Chapter 25

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Even after that day, I couldn’t quite let go of my fascination with mushrooms.

Several times, I climbed the back mountain behind the academy, searching for poisonous mushrooms.

It wasn’t even summer, the season when mushrooms grow most readily, so finding them was a struggle.

With no real knowledge or skill in identifying mushrooms, I wandered around the mountain, looking for anything that looked promising.

I ate whatever mushrooms I found raw. Cooking them might weaken the toxins, after all.

As expected, they tasted horrible.

Most turned out disappointing. They were either edible mushrooms or just mildly toxic ones.

Occasionally, I’d find a mushroom that made my fingertips tingle, but that was it.

It didn’t hurt at all. At best, it left me feeling a little queasy or light-headed.

How underwhelming. I had high expectations, but the results were pathetic.

Poisonous mushrooms had this terrifying image in my mind, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper—one wrong bite, and your life is over.

To think it would only cause a slight tremor in my hand. Lucia’s body is just too tough… It’s sad.

“Should I just give up on poisonous mushrooms…?”

I suppose if it were one of the truly lethal ones, there might be a chance, but with the mushrooms on this mountain, there were obvious limits.

But is there some way to find poison besides mushrooms? What other dangerous substances could I get my hands on?

Should I take a shot of pesticide? Maybe inhale some butane gas?

Hmm, I doubt that would have much effect.

Even if I suppress my super regeneration, Lucia’s body is unimaginably resilient. It’s probably because my power is regenerative in nature, so even when suppressed, it still has some effect. Any common poison would likely only cause dizziness or mild nausea at best.

With my status as an academy student, I might be able to access seriously dangerous poisons.

But I don’t want to go that far; that would just cause unnecessary trouble.

Oh well. I’ll give up, I yield. It’s not urgent, anyway. I was just looking for a unique experience. That’s all.

I’m sure the opportunity will come someday. I’m confident. After all, there are poisonous monsters out there, so if I wait patiently, I’ll encounter one eventually.

Although I was disappointed by the lack of expected effects, experiencing tingling hands and a queasy stomach wasn’t entirely a waste.

I’ll keep gathering mushrooms from now on. I’ll snack on them from time to time.

◈

I had marked the day on the calendar as Evidence Disposal Day! and thought time would move at a painfully slow pace while I waited.

But as the day approached, it felt like it had all passed in an instant.

It was more of a “Wait, it’s already here?” kind of feeling.

After putting in my all every day, the day for field practice crept up before I knew it.

Which means, of course, that it’s been almost a month since I became Lucia.

If you were to ask how it feels to have lived as a girl for a month… Well, honestly?

Lucia isn’t exactly a typical girl, is she? To put it bluntly, she’s a bit unhinged. No, very unhinged.

Slicing and dicing my body in all sorts of ways every day isn’t exactly normal, is it?

Just the other day, I tried performing a major operation by pulling out only my bones, leaving the flesh and muscle intact. You know, like deboning chicken.

There were all these tendons clinging to the bones, which made it difficult, but I managed to do it. 

The end result was surprisingly amusing. My left arm ended up all floppy—it was hilarious. It looked just like a deflated balloon.

Yeah, even I admit that’s not exactly normal. If anyone saw me, they’d probably have me admitted to a mental hospital.

Maybe that’s why, as Lucia, I wasn’t really fazed by the change in gender.

I mean, it’s not like I’ve turned into something inhuman—I just became a girl, right? And girls are human, too.

Physical changes, different clothes, men’s gazes… All those things became familiar quickly with time.

Except for one.

There was one thing I couldn’t get used to.

Periods, more specifically; menstruation.

So… it happened.

And honestly, I understand why some women get hysterical. For Lucia, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but that’s not true for everyone.

Though, that’s not why I’m concerned.

The issue was that it happened.

If I think about why menstruation happens, it means that Lucia’s body can bear children.

I… could get pregnant.

Honestly, it’s a weird feeling. Fear? Anxiety? Discomfort? I felt incredibly unsettled.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Just thinking about carrying a child makes me wonder if this is okay.

I mean, it would make me a mother. If, hypothetically, I slept with a guy and got pregnant, I’d be a mother.

…Uh, no, that doesn’t feel right at all.

For the first time since becoming Lucia, I felt genuine fear.

A true sense of dread. Lucia is someone who relishes pain and humiliation, so it’s unusual for her to feel this way.

But me? I want to live true to my desires.

Because I’m a pervert. And I should live perversely, true to who I am.

But I hate the thought of being overpowered by a man. I’d cry blood if that happened.

But then again, I enjoy the feeling of hating it. If the right moment comes, I’ll probably cross the line.

If I ended up getting pregnant… what would I do?

Would I even be worthy of carrying a new life?

Someone like me, a mother to someone…? Ugh, I don’t know. I really don’t know.

So, let’s not go there. Let’s avoid any intimate encounters, at least until I’ve sorted out this confusion.

And besides, this body belongs to Lucia. I’ll have to return it someday, so having a kid without permission would just be irresponsible, wouldn’t it?

Which means I need to learn how to control my impulses. I tend to go overboard when I get too excited, so I need to keep myself in check. 

Who knows, if I get too caught up, I might just scream out, “Someone, anyone, please take me!” like a crazy person. 

I almost did that last time, after all. Throwing myself at any random guy would just make me a prostitute. And I don’t intend to become a prostitute—I do have some sense of being a heroine here.

Time went by, and nothing changed in terms of cause and effect. I even made an effort to keep things stable.

In the original story, Lucia was a loner. She mostly kept to herself during the first semester.

But since I ended up getting close to Alice too soon, that plan went awry. Even so, I don’t want to create any more variables beyond that.

Besides Alice, I occasionally talked with Arin. Calling her a friend might be a bit of a stretch.

Arin, as the class president, stayed friendly with everyone, including me. I was just one of her many classmates.

Since we were in the same class, we interacted, but if we got separated, we’d drift apart naturally. That was the kind of relationship we had.

As for Eugene, the protagonist of this world, he was already starting to make his mark.

The only ones in the class who could keep up were Leo and a few other members of the Golden Generation.

Teachers often talked about Class A’s abundance of talent.

Of course, other classes and grades had talented students too, some of which were almost on par with the Golden Generation in terms of raw talent—only if they had that protagonist’s advantage.

But without the streak of fateful opportunities and events that the Golden Generation would experience, even those with raw talent couldn’t match their growth. 

Following in their footsteps required more than just skill; it needed that kind of destined path.

Right now, however, the Golden Generation was at its most ordinary. The story of “The Dawn of the Sword” hadn’t even started yet.

Most of my time as Lucia has been spent in moments the original story would’ve brushed over quickly. But the day of field practice is coming—the point when the real story will begin.

To say I’m not nervous would be a lie.

There’s a vague anxiety about the future. Just because I’m—Lucia’s a masochist doesn’t mean her head’s all filled with flowers.

“The Dawn of the Sword” is anything but a peaceful story. Quite the opposite actually—it’s a tale that takes the world to the brink of ruin.

Relentless invasions by otherworldly monsters.

Enemies growing stronger and more fearsome.

Secrets unmasked.

Conflict rising.

The war that had been raging for 300 years would reach its climax in Eugene’s generation. And finally concluding after centuries.

I must not misunderstand. Just because I’m in the world of this novel doesn’t mean I’m the protagonist.

Eugene remains the center of this world. The world revolves around him.

Lucia is a heroine and certainly an important character. There’s no doubt about that. If Lucia were to disappear, Eugene’s journey would be incomplete.

So instead of overstepping and trying to play the lead, I should focus on my role as a heroine, supporting from the sidelines.

Especially helping him to get together with Alice.

Because of me, Eugene and Alice’s first meeting never happened. That butterfly effect has led to me becoming friends with Alice.

Normally, it wouldn’t be me here; Eugene should be in my place. To be honest, I’m a little worried. It’s been almost a month, and still, there’s no connection between Eugene and Alice.

It’s still the very beginning of “The Dawn of the Sword”, basically just the prologue, so it’s fine for now. But if this keeps up, it’ll be a problem.

Come on, Eugene, realize she’s the main heroine already! Make eye contact already, get the sparks going, do the whole “shyly flirting” thing!

Knowing Alice, she won’t make the first move.

Eugene has to take the initiative.

Alright, I’ll do what I can from the sidelines to make that happen.

You can do this, Lucia. Let’s go! I’ll be the Cupid of love!

But I can’t only focus on Alice.

Alice isn’t the only heroine, after all. There’s Arin, Anastasia, and then… well, I’m a heroine, too.

Let’s all work together and save the world.

Because if we can’t, we’re all doomed.

I can’t say I’m without fear, but there’s no need to worry too much.

After all, I have the answer key. As long as I stick to the original story, everything should be fine.

Even if sacrifices are required along the way… I’m prepared for that if it means reaching the happy ending.

Author Note

Lucia likes happy endings.

I like happy endings too.

Translator Note

It seems like masochism can’t convert the fear of child support into pleasure, heh.

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