episode_0004

“I… I am actually Fernang…”

I answered with my head bowed as if I were a sinner who had committed a crime.

Armand took off his glasses at my words.

“The Fernang I know was a man. Could it be that you were a woman?”

“No. I was originally a man.”

“But why do you appear as a woman to me?”

“I don’t know either. A few days ago, I suddenly felt like my body was burning with fever, and I was in excruciating pain as if every bone and muscle in my body was being squeezed. The next morning, I woke up and found myself in a woman’s body.”

As I spoke to Armand, I started to lower my head more and more, worried about being mistaken for a witch and considered a heretic.

“Turned into a woman overnight… that’s quite something.”

Armand stared at me intently, resting his chin on his hand.

“Master Chu, even if this friend lived a dissolute life after the war, it is not fitting for him to associate with strange groups like witches or demons…”

“Quiet, am I not currently conversing with this woman who claims to be Fernang?”

Feeling awkward, I was about to speak, but Aramis intervened, only to bow his head and step back at Armand’s disapproval.

“Alright, tell your story more calmly. That way, you can judge for yourself whether you are a heretic or not.”

“Yes, understood.”

Trembling, I nodded my head.

“So, what happened the day before you changed into a woman?”

“We just went to a tavern with two friends, enjoyed some drinks, and then sincerely returned home early. But on the way to the inn where I was staying, I heard a woman screaming.”

I glanced up at Armand and he nodded.

“Continue.”

“As a nobleman and a man, I knew it was not right to ignore a woman’s distress, so I turned down the alley where the screams were coming from and found several villains trying to harm a nun. I subdued them.”

“And then?”

“So, after subduing the villains, I rescued the nun.”

“Good job. What happened next?”

“The nun kissed me.”

“On the lips or on the cheek?”

“Excuse me? How did you know…”

“If she kissed you, it would likely be one of those two places.”

“Oh… yes.”

“So, where did she kiss you?”

“At… at first, she kissed me on the cheek, but…”

“But?”

“I’m sorry.”

Feeling guilty for the nun being targeted because of me, I apologized to Armand without realizing it.

“You don’t need to apologize to me. I’m asking what happened next.”

“S… so, the nun… she asked me to kiss her on the lips…”

“Oh…”

My words made Rotus exhale as if he were amazed.

“Alright, that’s how it happened. So, I think I know why you turned into a woman.”

I looked up at Armand at his words.

“Do you know the reason?”

“Yes, I think I know who made you like that.”

My face flushed at Armand’s words.

“Can you tell me the reason?”

“The reason? I can’t tell you that.”

My heart sank at Armand’s words.

“W… why not?”

“I can’t tell you because there is a reason.”

Armand firmly shook his head.

“Then I would like to know if I was cursed and became a witch.”

“Well, I can tell you that. You were not cursed to become a witch, but it can be said that you received a blessing from God.”

“This… this is not a curse but a blessing?”

“Of course, it’s a blessing. Do you not understand how noble it is to bring a new life into the world?”

“No. Why do I have to go through this?”

“Yes, when ordinary people experience something that is hard to accept, it is divided into 5 stages.”

“Isn’t it? Can’t this be resolved quickly?”

“Usually, the first stage involves denial.”

“Why! Why do I have to go through this?! It’s so unfair!”

“The second stage is expressing anger.”

“Master Chugik, I will do anything. Anything! Please, can’t you help me in some way? I’m willing to be a slave to the church for the rest of my life… please…”

“The third stage is starting to compromise.”

“Sigh… Why… I feel like it would be better to just die… Why do I have to go through this…”

“The fourth stage is expressing sadness.”

“If it is the will of God, what can a mere mortal do…? It’s maddeningly unfair, but sigh…”

“And finally, eventually accepting it. But your friend Fernang seems to be progressing through these stages too quickly.”

“Ugh…”

At Armand’s words, Rotus and Aramis exchanged glances.

“Normally, it would take a month or two for an ordinary person to go through all the stages, but this friend completed them in just 20 seconds. Truly, he is not an ordinary individual.”

Armand’s words caused the two friends to have subtle expressions.

“Don’t make such a pitiful expression. Since he has reached that state, it seems it’s already irreversible.”

Armand approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Haha…”

Chugik looked at me with a smile and let out a long sigh, then put on his glasses and opened the Bible.

“You must be familiar with the story of Karum, the son of Ma’at, who prayed for a month to God to show him the way to survive when their people were conquered by immigrants, right?”

“Yes… I know.”

“At that time, God transformed Karum’s body into a beautiful woman and she went directly to the king of the immigrants, capturing his heart.”

“…”

“By manipulating the king’s heart, she ensured the safety of her people.”

“And 200 years ago, the one who fought in the war against Britom is speculated by theologians to have received a blessing similar to yours.”

As Armand continued speaking, my heart grew heavier.

Living as a woman forever was a half-joking conversation I had with Rotus and Aramis, but internally, the stress was building up.

If I didn’t joke about it being nothing to change into a woman, I felt like I would go crazy.

But now that the transformation was complete, I felt lost and uncertain about the future.

Even if it was a blessing from God, if this was the blessing, I would rather not have it.

As a third son of a noble family, I had no wealth or land, only a strong body and strength to make a name for myself in war. To become a powerless woman was incredibly heartbreaking.

“Why… Why is this happening to me…”

Unknowingly, tears kept flowing as I sighed.

“Fernang.”

While I was shedding tears of regret for a long time, Armand called out to me.

I quickly lifted my head at his call.

“Your face is pretty, even when you cry.”

Although Armand smiled and spoke, it seemed to make me even more melancholic.

“You seem to be deeply disappointed.”

“…”

At Armand’s words, I wiped away my tears and quietly nodded.

“You probably thought it would be better not to receive this blessing than to receive it.”

He looked at me with a slight surprise and chuckled, “Haha…”

“Do you know why saints are called saints?”

“Why is that?”

“Because they have overcome all the trials given by God and faithfully followed the commandments given by Him, that’s why they are revered as saints.”

Armand placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Do not always think of everything in a negative light. Perhaps God is testing you to see if you are worthy of becoming a great person.”

“I… I’m not sure.”

“If you can overcome this trial and do what He desires, wouldn’t that bring joy as a believer?”

“Fine… I understand.”

I stopped crying and nodded my head, and Armand showed me a kind smile.

I took his hand and stood up from my seat.

“Now that Fernang seems to have regained his composure, I should tell you why I called you here,” Armand said.

At his words, my friends and I all nodded our heads.

“Do you swear allegiance to the king?”

“Yes! We swear!”

After Armand’s words, we stood in a solemn posture and pounded our fists near our hearts.

“No matter what happens, will you obey and follow the king’s orders without question?”

“Yes! We will obey!”

Armand smiled at our determination.

“From now on, you must give your all under me for the kingdom of Elangs and King Pyeha Angju XIII.”

“It is an honor!”

Armand pushed a document on the table towards us.

“Write your signatures on this document.”

We wrote our names on the document Armand handed to us.

“Thank you. By serving the king, you will bring joy to him as well.”

Armand rolled up the paper like a scroll and placed it next to the desk.

“Now, you must be wondering what you will be doing.”

We nodded at Armand’s words.

“Nothing for now.”

“Nothing…?”

Artemis furrowed his brow and asked.

“Exactly. You still have nothing to do. It’s not the right time to act decisively due to lack of information.”

Armand looked at me, Artemis, and Lotus, trying to gauge our reactions.

“Of course, you will still receive compensation. I should have mentioned that earlier, but I was careless.”

“Thank you.”

It was difficult to discuss compensation while maintaining a noble demeanor, but the resolution was satisfying, as evidenced by the smiles on our faces.

“Also, Fernang, if you continue to operate in your current state, there may be issues with your status.”

“That’s correct.”

“First, change your name.”

“What would be a good name?”

“Marie…? Wouldn’t that be a safe choice?”

“Isn’t that the name of the king’s mother?”

“Hmm!”

Armand coughed loudly at my words.

“It’s customary to follow the names of famous people.”

“That’s true.”

“From now on, your name will be Marie… and your last name…”

Armand stroked his chin as he pondered.

“Just come in as my daughter. I’ll lend you my last name. Your name will be Marie de Roanne, and you will live as my daughter from now on.”

My friends and I were speechless at Armand’s words.

“Is… is that okay?”

“It should be fine. As long as you have my name, you won’t be mistaken for a witch and face a tragic end.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed to Armand in gratitude.

“I am giving you this special treatment based on your abilities, so you must fulfill the tasks I assign to you properly.”

“Of course.”

“Go back now and see what you can do. If there is work, I will let you know first.”

After saluting Armand, we walked out of the cathedral.

“What should we do now?”

“Well, let’s go to our usual spot?”

We all burst into laughter at Lotus’s suggestion.

#

“I need to go buy some clothes.”

“You?”

Both Artemis and I were surprised when Lotus said he needed to buy clothes.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I am a noble, after all. I know how to keep up appearances,” Lotus said.

“Is this the Rotus we know?”

“I’m not sure…”

Arames shook his head in response to my question.

“These people!”

“Ahaha! Just kidding. Pick out some nice clothes and come back.”

“Yeah, I’ll become the most stylish gentleman in Paris, so look forward to it.”

“Quite the show-off.”

Arames and I laughed as we entered the tavern.

The tavern was crowded with people as we stepped inside.

The tavern suddenly fell silent at our entrance.

“Wow… so beautiful…”

“Watch your mouth.”

One drinker, upon seeing me, was about to say something unconsciously, but another drinker, who realized we were nobles, stopped him.

“Oh… I’m sorry, guests. The inside is full, so we’re short on seating.”

The tavern owner hurried over to us, bowing at the waist.

“Well… it’s packed with people, so it’s hard to find a place to drink.”

Arames looked around the tavern and clicked his tongue.

“Well… there are still seats available outside. Would that be alright?”

“Pierre… Mari, what do you think?”

“Well, we should start our daily routine, shouldn’t we?”

“Right, we should start our daily routine.”

Arames chuckled at my words.

“Innkeeper, bring us two beers and about five extra bottles.”

“Of course.”

The innkeeper nodded and went to get the drinks, while Arames and I started drinking at the table outside the tavern.

The glasses, once overflowing with beer foam, were now empty as we poured beer from the bottles into them.

“Ah… how can we live without alcohol for enjoyment.”

I nodded in agreement with Arames, who was drinking from the bottle.

“Why the ancient people considered alcohol a gift from the gods… ack!”

Arames, leaning against a pillar while drinking, suddenly collided with someone running past.

“Oh…!”

Arames quickly grabbed the person’s back as they tried to run away.

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry… I’m chasing someone!”

The person kept apologizing and nodding to Arames.

Arames, looking at the person’s troubled face, started to get aggressive.

“Do you think apologizing is enough? What about the beer I’m drinking and my clothes! What are you going to do about that?”

“Sorry. Here… will this do?”

The young man took out two silver coins from his pocket and handed them to Arames.

“20 silver? You think this is enough for my clothes?”

Arames grabbed the young man’s back and shook him forcefully.

“If the clothes worn by a drinker like you are enough, isn’t that sufficient? Don’t push it.”

The young man protested, and Arames shook him again.

“Arames, calm down.”

“Stay out of it, Mari. This is a man-to-man duel.”

“What are you looking at?”

“Hmph!”

The young man coughed awkwardly and turned his head away.

“Got time to stare at a woman? What are you going to do about my clothes, huh?”

“If you’re not satisfied even after receiving 20 silver, we can settle it later with a duel.”

The young man took off his left glove and threw it at Arames’ chest.

“A duel? Fine. Let’s meet at the fountain near this tavern at noon.”

Arames picked up the glove and chuckled.

“Hey, Arames.”

“Stay quiet, Mari. This is a duel between men.”

“Aramis, I may not know your intentions, but dueling is against the law…”

Aramis stopped me from trying to stop the duel with his hand.

“12 o’clock, at the fountain. Understood. Be there then.”

The young man nodded, then disappeared into the distant alley.

“Aramis, are you really going to duel?”

“Well… I think giving them a good scare should be enough.”

“In that case, we should bring along some black bread to snack on while we watch.”

“Hahaha!”

Aramis laughed at my suggestion and downed the remaining beer in his cup.