Chapter 111
Chapter 111
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Obtained the Production Manual!
"W-Wait a second!! Diena…? N-No, hold on! You need to think this through carefully! I already have three fiancées!!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs at Diena, who was gazing at the statue with eyes clouded by desire.
Startled by my voice, she made an "oh no" face.
Then she slapped both her cheeks with her hands and looked at me with reddened cheeks.
"O-Of, of, of course! Of course! I-I've already given up cleanly on woman-Ken…!! D-Don't get the wrong idea!!"
"……You're acting way too flustered for someone who's over it."
"Eeeeek!!"
Hit right on the mark by my words, Diena flushed red and irritably kicked at the barrier.
The barrier absorbed her foot as softly as jelly, then gently set it back down.
"A-Anyway! I'm not falling for any of that nonsense!!"
As if trying to gloss over her exposed inner thoughts, Diena yelled toward the statue.
'Y-Yeah. Even Diena wouldn't fall for that kind of temptation.'
I'd been genuinely tense for a moment, thinking she might make the wrong choice, but seeing her act normally now, I let out a sigh of relief.
However.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Foolish human... My tale has not yet ended. It wasn't over.
"W-Wait just a minute!"
A inexplicable wave of anxiety washed over me, and I desperately shouted to cut off the statue's words.
"As you can see, Diena isn't falling for your temptation! She's already given her refusal—what more is there to hear?!"
"……Ugh."
Why does it sound disappointed?
I glanced uneasily at Diena, who looked flustered beside me, then turned back to the statue.
"And besides, I have three fiancées! Even if I turned into a woman, nothing would happen with Diena!"
"……Uwu."
"No, I mean, stop getting hurt by every little thing I say."
"B-But…."
With every shout I hurled at the statue to break through this situation, Diena's expression shifted in a myriad of ways.
Flustered, sad, contemplative.
At this rate, she really might make the wrong choice.
'Anyway, let's just end this trial like this….'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Foolish human... But the statue, unmoving in its rigid pose, responded without the slightest waver to my words.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ No lies can be told before me. I see your desires. "That's why Diena…!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ That woman harbors immense desire. "……Huh?"
"Aaaah!! W-Wait…!! I get it, so stop right there!!"
Diena suddenly blushed furiously and yelled loudly at the statue's words.
I tilted my head in confusion at her reaction, but the statue ignored her and continued.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ That woman wishes to ravish you—the one who came with her—and do unspeakable things… "Uwaaaaaaaaah━!!!"
"Gyaaaaaaaah!!! My ears!!! My eaaaaars!!!"
As I focused on the statue's continuing words, Diena's face suddenly thrust right up to mine, blasting a microphone-at-100%-volume scream straight into my eardrums.
Riiiing….
…I get it now. When your ears ring from a loud noise, that's all you can hear.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ …and so, I must test whether she, who harbors such immense desire, is worthy of my treasure. "……Yes? What was that?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Verbal falsehoods are one of foolish humans' frequent mistakes. Thus, prove it with actions. I couldn't make out the statue's words clearly through Diena's sonic assault.
But Diena, who had heard it properly beside me, turned pale with extreme panic.
As if something huge was about to happen….
'W-What the hell….'
Confused and fearful from not grasping the conversation's flow, that's when.
Viiiing….
"Wha—?! What's going on?!"
The barrier surrounding me began to ripple.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Face your desire and prove your lie. My recovered eardrums finally caught the statue's final words.
And no sooner had they ended than.
The barrier around me enveloped me like a carnivorous plant.
Before I knew it.
━Slosh.
I had become a woman again.
"……Huh?"
The frail voice I hadn't heard in so long slipped emptily from my throat.
Looking down, those massive orbs from before jiggled lewdly with the movement.
Touching them confirmed they were real.
I had turned back into a woman.
"W-Wait, wait, wait━!!"
Panicking at the sudden Female Body Transformation, I reached out toward the statue and yelled stop, but.
"……Haa, haa."
Diena's orange ponytail suddenly entered my view, forcing my attention from the statue to her.
She stared at me with eyes wide like a dog waiting for a treat, drool trickling from her mouth.
"H-Hey, Diena…? Why are you looking at me like that?"
She didn't answer my question.
Just like a dog losing all reason before a snack.
And instead, the statue spoke.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Now, woman... Show me your desire honestly. "N-No, I mean, Diena clearly just…!"
I protested fiercely in my thinned voice against the statue arbitrarily advancing the story, but.
Grab.
"Eeeeek!"
"Haa, haa, Ke-Ken…."
Diena, blushing and closing in, grabbed both my hands, silencing my protests.
She oozed desire like she'd finally reached her limit.
No matter how you looked at it, she was dead serious.
'S-Sorry, Diena…!'
At this point, I'd have to stop her by force.
Fortunately, I'd already traded my first time with Rapne, so it wouldn't be my first experience.
But as a woman, it would be.
If she pounced here, it'd be a disaster….
H-Huh…?
"Wh-Why won't my arms…."
Move.
I strained with all my might, wriggling, but it was like my hands were fixed to rock—I couldn't shake her off.
"Haa, Ken…. You're so beautiful…."
In the meantime, Diena drew closer with possessed eyes and brought her lips to my nape.
"Eek! N-No…! Diena, stop…! I have fiancées…!"
Terror surged through me.
A familiar feeling.
This was the fear bubbling from a woman's fragile heart when my body turned female.
With my arms pinned, unable to move, and Diena pressing against me like she wanted to devour me—it was terrifying.
At her sight, my shoulders trembled, heat prickled at my nose, and my eyes welled up.
"Ugh, sob, Di-Diena…."
The dread that she might pounce any second.
The helplessness of being unable to move.
Just like a spoiled child, I broke down sobbing.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ …Ah. "…H-Huh? Ke-Ken?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Foolish human... You ended up crying…. "You set this up for exactly this!!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ All this is the result of actions born from your desire. I…. "You crazy bastard, don't try to back out now━!"
"Uuugh, sob, huuuh."
This is bad.
Even as the statue and I traded bizarre banter, my tears wouldn't stop.
Trembling limbs from the surging terror, tears flowing from the despair of being powerless.
"Ke-Ken…! I-I mean, this is…! S-Sorry…! I didn't mean to…!"
"Dienaaa…."
She still gripped my hands.
Worried for crying me, yet glancing down at my breasts—talk about instinctual.
"M-My arms hurt…."
"Kyaa! Sorry! I lost control and gripped too hard…!"
Only then realizing she'd been clutching me desperately to not let go, Diena released my arms.
Even her female grip had reddened my frail arms.
"Uuu, sob, it hurts…. Scary…."
"H-Hey, Ken, …I-I mean."
"Sob, Diena's trash, pervert, molester. …I told you I have fiancées."
"Guhhh!!"
Mingling resentment with my overwhelming emotions, I spat harsh words at her, and Diena clutched her chest in agony.
Like someone hit by a dot-damage curse, her face paled, pupils shaking as she stared at me.
"Ugh, s-sorry. Really, I lost my mind…."
She definitely hadn't seemed in her right mind moments ago.
"Eeeeek━! A-Anyway, Guardian!! As you saw, I've cleanly given up on woman-Ken, so hand over the treasure already!!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ But you were just about to pounce…. "You didn't in the end, so drop it━!"
Perhaps from guilt over nearly forcing something bad on me, Diena protested far more strongly than at first.
The statue showed no expression change but seemed a bit flustered, pausing before speaking.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Foolish human... I have clearly seen your honest heart. "Phew…. Finally…."
"Hic, s-so we got the production manual now?"
"Y-Yeah, so stop crying. I'm sorry…!"
"Okay…."
In the end, if we got the production manual, whatever.
If a stunning woman you'd tried to forget suddenly appeared saying "Do as you please," anyone would lose it.
Proving that, Diena apologized while sneakily eyeing my body with regret.
It was quite the experience for understanding a woman's feelings from all angles.
Then the briefly silent statue spoke again.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Woman, in the end, you showed me your heart completely without lies…. "……Hmm."
Diena made a dissatisfied face for some reason.
Ignoring her, the statue continued.
And what followed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You showed both desires honestly, so as reward, I shall grant you both treasures. Didn't make a lick of sense.
Gold axe, silver axe?
"What?! H-Hey, what does that even…!"
I raised my voice in protest at the baffling words, but.
Having said its piece, the statue soon rumbled with a "kuugu…" and sank into the floor.
With it gone, a hidden passage appeared behind.
"……Ken."
"……."
I was still a woman.
…You crazy stonehead.
。 。 。
Even though I'd cleared the trial after being toyed with by that perverted statue, I remained a woman.
But there were two silver linings.
One was that the secret passage truly led to the magic sword's production manual.
The second was that the Female Body Transformation curse could anyway be lifted with Rapne's Pendant.
In the end, even as a trial, this was just another curse.
Thank goodness I'd recreated the pendant erased by history alteration.
"……."
"W-Why do you keep staring?"
"No, no, …just."
Unlike the friendly atmosphere on the way to the temple, our return trip was steeped in an awkward, inexplicable tension as we walked side by side.
Diena kept stealing glances at me.
I understood her feelings, but that enamored look was troubling.
And so, Diena and I safely achieved our goal and returned to the village inn.
Afterward, as a woman, I used Rapne's Pendant to lift the curse and returned to male form.
"Hey Ken, why'd you turn into a woman? What did you two do? Why can't you answer?"
"Did getting the production manual require turning into a woman? Be honest, and I might let it slide."
"……Pervert."
With Rapne's murderous glare, Mary's sadness, and Emily's flushed, disgusted look.
Thus ended my brief, awkward trip with Diena in every way.
…I'm exhausted.