Chapter 64: Anomaly (2)

The next day.

-“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Hahahahaha”

“………”

-“Hahahahahahahahaha

Female hahahahahaha became a woman ahahahahahahaha”

“………”

-“Hahahahaha congrats! The worst Demon King, Sien Lenos, has finally awakened to a body that can give birth! Should we gather people quickly? How about throwing a party to celebrate? Ahahahaha.”

“…………..”

Crack.

Eventually, Sion, having reached the limit of her patience, retaliated with a windmill attack.

“Tone it down, tone it down!!!!”

-“Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!”

Only after giving Exia a proper lesson did the noise finally subside.

Ever since Sion had returned after a day of mental exhaustion, the two of them had been like this constantly.

Whenever she walked to school, looking dejected, Exia would be all excited and teasing her.

Eventually, when Sion got fed up and took action, she’d stay quiet for a while before starting to mock her again shortly after.

This cycle had already repeated five times just today.

As a result, it took her longer to recover her mental state. Damn annoying woman.

-“Hey, don’t take it so seriously~”

Exia grinned as she comforted Sion, seeing her shoulders slumped continuously.

-“Everyone makes mistakes, and it’s natural to freak out sometimes because of them.

It’s not just you, Sion, who didn’t know. Neither I nor Mana knew either, right? It’s not all your fault.”

“Well, even if I put you aside, Mana definitely knew.

Even if elves don’t experience menstruation, there’s no way a great sage who’s lived for over 600 years wouldn’t know one of the most fundamental biological functions of another species.

But the reason she didn’t think of menstrual cramps was simply that she couldn’t imagine that Sion wouldn’t even know the concept.

It’s hard to imagine a Demon King calling for an emergency because of pain that everyone else goes through as a normal thing.

So in the end, it’s all Sion’s fault.”

“Damn it, it’s really ridiculous when I think about it again!”

Sion burst out angrily.

“Why!! Why does such a stupid, inefficient mechanism even exist?!

Humans aren’t even a species that puts their lives on the line for reproduction! It’s common to have a few kids, and having more than ten is considered a large family!

But why in the world do they make 400 eggs that they’ll never use, just to destroy them until death?! It doesn’t make sense at all!!”

In fact, from what Sion knew, no other species reproduces in such a bizarre way.

Most of the other non-human races have specific breeding seasons when they menstruate, or they store their eggs in their bodies for long periods.

Or they control their fertility through hormones.

That goes for elves, gnomes, and dwarves too.

Even other demon races that Sion knows of don’t do such a thing.

No intelligent being creates unused eggs regularly only to dispose of them and endure unnecessary pain. That’s why Sion had never even heard of the concept of menstrual cramps after living so long.

It’s understandable why she was angry.

“It’s truly a foolish reproductive method from a foolish species! At this point, it’s practically a disease! It’s for the future of the continent that such useless, inferior species should be wiped out!”

-“Let’s not go that far……”

Exia glared at Sion with a tired expression.

Eradicating a species because of menstrual cramps? It would be embarrassing to even say that’s the reason.

The fact that she actually had the power to do so if she wanted to made it worse.

Fearing that if left unchecked, she’d spiral into some dark evolution in the wrong direction, Exia quickly changed the subject.

-“Anyway, according to Therese, girls usually get their first period around 10 to 12 years old.

You’re 15 this year, right? That’s pretty late if you think about it.”

“Well, my main body is male. That might have had some influence.”

Sion took a deep breath, as if trying to calm down.

“Come to think of it, Isabella is 16 this year, right?

I wonder if she’s had her period? Maybe that faint smell of blood when she stuck close to me sometimes was because of that.”

-“That’s true. Now that I think about it, there was Isabella as well.

Come to think of it, how did we manage to live this long without knowing about menstruation? Especially with a girl sticking close to us all the time.”

“Well, that’s because she always kept a smiling face when she was with me….”

In fact, even when Isabella was suffering from magic-related pain, just seeing Sion would automatically put her in a state of maximum happiness.

The power of overflowing love.

If only she had shown a little discomfort, Sion might have avoided today’s humiliating situation.

Sion sighed bitterly.

“Well, whatever. What’s done is done.

At least it wasn’t something serious. I’m just glad it wasn’t caused by consuming the bloodstone.”

-“…That doesn’t mean you’re forgiven for doing something stupid, though, right?”

“I know, I know. I’ll be careful next time.”

As the two of them were chatting and passing through the school gates, they suddenly heard footsteps running toward them from behind.

In the next moment, a soft sensation pressed down on Sion’s head from above.

“Big sister!!!”

“Huh?!”

The attacker was none other than Isabella.

“Are you okay!? You said you were sick! Are you able to move now?!”

“Ah, yes… I’m fine now.”

“Really? That’s a relief…”

Isabella sighed in relief, pressing her hand to her chest.

She had been trembling with anxiety all day yesterday after hearing that Sion was sick and resting.

She worried if something had happened, or if her health had worsened due to the battle with the legion commander.

She was so concerned that she rushed to Sion’s room right after school, only to be greeted by a firmly locked door.

Since then, Isabella hadn’t been able to sleep properly, consumed with worry.

“I thought something terrible had happened because of the last battle… sniff…”

“?! Don’t cry! It wasn’t that serious, I promise.”

In fact, it was too trivial of an issue to cause such a fuss.

The fact that the root of all this was simply menstrual cramps made Sion’s stomach twist again.

She couldn’t bear to show her face, it was too embarrassing.

“Hero!”

While Sion was busy comforting the princess, another familiar voice called from behind.

It was Prince Martin.

Although they had been apart for just two weeks, it felt like meeting a man she hadn’t seen in ten years.

“I heard the news. I heard you were very ill.

Are you feeling better now?”

“Ahaha, yes. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern—”

As Sion turned her head to look at Martin as usual while speaking, it happened.

-Thump!

“!?!”

Suddenly, her heart pounded, and she staggered.

“Sister?!”

“Hero?!”

Both Isabella and Martin rushed toward her in shock.

From their perspective, it was understandable that they were surprised.

The hero, who had taken a day off due to illness, was now staggering again today.

Of course, they would think her condition had worsened.

Sion, on the other hand, was equally surprised.

However, her reason for surprise was slightly different from Isabella and Martin’s.

‘W-what’s going on…? Why is my heart suddenly racing?’

-Thump, thump thump thump.

Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast, her breathing became short, and her whole body, including her face, felt unbearably hot.

It was a completely different issue from menstrual cramps.

‘Is it a side effect of the bloodstone? No, it feels different…!’

It wasn’t painful like a side effect would be. Usually, an increased heart rate would cause chest pain, but there was none of that.

And more importantly, the timing was too coincidental.

Why would this sudden attack happen right at this moment?

And right after seeing Martin’s face, no less.

This wasn’t a symptom, it was more like…

‘This is… the reaction of a woman in love?!’

Sion screamed internally in shock.

Having once been someone who had charmed many women, Sion was quick and accurate in identifying this kind of reaction.

His (past) silver-haired, noble flower boy face had often triggered this kind of reaction in human women.

However, realizing it and accepting it were two entirely different matters.

‘Me? Falling for Martin??? Why???’

It made no sense.

Why on earth would she need to harbor romantic feelings for a man?

Even though her body was female, her mind was still that of a man and a heterosexual one at that… Wait, her body?

‘Ah.’

At that moment, Sion realized everything and froze in place.

-“Si-Sion? What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that?”

-“…Screwed….”

-“Huh???”

What? Out of nowhere, Sion had uttered a curse.

However, seeing her expression, Exia immediately zipped her lips.

Sion’s face looked as if she’d just glimpsed into an abyss that should not exist, terror-stricken.

In a daze, she muttered absentmindedly.

“I had suspected it was possible. After all, the mind and body do influence each other.

The fact that my first period, which should have come much earlier, only arrived now at 15 is proof enough.

It’s evidence that my masculine self was suppressing the manifestation of this body’s femininity.

But… if that’s true, what about the reverse?”

-“Huh? The reverse…?”

Exia’s eyes widened.

The reverse. In other words, not the mind dominating the body, but the body invading the mind.

Instead of masculinity suppressing femininity, femininity was now overtaking masculinity.

Could it be that what Sion was implying was—

“Damn it, it’s finally happening.”

Sion muttered with a cold sweat running down her back.

She had anticipated this to some degree, but hadn’t adequately prepared.

Up until now, there had been no real issues. Sion’s mind had always found women more attractive than men, just like in her previous life.

Because of this, she had unconsciously cast aside and ignored her worries, too busy dealing with more pressing matters to fret over a problem that hadn’t even surfaced yet.

But that complacency was a mistake.

Just because things had been fine so far didn’t mean they would continue to be.

The moment when nothing seems wrong is precisely the time to remain most vigilant.

And having ignored that ironclad rule, disaster had crept right up to her before she even realized it.

“Hero?! Are you alright?!”

“Sister?! Get a hold of yourself!!”

“…”

Slowly, Sion lifted her head and looked at Martin.

His silky light blonde hair. The face that combined both kindness and purity.

Yet, it contrasted with his tall and sturdy frame.

He looked like the very image of a “prince on a white horse” that young girls often dreamed of.

Up until now, Sion had never found that remotely attractive, but now, it was different.

The way her heart immediately started pounding again at the mere sight of his face was proof enough…

‘This is the worst.’

Feeling nothing but disgust and self-loathing at her own emotions, Sion tightly shut her eyes.

The effects of female hormones were now crossing beyond her body and invading her mind.

This was the inevitable fate that any being undergoing a gender transformation would face at some point.

As Therese and Marianne once said, it was “the Alpha and Omega of gender-bender stories.”

[The Fall into Femininity.]

The worst possible enemy that destroys one’s very sense of self had finally appeared before Sion.