After being seen off by the mayor and the people of the town, they leave Gura.

The members who were seriously injured in the previous battle boarded the carriage, while Arnold and the remaining three, excluding the guard, walked outside while protecting their surroundings.
The newly prepared carriage was custom-made, a size larger than the one Arnold and the others had been using, and had enough room for even the large Arnold to ride. The horses were also bigger and better trained than the carriages they had been using, which they had purchased when they changed their base.

Gilbert, the cocky-looking boy hunter, says admiringly.

'But at level 7, you're using a fine carriage, as expected.

Hunters don't use very fine carriages. The more expensive the carriage, the more comfortable it becomes, but the more likely it is to break down, and the more costly it is to replace it. The price of carriages was also a headache for hunters, who spent a lot of money on potions and weapons.
Behind Arnold's carriage was a smaller, more modest carriage. This was the carriage of Gilbert and the others that Ei had brought with him.

Arnold looked back at the young hunters guarding the carriage nervously and frowned.

I heard what happened. Arnold knew why the rays had brought Gilberto and the others. It was an insurance policy.
I'm not complaining, I'm thinking of the party. But the fact that he had to take out insurance annoyed Arnold.

After two full days off, the injured members of the party had recovered to a certain extent, and the fatigue had subsided to a certain degree, but Arnold's spirits were not lifted at all. If he closed his eyes, he could see the mockery of the Zekage that had been released when they parted.

'By the way, old man, is it true that you've killed a dragon before? How bad can a dragon be?

'Hey, Gilbert! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. ......'

Compared to that, Gilberto's words were cute. I've seen many fearless and energetic young men before.

Arnold sniffed as he watched his companion, who had rushed in from the side, pin him down.
If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can always ask for help.

A stingray with a smile on its face immediately intervened.

I'm sure you're right. A mere dragon is quite a formidable foe, but it wasn't just any dragon we were fighting. The thunder dragon of Nebulanubes is a great dragon that defeated an army of a thousand men. The orc pack we fought this time was also quite large and the pack leader was a strong opponent, but nothing compared to that thunder dragon.

'I see,......, dragons are different after all. Dragon slayer...... I will definitely become one someday. I swear on this sword!



You can't defeat a dragon with just a sword. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how you can use it.

'Is that so? ...... No, but if the sword can't reach it, why not just jump to where it can?

'Yeah, you might be able to reach it by jumping, but ...... how are you going to avoid the breath in the air? ......'

The defeat of the thunder dragon. It's the source of the Misty Thunder Dragon 's confidence and pride.

The dragon's roar. A flash of light and a shout. I can still remember the scene when the dragon finally fell to the boiling hot water that shook my body as if it were a very recent event.

No matter how strong the enemy appears, Arnold, who dropped the dragon that destroyed the country, will not retreat.
Perhaps dismayed by his ignorant words, Aei changed the subject.

'By the way, we've only been in this country for a short time so we don't know much about it, but what kind of party is the Strange Grief? If you know anything about it, could you please tell me ......?''

I had him search for information, but he came up with very little useful information. In particular, there was no information on the "Thousand Transformations" that I had put so much effort into researching.
There was no doubt that it was a powerful enemy at level 8, but hunters based in the Imperial Capital might know about it.

At the words of Aei, Gilbert puffed up his chest and for some reason was a little proud of himself. His companions cowered a little in dismay.

'I see. I've already looked up all the information on the strong ones. It's a goal I'll surpass someday. ............ Well, I didn't find any detailed information, and the only ones I've met are the Thousand Transformations and the Zekage--''

Gilbert began to talk happily, but there was nothing new in his story.
It was not much different from the information that Aei, who had just arrived and was unfamiliar with this imperial city, had researched.

Swordsmen and guardian knights. A mage, an alchemist, and two bandits. And... a "Thousand Transformations" whose combat techniques and everything else are unknown.
The presence of an alchemist is unusual, but it's not particularly new. You could say it's a seamless composition.

All the information pointed to a disadvantage for Arnold and the others.

It was not a party with a good reputation, but it had a solid track record.
Most of their members seemed to be absent at the moment, but they would engage them sooner or later.

'--I'm a swordsman, so my target is Luke of the Thousand Swords. He is a famous genius swordsman in Zebrudia - he traveled to all the swordsmanship dojos in Zebrudia and trained in all the schools, but even then he couldn't find anything he liked, so he finally created his own techniques.

'...... my own style of swordsmanship, huh?

Arnold is also a swordsman. But if you're only talking about the technical side, his skill with the sword is 'not so good'.
For hunters who are required to have all kinds of skills, swordsmanship is only one component of strength.
In the first place, swordsmanship matches are basically designed for swordsmen, but hunters are dealing with demons and illusions. The more deeply you practice, the more likely you are to make a mistake when the time comes.

A genius swordsman. Normally, this would be a word that would be laughed at, but when you have two names as a hunter, it's a different story. Not only is he a skilled swordsman, but his overall strength is probably quite high.
The information of a strong enemy naturally brings a smile to my face. Before talking about retaliation, it was the job of a hunter to want to cross swords with a strong enemy.

After a few hours of following the road, Arnold stopped the carriage in the middle of the plains where trees grew sparsely.
Gilbert's carriage, which was following behind him, stopped as well.

The reason why Arnold stopped the carriage was because of the ruts in the ground.
New ruts continue to form outside of the trodden path.

'? What's wrong with the ......?

'You're off the ............ road. A.'

'I'm pretty sure it's ............. It hasn't been that long ...... a day or so, has it?'

With a serious look on his face, Ray looked in the direction of the ruts.
If he wanted to get to the town, he should just follow the road. Arnold had intended to do the same, and normal sensibilities would have taken the safe road.

That's why the ruts that led off the road were so obvious. The wheel marks from crushing the soft grass were insignificant, but Arnold and the others were not so naive as to let that fool them.

The ruts led in the direction of the Galest Mountains, which were said to be inhabited by many demons.

'It's most likely them. I don't think a mere traveler would choose to go over there when he hears about the demons.

Only those who are confident in their abilities would choose to cross the mountain. There can be demons and bandits. Even the most determined merchant would not choose that path.


It's too good to be a coincidence. Considering the timing of the [Thousand Transformations] leaving the town, it was obvious that these rut marks belonged to them.

'Are they planning to cross the mountain? Are you in such a hurry ......? No--'

If their destination was Gladys' territory, crossing the mountain would not be much of a shortcut. If you take into account the time it takes to fight a demon, it's an option you don't want to take unless you're very confident in your fighting abilities.

And it is also obvious that Senhenhenbanka dared to leave this trail.
If it wasn't on purpose, and Arnold and the others were thought to have overlooked a mark of this magnitude, then they were being foolish.

Considering Zekage's provocation when they parted, there was only one conclusion.
Arnold clenched his teeth tightly and stared at the end of the rut.

'Are you inviting me to come and see if this is the extent of my ...... "Thousand Changes"!

'......What do you want me to do?'

'............ Hey, Gilbert. I'll ask you one thing, is that man afraid of a pack of demons?

At the sound of Arnold's voice, Gilbert tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment, but then quickly said in a loud voice.

'I am not afraid. How can a level 8 man, a man who didn't even draw his weapon in the face of an illusion, be afraid? Are you afraid, old man?''

'!

Luda tried to stop him, but it was too late. It was already too late. Arnold's choice had already been made, even before he could ask Gilbert.

'............ Let's go. Let's go over the mountains.



.



The old road in the Galest Mountains was barely big enough for the new wagon.
Visibility was limited by the dense foliage on either side, and the occasional cries of demons could be heard from nowhere.

But the thing that bothered Arnold and the others more than anything was the carcasses of abandoned demons.
The carcasses strewn about, regardless of the type, were obviously recent creations, and considering that some of them had been eaten by beasts and demons, there were far too many of them.

In addition to Gilbert, Luda and the other young hunters, even Ei, who had seen many horrible battlefields in the past, was frowning at the sight.

'Was this all done by the "thousand changes" ......'?

'...... It's true that mountains are full of demons, but there are just too many of them. Is there something wrong with ...... them?''

You can sell the corpses of demons. If there are so many of them, they should be worth a fortune, but there's no sign that any of them have been brought back, perhaps because they were spared the trouble.
What added to the sense of unease was the fact that there were almost no demons attacking Arnold's carriage.

With so much blood and flesh strewn about, it should be no surprise that demons would gather to feed, but they were nowhere to be seen, as if they had all fled somewhere.

There must be many less intelligent demons in the mountains. ...... Have they all escaped from the Thousand Transformations? I'm not sure what to do.

I don't understand the situation. I got a bad feeling about this.
There are many demons, but not many big ones. Even with Arnold and the others' abilities, they could probably create this scene if they wanted to.

However, the prerequisite for this was that they would have to be attacked by a large number of demons.

The time when I was attacked by a pack of orcs comes to my mind like a flashback.
This time, I was attacked by a "thousand changes", so the situation was the exact opposite, but the creepiness was equal.

'What have you done ...... Thousands of Changes . No, what did you ...... choose this path for in the first place?'

Was he really just trying to provoke us?

'Mr. Arnold, do you want to ...... go back?'

Stingray asks in a quiet voice, wondering if he was thinking the same thing.

Arnold looked up at the trail of corpses and silently shook his head.