Chapter 4
Dear Mother,
Your son was a fool. Blinded by greed and careless of his surroundings, he let his guard down and was slaughtered by demons.
Iâm filled with regret. Iâll never be able to repay you as your son now. Your son is dead.
But please donât worry. Itâs all right. I donât know why, but even though I diedâŚ
ââŚOh! Youâre awake, Miss Swordswoman!â
âŚI ended up being picked up by my best friendâs party, looking like a helpless little girl.
Haha⌠maybe itâs because I just woke up, but I canât keep up with any of this.
âOh, youâre finally awake. Good, good.â
âMorninâ. Howâre you feelinâ? Still hurtinâ anywhere?â
I woke up in an unfamiliar room and was led by the mage girl who called herself Mei down to the main hall.
What the hell is this oversized mansion?
âYou collapsed outta nowhere, scared the crap outta me. This is my hideout. Welcome.â
ââŚMind explaining what the hell is going on?â
âDaaahahaha!! Right, right, you must be totally confused. Long story short, you passed out, so we brought you here. Then Karin hit you with some healing magic.â
âIâm Karin, nice to meetcha!â
ââŚThat research facility?â
âTurned to dust.â
âI see.â
So Rex blew that whole cave to hell? How? Is that something a regular swordsman can even do? Then again⌠if itâs Rex, maybe itâs not so far-fetched.
âYou were out for a whole day, yâknow. âŚAnyway, now we can finally ask your name.â
âYeah, that. We had no idea what to call you, made things awkward.â
âHold up, Rex, you went ahead and started calling her âFlatcheâ all on your own, didnât you?â
âŚFlatche?
âH-Hey Karin! Keep that to yourself! It wouldnât feel great having a random name slapped on you, right?â
âIâve been wonderingâwhat exactly is a âFlatcheâ? Is that some swordsman jargon or something?â
âNah, Iâve never heard that word beforeâŚâ
Rex averted his eyes in every direction, visibly uncomfortable. Ah⌠got it now.
Flatche, huh. Sounds exactly like the kind of crude nickname this jerk would come up with.
He probably thought it was a dumb joke. Gave me a nice little insulting name, didnât he? Well, coming up with a fake name was a hassle anyway. Guess Iâll take his little slang and run with it.
âAlright. Iâve died once already, so letâs call this a fresh start. From now on, Iâll go by the name Flatche.â
âHuh? Youâre changing your name?â
âYeah. Itâs such a charming name, after allâFlatche.â
Hearing that, Rex broke out into a sweat. Of course he did. Must be pretty awkward having your nasty little nickname proudly adopted like that.
So then.
Why am I suddenly referring to myself as âwatashiâ and acting like Iâm actually a girl?
âŚBecause in that short time between waking up and being led to the hall by the mage girl, I was busy figuring out how I was going to play this.
My current situation is⌠delicate. A guy turned into a girl. No wonder Rex didnât recognize me.
When Mei brought me a glass of water, I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the surface.
What I saw there barely resembled the old me.
Short, black hair that stopped at the neck. Sharp, intelligent-looking eyes. Pale, clear skin. A striking girl with a serious air and a strong-willed look in her eyes. Who the hell is this?
When I wiped myself down with the cloth Mei gave me, I took stock of my body. Sure enough, I was female. Small chest, wide hipsâbuilt for childbirth, as they say. Not bad for a swordswomanâlow center of gravity makes balance easier.
There were faint scars all over my body, in places easy to overlook. Probably from whatever those bastards did to me. I donât know the details yet, so Iâll put that aside for now.
Now thenâŚ
What would happen if Rex found out?
Just imagining it is terrifying.
ăBAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I canât!! I canât! You lost, got captured, and turned into a girl!? Thatâs just too tragic!!ă
No doubt about it. Heâd never shut up about it until I dropped dead from the shame. Thatâs the kind of guy Rex is.
I canât let him find out. No matter what, I have to keep this a secret. Which means Iâ
âEveryone, from now on, just call me Flatche. A swordsman always keeps their word. Iâll be counting on you all.â
âWelcome aboard! Looks like Rex can finally start charging in like he wants now.â
âUntil now, heâs had to hang back to protect the rest of us. Weâve been waiting for a second frontline fighter!â
âLookinâ forward to working with ya, Flatche!!â
âI decided to pretend Iâm a complete stranger to Rex. Iâm just a female swordsman. I have no connection to who I used to be.
âHeh heh⌠My haremâs really starting to fill out.â
âŚYeah, thereâs no way this idiot is my best friend.
âBy the way, Rex.â
âWhat?â
I stepped up to him, grinning as creepily as he was, and whispered in his ear:
âSorry my chest is flat.â
âUghâso you did notice. Then why...?â
âOut of spite. Just imagine how disappointed those girls will be once they realize what the name actually means.â
Rex is the kind of pervert who fixates on womenâs chests. The moment someone brings up something dirty, heâs already off rambling about boobs.
âThis is your punishment. Thatâs what you get for being such an idiot.â
â...Iâm sorry.â
âWell, I donât care about stuff like that, so itâs fine. But there are people who would be seriously hurt. So try not to do it again.â
â...Iâll keep that in mind.â
In short, my current body isnât exactly what youâd call voluptuous. Rex probably named me Flatche to poke fun at that.
After hearing my icy warning, Rex shriveled up and started mumbling.
Honestly, I just wanted to feel superior to him in some way, even if only emotionally. Getting to scold him felt pretty damn good.
What a petty little human I am.
.
.
.
Now then. Rex led me to a room inside their hideout and told me I could use it as my personal quarters. It's way bigger than any room Iâve ever owned. Damn it, Rex. Must be nice, having a fancy place like this.
So, here I amâhaving cast off my past and ended up taking on the name Flatche, a beautiful girl against my will. From here on, Iâll cast aside all the ties that once bound me, and live as a lone swordswoman⌠a member of Rexâs partyâ
Yeah, not happening.
Iâve got a lead. I will return to my original form. No matter what, Iâm going back to being a man. Thatâs final.
Jaliva, wasnât it? That zombified sorceress. Thanks to her research, I was revived in a completely new body. That woman likely possesses the technology to construct entirely new bodies using human flesh as raw material.
In other words, if I defeat her and force her into servitude, I might be able to have her reconstruct my original body. Iâll have to make sure Rex doesnât slice her in half the moment we find her.
Until then, Iâll live as just another swordswomanâFlatche. I wonât be able to see Natal or Mom for a while, but if I send them a letter, they wonât worry too much.
âAnd above all else, this whole ordeal has left me with one hell of a debt to the Demon Kingâs Army. Iâll pay them back a thousandfold for this humiliation. That much, Iâve sworn.
Now that Iâve got my long-term goal set, itâs time to deal with the more immediate problems.
Because Iâve turned into a woman, I canât use any of the money, gear, or connections Iâve built up so far. If I walked into a bank looking like this and tried to withdraw from my accounts, Iâd just get branded a con artist.
Which means I want to gear up, but Iâve got no money.
Well⌠I hate to say it, but Iâll have to rely on Rex for now. Iâm going to be a member of his party, after all. He can spot me a little, and I doubt the gods will smite him for it.
Honestly, I still feel some resistance to the idea of teaming up with Rex again. But if weâre up against the power of the Demon Kingâs Army, sticking with him is the smart move. Iâve never met anyone stronger.
Besides, I donât have the luxury of being picky with my optionsânot if I want to turn back into a man. Iâll swallow my pride, fight alongside him, and eventually track down and enslave Jaliva.
So I borrowed some casual clothes from Mei, the mage girl with a similar build to mine. First priority: a sword and some armor. Then other essentialsâdaily supplies, clothing, that kind of thing.
âRex, I need to talk. I want to get some gear of my own. I still have that sword we took off the demons, but... it doesnât quite sit right with me.â
âYeah, figures. Stuff you nabbed off someone else never fits as well as your own. Iâll point you to a good shop later.â
ââŚItâs a bit hard to say, but⌠Iâve got no money. I mean, I had a decent stash before I got killed, but all my old gear and my wallet got taken by the demonsâŚâ
âAh, so itâs a cash problem. No worries. Iâm the one who invited you into the partyâIâll cover you. Weâll just pay for her gear out of the shared funds. That cool with everyone?â
âFine by me. A swordswoman like Flatche is a good investment. Just make sure you earn your keep, okay?â
âI agree. âŚAnd itâs not like weâre short on money anyway. Most of itâs thanks to Lord Rexâs personal earnings.â
So Rex really is rich. Damn it. I had a decent savings account too, but nothing close to affording a place like this.
Well, makes sense. Rex is a big name now. Bet he gets all kinds of lucrative work thrown his way.
âDonât hold back because of the price. Get the gear that feels right to youâno matter the cost. You know how crucial that is for a swordswoman, right?â
âThey say a master doesnât choose their weapon, but when two masters clash, the choice of weapon can make all the difference. I know that well.â
My old instructor at the dojo used to grumble about that all the time.
âIf Iâd had a better sword, Iâd be this countryâs Grand General right nowââheâd say that again and again. Mustâve really eaten at him.
He was a broke noble, and the one he dueled for the generalâs position was from a royal cadet branch. Naturally, there was a huge gap in resources, and even in their duel, the quality of their gear was worlds apart.
And yet, my instructor fought the guy evenly. After clashing a hundred times, he managed to deflect the opponentâs sword in a brief opening and went to strike a finishing blowâonly to realize something.
His own sword had shattered under the strain of their clash.
By the way, that same instructor once got the crap beaten out of him by a five-year-old Rex using a wooden sword. But to be fair, that one doesnât countâthe difference in ability was just ridiculous.
Come on. Wiping the floor with a future Grand General candidate at five? Somethingâs definitely wrong with Rex.
âWell, go ahead and buy whatever you want. Just know Iâll be working you hard to pay it off.â
âI owe you one.â
âOh! In that case, Iâll take you to the shop!â
And so, I headed to a high-end weapon store Iâd never even stepped foot in before, with Mei tagging along.
Itâs someone elseâs money. Iâll go wild with it, waste it shamelessly, and get myself the strongest gear around.
ââŚAre you really going to buy this?â
âItâs important for a swordswoman to choose the weapon that feels right.â
We were at the weapons store. After settling the bill, now decked out in brand-new gear, I stood proudly while Mei looked on with mild disbelief.
âCheap leather armor, small and shabby gauntlets, a light but short and thin swordâŚâ
âI donât do well with heavy gear. Armor that assumes youâll take a hit just slows you down. All I need is something thatâll deflect arrows at most.â
âWouldnât a longer, sturdier sword give you better reach? Lord Rex swings one as tall as he is.â
âThatâs because Rex is freakish enough to move fast even in that gear. Heâs the exception. Most adventurers go for shorter bladesâtheyâre easier to use in tight quarters.â
I took the chance to wax poetic to Mei, who probably didnât know much about swords, being a mage and all.
Ahh⌠what a glorious shopping trip. As expected of a high-end store, their selection was superb.
I donât think Iâve ever had gear that fit me this well. This light, unassuming sword with a blade just over thirty centimeters? It feels like it was made just for me.
I canât stop grinningâŚ
ââŚEven after adding everything up, it didnât cost as much as a single one of my robesâŚâ
âHm? Whatâs wrong, Mei?â
âOh, um⌠Flatche, youâre surprisingly frugalâŚâ
The mage standing beside me looked at me with an odd expressionâlikely because I was beaming from ear to ear.
Please. Donât praise me like that.
Comments (5)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.