Ben Nevis

The big rock ahead! Once we get past it, there should be a spot to rest, my lord!

Uh, right...

Fwooooosh.

Battered by a knife-edged wind you'd never meet on flat ground, I muttered weakly.

I respect diversity, but... hiking is just too hard.

We're almost there, hang in there! You can do it!

Percival... is it just me? You've been saying "almost there" for a while, but it still looks super high.

It's just you!

....

Hmmm, I'm getting a little tipsy. Feel like I'll topple over.

It'd be hilarious if an Elf staggered drunk on a mountain hike and face-planted.

Don't be snide, I'm a half-elf.

The wind feels nice... climbing helps training, too.

As expected of Lady Lua! You grasped the charm of hiking at once.

I want to see a cute cat...

You came for cats? There are tons back in town.

Bigger than normal cats. Black... and I heard they're calf-sized...

That's not a cat, pretty sure...

Hehe, mountains are great for honing body and mind.

And booze tastes better, too...

Those two are like androids, fine... but is hiking really your hobby?

Yup!

I really don't buy it... You're not quietly climbing like Percival or Lua, since earlier you've just leaned on me and kept drinking.

Ethaaan, you dummy. You've still got a lot to learn from me.

Liquor on the mountain is the best there is. That's why I packed my bag full.

What...? All that baggage was booze? Not a tent?!

I brought snacks too. Got rye bread and jerky from Ria.

Sounds delicious!

Percival's eyes sparkled; Mia beamed in pride.

Do they even realize? If we get stranded, we're toast.

Ugh... what a mess. I suddenly feel like going back...

If you dawdle there... the sun will set. No time for chit-chat.

Agreed, my lord. The summit is close, bear with it a little longer. I'll give you a massage at the top...!

If you're going to nag, take this drunk with you! She keeps leaning on me.

Well, because it's comfy, fufu!

It's hard on me!

I thought I could relax without that troublesome Morgana around, and now an even bigger one's hanging on me! Do I look like a bed to you?!

That's how dependable you are. And Ethan's back... has been nicely trained. Slurp!

Way too indecent!

The Swordbringer still has far to go. A swordsman should strive more...

Argh! Enough, let's rush up and rush down!

M-My lord, the true reward of hiking comes from savoring the mountain and enduring the pain of the climb.

I'm enduring plenty already! Hrrrng!!

As I yelled and bull-charged upward, several big rocks clattered down.

Huh...?

A trap... probably not. Landslide warning? No, not that either.

The mystery cleared fast. After familiar sounds and smells came a crowd of ugly mugs. A pack of Orcs.

Orcs?! Why are Orcs coming down from that high up?

How would I know. Maybe there's a village up there.

They seem... terrified.

Hmm, maybe Ethan's shouting scared them?

As Lua said, something was off about the Orcs. It looked less like they were aiming for us and more like we ran into them while they fled.

Weird or not, they're definitely heading our way. We've got no choice but to fight.

Yeah. Monsters... just cut them down...

Wish you guys luck! Gulp, gulp...

You too, fight! Stop drinking and get ready!

What the hell is this... I was dumb to expect a normal hike.

Hoo, worthy of the continent's greatest mountain, Ben Nevis. This'll be great training!

Hiking... good for training... I'll remember.

Next scene: Ben Nevis Ep.5

It has nothing to do with hiking! Aaaaagh!!

Like the onrushing Orcs, I charged in with a battle cry.

2. Ben Nevis Ep.5

29 lines

They were pretty strong Orcs.

Yeah. At this level, it's not just a few, an entire Orc tribe must be fleeing.

But that tremor earlier... was it an earthquake?

Could be worse. The earth's wrath often portends something.

Are you talking about... the Fury of the Land?

Chances are high.

What's that supposed to mean?

I blinked at them, and Lua murmured in an icy tone.

A volcano... this mountain might erupt...

A volcanic eruption...? Panic washed my mind blank.

I've never experienced one, but it's one of those natural disasters you hear about all your life.

If a calamity even modern society couldn't handle hits this world...!

D-Do we run?

If possible, we should stop it... The Swordbringer... can do it.

Stop it? How am I supposed to stop a volcano from blowing?

Not directly. We'll set a sealing stone at the summit of Ben Nevis. With the Grail's power, it's doable.

Mm... the Swordbringer... can avert disaster...

As expected of my lord! Let's go at once.

A sealing stone... I don't even know how to set it up...

Without me, you really can't do anything, can you?

Ugh... you can still joke?

Hehe, it isn't hard. The sealing stone should be there already. Whatever broke it, you just have to pour power in and stand it up again.

So you're saying...!

We have to hike to the top.

Aaaagh!!

I'm already drained from fighting and now we have to climb without rest... what a miserable life.

Next scene: Ben Nevis Ep.10

You're slow... Swordbringer...

Lua had already gone way up. So much for asking to take a breather.

With no choice, I steadied my breath and followed after my companions.

3. Ben Nevis Ep.10

114 lines

We reached the summit by the skin of our teeth.

Having climbed the steep slope while felling every Orc, my lungs were on fire, I felt like dying.

Haa... haa... I'm gonna die... ughhh...

F-Finally the top, my lord! Haah...

Good work...

Ethan. Look there. That woman seems to be the culprit behind this mess?

What...?

Where Mia pointed stood a lone figure. Petal-bright pink hair, and two sharp horns jutting above it...

Lilith!

M-My maasteeer?!

You... what are you doing here? That toppled stele... was that you?

Joy flickered and was gone. The aura pouring off Lilith's body darkened pitch-black and surged.

Master... I missed you so much♥

I'll make you feel my love with your entire body right now♥

Flash!

Lilith's rampage, seized by a sinister force, finally subsided.

Her eyes, which had been gleaming strangely, returned to the self I knew as she pounded the ground and wailed.

Sob... sob...! I'm sorry, Master...

What happened? What are you doing up here?

Who is she?

Ah, she's a succubus. A demon of the Abyss, you hardly ever see them... no idea why she's on a mountaintop.

A succubus... so you've kept some very irresponsible company.

Not by choice...

Ethan... another woman... pervert...

How did you come to that assumption?!

My lord. Aren't succubi demons that drain men's essence? Why would Miss Lilith be here?

That's exactly what I just asked.

You answer, Lilith. What happened?

Sob! Sniiff... The thing is, Master...

Ever since I met you... ordinary men's essence just doesn't do it for me anymore.

Now... I can't live without you, Master♥

Swordbringer, you... bad man...?

Please don't say another word, Lua, I'm begging you.

Well, the rumor that Ethan makes girls cry is already all over the continent. I've experienced it firsthand.

Don't state misunderstandings like facts! This is getting worse by the second!

Sigh... Lilith, you...

What does me being "great" have to do with this mountain? The stele you were hugging is a sealing stone that governs the earth's power.

Huh? That thing?

Yeah. You didn't know? If we don't put it back, this volcano might erupt.

Mm... that succubus was probably drawn here by the yang energy sealed in the stone.

The sealing stone has yang energy?!

Yup. Since ancient times they've said heaven is full of yang and earth is full of yin.

Swordbringer... you even corrupted a demon...

...I'm ignoring Lua. I glared at the sniffling Lilith and asked.

Lilith, is that true?

Yees, Master... that stone gave off a delicious energy.

Just like your sweet essence...♥ so tangy and nutty it makes me swoon... haaangh, ♥

Hey! Percival! Knock her down and bring the sealing stone!

Y-Yes, my lord!

Kyaaa, don't get in the way of my love with Master, ♥

She's completely gone. No point indulging a pervy succubus who gets off hugging a rock.

She's not in her right mind, true. I already staked my claim, and she still tried to wag her tail. Hehe!

You're just as bad!

While I was fuming, Percival pried off the spent Lilith and brought the sealing stone.

My lord, if we don't hurry, this could get really bad. The tremors are intensifying.

Got it.

I took out the Grail with a sigh. I thought this was a simple workout... Looks like Eva's going to suck me dry again today.

Focusing my mind, I gathered the Grail's power and laid my hand on the sealing stone.

BOOOOM!!

I felt the light flaring at my fingertips get drawn into it. And... the mountain's tremors gradually eased.

Ugh... I can't hold out any longer...

Ethan!

Swordbringer...!

Their anxious cries faded as I, utterly spent, collapsed into a faint.

[Scene transition]

Mmm...

Oh?! Everyone! My lord is awake!

It's true... Swordbringer, sturdy...

I told you. It was just physical exhaustion plus mana depletion making him pass out.

Master, thank you for saving Lilith♥

....

Damn... judging by their chatter, it wasn't a dream. Maybe because I fainted on a chilly peak, my whole body ached and throbbed.

If you're up, come here, Ethan.

At Mia's beckoning, a feast lay spread out. Mostly booze and snacks, though.

Maybe because my condition was shot, even the stuff I would've scolded her for looked mouthwateringly good.

My lord! I never knew booze at the summit tasted this good!

Hah, told you. A true hiking enjoyer does at least this much.

It is indeed splendid...

There aren't many mountains on the continent. But plenty of people like hiking. Why, you ask?

Mia raised her cup high and crowed.

Because of this! This! Ahhh, hits the spot!

Why is an Elf talking like some old man...

I grumbled and sat beside her.

Is your body all right?

Uh... my head's a bit woozy, but...

I'm sorry, Master... I'll make it up to you with a proper service next time...!

...You do realize your "service" just wears me out more, right?

Why...? What service? How do you suck essence...?

Ugh...

I'm curious too, my lord. I was told I'm lacking in that area before, but...

Y-You two don't need to know.

One wrong word here and the rumors will just get weirder. I was certain, seeing Mia's lewd grin.

...!

Well? Tasty, right?

She was right. Even with the same menu as in town, the taste was different up here.

It felt like even the fatigue buried deep in my chest was being washed away, and a sigh slipped out.

I guess so...

On a mountaintop, you don't have to think about anything. You've conquered the summit, just savor the mood.

That's how we've lived.

The view is incredible too. Look there, my lord! You can see so far!

You can't see Cornwall, but... amazing... the summit...

Mm... it is beautiful...

So that's why people hike so much. To feel free, really free, from the hellish heat of the battlefield.

I tossed back another cup, thinking of the days I'd lived in a blur.

Kyaa...

Feels good.

T-Then... since my mistake caused you trouble, Master...

I'll perform a splendid succubus dance for you all♥ I'm confident in my dancing, you know?

No, you don't have to go that far...

I started to stop her, then trailed off. Maybe the clarity and freshness of the summit had set my heart alight.

I wanted to feel more... of the freedom Mia spoke of.