NOVEL WEB Ch16 - At the Border Gate
Chapter 16: At the Border Gate
“The border gate is really impressive, isn’t it?”
“Yes, the walls around it are high too. There’s no way to sneak over them. It looks like we’ll have to go through the front.”
『The gatekeepers give off such a nasty vibe, don’t they?』 『Ewwww!』
『Hmm… they’re checking guild cards, huh?』
Lena and her group had finally arrived near the border gate! The gate, visible from a distance, looked grand and sturdy, with several soldiers checking the cards of those passing through. A few travelers and merchants were coming and going through the gate.
The journey to get here had been long and incredibly tough, bringing back many difficult memories for the group. The particularly terrifying image of the man-eating bear resurfaced in their minds, making them shudder. So much had happened in such a short time. Crossing this border would be their final trial.
Objective: Cross the Border!
Lena’s group huddled in the shadows of some trees, whispering about how to make it past. Luka spoke up first.
“I’ll try to read the gatekeepers’ thoughts. But since they’re far away, I’ll need to concentrate on that. In the meantime, can you keep an eye on our surroundings?”
“Understood!”
『Roger that!』
With a sharp gaze, Luka activated his powerful magical eye, reading each gatekeeper’s thoughts one by one.
Inside their heads… Well, as expected of the soldiers from the Galalarujure Kingdom, their minds were filled with corruption. They had all gotten these high-paying jobs as border guards through connections and were mostly pampered nobles. The physically strong mercenaries were stationed on the walls, doing grueling patrols in the sun. The gatekeepers, with their well-built bodies and high-end armor, gave off an intimidating presence, but they barely glanced at the contents of the guild cards. Their identity checks were careless.
In contrast, they thoroughly inspected merchants’ goods. Driven by greed, they demanded bribes from wealthy merchants, their attention completely focused on them. Disguising themselves as travelers rather than merchants seemed like a better option to pass through the gate. Luka relayed this information to the group.
“I see… so we should pretend to be travelers. Instead of just disguising ourselves, it might be better to use Lily’s [Illusion] skill for camouflage, especially to change our faces. We don’t exactly have the right clothing to fully disguise ourselves as travelers.”
“Right. I have a couple of simple robes and shirts we can use. We can dirty them up a bit to look the part, then change our faces with an illusion. Lily, do you think you can cast an illusion on all of us?”
Lily hesitated for a moment before responding.
『Hmm… It’s hard to maintain an illusion that would look natural even when we’re moving. I’d also have to cast it on the guild cards, right?』
“Yes. I’d like to avoid our real names being discovered. If we can change both our appearance and our guild cards, the chances of suspicion will be much lower. But that might be too much of a burden for you. What do you think?”
“We could use the [Inspire] skill to strengthen our familiars’ abilities, but the effect might wear off while we’re waiting in line… Hmm, this is tricky!”
The three of them groaned, deep in thought. If they were to go through the gate normally, Lily’s [Illusion] would be essential. However, her current abilities weren’t strong enough to maintain it on multiple targets for a long period. Although she had grown stronger thanks to her master’s gift, she was still an inexperienced Level 4 fairy.
Luckily, the gatekeepers’ laziness was working in Lena’s favor, greatly increasing their chances of success. The government had relaxed security at the gate due to a rumor spread through communication devices that a Jewel Slime and its master had been killed. As for Luka, the runaway prince… “There’s no way that pampered prince could make it this far,” they thought.
Kureha and Izumi excitedly hopped up to their master and offered a suggestion.
『Hey, what if Kureha and I stick really close to Lena and Luka’s bodies?』
『Then we could make you look all buff and muscular, right? We’d change your faces too! We’ll move along with you, so it’ll ease the burden on Lily’s illusion.』
『Even if a guard touches you, they’ll feel real muscles and won’t suspect a thing!』
“That’s genius!”
『Hehe!』
Surprisingly, Kureha and Izumi had come up with a nearly perfect plan. These weren’t just silly slimes! They were delighted by the praise they received.
Instead of relying solely on an illusion to create entirely different bodies, the slimes suggested shaping themselves over Lena and Luka’s bodies and projecting the illusion on top of that, reducing the strain on Lily. They could create buff, muscular bodies to intimidate the gatekeepers.
The grapefruit-sized slimes stretched themselves thin, just enough to cover Lena and Luka. Despite their small statures—Luka standing at 172 cm and Lena at 158 cm—the illusion of muscular bodies would be quite amusing.
“Let’s give it a try!”
『Right away!』
“Thank you for your help.”
Lena and Luka changed into simple adventurer-style clothes: white shirts, pants, and robes.
Time to Transform with the Slimes!
『Alright, we’re gonna cover you now!』 『Hehehe.』
“Please… go ahead.”
『Let’s do this, everyone!』
With mischievous grins (in their minds, at least), the glittering slimes crept toward their masters, clearly enjoying themselves. Lena and Luka’s faces tensed up in anticipation… After all, it was Kureha and Izumi, notorious pranksters. Could they really trust them in such a serious situation?
『Oops! My hand slipped!』 『Tickle, tickle!』
“Ahaha! Stop! That tickles!”
Lena and Luka tried their best to suppress their laughter. Even Lily, who was watching the scene, was struggling to hold back her giggles.
The slimes slithered into their clothes, wiggling and stretching their bodies while teasing their sensitive skin. In a situation where they needed to stay quiet, this prank felt like torture. The slimes were the only ones having fun.
『Okay, all done!』
Finally, the muscular transformation was complete. Exhausted, Lena and Luka sat on the ground, catching their breath. They now looked like red and blue muscular men—an absurd sight.
『Pfft… I-I’ll cast the [Illusion] now, master… hehe!』
“Yes… please do.”
The two humans were utterly worn out.
“Skill [Illusion]!”
Lily’s magic transformed the previously red and blue slime skin into something resembling the blackish, rough skin of a human. Messy eyebrows and hair—an image of a scruffy old man. The model for this figure was none other than… the notorious thief duo, Arn-Pon! Although the body was absurdly muscular, the face was unmistakably their grotesque and somewhat goofy expression.
The masters were not thrilled, but the newly born monsters, having known no other models, couldn’t help but shape themselves after these scruffy men.
“Wow…”
“Even knowing it’s an illusion, actually becoming it feels tough…”
But there was no point complaining! Resolving to “discipline” the mischievous slimes later, Lena and Luca began slowly testing their movements, taking one step, then another, moving their arms and legs.
“…Hmm, this could work. Multiple [Illusions] should be possible!”
Thankfully, it didn’t seem to strain Lily too much. However, after walking several meters, their movements and the slime bodies started to desynchronize. The slimes, used to bouncing around, didn’t quite grasp the coordinated movements of human limbs. Occasionally, a horror-like phenomenon occurred where Lena’s real limbs would stick out from the slime body.
They dispelled the “old man” form and regrouped for another discussion.
“…As Majin, Kureha and Izumi might better understand how to move human bodies if they became accustomed to human forms themselves.”
“‘Majin…?’”
Luca quickly explained to the wide-eyed Lena and her familiar.
“When monsters evolve through several class changes, they can eventually take on human forms, becoming what are called Majin. They have human-like bodies, but retain some of their original monster features, like ears or horns. Lena’s familiars have only undergone one class change, so they shouldn’t be able to transform into humans yet, but it seems like they can already do it, probably because of your Special Gift. At least, that’s what I see. Want to give it a try?”
“Wow, everyone’s amazing!”
“Ehehe!”
“Your Gift too, Lena.”
“If they turn human, will they stay like that forever?”
Lena tilted her head, puzzled.
“No, their original forms are still monsters. They can switch between human and monster forms at will. Turning into humans is like a ‘hobby’ for them. As monsters grow stronger and more intelligent, living only in the wild becomes unsatisfying for them. They start to enjoy talking with other species in human language, dressing up with clothes and accessories, that kind of thing.
Some beings evolved from Majin, where the human form became their primary one, but they can also revert to their monster forms. These include races like Treants, Dragonkin, and Angels. They live in towns or villages, often on separate continents, but sometimes they mingle with Majin in cities.
Anyway, let’s practice Lily’s human transformation later. For now, let’s start with Kureha and Izumi. Could you two give it a try? Imagine yourselves taking human form, and your bodies should start to change.”
“Got it!”
“Okay… mmm!”
“Woo, this is exciting! Go for it!”
“We’ll do our best, Master!”
Encouraged by their master, the slimes seemed highly motivated. Without even casting a spell for inspiration, they puffed up their bodies, swelling as they filled with air. And then—poof!
First, their limbs began to take shape. Next, their heads. The process was quite gruesome at this stage, with their bodies lacking necks, but at least the fact that their skin was a glass-like red and blue lessened the grotesque effect. Their poor master, still not fully desensitized, subtly averted her eyes. Gradually, the slimes took the form of human children.
“Here we go!”
“Bring it on!”
Lily mimicked the playful slime behavior perfectly. It was great to see their strong bond.
The slimes’ bodies were soon enveloped in a soft, gentle light.
–––When the light faded…
First to appear was soft, pale skin, smooth like that of a child. Their hair, glimmering like combed jewels, resembled the beauty of rubies and sapphires. Their faces were flawless, living up to the name “Jewel Slimes.” Their appearance could be seen as either male or female, due to the slimes’ genderless nature, and they looked about seven years old.
▼ Kureha and Izumi have acquired the skill Humanization!
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“Ta-daaa!”
The slimes seemed delighted. Lena, though hearing the divine voice once again, had no time to pay attention to it. Her newly humanized familiars were… stark naked!
“Aaaahh!! Clothes! Clothes, please!”
“Yaaay☆”
Turning bright red, she hurriedly grabbed a shirt from her bag and hastily threw it over Kureha and Izumi’s heads. In her haste, she didn’t bother with buttons, instead plopping the shirt on from the top.
▼Kureha and Izumi, now child-like, are in a shirt-only look!
▼It feels terribly wrong…
Oops, she’d made things worse. But with no other options, she had to accept it.
“Darn it…”
Their master dramatically held her head in her hands, overwhelmed by the thought of her children in such indecent attire. There were no spare pants since Luca’s were being used for his disguise as a traveler.
But for now, the essentials were covered, so they’d have to compromise. Luca reassured her, “No need to stress over it.”
For the second time, it was clear that only the master was bothered by the slimes’ attire. Meanwhile, the slimes themselves were already walking and jumping around happily.
“Oops!”
“Aaaah!”
Occasionally, the slimes’ incomplete grasp of humanization caused parts of their bodies to momentarily melt, creating a zombie-like horror. Their master let out small screams, while Lily burst into uncontrollable laughter, pounding the ground in amusement.
Eventually, the slimes adapted to their new bodies, their movements becoming smoother. After testing once more by sticking to Lena, they matched her motions effortlessly.
With that, it was time to cast [Illusion] on the Guild Card and…
Now it begins! The one-shot plan where failure isn’t an option.
Their expressions naturally turned serious.
Lily would maintain [Illusion] on the masters from a distance, while they snuck past the gate. At the right moment, she’d scale the wall and join them outside the border. She had already scouted the meeting point thoroughly.
Down the road, a short, sleazy-looking old man strutted confidently. To avoid suspicion, Luca mentally chanted, I am Arn-Pon, I am Arn-Pon, repeating the names of the thieves he had observed.
Finally, they approached the border gate.
The sleazy guards eyed every traveler with suspicion, making Luca’s heart race as he silently waited his turn.
At last, he handed over the Guild Card.
“Hmm…”
Anpon said nothing in response and quietly bowed his head to the receptionist.
Once again, there was a bored-sounding “Tsk” as the receptionist clicked his tongue.
Crunch, crunch—the sound of his steps echoed as he walked across the dusty, poorly cleaned floor. The hem of his deliberately dirtied robe became even more covered in dust from the swirling sand.
Behind him, the male receptionist yawned in boredom.
The other gatekeepers were too preoccupied with the wealthy merchant from the previous group, who had a cartload of goods.
No one bothered to glance at an unimpressive traveler like Anpon.
He gave a slight nod to the few scattered travelers nearby and quietly slipped past them.
And then… a vast expanse of fresh green grasslands spread out before his eyes.
— Lena and the others had finally stepped outside the gate!
▼ They crossed the border…!