Episode 5
“Right, what about him? Eight years ago… Hmm. What was the name of that ignorant knight who did a similar thing, Andert?”
What was it again?
When I couldn’t give a proper answer, Desherro, who’d been watching, said casually.
“It was Sir Griggs Paul, Natasha. I hate to say this in front of Andert, but.. as soon as I heard his name brought up the other day, I sympathized with his angry self for the first time.”
All eyes turned to Desherro as he stood up. Instead of anger, there was curiosity in their gaze, wondering about the reason. Desherro, as if having expected our curiosity, responded.
“Do you know Sir Heloise Pentil, the Berkeley-Gratten Knight? Of course you do. He stood out as a handsome man among that rugged lot of knights.”
Natasha nodded vigorously at Desherro’s words.
“Of course, Desherro. If it’s Heloise Pentil of the Viscounty of Pentil, he’s quite famous. We recognized him as the 6th most handsome in the Allied Forces’ official list.”
…Where do we rank?
“Official handsome list? What on earth… Anyway, it’s related to Sir Heloise Pentil. In fact, it turns out he wasn’t a man, but a woman..”
“What?”
For a moment, I had to stop and replay what Desherro said in my mind. Not a man but a woman.
A woman, a woman…
‘Calm down. He’s not talking about me, it’s about Hel… something Pentil.’
They say a thief’s feet go numb when in fear of being caught, but I was at such a level that my mind was going numb instead.
While I was calming my pounding heart, Natasha finished chewing her candy and sat there absent-mindedly with her mouth agape.
“What a wild joke! Desherro, are you sure you know who Sir Pentil is? His stature is bigger than yours, not to mention his broad shoulders and calves! He’s even taller than Sir Griggs Paul!”
“Is that so? But Natasha, have you ever actually met Viscount Pentil and his wife in person? The Viscount is 2 meters tall, and the Viscountess is similar in height to Raphael. It’s a bloodline who has the bodies of god-gifted warriors.”
“…”
“I heard that the real Sir Heloise Pentil… oh, the real name of the Sir Heloise Pentil we know is Lize Pentil. It seems she joined the knighthood by stealing the identity of her weak younger brother.”
“Hmm. Stealing the identity of her younger brother? Was that necessary?”
When I heard the story, it seemed that Pentil had not used magical transformation like I did, but had simply changed her identity.
Considering the Berkeley-Gratten Knights’ policy of not considering origin and gender, it was a disguise that seemed somewhat excessive.
“There must have been circumstances. I also don’t know all the details.”
I see.
So it was like that.
‘A sister disguising herself as her younger brother to join the military… It’s actually more common than I thought.’
There were as many as two in our headquarters alone! If we were to apply that ratio to the entire Allied Forces, it would be quite a significant percentage, wouldn’t it?
When I realized that there were several comrades like me, a deep sense of camaraderie and compassion blossomed in my heart. Someday, I’d like to form a “sisters disguised as brothers” association if possible…
“I can’t believe it. Goodness, the 6th most handsome guy in the Allied Forces… was actually a beauty, not a handsome man? This could cause quite a stir! We might need to establish a new list of candidates…”
Natasha, who was rolling her head with a more serious look than ever, scanned us with a mischievous look.
“Hehe. By the way, Raphael, Desherro, Andert. All three of you are in the top 20 of the Allied Forces’ official handsome ranking. Aren’t you curious about your exact rankings?”
“Not at all.”
I looked at Desherro, disregarding Raphael’s indifferent answer.
Hmm. Cough, it wasn’t like I was interested, but I asked instead with a hint of curiosity,
“’So…what does the fact that Pentil was a woman have to do with me getting into an quarrel with Griggs Paul?'”
“Sir Griggs Paul and Sir Pentil were friends as close as peas in a pod. They must have gone through all sorts of situations together, so he must have been very distressed to be told she was a woman all of a sudden. When a person’s heart is in turmoil, they’re prone to making big and small mistakes, right?”
At those words, I glanced at Raphael and Natasha, but they didn’t particularly show agreement or disapproval. Their calm attitude made me feel a bit anxious.
“That’s just an excuse. What’s so distressing about a minor incident like gender? If a man turns into a woman, will all the friendships he’s built fall apart?”
It was Natasha who reacted first to that, pitifully.
“Well… he’d be very disappointed if he hadn’t been told by that person and instead just caught them by chance. Depending on the situation, one might feel betrayed.”
Betrayal.
‘…Yeah, that’s only natural.’
I don’t know what I was expecting even though I knew that. I still had a fleeting hope for this tangled, silly matter even after nearly eight years that I had no answer for. It was perplexing.
I thought it might be better to seize this opportunity to get a complete answer and face reality.
“Then what about you guys?”
Raphael, who had been staring into space while holding a cigarette stick for a while, turned to me.
“If my gender turned out to be female, would you go around acting like Griggs Paul?”
His unwavering gaze made it seem like my mouth was drying up.
It was difficult to act nonchalant when I was faced with those red eyes that felt as scorching as lava, which seemed to peek into my head at times.
Of course.
“Hm… It’s flat no matter how I look at it.”
It was still too much to touch my chest.
“…Stop rubbing me.”
“I’m against it.”
“What?”
“I can’t accept it, Andert. If you were a woman, Raphael would fall for you at a glance! That would create an intense rivalry for me.”
Wondering what the hell she was talking about, I looked back at Raphael, only to find that he wasn’t even listening to Natasha. What nonsense.
Natasha, who once again carefully examined my chest and my face, spoke in a sharp voice.
“Pretending not to admit it, Raphael? Do you really think I don’t know your insidious tastes?”
“Sigh.”
“I can clearly see the turmoil you will endure, Raphael. You’ll deny it at first because you wouldn’t be able to believe it. But soon, you’ll accept the truth and feel a great sense of betrayal.”
Rising from his seat, Raphael moved to the entrance of the tent and lit his cigarette. Natasha stared piercingly at the back of his head, clicking her tongue.
“But what you’ll feel will not just be limited to betrayal. Confusion toward someone you trusted and left your back open to like a brother. And the inexplicable, mysteriously intense feelings you’ll have when you face Andert, who’s become a soft woman overnight-“
“Stop right there.”
Natasha, who laughed despite looking visibly tired, took hold of my hand with a face apprehensive like never before.
“But Andert, a lot of your behavior and words today are unlike you. …Could it be that you want to become a woman?”
“Not really.”
“If you want, I will ask around about ways to alter parts of your body and transition them to a new one. Of course, you may miss the body of a man, so I’ll keep the detached parts fresh…”
“Please shut up, Natasha. Your words alone seem to be refluxing the water I just drank.”
Even as I spoke, I couldn’t help but laugh. I wondered if her lengthy discourse was for someone’s benefit or just an act of self-indulgence. Natasha, with her sparkling eyes, felt as cute as a younger sister.
Around the time Natasha’s elaborate explanation about the process became far too lengthy, a fifth presence approached the entrance to the barracks.
“A Support team has arrived from the Northern Continental Union. His Excellency, the Duke of Berkeley-Gratten, has asked for you to attend the operational meeting.”
It was time to return to the front lines.
Daisy during this chapter- don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious!
Also, so this is why when Desherro finds out about Daisy’s identity in chapter 92 or something, she casually goes “I stole my younger brother’s identity to join the military, it’s a pretty common situation” because Desherro might’ve forgotten about the Viscount, but she didn’t lol
And Natasha being a supportive bestie as always bahaha she’s so cute
And since you can see where the support team has come from, I think we’re all expecting a certain someone who stood by our mc’s side for 10 years without her knowledge
Thank you for the chapter!
Side story is doing reverse foreshadowing. Hopefully, Rue won’t jump on that bandwagon. How would it even happen? No direct hit on though, Daisy is in Andert form.