episode_0002

I stared at the letter sealed with floral-patterned wax for several minutes. The flower emblem imprinted on the wax—symbolizing a noble house—was one I remembered seeing a few times in the past. It was obvious who had sent it. It was the crest of House Railani, Yuria’s family.

How did they find out where I was? My shattered mind felt fear before anger or hatred. I didn’t want to see the face of anyone that emblem reminded me of.

Even though it had been months since I last saw them, just recalling the faces of that man and my former comrades was enough to trigger a fit. The sight of House Railani’s crest brought Yuria’s face to mind, and that alone was enough to make me break out in a cold sweat and struggle to breathe.

“Haaah… Hah… Hah…”

My heart pounded as if it would burst, and pain shot through my chest. My legs trembled, and my vision blurred with a splitting headache.

Should I burn the letter? I hesitated for a moment. But leaving a problem unattended only lets it grow. The memory of how I had lost everything in the end made it impossible for me to burn it.

Running away to avoid getting hurt only leads to even greater pain later. That was the one lesson I had learned from the wounds I suffered that day.

After crumpling the letter in my hands for hours, I finally broke the wax seal and unfolded it. Inside was a single line of text, written in a carefree tone:

—Your best friend

Best friend. That was the term I used to call him—because, for some reason, he never told me his name. Just remembering that I had once addressed that bastard so affectionately made me want to tear my own mouth apart right now.

“Ugh…”

The moment I read the letter, my insides twisted, and I felt the contents of my stomach surge back up. A yellowish liquid trickled between the fingers I had clamped over my mouth. With nothing in my stomach, all that came up was bile.

“This isn’t the time—I have to—”

I had to run. Every time I met that bastard, I ended up suffering miserably. Maybe he even felt some twisted sense of accomplishment from trampling me underfoot.

And now, he was coming for me himself. I couldn’t even begin to guess what fresh hell awaited me.

This house was just a place I had built to wait for death. There was nothing here I’d miss if I left, nothing to pack—just a single staff to take with me.

As I rushed toward the door to grab my staff and escape, the world suddenly twisted. Or rather, it wasn’t the world—it was my body collapsing. Of course. I hadn’t eaten anything in months.

Thud. I lay still like a corpse, but the sudden movement had left my body unresponsive.

“Not now…!”

The letter’s arrival meant he definitely knew my location. He wouldn’t give me time to disappear. I knew that, but I couldn’t get up. The anemia I had been ignoring all this time hit me all at once, making my head spin.

“Damn… it…”

I tried to cling to consciousness, but my body had already reached its limit. My eyelids grew heavy. Finally, everything went dark.

“Hah—!”

I jolted upright. How much time had passed? Judging by the daylight still streaming through the window, I hadn’t been unconscious for long.

I sighed in relief—not because I was still alive, but because there was still time to escape.

“Huh?”

Something was off about my body. Of course, after months of skipping meals, I couldn’t expect to be in good shape, but this wasn’t about that.

There was a large, soft lump on my chest. And my voice—though pleasant to hear—was too high-pitched. Had I developed some grotesque growth? Worried I might be sick, I groped at my chest.

“What the…? It looks and feels normal, but this is just…”

A woman’s breasts? Aside from being too big to fit in one hand, the sensation was exactly like when I had touched Yuria’s chest.

Thump. A shock ran through me, as if I’d been struck by a hammer. A chilling possibility flashed through my mind.

“No way. That’s impossible.”

Not even divine magic could make something like that happen.

My hands slid down to my waist and lower body. My already emaciated waist had grown even slimmer, and my hips had widened to a degree impossible for a male body. Most damning of all, the one thing that should have been there—wasn’t.

Between my thighs, where something familiar had always been, there was now an unfamiliar slit. Touching it confirmed what I already knew.

I’d become a woman.

“This can’t be real. There’s no way…”

Magic that changes a person’s gender doesn’t exist. Divine magic is the same. People who don’t know better might call them miraculous powers, but they operate on certain principles. They could never work like this.

Knock. Knock.

As my mind raced with chaotic thoughts, a sharp knock echoed through the silent house. In an instant, all my confusion was wiped away, replaced by a single, glaring realization.

He was here.

“Riel? I’m here. Open the door, will ya? We’re best friends, after all.”

His voice. My brain erupted into noise again, as if dozens of Riel Frosts were whispering in my ears.

What do I do?

Pretend I’m not here?

Break through the wall and escape the other way?

Did he come alone?

No—the hero’s party must be with him.

I don’t want to see him.

I’m scared.

It hurts.

I’m miserable.

I feel like I’m going to die.

A fit seized me—ten times worse than before. My legs trembled so violently I couldn’t stand. Sweat poured down my face, dripping from my chin no matter how much I wiped it away.

“Riel, I know you’re in there. If you don’t open up, I’ll just let myself in.”

As he spoke, I could already hear him picking the lock.

“No. No. No.”

Click. Click.

This house in the middle of the woods—I never thought anyone would find it, but I had installed a lock anyway, as a symbolic barrier against the outside world. It wasn’t a strong one. It would give way any second now.

Creak. Creak.

The lock broke, dangling uselessly. The doorknob turned. There was no time to hesitate. I gathered mana at my fingertips and unleashed my magic.

“[Domain of the Moon]”

The room transformed. Everything around me vanished, replaced by a dark, moonlit lake. The only light came from a perfect, full moon hanging in the sky.

Squeak. The door opened, revealing the face of the man I loathed.

Not that it mattered. The others would block it anyway.

I knew that.

But I’d struggle until the very end.

“[Moonlight Strike]”

A beam of light shot down from the massive moon floating above the horizon. The fastest attack spell in my arsenal—one that would pierce through him and end his life in an instant if he wasn’t prepared.

Just as I expected, Yuria lunged forward, blocking the path. My magic clashed with her sword—

“Guh—!”

Blood gushed from my mouth. The moon and lake vanished, and the room returned to normal. Instinctively, I knew what had happened.

“Mana exhaustion…?”

Mana exhaustion is common among mages. Running out of mana means you can’t cast spells, and forcing it will leave you weak, collapsing, or vomiting blood.

I had forgotten this basic fact because it had never happened to me before. As the so-called greatest genius mage in history, my mana reserves were on a completely different level. I had never been in a situation where I ran out.

But this time was different. Months of barely sustaining my life had left my mana nearly depleted.

If I had just thought for a second—if I had ever experienced mana exhaustion before—I wouldn’t be in this idiotic situation.

“Whew, that was close. Another amazing show, Riel. You never fail to entertain.”

I gave up and forced myself to stand. At the very least, I didn’t want him to see me as a pathetic wreck who couldn’t even control my own body.

“What the hell are you doing here?!”

“Aw, don’t be like that. What’s wrong with an old friend dropping by for a drink? Just some former comrades catching up… Wait, who are you?”

The bastard—still as smug as ever—paused mid-sentence when he got a good look at me, momentarily stunned.

“Riel, you’ve been quiet for so long, and now you’re hiding a pretty lady friend? Miss, if you don’t mind, could you tell me your name? And where Riel is? I’m his best friend, you see.”

He didn’t recognize me. Playing the gentleman, as if he hadn’t just broken into someone’s house. Well, of course he wouldn’t—I was a woman now. Relieved, I kept my tone icy.

“None of your business. Get lost. And take the sluts behind you with you.”

“What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

Erwin and Leona, standing behind him, bristled at my insult.

“Did I say something wrong? What kind of woman with any self-respect would choose to be some man’s harem slut, following him around like a lost puppy without even being his lover?”

“You little—!”

Erwin, the most prideful of the party, raised his fist and stepped forward. Even a slut ready to spread her legs at a moment’s notice still had an elf’s pride, it seemed. But that arrogance didn’t last long.

“Erwin, stand down.”

“But—! …Fine.”

The moment Erwin met the bastard’s gaze, her defiance crumbled. After forcing her to back off, he turned back to me.

“So, you’re not going to tell me where Riel is, is that it?”

“Are you so brain-dead you can’t understand simple words? I said I’m not telling you, so get lost.”

“Hmm, if that’s how it is, then I guess I have no choice.”

He sighed dramatically, shoulders slumping as if giving up. Just as I started to relax, his hand suddenly shot out.

“Eek! What the hell are you doing?!”

Pretending to back off, he brushed past me—then groped my chest and ass from behind with both hands. Even as he committed this outrage, his expression didn’t change, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“If you won’t talk, I’ll just have to make you. Forcefully. See, the ‘sluts’ you insulted? They resisted at first too. But once I shoved my monster cock into them, they all calmed down. It’s nature’s truth serum. Makes it impossible to refuse.”

I had forgotten. Right now, I was in a woman’s body—a target for his perversions.

“You think that cheap trick will work on me?”

“Of course. You’ve been shaking this whole time—did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Bullshit!”

He leaned in close, whispering in my ear.

“So quit acting tough, bitch. You’re just a slut now.”

“H-Hyuk?!”

He knew. No matter how hard I tried to hide it, he had seen right through me.

I had meant to intimidate him, but now I was the one trembling in fear. The low, mocking tone of his voice sent terror coursing through me.

“Oh, you’re sensitive. Already wet, huh?”

Sure enough, I could feel dampness between my legs. Against my will, my body was responding to that bastard’s touch.

“Stop! Stop it!”

“If you want me to stop, then talk.”

“It’s me! I’m Riel Frost!”

Even after my honest answer, he just tilted his head and squeezed my breasts harder.

“You’re Riel? You expect me to believe that?”

“You saw my magic just now! Who else could use a spell like that?!”

“True enough.”

Reluctantly, he released me, giving my body one last lingering stroke.

“I already knew, by the way.”

“What? Then why—?”

“Even as a woman, silver hair and blue eyes like yours are rare. And you always did have a pretty, girlish face. Some traces are still there.”

“You expect me to believe you’d jump to the conclusion that I turned into a woman just from that?! Did you do this to me?!”

“Whoa, scary. No need to glare like that. Think about it—how could I even change your gender?”

He was right. Even if he could manipulate women like they were puppets, changing someone’s sex was a completely different matter.

“Well, I can’t say I had nothing to do with it.”

“Are you messing with me right now?”

“What I mean is—I don’t know how you became a woman, but I did nudge things in that direction. So I can’t say I’m completely innocent.”

I couldn’t make sense of his words. Best to ignore him. He was just trying to confuse me. Playing along would only hurt me.

“Whatever. If you get it, then leave. I don’t want to see your face anymore.”

Too many incomprehensible things were happening at once, and my head was pounding. The bastard didn’t seem to have any particular reason for being here, either. He was probably just bored.

“As you can see, I’m not in any state to deal with you right now. If you have something to say, come back later.”

“Sorry, can’t do that.”

He grabbed my wrist as I tried to shoo him away like a bug.

“What now? Let go.”

“Now that you’re such a pretty girl, how could I just leave? Honestly, I came here to fuck you.”

For a moment, his words didn’t register. Even after processing them, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Are you insane? You know I was a man, and you’re still saying that?!”

“Why not? So what if you used to be a guy? Now you’re a full-fledged woman. Look at these tits and hips—your body’s been perfectly optimized for sex.”

“You’re out of your mind!”

The more we talked, the more confused I became. Was he serious earlier? How? No, wait—what even—?

“Were you telling the truth earlier?”

“About what?”

I asked desperately, but he just smirked, playing dumb as always. My patience snapped.

“About you being involved in me turning into this! Was that true?!”

Rage burned inside me, threatening to explode.

At my desperate scream, he grinned and answered.

“Like I said—yeah.”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!”

I completely lost it, lunging at him like a madman. My exhaustion, my trembling legs—none of it mattered in that moment.

“Yuria.”

But the instant he said her name, my charge was stopped. Yuria moved behind me, restraining me effortlessly. With my body immobilized, I could only attack him with words.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!! PIECE OF SHIT! TRASH! WORTHLESS! PARASITE!!!!! WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?! WHAT ELSE COULD YOU POSSIBLY TAKE FROM ME?!!!!!!!!”

The anger I had suppressed for so long erupted like a geyser. If anyone in our relationship had the right to hate, to destroy—it was me.

He took my comrades, my friends, my lover. He took my family, my place in the world. What possible reason could he have to trample me even further?!

My fury had transcended into something else, a living thing swirling in my skull, tearing apart my brain cells. My body felt like it was rotting from the inside, blood seeping from unseen wounds.

The bastard sighed, then spoke.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Of course you didn’t.”

“THEN WHY?!”

He laughed at my bloodcurdling scream.

“Because there’s still something left to take.”

“What?”

“Your virginity. That’s mine now. You took Yuria’s, so it’s only fair I take yours as compensation, right?”

“YOU FUCKING PSYCHO…! LET GO! I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

I thrashed with all my strength, trying to strangle him, but Yuria’s grip was unbreakable.

“Leona, knock her out.”

“Do we really have to go this far?”

Leona seemed reluctant at his order. As if she pitied me. How laughable. Traitorous bitch, acting all righteous now.

“Since when do I let you talk back?”

When he glared at her, Leona’s expression fell, and she stepped toward me.

“You’re really Riel?”

“Yeah, you rotten whore. The Riel you betrayed, kicked out of the party, and helped him trample into the dirt. That’s me.”

I hurled every curse I knew at her, my voice dripping with venom.

Leona hung her head in shame, which only stoked my fury further.

“Say something, damn it! Huh?!”

“I’m sorry. I can’t disobey Master’s orders.”

“Guh—!”

Thud. Leona’s fist sank deep into my stomach.