that…? Gradually, it becomes natural for me to be a woman, and my body and mind become more and more like a woman…. Have I been cursed with such a curse…?”

Eustace speaks with a frightened face, trembling. But, he then shakes his head and sighs.

“…I’m sorry. Cleon. I couldn’t just stand by after hearing your story…. That was my arrogance. It was something I couldn’t handle.”

He was apologizing as he said that. His voice was mixed with uncontrollable apologies and regrets.

What kind of hero of the holy sword am I? What kind of noblesse oblige am I? I’m just a fool who can only hold others back like this again.

The very thought that I had changed was arrogance. I am still powerless.

“…If a painful experience leads to growth. Failure isn’t necessarily negative.”

However, Cleon shook his head. And he grabs Eustace’s trembling hand and says.

“…First. Let’s escape from here. We have to free the other guys too…. Before that, we have to get your holy sword back, right?”

Eustace lifted his head at Cleon’s words. Iona and Aruru, who were nodding at Cleon’s words, also seemed to be already planning to rescue him from here.

“Cleon…!”

“However. We don’t know how many demons are around…. And the employees here could be used as hostages. So it’s better to look for an opportunity a little more. We also need to figure out where your holy sword is hidden.”

[If it’s the presence of the holy sword, I’ll chase after it~ I can feel something plausible, though it’s weak~]

Cleon smiled faintly at Caliburn’s words. Was it that it felt like an expression of confidence to Eustace?

“Y, yes! Of course…! Thank you, Cleon. I’ll do my best too.”

He was looking at Cleon with an admiring face, his eyes shining.

And, the two people watching that scene from the side. Iona and Aruru whisper quietly.

“…Iona.”

“…Yes, without even realizing it. Her way of speaking is gradually becoming more like a woman’s. This…. This might not be good.”

They were noticing Eustace’s subtle changes and unable to hide their uneasy hearts.