An Unexpected Encounter (1)
The news of the first male healer’s appearance sent shockwaves across the entire continent.
In this world, it was considered an immutable law that men were inferior to women in both ability and talent. It was as natural as the ground beneath our feet or the sky above our heads. Looking back through the history of every race—human, beastkin, or demon—there had never been a single exception. Even the Holy Church’s sacred texts, filled with tales of divine miracles, had never once recorded a man skillfully wielding magic.
Yet now, the impossible had become possible.
Some people outright denied it.
Others were stunned with awe.
And some saw opportunity.
Finally, some revealed naked possessiveness.
Once the world began to recognize Sieg’s existence, everyone raced to investigate him first, each driven by their own motives.
*
Having been forced to watch Akasha’s posing show from the front-row seat, I had no choice but to give her a standing ovation. She was beaming brightly while wagging her tail; I couldn’t possibly ruin the mood. Still, no matter how cool the poses were, they just looked like an adorable little performance.
“Mmm. Wow! That’s really amazing! You’re so cool, Akasha!”
“R-really? Do I look womanly and sexy?”
“Mmm! The absolute best.”
“Hehe. How about this pose?”
In the end, since Akasha was satisfied, I figured that was good enough. I still had no idea what her original intention behind the muscle show had been. Maybe she’d been teased lately for looking too young and had stored up some frustration. I guessed she just wanted to show a more mature side of herself.
Once the whole incident was wrapped up, I spent the rest of the day telling Akasha everything I’d learned.
“So… we need permission from the imperial family of the Arcadia Empire, right?”
“That’s right. I’m sorry we can’t head out right away.”
“Oh, no! Thank you for not forgetting and for caring so much!”
“Mmm! Of course!”
To be completely honest, while the promise was important, my personal desire to use magic freely was even stronger. During my stay in Marleryung, I had only been able to cast magic a few dozen times. Compared to the city of Merhen where I’d lived before, it was woefully insufficient by my standards. The recent exams had made it unavoidable, but I’d been excited to go wild with magic once they were over.
However, the moment I actually tried to cast spells freely, I realized I had become far too famous.
Whenever I walked down the street, people would start whispering the second they saw me. Their eyes would sparkle as they stared without blinking.
“They say that man can use magic. Is it true?”
“No way. It’s probably just a rumor. How could a man use magic? Even our dog wouldn’t believe that.”
“What? I’m telling you it’s real! Wanna bet?”
And even when I tried to cast magic secretly to avoid attention—
“Oh! That man over there is about to use healing magic!”
“What? That guy’s a healer?”
“A man is using healing magic! Everyone, come look!!”
It was all because of that damned Vice-Pope Gray. The people who had been there during the incident had spread the story, and the Church had officially announced the passing of a male healer. Thanks to my newfound fame, I drew attention no matter where I went. I felt like a monkey in a zoo.
To put it another way, it was like trying to take a long-awaited piss in peace, only for a crowd to gather and watch the whole thing. I couldn’t relieve myself properly, and the frustration was unbearable. Because of this, I learned the hard way that becoming too famous wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
As my dissatisfaction continued to build, I even briefly considered breaking the legs of all those staring bastards and forcing them to experience healing magic firsthand. But I held back. I’d obviously get arrested by the soldiers if I did that. Damn it.
Still, after thinking it over, I reached one clear conclusion: somewhere like the Goshura Great Forest would let me cast magic without worrying about anyone’s eyes. So I absolutely had to go there.
Of course, I also took my promise with Akasha seriously.
“Also, there’ll probably be another companion on the way to the capital. Is that okay with you, Akasha? Just so you know, she’s human.”
“Another companion? Um… may I ask who it is?”
Akasha narrowed her eyes and asked cautiously.
“It’s Soho Baekya, the one who helped me study.”
“Huk…!”
Akasha flinched in surprise, and her face quickly hardened.
Was I too sudden?
It had basically been a notification. This was my fault for not considering Akasha’s feelings. If she was uncomfortable, I’d have to apologize to Soho and cancel the trip together.
“It’s uncomfortable, right? If it is, then just the two of us—”
“No! It’s fine!”
“Really?”
I tried to persuade her that she didn’t have to force herself. But Akasha answered with a face full of determination.
“It’s fine! They say to keep your enemies closer, right?”
“Is that so? Then I’m relieved.”
I had no idea what she meant, but if Akasha said it was fine, that was enough for me.
Now two problems remained. The first was meeting the Saintess, and the other was—
“I’ll definitely make sure no one finds out! Just leave it to me!”
—hiding the fact that Akasha was a beastkin. And so our double life began.
*
Two days after strengthening our resolve with Akasha, we gathered to depart for the capital. For reference, I never got to meet Freya. When I visited the Church, they had left a message saying she had urgently left for the capital and that I should contact her if I needed anything. So we decided to meet Freya again once we reached the capital.
“Lord Sieg, you’re here?”
Soho was waiting at the main gate with the carriage she had reserved. Her luggage was surprisingly light. It looked like she had only packed the bare minimum.
“Is that person your companion? Perhaps… your little sister?”
Soho bowed her head slightly and looked down at Akasha. The height difference between them was enormous. Akasha only came up to about Soho’s chest. If Akasha looked up at her from directly below, Soho’s enormous breasts would completely block her view of Soho’s face.
Akasha seemed to realize this too. Her face flushed red as she shouted.
“N-no, I’m not!”
“Then what is your relationship?”
Heh, I had expected this question. Akasha and I had already coordinated our story. We had decided to say we were distant relatives. It was the simplest and most natural answer that wouldn’t raise any further questions.
The moment I calmly opened my mouth to speak—
“I… Lord Sieg is my master!!”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Akasha’s sudden answer left both me and Soho stunned, our eyes meeting in shock. And from her gaze, I could clearly feel it—pure contempt.
It took a full five hours to clear up the misunderstanding.
*
The journey lasted a total of ten days. It was full of ups and downs.
Hiding Akasha’s identity wasn’t easy at all.
Even while eating—
“Ooooh! This is delicious!”
—Akasha’s tail would shoot straight up without fail.
When it was time to change clothes or do laundry—
“Akasha, come here. Big sis will help you undress.”
“I-I’m fine!”
—Soho kept trying to take care of her, which made things difficult.
The lodging situation was also a problem.
“Women should sleep with other women!”
“No! I’m sleeping with Lord Sieg!”
“You said you’re an adult! Are you crazy?”
The bickering between Soho and Akasha continued endlessly. As the only man among the three, it was perfectly normal for me to have my own room. And it was common sense for the two remaining girls to share one. The problem was that Akasha had to hide her identity, which made the whole thing incredibly awkward. In the end, we solved it by each getting our own separate rooms.
Besides that, Akasha kept strangely wary of Soho, causing all sorts of incidents.
“Grrrr! How vulgar. Showing off your breasts like that.”
“What? What did you say? These breasts are the pride of our family!”
“Grrrr!!”
Despite all the chaos, I was satisfied that we had arrived safely at the capital.
“Uwooooooh!!”
“Fight! Fight!”
The moment we entered the capital, we were greeted by a festive atmosphere. A martial arts tournament was currently underway, and the preliminary rounds were in full swing.
“Ooooooh!!”
“Win! Black-haired big sis! We’re counting on you!”
The excitement was intense. To have this much popularity even in the preliminaries—it truly lived up to its long history.
“By the way, what are the current odds?”
Maybe she was usually interested in gambling. Soho’s eyes sparkled as she asked a passerby. The man happened to be holding a paper filled with information on all the contestants. He looked like a professional gambler.
The gambler grinned and opened his mouth.
“The odds right now are pretty wild. You’d better hurry if you want in, miss…”
“Wild odds? Does that mean there are a lot of strong contestants?”
“Exactly. Ah, I really shouldn’t be saying this, but… what should I do…”
The gambler scratched his head, pretending to hesitate. He was clearly stalling for time. Soho nodded as if she understood and reached into her chest. What she pulled out was a small pouch. It must have been her emergency fund.
She hides money there?
But when I looked at her chest again, I couldn’t help but understand. Even if another dimension existed in there, I would believe it.
“I-I can hide things too!”
Apparently thinking the same thing, Akasha puffed out her chest and made her appeal. Ah, I almost shed a tear at the sight. Akasha was still a slow-growing beastkin. I didn’t know what the future held, but right now that proud display was just heartbreaking.
You should pray to your god too.
I couldn’t say it out loud, but if Akasha prayed to her beastkin god, maybe she could grow as much as she wanted. Just like how I had prayed to a god and been saved from Freya’s danger.
“Hmm… Alright. I’ll tell you one thing. But don’t tell anyone else.”
The gambler smiled brightly after receiving the money from Soho. He glanced around before whispering quietly.
“Among this year’s participants, there’s one girl whose skill stands out ridiculously. The odds start at nearly five times. The preliminaries only just started, so the payout is still really high.”
“F-five times?”
At the gambler’s explanation, Soho’s pupils literally turned into gold coins. Honestly, even I was shocked. Why were the odds so high? If this was true, it was incredibly valuable information.
“She’s a complete unknown who’s never made a name for herself before—an absolute gem. The moment I saw her, I knew. ‘Ah, she’s still holding back her power.’ If things go well, she might even aim for the championship… You can trust my eyes. I’ve honed them over twenty years of gambling.”
“Who exactly is she?”
Soho swallowed hard and asked. I perked up my ears as well. A mysterious powerhouse who had suddenly appeared like a comet and was dominating the tournament. To even talk about winning the championship, she would have to be close to the level of a Sword Master. Although I couldn’t trust this gambler one hundred percent, my surging curiosity made me want to know her name too.
And then the name reached my ears.
“Emilia from the Brook territory. That’s her name.”
I couldn’t help but be shocked. Of course I was—it was an extremely familiar name. She was the maid I had left behind on the day I ran away from home.