Chapter 18: He Becomes Her Again
Galil took Yedi to retrieve the spare key and led him to his former residence.
It was a faculty apartment building located at the rear of the academy. However, the instructors at the Imperial Holy Academy were not ordinary people. They had many duties besides teaching, from social engagements to personal cultivation, so not many resided there permanently.
Looking at the slightly old three-story apartment building surrounded by birch trees, Yedi felt a wave of nostalgia. He had quite enjoyed the quiet atmosphere here.
They ascended the dark wooden staircase to the third floor, stopping in front of Yedi’s room. Each floor had numerous rooms, with shared bathrooms located on the west side.
He opened the door. Everything was as he left it. The delicate birch branches swayed outside the window, the curtains fluttering slightly. The room was spotless, clearly having been regularly cleaned and maintained.
Yedi felt a sense of unreality, as if he had just left yesterday.
“Is there anything else you require? Although we clean weekly, would you like us to send someone to tidy up? Or are there any supplies you need?”
Galil, who was also quite tall at around 1.65 meters with an impressive figure, stood respectfully outside the door, adhering to the maid’s etiquette.
“No, thank you. It’s perfect,” Yedi replied.
Galil’s expression remained unchanged, but the phrase “it’s perfect” gave her pause. “Understood. Then I shall take my leave.”
Yedi nodded. After Galil left, he closed the door.
Leaning against the door, he thought, “Finally, back in my own home.”
He had his own fiefdom, and he had once lived in his family’s ancestral mansion. But he had never considered those places home. This small room, on the other hand, felt like home.
Without taking off his shoes, Yedi threw himself onto the bed and rested for a while.
“Right.”
He remembered the contents of his suitcase. Most of it was women’s clothing and toiletries. He had to put those away quickly, and from now on, this room would be off-limits to cleaning staff.
He brought the large suitcase to the center of the room. With his strength, even a larger suitcase wouldn’t be a problem. However, he was now certain that even with his male appearance, his strength hadn’t increased. It was the same as when he was a woman, far weaker than Yedi in his prime.
After all, this wasn’t truly becoming a man again, just a transformation spell.
Would a mage, transformed into a dragon, possess the strength of a dragon? Of course not.
But at least he had the outward appearance of a man, which was reassuring.
Yedi opened the suitcase and began to unpack.
Seeing the array of women’s clothing, underwear, even sanitary products, and feminine toiletries, Yedi felt even more embarrassed than when he was a woman.
He felt like a perverted butler rummaging through a young lady’s underwear, and that young lady was himself.
“How did I even survive those few months?” Yedi blushed, and the thought of having to wear these again tonight made his palms sweat.
As for men’s clothes, he only had the set he was wearing. After all, they were made in a hurry. He still had some of his old clothes in the room.
“Where should I hide these women’s clothes? No, considering I have to use them every night…” Yedi took out some large black, blue-purple, and white bras, letting them fall onto the bed as he pondered.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Eh!?”
A knock on the door? Thankfully, despite being in his male form, Yedi was meticulous and had locked the door beforehand. Otherwise…
“Who is it?”
“It’s me,” came Galil’s calm, professional voice from outside.
Yedi quickly stuffed the clothes back into the suitcase, slammed it shut, kicked it to the side, and ran to the door. After catching his breath, he opened it.
“Is something the matter?” Yedi asked, slightly breathless.
Seeing Yedi panting, the bedsheet slightly rumpled, and alone in the room, Galil seemed to understand. Although this didn’t quite fit Yedi’s image, as a single man, it was understandable.
“Mr. Yalan, the Headmaster asked me to inform you that you can resume teaching tomorrow afternoon, your first swordsmanship class.”
“Oh…” Yedi breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then I’ll take my leave.” Galil glanced at the corner of Yedi’s room, seemingly noticing a thin black strap with some sort of decoration protruding from the gap in the large suitcase under the bed. But as a maid, she showed no reaction and had no interest in prying into a single, handsome young man’s privacy.
“By the way, which class am I teaching tomorrow?”
“Second year, Class Three,” Galil replied.
“Alright, I understand.”
As Galil was about to leave, Yedi remembered something.
“Right, about what we discussed in the office, absolutely do not let anyone else know, besides the Headmaster and you,” Yedi cautioned.
“Rest assured, I will keep all matters confidential for the Headmaster.”
“Also, I brought back some very important documents, possibly related to the Empire’s safety. Don’t let anyone clean my room or enter it for the time being,” Yedi instructed.
“Understood. I’ll inform the logistics department.” Galil was a very reliable maid, meticulous in her work. Yedi felt more at ease entrusting this to her than handling it himself.
Galil finally left. Yedi locked the door again, this time double-checking its security.
He went to the window, looking out at the castles on the other side of the woods.
“Good thing it’s not her class tomorrow. That’s a relief… Galil is very meticulous, she shouldn’t have made a mistake.”
If he had to teach her class right away, Yedi would have been quite nervous. He didn’t know how to face her now.
He couldn’t even imagine the future.
“Qingruo…”
Qingruo’s class was Third Year, Class One, the most outstanding class in the history of the Holy Academy, naturally due to her goddess-like brilliance.
She was not only exceptionally talented but also a natural leader. Though she wasn’t talkative, her every action subtly influenced those around her.
Yedi spent his first day back at the Imperial Holy Academy in his room, unpacking and organizing his belongings.
Night was approaching.
Soon, nowhere in the academy would be safe for him except his room.
He checked the locks again, drew the curtains, leaving only a small gap to observe the outside.
Yedi touched the invisible yet tangible ring on his ring finger.
The Night Ring was invisible during the day.
Although he was somewhat reluctant to part with his male appearance and the feeling of confidence it brought, night was coming.
“I’ll transform back early today… to conserve some night power.”
The Night Ring’s stored power was just enough to maintain his male form for an entire day, but the power accumulated overnight wasn’t enough to fully recharge it. So, he needed to give the ring some “rest” time during the day.
“When will I be able to truly become a man again, without any constraints?” Yedi felt a pang of despair.
He unbuttoned his shirt to prevent it from ripping, then placed his finger on the ring’s gem, focusing his mental energy, and chanted the spell silently…
After an unusual surge of energy, he became her again.
Diye slowly undressed, now quite adept at changing back into women’s clothing.
Even though she was in her room, she couldn’t just stay naked, could she?
And she couldn’t possibly stay in her room all night. She would have to use the bathroom, wouldn’t she?
Fortunately, on this floor, besides herself, there were only two other instructors residing here. One was away on a long-term training mission and wouldn’t be back for a while, and the other rarely stayed here.
So, as long as she was careful, moving around briefly on the third floor at night wouldn’t be a problem.
Diye, her hair loose, her braid falling over one shoulder, sat on the edge of the bed in her purple camisole.
This was the first time she had transformed from male to female while fully conscious.
This drastic shift, from something to nothing, from positive to negative, felt like a prisoner sentenced to the harshest punishment, being subjected to the same torture again.
Before, she had only thought that being able to temporarily become a boy was a good thing.
But she hadn’t anticipated the emptiness and despair of transforming back. She pursed her lips, her legs pressed tightly together.
“The Night Ring, it should be absorbing power now…”
“The power that allows me to regain my masculinity.”
However, what was the point of this self-deceiving masculinity? Diye couldn’t help but wonder.
“Hmm? What’s wrong with me? Why am I looking at the ring from the back of my hand, with my fingers spread and my hand tilted upwards?”
Wasn’t that how women looked at their fingers and rings?
Why had she done that so naturally?
Diye shook her head, covering her face.
“I shouldn’t be so despondent. At least, tomorrow will be another sunny day.”
“At least I’m here, able to return to my former life, able to… protect her!”
Although Diye wasn’t ready to face her yet.
If she had encountered her earlier today, with the confidence of her newly regained male form, she would have faced her.
But now, she had returned from a false masculinity to a true femininity.
At least for tonight, she couldn’t muster the courage to imagine facing Qingruo. She felt weak and trembling.
“But whether I see her or not isn’t important. As long as I’m carrying out this mission, she’s safe.”
Did she want to see her?
To be honest, in her current female form, or rather, burdened by the fact that she was essentially a woman, Diye would rather hide under the covers and imagine Qingruo than actually see her.
She glanced at her boyish-looking, neatly folded blanket. Soon, it would be filled with a woman’s scent.
Diye lay down in her bed, which felt both familiar and foreign, waiting for the next dawn.
…
Today was even sunnier than yesterday, bright and warm but not too hot, perfect for martial arts training and physical conditioning.
To conserve the Night Ring’s power, Diye didn’t transform until noon, putting on her old hunting attire, which looked quite dashing on her.
However, looking in the mirror, she couldn’t help but think of her female self, a hint of melancholy appearing between her brows.
But perhaps, back in her male form, perhaps due to the physical difference, her personality was also a bit brighter than last night.
In the afternoon, Yedi, carrying his long-unused training sword, arrived at the training grounds on the mountainside behind the castle. Surrounded by tall, ancient trees, the grounds held the memories of countless Imperial elites honing their skills and shedding their sweat.
Back on his “home turf,” with the beautiful weather, Yedi’s mood improved further.
For the former strongest man in the Empire, teaching swordsmanship to these second-year students, even after a few months’ absence, was a piece of cake.
He descended the stone steps on the hillside, passing a massive ancient tree, and saw the students, dressed in uniform white, standing in formation, waiting.
Yedi walked towards them, his confidence restored.
However, he was slightly puzzled. Wasn’t the second-year martial arts uniform dark blue? Had it changed in the past few months? The Empire’s top war academy had complex and strict regulations. Each student had multiple sets of uniforms for different occasions, all quite expensive, so it wasn’t entirely surprising.
“Wait…”
“White uniform, white…”
Yedi suddenly felt a jolt. He looked at the tall, somewhat mature-looking students. If he remembered correctly, weren’t those third-year students? Which class? He couldn’t recall in his nervousness.
His anxious gaze swept towards the far left position in the front row.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was a tall, blond boy.
Thankfully, it wasn’t her class… She always stood in that position in Class One. How could Yedi forget?
“Teacher Yedi.”
A cool, ethereal, and somewhat aloof voice, carrying a hint of untouchable holiness, echoed from behind him.
Yedi turned around.
Qingruo Reid**, her night-black hair flowing, dressed in a swordsmanship uniform as white as fresh snow under the sunlight, stood behind him.
Leave a Reply