“How do I fix this?”
That was my first question to restore my body to its original state.
“I don’t know.”
That was the only answer I could get from the lizard, who had a faint smile on his face.
‘What the hell? Is he picking a fight?’
I could feel the veins bulging on my forehead at Orphion’s shameless attitude.
The irony of the situation was that my body had grown so absurdly young that I probably didn’t need to worry about collapsing from high blood pressure anymore.
Anyway, it seemed like the lizard in front of me didn’t fully grasp the seriousness of the situation.
***
[Frozen]
“Hey, Asher. Wait!”
As soon as I drew a massive magic circle in the air, it covered the entire area with pure white snowflakes.
Only then did Orphion hastily grab my wrist, the smile vanishing from his face.
As expected, the universal truth that “seeing is believing” even applied to dragons.
“I really didn’t know. I didn’t think the spell would have such side effects,” he said in a hurried tone.
What followed was the location where Orphion had found the parchment he handed to me long ago.
In his now-panicked voice, the source of the spell that turned me into this mess was finally revealed.
“Diark?”
“Yeah. According to the ‘wanderer,’ it was hidden in Diark’s secret vault.”
What I had learned was the name of an ancient kingdom that had long been destroyed.
Orphion’s claim that he didn’t know how to undo it turned out to be true.
‘…Why did it have to be Diark of all places?’
The Diark Kingdom was one of the oldest ruins on the continent.
Its history remained largely a mystery, making it one of the most enigmatic ruins of all.
In other words, it would be incredibly difficult to find the creator of this bizarre life-extending magic, let alone the method to reverse it.
So I demanded to know why he couldn’t just get me a more typical life-extension spell.
“You asked for something effective. You said you couldn’t hold on any longer with ordinary ones.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
“Then this is your own fault.”
***
My past self, who wrote Orphion a long letter—mostly filled with self-pity—had effectively contradicted me.
When Orphion added that I should just be glad my body had become healthy, I could only sigh.
“Your mana is stable, and your life force is restored. What’s there to worry about?”
“I turned into a girl.”
“…Is that such a big problem?”
“It is for me, at least.”
“I don’t get it. Some people even make deals with demons to become young again.”
“The problem isn’t that I became younger. It’s that I turned into a girl….”
There was no point arguing with someone who had lived for over a thousand years and whose empathy was practically nonexistent.
He probably didn’t even understand the concept of physiological embarrassment.
Not that a dragon would ever relate to human emotions tied to gender.
“Well, I suppose your disciples would find this amusing.”
“…Ah.”
That’s when it hit me—my disciples.
And with that realization came the horrifying image of their reactions if they saw me like this—a tiny girl.
‘This is… quite interesting…. Pfft.
‘I never knew our master had such peculiar tastes—’
“…Let me go ahead and order a dress. Oh, and ribbons with gemstones too!”
“Master, could you use the body duplication spell just once? I want to cuddle you every day and—”
And so, I had one more reason to return to my original form.
Knowing how unhinged they already were, I could only imagine them treating me like a toy if they saw me like this.
The problem was that I couldn’t think of a way to undo this yet.
Even in the novels I remembered, there wasn’t a single case like mine.
Not one.
‘Do I have to experiment on my own body?’
As hopelessness started to rise, I found myself entertaining useless ideas like ‘Could I modify relic restoration magic for human use?’
That was when Orphion suggested something unexpected: “why not just disappear for now?”
“Since you don’t have a proper identity with that body anyway, why not hide out in some remote village until you figure something out?”
“What about the disciples?”
“You ever think that your coddling is why they’ve turned out so spoiled?”
He poked my forehead with his finger, wearing a slightly annoyed expression.
“You’re past the age where you should be taking care of them, Asher. How long do you plan to micromanage everything for them?”
“Never thought I’d hear this from you.”
“I’m just saying it because it’s frustrating to watch. Why are you so clueless when it comes to this stuff?”
‘I wanted to argue.’
‘But I couldn’t, because I had to admit he might have a point.’
‘I’d been spoiling them too much.’
‘The more they caused trouble, the more I cleaned up after them, which only encouraged them to cause more trouble.’
‘Maybe some time apart wouldn’t be such a bad idea.’
While I was lost in thought, trying to figure out what to do next, something fell with a light thud.
A familiar piece of parchment landed in front of Orphion.
Orphion tilted his head quizzically before opening it.
Exactly ten seconds later, his expression froze.
[I, Asher Astoria, leave this memory-altering orb to my friend Orphion. Additionally… please take care of my disciples if I’m no longer here…]
“Hey, Asher?”
It turned out to be my will—just in case of emergencies.
“The issue was that I was still alive.”
“No, the real problem is that you entrusted your disciples to me. Why am I supposed to take care of those brats?”
“…I couldn’t think of anyone else. Besides, once you see the memory orb, you’ll understand… No, forget it. We’ll talk about this later.”
For now, the pressing question was why the will’s magic had been activated.
Even though I was healthier than ever, I had to figure out why the will’s magic had judged me as dead.
“…Could it be because I turned into a woman?”
The answer came unexpectedly simple.
It made sense.
The “male” Asher Astoria no longer existed in this world.
To the will’s magic, it must have seemed like I had vanished from existence overnight.
When I thought about it, the situation wasn’t strange.
In fact, it might be a relief that the magic worked properly.
Except for one critical detail: the will’s recipients weren’t limited to Orphion.
…This is bad.
“What now?”
“The will. It probably went to the disciples too.”
“That is a problem.”
A headache came over me.
One disaster in a lifetime was enough, but today, catastrophe after catastrophe kept piling up.
‘What was wrong with today?’
Orphion, on the other hand, seemed to think all these incidents were working out for the better.
His meaningful expression as he revisited his earlier suggestion and expanded on it was proof.
“I’ll introduce you to a noble. He’ll adopt you as his foster daughter.”
“What…?”
“Think about it, Asher. If you’re going to disappear, you should do it properly.”
There’s no better way to hide than becoming a completely different person.
Orphion stood up, his face carrying a mischievous grin.
“What are you planning now?”
“Preparing to turn you into a noble lady.”
“…You’re seriously going to have me adopted by a noble family?”
“Don’t worry. Dreven’s a decent guy. He won’t try anything funny.”
‘If Orphion said someone was decent, they probably were.’
The problem was the sheer delight he seemed to be taking in the current situation.
“Your disciples… they’ll be fine for now. They won’t defy the will of the master they respected so much.”
“And how would you know what I left in that will?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Something like ‘Don’t cause trouble’ or ‘Live a good life,’ right?”
“…You’re not wrong.”
“See?”
In the end, even logic was on Orphion’s side.
In other words, I would have to live under the new identity Orphion created for me until I found a way to return to normal.
‘If I looked at it optimistically, it might be a chance to fix the disciples’ habits.’
‘Nothing could be more shocking to them than their master’s (fake) death.’
‘If they tried anything weird, I could deal with it when the time came.’
I hoped they’d realize I couldn’t always be there for them and make an effort to live better lives.
Thinking this way made me feel like I had truly become their parent, which was a strangely bittersweet feeling.
“Don’t worry. No matter what, I wouldn’t do anything to harm a friend.”
“…You only call me a friend in moments like this.”
“I mean, don’t stress yourself out over nothing. There’s nothing sadder than a funny guy like you dying young.”
Orphion followed up by saying he’d try to find a solution on his end as well.
He really seemed eager to turn me into a noble lady.
“Let’s be honest. What could be more entertaining than seeing a ‘sage’ live as a lovely young lady?”
“…Of course.”
“Well, it’s not like you’d lose anything. Just live quietly as a noblewoman for now.”
At almost the same moment, snap.
Orphion flicked his fingers.
It was a high-level clothing spell, and noble-style dresses and accessories adorned my body.
“…Is this really your taste?”
“This is me being modest.”
“Modest?”
“Think back to when you first met the imperial princess. Imagine what she was wearing at the time.”
***
Once again, I was left speechless.
‘Why was someone who usually acted so thoughtlessly so annoyingly logical now?’
In front of me, a teleportation magic circle appeared.
As if to strike while the iron was hot, Orphion brought me to a certain noble household.
“Introduce yourself. She’ll be your foster daughter from now on. Her name will be… Letter.”
“…Understood.”
Orphion left those words with a man who looked around my original age and promptly returned to his lair.
Strangely enough, the man who had suddenly become my foster father didn’t question anything.
He simply said, “Orphion must have his reasons.”
‘…What kind of sweet-talking did Orphion do to convince him?’
Regardless, for now, I had to follow this man to the grand mansion.
First things first, I needed to figure out what this new life would entail.
Even if this life was only temporary “until I find a way back to normal,” experiencing it didn’t seem so bad.
And barely ten minutes later—
***
“Let’s get you a bath first. The water is already warm.”
“…Huh?”
“Alice, please take care of Lady Letter.”
“Excuse me?”
“Come along, my lady. Please be careful not to trip.”
I found myself completely at a loss as I faced a series of first-time experiences.
It was somewhat similar to raising young Karian in the past, but being “raised” by someone else was a first for me.
…ooo…
In the end, I was bathed with the help of a maid named Alice, lost in deep thought.
But as my body soaked in the warm water, I couldn’t help but feel drowsy.
‘…Is this what dragons find entertaining?’
***
Orphion, resting in his lair as usual, muttered as he rose to his feet.
“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”
Naturally, I had to make something clear to the uninvited guests who had begun showing up one after another, starting with the assassin in front of me.
“Your brats are such a mess that no one but me can handle them, huh?”
“…Where is the master?”
“Why not go ahead and ask for his permission before you even take a breath?”
“This is no time for jokes!”
“…Jokes?”
Crack.
Orphion’s crimson pupils split vertically.
Large, broad wings began to grow from his shoulders.
Crack.
Snap.
Thick scales and a long tail gradually covered his body.
[Did you really think I was that easy to deal with, you whelps?]
Shiver.
The foolish intruders, who dared enter a dragon’s lair, were overwhelmed by his aura.
But not a single one of them stepped back, causing Orphion to smirk.