NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
“Hero?”
Is that?
“Technically, it’s a former hero. Hero Leo Starfield. It’s a name you might have heard at least once, right?”
“I might not know. If you ask a newborn baby if they know you, they wouldn’t be able to answer.”
“Well, that’s obviously the case.”
I looked at the woman talking with Leticia, who had an awkward expression on her face, as if she couldn’t believe it.
‘Is this woman Leo?’
With long, magnificent blonde hair that flowed down to her waist and beautifully shining red eyes that looked like they contained jewels, she had delicate features—a small nose and lips—that were enough to captivate anyone’s gaze.
She was that beautiful.
It wouldn’t be strange to say her face was like a doll, intricately crafted by a master artisan. The sight of her red eyes, slightly downcast as if troubled, looked so wistful that I found it strange to think of her as Leo.
‘…It’s not very important, but her breasts are quite big too.’
Is it a universal law that women become pretty and also grow larger breasts? When you think about it, it wasn’t surprising, considering her original form was handsome. If you look closely, there were strikingly many similarities to Leo.
Her unique, glamorous golden hair was a pride and symbol of Leo, making it even more noticeable. Many citizens of the empire had blonde hair, but none had such flashy golden hair like Leo.
Still, it was unbelievable. How could two friends transform into women and meet again like this?
We had jokingly chatted about what would happen if the two of us became women when we were boys, but I never expected it to become a reality.
It really is true that you never know how things will turn out. I hadn’t wished for this reunion at all.
That’s why I denied it.
Who would believe it? If word got out that the hero had changed from a man to a woman. Of course, while Leo’s dream of becoming a big-breasted beautiful girl seems to have come true, I still let out a hollow laugh, rubbing my eyes in disbelief.
And then I asked Leticia.
“…As far as I know, Leo Starfield is supposed to be a man, right? Did the hero have a younger sister or something?”
“I told you earlier. They were cursed. This fool entered a dungeon left by the Mazoku all by himself and touched an ancient artifact that seems to have been left behind by them.”
At Leticia’s sharp gaze, Leo, with an awkward expression, just turned away.
“Well, it’s not like he touched it because he wanted to, but it’s a big part of the situation that it’s his fault.”
The curse, which only changed his gender while leaving his strength intact, seemed simple yet complex, making matters even more awkward, Leticia continued to speak. When I looked at the woman, presumed to be Leo, with a face demanding the truth, she shrugged her shoulders.
“Even in this form, I am Leo Starfield.”
“……Really?”
“Is there any reason to joke about this? Just revealing that the hero has become a woman in front of the Mazoku is already a big deal. Don’t you believe me?”
“Leo, don’t speak so forcefully.”
Leticia coldly rebuked Leo, who was grumbling irritably. When Leo caught Leticia’s fierce glare, he raised one eyebrow in surprise.
“I never thought I’d see the day when you would side with the Mazoku. The world has really changed. Is she really that special of a Mazoku?”
“…Special. She’s a Mazoku who holds the hope of lifting your curse, so don’t hate her too much.”
“By the looks of your attitude, it seems there’s another reason behind it. In other words, I have no reason to like her either. To be honest, the reason I have changed like this is partly because of the Mazoku.”
Leo spoke in a low voice with a fierce expression. This time, Leticia seemed to have no words to say, as she closed her mouth. Yeah, with that rude attitude and the occasional crude joke, Leo was indeed who I remembered.
It seemed he had been cursed with a true transformation. Moreover, touching that suspicious ancient artifact and involving the Mazoku made things worse. Truly, luck was nowhere to be found.
Among the Mazoku I knew, there was only one who would leave a curse like that on a hero.
‘Was it the Demon King?’
But why would the Demon King need to turn a hero into a woman? If he wanted to kill, he would kill; why go through the trouble of making him a woman? Unless the Demon King had a peculiar preference for turning men into women, it didn’t make sense. The more I thought about it, the more convoluted the situation felt, and I frowned.
If the Demon King had actually planned this entire situation, he would have just made the hero a woman and prevented them from using their powers entirely. However, it seemed that even though Leo had changed into a woman, he still appeared to retain his strength.
Just by looking at the mana tightly encasing his body like a fortress, I never had the thought that he—no, she—had weakened. I scoffed at Leo’s actions while quietly observing the situation as I leaned against the wall.
“In the end, the point is that without my help, you can’t lift the curse. From the looks of it, you don’t seem to have any intention of going back.”
“…Are you really suggesting that? You’re incredibly rude.”
“I suppose we can call this mutual disregard. It could also be seen as a form of racial hatred. You, after all, are the incredibly rude one; I don’t know if you realize that.”
“You have a way of twisting your words. You seem to have a knack for using euphemisms, huh?”
Whether then or now, that annoying personality hasn’t changed at all. Rude and crude, yet he honestly fulfills his duties as a hero, serving as a sturdy sword and shield looking ahead. That’s who I remembered Leo Starfield to be.
So, in hopes of affirming that she truly was Leo, I slightly provoked her, not expecting her to take the bait so well. Thanks to that, I could conclude she was indeed the real Leo.
The aura of a divine protector was overwhelming, as if not a mere exaggeration from the blessings of the gods. It felt like the volcanic eruption of purity surged forth from Leo.
Was this what every Mazoku felt when facing Leo? I had learned a fact I hadn’t wanted to know. As Leo tried to draw his sword with a furrowed brow, hands placed on his waist—
“Don’t fight in my room. It’s full of important research materials; are you really going to burn them?”
—or was stopped by Leticia’s hand.
“I told you to fix that hot temper of yours. You couldn’t fix it even after we got married… You’re really causing trouble for Chloe.”
With a frustrated exclamation, Leticia’s fist landed on Leo’s head, and Leo almost cried out. At the same time, the mana that had been gathering around Leo dispersed into the air.
He looked far too pathetic to be called a hero, and it made me wonder if her personality had changed since becoming a woman. Unlike before, she was now more easily provoked. Was her demeanor approaching that of a woman more than a man? It was ambiguous how to describe it.
It was clear that many things must have happened in the meantime. It seemed she had gone through a lot of hardships after becoming a woman. Her face looked a bit haggard.
“I know you’re on edge right now, but keep in mind that there are important research materials in this room to lift your curse.”
“…I know.”
“And Charlotte too.”
“I said I’m not one to fight if it’s a battle that I can’t win. I never intended to fight from the start.”
Maybe being half-non-human Mazoku had an effect, but just feeling the divine aura emanating from the holy sword made my body tingle. It was as if I was being purified. In the past, I wouldn’t have cared at all, but now the divine presence felt disgusting.
I was struggling to hold myself together.
With a vague gesture of my hand, Leticia smiled as if she had no other choice. In contrast, Leo wore an expression reminiscent of a third-rate villain, caught between the decision to confront or retreat.
So without thinking, I spoke up.
“Is that supposed to be a hero?”
“Keep those thoughts to yourself!”
“If you hadn’t started this, I wouldn’t have said anything like this.”
“You think it’s easy….”
In this feeling of déjà vu, Leo seemed to be taken aback by her own words and fell silent. I too fell silent. Leo looked at me as if I were someone she shouldn’t be looking at.
“You… No, never mind.”
As Leo seemed about to say something to me, she glanced toward Leticia beside her and closed her mouth again. With the air between us rapidly turning awkward, Leticia raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Leo looked at me with a slightly reluctant expression, narrowing her eyes, hesitating to speak. Was she seeing Damien Redius in me, or was there another reason?
Unless Leo spoke up, it was a mystery I couldn’t solve. Then, a selection window appeared before me.
[Choose one of the options to speak.]
[1. Why did you stop talking? Why don’t you continue?]
[2. How about showing us now? What exactly is the curse? And also talk about that suspicious ancient artifact the hero touched.]
[3. Let’s stop the trivial conversation and get to the point quickly.]
This one is number 2.
“How about showing us now? What exactly is the curse? And also talk about that suspicious ancient artifact the hero touched.”
“Oh, back to the point, huh.”
Leticia wiped the look of intrigue off her face and continued with a serious explanation.
“We’ve uncovered the curse left by the Mazoku. It was a curse placed by the ‘Lust’ Rizatra, whom we had hunted down before. As for the artifact in question… it’s either been destroyed at the moment Leo touched it, or its whereabouts remain unknown.”
“So that’s why we need your help. Maybe the devil or the Mazoku can resolve this situation. That’s what Leticia said. In other words, it means she’d go to any lengths to return.”
Listening quietly to Leticia’s continued words, I stroked my chin and said bluntly.
“If it’s not uncomfortable, wouldn’t it be okay to live as a woman like this?”
The behavior seemed undeniably feminine, so one possible method to avoid resolving the curse was to live as a woman instead of returning to being a man.