Ch.2Hero Agency (2)

After a long time, the man finally untied the ropes binding me, allowing me to escape from that damn chair.

He’s untying me pretty quickly.

“I’ll give you a contract in a bit, so just fill it out.”

“Why a contract all of a sudden?”

“The Goddess asked me to take you as a colleague, but I have no intention of doing it without something in writing.”

“So now you’re going to make me sign a slave contract and train me?”

“You could say it’s something like that.”

The man looked me up and down with an evil smile.

…Should I just give up on stopping the Demon King? There were three other people who came to this world besides me, so they can probably handle it themselves.

“Fine. I’ll figure something out on my own. Goodbye.”

I tried to leave quickly, but the man blocked my way and said:

“You’ll definitely regret it if you go out that door.”

He probably intends to force me into a contract.

If I sign that contract, my life is over. So naturally, I should run away. But escaping seems nearly impossible.

There’s no way an ordinary person like me could outrun people who might be stronger than the Demon King if they fought seriously.

Even if I managed to escape, there’s no one in this world who could help me.

Things are going terribly wrong. If I had known it would be like this, I should have gone to a world where there’s only mint chocolate…

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because signing a contract will benefit both of us anyway.”

The man forcefully handed me the contract while speaking.

What will happen to me now? Will I be dragged to some salt farm and forced to work until I die?

Trembling with fear, I checked the contents of the contract.

***

Surprisingly, it was a normal contract. In fact, it could be considered much more beneficial for me.

“How is this anything like a slave contract?”

“Working 60 hours a week with possible additional hours—if that’s not slavery, what is?”

“So there’s no training?”

“No, so please just get out, you crazy woman.”

What am I feeling right now? Indignation and anger at being deceived?

The answer is relief that I’m alive. Far from becoming a slave, I now have a way to survive in this world.

Just by getting this job, all my basic needs would be taken care of, which is exactly what I need right now.

So without any hesitation, I filled out the contract and handed it to the man, but he tore it up with a dark expression and said:

“Is this the best you can do?”

“…What’s wrong?”

“I can understand if your place of origin and residence are different because you reincarnated. But your height is completely wrong, and why is your gender listed as male?”

“I put male because I am a man.”

“I’m talking about physically, not mentally.”

What nonsense is he talking about? I’m clearly a male…

…Oh.

I want to kill myself.

While I was looking at my now-depressing body, a woman with pink hair asked me a question.

“Are you a crossdresser?”

“Well… I used to be a man, but when I reincarnated, I suddenly changed into a woman…”

“So you got gender-swapped?”

“…Yes.”

The woman’s demeanor changed instantly. If she seemed spaced out before, now she had the air of a hunter.

She approached me slowly like a predator stalking prey, and when she was right in front of me, she finally spoke.

“Can I pounce on you?”

Suddenly, from behind, the man rushed forward with a wooden club and—

CRACK!

With a crisp sound, the club shattered, and the woman collapsed to the floor.

“It’s much easier to just ignore what she says—in one ear and out the other.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“This is actually mild. Rebecca? Come tie her up.”

“Yes, sir.”

A woman in nun’s clothing began skillfully tying up the pink-haired woman to a chair, as if this was a routine occurrence.

“Is it okay for that to break?”

“Wooden clubs are easy to get, so it doesn’t matter.”

“But you said earlier it was a magic staff.”

“A wooden club can be used as a magic staff too. Anyway, let’s go register your new identity first.”

The man spoke to the woman in nun’s clothing who was tying up the pink-haired woman.

“I’m going to get her ID issued, so keep an eye on that one.”

“Yes, have a safe trip.”

And so I was led away by the man.

***

The world was quite peculiar. There were people flying in the sky and others using what appeared to be magic.

There were also many unfamiliar objects and foods, but above all, everyone looked strange.

People had various hair and eye colors, and there were even some with pointed ears like elves or small ones like dwarves.

But the world’s appearance wasn’t that different from where I came from. Tall buildings were visible everywhere, and many similar facilities could be seen.

As we walked around observing the world, we arrived at the main entrance of a massive cathedral.

“Don’t cause any trouble when we go in there. Especially, never insult the Goddess.”

“I’m not a child, why would I cause trouble? But why shouldn’t I insult the Goddess?”

“Try it yourself. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences.”

I don’t quite understand, but it’s clearly a taboo that should never be broken.

Promising myself to be careful with my words and actions, I entered the cathedral and saw an enormous worship hall.

“Where is this place?”

“The Grand Cathedral. Again, absolutely do not insult the Goddess.”

“I’m not stupid enough to insult the Goddess in a place like this.”

While I was looking around, a nun approached us.

“It’s been a while, Hero. What brings you here?”

“I need to see the old man. Is he here now?”

“The Archbishop is giving a sermon over there. Would you like me to guide you?”

“It’s fine. Thanks for your help.”

“May the Goddess’s blessing be with you, Hero.”

The nun bowed politely and returned to her original position.

But it’s funny how he lectures me about being careful with my words while he speaks so rudely himself.

“Is it okay to call the Archbishop ‘old man’?”

“I outrank him.”

My image of what a hero should be was completely shattered. Before, I thought heroes were righteous and virtuous people, but now…

…Honestly, I don’t know what kind of person he is. Let’s just say he’s strange.

Anyway, the Archbishop is currently giving a sermon. Should we wait until it’s over?

“Old man. I’m here.”

The man interrupted the sermon without any hesitation. The Archbishop responded with a kind expression, as if this was a common occurrence.

“It’s been a while. Is this person the one sent by the Goddess?”

“Did you receive an oracle too?”

“It seems this is indeed the person sent by the Goddess. I’ve already registered your identity, so don’t worry.”

The Archbishop handed me some documents and an ID card. However, there was a major problem with the ID.

Where my name Kim Min-jun should have been written, for some reason the name “Lite” was written instead.

“I think there’s a mistake with the name here. My name isn’t Lite, it’s…”

The man covered my mouth with his hand and said:

“If you say something unnecessary like you did at the office earlier, you could be executed for blasphemy. So just stay quiet.”

“Mmph, mmph. Mmph mmph.”

“I’ll take that as agreement.”

Is simply stating my original name such a serious offense that it could lead to execution for blasphemy?

More importantly, it seems I’ve been forcibly renamed with an extremely feminine name, which would be disrespectful to give to a man…

…I probably will never adapt to this body for the rest of my life.

Anyway, the man asked about the situation on my behalf.

“Old man, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake with the name?”

“Do you have so little faith in me? There are absolutely no errors, so rest assured.”

“You might have entered the wrong information because you’re senile. Did you consider that possibility?”

“Your lack of manners hasn’t changed. Everything is recorded accurately, so don’t worry.”

“How can I trust the words of a weak, old man? Are you sure you’re not actually suffering from dementia?”

“…Leave while I’m still asking nicely.”

“Alright, thanks anyway.”

It’s amazing that he can treat the Archbishop like that and get away with it. Being a hero must really be something.

As we were leaving the cathedral with my unwanted new identity, the man suddenly stopped and said quietly:

“Oh right, the Goddess said the Demon King will appear in a month.”

Everyone in the cathedral, including the Archbishop, turned as pale as corpses.

But this man didn’t seem to care at all and peacefully walked out of the cathedral.

I can’t believe this guy is a hero. It’s completely unbelievable.

***

Once we were far enough from the cathedral, I asked the man:

“So why was I suddenly renamed?”

“It seems the Goddess gave that name in her oracle from the beginning.”

“No… why would the Goddess do something like that?”

“I’m not the Goddess, so I wouldn’t know.”

It seems the Goddess forcibly renamed me.

First she tells me to save the world without any powers, then she gender-swaps me and forces a name change—the Goddess must definitely hate me.

Or maybe it’s revenge for my reluctance to come to this world.

I’d like to just give up on everything, but I’m afraid the Goddess might do something even worse, so I don’t dare.

If I had known it would be like this, I should have just come to this world willingly from the start…

***

As soon as we returned after registering my identity, the pink-haired woman, still tied to the chair, complained indignantly to the man:

“I don’t really like bondage play.”

“Speak properly before I gag you too.”

“Gagging me with the hero’s magnificent holy sword… Alright, I’ll speak properly, so put that down.”

The man was somehow already holding a wooden club in his hand.

“Good, so why were you trying to pounce on her?”

“I haven’t pounced yet. I even politely asked if I could.”

“…If my memory serves me right, the doctrine clearly prohibits homosexuality, doesn’t it?”

“Since her body is female, the premarital chastity doctrine doesn’t apply, and since her mind is male, the homosexuality doctrine doesn’t apply either. So doctrinally, it’s fine.”

“…”

“But how can anyone resist that? There’s nothing in those damn doctrines against it, and a man who’s become a woman is an extremely rare sight.”

The man approached the woman with a disgusted expression, holding the wooden club… no, the magic staff.

“Isn’t there a doctrine against rape too?”

“That’s why I politely asked.”

“…”

“Besides, this is all her fault for being too sexy. Having such a sexy body but a male mind—not corrupting such a specimen would be…”

—BZZZZT!

Electricity suddenly surrounded the wooden club the man was holding.

…Was that really a magic staff?

“No matter how much you threaten me, I will never bend my beliefs…”

CRACK!

With incredible speed, the wooden club… no, the magic staff came down on the woman’s head.

Once again, the magic staff shattered with a loud noise, and the room fell silent.

After a while, the man broke the silence and said:

“Shall we fill out the contract again?”