CH 233

People are mysterious things. When driven by strong emotions beyond a certain level, we tend to become calm instead. That’s exactly how I was right now, feeling as if the raging waves in my mind have suddenly quieted after my initial shout of surprise.

“………………..”

For now, I stood up and checked my body. Soft, sizable breasts that don’t sag. A bouncy, elastic butt. Hips that were not ideally slim for a woman, but realistically attractive for a man… and then…

“……….it’s not there”

Of course, the vital part was missing. Despite being just a part of the human body, its absence made me feel insecure. Moreover, I noticed that my voice was not mine. It’s somewhat high-pitched, a voice that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.

“……No, that’s wrong. I need to check something else——”

“Ed? What happened? You were shouting so early in the morning?”

And then, a knock on the door and Tia’s voice came in. Ah, she must have heard my shout earlier. But Tia is a sensible person. She won’t open the door suddenly, and she’ll wait if I ask her to.

“Ah, sorry Tia. Just wait a moment——”

“Eh!? Ed!!”

“Eh, why!?”

“Eh!?”

For some reason, she flung the door open and, with her hand on the hilt of her sword, Tia looked at me with a surprised expression.

“………You’re Ed, right? But, a woman!?”

“Oh, yeah… But what’s with the sudden intrusion? I told you to wait, didn’t I?”

“I-I’m sorry. But the voice was completely unfamiliar, so…”

“Ah……”

I now realized, my voice was not the same. Of course, she wouldn’t wait if she heard a stranger’s voice coming from a room of someone she knows.

“Um… so why have you turned into a woman?”

“I don’t know… more importantly, how did you know I was Ed?”

“Eh? Because Ed is Ed. I wouldn’t mistake you just because your gender changed.”

“Ah, I see… thank you?”

“Fufu, you’re welcome.”

With a somewhat awkward thank you, Tia released her grip on the sword and smiled. I invited her into the room and asked her to sit on the chair, and I sat on the bed.

“I’ll ask again, how did this happen?”

“I’ll say again, I don’t know myself. I feel like I recognize this form, but… Ah, I should look in the mirror.”

I take out a mirror from the [Stranger’s Box]. When I hadTia hold it up and I saw myself, what appeared was the figure of the Demon King Last, the one I defeated a while ago, except for the hair and eye color which remained mine.

“Oh, it’s Last’s body…”

“Last?”

“Yeah, the Demon King I defeated in Donatella’s world. But the voice seems a bit different?”

“Voice? Then… here, talk to me with this?”

“Like this?”

[Like this?]

“[What!?]”

The voice I spoke to Tia with was reflected back to me a moment later. But the voice that came back was unmistakably that of  Last.

“The voice you hear yourself and the voice others hear are different. So, I just reflected your voice back to you with wind spirit magic. Do you understand anything now?”

“Yeah, perfectly. It seems that I am, for now, the Demon King Last herself. Well, just the body.”

Probably, with the change in appearance, my physical abilities have changed slightly . However, I don’t feel like I can use the charm power that she had, and since I was able to cast the Banishment skill casually earlier, it seems I can still use it normally.

“Hmm, so you are the Demon King who had all the men in the village falling for her… By the way, what about you, Ed? Were you captivated by her too?”

“Me? No, nothing like that happened to me. Because I’m me.”

I don’t have the fetish of being fascinated by my own body. Even if my gender changes, I am still me, and that won’t change.

“No, that’s not important right now. When I woke up this morning, I was suddenly in this body. Do you know anything about it, Tia?”

“I mean, if you ask me… Can I touch your body a little?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Then, excuse me… Wow, I can really touch you! So, it’s not an illusion.”

“Probably not. There was a Banishment Skill that can change appearance… Eh, could it be!?”

Realizing that possibility, I searched for the power within me. Then, I found a slight… but significant change.

My banishment skill, [Heavy Makeup], can change my appearance. It’s convenient at first glance, but its usability is poor as the disguise falls apart with just a slight touch, so it’s a power that I never used. Has it changed… no, evolved?!

[The form of past days carved into the soul is reflected. Until all is forgotten, I am with you. So please do not forget. I am your… ]

“[Last Chance] huh… I can’t forget such a self-assertive girl.”

The playful figure of the Demon King Last vividly comes back to my mind. It might have been good that it ended in a brief encounter, considering how much it left an impression in such a short time.

“Do you know what caused it?”

“Yeah. It seems to be due to the influence of absorbing the power of the Demon King I defeated in the previous world. Maybe when I acquire the power of a strong-willed demon king, I get additional abilities like this.”

Surely, if John returned to me, it’s hard to think that his individuality and experiences, and in turn, his soul would simply dissolve into vain power. But then again, I think the Demon King that I defeated at Gou-san’s place also had quite a solid personality…

“Hey Tia. What would you do if I suddenly fused with a castle and became a giant golem?”

“A giant golem… I’d probably be at a loss? I guess I would live inside it and travel together? Oh, that sounds a bit fun.”

“………………”

For a moment, I also thought it sounded a little fun, but I don’t say it out loud. If I really do become a golem using the surrounding buildings, I feel like I’d be crossing a line that should not be crossed.

“So, can you return to your original form?”

“Just wait a moment… oh, I can.”

If I can recognize the power of the Demon King… namely, the effect of the banishment skill, it’s easy to use. When I consciously deactivated the ability, my body slowly returned to its original form.

“Hmm, it takes about a minute to completely change. Continuous use… Ugh!”

I returned to being a man, and tried to change back to a woman right away, but suddenly I was hit with intense nausea and a headache. I fell onto the bed involuntarily, and Tia looked down at me with a bewildered expression.

“What are you doing, Ed? Of course you’d feel sick if you change your body that frequently.”

“Ah, that’s right… it’s obvious… I can’t think of any excuse…”

Fortunately, the nausea and headache subsided quickly, but they were replaced by a terrible fatigue that hit my whole body. I’ve been desensitized by growing my limbs back with [Regenerate] but the human body doesn’t heal or change that easily. It’s obvious that I’m being ridiculed.

“But it’s a good thing, right? This solves the biggest concern!”

“Concern? What are you talking about?”

“It’s obvious! It’s about Rain-chan’s idol talk.”

“Idol…?”

I can’t understand what Tia was talking about with my sluggish thoughts. I furrowed my brow, and Tia laughed as if she’s having the most fun.

“That’s right. Me, Rain-chan, and you, the three of us are going to be idols! It’ll be fine with three girls, right?”

“Ah, so that’s how it goes…”

While watching Tia get excited, I felt the absurdity of the world.

(T/N: Sorry for the delay, Trails into Reverie came out yesterday was playing that)