episode_0007

3. First Tower (1)

It’s already been a month since I returned to Earth.

It feels like it’s been months since I came back, but I can’t believe it’s only been a month.

I think it might be because I’ve gone through quite a few changes, both externally and internally.

After returning, I was quite out of it for a month due to my gender changing, and I was busy training to make up for my shortcomings.

I built up my stamina by going up and down 10 floors repeatedly every day from early morning or walking around my residence several times.

During the day, I would swing my sword until the sun went down, adjusting my posture to fit my body and repeating the postures I had learned from the beginning to the end over and over again.

If you ask me if I got a good night’s sleep, I guess I could say I did.

Since I discovered the radio channel, I have been training using divine power by listening to various radio channels every evening before going to bed.

As an apostle of Patruna, the goddess of love and purification, my divine powers flow internally as a warm energy and externally as flames.

So, it is often used to create a ball of fire and throw it, like when you catch that ‘Demon Wolf’ in the past.

When I was a man, I had to be good at ‘holy fire’ and after making five of them the size of soccer balls, my divine power would be almost depleted.

I was exhausted, but I put in a lot of effort to make it the size of a baseball game and fly it.

However, now that she has become a woman with a body that resembles Patruna, she has become so large that she can withstand being shot dozens of times, even if she is the size of a soccer ball.

The purity of the divine power there was also like heaven and earth compared to that time, so the destructive power, strengthening power, and recovery power also showed a huge gap.

” I should be happy that I’m stronger than when I was a man… but I feel like I’ve been defeated by something I don’t know… ”

Anyway! At night, I was going to listen to various radio channels and use my divine power to create a ‘holy fire’ to find out the amount of divine power.

As I tried to use it almost until the end every day, the amount gradually increased, and now I can use it like the day I caught the adult ‘Demon Wolf’ without any problems.

And I spent the day by sending the ‘holy fire’ I created up to the sky and ending it by making it explode like fireworks.

Now, after tonight, it is time to say goodbye to this place.

*****

” I guess it’s because I grew attached to this place, but it’s a bit sad to leave. ”

As I looked around the space where I had lived until now, I felt like crying out of inexplicable regret.

This is also a change, but maybe it’s because I became a woman, I’ve become quite sensitive.

It’s not that it’s bad, but I feel like I’m gradually losing my identity as a man.

Isn’t that right? They say that men become quite sensitive as they reach middle age. That might be the case.

That’s about the original age

Of course, if someone asks, it would be better to introduce myself as a girl who just turned twenty.

” Alright! I packed everything I needed to pack, I left some food that I could keep so it would be easy to eat, I filled the bottles with water, and I packed my clothes and underwear… clothes… everything, so it’s perfect! ”

I’m used to it, but I still turn a blind eye to underwear.

‘ Well, I’m more used to it now than at first… ‘

So I put my bag on my shoulder, opened the front door, and went out.

” The goal is the tower right in front of you! ”

*****

About 10 minutes after leaving the building, I suddenly heard a ‘kukukukukung’ sound and turned around.

The building I was living in was collapsing.

What that means is that the building is collapsing on me!

” No, what is it! What kind of nonsense is this! ”

I quickly sent divine power to Rosario and summoned the armor.

The thin black jersey, T-shirt, and shorts I was wearing were gone.

Changed to a dark red buff coat, with a rounded shoulder pad and gauntlets

And he wore a greaves that were integrated with the metal boots, and a breastplate that wrapped around his neck and protected him from his chest to his waist.

Over that, she wore a long robe that reached down to her ankles, so that if anyone saw her, she would look like she was just wearing rags.

Fortunately, this robe, made by sending divine power to Rosario, is not much of a defensive piece.

It’s quite sturdy and has shock-absorbing properties, so it should be able to protect the bag you carry on your back.

After running like that for some time, I could no longer hear the sound of things collapsing, and all I could see was a lot of dust blowing around.

” If only I had intentionally tried to stay a little longer. Oh my, just thinking about it gives me the creeps. ”

The moment I opened my mouth to catch my breath

I felt a presence coming towards me from the forest surrounding the tower I was aiming for.

I saw that it was pretty close to the tower, which was quite far away.

It was approaching at a very fast speed.

Maybe I just felt the building collapse or something.

” It feels like it’s almost like one person?… But I can’t let my guard down. ”

He immediately took out ‘Durandal’ and held it in his hand, placing the handle at his waist and raising the tip of the sword diagonally, aiming at his opponent.

It can be seen as a posture prepared for the stab to come out immediately.

How many minutes passed like that?

Someone jumped out from up ahead, with the sound of branches snapping and grass being trampled.

” Hmm? I came here because of the sound of a building collapsing, but I didn’t expect to see a little girl. ”

He had a low, deep, and heavy voice, a rather long beard, and his hair was quite gray, as if it bore the marks of the passage of time.

In contrast, his body looked quite muscular.

The leather vest he was wearing and the T-shirt underneath were so tight that his muscles were bulging out.

Even the jeans he was wearing had holes here and there that showed his muscles.

” I think we should put that dangerous thing away and then talk. ”

” How can I believe that? There’s no way a small girl like me can stop a muscular, grown man carrying a large axe on his back, right? ”

‘I’m a young girl, so I can’t say that to others. That’s exactly how I am right now, so it’s not wrong, um… That’s true.’

When I asked him that, the man shook his head, saying, “That’s true.”

” But little miss, you really need to put that sword away and get out of here quickly. You were already being chased, right? ”

I say this while scratching my head, but even if it were true, how could I believe it?

In these times, if we look at the current situation only from an external perspective, it is impossible to put down the sword here.

But based on my experience so far, I feel that at least men don’t lie.

Instead of sheathing the sword, lower it diagonally downwards.

After taking a position so that he could raise his voice immediately in case of an emergency, he asked the man.

” What are you being chased by? ”

” Five giant orcs. Of course, fortunately, two of them were lured by the remaining members.

But three isn’t enough for the two of us. I don’t know how strong the young lady is, but that’s what I’m saying. ”

Giant Okra As its name suggests, the Okra has low intelligence, but it has the strength to uproot a tree as big as itself and has strong hide.

And because of its ample flesh, it is difficult to bring it down, so even if you only take down one, it is a mid-level monster.

Of course, in my current situation, I would be able to win easily.

” Just enough to warm up before climbing the tower. ”

Then the man was shocked,

” What are you talking about! I don’t know what kind of abilities they have, but even I, a B-ranked guy in the top raid team, have a hard time taking on more than two of them! This isn’t the time to joke! ”

A man who shouts loudly enough to ring in your ears.

I know how you look at me, but does that mean you can yell at me like this?

Look, can’t you already hear the noise and the trees are coming fast and with a crashing sound?

” You should keep quiet, sir, since you don’t even know much. Look! You heard the sound and came here already, right? ”

” This…this…! There’s nothing we can do. Miss, run quickly without looking back. I’ll buy you some time. ”

The man turned his back and took out his axe in the direction the giant orcs were approaching, saying so.

” What are you going to do, sir? You said you couldn’t even deal with me. At least you should return to your family alive. ”

But at my words, he slightly turned his head toward me

” Unfortunately, there is no family I can return to anymore. So, at least run away, young lady. ”

I was speechless at his unexpected answer.

‘No, if I do that, I’ll become a bad person…’

Even though it was our first time meeting, the way he at least tried to buy time was pretty cool.

” Haa, then I can’t help it. ”

I walked up next to him and held Durandal horizontally at head height, ready to switch to a stabbing or slashing stance.

” Little miss, are you crazy? ”

” Stop yelling and get ready. Even if you run away, they’ll catch up with you right away, and there’s a better chance of surviving with two people than alone, right? ”

” Little one?! ”

He quickly took a stance as he looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

‘ It should have been like that a long time ago ‘

” And please call me ‘Charlotte’, not ‘little ‘me’ or ‘miss’. ”

” Haha! Sorry about that! Then I won’t just call you uncle, but ‘walnut-style’ uncle ”

” Yes, let’s do that. Mr. Walnut. ”

I smiled slightly, raising the corners of my mouth, and the man named Hodushik also laughed heartily.

I ran towards the giant orc that was in front of me.

But how come the person’s name is Hodushik…?