Episode 7
After several days of traveling by carriage, we arrived at a town located at the foothills of the Ivadale Mountains, north of the capital where the Royal Military Academy was located.
As we disembarked from the carriage in front of the inn where we would be staying, I couldn’t help but look up at the imposing Ivadale Mountains. When seen up close, they seemed to rise like vertical walls, even more awe-inspiring than the distant view from the capital.
The reason I had suggested this place as our training ground had three aspects.
First, it was because this area served as a lair for powerful monsters. Around the Royal Military Academy near the capital, adventurers had already cleared out most of the monsters for safety reasons. With so few monsters to hunt and everyone vying for them, efficiency was low. I explained this first reason to everyone.
Second, it was to receive magical training from the renowned Grand Sage Roelotius, often referred to as the official cheat. I needed to master more impressive magic than just poison magic to gain recognition from my peers. So, it was imperative to learn magic and become proficient with it. I wanted to learn magic and become an official cheat.
The third reason was to retrieve rare equipment hidden within the mountains. If the in-game information remained consistent, I should be able to find this rare equipment here. Since the Class Competition would be a team battle, it was important to strengthen all seven of us, and rare equipment would be a great boost.
I knew that the latter two reasons wouldn’t be understood by everyone, so I emphasized the first reason, which was about monster hunting. In reality, this location was indeed the most efficient place to level up, as confirmed by various game strategy guides.
“Why did we have to come all the way out here?” Nyuma complained as she stretched her body to relieve the stiffness that had set in after the long carriage ride.
I sensed Nyuma’s skepticism about this decision, and it was clear that I still didn’t have everyone’s trust.
“There’s no benefit to doing that. And I agree that it’s the best for training.”
Lamia says so and protects me.
“Okay, but don’t leave us behind,” Nyuma replied before picking up her luggage and heading into the inn.
“Sorry about that, Viper. Nyuma can be a bit stubborn sometimes,” Lamia apologized with a sincere expression. She seemed to be the only one with some common sense in this quirky group.
“It’s okay. I’m used to it,” I replied.
“It might not be a good thing to get used to it. Well, training begins tomorrow. Today, let’s take it easy! Oh, by the way, where’s Elsha?”
Lamia looked around, but there was no sign of Elsha.
Elsha was an unusual girl; she would often wander without informing anyone. The situation was no different at this moment.
“I’ll go look for her. I also have some shopping to do,” I offered.
“Great. Thanks for that. We’ll count on you,” Lamia said.
My shopping couldn’t be done with others around, so this was a perfect opportunity. I quickly brought my belongings into the inn and made my way to the marketplace.
◆
Grand Sage Roelotius. In the game, to recruit him as a party member, you needed to have a girl in your party when you went to persuade him.
Therefore, although it wasn’t explicitly stated in the story, I had a hunch that Roelotius had a penchant for women. There was a possibility that if a man went to request his training, he might not be as willing to help.
Of course, one of my party members could assist in persuading Roelotius. However, that would be equivalent to betraying one of my companions.
I was committed to living an honest life. Deceiving my party members to take them to Roelotius would be an act of betrayal.
So, I decided to take the first step toward becoming the official cheat by transforming into a woman.
I went shopping for women’s clothing alone, making my way to the marketplace. The marketplace was bustling with adventurers planning to train in the mountains, merchants, and townsfolk.
After a short walk, I found a shop selling women’s clothing.
“Welcome. What are you looking for?” The shopkeeper, an elderly lady, greeted me.
“Uh… well… It’s a gift for a tall woman. She has broad shoulders and rough hands,” I replied, suppressing my embarrassment and shame as I explained my peculiar request.
I couldn’t help but wonder why I had to resort to cross-dressing in another world, but I needed to execute my plan.
“That sounds like quite the challenge. How about this dress? It flares out at the bottom, which would help hide any body shape,” the shopkeeper suggested, showing me a green dress. It was long enough to avoid exposing too much skin.
“I see… that sounds good. Can I try it on?”
“Huh… W-wait, you’re going to try it on?”
The shopkeeper gave me a horrified look.
“Uh… well, our body types are similar, so…”
“I see what you mean. There’s a fitting room in the back. Go ahead and try it on.”
The shopkeeper pointed to a building behind her. I took the green dress and made my way to the back of the shop.
◆
After buying clothing and makeup for my transformation, I carried my purchases discreetly in a dark paper bag. Then, I embarked on my second mission: to locate Elsha.
Wandering through the marketplace, I found Elsha standing in front of a shop selling delicious-smelling baked goods. The aroma of freshly cooked crepes wafted through the air.
“Elsha, I found you,” I said.
Elsha turned to me with a smile and pointed to the crepe being prepared right then.
“Want to have some together?”
“That’s not what I meant… If you’re going shopping, at least tell someone before you disappear. Everyone will worry about you.”
“Everyone?” Elsha looked puzzled.
“By everyone, I mean our teammates.”
“Oh, right… Sorry… Fufu, it’s my first time, you know? Yeah, yeah… Huh? Is it really? Why is that, I wonder?”
Elsha’s gaze drifted towards an empty space as she continued talking to someone only she could see.
“Hey… Are you talking to a spirit again?”
“Yeah, it’s Luciel.”
The invisible spirit’s name was apparently Luciel.
“What were you talking about?”
“About us. Luciel said you were the first one who didn’t find it creepy and talked to us. Oh, and he’s curious about why you have women’s clothes.”
“Wait… He can see it!?”
“He’s a spirit.”
It seemed that Luciel was well aware of what was inside my paper bag.
“Are you a pervert?”
“No, it’s not like that… This is a gift for Areniki,” I hastily replied. It was a lie that came out surprisingly naturally. Wait a minute! I live an honest life! I can’t lie to my comrades!
“Actually! It’s not for her… I’m… I want to cross-dress!”
I blurted out my confession, but it sounded like an excuse. No, no! I must live honestly! I couldn’t lie to my companions!
Even after receiving my confession, Elsha didn’t move. “That’s right,” she said with a grin.
“I think you’ll look good in it because you have a nice figure, Viper.”
Elsha seemed sincere in her compliment as she stretched her body and patted my head.
“Th-thank you…”
I was caught off guard by her unexpected reaction.
“Oh, it looks like the crepe is ready. Let’s eat it when we get back to the inn… Hehe, Luciel, eating while walking is bad manners.”
Elsha began to walk toward the inn, humming a tune, and chatting with Luciel, the spirit.
She was indeed an oddball and had a strong presence in this world, but talking to her made me realize that she was a kind person who embraced me even after learning about my crossdressing plans.
Perhaps, if I gave the others a chance, they might not be bad people either. With a more positive outlook, I walked alongside Elsha toward the inn.
