Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: At the Temple
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"I want to die."
That was the first thing Jermi said the moment he regained consciousness.
"Th-this... this horrific monstrosity... Ugh..."
He glanced down at his chest, then rolled his eyes back and passed out again.
Once more, ten minutes ticked by in front of the labyrinth entrance with nothing to show for it, and Jermi finally came to.
"Why... why won't I wake up from this dream? Right. This has to be a dream. An absurd fucking nightmare. It makes no sense otherwise. There's no way I've turned into a woman..."
What does it feel like for a man to turn into a woman? No idea. Honestly, I didn't even want to know. It was obviously going to be fucking horrifying.
Still, we couldn't waste time like this. I approached Jermi.
"Jermi. Snap out of it."
"N-no, Big Brother... This can't be real. I still have Anya. Anya fell for me as a man, not as a woman. Anya's straight, not a lesbian. Anya is..."
"Anya's dead."
"...Ah."
Jermi's face went pale as stone. He was starting to face reality, bit by bit.
But I still remembered what he'd said.
And that would give him hope.
"And you said you'd save the dead Anya."
"...!"
"You swore you'd grow strong and claim the miracle of resurrection somewhere deep in that labyrinth. Isn't that right?"
"...Y-yes, that's right."
Jermi nodded slowly. But his face was still stiff.
"But... even if I do get strong, claim the miracle, and revive Anya... if she won't even look at me after coming back to life... then it means nothing..."
"Nothing? By the time Anya revives, you'll be plenty strong. You think someone like that can't afford to remove a single blessing?"
"Ah!"
That's right. Blessings and curses could be removed. At a temple, no less.
The only downside was that the cost skyrocketed the more you removed.
Just realizing that blessings and curses could be erased outright was enough to brighten Jermi's face in an instant.
"F-first I'll get strong and revive Anya! Then I'll remove the blessing and turn back into a man!"
I nodded along with Jermi's suddenly excited outburst, now brimming with hope.
"Th-then I can be with Anya again!"
"Yeah. We've got a long way to go. You gonna mope around here?"
"No, sir!"
As if his earlier despair had been a lie, Jermi sprang back to his feet, full of energy.
"Wiping out those goblins, reviving Anya, turning back into a man... I've got so much further to go..."
Jermi squeezed his eyes shut, repeating his goals, then turned to me and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Big Brother! You really snapped me out of it."
"Good. That's all I needed."
It felt fucking awkward seeing a guy who'd been a dude just minutes ago bow like that as a woman, still calling me Big Brother. So I just nodded.
"Pfft, how's a man's goal to turn back into a man... Puhaha..."
I flicked Kakchi hard on the forehead for snickering behind me.
"Ow!"
Her reaction was so damn pathetic that even smacking her felt unsatisfying.
"Wh-what the hell was that for?"
"...You don't get a man's heart. You vicious bitch."
"...Oh. Right. I get it. A top-tier guy on the love pyramid who attracts women just by breathing has plummeted to the bottom, so yeah."
"...That's not what I meant..."
A guy turns into a woman, and her first thought is the dating market? Was that even normal human thinking?
What happened to male pride and dignity?
'If it were me, I'd just hold my breath and off myself the moment it happened.'
EXP bonuses or whatever wouldn't matter—I'd lose all will to live.
At the same time, the vague danger of blessings and curses I'd only dimly sensed hit home.
'Get one wrong, and you're fucked.'
Thinking that way, Jermi suddenly seemed impressive—losing his manhood symbolized by a hole punched through and tits slapped onto his pecs, yet rallying at the thought of his girlfriend.
"Alright, let's go! No time to waste. Back into the labyrinth—"
"Where do you think you're going, you lunatic? Not there!"
I yanked Jermi back as he got tunnel-visioned on getting stronger and tried to charge into the labyrinth again.
I immediately took back my earlier thought. This guy's still not right in the head.
"Excuse me."
After all the commotion in front of the labyrinth portal, a man in priestly robes approached us.
'Looks like the same outfit Adolf wore.'
Adolf had been a priest. And in this labyrinth city, only one group dressed like that.
"Greetings. I'm Sorvel, apprentice priest of the Earth God Church."
Earth God Church. The big shots in the temple district south of the labyrinth city.
"I-I'm a man... Hic, I-I'm a man too... I-I'm still a maaAAAAN...!"
"...Pardon? Ah, yes..."
Sorvel's face drained of color as he faced the sobbing woman chanting "man man" nonstop—someone everyone around wanted to distance themselves from and pretend not to know.
As if regretting striking up the conversation, he started backing away.
"I'm Balkan. Nice to meet you, Sorvel."
"Ah, yes...! Nice to meet you too, Balkan."
I grabbed Jermi by the hair scruff and stepped forward, and Sorvel visibly relaxed upon spotting another man.
"What brings you here?"
"Well... From afar, it looked like your group just got hit with a curse. Is that right?"
'Sales pitch.'
What else would anyone be doing right by the labyrinth portal? Only two possibilities.
Either cheering over a blessing or despairing over a curse.
If it's a blessing, head to the temple to appraise it. If a curse, go remove it.
Either way, it funnels to the temple. Sorvel was probably the guy leading them there.
"Hmm... If it's a curse, it's a horrific one. If a blessing, a damn efficient one..."
"Pardon...?"
"He did turn from man to woman, at least."
"KuhahahaHA!"
"...?"
"...Ah. Ahem. Cough. Hm... I see..."
For a split second, a mix of mockery and pity flashed across Sorvel's face.
This guy was worrying about the guy's fall in the dating market, not his dignity.
"D-don't look at me like that... Please..."
"It's... fine... Anyway, heh, ahem, pfft... Hang in there..."
Even the priest was at a loss for words, reduced to generic encouragement, which only deepened Jermi's despair.
"But don't worry too much! That's why our Earth God Church exists—to resolve the world's most absurd catastrophes with the Great Earth God's blessings."
His face switched to full pro salesman mode in an instant. Sales spirit was strong.
"You know about the recent tie-up between the Explorer's Union and the Earth God Church? Free blessing appraisals for explorers."
"Ah, yeah. I've heard."
I'd caught wind of it while serving at Diana's tavern.
– That stingy temple's gone senile or snapped—what, free appraisals for blessings and curses now?!
– Yeah, I heard too. If it's rare or brand-new, they even pay you to appraise it.
"To my knowledge, no blessing—or curse, ahem—has ever turned a man into a woman before. You're in luck! Come to the temple for a full appraisal, and we'll pay you five silver coins. Your whole party, too!"
Sorvel stared right at us as he said it.
Jermi was listening intently by now, and even Kakchi looked curious.
Me? I was getting chills.
'...Fucking ominous.'
'This reeks of selling personal data for condolences or some shit...'
The temple was one of the most trustworthy groups in the labyrinth city, sure.
Running on pure faith, they occasionally cared for the city's weak—living conscience and all.
But the ones horning in on them were the issue.
'Explorer's Union...'
Deluna's face flashed in my mind, then faded. The weight of that head in my bag suddenly felt crushing.
'I'm losing it. Paranoia much?'
Couldn't trust a soul. Driving me nuts. Was I overthinking? Who to let in, who to push away...
Keep it simple.
Need money right now? No.
Five silver was decent, but not urgent.
I had Diana's room and board to pay, but tavern shifts and future labyrinth runs would cover it. Hadn't even settled up the loot from this run.
Any reason to go to the temple? Yes.
The staff and cross necklace weighed heavy in my bag.
One way or another, I had to deliver news of Adolf's death to her temple. Basic human decency.
So, temple it was.
Did I, with a status window, need an appraisal?
Personally? Yeah.
◆ ???'s Blessing
– ??? – Stamina +10 | Strength +10 | Agility +10
This mystery blessing had been there ever since I unlocked the status window.
I was enjoying its effects, sure, but I didn't know its name, when or where I got it, or how.
Did I receive it upon tripping into this world? When the status window synced? Or something else entirely—what the hell was it?
'If the temple's been appraising blessings and curses for centuries, maybe they can ID this one.'
Solid possibility. Worth a shot.
I opened my eyes after mulling it over. Kakchi and Jermi were watching me. Somehow, I was the decision-maker in this trio now.
"...Fuck it. Let's do it."
Sorvel grinned wide.
"The Earth God bestows a great blessing upon this world, and soon the labyrinth shall be bathed in light..."
"You don't get bored chanting that crap?"
The nun quietly reciting the oracle cracked her eyes open.
A pitch-black, impious demon stood before her.
"What's the point of reciting oracles nonstop? Has one ever come true as stated?"
"That's because we fail to grasp the Earth God's will properly. The oracles themselves have always been accurate. We've been the ones wrong."
"Anyone can say that. Twist it any way, and a stray dog's bark is prophecy."
"...Why are you here all of a sudden? To pick a fight?"
"Nah, not that."
The demon pulled something from his pocket and tossed it at the nun's feet.
She silently manipulated her wand in hand, levitating the object into her grasp.
"...A cross necklace?"
"Yeah. The holy relic you've been hunting for to find your 'chosen one.'"
"...!"
The nun drew a quiet breath.
"...Must've been tough getting it. Why hand over something so precious? What's your angle?"
"...My angle..."
The demon pondered for a moment.
Knock knock!
"High Priestess Adeline. Got a group here with a horrific and unique curse... er, blessing."
An apprentice priest called from outside.
"Oh dear. Looks like our meeting ends here, little sister."
"..."
"Put it to good use. Who knows—maybe your chosen one's among the rabble squeezing into this cramped temple. Oh, right. When they get close, the necklace'll buzz like mad to let you know. Like a magic dildo. Heh."
The demon snickered mockingly at Seriph, vanishing the instant light glinted off the window bars.
"...Sigh."
Seriph let out an audible sigh, staring warily at the necklace for a long while before carefully slipping it on.
The cross nestled perfectly into the center of her cleavage.
Whatever the demon's intent, it was the relic she'd hunted even into the labyrinth.
Worth testing, at least.
Knock knock!
"High Priestess Adeline?"
Seriph clasped her hands, forcing a faint smile to greet the visitors. Fake smiles like this were second nature now.
"Yes. I'm ready. Come in."
The heavy door rumbled open at her word. Light spilled through the crack as three figures entered.
A sharp-featured woman, a woman looking utterly wronged...
And.
"...Huh?"
"...You..."
Bzzzzzzzum!!
"Eek...?!"
The relic she'd just donned vibrated wildly against Seriph's chest.
Panicking, she followed its direction.
A towering 2-meter frame. Broad, rugged Great Helm notwithstanding, a massive, solid build—like a fantasy straight out of a dream made flesh. Warrior incarnate.
Not a sight familiar to a woman of the cloth, but one she'd seen exactly once in her life.
'A month ago... in the labyrinth!'
"Fancy meeting you here again, cat beastkin."
The man dipped his head in greeting.
Bzzzzzzzum!!
"Hiiik...?!"
"...?"
The necklace thrummed like mad with every move he made.
As if he—the one she'd sought for so long—was standing right there.