Chapter 27

Chapter 1 Departure

When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the thin mist, the dawn slowly unveiled its curtain.

Carlos and I stood in front of the sacred church’s carriage, a small bundle on my back, with Grandma Claire seeing us off behind us, and Barry with a gloomy expression.

“…Make sure to take the main road and don’t take shortcuts to save time; you’ll run into bandits,” Grandma Claire said as she smoothed out the wrinkles in my clothes, her words spilling out incessantly. “I’ve washed your cloak and placed it in the bundle. There’s also the fruit pie you like; you can eat it if you get hungry on the way.”

“I understand, Grandma.”

“Lord Carlos, I’ll entrust little Shirley to you for now. Although what you have to do is beyond my comprehension as an old woman, you are a great person. Regardless of how important Shirley is to you, she is still young, and there are many things I hope you will consider. All I wish for is that she remains healthy and happy…”

Grandma Claire held my hand, her eyes filled with reluctance.

Ever since I first saw Shirley, I knew she was different from the rest, destined not to remain in such a small place forever. I hadn’t expected our parting to come so soon. Grandma Claire truly adored this obedient and beautiful girl, but now it was time for them to part ways. She would be traveling with the legendary hero, embarking on deeds far beyond her imagination.

Grandma Claire felt proud of Shirley’s abilities, yet the emptiness in her heart made her feel uneasy.

“Rest assured, grandma.”

Carlos, unusually serious, nodded slightly at the elderly woman in front of him.

“Grandma, go back. I’m leaving now.”

I looked longingly at Grandma Claire’s wrinkled face, took a deep breath, suppressed my emotions, and smiled at her before stepping onto the carriage.

“Shirley!” The silent youth finally seemed to make up his mind, his face resolute as he spoke slowly, “I know you must know many impressive and excellent people… perhaps in your eyes, I am just a childish boy who cannot catch your attention.”

The young man under the sunlight had a tense body, his voice trembling, his gaze slightly shifting towards Carlos, then gathering courage.

“Though it pains me greatly… though it pains me greatly. But, you might not see me again after this journey. If I don’t say these words now, I won’t be able to let go… actually, I’ve wanted to tell you since the moment I first saw you, I, I, I…”

The young man clenched his fist, stuttered for a while, and finally sighed, his expression vexed and his face red, unable to meet my eyes any longer.

“…You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen! Alright, I’ve said everything I needed to say. You can go now.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say it… but, it’s fine. Next time, if there is a next time, I’ll tell her properly. Before that, I need to become good enough.

At this moment, the young man’s eyes were filled with determination.

“Barry, thank you.” I smiled.

How could one miss the feelings in the young man’s heart? However… such matters cannot be accepted, no matter how excellent one may be, it’s not even about that.

Although my body has turned female, it’s an irresistible force. If I were really to talk about love and affection with a man…

Ugh—

A chill ran down my spine, and I quickly got into the carriage as if fleeing.

“Well then, we’ll meet again.”

Carlos, very gentlemanly, bowed to both of them and got into the carriage, sitting opposite me.

The carriage began to move forward slowly.

I poked my head out, looking back at the familiar village behind me. It was the first place that welcomed me in this strange world, where there were people who loved me.

“Grandma, I’ll be back!”

My eyes stung, and I waved my little hand vigorously at Grandma Claire and Barry until they were out of sight.

Wiping my eyes secretly, I sat back inside the carriage, only to find Carlos staring at me with a peculiar smile.

“What are you laughing at?” I said irritably.

“Can’t I even laugh?”

Carlos wore a pretentious expression.

“…No.”

I glared at him fiercely, hoping he would understand that I wasn’t in a good mood and not to provoke me. But it seemed to have the opposite effect, as Carlos laughed even more strangely.

“Are you sad to leave?”

“It’s none of your business.”

I didn’t want to discuss this topic with him because I felt like I might start crying if I did.

Since my body changed, some things had subtly shifted. Originally, I was a relatively rational and calm person, always making decisions rationally without being swayed by emotions. Now, however, I became extremely emotional, easily getting angry, blushing often, and feeling like crying when I was sad.

The scariest thing was that I started noticing many things I never cared about before, such as disliking dirty things, liking pretty clothes, wanting to eat delicious food, and being unable to look away from shiny objects. When someone praised me for being beautiful, I felt incredibly happy.

The beige dress with lace edges I was wearing…

The clothes Carlos gave me were much more beautiful than the linen garments I wore in the village, both in overall design and material quality. Despite my reluctance to admit it, I couldn’t help feeling elated when I put them on.

These childish thoughts, similar to those of immature girls, grew stronger over time.

The changes in my personality filled me with deep despair, but there was nothing I could do about it. Emotions have always been something one can only suppress, not control.

For instance, right now, I really wanted to punch the guy who was grinning smugly in front of me. Especially so.

So, I did just that.

Bam—

“Oh—!” Carlos cried out, clutching half his face in shock, “Why did you hit me?”

“Just felt like it.”

I clapped my hands briskly, feeling much better inside.

“……Is this how stubborn you are? Can I retaliate?”

“Don’t even think about it!”

I immediately widened my eyes and glared at the man in front of me.

“……Alright, alright, I’m a gentleman. Gentlemen don’t hit women.”

After a few seconds of staring, Carlos raised his hands in surrender. I snorted lightly and lifted my chin proudly, like an arrogant swan.

“Where to next?”

“Forsel, the headquarters of the Holy Church within the Silgay Republic. The Pope will receive you there and confer upon you the honor of a Papal Knight, along with rewards.”

“A lot? Gold coins?”

“……Is this all you care about?”

Carlos in front of me looked dumbfounded, exaggerating his disbelief. Seeing this, I knew I had made another fool of myself. My face flushed slightly, and I quickly changed the subject.

“What does a Papal Knight need to do?”

Immediately after, I saw Carlos cover his face again, looking as if he were dumbstruck by me.

“I think I should first give you some basic knowledge, otherwise we might end up making a lot of mistakes… A Papal Knight is merely a title, the highest honor in our human society. It does not belong to any knightly order. Therefore, no one but yourself can decide your actions. You don’t need to bow to anyone, and in certain special circumstances, even the king must heed your command because you represent the entire Holy Church. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“……Of course. Don’t treat me like an idiot.”

In this world, gods are not mere abstract beliefs but exist concretely. There is the Mother Goddess of Abundance who governs nature, the Wisdom God who maintains the balance of the world, the Goddess of Sin who constrains good and evil, and so on. As the entity closest to the divine, the Holy Church bestows endless blessings upon humanity through great miracles, existing above nations.

In a sense, the king is merely a high-level manager appointed by the church to govern the people, akin to a CEO, while the church acts as the major shareholder behind the scenes. Thus, the significance of representing the entire church is self-evident.

These basic facts, I still know.

“Are you calling me an idiot?”

“Kargus, dare you say that again?”

“It’s Carlos… come on, repeat after me, Car-los… can’t you call me properly?”

Carlos looked at me seriously, but I certainly wouldn’t follow him and repeat it. That would be too foolish.

“Do we live in Forsel?”

“No, after the ceremony, I’ll send you to the Royal Academy of Isenbel to learn the basics of Order Power.”

“What? Order… power?”

“Besides the chaotic power from the Abyss, you can also use ice powers, correct? This is Order Power… damn it, do I have to explain everything from the beginning?”

I nodded. No one had ever taught me these things before; I had been figuring it out on my own all along, and there were indeed many things I didn’t understand.

“Tch, what a hassle…” Carlos impatiently brushed his hair aside and continued, “Generally speaking, life can exert three types of power. The first is Physical Power, which is essentially physical strength, possessed by any living being, though the limits vary among different species. For example, no matter how much humans train their muscles, their strength will never surpass that of a dragon. The second is Faith Power, a gift from the gods to humans, which can only be used by the Holy Church. The third is Order Power, the ability to manipulate rules, harnessing natural laws for one’s own use, and it’s the most important type of power for you.”

Despite his reluctance, I sat up straight like a student, listening intently.

“This world is composed of six fundamental elements: fire, water, earth, wood, wind, and lightning. They operate according to basic rules, which I don’t need to elaborate on, right? What you need to know is that a few exceptionally gifted humans can develop a close relationship with a specific element, using it for their own purposes, such as my Lightning Order. Sometimes, elements can evolve or merge into new rules, like your Frost Order. In terms of Physical Power, humans are quite fragile, so Order and Faith Powers are crucial…

Clippity-clap—

The horned horse carriage carried the impatient bearded swordsman and the earnestly listening girl down the path, stirring up dust.

And thus, the story began here.