Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Correction
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Correction
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Vizil Leonhardt took a swig of wine against the backdrop of Cradle shrouded in the veil of night.
Through the mirror he had artfully positioned for a perfect view, he admired his sculpted physique and let out a sigh of admiration.
‘Handsome, aren’t I.’
No wonder women fell head over heels for him.
It reaffirmed his conviction that everything he touched turned to gold simply because he was such an exceptional specimen.
After all, hadn’t he been chosen simultaneously by the empire’s two most powerful figures, the 1st Prince and 2nd Princess?
‘...Come to think of it.’
He recalled hearing there was one exiled imperial in Cradle.
By rank, she was right below him, so he remembered her.
‘Ilia... was it?’
A complete washout who had withdrawn from the succession race entirely—a person not even worth considering normally.
“...”
The odd thing was...
For someone he shouldn’t have spared a single thought for, the reactions from the 1st Prince and 2nd Princess hadn’t been ordinary.
‘Reporting on the whereabouts of such a wretch. Why?’
It was as if they had reasons to be wary of her beyond what was apparent.
He’d let it slide since asking for details would get him nowhere with those two, but...
Anyway, it was a task he had to handle. He’d have to lay low on stirring up trouble inside Cradle starting tomorrow.
Walking a tightrope while drawing the dean’s ire was tougher than it looked.
As those thoughts crossed his mind...
A knock came from near the door.
“...You’re here.”
A task was a task, after all.
And finding some petty amusement along the way was like proper lubrication.
“You’re late. Did you at least wear the outfit I specified—”
As he reached for the door handle with those words...
The door shattered outright, sending Vizil tumbling to the floor.
It was a blow of such brute force that even a seasoned warrior like him couldn’t react in time.
‘—What?!’
He prided himself on being no slouch in strength. Which was why it hit him all the harder.
The one standing beyond that door was a monster who could crush him flat without resistance.
The following scenes made it abundantly clear.
“Vespa couldn’t make it; she’s busy.”
With a leisurely male voice, before Vizil could even rise, a fist slammed into his temple.
A pinpoint strike that shattered his balance in one blow, sending his body crumpling like a spike driven home.
“I brought a gift instead.”
With those words...
As he collapsed off-balance, a vial was shoved straight into his mouth.
It felt like a fireball scorching down his esophagus, his muscles and bones creaking throughout his body.
“Gah, keeeh—!”
In a sight unimaginable for his usual refined demeanor, he rolled across the room floor, coughing violently.
It hurt like hell—like he might pass out.
After writhing on the floor for ages and finally coming to, the mirror reflected a face that wished he had blacked out instead.
“W-What is this—?!”
Even his voice came out far thinner than usual.
Good lord.
The handsome face and body that had enchanted women like magic were nowhere to be seen.
Only a small, delicate woman’s body with soft, slender curves remained.
“W-What did you do to my body—?!”
Even the scream that tore from his throat was worlds apart from his usual low timbre.
Vizil glared at the man looking down at his trembling, collapsed form on the floor.
Who was he again?
What was his name?
Racking his foggy mind, he barely recalled.
Carlyle Bellfast. The hero’s attendant.
He’d forgotten the name since the guy was a man.
Usually wearing that light smile, he’d dismissed him as a frivolous fool. But now, staring down expressionless, the shadows on his face made him look chillingly cold.
“The hero’s orders? You think you can get away with this—?!”
“Yes.”
Even the way he ruthlessly cut him off screamed it.
“You won’t be able to use any of your abilities in that body anyway.”
Indeed, just as he said.
He felt no powers emanating from his body at all.
And in that state...
“...”
Vizil’s face drained of color as he glanced between himself and Carlyle.
Deep into the night.
A defenseless woman, alone with a man wielding overwhelming force.
The perfect setup for anything to happen. No means to resist if it did, nor any way to retaliate later.
Faced with that reality...
“...Hic.”
Covering himself and scrambling back was pure instinct.
He had no idea what the man might do, but this was the lunatic who’d turned a healthy man into a woman. If he wanted to, he could do anything...
“Yes. That’s it exactly.”
Carlyle dropped the words coldly, face impassive.
“That’s probably how the women you dragged to your bed felt all this time.”
“......”
“Looks like you’ll finally understand their side from here on out. Lucky them.”
“...W-What are you going to do to me...?”
“What do you think?”
To Vizil, Carlyle’s emotionless voice made him look like a fresh demon straight from hell.
“I-If you do anything awful to me...!”
“And then what?”
“...”
“From the moment you became a ‘woman,’ no one knows you’re the original Vizil Leonhardt anyway.”
“...”
“Even if something horrific happens here, they’ll just chalk it up to you going missing. You think I’d face any retaliation?”
“......”
As those words sank in...
Vizil’s face grew ever paler.
His quick mind accepted there wasn’t a shred of falsehood in them.
Even if something unspeakable happened right here, his current state made it likely to play out exactly as the man said.
“W-What do you want from me?”
“Well, that depends on Your Highness’s attitude from now on. It’ll be decided by how you behave going forward.”
As he heard that reply, Vizil’s vision suddenly started spinning.
Clearly, besides transforming his body, the drug forced into his mouth had this extra effect too.
“Y-You... if you do anything to me—!”
If he blacked out, who knew what might happen.
Even through his fading mind, that terror pierced like a needle.
With those faint words as his last, Vizil lost consciousness completely.
◆
Hm.
Carlyle gazed quietly at Vizil, collapsed and unconscious.
‘...This should snap him out of it, right?’
[Trauma imprint successful.]
At the very least, the idea that mouthing off recklessly could lead to this had been burned in deep.
All that remained was extracting a firm pledge to behave, then restoring him to normal.
Leaving him like that indefinitely was a burden even for Carlyle.
...That had been the plan.
“Done?”
Until Gray poked her head out from behind the door.
“...Lady Gray?”
Why was she here of all places?
No, how did she even know to come here?
“Figured he’d cause trouble. Got a heads-up, so I was keeping watch.”
With that, Gray approached the fallen Vizil with steady steps.
She placed her hand on his body.
Mana rose from her and flowed into his form.
“Lady Gray? What are you doing?”
“Fixing your mistake.”
“...Pardon?”
What mistake?
As he blinked in confusion...
Gray continued as if wondering what he was on about.
“How could you make the effect so weak? If you’re doing it, do it right.”
“Doing it right means...?”
“I strengthened the potency so it can’t be undone by accident. The duration’s extended a ton now.”
“...”
“Now no matter how hard he tries, he absolutely can’t break it— Why the face?”
“...Why would you do that?”
“...Huh?”
“...Pardon?”
“...”
“...”
Carlyle stared blankly at Gray.
“...Wasn’t that the plan? I thought it was reversible because your mana was low.”
“...No, I never intended that.”
He’d planned to get a binding oath against mischief, then undo it.
Just give him a taste of being overpowered, treated like an object against his will.
A warning to stay put if he didn’t want similar treatment.
Turning a healthy imperial into a real woman permanently? How would he handle the fallout?
When he conveyed that, Gray glared.
“Are you insane?”
“...Pardon?”
“Who’d be scared off by that? To fix bad manners, you need this level.”
“...”
...Was she a demon?
Change someone’s gender semi-permanently just to correct manners?
‘Hero.’
[...What.]
‘The original’s on another level.’
[...]
No matter what trouble he caused, this one operated on a different plane. He couldn’t keep up.
“...Can’t we reverse it?”
“We can, but... he’ll have to stay like that for a few weeks at least? Or there’ll be side effects.”
“...”
In other words...
Vizil was stuck like this until the magic beast raid was over.
‘This is madness.’
How to fill the vacuum in the meantime?
An imperial, no less. Ignoring it without countermeasures was impossible, considering the backlash.
‘...No choice.’
[No choice what?]
‘Have to ask someone else for help in times like this.’
Fortunately, one perfect candidate was currently staying in Cradle.
The next morning, after explaining everything to Felix, her roaring laughter said it all.
“You’re the type who does crazy shit like this casually, huh?”
“...I thought I stayed within bounds.”
“Gray amped it up, sure, but you provided the spark, didn’t you?”
“...”
No rebuttal possible.
The silver lining: Felix laughed it off lightly, as if it were nothing.
“So, where’s our prince... er, princess lady now?”
“...Probably passed out in his room. Why?”
“Drag her here before she wakes up and dump her. She’ll freak when she comes to anyway.”
“Won’t that inconvenience Your Eminence?”
“I’m fine.”
Felix chuckled.
“She’s just the 6th Prince. What can she do to me?”
I’m the Cardinal of the Orthodox Church.
Second only to the Pope in power.
“...”
...Confidence bordering on arrogance.
Hours later, after the revived Vizil met with the cardinal, her reaction proved it well-founded.
“Hm— We had a nice little ‘bonding’ chat.”
“...”
“No more defiance from her. For a while, at least.”
As Felix patted his back heartily, the pale, trembling Vizil nodded frantically.
The nature of their interaction was obvious.
‘...Blackmailed her, huh?’
[...Yeah.]
No clue what was said in that room, but the evidence pointed to one thing.
...What leverage turned such an arrogant imperial into a terrified child so fast?
“Convinced her nicely that reverting depends on her attitude, just like you said.”
“...”
“She’ll be meek for now.”
“...I see.”
Lost for words, he managed that much. Felix slapped Vizil’s back with a smack and continued.
“Now, say it like we practiced?”
“...Pardon?”
Practiced? What now?
As he stared blankly at Felix, Vizil opened his mouth, eyes teary and body quivering.
It was clearly a first for such humiliation in his life.
“...F-From today, I-I’m Bisels... here to attend Carlyle-nim...”
“That’s right.”
“...”
“Use her well. I’ll smooth things over with the 1st Prince and 2nd Princess.”
“...”
“If she balks, tell me. Got it?”
Watching Felix smile brightly as she said it sent chills down Carlyle’s spine.
...Were these people actual demons?
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-System Message
▶ You have changed ‘Vizil Leonhardt’ to ‘Bisels Leonhardt’.
▶ Access to ‘Imperial Family’ information unlocked.
▶ Likelihood of contact with ‘Demon’-related factions increased!
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