Finally, the Sage lifted the forbidden curse of sex change.
“Huh? Where am I? When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me. That’s right, the Sage lifted the curse for me. Did I get tired and fall asleep? The last thing I remember, I was sitting in a chair, and Shimon was persuading Clarissa.”
“He said he would be staying a little longer, so I guess he rented me a room. That’s right, I’m back?! I quickly threw off the sheets and peeked under my pants. Ah, they’re still small. They’re there, but they’re almost gone.”
“What if I’m like this forever? The thought sends a shiver down my spine. It’ll go back to normal, right…? Just then, I heard a knock and quickly put the sheets back in place.”
” ‘Hey, it’s me.’ ”
” ‘Oh, Shimon. Uh, thank you.’ ”
“He cast Recovery Magic on me. He must be tired from using it on so many people at once.”
” ‘No, no, it’s fine. I’m just glad I could repay you. Hey, more importantly…’ ”
He approached me with a strangely happy look on his face.
” ‘What’s it like being a woman? You can touch yourself all you want, right? Did you do it while looking in the mirror?’ ”
“This guy! I’m not in the mood for that at all. Look at him grinning, lucky guy, still the same. ”
” ‘Of course not. Besides, I feel sick and can’t even look at myself.’ ”
” ‘Eeeh, really? You don’t have to lie, you know. Hey, you saw it, didn’t you? What’s it like now, show me just a little.’ ”
” ‘Absolutely not!’ ”
When I refused, he feigned a pout, raising his eyebrows exaggeratedly. I absolutely refuse. What, is he just here to tease me?
” ‘So, what happened to everyone else?’ ”
” ‘Ah, your companions. Don’t worry, once Older Sister’s magic recovers, I’ll lift the curse for each of them.’ ”
“That’s good. Though Veronica did say she was fine being a man. Still, it’s better to have the choice.”
” ‘Right, what happened after you got separated from us? You got caught up in the fight between the Kooshi and the Ketsy, but it wasn’t just that, was it?’ ”
” ‘After that, I was attacked by someone else. I went through a terrible time.’ ”
Shimon’s eyes lit up as he asked who attacked me. I had no choice but to tell him about the golden snake’s path and the battle with Anakura.
” ‘Wow, that’s amazing, you fought in that state. Hey, let me touch you just a little.’ ”
” ‘Come on, I told you no.’ ”
” ‘It’s fine, I haven’t dated anyone yet. Haha, just kidding. Ah, after traveling for so long, it’s tiring. We should just take a train.’ ”
A train? You mean the one pulled by horses? I’d rather not. It’s crowded and slow, I’d rather walk. When I told him that, he shook his head, saying, “No, no.”
” ‘Not one pulled by horsepower. A steam locomotive, don’t you know it?’ ”
” ‘What?!’ ”
I jumped up involuntarily, and my body ached. The bruises and wounds all over my body seemed to still be there.
” ‘It’s surprising, isn’t it? They’ve only started making them recently. But they don’t know if it will work well because of smoke and fuel issues.’ ”
“Of course. Those black smoke emissions would be terrible for the Harpies. Wait, does this world have electricity? The light bulb above my head is on right now. So why don’t they use that to make trains? It’s like the scientific progress in this world is sparse, or rather, too different depending on the region.”
“The hospital where the Jarrot couple worked had a proper medical system, and the camp set up by the White Crow Wings was filled with precision equipment. On the other hand, horses are still the mainstream, and they fight with swords and magic. Well, that might be because guns are prohibited.”
” ‘Hey, since there’s electricity, what about trains?’ ”
” ‘Electricity? Electricity? That’s impossible. Because the tracks are so long, do you plan to string power lines all the way? And moving something that big, there’s no way.’ ”
“I mean, you can. And it’s a quieter, cleaner energy than coal. However, you need a stable electricity supply to do that, and power generation is another issue. It’s hard to say it’s simply clean.”
” ‘R-right…’ ”
“That’s right, this is a similar but different world. It’s natural for scientific progress to be different. I shouldn’t try to fit it into the mold of my own world.”
” ‘Hey, when you’re feeling better, let’s go to a club. Have you ever been? It’s fun.Drinking alcohol and secretly smoking tobacco.’ ”
” ‘You’re quite the delinquent for someone who doesn’t look like it.’ ”
Shimon left the room with a cheerful laugh. While I found it annoying, his silly stories might have cheered me up a bit. I remembered how Clarissa doted on her brother, and I ended up laughing to myself, recalling how she’d indulge his whims.
