Syria called me senile.
Even if she says harsh things, this is too much.
‘Was she always this rude to me?’
“Besides, you’re so tired that your noble mode is off, and you’re sitting there with your legs wide open. What’s that about? Are you trying to seduce someone?”
“What? No way. Even the Emperor, seriously—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
“The Emperor what?”
“He said I’m his woman.”
If you think about it, it’s not entirely wrong, so I couldn’t argue back.
After all, by imperial law, every woman in the palace belongs to the Emperor.
I never expected him to treat me that way just because I entered the palace, but whatever.
‘If I resist too much, who knows how that lunatic Emperor might treat me?’
***
“Hey, Olivia.”
“What?”
“If the assassination guild and my Teddy Bear Unit fought, who would win?”
“Hmm. The assassination guild and the Teddy Bear Unit. They seem evenly matched. But if I had to choose, the dolls would win in the end. Because dolls can be remade.”
“Don’t do anything weird, okay?”
“This is something I need to settle with the Emperor over a life-or-death bread fight.”
“No, please don’t. That Emperor is seriously dangerous. I don’t fully understand him, but one thing’s clear—honestly, he’s even stranger than the Demon King.”
“The fact that he actually wants war proves that. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I’ve decided to follow his lead. No, to be precise, I have no patriotic feelings for the Empire, and I don’t see any reason to go spreading this information around.”
Anyway.
***
“If Natalia finds out about this…”
“If I find out, then what?”
I flinched.
Natalia was suddenly standing right next to me.
‘What the hell.’
Lately, all kinds of things keep making me curse.
‘Why is Natalia here?’
‘When did she even get here?’
“What the f— Seriously, why are all the women around me so unhinged? No one confessed to me when I was a guy, but now that I’m Olivia, what is this?”
“This is seriously annoying.”
“You literally died fighting the Demon King.”
“That’s exactly my point.”
“Ah. Right. That happened.”
“Shit. It would’ve been nice if someone told me beforehand.”
“Sigh. Thanks for the ridiculously late harem, I guess?”
Honestly, even if they had confessed back then, I don’t know if I would have accepted.
But still, if I’d received those confessions when I was a guy, I probably wouldn’t have been so reckless about dying.
Maybe I would’ve held on a little longer and avoided that fight with the Demon King.
At the very least, if I had known what that bastard truly was, I would’ve used that knowledge instead of provoking him.
But no, I just had to screw myself over.
How stupid.
If only I had looked for another way.
***
“Why are you getting all worked up over that?”
“It’s not a compliment, you guys.”
‘Why are they getting embarrassed?’
“But is it true that His Majesty likes you?”
“I don’t know.”
I shook my head at Natalia’s question.
That man jokes around all the time.
He doesn’t seem like the type to fall for a woman just because she doesn’t have a husband.
“The princess likes you too, you know.”
“Let’s not talk about that.”
‘If she ever finds out who I really am, it’ll be a nightmare.’
‘The person she’s been trying to get close to—me—turning out to be Noah?’
Just thinking about how her face would twist in horror is terrifying.
No, it might go beyond that.
She might try to move into the Ashtar territory.
Or worse, she might give up her claim to the throne altogether.
At worst, she could even try to use her power to keep me by her side through threats.
Ugh. Just imagining it makes me shudder.
“And the imperial princess probably has feelings for you too.”
“Why are all the important people around me insane?!”
“I seriously don’t get it.”
“Well, they say love makes people crazy.”
“Yeah, but what you guys are talking about doesn’t sound like love at all. Right?”
At least, the love I know is something pure.
Just looking at the other person makes your heart race, your face heat up, and simply being together makes you happy.
“You saying that is just wrong.”
“Yeah, especially since you’re the least normal one here.”
“Stop ganging up on me.”
‘What did I ever do to deserve this?’
***
“By the way, you can use void magic, right? Isn’t that an ancient lost magic?”
“Yeah. There aren’t many records on why it disappeared, but if you think about it, the reason is obvious.”
“Did you forget where I’m from?”
“Well, true.”
“That place is filled with strange magical records. People avoid it, but if you dig deep, there’s a lot of history there. Of course, it’s so dangerous that no one dares to enter, like a demon realm.”
“By the way, you actually joined the Mage Division?”
“What’s the problem with that?”
“I mean, it’s just funny. Noah, in the Mage Division?”
“What’s so funny about that, you bastard?”
“Whatever. How’s Crad Castle?”
“They withdrew most of the troops, leaving only the defense forces. Ashtar’s second son is in charge now.”
“Oh, that guy.”
“As long as the second son keeps guarding Crad Castle, there shouldn’t be any problems. Clanis knows nothing about war. And Crad’s army is strong.”
“Wow. Hearing you talk like that is shocking. The world really is full of surprises. Noah calling someone ‘big brother’—”
For a moment, even I imagined it.
Noah, not Olivia, calling Ashtar’s brothers “big brother.”
‘Ugh.’
Thank god I’m biologically a woman now.
But even just imagining it makes me want to throw up.
I feel like killing myself.
“Shit. Should I just off myself?”
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop teasing you.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“But there’s still something else I need to ask.”
***
“Since we’re on the topic, how’s the Hero’s Party doing?”
“The Hero’s Party?”
“Yeah, the Hero’s Party.”
“They’re important. Since they’re the Hero’s Party, they’ll be crucial in the war against the demons. Or maybe in the upcoming war in general.”
“Even though they come from different backgrounds, they were appointed by the kingdom. If war breaks out in the Empire, they’ll have to support the Empire. Honestly, I should be the one handling things alone, but the Emperor seems to have other plans. So whatever I lack, they’ll have to make up for.”
“Well, in the case of your younger sister, it seems she’s gotten a bit closer to the second son, probably because I gave her a heads-up. But the Hero…”
“The Hero?”
“Are you sure you want to hear this?”
Judging by the reaction, that bastard must have pulled some ridiculous stunt again.
Let’s hear it. If that Hero idiot still hasn’t gotten his act together, that’s going to be a problem.
“I need to know if I should kill him next time or not.”
“…I just happened to overhear something.”
“You overheard something?”
“I heard the Saint and the Elf talking about how they were worried because the Hero was training so hard.”
“Him?”
‘Wouldn’t that actually be a good thing?’
“Luckily, it doesn’t seem like Noelle and the second son of Ashtar just stood by and let things slide. Yeah, if we want to turn that Hero into a proper person, we have to work him hard.”
“But then he said, ‘I will definitely make Lady Ashtar mine. I want to make those huge breasts my own! Unlike you guys, who just had fun, I truly mean it!'”
‘He wants to make me his? My… chest?’
“…Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“He already seems to have imagined having kids with you.”
Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.
The thought of that idiot touching me, doing whatever he wants with me—it sends chills down my spine.
I absolutely cannot let this slide.
That bastard has committed a crime just by having such filthy thoughts.
“I need to catch him and cut his damn head off.”
I already took down the Demon King.
The Hero won’t be any different.
“I’ll just do it. Everything in life is about taking action first.”
“Well… it’s true that they’re big.”
Outrageously so.
“But still, if—”
“Right?”
“Really?”
“Then I should just shrink them.”
“Let’s control it as precisely as possible and shrink them down.”
But then, out of nowhere, Syria dropped to her knees in front of me.
“A-Ah! No! Please don’t!”
Syria, having confirmed that my chest was shrinking, tried to stop me.
“Why not? It’s inconvenient in battle. Big breasts are the worst for someone in a combat role.”
“But… but you can just secure them with a bra! Why would you throw away dreams and hopes so easily?!”
‘Dreams and hopes?’
She must be talking about the Hero’s dreams and hopes.
‘Why the hell should I care about something so stupid?’
“To be honest, it’s annoying for me too. Wearing a bra is uncomfortable.”
“Olivia, as your Lightblade, let me remind you that your skills are more than enough to compensate for that.”
“Seriously…”
Goddamn it.
‘Are these women insane? Why are they so obsessed with my chest?’
In the end, my rebellion was crushed.
***
“Come to think of it, I overheard something from the Magic Division earlier.”
“What is it?”
“They said we’ll be able to visit the Holy Kingdom soon.”
The Holy Kingdom…
That’s where that old fox is.
“A field trip?”
“Yeah. Since this country has an awkward relationship with the Goddess Church, Ashtar sends the Magic Division to the Holy Kingdom regularly for exchange programs.”
“Oh, great…”
I should never have come here.
I have to meet that old fox of a Pope? Damn it.
I should have waited until the Magic Division returned from their trip before coming here.
“…No, wait. I’m Lady Ashtar.”
“That’s true.”
“So, using my authority as a noble lady… I could just skip the trip.”
“That should work, right?”
“Lightblade, I find it quite amusing to see Olivia using her authority like this, when she never even used it back when she was Noah.”
“I agree. Wow, this is something worth watching. The great Noah turning into Olivia and now wielding her power?”
“…Shit.”
The curse nearly slipped out.
“Besides, you’re a Saint, aren’t you? Rumor has it that even the Pope is looking forward to meeting you.”
“…That same Pope who looks down on the Goddess Church of the Empire like it’s garbage?”
‘The Holy Kingdom is looking forward to meeting the Imperial Saint?’
“The Pope has his own rules.”
“Yeah, but still… this is a bit much.”
Honestly, this is just weird.
Of all people, I absolutely do not want to meet the Pope.
That old fox will recognize me immediately, and that will be a huge problem.
‘Should I just send Bernoa instead? That would solve everything.’
‘..No, that man wouldn’t fail to recognize Bernoa either.’
Damn it, this is a real headache.
***
BANG!
“What the hell was that?”
I had enough on my mind already, but when I looked out the window, I saw students from the Magic Division trying to replicate the void spheres I had created.
They were making giant spheres using non-elemental magic, as well as spheres based on different elements.
That’s… not how you do it.
It looks like they’re trying to study my technique and replicate it somehow, which is impressive in its own way.
‘But lightning magic? That’s definitely not going to work.’
—Isn’t elemental magic impossible for this?
—If anything, non-elemental magic has the highest chance.
—But non-elemental magic doesn’t have any advanced spells.
Not exactly, but it doesn’t connect to void magic.
At least these students have more curiosity than those idiots from Atlerina.
They’re actually trying to learn something.
The problem is that all their efforts are ultimately pointless.
Void magic is somewhat related to non-elemental magic, as it’s purely based on mana, but none of the fundamental magic principles they’re learning will help them.
If they keep this up, it could turn into a disaster.
“For now, calming down the Magic Division students should be the top priority.”
Otherwise, this place is going to have its own set of problems soon.