33. Deal With The Principal

* * *

Returning to campus brought unexpected gossip.

“Holy shit, Si-woo’s gorgeous now.”
“Was she always a girl?”
“Some say it’s the Divine Sword’s influence.”

Choi Si-woo looked utterly lifeless in the girls’ uniform. Her silver hair now cascaded down her back, eyelashes inexplicably longer. And those…substantial assets. The feminization was complete. Even muttering “I’m castrated…” under her breath couldn’t diminish the effect.

“Quiet everyone!” Bulbbadda’s morning announcement fanned the flames.

“Surprisingly, Choi Si-woo has become female due to the Divine Sword’s influence.”

No hesitation there.

“I mean-she was originally female! Just…cross-dressing due to circumstances!”

The students’ reactions ranged from relief (male cadets checking their own crotches) to fascination (female cadets who’d previously admired Si-woo). The scandal exploded.

Forum Post: “Did Yoo Eun-ha turn Si-woo female?”

“100% possible. Bulbbadda claims cross-dressing but with those melons? Eun-ha definitely altered her to keep her harem pure.”

“What about Jin-seok then? Different swords, different effects?”
“Hehe~ Our Eunha-chan must protect baby Si-woo now~”
The anonymous boards went wild. Even the school paper interviewed me:
“Yoo Eun-ha denies involvement in Si-woo’s gender change…Irresponsible remarks. The villainess strikes again?”
“Male cadets requesting gender transitions skyrocket…Female cadets: ‘Periods suck, wanna trade?'”
How exactly would I change someone’s gender? Though…I may have suggested the Divine Sword customize Si-woo to my tastes. Just didn’t expect instant results.
At least this distraction overshadowed the cult attack. Now for the team battle – the elf ruins likely connected to the World Tree. With me leading instead of Si-woo, we’d definitely go.
“Eun-ha, the team battle location changed,” reported my subordinate Han Suji, the Flame Spear Maiden.
“Where?”
“Goryeo Academy, since we got attacked.”
“Good.”
Goryeo had decent security. Not that Hanseong’s was bad – most instructors were competent. Except Bulbbadda.
“Battle format?”
“Some AOS-style thing with lanes and flag capture,” Reina answered cautiously.
Simple enough – crush everyone, grab the flag. The real question was how much power to reveal. The heroines traditionally grew through these battles. Should I let events unfold or dominate immediately?
“Will causality alter the tournament?”
[Villain interference remains possible.]
The Akashic Records showed divergent futures. Other academies weren’t major factors in the novel – the real threat was Class B’s Cheok Jun-gyeong reincarnation, Park Joon-hyuk. A formidable opponent even for Si-woo.
“Can you handle the scrutiny? Our security failure makes us targets.”
“That’s the academy’s fault!”
“Which makes us guilty by association.”
Goryeo and Seoul Academies would pounce on Hanseong’s weakness. Especially with Si-woo…
“She’s completely broken,” Reina sighed, watching the catatonic swordswoman.
Time for tough love.
“Si-woo! Wallowing helps nothing! Your goal remains saving the world – since when does gender matter?”
“…”
“Stand! Your destiny awaits!”
The fire returned to her eyes. Of course – the original protagonist who abandoned harem endings to reset the timeline wouldn’t falter over something so trivial. My former office-worker self understood workplace gender transitions better than most, but her resilience still impressed me.
“You’re right! The mission comes first!”
“That’s our Si-woo!”
After all her suffering across timelines, living as a woman under my protection seemed a fair trade.
“Yoo Eun-ha. The principal requests you,” Bulbbadda announced.
“You two train with Si-woo. I’ll see the principal.”
“Wait, me?” Si-woo blinked, still adjusting to this timeline where I lived and usurped her protagonist role. Tough break, but she’d thank me later.
* * *
“Kim Young-hee, Hanseong’s principal. Our first meeting.”
The novel’s former A-rank hunter, now married and pregnant in later chapters. Originally Jin-seok’s mentor, she’d barely interacted with Si-woo.
“You know about Goryeo Academy’s challenge?”
“Seoul Academy too, no?”
“Goryeo rides constellation coattails. Seoul can’t compete. But after our security failure, Goryeo’s principal Viola looks down on me. We cannot lose.”
“So this is about your rivalry?”
“Exactly. That Yankee can’t best a Korean!”
National pride? What about Goryeo’s Korean students? This was purely personal.
“What’s in it for me?”
“Southern resort passes and elf ruin access not enough? Name your price. But I’m married, so-”
She clutched her ample bosom defensively, yet somehow accentuated her cleavage. Mixed signals much? The novel portrayed her as quite bawdy.
Tempting…but office life taught me married women are landmines. Better demand tangible rewards.
“The academy vault’s World Tree Bow.”
Reina’s endgame weapon – without it, she’d been underpowered. Securing it early would balance our team.
“Out of the question!”
“An elf-made bow suits an elf descendant, no? Lease it to Reina.”
“…Fine.”
Deal struck. While using it immediately would be hilarious, Reina needed training first. Time to visit Cheonsan Group’s Lee Yu-jin – Songdo’s development couldn’t wait.