In the deep night when everyone was fast asleep.
The Medial Plain, bathed in moonlight, had already been harvested, leaving only the brown roots of the grass behind.
In just a few days, a fire would be set to burn the roots, returning the ash to nourish the land.
In the distance, the Church of the Celestial God stood, gleaming in the moonlight.
The wall of purity sparkled so much that even in moonlight, its pure white was clearly visible.
– So, is the plan a failure?
The shadow of a snake writhing on the ground looked bizarre.
It was only about the size of a calf, but its body was that of a snake, while its head was covered with countless other heads, resembling a cluster of ripe grapes.
“That can’t be.”
And the shadow sitting next to the snake stretched and replied.
Its voice carried a hint of laughter, giving it a lighthearted feel.
“I didn’t even think it would work out anyway. So I can’t really consider it a failure.”
– I still can’t understand your plans. Why is it so difficult to toy with a mere healer like that?
“Don’t underestimate just one healer. It’s not something to take lightly.”
The woman’s shadow turned to look at the snake.
It seemed to grin as its jaw twitched.
“The greatest happiness must be met with the worst misfortune. Only then can it become a proper vessel, don’t you think?”
– What does that even matter? A vessel is just a vessel; it only needs to be used properly.
The sound of scales clashing sent chills down the spine.
With every coil, the shadow morphed.
A shadow that left no trace on the ground.
“Is it because you’re a snake that you don’t understand the aesthetics of sacrifice? This is why people say demons are just strong idiots.”
A loud sound resounded.
The shadow, originally the size of a calf, soon grew to that of a bull, and the shadow expanded just as much.
The shadow cast by the moonlight kept growing, and the hissing sound became extremely rough.
The woman’s shadow swirled around and faced the snake.
“Enough already, you snake bastard. If you weren’t neutral, I’d never join hands with an idiot like you. Just do your job. Make sure the demons stop acting up. Especially that vampire; tell that bastard to behave before I personally go and rip him apart. Got it?”
– …….
“If you understand, then get lost before I kill you. Just do what you’re told. It means behave yourself. Got it?”
As soon as her words ended, the serpent’s form faded away.
Finally, once it concealed itself, only the shadow of the woman remained.
“…Working with these idiots is driving me insane. There’s no helping it until that person returns… Huh.”
The woman’s shadow slowly vanished as well.
In that empty spot, only the moonlight softly illuminated the scene.
*
Tomorrow was the day of departure.
Yona, unusually restless, tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Today, she had just dropped Rubina off at the orphanage.
She promised repeatedly that she would definitely come back, insisting that if she waited just a little longer here, she would absolutely come for her.
Maybe that’s why Rubina hadn’t shown any tears as she looked at Yona’s back while turning away.
It was so unlike a child that Yona’s heart ached even more.
And in this moment, the emptiness of the bed where she had always slept with Rubina was almost unbearable.
‘It should be the right choice…’
She knew the answer.
From Rubina’s perspective, it was the right choice. That was something nobody could deny.
With Ceres as her guardian and instructions directly from the Pope, no one would neglect her.
In fact, she would likely receive even more special care than the other kids in the orphanage.
So, from Rubina’s point of view, it was indeed the right thing.
But for Yona, it was hard to say if it truly was the right thing.
Isn’t it funny?
She had said she wouldn’t give her affection.
She wouldn’t show affection, and they had only agreed to accompany each other from Kapatia Port to the Infura Church Region.
Yet despite this agreement, why was Yona suffering alone?
She couldn’t bear to understand the reason.
“…Ugh.”
Finally, Yona sat up abruptly.
Naturally, she expected Alex and Kaiyak to be sitting by the campfire, keeping watch, but in reality, she was alone in the guest room, occupying the large bed, filled with nothing but moonlight.
There was nothing to worry about, nothing to be afraid of at this moment.
Yona got out of bed and put on her nun’s robe.
She hadn’t prepared any casual or outing clothes, so the only clothing she had was her nun’s attire.
The nun’s robe was newly issued after coming into this Church Region, so it’s practically brand new now.
The only thing she kept was the Sacred Barrier wrapped around her right arm.
Dressed in her nun’s robe, Yona opened the door.
The hallway, filled with carpets, was so quiet that even footsteps were unheard.
Yona walked over the carpet towards a slightly distant room.
Knock knock.
She thought, “Surely, he can’t be sleeping at this hour.”
Yona was confident, and her confidence was not misplaced, as soon after, Alex’s voice came through.
“Is that you? Can I come in?”
– Oh, come in.
A quick response.
Yona turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
The guest room layout was the same, but instead of sitting on the bed, Alex was sitting by the window and welcomed Yona as she entered, stepping down from the window sill.
“What brings you here?”
“I can’t sleep.”
Yona replied nonchalantly and walked in, casually sitting down on the chair at the table in the middle of Alex’s room as if it were her own.
Alex sat across from her, laughing absently.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I was having trouble sleeping too. Although I’ve been living comfortably, being too comfortable makes it even harder to sleep.”
“Is that so?”
With that, Yona stopped talking.
Alex, too, turned his gaze away from her and stared out the window in silence.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Not just words, they weren’t even looking at each other.
It was just natural for them to be sitting there together, as if they were people meant to be in that moment, gazing elsewhere.
“What will you do if you turn back into a man?”
“I’ll go back to my original world.”
It was an unexpected question from Alex, but Yona answered naturally.
Alex didn’t respond to her words.
His gaze still fixed outside.
“What if you can’t return to the original world?”
“Then… hmm…”
“What if you can’t turn back into a man?”
Around that time, Yona sensed that something was off about Alex’s mood.
“…What’s up? Why are you acting strange? Is something bothering you?”
“I’m just curious and asking. Can’t I ask questions?”
Only then did Alex look at Yona.
As he gazed at her, the expression on his face was just like usual, with a slight smile.
“Well… I figure if I go to the Mage Community, there must be some kind of solution. That’s what the Alebians said. So, I’m planning to go.”
That look in his eyes was something oddly unsettling.
A strange fairy.
The fairy with oddly sparkling eyes behind square glasses.
A fairy Alex knows all too well.
A fairy that is much more avoided than liked— the Alebians.
“But what if that fairy is just mistaken?”
Alex pretended not to know.
He wanted to ask if he really believed what the Alebians said, but then Yona might get annoyed again.
As if Yona knew what Alex was thinking, she licked her lips a few times and spoke.
“I don’t completely trust the Alebians either… but still, the Alebians said that centuries ago, there was someone who, just like me, came from another world and transformed from a man to a woman during the process. So, I’m going to check it out. It should be… yeah, it’ll be fine.”
The truth is, Yona also knows.
The two desires she so desperately seeks.
Returning to her original world, and returning to being a man.
Despite having lived as a woman for three years, she couldn’t bring herself to give up on becoming a man again.
For some reason, she didn’t want to accept her identity, that she had become a woman.
If asked whether there was a compelling reason to return to being a man, the answer would be no.
But she equally had no desire to remain a woman.
“…Is that so.”
There was no energy in Alex’s voice.
“Yeah, yeah… centuries ago, something like that happened in Marlen. There was someone who turned from a man into a woman after falling into this world. It definitely happened. But Yona, do you know?”
Yona didn’t bother replying to Alex’s question.
She simply watched him quietly.
“…That person never returned. I don’t know if there was a way back or not, but I think there probably was. But in the end, they didn’t go back, and stayed in this world, living together with someone they loved.”
“Yeah. I know that story too. It’s about the divine couple. The one said to be a descendant of the Heavenly God… what was their name again… well, anyway.”
“Shinchang Ricardo, and his wife Lise.”
“Oh, right. That was their name. Anyway, I know about that divine couple. I heard it during my education at the Cathedral. But I’m different. Lise? Seri? Anyway, that demigod chose Shinchang voluntarily, but I’m different. Above all, I have no intention of loving a man at all.”
“Is that so.”
With those words, Alex fell silent.
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