Let he who has never swooned over a girl who drastically changed her vibe after summer break cast the first stone.
“Oi, friend… uh, you see, it’s kinda embarrassing, so please don’t stare too much.”
When we met again after sunrise, Mika had transformed to an extent that the phrase “completely unrecognizable” felt like an understatement.
Fundamentally, she was still the same. Her lustrous black hair shimmered with a halo under the sunlight, and her well-balanced, dignified facial features were intact, bearing no trace of imperfection. However, her nose now carried a subtle roundness, her lips had grown fuller and more supple, and the rounded portions such as her knees and shoulders had taken on a decidedly feminine shape. Her waist, sharply defined, left no doubt that this was nothing but a maiden who had blossomed into her proper age.
“Ah, yeah… sorry. No, but, well… still… this is quite…”
“I don’t feel like I’ve changed that much myself.”
While sheepishly speaking, they – now should I say she? – anyway, she twirled her lengthened, less unruly hair.
If someone says they haven’t changed when all the women around are throwing things, you have no right to complain. During the neutral phase, her beauty was mysterious due to its ambiguous gender. Now, however, she radiates the adorableness that belongs solely to a young girl. It’s the fresh, wholesome kind of cuteness that differs from the usual, slightly childish charm, and this change is causing real trouble.
When in a neutral gender state, I imagined it would end up as a gender-neutral look, but this is truly the epitome of girlhood. When she transforms back to a boy, it will surely attract a lot of attention from ladies, presenting the perfect handsome young man—a situation that would make it even more inappropriate to introduce her to Lord Raizenitz. If she were to fulfill two of his desires—or even spark a new one—it might even lead to a conflict among scholastic factions.
“…Friend, you can stare all you want, but the porridge isn’t going to disappear.”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right…”
She subtly pointed out that I was staring too much, so I hastily picked up the spoon. To be honest, I had no idea what the taste of the porridge was like, but I couldn’t afford to be stunned by my friend’s metamorphosis forever. After all, we’re bound to meet something impactful next month, and we’ll still need to interact with one another moving forward.
Didn’t I say this earlier? Anyway, Mika is still Mika.
I hastily finished the bland breakfast. By the way, before she woke up, I had thrown the accursed sword under the bed—its presence mixed painfully with headaches, which I ignored—and thus avoided the event where her sanity might be compromised soon after our reunion.
“Apparently, we have to stay here quietly for another ten days.”
After disposing of the breakfast dishes, Mika said while sitting on the neighboring bed. They say that although you might feel better upon getting up, in reality, the body can often misjudge this as a sign of recovery and force itself into operation, potentially leading to fatal consequences. This is a remnant from when humans were more primitive creatures, as at that time, being bedridden equated to death, making it easy to understand upon reflection.
“Ten days in this musty-smelling sickroom… quite a wearisome story.”
“Can’t be helped, right? The incense is for our benefit. I heard it’s supposed to heal the lungs.”
“Is this really medicine?”
“Yeah. You can’t apply medicine directly to the throat or trachea, so they’re mixing it into the air to let the body gradually absorb it with magic medicine.”
I had assumed it was merely for show, a magical atmosphere effect. Both mages and sorcerers love to decorate their dwellings with such effects. Even Lady Agrippina, who embeds countless garden-like gimmicks, the purpose of which isn’t clear, in her workshop.
Still, quite an expensive affair once again. I wonder how much Lord Faige has funded us? This man doesn’t seem like the petty type to later demand remuneration, but the total sum is enough to make one’s heart race.
I must express our thanks later…
“By the way, there’s a letter for you that I was holding onto.”
Suddenly recalling, she took out an envelope by the bedside. Sealed with elegant embossing and gilded motifs, it was tied with a wax seal addressed in swift, beautiful handwriting: “To Lord Erich of Königsstuhl Manor.”
The meticulous calligraphy and the envelope pricey enough to easily exceed the daily wage of a migrant worker suggested that I knew exactly who it was. The silver-leaved crest wax seal was unassailable proof of noble heritage.
It’s undoubtedly a reward from Lord Faige.
Eagerly, I opened the seal with a knife, and a sound like snapping air erupted. I noticed a fleeting remnant of magical residue, so maybe the spell would cause ill to anyone who wasn’t the recipient.
“You’re having fun opening it again, huh? Though, it doesn’t look like a love letter…
“True, but in this case, perhaps even better. Friend, this concerns you too, though—because it’s the reward from that adventure.”
Tapping the bed, I beckoned her to look together, and she quickly came over, clearly curious despite herself. As she settled beside me, I noticed how her shoulder now felt softer and carried a subtly different fragrance.
She always smelled pleasant before, but now…
No, stay calm. It’s not because of the gender shift making it legal or anything like that. Mika is Mika—my friend.
“What’s wrong?”
Informing her after briefly stiffening—albeit obviously being busted—I pulled out the contents of the envelope…
It was outrageous!!
“Yeah, it’s written in modern-style court language.”
As my friend said, this letter was inscribed in an extremely formal court language, often reserved for petitions to the imperial court, delicate and complex, indirect, and cryptic. If one isn’t aware that the Threefold Empire’s high society uses grammar and vocabulary quality in letters to convey respect, one might mistake it for a prank. Just the act of reading it feels like a significant trial.
If being able to read and write this effortlessly is a prerequisite to becoming a noble, I’d rather remain a commoner for life. My brain is thoroughly tangled.
“Uh, the usage here is… what?”
“Hmm… something feels off with this rhetorical flourish. From the context, it probably…?”
“No, that doesn’t seem right, Mika. It doesn’t fit with the subject.”
“Ah, right, so it’s actually…”
We pressed our heads together, debating and deciphering the text. The uneasy atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared, and everything felt back to normal. Ah, indeed, friendship doesn’t change that easily.
After over half an hour of maximum brainpower from both of us, we managed to make sense of the first page, a rather convoluted description of seasonal greetings, light self-introduction, and the details of the recent incident. Frustrating, knowing there still might be more pages to the thing.
“Huh?”
“Oh…is this…?”
As we turned the page with resignation, what appeared was simple, straightforward Imperial language. Rather than the court language used previously, it cut all unnecessary embellishments, skipped the self-introduction that was redundant at this point, and directly conveyed apologies regarding our injuries and reassurance that we need not worry about medical expenses. It added that an official report to the lord would prevent a personal visit to the local capital.
The postscript read: Use the court letter as proof of your accomplishment to your master or mentor. Since it may be hard to read, an easier vernacular translation is included here. Don’t forget to extract and keep it.
We looked at each other, then back at the words, then again, before our gaze simultaneously reached the ceiling…
“「Put THIS page first!!」”
We yelled in unison, word-for-word…
…
【Tip】One theory suggests that the complexity of court language developed partly to expose spies from other territories. If you’re unaccustomed, the errors will be obvious, and high society will easily detect inappropriate words. Even with a perfect disguise, mimicking the language correctly is no easy task.
…
After venting our frustrations about the utterly unnecessary complexity of court language, we finally calmed down. It’s hard to imagine anyone benefiting from its existence. Perhaps speaking like this in the Threefold Empire is nothing but a form of punishment for the nobility?
Anyways, separating the court letter and the simpler one, we noticed two small envelopes nestled within it, much like nested crafts from the Far East.
“To the young and brave swordsman?”
“And this one says ‘to the promising aspiring mage’.”
We matched the contents based on their relevance—though my sense of courage and fortitude stemmed solely from a desire to survive—and opened the envelopes. What emerged were gilt cards.
“What’s this?”
“Maybe it’s a promissory note… I’ve seen these a few times when acting as a professor’s assistant. Issued by the merchants’ guild, they’re pretty solid.”
Ah, it’s a form of exchange note. A classical monetary substitute issued by the payor to the payee via a third party. By presenting this note to the merchants’ guild, I, as the bearer, can exchange it into actual coins, which they’ll settle with Lord Faige using the funds entrusted to them or withdrawn from his account.
In this world, hard coins are more prevalent, but they’re problematic in large transactions—both heavy and bulky, and proving ownership after theft can be difficult. In my previous life, I remember seeing similar commercials before passing away.
Because coins are cumbersome, and paper can represent tens of thousands of coins, exchange notes are highly practical, especially in areas not entirely safe from bandits, despite the diligence of imperial patrols.
So, Lord Faige had apparently decided to give us some pocket money. Such generosity—it truly differentiates a wealthy noble.
“Hmm, the amount is… 10…”
Wait a moment, something seems off here.
“Hey, friend.”
“Ah, what’s up? I’m currently considering if I need some eye medicine seriously.”
What a coincidence, I guess friends are supposed to understand each other’s quirks.
Jokes aside, is the currency unit accurate? The script doesn’t say ‘as’ or ‘libra’, but rather mentions ‘drachma’, which refers to gold coins. This represents the highest currency denomination in our country. Unlike the fake stall’s trial cut I faced earlier, this note signifies real value, equivalent to 10 gold drachmas of actual worth.
A daunting sum of money that left me cold rather than excited or thrilled.
Just consider this: our household’s annual income, relatively affluent, is approximately equivalent to two years’ worth here. If we equate it to an average working family, that would sum to around $400,000 to $800,000.
Even though excessive pocket money is always welcome, this is somewhat perplexing. If an elderly relative gave you a New Year’s gift filled with cash bundles, wouldn’t you be baffled? While generous, isn’t this excessive even for grandpa-like indulgence? Is it typical for adventurers to earn this kind of money from ordinary jobs? What, am I supposed to slay a dragon—er—dragon too?
My less privileged friend stared into space, trying to digest these emotions while scratching her head. It was less ‘scratching’, more ‘twisting’, given the tangled thoughts mirroring the state of her mind.
I, too, am a commoner. I haven’t directly touched gold coins since the festival, and the promised 1 drachma from Lady Agrippina was planned for either living expenses or savings. To suddenly receive ten times that…
Though things should’ve improved, my head started spinning after six days of rest. Such an overwhelming windfall brought more confusion than joy, leaving me uncertain how to process these emotions.
“Alright, time to sleep.”
“…Yeah, let’s nap.”
Before my head exploded, we decided on a perfect reality escape: a nap together in the same bed. This requires further processing once our spirits have settled. Thank-you letters can wait too. For now, I’ll save 1 drachma for future savings and allocate the rest for Eliza’s tuition.
After falling asleep, I would later revisit the letter and collapse once more alone…
Why did Lord Faige bother to transfer the ownership rights of “that book” to me instead of the client…
…
【Tip】In this era, economic inequality is far more pronounced than in the modern world. Lord Faige earned dozens of drachmas from one manuscript, Lady Agrippina spent over 100 drachmas annually on books, and Lord Raizenitz depleted 200 drachmas for costuming Erich and Eliza in cosplay outfits.
In the next segment, rewards will conclude, leading into gradual character growth as we confirm the outcomes of this adventure.
A typical scenario where what starts as “this is the reward” turns into a lengthy role-play with casualties not uncommon.
Your comments and typo reports are much appreciated. I’m slowly addressing the typos and wrong conversions piled up. Why do I shamelessly post these publicly? (Answer: self-hypnosis)
