The Worst Combination of Fortunes
In the sixteen years since I'd been born from my mother's womb, the greatest stroke of luck for a protagonist in a gender role reversal genre was not having to serve in the military. For a protagonist in a TS genre, the greatest stroke of luck was also not having to serve in the military. So why... why did I, who had both, now have to go to the military—a place I hadn't even gone in my previous life?
Facing a combination twice as horrific as crab guts and intuition, I unwittingly tore at my hair and let out a sigh.
× I was Yura Konstantia, the second daughter of the Konstantia Viscountcy. That was the new identity—and new life—given to me.
To be more precise, it wasn't like this body had suddenly been thrust upon me in that instant... It felt more like the memories I'd lost upon reincarnation were only now resurfacing.
They were a bit jumbled up, but if I focused, I could clearly recall the memories of "Yura Konstantia."
Normally, in stories like this, memories come back after bumping your head or suffering a high fever, right? Suddenly remembering your past life while reading a book in your bedroom and munching on snacks felt way too abrupt.
...Of course, if you considered that I'd been hit by a train instead of the usual reincarnation truck, I couldn't exactly expect a "normal" flow.
Anyway, whatever the trigger, it had already happened. Dwelling on the past wouldn't get me anywhere. I calmed myself as best I could and decided to thoroughly assess my current situation first.
"Goddess, is this for real?"
It took less than five minutes for those words to slip from my mouth.
The first thing that came to mind, naturally, was the memory right before my reincarnation. That was the surest answer to "Why the hell am I here right now?"
As I traced back through those memories, I recalled what that so-called goddess had said at the very end.
When I closed my eyes, three words shimmered in the pitch-black void: Gender Reversal. TS. And Fantasy.
All genres I loved. If I ranked them by the number of tags in the novels I read, these three would top the list.
The goddess had even said something about looking into my tastes. Getting even one of these would be a gift worth bowing down for.
...If only they hadn't been combined.
In my mind, the words "Gender Reversal" and "TS" collided, then melted into the air like a heat haze.
It was impressive how perfectly they tripped each other up. What good was swapping gender roles if my own gender swapped too, leaving me with the same damn duties?
What about the military? I even had to go to the military! I'd barely dodged it in my past life, and now in this one, it was staring me down.
How could reality be this cruel?
"Tsk..."
Based on the knowledge surfacing in my head, joining the military as a noblewoman in this empire wasn't a terrible choice. For starters, people here had a pre-modern mindset overall, viewing officership as far more positive and honorable than I did.
This was an era where the military was still seen as an honor and privilege. It probably wasn't just the Angras Empire where I lived—likely the whole world felt that way.
Plus, the empire had reclaimed much of the lords' authority, turning them into something like half-landlords. To maintain power, nobles had to dive into businesses using their existing wealth.
The military was no exception. In fact, ignoring the physical hardships, it was one of the simplest paths to central power.
That said, nobles didn't drag their entire families into it... but it was still highly preferred. Even with officer ranks practically reserved for nobles, recruitment had no issues.
...And honestly, what other nobles thought didn't matter to me. Because the family that did drag all its relatives into the military... was mine!
Ah, I don't want to go to the military.
That was an emotion I couldn't escape as long as I retained memories of a modern Korean.
Officer? Sure, that was better. But would treatment be any better than a modern Korean soldier's?
No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't see a way out of this fate. If Yura Konstantia's memories were accurate, my sixteenth birthday had been just a month ago. And in the empire, 16 was the standard age of adulthood.
So... even if Mother announced enlistment at dinner tomorrow, it wouldn't be weird.
Scrambling for another path now? Who knew how much time I had left.
The only idea that came to mind was using my past-life knowledge for business and begging to take a different route instead of the military. But that'd require results before Mother even spoke—and who knew if I had that much time?
Worse, she might just say, "Your personal wishes don't matter; you have to go for the family," and that'd be that.
So, in the end, I had one choice. Accepting enlistment as inevitable would at least give me peace of mind.
With that as the baseline... aim for the sweetest possible position!
Secure the easiest post first, then coast through service and find a way to bail. I—Yura Konstantia—burned with resolve, clenching my fist tight.
× Since regaining my past-life memories, I'd spent my time gathering info on the imperial military, running various simulations in my head.
"Yura. You're about due to enter military service, aren't you?"
So when my current-life mother—Laura Konstantia—said that, I felt less panic and more "Here it comes" resignation.
About two weeks had passed since the memories returned. If anything, it felt a bit late.
"...Yes, Mother."
I froze mid-slice with my knife on the meat and gave a small nod. Then I met her amber eyes across the table.
A woman with black hair cut neatly above her shoulders, tinged slightly blue. She exuded maturity, yet her skin and features looked incredibly young—mid-thirties at most, if that.
Setting aside my already-commissioned older sisters, it was hard to believe she had a sixteen-year-old daughter like me. But astonishingly... this was normal here.
I had no idea how the genes worked, but average looks in this world crushed Earth's.
Frankly, it was hard to adjust. The top beauty in the province got flak for looking "plain and average" just because her hair was a bit messy—like some male-oriented manga trope.
There were beauty standards here, sure... but my sense of aesthetics seemed carried over intact from my past life, leaving me unable to tell beauty from ugliness.
At least lately, I'd grasped that tan skin like mine was considered attractive. The rest? No clue.
Anyway, long story short: even my short-haired, busty, tanned mom—who I saw at every meal—wasn't the empire's top beauty. Just solidly upper-tier.
That fact eased my mood a tiny bit. Sure, the military sucked no matter who was around, but better hot older sisters than dudes or ugly women everywhere, right?
...The question of seeing plenty in society without enlisting? Table that for now. Sometimes you need to avert your eyes from harsh truths.
"I've actually been thinking about that lately myself."
"Good. I'm glad. A girl should serve, after all."
"Yes, you're right."
I chimed in agreeably, biding my time. Waiting for the right moment to bring it up.
"So, have you set your heart on anywhere?"
But in the end, I didn't need to. Mother beat me to it.
"Yes, Mother."
I inwardly cheered but kept my face calm as I replied.
"I want to join the military band."
Yes. After two weeks of agonizing, that was my best answer.
It wasn't a full past-life cheat, but I'd gone to music college—why waste that?
Of course, military band wasn't pure "honeypot." My college guy friends who served there always complained about dying of exhaustion. Endless events, insane schedules on top of basic practice. And one mistake stood out, so discipline was brutal.
But so what?
Physical toll? Strict discipline? That was all relative to modern Korea.
This amazing isekai was a matriarchal society where if Mom said military, you shut up and suited up.
Seniors grilling rookies was universal. Better leverage my past skills for results in the band than anywhere else.
Plus, rear-echelon duty was a huge draw. A book I'd read said bands used to be frontline but shifted back with the Mana Conduction Speaker, reducing frontline needs.
Sure, rear units had their gripes... but this wasn't modern Earth—it was freaking isekai.
In a world with low war thresholds and monsters roaming? Frontline duty was insane. Better take senior beatings in the rear.
Modern sensibilities favored dishonorable survival over honorable death.
"The military band."
Mother murmured, mulling it over.
"Born a girl and you dare hide in the rear?!"
(Italic bold for emphasis? Nah.)
...Thankfully, nothing like that happened.
"Yes. The band is good. Your grandmother was a band officer, remember? I told you last time."
She just nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Yes, I remember."
"Smart choice. It may seem modest, but it's vital and honorable."
Why this reaction? As Mother said, the band was crucial.
Magic existed here, and Yeongchang (Chanting)—the core of spellcasting—demanded perfect rhythm. But in battle's chaos, mages couldn't calmly count beats in their heads.
Enter the military band's support. Demand was sky-high—ideally, every mage unit needed one.
But supply lagged. Nobles had no enlistment duty. Those who joined? Honor-seekers or climbers.
Band had a "noble" image from aiding mage command. And historically, soldiers bought their own gear—quality instruments required wealth.
Thus, noble ladies flocked... until cavalry outshone them. Similar honor, but who picks frontline charges over rear instrument-tinkering?
Perception shifted to "loser's posting," applicants dropped, and it opened to commoners to fill ranks. Noble applicants plummeted further.
Even for climbers, it sucked—like my friend's comms complaints: normal is invisible, errors glaring.
Band was the same: smooth music expected, mistakes screamed. Honor or ambition? Avoid it.
But flip that: desperate recruitment meant brass valued it highly.
Mother, a veteran, knew its "unseen necessity." To her, I wasn't chasing flash—I'd wisely chosen real contribution.
No way she'd guess my past-life instrument skills. Rightly proud of her sensible daughter.
"Got it. I'll handle the talks—just wait without worry."
She never opposed during that meal. Less than a month later, my military band training enlistment notice arrived.
"Haah..."
...Even if I'd chosen the "better" path myself, getting that draft notice felt utterly shitty.