Chapter 4: If You Say She’s a ‘Saint,’ Then Let a Woman Do It

Karen’s outburst set the crowd murmuring again.

“What’s going on?”
“Wasn’t Karen supposed to be the ‘Saint’?”

The mood turned sour.

All eyes were now glaring daggers at Karen.

“King Risharl! The situation is too unclear. Please, allow us to speak privately with only those involved, once things have settled down.”

Trying to dispel the tension, I raised my voice.

“Yuto?!”

Raiga called out, but I ignored him and went on.

“Originally, there was supposed to be only one ‘Hero.’ My gender, the disappearance of the Stigma… none of it aligns with your plans. We need to sort this out, don’t you think?”

“…Indeed. As Lord Yuto says. Let’s take a short recess and then convene in a separate room. The two ‘Heroes,’ myself, and Karen—those four should suffice.”

And with that, the gathering was adjourned.

I was led alone to the dressing room.

Maybe Raiga was worried about me being left on my own, because he tried to come along. But one of the castle maids firmly stopped him, saying, “It’s improper for a man to intrude while a lady is changing.” That left him with no choice but to back down.

Honestly, I had mixed feelings about being treated like a woman—but more than that, I didn’t want Raiga seeing me like this, so I kept my mouth shut.

Besides, this outfit is way too tight.

It’s hard to breathe, like my chest is being crushed.

Once I confirmed the door had closed behind me, I hurriedly undid the buttons and finally let out a breath.

My chest, now free—regrettably—bounced with such force it practically made a sound effect.

“…Incredible.”

The maid murmured in awe and pulled out a measuring tape.

“Lord Yuto, were you truly a man before? You’re so composed, I never would have guessed.”

“It’s the truth. Honestly, I’m completely lost right now.”

Apparently, she hadn’t been present during the summoning ritual. She had no idea how badly I had panicked back then.

Even now, I’m far from calm inside. If this were a dream, I wish I’d just wake up already.

Still, I’m doing my best to keep it together.

“You have such a lovely figure. And so graceful, too.”

Even as she spoke, her hands never stopped moving. She measured my body—now down to just underwear and trunks—at breakneck speed.

They say women’s brains are wired differently, letting them multitask. Maybe this was proof of that.

While she stepped out to find clothes in my size, I tried looking at myself in the large mirror in the room.

But I immediately averted my gaze.

My ample chest pushed against the undershirt. Worse, the tips were visibly outlined—it looked downright obscene.

Even though it was my own body, it felt like I was doing something wrong just by looking.

Soon, the maid returned.

In her hands were a dress—and what looked like a matching set of women’s underwear, complete with a bra. So they do have bras in this world…

Guess I have no choice but to wear them, huh?

Suppressing the rising dread, I reached out to take them.

…Right. I don’t even know how to put this on. I’ll have to ask the maid to teach me.

Left behind by Yuto, I was bored out of my mind.

They’d brought me to a break room a little ways away, but I was the only one here.

The king had apparently gone off to report the successful summoning. Something about calming the nobles and citizens who hadn’t been part of the ritual.

And that girl called Karen had claimed she felt sick and disappeared somewhere.

The maids and soldiers avoided eye contact with me entirely.

Maybe they were afraid of slipping up. I’d heard that ‘Heroes’ held authority equal to the king.

Normally, I’d be the one to strike up conversation, but I just wasn’t in the mood.

I was too thrown off by how everything had changed so suddenly.

Maybe I’ll just take a nap—was the thought I had when—

“S-Something’s wrong! Lord Raiga! Please come to the dressing room at once!”

It was the maid who had been with Yuto.

Alarmed, I rushed off immediately.

…Don’t tell me something happened to Yuto?

Once I pass through a place, I usually remember the layout, so I left the maid behind and broke into a sprint.

My body felt so much lighter than back on Earth.

Is this the strength of a ‘Hero’s’ body?

I reached the dressing room in no time.

And without even knocking, I threw the door open.

“Where did you go, Miss Maid?”

Came Yuto’s laid-back voice.

“You screamed and ran off in the middle of helping me dress, and now—”

She turned around—wearing nothing but underwear.

Her pale skin caught my eyes.

A waist so slender it looked like she’d break if I hugged her too hard.

Her chest, which had been covered by a shirt earlier, was now only in a bra. Despite its softness, it hit me with a kind of visual impact that was almost violent.

“G-Get out—!”

Apparently with nothing else nearby to throw, she grabbed the chair she’d been sitting on and shouted.

I could guess what would come next—a throw.

“S-Sorry!”

I slammed the door shut and made a run for it.

My heart pounded furiously in my chest as I collapsed onto the floor, trying to calm it down.

My face was flushed red. Yuto, who had just been seen nearly naked, was probably even redder.

The cool air felt soothing.

“Lord Raiga! Just now, there was a loud noise—are you alright?!”

A girl ran up to me in concern.

It was Karen.

She seemed to have regained some of her strength—her cheeks were slightly red, though probably from embarrassment rather than illness.

Behind her were King Risharl and the maid who had fetched me earlier. Apparently, after calling out to me, she’d gone straight to them.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Um, maid-san, could you help Yuto get dressed, please?”

Karen, being the same gender (now, at least), might be fine, but there’s no way Risharl or I could enter that room as things were.

“Understood… Lady Karen, could you accompany me for confirmation?”

All we could do was watch the two of them disappear behind the door.

A short while later, Karen reemerged.

She stepped up beside Risharl and said in a trembling voice:

“No doubt about it. It’s the Stigma.”

Seeing Risharl’s expression shift drastically, I spoke up.

“So what? I thought the whole deal with a ‘Hero’ was having that Stigma. Then it makes sense for Yuto to have one.”

“Yes, if that were all, there’d be no problem… but it’s more complicated. We should talk inside.”

The three of us moved the discussion to the dressing room.

Inside, we were greeted by Yuto—now dressed in a pure white, elegant dress.

It was clearly high-quality. The neckline was modest, and the long skirt reached the floor. It wasn’t overly flashy or revealing, but that only enhanced the beauty of someone who looked like an innocent young maiden.

I caught myself staring.

“Raiga. I haven’t forgotten what just happened, you know.”

Yuto glared at me with narrowed eyes.

Her gaze was sharp enough to make me instinctively take a step back—until Karen cleared her throat to get our attention.

Once all eyes were on her, she began to explain.

“Ahem. As Lord Raiga said earlier, it’s only natural for a ‘Hero’ to possess a Stigma. However, the issue lies in the shape.”

“The shape?”

“Yes. Each ‘Hero’s’ Stigma has a unique design. That’s a well-known part of the legend—it’s an absolute truth.”

Karen answered my question smoothly.

Yuto, unable to follow what was going on, tilted her head in confusion.

“What do you mean? You’re all making a fuss, but I don’t get it at all.”

“To put it simply… two ‘Heroes’ having the same Stigma is impossible.”

From Karen’s words, I started to get the picture.

“…Wait. Are you saying that Yuto and I have the exact same Stigma design?”

Karen gave a silent nod.

“That would mean… rather than two ‘Heroes’—this becomes the relationship between a ‘Hero’ and a ‘Saint.’…”

Her voice weakened toward the end.

From what she told us, she had originally been chosen as the Saint. But just before the ceremony, her mark began to ache—then vanished entirely.

The Stigma disappeared.

Yuto, transformed into a girl.

And on her body appeared a Stigma—identical to mine.

All signs pointed to one conclusion—

“Wait… are you saying Yuto has become the Saint now?”

“I don’t want to admit it, but… it certainly seems that way.”

“Hold on! Wasn’t I summoned here as a Hero!?”

Both Karen and Yuto voiced their protests.

From Karen’s perspective, her role had been stolen by this sudden newcomer. And for Yuto, it must be impossible to believe he’d suddenly undergone a sex change just for that reason.

“I can’t say for certain. Too many irregularities have occurred. Originally, only a single ‘Hero’ was supposed to be summoned. But… given the current situation, this is the only conclusion we can draw.”

Risharl finally broke his silence.

…For him, as long as someone could defeat the Demon Dragon, it probably didn’t matter who held which title.

“May I verify it myself?”

“That will not be allowed.”

The maid, who had been silent near the wall, stepped in to firmly reject Risharl’s request.

Most likely, she’d kept quiet until now out of a sense of duty.

“Lord Yuto’s Stigma is located in a place that cannot be shown to men.”

Her words made an unfortunate image pop into my head.

I almost gulped instinctively—

“W-What exactly are you picturing?! It’s on the chest, alright?!”

Yuto shouted in a flustered voice.

“I’ve seen it too. There’s no mistake.”

Karen followed up with her own confirmation, and Risharl nodded in acceptance.

“If Karen has confirmed it, then there’s no doubt. She has no reason to lie.”

It was a harsh way of phrasing it, but it was true.

The title of ‘Saint’ was apparently a great honor. Unless she secretly resented the role, there was no reason for her to lie on behalf of a total stranger like Yuto.

“In that case, we shall publicly declare that Lord Raiga is the summoned ‘Hero’ from another world, and Lord Yuto is the ‘Saint’ who accompanies him.”

““Hold on…!””

Yuto and Karen cried out in unison.

But they both immediately realized—they had nothing to argue back with.