Chapter 575: Dressing as a Man is the Most Womanly of Acts
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 575: Dressing as a Man is the Most Womanly of Acts
“---!”
“Get her!”
“Ow! My nose!”
“It’s a hooked nose now. You look more like a witch.”
When I returned to the Human Regime’s floor of the World Tree, all hell had broken loose. The groans and screams of witches echoed about as brooms flew through the air in a chaotic frenzy.
Nevida raised a hand. Just as a thick patch of white moss sprouted, a witch came flying through the air. Saved from injury by the soft moss, Walpurgis grimaced and said, “Great Druid. The one you left in my care is more violent than I expected.”
Wow. She tried to escape the moment Nevida was gone? Even without her arms? Nevida, too, was impressed.
“To think she wouldn't give up even after losing her arms. A pleasant miscalculation.”
“You may find it pleasant. I, however, do not appreciate such unexpected situations.”
Frowning, Walpurgis pulled bats from within her robes and scattered them into the air. The bats, which had been falling like stones, opened their eyes in unison and spread their wings. Flashing green pupils, they emitted ultrasonic waves and flew into the wooden cave.
Witches are a secret society that has practiced black magic and curses passed down since ancient times. They appear naturally wherever humans dwell, sometimes passing down their knowledge and mana through one-on-one apprenticeships.
Witches possess many powers, but their most famous is the use of familiars. Controlling small animals like bats, frogs, and field mice and using them as mediums for magic is the power of a witch.
Walpurgis linked her mind with the bats. A green light flickered in her eyes as the bats' senses were transmitted to her. Walpurgis interpreted the bats' complex senses—something an ordinary human could never comprehend—through sheer instinct and experience.
“One moment. I’ll assess the situation.”
The bats’ ultrasound waves reflected off the walls of the wooden cave. A hallway made of cross-hatched lines, devoid of color or texture, formed in Walpurgis's mind. Someone was running down the deep, winding corridor. The figure was indistinct, but its unbalanced form was unmistakably the Regressor.
Seriously, trying to escape without any arms? She should be focused on getting her strength back first. Is that typical of the Regressor, or just plain foolish?
As Walpurgis pursued the Regressor with her bats, she suddenly noticed something.
“…Hmm. The problem is solved. It's been taken care of.”
“By you?”
“No. My bats would be no match for her.”
Witches were certainly useful, and depending on the person, could be powerful, but familiars were not fundamentally meant for combat. How strong could a frog or a bat possibly be?
One could use larger beasts as familiars, but controlling such advanced animals would inevitably cause a backlash on one’s own mind. That was why the limit for a typical familiar was a cat or a crow, and even those were avoided for being too dangerous. The stories of senile witches wandering the forests cawing like crows were not mere rumors.
However.
“The elephant will take care of it.”
And one who has overcome such limits is called a Great Witch.
Pwoooooooo—.
The cry of an elephant echoed from the distance. At the same time, the mental link to the bats was severed. A powerful sound rushed through the winding, ant-hill-like tunnels of the tree. The storm of sound surged through the cave’s twists and turns.
The Floor of the Human Regime shook violently. Nevida silently shook the Little World Tree. The cave in the tree gradually widened, as if to welcome someone.
What emerged from the widened gap was a single young elephant. As young as it was, it was still far too large and intelligent a beast to appear in a wooden cave. Its trunk wrapped around the Regressor, the young elephant slowly emerged from the cave.
Unfortunately for her, the Regressor had just managed to kick Walpurgis away and was trying to flee when she ran right into the Great Witch's elephant.
Walpurgis took off her hat and bowed her head to the witch riding atop the baby elephant.
“Greetings, Master. This unworthy disciple pays her respects to the Great Witch.”
“Uh, yes. Walpurgis. You've been working hard,” the gloomy-looking witch on the elephant said in a barely audible voice.
“Ne-Nevida... Wh-who is this man?”
She who holds all knowledge in her head, all mysteries in her heart, and all treasures in her hands. A deep and dark Arcane hidden within the jungles of the World Tree.
An Elder and a Great Witch who, through a dark pact, obtained the Progenitor's blood and an immortal body.
And the one who carries the direct bloodline of Muhu, who once ruled Manguo.
The Great Witch, Hexia Agartha. Master of all witches.
The Great Witch pointed at the Regressor, who had been subdued by her elephant familiar.
“Th-this... where did you find him...?”
“That armless thing came into the jungle of its own accord, along with my King.”
“N-no. Not him... This.”
The Great Witch slowly approached the Regressor. The Regressor struggled, drawing on her remaining strength, but without arms, it was just that—a struggle. The Great Witch pointed a finger at the Regressor’s face and asked.
“My mask. Why... does he have it?”
“A mask?” Nevida asked, not understanding what the Great Witch was talking about. I felt the same as Nevida, but after reading the Regressor’s thoughts, I remembered something.
Hexia Agartha. The direct descendant of Muhu of Manguo, Agartha.
And what the Regressor was wearing was…
“Hee, hee. You took it without even knowing what it was, didn’t you... Right, you, you’re the dense type...”
Muttering to herself, the Great Witch suddenly raised her nails and slashed them across the Regressor’s face. The sharp, tearing motion raked across her skin. Blood splattered, leaving a hideous mark on the Regressor’s face…
Or so I thought. A thin layer of skin on her face was torn away. The Great Witch brandished the ‘mask’ she had peeled off with her fingernails. It was a thin mask that covered the jaw, cheeks, and the area below the eyes, marked with a single, impressive beauty mark.
“One of the three masks of Agartha, ‘Truth.’ It changes how I am perceived... the greatest fragment of Muhu...”
The Great Witch casually put on the mask. She tapped her skin, and the Mask of Agartha became one with her, as if it had been a part of her all along.
In that instant, the impression the Great Witch gave off was transformed. To me, with my mind-reading ability, she looked the same, but Nevida and Walpurgis immediately noticed the change.
Walpurgis was aghast.
“...! The Great Witch... has become a man...?!”
The Great Witch was a woman. But to their senses, the face of the Great Witch before them gave the impression of a man. The dissonance between reason and perception muddled their thoughts. Had they not known the Great Witch so well, they might have truly been mistaken.
The Great Witch stroked her face, looking very satisfied, and muttered, “Hee hee... Disguising yourself as a man. To think you were using such a precious item for something so pointless... No wonder you didn't have that repulsive stench unique to males...”
And with the mask gone, the impression the Regressor gave off also changed.
Her face had always been rather telling. But now that the mask was gone, there was no room for misunderstanding. Her messy hair, grown long during her travels, now just looked like a short bob, and the long eyelashes hidden beneath her fierce gaze were finally noticeable.
Humans don’t see the individual components of a face. They perceive it all at once and remember the overall impression. The Mask of Agartha manipulates that impression itself. Once it was gone, the impression of the Regressor returned to what it truly was.
“...Tch, hmph!”
With her gender revealed to the world, the Regressor bit her lip in frustration.
The Great Witch, delighted by the unexpected windfall, spoke to the Regressor.
“Hee hee, thank you... Why would you hide the fact that you're a woman? What a waste...”
“She must have wanted to hide that she is a harlot. I see now why the Harlot was watching her.”
Getting caught like this... there's no way out! Of all people, why did it have to be in front of Nevida, the Saintess's greatest enemy!
I knew I’d have to reveal everything eventually, but I didn't want it to be like this! What do I do? Should I say I already knew she was a woman, or should I pretend I just found out?
Whose tune should I dance to? First, should I read the Regressor's thoughts?
‘...This is the worst, the absolute worst. Both arms torn off, captured in the enemy's stronghold. To be toyed with, powerless. And now my mask has been taken…’
Normally, anyone captured after having their arms torn off and bleeding profusely would fall into despair. Especially in a situation with no hope of survival.
But for the Regressor, not even death was the end. In fact, in a situation like this, death was an excellent way out.
‘I just wanted to see what happens to Hughes before moving on to the next timeline... Without my arms, this timeline is effectively over. There’s no chance to reattach them, so it would be better to use Heavenly Counter Domain to kill myself before my strength fades completely…’
Ironically, the Regressor was considering suicide in a very rational and hopeful manner. Reading her thoughts, I almost nodded in agreement before hastily collecting myself.
No! If you die, it's all over. The world will reset!
What should I do? I’ll play along! I feigned ignorance and asked.
“Huh? What are you talking about? The Mask of Agartha? What's that?”
“It is a power that the vile witch Agartha stole by daring to tear faces from others. Like a servant of the Harlot, she used countless faces to tempt, mislead, and deceive humans. That harlot used my King’s power to hide her true identity.”
“Um... Nevida, that's a bit harsh... She's my ancestor, after all...”
Ignoring the Great Witch, whose voice trailed off, Nevida revealed a menacing killing intent.
“Had I known she was a harlot, I would have used any means necessary to dispose of her when we met in the Military State... It is late, but now is as good a time as any.”
“W-wait! Hold on! Shei... is actually a woman?! I had no idea!”
I knew. How could I not? She practically screamed it with her every action. Honestly, even without my mind-reading, I would have suspected it at some point.
But I couldn't say that in this situation! I had to pretend I didn't know!
“No wonder she kept saying she liked men! Shei, is that what you meant all this time when you said you liked men?”
The bound Regressor could neither run nor avoid the question. She trembled with shame and pain, averting my gaze.
“...Ugh, what does that matter?”
“And the way you used to look at me was a little unusual, too?”
“What are you talking about! I never... did that!”
“And what about that time you snuck into my bed at night?”
“When did I ever...! Th-that was an accident!”
I know. I read your mind, after all. But even if the Regressor told the truth, it was a different story for those listening.
My expression hardened, and I stepped in front of Nevida.
“Nevida. Do you remember what you said up there?”
“Up where, my King?”
You definitely said it. That if I needed women, you would provide as many as I wanted. I didn't expect this to happen, but as it turns out, we have one more woman here. And she’s someone I have a deep connection with.
“Let Shei go. No, give her to me.”
“...”
Recalling our conversation from before, Nevida understood my meaning. No, to be precise, she misunderstood. She understood my intention to save the Regressor, but she was mistaken about the reason.
‘My King seems to have a great interest in this thing... Its existence is utterly unpleasant, but I am in a position to serve and attend to him. I must give him what he desires.’
Of course, I had no particular feelings for the Regressor. What was there to like about a walking bundle of PTSD whose fists flew faster than her words?
But if the Regressor died, the world would reset, so as someone living in the present, I had to prevent that at all costs. At least until I met the Divine of time.
“Without her arms, she should be sufficient as a plaything.”
“...Huh? What are you talking about?”
Nevida summoned a thorny vine. Growing from the ceiling, it slithered like a snake and coiled around the Regressor’s neck.
“Ugh, aaargh!”
Sharp thorns dug into the Regressor’s skin, drinking her blood and growing slightly. The dripping blood bloomed into a single red rose. Nevida looked down coldly at the suffering Regressor.
“If you wish to keep your head on your shoulders, you would do well to serve him with all your heart. Should my King close this rose, its thorns will tighten around your neck.”
Speaking coldly, Nevida plucked the rose from the vine and handed it to me. I accepted the rose with a reluctant expression.
I didn't mean she needed a leash... This makes it seem like I'm doing something terrible. I just wanted to save the Regressor.
Well, at least both the Regressor and I survived. I guess I can call this mission a success.
‘Just you try and lay a hand on me! I'll kill you...!’
...Maybe not yet?