11. Woman in Disguise
11. Woman in Disguise
"Hehehe... This is what it's like to live a life where no matter how much you spend, the money never runs out. Very good, very good indeed."
Jingle, jingle—
The tactile sensation of fumbling with a heavy leather pouch. The corners of my mouth curled up as laughter leaked out.
Outside the window, I could see the bright scenery of children laughing and playing, while the cheerful sunlight illuminated every corner of the room. It was truly an extremely peaceful daily life.
—This is what healing feels like.
Even if I don't solve any requests, I still receive money from Marian under the pretext of "dividends," and while I'm at it, I also do work at the brothel, earning at least 10 gold coins a day.
On top of that, with the money Irene gives me for the orphanage's operating costs, I can even cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner "with the children." It's a position that's pretty much a honey pot, also helping build my reputation moderately.
Coming to the church, developing the onahole...
I could confidently say it was all part of a divine plan.
Knock, knock—
At that moment, along with the knocking sound, Shuri entered.
"...Noah-nim. You were laughing quite evilly just now."
"Hmm. You're mistaken."
I quickly hid the leather pouch, but it seemed I couldn't hide my expression. Just how excited had I been...?
"I thought you might be thirsty, so I brought some honey water. I'll leave it here."
"Thank you. I was just getting a bit thirsty. Shuri, you're quite a sensible kid. You learn fast too."
"Hehe... It's nothing..."
The faint, rising scent of honey water tickled the tip of my nose. After enjoying the aroma for a moment, I took a sip.
Warm, sweet, and it relaxed my body. And the concentration was just right, making it delicious. After making honey water like this a few times, he had somehow perfected it to exactly match my taste.
As if seeking praise, I gently patted his head.
"Hehe..."
He smiled bashfully like a puppy under my touch. What a cute kid. I took another sip of the honey water and then asked Shuri about something that had just come to mind.
"By the way, what is Ibel doing right now?"
"Ah, that person... Earlier, Elize unni asked for help, so they're moving a ton of chairs from the warehouse? Their strength is amaaazing! They're a beast! Aren't they as strong as that Uncle Argol?"
"...But their body is so skinny. That kind of strength?"
Honestly, it's hard to picture in my mind.
Ibel's usual image was so passive and fragile that I wondered how they even became a D-Class adventurer. To the point where I thought if I outright refused to take them as a disciple and kicked them out, they might end up dying somewhere.
But to have that much strength...
Seeing my puzzled expression, Shuri continued as if remembering something.
"They're a bit of an unusual person. Kind of frustrating, you know... in a worrying way. No matter how much they sweat, they never roll up their sleeves. They don't even wear thin clothes... And today, those chairs must have been really heavy."
"...Hmm."
"Could you talk to them, Noah-nim? It's so frustrating to watch from the side."
Well, this is probably one of those cliché settings that often appear. Like having a huge scar or tattoo on their body that they're hiding, or being a woman in disguise...
Hmm, a woman in disguise...?
I briefly considered that possibility but then shook my head. But if that were the case, why would they be so strong? There could be strong women, but how likely is that?
Hmm... hmm... hmm...
"Noah-nim?"
"Ah, hmm. Never mind. The honey water was good. I have something to think about, so you can go now. I'll think about Ibel separately."
"Yes! Then, take care!!!"
As Shuri closed the door and left, the room became quiet again.
I didn't mind that the teacup had gone lukewarm and downed it in one go. Savoring the sweetness, I sank into my own thoughts.
Why... do I keep thinking that Ibel might be a woman in disguise?
When I consider the possibilities, it somehow starts to make sense.
It's definitely a bit suspicious to just dismiss it with "Eh, no way." Like Shuri said, they always dress stiflingly, and their build makes sense if you think of them as a woman.
In the world of adult games, the cross-dressing woman character is like a steady seller, if not a bestseller. It's an attribute with a guaranteed baseline because it has a consistent consumer base.
There's no way it doesn't exist in this world.
"Hmm... Should I check?"
My rationality was telling me to ignore annoying things, but...
If my assumption is correct, it's the cross-dressing woman, tomboy attribute. Personally, in my previous life, I really liked tomboys. So my emotions were whispering to me. Go check it out...!
Jump!
I stood up from my seat.
===
It goes without saying, but it's already been over three years since I fell into this world, this other world.
It wasn't a short time to get used to this elf body and learn to handle magic freely. If there's one thing I've realized about magic, it's that it's more useful for minor conveniences than for hunting monsters.
For example,
[Magic to Eliminate Presence]
Magic that muffles footsteps, silences breathing, and distorts vision to make it seem like you're there but not there.
The principle is simple.
The key is to distort and bend the surrounding force field with magic.
However, it's not omnipotent. It can't prevent physical collisions, so if you bump into something, you'll be exposed immediately.
But for observing from this distance, it shouldn't be a problem at all.
"......"
Where my gaze was directed, Ibel was working hard, sweating. Shuri's words weren't an exaggeration.
"Could they actually arm wrestle Argol?"
Ibel was lifting four or five chairs stacked together at once and moving them around very lightly. Where in that physique is such strength hidden?
If Ibel is actually a woman...
That kind of strength wouldn't make sense, but on the other hand, even if I think of them as a man, it's not normal strength either. If neither explanation works normally, it means there's another reason.
"It definitely doesn't seem like magic."
If they strengthened their body with magic, I should see the flow of magical power. But I didn't see any such traces. So the possibility is that it's pure physical ability...
That also feels a bit unrealistic.
"Could they have a Gift?"
A rare, innate talent. Sometimes called a [Gift] because it's said to be bestowed by heaven, but I know it's not an unconditional blessing.
"...Whichever it is, it seems like they have a lot of stories."
But even if they have many stories, I wish they'd understand that taking them as a disciple is out of the question.
Teaching the orphanage kids is one thing, but I haven't mastered magic academically enough to give such a person profound teachings.
While thinking that, I quietly—
As I was watching Ibel, that Elize guy showed up.
"Ooh—! Giving Ibel-nim a room was the right decision! This work shouldn't have been finished this quickly... Ugh... If it weren't for Ibel-nim, I would've, by now...!"
"I can do at least this much. I'm practically staying here for free, with room and board. I'll help with any physical work as much as you need, Elize-nim."
"Aah... Are you an angel...? A saint who descended to earth incarnate...?"
"Uh, is it okay for a church person to say that?"
"'He' would probably take it as a joke. Just kidding, just kidding—."
Once you get close to her, she becomes very affectionate.
After that, I quietly watched Elize and Ibel talk while moving chairs and cleaning, but I couldn't find any particular clues.
However, one thing.
I could confirm what Shuri had said.
Even while wiping sweat from their forehead, they never once rolled up their sleeves. They just worked silently in a way that looked frustrating to anyone.
It's definitely suspicious.
===
And the opportunity to peek inside came sooner than expected.
Even after finishing work with Elize, Ibel had no particular gaps. Even when alone for a while, they didn't adjust their clothes, and it was the same while eating leftover food in the kitchen.
"They're really thorough, honestly."
...Just as I thought that, they started acting unexpectedly.
They went to their room, took something out, and then went outside the church? Wondering where they were going, I followed and saw...
"Today as well... may I borrow the bath for a while?"
"I heated the water in advance, thinking you might come at this time."
"...Thank you. May I pay the same amount as usual?"
"Even though I said it's not necessary... Well, do as you please."
It wasn't an inn; they were visiting some woman's house, paying money and making a request. Especially since the bath was a separate building attached to the woman's house.
Suspicious, very suspicious!
Moreover, the church has a men's bath. So there must be a reason for going out of their way to come here instead of using that.
Here, I had a hunch. This is 100 percent.
"......"
But wait a moment.
Conflict one: Is it okay to invade privacy?
Conflict two: But I've already been following them. What now?
Conflict three: What was the reason I didn't secretly search Ibel's room? Personal information is important...!
Conflict four: Isn't it fine as long as I don't get caught?
After about 5 seconds of that.
I thought about it in my heart. They've entered the bath, hmm, I should go in too— but going in without any hesitation feels... like my conscience is being stabbed, so it's a bit of a pretense.
And so, before Ibel closed the door, I slipped in after them into the bath.
===
"...Ugh, this is uncomfortable."
As soon as she entered the bath and locked the door, Isabella began to undo her clothes.
In the already steamy, humid bath, the sweat-soaked clothes were nothing but an unpleasant, cumbersome nuisance.
As she threw off her top—
"Phew... I feel like I'm alive..."
The moisture touched her bare skin, but it felt refreshing nonetheless.
Then suddenly,
"Hmm...?"
A strange sense of incongruity made her look around. But the bath had no windows. No peepholes, no space for anyone to hide.
'It must be my imagination.'
This was the house of the widow who had requested the "Cat Nana" job. No men lived here; the lady and her daughter lived with a cat. They must have had some means, as they even had a separate bath built like this.
So the circumstances were quite good.
Lucky to be able to use such a bath.
Isabella slowly unwound the compression bandage tightly binding her chest. Slither— As the bandage came off, the tightly pressed breasts sagged downward with gravity.
A pleasant sense of liberation...
Other things aside, her breasts felt like they had no use in her body. She'd heard men liked them, but she didn't particularly feel good touching them herself.
"I can't just cut these off..."
Muttering softly, she immediately took off her pants.
What was revealed were men's underwear. Naturally, there was a bulging volume. For 'male' Ibel, it was only natural. But above that, breasts that shouldn't belong to a 'man' were asserting their presence dramatically.
And...
Plop.
Ibel's, Isabella's cock, which had been held back by the elasticity of the underwear, popped out as if jumping.
An alien object attached to feminine hips and pelvis.
And at that moment, thud—!
"Huh?!"
At the sound coming from right beside her, Isabella turned her head in surprise. Her face turned pale as she froze, staring at that spot.
There was someone there, where no one should be.
Fortunately or unfortunately.
It was a familiar face.
"...No, Noah-nim?"
"......"
The gaze of someone who had fallen on their butt, unable to close their mouth, staring intently at Isabella's lower half.
Following that gaze, Isabella also looked down.
"Th, that is..."
"Ah."
Noah had seen her cock.
Isabella alternated looking at her own thing and Noah's face. Was it fortunate that it was someone she knew? Or unfortunate that it was someone she knew?
Shame washed over her, paralyzing her brain.
Emotions welled up.
"Sob..."
"Uh, hmm. Well, what is it... that."
Isabella plopped down right there—
"Waaah—! Don't look, don't look at meee...!"
And began to cry.