Lying in his bed, tucked beneath warm sheets, Teo heard his mother's voice—tired, apparently frustrated.
He threw the covers aside and sat up abruptly. He desperately wanted to see her, yet for some reason he struggled to open his eyes.
—Ow! Mom, can you give me a drug test? I don't remember anything that happened yesterday and my whole body hurts.
I'll kick Manuel's ass when I see him. If anyone brought drugs to the party, it had to be him.
He had just woken from a horrible nightmare where he lost them all. But now everything was fine. He knew it had only been a dream.
He had simply gone out with Samira and his friends. And although he didn't actually use drugs, he couldn't think of a better explanation for whatever the hell he had just dreamed—along with the fact that he felt like he'd been run over by a train.
—You're awake, —said the voice he believed was his mother's.
A deep terror struck his heart.
Teo forced his eyes open harder, desperate to see her—to have her scold him for what he had just said. Bringing his hands to his face, he felt cloth. Without hesitation, he ripped it off, hurting himself further in his frantic movements.
When his vision finally cleared, he froze.
A girl sat a short distance away, watching him silently with a worried expression. Compared to the last time Teo had seen her, she held a feather pen in her hand, dark circles shadowed her eyes, and beneath her nose was a faint trace of crimson.
Fleria looked away, as if she didn't want to witness what would appear next in Teo's eyes.
—Do you use drugs? —she asked softly.
Teo dropped back onto the bed, cursing in his mind as pain shot through him from the sudden movement.
Almost a full minute passed before he spoke.
—I'm starting to think I do. Otherwise, I can't explain how this nightmare still hasn't ended.
With her face shadowed by sadness, Fleria glanced at him sideways and, gathering her courage, asked:
—How are you feeling?
Teo stared silently at the ceiling. She thought he wouldn't answer until he suddenly frowned.
—What happened to the portal?
Pressing her lips together, Fleria lowered her gaze to her steel boots and forced herself to respond, even though it hurt.
—It's destroyed… They're destroyed.
Inner conflict flickered across her face.
—The other churches have their own summoning portals. They were all connected. What you did seems to have affected all of them.
A faint hope wavered in her eyes—then vanished almost immediately.
—Two churches have already confirmed it. The others are most likely the same.
After a brief pause, she let out a desolate sigh.
—This world won't receive any more heroes… at least not until a way to repair the portals is found.
A faint, weary smile appeared on Teo's face. He had achieved what he wanted—and yet it brought him nothing more than a sliver of comfort.
Fleria watched him with mild surprise.
—You're not still angry?
Teo looked at her calmly and hesitated before answering.
—I guess I am… but none of that will bring me back home.
Sadness crossed Fleria's face. Then she clenched her fists, afraid of what she would have to do if Teo answered her next question poorly.
—You said you'd kill us all. What about that?
As Teo considered his answer, Fleria's heart raced. If he still sought vengeance, she would have to handle it herself. But she didn't want to kill him—or see him executed.
When Teo looked away, ready to respond, she stopped breathing.
He shrugged awkwardly.
—I might have exaggerated a little… I'm not going to become a murderer. Not even in a fantasy world.
Fleria released a deep breath, her lips curving into a small smile of relief.
Unaware of her reaction, Teo kept staring at the ceiling. Then Fleria's voice, no longer quite as subdued, reached his ears.
—About the drug you mentioned… are you referring to some medicine you need right now?
The silly question pulled him from his dark thoughts, and he turned toward her.
—I was joking. Don't take it seriously.
She nodded in understanding.
When Teo tried to sit up again, he grimaced in pain.
—I did the best I could with my healing ability. Many of your bones were broken, so it'll take about two or three days for you to fully recover.
Teo touched the bandage around his head, remembering how he had been thrown after striking the portal.
He glanced around. The room was luxurious. Beautiful curtains covered the windows, and ornate decorations filled the space. On the intricate desk where Fleria sat were stacks of papers, a strange hourglass, and a small leather pouch.
So this will be my room for the next few days. Not bad. Though…
He turned back to Fleria with dark anticipation.
—I appreciate that you healed me, but I can't help wondering… why am I here? I'm not complaining—the room's nice—but, well… I thought I'd wake up in a cell or something.
—Really? —Fleria replied with a hint of intrigue. —I'm surprised you could think that clearly while you were so angry.
Even in his fury, Teo had considered a way to avoid the consequences. Fleria had realized that after hearing the accounts of what had supposedly happened.
He nodded.
It wasn't hard to imagine how these people would react if someone destroyed one of their most sacred relics.
—You're giving me too much credit. Honestly, I didn't think it would actually work.
Fleria narrowed her eyes, confirming something she had already suspected.
—I suppose you finally had a bit of luck.
Teo's eyes widened slightly.
Fleria glanced at the different papers on the desk and frowned faintly, recalling something she probably shouldn't have done.
—It was confusing, but I managed to understand it.
Her tired gaze settled on him. After several long seconds, she said:
—It was a pleasure meeting you…
That comment completely shifted his thoughts.
He wasn't eager to die, but there wasn't much he could do. He had stormed into a sect of lunatics, insulted their goddess, and damaged their sacred relic. There couldn't be a more obvious outcome.
Pulling him from his thoughts, Fleria stood up, a small spark in her eyes. Teo didn't understand the sudden change.
She's not planning to execute me herself, is she? Maybe she healed me just to kill me properly. I did say some awful things to her—well, a lot of awful things—but was it really that serious? Women are terrifying.
Noticing his unexpectedly frightened expression, Fleria asked:
—What are you thinking about?
—Nothing… It's just… you look really pretty.
Maybe that'll make my death less painful.
She seemed surprised, but instead of blushing or looking embarrassed, she turned to glance at her reflection in a small mirror on a side table.
Seconds later, she looked back at him with a pained, indignant expression.
—That's the result of spending almost all my mana. And all that horrible paperwork. It's my first time handling it, and it's a complete nuisance.
Teo looked bewildered, as if wondering when exactly she was supposed to kill him.
Fleria returned to her thoughts, and then Teo finally recognized the spark in her eyes. The same childish flames as before.
—It was a pleasure meeting you this morning, Miss Alice.
—What?
Fleria walked over slowly and sat on the bed, enjoying the comfort a bit too much.
—That transformation of yours belongs to the late legendary heroine. Her name was Alice.
She couldn't hide her excitement at somehow sitting beside someone she had heard so many stories about.
Teo raised his eyebrows. Apparently, his ability didn't simply let him transform into a female version of himself. He vaguely remembered the portrait of the beautiful woman in the pagoda—something about it hadn't added up.
Several seconds passed without Fleria saying anything more. Teo narrowed his eyes. The lack of a proper explanation was starting to irritate him. Worse, she seemed to be delaying it on purpose.
—You know, it wouldn't kill you to explain things properly.
Fleria gave him a small smile, then leaned back, conceding the end of her little game.
—Officially, last night you saved everyone from the legendary heroine Alice, who for some reason sought revenge.
A confused expression crossed Teo's face.
—I what?
Fleria remained silent, intentionally stretching the seconds. When Teo repeated the look, she finally continued.
—At first no one understood anything. But once people pieced together their testimonies, a story began to form.
She started twirling the feather pen between her fingers.
—Some saw you running desperately, as if chasing someone.
She inhaled, her tone shifting to a mix of astonishment and disbelief.
—The legendary heroine Alice suddenly appeared in the portal chamber, proclaimed heresies against the goddess, and destroyed the sacred portal—apparently regaining her former powers.
She met Teo's gaze.
—Amid the dust and chaos that followed, you arrived and briefly confronted her to stop her from massacring everyone.
She pointed at him with the pen.
—That's why they found you half-dead after losing the battle. They even say you swore to take revenge on Alice.
Teo stared at her incredulously. Seeing his expression, Fleria took a short breath, as if even she struggled to believe what she was saying.
—She escaped. A search party was sent, but they found no trace of her.
A flicker of distaste appeared on Fleria's face.
—However, what truly shook everyone was Alice's resurrection… and the fact that she had turned against the goddess.
Teo blinked several times.
Well. Perfect. Everything went exactly as I planned.
Then Fleria remembered one last detail.
—Oh, right. They also decided to pay you for your heroic actions.
She pointed the pen at the leather pouch on the desk.
—Even though you lost instantly.
She added unnecessarily with a blank expression. A few seconds later, her face shifted, and in a voice that tried to hide a trace of concern, she said:
—The resurrected legendary heroine who blasphemed against the goddess is also being hunted throughout the kingdom. So I recommend you keep hiding your female side.
Now that she had finished her monologue, Teo had received all the information that truly mattered to him—but he chose not to think about it just yet.
So she was just delaying that on purpose. Was that her way of getting back at me for what I said? …Well, I guess that's better than her planning to kill me herself.
Pushing aside thoughts of her little games, Teo looked at Fleria somberly.
There were still two small details he didn't understand. He decided to ask about only one.
—Doesn't it make you angry… what I did?
She looked away with a faint frown and remained silent for far too long. After a deep breath, she said:
—To be honest… I'm not entirely sure.
And as if that simple answer were enough for now, she added, slightly changing the subject:
—I made sure my brother and my cousin believe the official story as well.
—I see.
Teo replied, still slightly confused.
Fleria stood, walked to the desk to grab some papers, then returned and sat closer to him on the bed.
—I'd like to confirm something… Could you use your power again?
A bit wary, Teo asked:
—You mean the… female thing?
—I locked the door. No one will see you.
She said it while smiling at him.
What's wrong with her? Doesn't she understand what it means to be alone with no one watching?
Teo became more aware of the risks of transforming—and of the fact that the girl in front of him was the only one who knew his secret. He hesitated, but in the end, he decided to trust her.
He sighed and pulled on the string inside himself. The next instant, messy strands of hair fell over his vision.
He had been moving slowly to avoid unnecessary pain, so his hand was only halfway up when Fleria gently brushed the strands away from his eyes.
She looked at him with a tender, almost childish fascination. Under her gaze, Teo felt slightly embarrassed.
—What are you staring at so much? Do I look pretty now?
Fleria hesitated, remembering something she had said earlier that afternoon.
—Maybe now that I know whose face this is… it seems more charming.
For some reason, that stung a little. He tried to look at himself to prepare a response, but the pain made him give up, so he let out a dramatic sigh instead.
—You're not even good at flirting… That's what I was told.
Fleria looked away with a guilty expression.
—Really? Well… I think we should pity whoever said that. The poor thing probably didn't think it through.
—I think she had a bit of a point.
Hearing that, some of Fleria's guilt faded and she smiled at him. Then, returning to what she had been about to do, she placed the papers beside his face.
—This will take a moment. Relax.
She said it while studying his face. A second later, her eyes began to glow, and her gaze seemed to drift elsewhere.
Teo had no idea what she was trying to accomplish. Since he couldn't move much, his thoughts wandered instead. The only thing he could clearly see was Fleria's tired face with its dark circles.
He briefly remembered how pretty she had looked that morning and compared it to how she looked now—after spending just one day with him.
Wow. I'm really a hazard to women.
A few seconds later, a thin stream of crimson appeared beneath Fleria's nose. Teo watched the blood fall. He didn't panic. She had mentioned mana exhaustion earlier; he could more or less guess what that meant.
He moved his hand and, before the blood reached her lips, gently wiped it away.
He started recalling the awful things he had said to her, but before he could dwell on them, the glow in her eyes faded. A moment later, she collapsed backward onto the bed—landing across Teo's legs.
He endured the pain and asked, slightly alarmed:
—Fleria, are you okay?
She sighed and began to let out small bursts of laughter. After a few seconds, without the strength to turn and look at him, she stared at the ceiling and said:
—Your transformation doesn't alter your body.
The light in her eyes flared again as she added excitedly:
—This body you have right now is Alice's. Not an imitation—the original. I'm certain there's nothing left in her grave.
Teo tilted his head.
That was definitely strange. He supposedly had a transformation ability—and obtaining the original body of a deceased person didn't exactly fit the definition of "transformation." After thinking about it, he frowned indignantly.
—If I have her body, why don't I have her powers?
Fleria gave him what might have been a sweet smile—though in her current state, it was slightly unsettling.
—No idea.
What an exceptional oracle.
He kept that thought to himself. She was clearly in terrible shape, so he decided to spare her—for now.
Teo turned to the papers she had dropped when she collapsed. Strangely, there were three drawings on the bed. He picked them up. Each sheet showed a different woman.
He studied them, then selected two and showed them to Fleria.
—Which one is me?
He hadn't had the chance to examine his female face in detail. Of the drawings, two at least looked like actual women. One was far more beautiful than the other.
Now he was asking which of those two faces was his. Fleria looked at him for a few seconds, then tried to smile cutely.
—I think you resemble the third option more.
She emphasized the word "you."
Teo frowned.
—Ha. Ha. Very funny.
He turned to the third drawing.
What he saw could only be described as a face born from the depths of hell: a woman with a wicked grin and two enormous horns crowning her head.
What the hell? I don't even have horns! Which idiot came up with that? Of course… religious people.
Fleria spoke as if implying more than her words conveyed.
—Your actual face, when you transform, matches the old drawing. The other one is the face used for statues and portraits of Alice.
Teo fell silent for a moment.
—So that woman forced everyone to make her look more beautiful than she really was?
—Bingo. That's why I didn't recognize her. She died over a century ago fighting the Demon King.
Understanding the situation, Teo looked at the old drawing—the one with his real transformed face—with concern.
—And this one?
—It's the only true portrait that exists. The priest's father drew it in secret years ago.
Teo studied it, thinking about the potential risk. He understood that the demonic image was what witnesses had described after the portal's destruction. With that one, they wouldn't be able to identify him.
But in his hands was the only accurate depiction of the heretic they were hunting.
He looked at Fleria, puzzled.
—Why is this in your possession, Fleria?
She took a moment to answer, a hint of guilt in her expression.
—The priest brought it out so everyone could see it. But before that happened… well, the picture magically disappeared.
A genuine smile appeared on Teo's face.
—So you're a disappearing mage too? Impressive.
Fleria turned her head.
—I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never seen that drawing.
Teo waited a moment, then said seriously:
—Thank you.
She simply nodded.
—Hey… when are you going to move? My legs are starting to hurt.
Fleria gave him a pained look.
—It's very difficult to move when you've used up all your mana, you know? So please, have mercy and give me a few more minutes.
He didn't argue.
—I guess my power really does hide some secret after all… though I don't see how that helps me.
Fleria didn't react, unlike before when the idea of a hidden power had seemed to reinforce her faith in her goddess.
Noticing she was deep in thought, Teo decided to stay quiet. He pulled the string inside himself and returned to his original body.
A few minutes later, Fleria shifted slightly and, with visible effort, managed to sit up.
—Let's finish this.
She walked slowly to the desk, gathered the stack of papers, arranged them, grabbed the feather pen, dragged the chair closer to the bed, and sat down.
Placing the papers near Teo, she pointed to a specific spot.
—You need to sign here, and everything will be fine.
Teo looked up from the pile.
—And what exactly is all this?
—The paperwork required to register you in the kingdom. In short, it grants you recognition and the rights of a hero. It also includes all the terms and conditions under which your actions could be prosecuted and justify your execution.
She said it calmly—very different from the stunned expression on Teo's face.
"Everything will be fine," she'd said.
—And you seriously expect me to sign this just like that?
Fleria shrugged.
—Yes. Why not?
—Maybe because you just mentioned all the ways the kingdom could screw me over and call it justified?
A trace of confusion appeared on her face.
—And what's wrong with that?
Teo stared at her, baffled by her indifference. Then she added:
—From what I understand, in your world people sign papers like these all the time without reading them. I don't see why you'd refuse to sign one more.
A sarcastic smile formed on Teo's lips.
Which bastard brought this concept to this world…? Businessmen, you're on the same level as the Demon King!
Fleria ignored his reaction and continued:
—Besides, it's important. This is how our world registers you.
Teo gave up and shook his head.
—How do I sign?
Fleria used her pen to make a small cut on his thumb. Teo pressed the bleeding thumb to the paper, leaving a mark.
How archaic. Wouldn't it have been easier to just hand me the pen?
Fleria gathered the papers with satisfaction and pride. She stood, glanced at the small wound on his thumb, and frowned slightly. She had no mana left to heal it.
Resigned, she smiled at him.
—With that, we're done for today.
Teo felt strange. He had wanted to ask her something important—but instead he said:
—Long day, huh?
She sighed tiredly and nodded.
—I recommend you rest, Teo. And I also recommend you don't go around destroying another sacred relic… for your own sake.
—I'll try.
She gave him a flat look and shook her head.
—I'll report that you encountered Alice outside the pagoda. She attacked you and then fled. You decided to pursue her…
She looked at him seriously.
—Remember to repeat my version if anyone asks. Understood?
Teo raised his thumb slightly.
—Understood, miss.
Fleria returned to the desk, picked up the strange hourglass, and as she gathered her belongings, she spoke again.
—Once you're healed, someone else will come to finish your orientation and take you to your actual room.
Teo raised an eyebrow.
—You won't finish the orientation yourself?
She shook her head.
—Since it's been temporarily suspended and I have matters to attend to with my adventuring party, I likely won't be in the capital by the time you recover.
Slightly disappointed, Teo nodded.
—Well… I'll be going now.
Fleria began walking toward the door while Teo watched her, a question stuck in his throat.
He clearly liked her—even though he barely knew her. And that was precisely why he wanted to know why she had let him live.
He gathered his courage and asked:
—Why?.. Why didn't you turn me in?
Fleria stopped at the door. Without turning around, she lowered her head slightly. Her voice was low, tangled in moral conflict.
—I suppose… I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already have.
She raised her hand faintly and added:
—See you.
After saying goodbye, she opened the door. A second later, only one person remained in the room.
Teo watched her leave, surprised.
After thinking for a moment, he realized that, in a way, she had been responsible for him losing everything. She had performed the ritual. It was her actions that had brought him to this world.
Pushing aside those troubling thoughts, he slowly lay back down, staring blankly at the ceiling.
So from now on… I live in this world, huh?
—Disgusting… —he whispered.
Both his body and mind were exhausted, despite having been unconscious.
It was still night; the sun was just beginning to rise. Teo noticed the faint light through the curtains. Not caring, he adjusted himself in the bed.
Before he could dwell further on his misfortunes, he fell into the comforting embrace of sleep.