A Familiar Face
I had looked into Holy Power, and decided to try various methods to awaken it.
First, I resolved to spend more time praying before the divine statue I already owned. What had once been a brief, perfunctory prayer became a solemn five-minute devotion offered with a sincere heart.
Five days after lengthening my prayer time, nothing had changed. Still, praying with a pious mind left me feeling strangely at peace.
"Maybe the statue itself is the problem?"
The one I owned was barely the size of a forearm, and it hadn't been carved with any particular care.
Would a more finely crafted statue—or one made by the Church itself—make a difference? I was a little afraid my body's enchantment might be discovered, but nothing had happened when I'd visited the Fire God's workshop before, so it would probably be fine.
Today I steeled myself and decided to visit the temple of the Metis Church. I threw on some clothes and stepped outside, where people were already bustling about their work from early morning.
Work, huh… I checked the money I still had on hand.
I had enough to last more than a month yet. Of course, if I planned to stay in the city for any real length of time, I would need to both save and earn.
"I should probably start looking for a job soon…"
To work as an adventurer again, I would have to build my career from scratch. The record I'd earned as a man no longer counted for anything…. And anyone who knew me might grow suspicious the moment they heard my name. Same name, same hair color, same eye color? They'd find that more than a little fishy….
"Maybe I should give up on being an adventurer…."
I could probably find some kind of part-time work, but it looked like I'd have to abandon adventuring as a proper profession.
More pressingly, I'd completely forgotten to buy underwear… I had other things to deal with today, so that could wait until next time.
After a good deal of wandering, I finally arrived at the temple of the Metis Church… and it looked rather shabby. Compared to the temple of the God of Light—vast, magnificent, and radiating divine majesty—this place was almost embarrassingly ordinary.
The difference between a proper temple and a humble chapel, maybe?
"Not that it matters…."
Stepping onto the grounds and looking more carefully, I could see other buildings nearby. They weren't particularly large—just modest, serviceable structures….
"What brings you here?"
As I stood there gawking and taking everything in, a nun in traditional habit approached me.
"Ah—I was wondering if I might be able to look at something like a divine statue?"
I stated my purpose without hesitation.
"A divine statue, you say?"
"Or, um, sacred implements, or anything like that…."
"We have them."
The nun spun on her heel and headed for the largest building. I stood there blankly for a second before startling and hurrying after her.
Following her into the chapel, I felt something… warm. Cozy, almost.
At the center of the chapel stood a great statue of the goddess. Like the small one I owned, she wore a veil and was wrapped in a long cape that hid her form. Both arms cradled a book against her chest, and just looking at her filled me with a sense of reverence.
Was it because I was witnessing the sacredness radiating from the goddess's statue? Unconsciously, I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and offered a prayer to the goddess.
"So you are a believer."
The nun spoke as she watched me pray so naturally.
"Mm. Let's go with that."
I hadn't been formally baptized, but if I believed, I could call myself a follower… right?
Beside the goddess's statue stood something like a market stall, with various items laid out on display.
There were small divine statues, and even objects that looked like snow globes. Among the smaller goods I spotted bracelets engraved with the goddess's name and necklaces bearing her crest.
The statues in particular were remarkable. Carved from pure white marble, they were incomparably more refined than the wooden one I owned.
"Wow…."
"Most of our faithful prefer bracelets like these."
What the nun showed me was a bracelet fitted with a name tag.
"The front bears the crest, and the reverse is engraved with the goddess's divine name. They're quite popular."
It was a silver bracelet—clean, elegant, and rather handsome.
"Are any of these items imbued with Holy Power?"
"Ah, consecrated goods? We do have some."
The nun confirmed that consecrated items existed. They weren't particularly better or more effective, she explained—they simply gave off a soft glow in the dark.
"What matters is the believer's faith, not the object itself."
"I-is that so?"
Most merchants would claim their more expensive goods had special effects just to sell them. Why was she saying there was no difference?
"Would keeping something imbued with Holy Power close by help me obtain Holy Power myself?"
The nun shook her head.
"I don't know what reason you have for wanting Holy Power, but it wouldn't have any effect. If it did, everyone would possess Holy Power by now."
She was right. If simply owning an object filled with Holy Power were enough to awaken it, who would go through the trouble of training for mana or enduring prayer and ascetic hardship for Holy Power?
"I see…."
I decided to buy a bracelet no matter what, then asked about the price of a statue.
"A divine statue is thirty gold."
"Th-that's expensive."
Well, it was carved from stone—marble, no less—so the price made sense. Reluctantly, I purchased a single bracelet for two gold and immediately fastened it around my left wrist.
Then I offered a brief prayer in the chapel. As I prayed, a wondrous sensation came over me—as though I were nestled in the goddess's embrace. Warm. Sheltered.
When the prayer ended, I felt a twinge of regret, but it was time to go.
"I'll come again."
"Yes. Weekend Mass is open to the public, so you may attend whenever you wish."
"I'll be sure to come if I get the chance."
"The temple is always open to the faithful. Please don't hesitate."
Receiving the nun's warm farewell, I left the temple.
"This is harder than I thought…."
Visiting the temple had left my heart restless and unsettled.
Ever since realizing I had been reborn, I had worked and worked—and still failed to obtain mana. Why would Holy Power be any different?
"Take it slow."
I stretched my arms high overhead, and the bracelet on my left wrist caught the sunlight and shone brilliantly.
"I'll be counting on you from here on out, Goddess."
I gripped the bracelet tightly and offered a prayer.
After finishing my morning errands, I headed to a clothing shop to buy underwear. Better to get it while I remembered. If I put it off again, I'd almost certainly dither until I forgot entirely.
"What a strange world this is."
It was a medieval fantasy setting, yet technology had advanced just enough that daily life approached something near the modern era. My old village had been thoroughly medieval, but the city was different. I'd been astonished the first time I arrived here…. And what astonished me now was that underwear had developed to a thoroughly modern standard.
Yes—the women's undergarments spread before my eyes looked exactly like the ones from the modern world.
Men's underwear was all more or less the same, so I'd never given it much thought…. And the women in my village had worn those baggy pumpkin-style drawers.
That was why I'd been so slow to notice. Well, unlike panties, bras came in many corset-like varieties… but the cover-style bras popular among commoners resembled sports bras. Not spandex, though—they had laces at the front.
"Ahem… ahem…."
Looking at the inside, the material was clearly soft, designed to cup and hold the chest. Something like this would prevent chafing well enough, and it wouldn't get in the way of moving around.
I quietly examined the underwear. Was it because my identity was still male? Looking at these things was unbearably embarrassing.
And they didn't even sell bras separately! They only came as sets with panties! Until now, I'd been making do with the boxer briefs I'd worn as a man.
I-it wasn't like there was a problem with that, and money was tight… but if I bought these? Would I have to start wearing women's panties?
If I put these on, would the man I used to be truly disappear?
My heart suddenly stirred with unease.
"I-I still have to buy them, though…."
The me of right now was a woman. So wearing women's underwear was only natural….
And what about my chest? It was small enough that it didn't bounce around, but chafing still hurt, didn't it?
I was only wearing this to prevent that. Not because I thought of myself as a woman.
I was so tense I kept swallowing. The one mercy was that there were no other customers in the shop….
"Hah…."
"Is there something you're looking for?"
"Hyaak!!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the clerk's sudden voice. Wait—had that scream sounded a little strange?
"Is there an item you're searching for?"
Faced with the polite question, I took a deep breath and steadied myself. Once I'd collected my nerves, I answered.
"Um, underwear…."
"Underwear?"
"I'd like to buy some…."
I averted my eyes on pure reflex. Even with my current appearance being that of a woman, telling another woman I wanted to buy underwear was mortifying.
The clerk glanced briefly at my chest, then recommended a different set from another display.
"How about these?"
Hmm? These were a little different from the bras I'd been looking at. If I had to describe the shape, they were like a crop top with laces at the center of the chest that could be tightened.
"Customers with smaller chests tend to prefer this style."
She'd phrased it delicately, but the message was clear: if your chest is small, buy this.
"I-I see."
I was too embarrassed to lift my head.
After fretting over how many to buy, I settled on four top-and-bottom sets. Three for everyday wear, and one to keep in my luggage as an emergency spare….
Underwear turned out to be cheaper than expected, so I was grateful I hadn't spent much.
After paying and leaving the clothing shop, my face was burning. Not just my face—my whole body felt hot.
"Ugh, I can never come back here…."
I couldn't bear the embarrassment. Next time I needed underwear, I'd go somewhere else….
More than three months had passed since I'd started flailing about trying to obtain mana and Holy Power. Summer had more or less arrived, and the weather had grown a little warmer, but nothing else of note had happened.
"I'm out of money!"
Of the money I'd earned selling the ornaments found in the ruins, only fifteen gold remained. If I pinched every coin, it would last more than a month, but….
"Was buying snacks the mistake?"
Cake had been too expensive, so I'd settled for relatively cheap cookies—but I shouldn't have eaten any at all…. Or at the very least, I should have cut back on using the bath facilities….
"Regretting it now won't change anything."
It was all in the past. What good would fretting do? I looked over the books I'd purchased. Two alchemy texts, a botanical encyclopedia, and a monster bestiary—four volumes in total.
"These books were expensive too."
I still hadn't awakened mana or Holy Power, but I'd bought them at a used bookstore thinking they'd be necessary if I was going to dig into alchemy.
Buying them before I could even use alchemy—had that been a mistake after all…?
Even if I couldn't be an adventurer, hospitality work should be doable. Maybe I ought to start looking for a job?
I let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the bed.
"Whatever. I'll sleep on it and think later."
After a long nap, I woke with a throbbing head. Apparently even with nothing to do, sleeping the day away wasn't the answer.
I gripped the bracelet on my left hand and offered a prayer before the divine statue.
"Please let today pass without trouble."
When the prayer was done, I changed clothes to go out. With practiced hands, I put on the bra as well.
Honestly, the difference between wearing one and not was enormous. Even without any vigorous movement, the chafing of my nipples when I moved had been constantly distracting. After putting on a bra, that problem vanished, and I was glad of it.
Once I was fully dressed for going out, I left the inn.
"All right—let's go!"
Today I wandered the area looking for work.
I was willing to take just about anything, but I couldn't find a job. It wasn't that there were no openings at all.
"Serving at a tavern is a bit much…."
Even if I'd become a woman and was wearing a bra now, I had no desire to sell my dignity. And rumor had it those places offered "after-hours" services—prostitution—so I refused on the spot.
Unable to find work, I was walking blankly down the street when I spotted someone in a strange outfit.
They wore the kind of worn, shabby clothes rarely seen in the city—something like a village woman's dress—yet a sword hung at their hip, making the whole look jarringly unbalanced.
Calling them an adventurer felt wrong too; the only piece of gear they carried was that single sword, which only made them more suspicious.
"There's something familiar about this…."
From behind, all I could make out was ordinary brown hair…. And yet something about them felt familiar. To be sure, I'd need to see their face…….
I didn't know that many people to begin with. And none of them dressed like that.
No—one person did come to mind, but there was no way that person would be here.
Just as I was about to pass by, the woman turned her head, and I saw her face.
"Si…s?"
It was a face far too familiar—and someone who absolutely should not have been here.