episode_0171

000

The origin of the name Horseshoe Mountain is simpler than you might think; it’s simply that the shape of the mountain, when viewed from above, resembles a horseshoe, i.e., the shape of a `U`.

In the past, during the war with the Empire, it was used as a base of operations for the Imperial soldiers, and traces of supply bases they used and left behind, as well as dangerous magical tools such as Mana Detonation Mines, are sometimes found in various parts of the mountain, so entry by the general public is prohibited.

…Even so, stationing guards on such a large mountain was an inefficient endeavor, so the current kingdom’s attitude was that entering the mountain was solely at one’s own risk.

Some opinions suggest it’s irresponsible, but Horseshoe Mountain was severely devastated by the impact of weapons used by the Imperial Army in the previous war. It’s barren land with no remaining resources, truly unhelpful to possess.

There are hardly any wild animals, and almost no plants grow. Mineral resources are also depleted.

The kingdom would like to speak with wizards about dismantling the mountain itself, but doing so could affect the ley lines flowing to the royal capital, so for now, they are leaving it alone until a good solution emerges.

“…That’s the general information about Horseshoe Mountain.”

After hearing the general explanation from Iona during the journey, Cleon nodded.

“You know it in considerable detail.”

“Well, I originally belonged to the intelligence agency of the Royal Army. There’s another reason too….”

Iona said, glancing slyly behind Cleon.

Then, Cleon and Kuon, who was standing next to him listening intently to Iona’s story, both turned around.

“W-why, what’s wrong…?”

There, Eustace, looking weary and wiping sweat, noticed their gazes and asked Iona, flustered.

“Shall we take a short break? Once we enter the mountain, we’ll have to climb again, so it’s best to replenish your stamina now.”

“T-that’s true…”

Eustace sighed at Iona’s consideration but nodded and sat down on the nearby grassy field.

“Kuon. Give Eustace a restoration spell.”

“Okay, I understand.”

At Cleon’s request, Kuon nodded and approached Eustace, using divine magic to restore his stamina.

Eustace’s expression improved as he felt somewhat more comfortable, but the apologetic look towards the three did not disappear.

“…Pathetic. I insisted on coming along myself.”

Eustace looked down at his own hands with a self-deprecating smile.

It was Anansi who first noticed the disappearance of medicine and people from the monastery, but she considered them a threat within the monastery and allowed them to escape.

After that, Iona received a message from her, and by the time Iona visited the monastery, Eustace was also ready to depart.

“It seems that their curse doesn’t just change a human body into a woman’s.”

Iona said, grabbing and showing Eustace’s arm, which was now quite feminine.

Before being cursed, his arm had started to thicken with training, but now it was as thin as Layla’s.

Due to the loss of strength and stamina, he tired easily even when wearing his original weapons and armor.

“The parts you trained have weakened…”

“That’s right…. To put it simply, it might be a curse that also involves level drain.”

Level drain. A type of black magic that absorbs not what the target inherently possesses, but the results of physical abilities developed through training or magical practice.

It’s difficult for ordinary humans to use and is usually used by demons who specialize in `absorption magic`, such as succubi.

Considering who cast this curse, it was somewhat expected.

“So, the results of your training have disappeared, and your stamina and strength are weaker than before.”

When Cleon said that, Eustace could only groan, “Ugh…”

“Well… you’ll be able to return to normal once the curse is lifted. We’ve confirmed cases of level drain being lifted before.”

“That’s fortunate, but…. Fundamentally, unless I quickly return to being a man….”

Cleon paused for a moment at Eustace’s words, then looked at him and said.

“…I know you’re anxious, but you need to stay calm, especially at times like this. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely solve it.”

At Cleon’s encouragement, Eustace blushed slightly but nodded lightly.

Even after resting sufficiently, the pounding of his heart did not slow down at all.

“… Th, that’s right. Now that I think about it, it might be strange to say this after I insisted on coming along…. Why did you allow it? In the past, you would have stopped me, saying something like `Where do you think you’re going in that body`.”

When Eustace said that, Cleon and Iona paused and exchanged glances.

Simply put, the goal was to bring him along to slow down the progress of Eustace’s curse, even if only slightly.

An open environment is better than staying in a monastery surrounded by women.

And, the situation of being able to throw himself into the fight against the kingdom’s enemies, the bandits, for the sake of the kingdom’s people, was in line with the `noblesse oblige` that he usually valued.

It was to make him regain his sense of combat and not forget his former self before his body changed.

They just didn’t expect his body to be so weak that he would lose stamina just by wearing and moving in his equipment.

“That armor seems to be the problem. As expected.”

“…Hmm. Even like this, if it were me from before, I could have worn it quite lightly….”

Eustace said, examining the men’s light armor he was wearing.

Cleon looked at it and unknowingly murmured as if recalling his past self.

“It seems you were strong enough to be fine even wearing that heavy full-plate armor.”

“Ah. That armor, huh? I sold it off in Elresia. It was mithril, so it was lighter than normal armor, but….”

Eustace also spoke nostalgically, and Iona added a word.

“Certainly, your father told you to sell it, so you did, right?”

“He said he wouldn’t accept me as a disciple if I didn’t sell it…”

Cleon and Iona chuckled at Eustace’s words, and Eustace smiled slightly, drawn to it.

“…I wonder what Talcheck would say and laugh if he saw me like this.”

Suddenly, when Eustace said that, Iona and Cleon fell silent.

Of course. He would have laughed. He would have grabbed his stomach and rolled on the ground laughing.

He would have teased him, saying, “You couldn’t even catch one demon and ended up like that?”

But he wouldn’t have ridiculed him.

He doesn’t do things like trampling on the pride of the weak.

Not going easy on people is also part of that meaning. He was fair to the weak, the losers, and the winners.

“If it were Talcheck…. I think he would still consider you a disciple even in that body.”

“The way he expresses it might be clumsy, but my father wouldn’t care much about a person’s appearance changing.”

“…Is that so? Even this me…”

Eustace nodded slightly at Cleon and Iona’s words. However, he still couldn’t shake off the self-reproach that his body had become like this because he was weak and hasty.

“You are a wonderful person. Mr. Eustace.”

At that moment, Kuon, who was casting restoration magic on Eustace, opened her mouth.

“…Some people are swallowed by their power when they gain powerful strength. Holy swords. Demon swords. Magic. Magical tools… But, Mr. Eustace, even after gaining the power of the Holy Sword, however incomplete, you tried to use it not for yourself but for the sake of others, right? You are a wonderful person. Right? Cleon?”

“Yeah. Compared to the old days, I think you’ve become much more reliable.”

Eustace was momentarily stunned by Cleon and Kuon’s words, then blushed and lowered his head.

“Th, thank you. For saying that to me…, Reliable, huh. Hehe.”

Iona and Cleon smiled wryly as they looked at the embarrassed Eustace.

Then suddenly, Eustace stopped smiling and looked up as if he had a question.

“…Um? Wait. In the old days…. By the way, Cleon. How did you know I was wearing that full-plate armor?”

The air there felt frozen for a moment.

Cleon spoke without thinking, but while Eustace was wearing that ridiculous armor, he only acted and revealed himself as “Leona.”

Officially, Cleon and Eustace first met while fighting Talcheck with Rubella.

“Th-that’s…”

“It was as if you saw it directly….”

Cleon thought it was a blunder and sent a look of help to Iona, and Iona quickly understood the situation and cleared her throat.

“Leona must have told you~ The story about taking you and me into the dungeon~ Right, Cleon?”

Cleon nodded hastily at Iona’s words.

“Was that so! It was a time that was nothing more than a dark history for me…. I’m glad if it became a story for drinking.”

And Eustace still doesn’t know anything.

Kuon, who knows everything, can smile.

“Th, more importantly! It seems like it would be a little difficult to go with that armor as it is, so let’s fix it. Even if it’s impossible to modify it into a female form, there might be a way.”

Iona raised her voice to quickly change the subject and examined the armor attached to Eustace’s body.

“A way…. Like removing the auxiliary equipment?”

“That’s right… Remove the shoulder, arm, and leg guards…. And if we remove the padding on the body….”

“Ah. And I can cast a weight reduction spell.”

While Iona and Kuon were looking after Eustace’s armor, Cleon turned his gaze towards Horseshoe Mountain.

If he lit the hunter’s mark and Mana Sight, he could grasp the approximate location and silhouette of what was inside, even from a distance.

And there’s the thread Anansi attached.

Cleon, who is connected by the mark of dominance, can also sense the presence of the thread and follow them-

“… …”

He didn’t feel very pleasant.

He could feel that they, divided into two and one, were surrounded by multiple life signs, and their vitality was gradually weakening.

`This… it’s probably better not to show this to Kuon and Iona.`

Not only Kuon, who is relatively faint-hearted, but also Iona, who is a woman before being a knight, would not be happy to see women being humiliated.

“Done! How about this much?”

In the meantime, Iona raises her voice as if the modification of Eustace’s armor is finally finished.

“It’s almost all cloth, but…. Is it okay?”

When Eustace asks with a worried voice, Kuon, who was standing next to him finishing the magic, smiled and answered.

“Not only is it lightweight, but I’ve also created a thin magical barrier around the entire body. It might even be better in terms of physical defense than before?”

Eustace had no choice but to nod at Kuon’s confident voice. He glanced at his current appearance and then glanced at Cleon before opening his mouth.

“…If that’s the case. This is much easier to move in for me too. What do you think? Cleon?”

Cleon was momentarily flustered by Eustace’s question, suddenly asking for his opinion, but he slowly examined her appearance.

Her appearance, having removed most of the cumbersome or heavy parts from the armor she was wearing, was that of a rookie adventurer who couldn’t even afford a decent set of armor.

The simple cloth clothes that she wore under the armor at the monastery were still there, so when she took off the armor, the lines from her shoulders to her chest, from her chest to her waist, and from her waist to her thighs were slightly visible.

The only armor remaining was the leather top and the gloves that were left on because she had to swing her sword.

“I can’t deny that it feels like you’ve reduced it a little too much…. But if it’s easier to move in, then I guess it’s fine.”

“Not that but what about how it looks…!? Ah, never mind.”

Eustace said that, then surprised himself and covered his mouth, but after a while, he calmed down and returned his expression to normal and stopped speaking.

Iona and Cleon sweated for a moment at Eustace’s attitude, but then sighed in relief as they saw him restrain himself.

“But, defense magic, huh. If there was such a convenient thing, parties with priests wouldn’t have to wear expensive armor?”

“It’s not just that. Since it’s a magic that exerts physical force, it requires quite a lot of mana. Even a priest with a lot of mana would experience mana depletion if they were adventuring while covering their entire body.”

When Cleon answered Eustace’s words, she looked at Kuon with a slightly worried expression.

“I, I’m okay. I’ve prepared for the mana issue in advance. R, right? Cleon?”

“…Yeah. As she said, you don’t have to worry too much about mana.”

Even if it’s a preparation, it’s not that strange. It’s just that a mana channel is created between Kuon and Layla, and Layla’s mana flows into her as much as she needs, even when they are far apart, with Cleon as the relay.

When she’s holed up in the mansion for research, she doesn’t use much mana, so she proposed that Kuon should effectively use her mana while she goes out to help Cleon.

Well, the thing that happened just a few days ago was that she was participating at the same time as the two of them in order to realize that method.

Besides, Kuon still had the unresolved issue of angelification.

She had prevented the awakening as an angel when she was attacked by Lyle at the academy through mana insects, but her mana recovery speed had increased overwhelmingly compared to before.

Considering that, the current Kuon might be able to produce an output comparable to that of a high-ranking priest of most orders, or perhaps even a cardinal-level priest.

It has not yet been determined whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Cleon thought about such things while looking back at the mountain. The time is still morning. He has grasped their location with the effect of the thread, but if their life, which is gradually weakening, goes out, the thread will not be able to fulfill its role.

He needed to hurry a little.

“If you’ve finished preparing and resting. Let’s go soon. It’s better to finish before the sun goes down.”

001

The wind on Horseshoe Mountain was a chilling wind of death.

The devastated land. The miasma rising from the ground. The reason for this is mostly the aftermath of the magical weapons used by the Imperial Army.

Indiscriminate weapons of destruction that decompose and absorb the mana and vitality that exist around them and use it as an energy source.

In the latter half of the war, when the tide of war was reversed, they recklessly used such magical weapons even within the imperial territory, which was their home.

Most of the Imperial territory, including the capital, has now become barren land, and they have to wait for the mana to recover naturally.

It is said that the blueprint for the magical weapons was created not by the imperial technicians, but by the demons summoned and employed by the empire.

Regardless of which side won the war, was their purpose simply to reduce the natural elements that hindered them in this world and reduce the land where people could live?

It was a matter of self-inflicted misfortune that the empire’s people, who would use any means to win, were caught in the trap of the demons they thought they controlled, using their psychology in reverse.

Such unrecoverable land that was swept away by the war has been transformed into terrain that is difficult to walk on, so although it is true that he can grasp the location of the target, he cannot know the way to get there.

“…The direction is this way, but the road is blocked.”

When Cleon said that and pointed to the cliff, Eustace made a disgusted face.

“Do we have to climb this…?”

Kuon also looked a little frightened at those words, but Cleon shook his head.

“We could use flight magic, but we don’t know what might react if we fly in the sky. It’s better to go around….”

What he meant by “what” was, of course, the magical tools that the Imperial Army had left behind.

It was a well-known story that automatic firearms that automatically tracked flying targets were installed to prevent the kingdom’s wizards from flying in and attacking the fortress.

Iona looked around at Cleon’s words, turning her head, and chose a path that turned left from the cliff.

“This way will be faster. The direction is beyond the cliff, and how far is it?”

“About 600m…. Something, you have a confident stride.”

Iona smiled wryly at Cleon’s words and looked back.

“Well, this isn’t the first time I’ve been here. I’ve been here with my father several times.”

“With Talcheck?”

Iona nodded at Eustace’s question, recalling the past.

“As you can see, it’s a harsh environment. There are no wild plants or animals that can be used as food, and there are magical tools that react if you make a mistake. He said there’s no other training ground near the royal capital like this, so he spent several days climbing the mountain with me and his disciples….”

It probably wasn’t a delusion that Kuon’s face turned pale.

“By the way…. From what age?”

“Let me see… It was the year that had passed since I first grabbed a sword…. From the age of 8, maybe?”

“You brought an 8-year-old into a place like this!?”

When Eustace exclaimed in shock, Iona could only smile wryly and say, “Ahaha….”

“That gorilla… he was committing outrageous acts when I wasn’t watching….”

Cleon also said with a fed-up expression, and Iona looked around again.

“I think so too. In the end, some of the people he accepted as disciples gave up and ran away. They were tired of the harshness of Horseshoe Mountain and the abnormal strength and intensity of the human being named Father.”

“I can’t say I blame them…. Ah.”

Cleon answered that and then paused, making a noise as if he had remembered something.

“…Now that I think about it. When I was a kid, Talcheck took me into the dangerous areas of the Living Forest and dragged me around for days, too.”

“… …”

“W, we’re lucky he didn’t take you into the forbidden area. Cleon.”

“Well. Dangerous areas are dangerous in their own way, but they are dangerous places as their name suggests.”

Cleon also nodded slowly and began to walk in the direction Iona was pointing.

“…Could it be that I received the kindest lesson from Talcheck…?”

Eustace could only think that while listening to the two people’s stories.

002

After that, as a result of constantly moving forward by confirming the direction with Cleon and then having Iona suggest a route to go there.

Cleon and his party were able to confirm that there were men on the lookout near the entrance of a plausible mountain cave.

The four hid in the bushes, suppressed their presence, and watched the bandits.

The equipment wasn’t bad for simple bandits, and they could see that they were wearing items that could only be found in equipment stores in the royal capital.

“Did they steal it from the adventurers who came to subjugate them?”

“Considering that, it’s strange that they have enough equipment for the number of people. The scale seems to be quite large too…. What should we do?”

“…The core part of the ley lines also seems to be inside this mountain cave. We need to get inside no matter what.”

Cleon said that and drew the red sword – Talcheck’s sword.

The reason why he didn’t bring Galatea and Caliburn was also similar to the reason why he didn’t use flight magic.

The reason being that anything related to mana, except for auxiliary magic, was likely to be the target of the magical tools reacting.

“I can see about four from here….”

“I want to take care of them before they make a sound. In that case, should we two go out at the same time?”

“I-”

As Iona and Cleon prepared to jump out, Eustace raised his voice.

When the two looked at Eustace at the same time, she hesitated, drew her sword, and spoke.

“…I’ll protect Kuon-yang, just in case.”

Cleon smiled at her words.

“Yeah. I’m counting on you.”

Certainly, Eustace wanted to go out and fight together as well.

However, even if he thought about it strategically or in terms of skill, it might be an act of hindering the two.

That’s why he suppressed that competitive spirit and found “what he should do,” which was to protect Kuon while Cleon and Iona were away.

“It’s not bad to see a disciple growing up. Right? Cleon.”

Cleon nodded at Iona’s words and put strength into his legs.

“Let’s go.”

In the next moment, Cleon and Iona jumped out of the bushes with explosive rushing power and ran straight forward, and before the lookouts could even recognize the two’s rush, they were cut down and fell to the ground, spilling blood.

The two’s strike, which seemed to outstrip even the wind and sound, was truly beyond what could be described as lightning speed.

“Wh-”

The remaining two noticed Cleon and Iona’s surprise attack only after seeing their companions fall to the ground and tried to swing their weapons.

However, even that was preempted by Cleon and Iona’s swords, and the two were cleanly pierced in vital points and could only fall to the ground without even screaming.

Eustace couldn’t close his mouth, which had been opened at the two people’s swordsmanship, and gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

“What the hell are you guys!”

At that moment, a shout was heard from behind Eustace and Kuon.

There, a person who seemed to be a bandit’s companion was glaring at Eustace and Kuon with an ax in his hand, trying to rush at them.

“Kuh…!”

When the unexpected happened, Eustace quickly grabbed his long sword and blocked the swung ax.

`He, heavy…!`

Eustace’s arm, which had blocked the swung ax, was almost at its limit just from that.

He was blocking the ax with his sword while struggling, but he could feel the blade gradually getting closer to him.

The opponent was bigger than him, but Eustace felt keenly once again that he had weakened.

`…I can’t do anything with this body if I clash with strength and strength… Then…! Kuh…!`

In the next moment, Eustace slanted his sword to the side and took a breath. Then, he deflected the ax with the trajectory of the sword as if sliding and dodged it by twisting his body.

When the ax was swung in vain and fell close to the ground, he quickly swung the iron sword and cut off his hand.

With his strength, he couldn’t cut off even a slightly thicker part. So at least, to prevent him from swinging his weapon.

Eustace’s judgment was accurate, and the bandit screamed in pain as his hand was cut off and sat down on the spot.

He kicked away the ax so that he couldn’t grab it again and was about to strike his neck down.

The man stretched out his other hand and struck Eustace’s stomach as a last resort.

“Ugh…!?”

Eustace braced himself for the impact and cringed, but when he questioned why he didn’t feel any pain,

“Barrier…!”

He could see Kuon stretching out her hand, and in addition to the defense magic she had activated in advance, she had added additional protection magic to completely eliminate the impact.

To the bandit, whose fingers seemed to be broken, Eustace finished him off, and he too became a corpse that could no longer move and fell to the ground on the spot.

“…A, amazing. Are you okay? Even if you see a corpse….”

“…I’ve been an adventurer for 3 years too.”

Kuon smiled wryly and prayed for a while. It was probably a prayer from the order, wishing that the souls of the dead could be saved.

“Are you okay!? Kuon! Eustace!”

Cleon, who had taken care of the lookouts and returned, checked Kuon and Eustace’s physical condition.

“Yeah. I’m okay. Mr. Eustace doesn’t have any injuries either.”

“Haa… I’m glad. …Thank you, Eustace. For protecting Kuon.”

When Cleon smiled gently as if he was really relieved and answered Eustace like that-

“Ugh…!”

Eustace grabbed his heart again and sat down on the spot.

“E, Eustace!? Are you hurt somewhere!?”

“N, no…. More than that, the medicine in the bag….”

When Eustace said that, Kuon took out a vial containing white medicine from his bag and handed it to him.

Eustace hurriedly drank the medicine, took a few deep breaths, and then sighed as if he had calmed down.

“…Somehow, it feels like the taste is better than yesterday….”

“…It must be your imagination. Are you really okay? Don’t overdo it…”

When Cleon said that and put his hand on Eustace’s shoulder, Eustace made a surprisingly high-pitched voice, “Hyaat!? ”

Then, he touched the back of his neck with a blank expression as if he was really surprised by that voice.

“Wh, what…! Was that just now, my voice!?”

“…Eustace, you…”

“…Kuh… No, it’s okay. It’s still okay. I’m okay. Cleon. I am… Justi… Eustace Woodknocker.”

Eustace, who had almost called himself “Justina” without realizing it, roughly pressed down on his chest and drank all the medicine left in the vial.

Then he stood up, took his sword, and put it back on his waist.

“…L, let’s go. Before the sun sets, we have to get down from the mountain.”

“…Yeah.”

Cleon looked at Eustace, who was staggering but trying to walk straight, and looked down at the emptied vial.

`The taste has gotten better…? That-`

Soon a bad feeling came over him, but he shook his head and headed to the bandits’ lair with Iona and Kuon.