Main Scenario/When the "Line" is Crossed

Cursed Forest Episode
39-1	Jusatsu Forest
39-2	Lord of Kijinga Castle
39-3	Village of Tragedy
39-4	When the "Line" is Crossed
39-5	Reasons to Believe
39-6	Apprentice of Koroshiya
39-7	Reverse Soul Technique
39-8	Yuuzen's Past
39-9	Effects of Poison
39-10	Sorceresses' Bond

Putra	"Sorry, everybody, hold on a second..."
Vivienne	"Putra?"
Putra	"I don't think I can go on. Can we take a break for a bit?"
We were surveying the site in a thick Mist with poor visibility, when Putra suddenly stopped and crouched down on the spot. She has no external injuries, but she looks very sick.
Yoshino	"Yakutsk and Queensway don't look good either. We can't take them with us like this."
Queensway	"Sincerest apologies, I suddenly felt really sick when we crossed the canal there."
Yakutsk	"Me too... To be honest, I'm barely standing."
Maki	"We have entered the realm inside the art. I would say the operation is going well."
Miyako	"That's right. I was fooled by the illusions, but the entrance to Jusatsu Forest seems to be close."
Vivienne	"What do you mean by going well? How can we go on when none of us can move properly? I'm barely enduring myself."
Putra	"It's not so easy after all, maybe this curse is the reason Yuuzen hasn't shown up."
Vivienne	"That's it. We have to meet up with Yuuzen first. We have to move around in this thick Mist and the curse."
Maki	"Yuuzen is a skilled sorceress. If Maki and Miyako can handle it, she can handle it."
Maki	"But if Yuuzen is a skilled sorceress, she must be expecting Maki and Miyako to go through this miasma. It is hard to believe that she is hiding without a plan."
Mary	"I think so too, there is a reason why Yuuzen has not shown up. Even if Yuuzen did leave, she must have left some way to tell us about it."
Miyako	"Uhm. May I ask you all to gather around for a moment?"
Mary	"What did you find?"
Crouched behind us was Miyako, and she picked up something. Did she immediately found a clue about Yuuzen? Everyone surrounded Miyako to see what she had found.
Vivienne	"Is this a... human figure made of paper?"
Miyako	"I think this is probably a paper doll left by Yuuzen-san."
Maki	"Why do you think so? It's definitely a paper doll, but that doesn't mean it's Yuuzen's."
Miyako	"This paper doll has writing on the inside. The handwriting very similar to Yuuzen-san's. This is how Yuuzen-san writes with her non-dominant hand."
Maki	"How do you know that the handwriting is different from her dominant hand?"
Miyako	"Because we both trained that way in case of emergencies. This is not just an assumption or a random guess."
Maki	"Understood. Trust Miyako's judgment."
Miyako	"Thank you very much."
Mary	"Yuuzen, you said you don't take disciples, but you are clearly training her to work as a team..."
Miyako	"Did you say something?"
Mary	"No, nothing. What does it say on the paper doll Yuuzen left behind?"
Miyako	"Directions on where to go. It is an Allied Forces cipher rewritten in archaic Nishikese language. Probably a countermeasure against Youko."
Miyako	"If it's okay to use the place where we are as a starting point, is it the other side that shows us where? Maki-san, just in case, Maki-san, can you also look at this cipher?"
Maki	"Deciphering."
Maki	"...... Done. Maki has the same deciphered result as Miyako. The head of the paper doll is north, and it is about 20 steps in this direction."
Mary	"Twenty steps? Isn't that a little too close? Anyone can already see it 20 steps ahead."
Yoshino	"Maybe it's a warding art."
Miyako	"I thought so too."
Yoshino	"Miyako can dispel the art, right?"
Miyako	"Of course. As long as we keep going in the right direction, I'm sure we'll be fine."
Miyako	"Everyone, I'm going to use sorcery. Please stay away from me just in case."
Miyako used sorcery to bring the paper doll Yuuzen had left behind to life. The paper doll floated in the air, flew around Miyako, and then combusted mid-air and turned to ashes.
Miyako	"Yuuzen's art is right after all. The code is correct. Twenty steps to Ushi, one affix, and break it with fire."
Yoshino	"Jackpot."
Maki	"The entrance to the forest is hidden. It was a very advanced sorcery to detect."
Miyako	"That's the Jusatsu Forest, even more twisted and magical than Hinayashiki."
Miyako	"There is a clear boundary line. This is a 'test line', prepared by Yuuzen-san."
Vivienne	"Just for the record... What is this for?"
Miyako	"To determine if you can enter the Jusatsu Forest. If you cross this line, the power of the curse will increase. The canal we saw earlier also served as a 'test line'."
Maki	"But this line is several times tougher than that canal. Only a few can get through."
Maki	"Maki goes first? Or Miyako goes first?"
Miyako	"I am the one who intervened in the art. I should be the first to step here."
The "test line" is said to be at the entrance to Jusatsu Forest. Miyako is the first to step over the boundary of the curse.
Miyako	"This... is quite powerful."
Miyako	"Maki-san, be careful. If you are not careful, you will succumb to the power of the curseーー"
Maki	"Leap!"
Miyako	"Ah..."
Before Miyako could warn her, Maki crossed the death line in an instant. A leap without hesitation. It is not something that can be done so easily, even if one is confident in one's sorcery and magical abilities.
Maki	"Even if one crosses the line carefully, if you die, you die. That is a death line. There is a case of immediate combat if one crosses the death line. The secret of crossing the line is to always move with intent to fight in mind."
Miyako	"Yoshino-chan, don't imitate us. Don't jump over the line all at once like this, okay?"
Yoshino	"Don't worry about that."
Yoshino	"...... Yoshino is not going to do it."
Miyako	"Eh..."
Yoshino	"Yoshino will stay on this side. Also Mary should not go past either."
Mary	"If Yoshino says so, this line must be very serious."
Yoshino	"It's a big deal. We should not all cross this line."
Maki	"However, Yuuzen is in Jusatsu Forest. We need to cross the line to join her."
Yoshino	"Understood. But this situation is not normal, and not likely that Yuuzen could have foreseen it."
Yoshino	"The reason is simple. So listen to Yoshino carefully alright? Maki."
Maki	"Acknowledged. I'll listen carefully."
Yoshino	"The paper dolls and the test line are too close to the entrance of the forest. Only a sorceress would be able to clear the line in such a difficult place."
Yoshino	"Yuuzen must have been in a hurry to use sorcery. She left two messages, one saying 'Don't come', and the other saying 'Come'."
Maki	"Great insight. Can almost agree with you. But I don't understand the meaning of the last word."
Miyako	"'Only those who can cross this line should come'..."
Miyako	"Maybe she wants only those who can withstand the strong curse to come... There is some trouble in Jusatsu Forest and she needs sorceresses to take care of it..."
Yoshino	"That's what it means."
Mary	"So the situation is different in Jusatsu Forest than in the village settlements... There is trouble ahead that Yuuzen couldn't handle alone."
Mary	"Maybe the cause of this miasma is in Jusatsu Forest. If it continues like this for the rest of the day, we'll run out of steam before we can even fight Hone Ningyou."
Conductor	'I need help, but you can't all come.' 'I need someone who can move even under the strongest curses.'
Conductor	Yuuzen... May have left such a message. If she wanted to say 'turn back', she would have left a different message.
Conductor	We should divide the unit into two more groups. The first group should go to the other side of this line to check the situation. Then the second group would stay here and secure the retreat route.
Conductor	Yuuzen might be inside the Jusatsu Forest. However, it is very likely that we will encounter Hone Ningyou and other powerful enemies before we meet up with Yuuzen.
Yoshino	"Yuuzen must be fighting for her life. And something not Yuuzen is waiting for us inside the forest."
Yoshino	"The group that's in most danger is the first group that will enter the forest. Will be at a disadvantage."
Maki	"Maki is going. Volunteer for the first team."
Miyako	"I'm going too."
Vivienne	"I'll stay with Putra. Queensway and Yakutsk shouldn't go either."
Yakutsk	"But that would leave us with a small first group, shouldn't Yoshino go with Miyako?"
Yoshino	"Won't go, Yoshino will stay and protect Shashou."
Queensway	"So, the first group will be just Miss Maki, Miss Miyako, and Mary, just the three of you?"
Mary	"......"
Mary	"...... I'll stay too, I'm not sure I can successfully cross the 'line' Yuuzen left."
Queensway	"Oh no, Mary should be fine! Miss Miyako and Miss Maki's in danger if Mary stayed behind."
Queensway	"Miss Yuuzen is waiting alone. In order to defeat Hone Ningyou, it is absolutely necessary to rescue Miss Yuuzen. We cannot fail in this mission."
Mary	"I don't need you to tell me that."
Queensway	"Mary..."
Mary	"This 'test line' is very strictly designed. I won't be able to cross it as easily as Maki and Miyako."
Mary	"Yuuzen thinks that even I would be a liability. She is probably right."
Yoshino	"Mary is strong. But Yuuzen didn't say 'I'll be okay with Mary' when she chased after Hone Ningyou."
Yoshino	"Yoshino and friends should think about what Maki's presence here means; Without Maki, none of us would be here in the first place."
Mary	"That's what I meant, Queensway, and I'll leave the first group to Maki and Miyako."
Mary	"Conductor, is that okay?"
Conductor	That's fine. Probably Yuuzen would have said the same thing if she were here. Even if Mary manages to enter inside Jusatsu Forest, she won't always be at her best in the battle that awaits us after this.
Conductor	From here on out, there will always be something in Jusatsu Forest. We will only proceed together after we have dealt with the miasma caused by this damned curse.
Maki	"It is inevitable that we will split into two groups. There is a strong possibility that the source of the curse is in Jusatsu Forest. We must cut off the source. That is Maki and Miyako's job."
Miyako	"If the opponent is a sorceress, it will not be a simple task. It is more important to have the ability to deal with sorceries than to be able to fight. Considering this point, I still think it is better to have Mary stay here."
Maki	"Yoshino will be reserved as the last sorceress. If Maki and her dies, Yoshino and Mary will be left in charge of Conductor."
Queensway	"......"
Queensway	"Yes... That's right. I have to think that far ahead."
Mary	"Queensway. I know you have things to say. But it's not something you should say out loud. At least, not in front of me."
Mary	"I want to help Yuuzen. I want to help Yuuzen from the bottom of my heart. That's why I thought about what is the best way to help her."
Mary	"Stay strong. What is required of the second team is fighting ability. We will protect Conductor together. We're going to switch roles."
Queensway	"Yes."
Mary	"Maki, Miyako, be careful. The forest is already in the enemy's control. Stay alert. Do not take risks."
Maki	"Unreasonable. It is impossible to advance through this forest without taking risks. Both Maki and Miyako will take risks. Maki doesn't lie."
Miyako	"That's right, I will probably push myself too. But I will assess the situation and return as soon as possible."
Mary	"Good grief. What are you two going to do if you both bite off more than you can chew?"
Maki	"Don't worry, Maki will follow Shi-chan's instructions. The ideal mission is for Maki to return alive. I will do my best."
Maki	"I'll take care of Yuuzen. Former Knight Commander."
Mary	"......"
Mary	"Aye, I'll leave it to you."
Mary loosened her tightly clenched fist and looked over at Maki and Miyako.
The Former Knight Commander, who seemed to be in worse shape than usual, tapped the junior knights on their shoulders, she then instructed all the troops to form up in preparation for a Phantom Mist siege.
Their backs to the Jusatsu Forest were soon lost in the darkness, and their magical energy and presence were completely broken up by the 'line'.

Cursed Forest Episode
39-1	Jusatsu Forest
39-2	Lord of Kijinga Castle
39-3	Village of Tragedy
39-4	When the "Line" is Crossed
39-5	Reasons to Believe
39-6	Apprentice of Koroshiya
39-7	Reverse Soul Technique
39-8	Yuuzen's Past
39-9	Effects of Poison
39-10	Sorceresses' Bond