Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: 20. This World Won't Leave Me Alone. (2)
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# 190
#1 Their Circumstances: A Certain Hero's Circumstances
“What?”
For a moment, I thought my ears had betrayed me.
Mira’s words were just that absurd.
“Cross-dress.”
Unfortunately, the words from Mira’s mouth were exactly the same as what I’d heard the first time.
“Why?”
“That way, the Instructor won’t notice.”
“No…”
The Instructor ran away.
It’s hard to track his trail, and if we move too conspicuously, we might get caught by this kingdom’s princess again.
I get that we need to move quietly and covertly.
“But do I really have to be the one cross-dressing?”
There’s no reason it has to be me, right?
“Yeah, I’m not a bad boss who forces her subordinates. If you have a counterargument, feel free to refuse.”
After my repeated refusals, Mira pondered for a bit, nodded to herself, and spoke.
“What, you don’t like it?”
“Of course not. A guy cross-dressing…?”
“Cross-dressing isn’t manly?”
“You could say that.”
Cross-dressing.
It’s when a guy disguises himself as a woman, usually resulting in a horrific creation that becomes his personal black history.
Sure, if it suits him, it still becomes black history!
“I can’t accept that. Cross-dressing is the manliest thing there is.”
But Mira’s response outright denied it.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Only men can cross-dress.”
“Huh?”
“If a woman cross-dresses, it’s just regular disguise, not cross-dressing.”
“Uh?”
It was the kind of thing the Instructor would suddenly say.
Total bullshit, but it made sense.
Didn’t the Instructor say stuff like that all the time?
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Mira was right.
We call it cross-dressing when a guy disguises himself as a woman, but if a woman does it, it’s not cross-dressing.
That’s not the only reason I’m refusing, though.
“See? Cross-dressing is the manliest act possible, only for men. Got it now? So do it.”
Mira was forcing me into it, insisting her logic was sound.
“No, wait! Isn’t that going too far?”
“I’ve heard you out plenty. This is more than enough.”
“No, it’s not enough at all?”
“Then tell me why cross-dressing doesn’t suit men.”
“It just doesn’t!”
I yelled at the top of my lungs, and Mira, who’d been reaching out, froze and looked me up and down.
“Hmm~ It’d suit you just fine. Have some confidence.”
“What?”
Mira’s gaze returned to my head and slowly traveled downward, appraising every inch of me.
And then.
“Hmm~ It’ll suit you even better than I thought. Guys.”
Snap!
With a light finger flick, ten people surrounded me in an instant.
“Wait! Even if I look like this, I’m the Dragon Slayer?”
I said that, but every one of them radiated overwhelming power.
Even in a one-on-one, they wouldn’t be easy wins.
Ten of them…
Wait.
“No, hold on. Why are you there?!”
Among them was a familiar face with short brown hair and blue eyes.
“Gotcha.”
Heh heh heh.
No. 17 smirked darkly, lifting her chin to reveal a collar around her neck just like mine.
“Give up. It’s easier that way.”
“Haha, a同期 with the Captain? You’ll adapt quick.”
“Cross-dress, cross-dress… What’s the big deal about a little cross-dressing?”
“The Captain’s right. Cross-dressing is for men only. The manliest hero does the manliest cross-dressing!”
“Kyaa~ So much masculine charm!”
The people who appeared with No. 17 stared at me, but their eyes were dead.
I’d seen that look before.
“What kind of life do you live to end up like that…?”
“Well, you know better than anyone, right?”
I knew exactly what No. 17 meant.
It was the face I saw in the mirror every day, ten years ago, training under the Instructor!
To be precise, it was my face!
“That’s why I’m asking. What the hell happened without the Instructor here?”
“Yeah, nothing much. Turns out the imperial… no, the Princess’s army was trained by the Instructor back in the day.”
“Huh?”
My brain cursed me for understanding so easily.
It pieced together my future far too quickly.
“No way… again?”
“Oh, it’s not like what you’re thinking.”
Mira denied it.
“No techniques that grind you down like the Instructor’s without killing you, no steel bats or anything.”
Phew…
“But we do have wooden bats like we experienced, and the terror of rolling until you might actually die.”
“That’s even worse!”
The Instructor’s training was sneaky and dirty, but famous for zero fatalities.
The imperial—more precisely, the Princess’s unit—training apparently risked actual deaths due to skill shortages.
“It’s fine. There are churches nearby, stocked full of those super-expensive healing potions.”
“Yeah. No one’s retired from injuries, at least.”
The two nodded as they spoke, but I, tempered by the Instructor, spotted the oddity in their words.
“No one retired from injuries? What about non-physical stuff?”
“Uh…”
“Um…”
Seeing them clam up, I had my answer.
“The bodies are gone, but the minds remain!”
“Grab him.”
Mira didn’t confirm or deny, just ordered her subordinates.
“Damn it!”
I drew my sword and deflected the incoming blades.
“Sword Aura?”
I swung with Sword Aura, aiming to cleave their swords, but the opponent was a Swordmaster too.
Actually.
“What the hell?”
Three of them were Swordmasters.
“What’s with this ratio?”
Three Swordmasters—that’s about the average for a small nation.
Some countries have none, so three moving together could threaten a whole country!
And they’re here!
“Brought only the fastest ones I could muster. Gotta be Swordmaster level to be my subordinate.”
Unlike No. 17, who anyone would call a beauty, Mira had grown since childhood but suited “cute” more than “beauty.” She puffed out her flat chest proudly—somehow mismatched for the Princess’s direct Captain, the empire’s real power.
It felt oddly awkward.
Hmm… Ah, maybe because the old vicious edge is gone?
She used to feel like a razor-sharp blade; now she’s a bit dulled.
“You’ve been eating well lately.”
“Not just well.”
No. 17 shook her head with a deep sigh.
“She devours everything.”
“Yeah. Even on Her Highness’s orders, she eats it all.”
“Last time His Highness the Crown Prince visited, ignoring him for food was peak.”
“His Highness wasn’t slacking either. When she said she was eating, he sat right in front of the Captain and said he’d wait.”
“Imperial blood of the Princess. He’s gotta handle that much.”
“Nah. From what I hear, the Princess is special even among royals?”
“Well, the Crown Prince—who could be the next emperor—gets ignored while sitting right there, and the Captain just eats. That’s impressive.”
“Not just impressive. She ordered three more bowls right in front of him!”
“I’d choke just looking. Food wouldn’t go down.”
“She eats calmly even in front of Her Highness. The Crown Prince is nothing…”
“Just eating, and it’s scary…”
“But impressive. I respect her for it.”
“Yeah…”
The story was weird, but terrifying.
The empire—world’s strongest—heir waits right in front of you, and you order more food! Even eats if the Princess shows up!
Mira truly transcended imagination.
Her subordinates’ respect was thus hilariously skewed!
“Yeah, worthy of respect.”
“She always shows that side, yet has no openings.”
“Even with that attitude, Her Highness never complains about her skills.”
“And…”
Chill!
Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
“You can’t tell what’s real from the start.”
“Seems natural, but sometimes it’s all acting. Seems all acting, but sometimes it’s real.”
“And she predicts and moves on the whole picture first.”
“Yeah. Scary as hell. That feeling of dancing in her palm?”
After the initial attack, they had no intent to fight me.
Just showing off power, chatting among themselves.
I thought they acted cocky because they trusted their strength and numbers.
But now I realized: it was all a trap.
They were ordered to act that way to lower my guard!
The one who ordered it all was…
“The Dragon Slayer’s nothing special?”
Mira had my sword hand—gripping the holy sword—in hers, and a thin needle at my throat with the other!
“When?”
It was sudden, but Mira answered as if expecting it.
“Hmm… Roughly since you got caught?”
“What? How?”
“Think differently. I could’ve just taken your comrades hostage instead of this hassle.”
True.
If Mira had grabbed Hill or Serena as hostages and demanded cross-dressing, I might’ve complied without much fight.
Instead, she provoked me with bullshit logic and sicced subordinates to force it.
No—the reason I drew my sword was hearing about the Princess’s army…
“Yeah, exactly. I said stuff to make you wanna run.”
“I was still thinking about it? Hadn’t even said it out loud?”
Before I voiced my thoughts, Mira answered as if she knew.
“Erm… It’s written all over your face?”
Her giggling whisper near my ear sent shivers down my spine.
I wanted to bolt, but the needle’s sharp tip at my throat made movement impossible.
“Then why provoke me?”
She already had full control—why make me flail with talk of cross-dressing and mortal danger?
Why?
“The Instructor said it: sometimes show the gap between you and them to handle people.”
With that, Mira cleared her throat with a hum and whispered in my ear.
“Kneel. This is the difference in our eye level.”
“You… You just wanted to try the Instructor’s line!”
During old training under him, she recited a line I’d heard often, then laughed like an ordinary girl.
Stab!
“Huh?”
“You’re right, but the cross-dressing order isn’t a lie either.”
As her laughter nearly drew a sigh from me in my lapse,
Mira jabbed the thin needle into my neck and said in an excited tone.
“I wanna see No. 1 cross-dress.”
“You, youuu…”
Stabbing someone with poison over that?!
I wanted to scream.
But.
Gulp, gulp.
I strained to open my mouth, but my jaw wouldn’t move.
“Now then… Make him pretty enough to please me.”
“Yes, Captain.”
My body was paralyzed—I couldn’t even close my eyes.
I could only watch as they approached one by one, suffering the greatest humiliation of my life.
“So cute!”
“Ugh…”
Mira’s admiring voice nearly brought tears.
Pathetic. Why do I deserve this?!
I’m a hero, damn it!
“Of course, to catch the Instructor. Even he wouldn’t imagine you like this.”
“Hey, you…”
“Give up. It’s easier. She’s already the perfect villain the Instructor described.”
I wanted to snap at Mira’s innocent giggling, but No. 17’s grip on my shoulder and her expression shut me up.
The despair in her eyes ran deeper than mine.
“Now then, shall we scatter some bait?”
Mira hummed, and I could only obey without reply.