The Demon King whose body was covered in blood, sneered with his half beaten face. For your information, the one who beat half of his face was none other than my right hand. How unfortunate. If only my holy sword had not broken, it wouldn’t have only been his face that was beaten, but his neck would have been cut off too.

“For a mere human, you’re quite impressive.”

“For a kid that had been completely beaten by this mere human, seems like you’re still pretty stubborn, huh?”

“S-Shut up!”

Some parts of the Demon King’s face reddened, and his mouth let out a strangled sound. If you guys are wondering why I only mentioned ‘some parts’, that is because more than half of his face is covered in bruises so I couldn’t tell which parts were blushing and which parts were festering.

“Anyways, you have already been captured by me.”

“That’s right, but…”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“So what?”

The Demon King’s battered face became more painfully wrinkled.

In summary, the situation is now like this.

I, the leader of the Holy Knights, and the dude, the Demon King, fought to the death until victory was within my grasp. But, I couldn’t release the last blow because my damn holy sword suddenly broke and the Demon King seized that opportunity to grow some vines and tightly tie up my legs.

I’m indeed unable to move, however the restriction is limited only to my legs. As long as that damn Demon King comes closer, I can strangle and break his neck. I also still have a shield and the holy armor to ward off attacks from afar. Besides, I also have powerful holy magic, so the Demon King’s attacks would only feel ticklish. The problem is, I would be able to cut off the vines with just one slash if only I had a sword; unfortunately the vines are too strong to break with bare hands.

In other words, we are at a stalemate; both of us could only helplessly stare at each other. Both of us have no idea how to attack. Should I throw the shield?

“Hey! You!”

“My name–“

“I forgot. Your name is too hard to spell. Anyway, don’t just drag the time out. You decide it! Do you want to run away or come to me to face your death?”

If the Demon King ran away, the vines that tied me up would be disconnected from magic and disperse, allowing me to go home. It would indeed be a pity not to be able to bring back the Demon King’s head, but at least I achieved my main mission to lift the Crown Prince’s curse. Oh, right! Holy sword… The High Priest will definitely scold me. But the holy sword got weak after it destroyed the curse… it’s not my fault.

The Demon King bit his lips and you could tell from his expression that he had made a big decision. Hmm, i have a bad feeling.

“If I use this spell, in the next hundred years, my mana–“

“Uhh, I think you don’t have to be that extreme.”

“Don’t always interrupt me! As a man and even a Holy Knight where are your manners?!”

“Are you kidding me?! Why would you bother about your enemy’s manners when your neck is going to be chopped off?!”

Moreover, I have never been a man. Well, I have been misunderstood from time to time, but hold on! I want to clear this misunderstanding directly! But before I could do it, he started to chant his spell seriously. His expression grew increasingly serious, prompting me to listen to him just for this once. Regardless, I can’t stop him in my current situation. If I have no other choice, I could just throw my shield.

“Dear Sword Goddess. This King feels despair pierce through one’s bones.”

Does he really have to speak that way? Doesn’t he feel goosebumps from hearing his own words?

“Even though this King admits defeat, however this King can’t bear to let you g–“

“The point! Can’t you just say the point!”

“Heh!”

“What?”

I nonchalantly answered him while picking at my ears using my pinkie finger. I’m not watching an ancient theater performance, so what is his purpose in speaking like that? The Demon King gasped for breath then cleared his throat a couple times.

“The main point is, I can’t let you go safely.”

“What did you say? You won’t let me go, but you want to run away?”

“I-I’m not. I won’t run away.”

“If you don’t run away, do you want both of us to continue to look at each other and count the passing time like this?”

“Ughh, just see! I will make you regret soon!”

Should I throw the shield now? When I strongly gripped my shield with both hands, that damn Demon King quickly realized what I was going to do and swiftly dodged behind the ruins.

Tch. The Demon King that peered through the roof, continued his chatter.

“I know that I can’t damage your body, but it’s different with your soul.”

“What…?”

Soul? That bastard…! I twisted the shield threateningly and the Demon King quickly pulled his head in.

“What are you planning to do with my soul?”

“Naturally I can hardly hurt you because you have been blessed by the High Priest and you have got strong holy power, but–“

“Can’t you speak while showing your head?!”

“I know you want to throw that!”

“Of course I want to throw it, damn you!”

Huh, that damn head and body would have been detached if only the holy sword hadn’t broken. What did he mean by mentioning my soul? As he said, I have been blessed by the High Priest; thus, not only is my body immune to curses, but so is my soul. Furthermore, my holy power is really powerful. However, while my body has been through lots of training and become strong, and protected by armor, I can’t do the same with my soul. You can’t wear the armor on your soul, right?

“So, what’s your plan?”

He answered my question from the same position, looking like a tortoise hiding its head in its shell.

“You know that I’m a Demon King so I’ve got some humans as sacrifices.”

“Wha…, bastard! As of now there is no slavery anymore, but you still managed to get some humans as sacrifices? That was an old tradition!”

“Within one of them, there was a weak girl.”

“Did you just ignore what I was saying?”

“This King will pull her soul and insert it into the blade of the goddess which is none other than you, you damn ma—!”

BOOM!

The shield that got thrown by my hands, tore down the remaining ruins with thunderous sounds. Tch, apparently it’s still lacking. A pile of stones that used to be a part of the roof, collapsed to the ground and scattered some pale dust smoke. In the middle, it could be seen that the Demon King was shocked and crawling while trembling. With his increasingly pale face, he shouted.

“YOU FOOLISH HUMAN!”

“You are the idiot who wants to mess with a normal human soul, and yet you call me foolish?”

“Anyways, I will switch your soul with a weak girl’s soul! No matter how powerful the holy knight’s soul is, if you weren’t in a healthy male body, it will be impossible to use even half of the holy magic while being trapped in a weak girl’s body!”

“What did you say? Damn you! I am–!”

“I will sacrifice myself for the peace of the demon world!”

He’s a Demon King but he kept chattering as if he was a warrior that died for his country. That damn Demon King quickly chanted the spell and I let out a scream before being completely wrapped by terrifying light.

“Bastard! I have always been a woman!!!”

In the midst of faint consciousness, I can smell something bitter. As I lick my lips, the bitter taste surge from my throat. Seems like it’s not from a bitter food, did someone feed me some medicine? Without hesitating, I open my eyes.

I’m not familiar with this room.

Waking up in an unfamiliar place after losing consciousness isn’t a rare experience. However, usually my body always reacts in the same way. I just have to straighten up my upper body and sit on the bed. Having done this, I lowered my head and stared at both of my hands.

“Oh… they’re small!”

A pair of white and soft small hands without callouses. That damn Demon King said he would switch my soul and it seems like he succeeded.

In that case, has this girl’s soul been transferred to my body?

Not good… I’m worried about her safety.

Ughh…she was suddenly transported to the middle of the Demon King’s castle ruins, right?!

It’s impossible for a delicate girl to find the right exit from the castle ruins without any direction boards. If she could get out from the Demon King’s castle and explore the woods, certainly there are some Holy Knight Squads on guard, but the distance is too far… Another problem is, it’s not guaranteed that she could take the right route. If she goes the wrong way, she could instead end up deep in uninhabited mountains.

First I need to visit the Church and ask them to send a rescue team.

Afterwards, I have to find a way to return to my original body. If I can’t find the solution by myself, I’m certain that I can find it by capturing another Demon King and exhorting him to open his mouth. After coming to this decision, I got up from bed. I can stand up straight after a few woobles, but it feels like I’ve shrunk by a head from my previous height.

“It turns out her body is also short.”

Well actually I had been considered tall for a woman, but even from a normal girl’s height, this girl is short, isn’t she? She doesn’t look like a young girl. She has breasts and even though her body is small, it’s closer to that of an adult woman. I looked around quickly then made a disappointed face.

“How come there is no mirror in a girl’s room? Even I have one in my room.”

Not only is the room not spacious but it’s also deserted. The available furniture consists only of a bed, a table, two chairs, and an empty display cabinet. Sigh… perhaps this place is sparse because it was used to make sacrifices for the Demon King.

I’m actually feeling uncomfortable as I wear this white night gown, but there isn’t any change of clothes here and I can’t even find the wardrobe, so I just leave the room. I hadn’t gone more than a couple of steps, before I met with a maid who was bringing a tray with medicine on it. With a surprised look in her eyes, the maid stared at me.

“Miss! Miss finally woke up!”

Miss? This is the first time in my life I’ve ever been called this way. I feel a little embarrassed. I scratch my head a bit out of my usual habit and ask her.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“A week. A week ago Miss suddenly collapsed.”

“It has already been a week?”

Sigh… It turns out much more time has passed than I expected.

“Were there any peculiar incidents while I was unconscious?”

After all, I was the leader of the Holy Knights with acknowledgement from The Goddess and the High Priest. In other words, if they discovered my corpse, the news should have spread in this area even if this place was in another country. After the maid listened to my question, she seemed a bit hesitant before finally answering.

“I’m not sure whether I should tell Miss when you’ve just regained consciousness.”

“Just say it!”

“Ughh…”

The maid took a deep long breath then said, “Master Roel, the leader of the Holy Knights… has passed away.”

“WHAT?!”

F**K!! Passed away?!

The maid frowned and looked at me with concern.

“Miss must have felt… really shocked.”

“What …?”

Yeah. Of course, I’m very shocked to hear I– to be exact, my body—-died. But, shouldn’t this Miss whose body I occupied, not care about that matter? It couldn’t be that she is my relative, I’m an orphan anyway.

“Miss really liked him, right?”

“Ah…”

Oh… I get it now. Seems like this Miss was also one of my admirers. Even though I’m like this, I was really popular amongst the girls in the capital city. You know, I was handsome, capable, and friendly. A good-looking man with blue eyes and blonde hair who managed to occupy the position of Leader of the Holy Knights at the age of 20 years old! It’s none other than me, Roel. Well… even though my real gender is female. Anyways, Holy Knights weren’t allowed to get married, I let them think I was a male, without caring what my real gender is.

I let out a long breath then stared at the maid.

“I want to hear about the news in detail.”

“Okay. But now Miss should return to the bedroom and drink the medicine. Miss has just woken up, it’s not good for the body to stay outside any longer.”

“Mm…”

I quite dislike drinking medicine, but I still nodded obediently and returned back to the bedroom.

As soon as I sat down on the bed and drank the medicine, the maid started to retell the story.

“Half a month ago, the Holy Knights Squad went to defeat the Demon King Avros who placed a curse on His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Yeah.”

Until I got near the demon castle, I was still together within the squad. However, the priests that departed together with us weren’t capable enough to pass the Demon King’s barrier and I was the only one who managed to pass through the barrier so I entered alone. If the Demon King really did lose his power based on what he said before, probably the barrier had disappeared now.

“Thankfully His Highness the Crown Prince’s curse has been successfully lifted but Master Roel who faced the Demon King by himself… lost his life.”

“Really?”

Arghhh that fucking bastard Demon King! He had already succeeded in switching my soul, how could he even still kill my body that I left behind? If there was anything to be thankful for, it’s that this girl’s soul had gotten salvation. Based on how it should proceed, her soul should have fallen into Demon King’s hands, but now her soul could return to the Goddess’ embrace because it was switched with my soul, which directly canceled the contract with Demon King as his sacrifice.

But no matter how I think about it, how could a young woman who could even afford a maid, establish a soul contract with Demon King?

“Miss?”

The maid in front of me stared at me while I fell deep in thought, full of suspicion.

“Are you really okay Miss?

“Eh? Oh, what a pity. I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

“…, Miss.”

With a serious expression, she continued to speak.

“I have noticed it since we met in the corridor. Miss seems to have changed a bit.”

Well, of course it can’t be helped right?! Because the soul inside this body has changed. But, I can’t just suddenly say that I’m the leader of the Holy Knights who died, right? In this situation, the solution is obvious.

“Seems like… I have lost my memories.”

“…, what?”

“I lost my memories! Did my head bump into something when I fainted?”

Claiming that I lost my memories is the best solution I can think right now. It’s much better than being considered a mad person just because I confessed the truth, right? The maid’s face became paler after she heard my words.

“L-Lost memories?”

“Yeah. What’s my name again?”

“S-Silla Epheria…. but Miss, you really lost your memories?”

“I asked because I really did lose my memories, alright? Epheria, is it?”

There was no such household name in my memory. Well, it can’t be helped that I only remember a few household names that I could barely count on my fingers.

“Anything else?”

“Miss is the eldest daughter of Count Epheria’s family. This year you are nineteen years old… Miss really doesn’t remember anything?”

“Once again, I told you, I’m asking because I really don’t remember anything. Otherwise, do I have any reason to lie?”

“Ughh… ermm…t-thats…”

The maid muttered unclearly with a confused look. Did this body’s original owner really have enough reason to feign amnesia? Well… that’s not something to be surprised by, because in reality the eldest daughter of a Count’s family made a contract with a Demon King. A young noble lady who sold her soul wasn’t something common after all.

“Its fine if you don’t want to say it.”

The Count’s family will be banished by the Church if proven guilty of having made a contract with a Demon King. Furthermore, there was that curse problem that implicated the Crown Prince; if they took a misstep, they could possibly be regarded as a rebel. Naturally it’s impossible for a lowly servant to know something important like this in detail, and if they did, they wouldn’t easily open their mouth. It will be much faster to find out the details by urging the Count, rather than asking a servant.

“Miss…”

The maid opened her mouth, while her eyes brimming with tears and having a determined look, as if she had made an important decision.

“Miss, you should leave the household by using this excuse!”

“…, what?”

“Miss should go to the Church where The Priestess’ live to recover your health. By doing so, Madam and Miss’ fiancé can’t do anything to you.”

First, lets pretend there’s nothing weird about how the maid mentioned the Madam, but…

“I have a fiancé?”

“…. yes. Miss has an asshole fiancé who acts like those hooligans in a small alley.”

This is not good.

“And, my mother?”

“Madam is Miss’ stepmother. The young master is still very young, so she saw Miss as a thorn in her heart.”

So thats the reason why my room is in this state.

“Then, how about my father?”

“I’m not sure what happened, but the Lord seems to be distant with Miss.”

“Long before he got married to my stepmother or after they got married?”

“Ermm… thats… since Miss was born.”

Its highly possible that the one who sold this girl to the Demon King is the Count himself. Seems like he sacrificed his first child as the repayment for the contract. Actually, sacrificing a human as a repayment for a contract with a demon can’t proceed if there is no will from the party involved, however a soul from a child who has not yet been conceived is an exception. A child could get protection from the Goddess in the womb, at least if he had already been conceived. Well most demons rarely accept a contract where one uses an unborn child because they suffer a huge loss if someone deliberately refuses having any children or is not able to have children.

What exactly did the Count Epheria gain by sacrificing his daughter? As a matter of fact, the life of a young lady named Silla was full of bitterness. She lost her mother since birth, was discarded by her father even before she was born, was treated badly by her stepmother, had a scum fiancé, and finally died at a young age. At least she avoided the bad fate of having her soul trapped by that ‘dude’ (aka the Demon King).

“In the meantime, I’m thinking of delaying my departure to the Church.”

I feel like I should investigate the contract between the Count and the Demon King whose name I can’t be bothered to spell. Since the contract had been fulfilled, there must be no evidence left behind. Therefore, it will be easier if I investigate while pretending to be Silla, the Count’s daughter.

“But, Miss… Miss even got amnesia, is Miss going to be okay?”

“After I heard your stories, it seems like there’s no one who cares whether I lost my memories or not. Oh, right. What’s your name?”

“I’m Sofia, Miss.”

After respectfully answering with a face full of worries, Sofia started to explain about Count Epheria’s household.

“Thats why, Young Master doesn’t have any grounds to be the next successor of Count Epheria’s household.”

Sofia explained it while putting down a bowl of soup, that had been mildly cooked so it’s easy to digest, onto the table. I pick up my spoon while looking at her.

“In other words, my little stepbrother isn’t really related to the Count Epheria’s household.”

“Yes. At the moment, Miss Silla is the only legitimate descendant of Count Epheria’s household.”

Count Dgowin Epheria, Silla’s father, actually is a walk-in son-in-law in the Epheria family. In other words, children born from his marriage with another woman aren’t part of the Epheria household. The only descendant of the Epheria family is Silla, who was born from the only daughter of Count Epheria from the previous generation. Both of Silla’s step-siblings have no rights to be the next head of Epheria household.

“That being said, Miss’ future husband will be the next Count Epheria.”

“But, my stepmother won’t let it happen, right?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Sofia held her tray tightly without being able to conceal her bursting emotions.

“That woman…cough… I mean, the new Madam intends to make Young Master the next Count with ‘Miss is a woman’-, as the reason. It is definitely doesn’t make any sense at all, but the main problem is the Count only watches as a spectator and the new Madam’s family are very powerful nobles.”

“Is that so? It’s quite odd that a daughter of powerful nobles doesn’t mind being a second wife.”

“Of course it’s because she wants to take over the Epheria family. Even now, she is still working hard to reach her goal. The reason why she urged Miss to get engaged to that scum is also because of that (her goal).”

“Mhmm.”

I drink the soup while trying to form a conclusion based on Sofia’s story. To put it simply, the Countess wants to get rid of Silla, who is none other than me, by any means. Having me married is the safest method but she might be using other extreme methods if it (marriage) doesn’t work, right? This is interesting.

“The explanation is enough for now. You said before that the Leader of the Holy Knight’s funeral will be held in 4 days?”

“Yes… the Church announced that the funeral will be held in 4 days.”

My funeral…

“Can’t I participate?”

“That’s impossible. I heard many people want to come but only Master Roel’s close acquaintances or some high authorities can join.”

“It’s really complicated.”

People said that the grief will be less if shared with more people, so what’s the problem if many people come? Are they doing it to save on funeral costs?

“Even so, it doesn’t mean there is no other way.”

That’s what Sofia said to me when I grumbled inside my heart.

“The funeral will be held once in the Church and once in the Palace. And Miss can watch the funeral procession between the two venues.”

“There will be two of them?”

“Yes.”

Do they even have the money? Even until now, the Church always maintains a humble attitude regarding mortal possessions; it’s unusual for them to act this way, isn’t it? It should be more than enough to hold the funeral ceremony in the Church, what needs were there to even go to the palace? Is it because of my merit for saving the Crown Prince?

“Regardless, I still want to take a look, even if it’s only in the streets.”

“Seems like you still care for him even though you lost your memories.”

Sofia laughed softly as she cleared away the empty plates.

“Miss needs to get direct permission to go out from the Madam.”

“It can’t be that she forbids me from going out, right?”

“It’s even the opposite. Madam asked Miss to go outside more often, but Miss always refused before.”

“Is that so?”

“Madam always asked Viscount Schwartz to tail Miss whenever you went out. He is your fiancé. It’s likely Madam will invite him this time too.”

“Perfect. I would like to see what kind of person he is.”

Sofia pouted after hearing my words.

“Don’t put high hopes on it. Miss definitely will be disappointed.”

I became more curious about the fiancé upon hearing the maid’s confident remark. Is he ugly? Does he have bad attitude? Or, perhaps both?

After Sofia left the room with empty plates, I was left alone, so I got on the bed and lay down.

Should I tell the Church that I’m still alive?

Even though my current situation is a bit abnormal, at least I’m still alive. But, I’m not sure they (the Church) will easily let me in. The High Priest certainly will be able to recognize me, but other people won’t. If I claim to be the Leader of the Holy Knights, I would be grateful if they didn’t consider me to be a crazy woman. Moreover…

Honestly, I don’t want to lead that kind of life in the Church ever again.

Life inside the Church actually isn’t that bad. There’s even no preferential treatment based on one’s family and people only see you based on your ability within the Church. That’s why, even though I was only a commoner-born orphan, I still managed to reach the Leader position. But still… there’re some reluctant feelings emerging from within my heart if I were to be asked to return there.

Regulated life, dawn worship, night worship… ugh, what a boring life… moreover, I can’t get married!

That’s the highest obstacle. Marriage. In other words, I can’t build a family. I would be satisfied if only I had some relatives, but it can’t be helped that I was all alone. I’m lonely! In addition, I was prohibited from having any personal funds inside the Church. I, too, want to have my own home so that I could experience the feeling of going home and getting off from work, alright?!

I need a family too… I don’t want to grow old and lonely in the Church. I need my own home…

A life dedicated to the Goddess has high reputation and is honorable, but as a person, it’s really dull and full of emptiness. It’s said that the High Priest can communicate directly with the Goddess, but to obtain even a single oracle is very hard for a normal follower, let alone hearing any sound. So I have decided, I will live normally from now on. Shouldn’t this be my compensation for completing the hard mission of lifting the Crown Prince’s curse? Yup, this is enough. Starting today, I have to live as a normal girl.

“…, I was hoping so. Though now, I’m already far from a normal life.”

I smiled bitterly. Although Silla’s life is much more normal than my life as a woman who was the Leader of the Holy Knights Squad, her life was far from comfortable. Even so, Silla’s life will change now because the ‘present’ Silla won’t stay quiet without fighting back. The one who is in Silla’s body now isn’t a weak girl anymore.

I raised my right hand that lay on the bed and stretched it out. Holy power that couldn’t be seen by normal eyes wrapped around all five fingers and the hand’s palm, then quickly seeped into the skin.

The difference between a priest and a holy knight was based on whether the holy power poured out of the body or gathered inside the body. The priests let out their power within the body so they can perform a miracle, whereas the holy knights gather their holy power within the body, resulting in great strength compared to an ordinary human.

Besides, the holy power appears when the Goddess gives Her blessings onto the soul, not the body. That means, even though I have lost the body that I have trained for a long time, I’m still able to use my holy knight’s ability in my current body. For now, there is no doubt that my current ability doesn’t even measure up to half of my previous one, but I can quickly build up my ability to match that of a normal knight to a certain degree. To reach up to a high knight’s level… well, it will probably take about another 10 years. This body’s potential is limited, so first, I need to collect plentiful holy power, then I can slowly increase this body’s potential. As I see it, this body doesn’t have much potential.

Even so, there would be no problem to protect this body of mine.

If I felt that the situation was turning out to be so severe that I couldn’t recover, I still have the option of returning to serve the Church. Well, though I consider it as my last trump card.

I let out a long breath and withdrew the warm energy that floated around me back inside my body.