“Shall we introduce ourselves first?”
Bellatrix sat in front of Bellver, who was trembling with a new kind of shame he’d never felt before.
Her face wasn’t filled with the demonic expression Bellver had imagined, but rather with curiosity and intrigue.
Enough to slightly reassure Bellver, who was shivering from the strange sensation he’d never experienced.
At Bellatrix’s suggestion to converse, Bellver perked up his ears and made eye contact.
And immediately looked away.
It was definitely the same appearance he had seen right before falling asleep, yet how different the atmosphere was.
Unlike Bellver, who looked innocent and simple, Bellatrix inside him made him appear strikingly handsome and authoritative.Her innate aura of dominance blended with the protagonist’s looks, giving off a Casanova-like vibe.
Which meant this was exactly the type Bellver was scared to even approach.
It was practically a calamity for Bellver, who was extremely shy.
“Since I’m in a good mood now, I’ll go first. I’m Bellatrix de Salazar, the eldest daughter of the Salazar Dukedom and second-ranked freshman. And you?”
“I’m Bellver…”
Bellatrix said this genuinely because she was in a good mood, but it sounded completely different to Bellver.To him, it sounded like she was enjoying contemplating how to tear him apart.He knew her too well for it to be anything else.
Surely Bellatrix wouldn’t forgive Bellver, regardless of whether he wanted to do what he did or not.
Still, he gave a short answer to avoid upsetting her, which was the best he could do.He couldn’t reveal the protagonist-related settings or the things about the protagonist’s origin that only he knew.
“Is that all? I feel like I’m about to get annoyed. Can’t you give a more sincere answer?”
“There really is nothing more to say! I’m an orphan with no surname, and my test scores are third from the bottom…”
“I sensed it earlier, but you’re truly a commoner, aren’t you? Did I end up in such a body? Me, so noble?”
“…
Bellver didn’t respond to Bellatrix’s words.Because aside from secrets that would make him seem insane, everything she said was true.Bellver was putting in tremendous effort not to upset her.
Bellatrix closed her eyes silently without saying anything to the shrinking Bellver.As the eldest daughter of a prestigious noble family, entering the body of a mere commoner must have brought all sorts of thoughts.
Then she suddenly opened her eyes and faced Bellver.
“I’ve decided. I quite like this body and situation, so I’ll let it slide.”
“Huh…?”
“Anyway, it wasn’t something you did, right? Or was it?”
“No! I really don’t know anything.”
“I thought as much. Then let’s keep the switch a secret for now. Commoner, can you live as me?”
“Uh… I’ll try?”
Bellver couldn’t tell if this situation was a dream or reality.Having such a conversation with Bellatrix so peacefully was something he never even considered possible.
This was incredibly fortunate for Bellver.Though the body belonged to Bellatrix, he was still alive.The problem now was figuring out how to reach a happy ending, though Bellver’s thoughts hadn’t reached that point yet.
He couldn’t understand this situation fully, let alone think about the future.Too frightened to even ask for clarification, he could only worry silently in his head.
Bellver couldn’t comprehend why Bellatrix seemed pleased with this situation.A noble young lady trapped in a lowly commoner’s body, and not just any commoner’s body, but one of the opposite s*x.And she didn’t even know that this body belonged to the supremely talented protagonist.
“If effort alone could solve it, I wouldn’t have even asked. Do you know how much I’m expected as a talent? You, a commoner, don’t know?”
“I do…”
“If you know, then do well. There will be difficulties you can’t even imagine. But I’ll help you specially since we might return to our original bodies anytime. We need to maintain my image continuously.”
“Can I ask one question?”
“What is it?”
Bellver felt confident.Confident enough to believe that asking a question now wouldn’t result in d*ath.This friendly attitude seemed to be his lifeline.Otherwise, it would be sad.
“Why do you like it…?”
“Do you not like it? You’ve become someone as noble as me, someone you could never reach in your lifetime?”
“But Bellatrix-sama, you’re a woman and I’m a man… fundamentally different, right?”
“I like it though. I find it incredibly interesting and enjoyable. The face suits me, and the height is pleasantly tall. Looking at myself now, I realize how small I am.”
For reasons unclear, Bellatrix clearly enjoyed the changes.She couldn’t possibly be smiling like that if she didn’t.The Bellatrix he knew was definitely not someone who smiled often.
“Bellatrix-sama, you’re weird! And stop pressing!”
“But I want to…”
Bellver pushed away the hand on his head as if mocking his shorter stature and shrieked.Though this body was originally his, it felt like looking at an entirely different person now.How drastically different people could make the same body look.
His sense of wonder lasted only briefly.With Bellver continually pushing away, but the hand persistently staying due to the vast difference in strength between the magical noble Bellatrix and the commoner knight aspirant Bellver, wonder turned into frustration.Pushing against her hand was like trying to block the sky with a palm.
Hiccup. Tears welled up in Bellver’s eyes as he realized there was no end to this.Too aggrieved, his body reacted before his mind could process it.Even Bellver, who noticed his sniffles only after hearing them, finally became aware.Once aware, his mind quickly took over.Tears that had been welling up unnoticed now streamed down his pale cheeks.And when they reached his mouth, instinctive words began to spill out.
“Stop it! I’ll hate you!”
It was the harshest curse Bellver knew.He wouldn’t normally say such a thing, but after several abrupt changes in circumstances over just a week, he lost control.After shouting, he broke down crying so pitifully that even Bellatrix was taken aback and didn’t know what to do.
“Are you crying? Really crying…? How cute…? Our commoner…? Stop already…? What am I supposed to do with you crying at me! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Confused, Bellatrix tried consoling him based on something she vaguely remembered seeing somewhere, but quickly gave up.It seemed to only have adverse effects.So she apologized instead to calm the situation.Truly unexpected, apologizing to a commoner was far from her thoughts, but it was genuine.
Even more difficult to handle carelessly since it was her own body she’d lived in for twenty years.Despite being her body, the unique innocence of Bellver made her feel like she had a twin or a close friend.Seeing such a person suddenly break down in tears and throw a cute threat of hatred made it impossible not to apologize.
Still, Bellver’s tears wouldn’t stop, so Bellatrix waited patiently for him to calm down.Surely they would stop eventually.
*
Fortunately, Bellver’s burst of sorrow subsided quickly.Perhaps due to being in the exceptionally intelligent Bellatrix’s body, his judgment of the situation was impeccable.Watching her flustered expression right before his eyes helped him calm down.It was too unexpected.
“Have you calmed down now?”
Nodding. Bellver replied by nodding instead of speaking.Once calmed, the problem was that another wave of emotions surged through him.He could feel his face burning hot without even looking in the mirror.His ears were surely red too.
Why did he start bawling like that?Even Bellver didn’t know the reason.He just felt too aggrieved and cried.Despite knowing himself as someone who rarely shed tears.
“Now, let’s calmly talk. Can you use magic? Ah, are you aspiring to be a knight? Or perhaps a warrior?”
“I was aiming to be a knight… but I also have talent in magic…”
“What? What attribute? Besides, why aim to be a knight if you have talent in magic?”
“I have talent in martial skills too… My attribute is Omni-elemental…”
While speaking, Bellver fidgeted with his fingers.Though it wasn’t his body anymore, it felt like boasting about himself, which made him blush while puffing up his chest with pride.
But how could he not answer her questions?He had to provide clear answers.Thinking about it, wasn’t this a good thing for Bellatrix, whose downfall stemmed from her birth?Though they’d have to start over, given the superior capabilities of this body, they’d likely regain their original position quickly.
“Don’t say absurd things. If you lie, at least make it believable.”
“It’s true…”
“With circuits in this body that haven’t developed even a single pathway, how can you expect me to believe you? In this state, it would take a month just to sense mana.”
“Just try it…”
“Let me explain gently so you don’t get hurt. Since you don’t know magic, maybe you’re unaware, but with a body like this, sensing mana itself would be difficult.”
Bellatrix explained as gently as possible from earlier to avoid unnecessary tears.Even she, who had undergone training and consumed elixirs since childhood, took three weeks to sense mana when she started studying magic.That was praised as extraordinary talent.In this parched circuitry, where not even a blade of grass could grow, sensing mana might be impossible.
“Just try once!”
Despite Bellatrix’s gentle explanation, Bellver was certain.With Bellatrix’s experience combined with Bellver’s talent, he believed they could sense mana within a day.His body was like a game character with initially the lowest stats but invested everything in growth and ultimate breakthroughs, destined to bloom late.Adding Bellatrix, ranked around 10th among experts though not number one, into such a character, success was inevitable in his belief.
“Alright, we’ll try just once. Don’t disturb me while I concentrate.”
“Yes.”
Relenting to Bellver’s insistence, Bellatrix decided to attempt detecting mana just once.Mana existed in the body but was so minimal that extreme focus was required to even sense it.Recalling her distant childhood memories, she tried to replicate that sensation.And soon, she abruptly opened her eyes.
“Already succeeded…?”
“I told you it would work! I said so!”
Bellatrix forgot to reply to Bellver, immersed in revisiting the sensation she just felt.As soon as she sought mana, it eagerly responded.Surprisingly, without having learned any cultivation methods, the amount exceeded the average magician’s capacity.
Bellver’s boasts went unheard.To her, he now appeared as a bundle of fortune.A fortune that instantly healed her wounds.Even before knowing about his talents, she liked him for being easy to get along with, but now she wanted to cherish him even more.She masked this feeling with light-hearted teasing instead of outright showing it.
“Did you know? You’re more feminine than me?”
“Huh…?”
“I can’t sit as gracefully as you or speak as kindly. You’d make a great mother.”
“I’m a man!”
“You’re a woman now?”
“That…! Anyway, I’m a man!”
“Yeah, sure.”
Bellver felt utterly wronged.He firmly believed he was male but was contradicted right in front of him.To hear from someone who had lived as a woman all her life that he was more feminine!Her tone clearly dismissed his claim.
Bellver vowed to either find a way back to his original body or make Bellatrix acknowledge her masculinity.
