Chapter 527: Jealousy is My Power (27)
Chapter 527: Jealousy is My Power (27)
They say there isn't a grave without a story.
It means everyone has at least one excuse for what they do, no matter how absurd the act might be.
There is always a plausible reason.
Even the story behind how a dapper, middle-aged man suddenly ended up inside the shell of a lovely young girl had its circumstances. And the Great Witch enjoyed describing this as a "rational choice."
"It cannot be helped. If the Empire's Sword Duke were to walk around as himself, the eyes of the entire Academy would be fixed on him. What would be the point of going undercover?"
"No, I think I draw enough attention on my own..."
"Oho, little boy. It seems you wish to become a woman as well."
At those words, I immediately shut my mouth and began racking my brain as hard as I could.
"...Now that I think about it, I'm a student, so it wouldn't be strange for me to be wandering around anyway."
"Exactly. Furthermore, you are someone people find strange if you aren't seen, but the Sword Duke is someone people accept not seeing. He is always away on classified missions, after all."
On the surface, it was an opinion that held some logic.
However, this was strictly the perspective of a third party. There was little chance that the person suddenly trapped in a girl's body would harbor such optimistic sentiments as I did.
The shout that erupted soon after proved exactly that.
"No, why does it have to be a slip of a girl, of all things?!"
It was a valid point.
Especially considering the speaker was someone who had lived his entire life as a man, only to suddenly become a girl.
I shook my head and looked at the Great Witch. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like nothing more than a malicious prank, but the Great Witch remained surprisingly composed.
"Well, that is because I do not touch the bodies of males."
"Wait, you've lived for hundreds of years and you've never seen a man's body?!"
"Indeed. Forget touching one, I have never even looked at one... Why should I? That is why the only prosthetic bodies I can create are female."
The Sword Duke, now a girl, looked like he had much to say, but since the Great Witch claimed that was just how it was, he couldn't find a proper rebuttal. He simply stood there, fists clenched, body trembling.
It truly was nothing short of a miracle.
Previously, when the Sword Duke acted childishly, it would draw a hollow laugh from me. But the moment he inhabited the body of a pretty girl, that feeling vanished instantly.
Now, there was simply a young woman standing before me, acting exactly her apparent age.
The Great Witch even delivered a finishing blow to the fuming Sword Duke.
"How strange. Was this not a matter we already agreed upon? Did someone hold a sword to your throat and force you?"
"Urgh...!"
Since the one who had actually brandished a sword and made threats was the Sword Duke himself, he had no room to talk.
Nevertheless, unable to let go of his sense of injustice, the Sword Duke raised his voice again.
"You never said you'd turn me into a girl!"
"If you had asked, I would have explained... It is quite a pity. But how could I possibly imprison a man of a Master's caliber in a prosthetic body against his will?"
She was right on every count.
No matter how powerful the Great Witch was, the Sword Duke was a powerhouse who held a seat among the Masters. She couldn't have forced him into a prosthetic body.
In other words, the Sword Duke had technically consented.
The fact that he wasn't casting off the prosthetic body right this second was proof of that.
"Surely a figure as great as the Empire's Sword Duke wouldn't go back on his word? I shall be expecting much. Do be careful not to damage the prosthetic body too much... It is quite a hassle to make another one."
"Grrrrr...!"
Only then did the Sword Duke, his fists trembling, finally manage to calm his breathing.
After a few deep breaths, the girl's reluctant gaze drifted toward me.
"...Surely, you won't betray the Empire even after making me look like this?"
"So that was your goal..."
In the end, I let out a deep sigh.
I wondered why he was accepting the situation so readily; it seemed he wanted to play on my sense of guilt.
Was he really that desperate not to lose me?
Still, I decided to comfort myself with the thought that if someone was going to be obsessed with me, a pretty girl was better than an old man.
I had no idea what kind of chaos this decision would bring.
However, before we left, there was one voice that caught me.
"...Do not misunderstand."
The woman spoke, exhaling a cloud of tobacco smoke.
"I have not acknowledged you yet. Someday, you will have to tell me the story of how you stole my secret arts."
Meeting that sunken gaze, I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should voice the question that had just occurred to me.
My deliberation was brief.
A short question escaped my lips.
"Why do you deny it so vehemently?"
A question without even a subject.
It was an inquiry so vague that even I wasn't sure what I was asking. Nevertheless, the Great Witch stared at me for a long time without answering.
It was only much later that a voice, barely squeezed out, tickled my eardrums.
"...Because it was never permitted to me."
Glancing at the back of the Sword Duke, who was walking ahead, the Great Witch offered a calm confession.
"We are all prisoners of fate, little boy."
I couldn't understand those words.
And I likely wouldn't for a long time to come.
Having finished my final farewell, I followed after the Sword Duke.
I didn't know the truth yet, but...
The look in the Great Witch's eyes, which seemed exceptionally weary, weighed on my mind.
In the future I had glimpsed, she hadn't looked quite that bleak.
They were eyes that resembled a certain man's.
"The stares are as hot as the midday sun... Even in my prime, I never enjoyed this much popularity."
Those were the words he tossed out as we walked through the campus together.
The girl with flowing, dark blue hair looked like she was of noble birth at a glance. From her lustrous hair to her soft skin, she didn't look like someone who had grown up knowing hardship.
However, her boisterous stride and indifferent attitude gave off a somewhat masculine vibe.
Above all, there was a killing intent so sharp it made my skin tingle.
It was enough to keep even those whose reason had been paralyzed by the vampire's spell from approaching recklessly. This girl, who was yawning with her hands behind her head, was actually a powerhouse who existed beyond the bounds of common sense.
The Empire's Sword Duke.
Who could have predicted that one of the only three Masters in existence would look like this?
The onlookers could do nothing but glare at the girl and me with anxious eyes.
Thanks to that, things had become much easier. The thought crossed my mind that the Great Witch certainly knew how to pick her collaborators.
After admiring the girl's appearance blankly for a while, a question suddenly occurred to me.
"So, where are we going?"
At that, a pair of listless blue eyes drifted toward me.
No matter how you looked at it, he had been trapped in a girl's body for only a few minutes. It was understandable that even the great Sword Duke would be out of it.
So, I intentionally asked in an even more cautious tone.
"You're the one leading the way. Don't you have a destination in mind?"
"My room."
As she said this, the girl tapped the pure white scabbard hanging at her waist.
Only then did I let out an "Ah," nodding in realization.
A pure white scabbard engraved with a golden dragon.
It was a piece of equipment that was practically the symbol of the Sword Duke. So far, no one had paid much attention to the girl's scabbard, but if she continued to carry that sword around, problems were bound to arise.
So, she must be going to fetch a spare sword she had prepared.
It was just as I was resolving to follow the Sword Duke's lead without further word.
"Consider it an honor... Not many have been to my room."
With that one sentence, the temperature of the gazes piercing us from all around changed.
"You mean he wasn't dating the Saintess?"
"It doesn't seem to be Senior Lainella either. Does he just have women everywhere?"
"But she's a new face..."
As the whispering grew louder, the beads of sweat on my forehead grew larger.
It was a statement ripe for misunderstanding.
If the person were the Empire's Sword Duke, it wouldn't be wrong, but right now, didn't he have the appearance of a girl no one knew?
And as it happened, the Academy was currently in a state where everyone's emotions toward me were amplified by the vampire's spell.
I couldn't even begin to guess how this rumor would spread.
Having finished my assessment in an instant, I attempted to extinguish the fire early.
"Wait, people will misunderstand if you say it like that...!"
"Then are you telling me to go alone? After coming all this way?"
But there was one variable I had failed to account for.
It was the Sword Duke's mood.
The Sword Duke, who had suddenly become a girl, seemed extremely displeased. It was obvious from the way he snapped at even the slightest comment.
To tell someone who was already upset about becoming a woman that they should watch their behavior because they were a woman?
A drop of cold sweat rolled down my spine.
Unaware of my inner turmoil, the Sword Duke continued to grumble.
"Hmph, how irresponsible. You've turned me into this, and now you're saying I don't need an escort? What do you take me for...!"
"A-Alright! I get it! Let's go!"
In the end, I had no choice but to swallow my tears and play along with the girl.
"Let's go right now... to your room or wherever!"
"As you should."
Only then did the girl seem to cheer up, flashing a satisfied smile.
The passersby who saw this started whispering again, but the Sword Duke was a member of the Imperial family by birth.
He seemed to have absolutely no interest in what such commoners might say.
Ultimately, I had to trudge along behind the Sword Duke like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
Fortunately, there was no particular interference on the way to the Sword Duke's room.
The Sword Duke offered a blunt explanation for this.
"I granted you clearance a long time ago. I never knew when you might need to come and deliver an urgent report."
"They don't check your identity, Elder?"
"Who would dare check the identity of someone from the Imperial Intelligence Agency? If the person turned out to be a high-ranking official, they'd have to pay with their life."
It was a conversation that flowed naturally, but it was also a moment that clearly revealed the darkness of the Imperial Intelligence Agency.
To think one would have to die just for knowing the identity of a high-ranking official.
Just as I was thinking that was a bit much...
"...And besides, there's no point in checking identities anyway."
Revealing a subtle sense of pride, the girl curled the corners of her mouth.
"Who would dare harm me? If an opponent were that powerful, those kids would be helpless against them anyway."
It was an arrogant statement.
And it was also a truth without a single lie mixed in.
Indeed, even as a girl, a Master was still a Master.
The composure and pride bleeding through his speech and gestures couldn't be hidden. In a way, it was easier for me to deal with him like this.
Of course, that was just wishful thinking.
After arriving at the Sword Duke's room, I had to listen to him brag about his swords for a long time. His room housed dozens of famous blades, and at first, I enjoyed looking at them.
But the bragging went on for far too long.
I was just contemplating whether to act crazy and plug both my ears.
I sensed someone approaching.
"Y-Your Majesty... even so, there is someone whose identity hasn't been confirmed with you!"
"It's fine. Isn't Sir Ian there? The Empire owes him a great debt, so it would be nice to have a cup of tea since I'm here."
The girl and I froze instantly.
"Wait, why is His Majesty here of all times...?"
"...He's trying to slack off."
It was a truth blurted out in a daze.
The Sword Duke scanned the surroundings with panicked eyes.
"That nephew of mine... whenever he gets tired of working, he often skips out on his schedule using the excuse of having a cup of tea... He must have come here thinking he could use you as an excuse!"
"T-Then what do we do? First, that sword...!"
It was then.
The door opened without a sound, and an old man stepped into the room.
Two pairs of wide eyes stared at him, frozen in place.
The Emperor, tilting his head at the unusual atmosphere, soon turned his attention to the girl standing next to me.
"Ian Percus, it has been a while... and who is that beside you...?"
Then, the Emperor's gaze stopped on the sword the girl was holding.
The symbol of the Empire's strongest, the Divine Sword that no one but its acknowledged master would dare even touch.
It was being held in the arms of a girl he had never seen before.
For a moment, the Emperor couldn't accept reality. He even let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
"Hahaha! Perhaps I've been overworking myself lately. I seem to be seeing things because my eyes are blurry..."
But no matter how much he rubbed his eyes and looked again, reality didn't change.
He closed his eyes, turned his head, and repeated this for a long time.
The girl's face began to flush more and more by the second. Unable to bear the shame any longer, the Sword Duke finally confessed his identity.
"N-Nephew..."
The expression on the Emperor's face upon hearing that one word... well.
It was closer to a work of art.
A portrait that mixed all the shock and horror in the world.
The title of the piece would be 'The Scream.'
A piercing shriek erupted, leaving a long trail of sound echoing through the room.