In a small room with one transparent wall.

Although the room was empty, my past experiences had taught me enough.

Beyond that transparent wall, there were two people: one who caused me pain, and one who alleviated it.

The man with silver hair was the one who made me hurt.

His very deadpan voice gave orders that led to various parts of my body getting wrecked.

He was the one who jabbed me with syringes that caused a horrific pain, as if my insides were melting away.

Every time the silver-haired man did something, I had to endure excruciating pain.

With each bout of suffering, flames would involuntarily erupt from my body, and with every instance, those flames grew hotter and hotter.

Then, the silver-haired man would smile with joy.

I hated the pain, and so I hated that man who took pleasure in inflicting it.

However, unlike him, there was someone I didn’t dislike.

It was a man whose hair wasn’t silver and who didn’t have pointy ears.

I knew that this man was the one who eased my pain.

So, I didn’t dislike him at all.

The silver-haired man wasn’t visible; only the other man stood beyond the transparent wall.

Once more today, he had managed to prevent my suffering.

Wanting to do something for him, I decided for the first time to try to communicate with him.

I plastered myself against the wall and knocked to get his attention. He looked inside the room.

I stared straight at him, recalling how the silver-haired man had smiled when flames erupted from my body.

So, I unleashed flames from my body.

It was something I had just learned to do, something I hadn’t shown to anyone else yet.

The man looked surprised, staring at me with an expression that wasn’t the delighted smile I had expected. So, I extinguished the flames.

[10, what did you just do?]

His voice echoed in the room, prompting me to fire up the flames again and then snuff them out.

[You can control your abilities now? By the way, were you trying to show that to me?]

I nodded my head.

He looked bewildered.

[…Why?]

I pointed at him.

Then, I gestured to the spot where I had received a shot earlier that day.

It hurt like crazy, but after he’d come and gone, it didn’t hurt anymore.

I couldn’t remember it well due to the strange mist I had inhaled.

[So, you’re showing me that as thanks for healing you?]

I nodded again.

For some reason, he looked very pained.

From that day forth, every time he healed me, he started to apologize.

—

“Are you okay? If you’re not feeling well, don’t push yourself and go take a rest in the infirmary.”

Mei, who was sitting to my right, spoke up worriedly when she noticed I had zoned out for a moment during lunch.

Sylvia, sitting to my left, nodded along with her in agreement.

“Right. It hasn’t been long since you were discharged from the hospital. You really need to pay more attention to your health. If there’s even the slightest issue, please rest.”

“…I’m really fine. I’ve just been having a lot of dreams lately, so I’m a little out of it.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but still, you really need to be careful. It could be serious if you faint.”

Even though I reassured them, Sylvia and Mei still looked worried.

It was truly just because of the dreams, nothing more.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had nightmares almost every night to the extent that I woke up feeling dazed.

Most of those dreams were filled with painful experiences, which left me feeling somewhat groggy even after waking up.

But it wasn’t enough to warrant a trip to the infirmary.

I thought about this while sneaking a glance at someone who looked like they were really struggling.

“Uhh, Scarlett, you shouldn’t be sick.”

Jessie, who was sitting across from me, seemed to notice my attention and spoke with a dazed tone.

She clearly didn’t look well at all.

With her dazed eyes and messy hair, she looked like Dwight Neinhart from Class B, who barely slept due to magic training. Anyone would think they were siblings.

I had no idea what she did last night, but it was clear she hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

As she tried to reassure me while looking more worn out than anyone else in the dining hall, Mei gave her a disbelieving look and said, “…Uh, Jessie, it’s nice that you’re worried about Scarlett, but shouldn’t you take care of yourself first? You seriously look like you’re about to collapse. Shouldn’t you go rest in the infirmary?”

“Don’t worry about me… I’m just a little, really just a little out of it. I’m fine. Hehehe.”

“No, you totally don’t look just a little tired…”

Everyone stared at Jessie with bewilderment as she produced a strange laugh.

There was no way that was just someone who looked a bit tired.

– She looks like she’s not okay, right?

– Yeah, seems that way.

I exchanged glances with Mei, silently communicating our thoughts.

However, Jessie was gazing at me with a grin as if she was perfectly fine.

“Ehehe, Scarlett. About your prosthetic arm. Everyone at my place thinks it’s so cool that they’ve all rushed to help. So, there’s a good chance it could be ready earlier than expected. All the craftsmen are working day and night, so it’s moving along quickly. It might be done in 2 or 3 days.”

So that’s why she looked so exhausted.

I had no idea they would invest that much effort into finishing it quickly.

Still, they didn’t need to wear themselves down like that…

“Take your time making it! You need to take care of yourself while doing that.”

“Heehee. Well, I have to say, I can’t help myself right now.”

Jessie laughed like someone who had lost their mind in response.

Not understanding what she meant by “can’t help myself,” I remained quiet. Jessie continued.

“Our family has a bit of dwarf blood, and it’s rare, you know? So sometimes, those instincts kick in. It’s not well-known, but dwarves have periods where they feel an incredible urge to devote themselves to crafting. I just happen to be in one of those periods, so I pulled an all-nighter.”

“…Is there really such a period? That’s fascinating.”

Sylvia, who had been listening, asked with curiosity.

In response, Jessie spoke with a gleeful grin.

“Just like elves or human women have their cycle once a month? It’s the same for dwarves.”

I couldn’t quite follow what she meant by the “visit from the spirits,” and I remained blank for a moment until I noticed the shocked expressions on Sylvia and Mei’s faces.

Apparently, that was some kind of euphemism in this world.

Magical dwarf Jessie was now grinning like someone unhinged.

“Heehee, it’s like relieving the stress from that time through crafting. Normally, it makes us a bit on edge, but having something to make helps lessen that, while at the same time focuses our drive to create even more. This time it was particularly strong, so I ended up staying awake all night. Honestly, even now, my hands are itching to get back to work. I want to rush home and get started on the prosthetic…”

Mei and Sylvia watched Jessie, who spoke in an almost deranged tone, with resigned expressions.

It seemed like I was the only one bewildered by the situation.

Moments like this made me acutely feel the reality of my changed gender.

After all, I hadn’t experienced it directly yet…

“Just thinking about it makes it hard to bear. Ah! I want to work on the prosthetic!”

“…You really don’t look good at all. I’ll have to force you to lie down. Jessie, I’m taking you to the infirmary, so come along.”

“Ughhyaaak!”

Mei quickly finished her meal, grabbed Jessie, who had barely touched hers, and dragged her to the infirmary.

As I stared at the bizarre scene of Jessie being pulled away while letting out strange screams, Sylvia glanced at me and said,

“…Elves don’t really have such peculiar quirks. I can manage that with spirit magic, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

…I found it a bit odd that she could block visits from spirits with spirit magic, I thought.

—

After finishing my meal, I was a bit anxious about everything, so I headed to the infirmary for some counsel.

“Are you going to the infirmary? Are you feeling unwell?”

Yoon Si-woo, coming in through the main entrance as if returning from outside, looked at me with a worried expression.

Maybe because of my arm, it seemed like everyone was concerned about me in various ways.

“…It’s nothing serious. I just have some concerns I want to talk about.”

Still feeling a bit awkward facing Yoon Si-woo, I answered stiffly.

“…Um, if it’s bothering you, I could listen.”

He seemed to have been acting a bit uneasy around me lately, so I wondered what had changed in his feelings.

Yoon Si-woo looked at me with a slightly hopeful expression and asked.

“It’s fine; it’s not something you could help me with anyway.”

“You never know. I might be of some help. Since you listened to my worries last time, I could listen to yours too.”

He seemed to have referenced what I had said in front of the supermarket.

Knowing that it was obviously a concern he wouldn’t help with, I still decided to give a vague answer.

“I haven’t gotten my period this month, and that’s what I’m worried about.”

It had been about a month since I turned female.

It was not something I particularly wanted to experience, but the fact that it hadn’t come made me think there could be a problem with my body, which was precisely why I was heading to the infirmary.

Since he was a guy, it was clearly apparent that he couldn’t offer help regarding this topic.

Leaving behind the now tense Yoon Si-woo, I entered the infirmary.

After explaining the situation to the nurse, she said there could be various reasons for it, but it seemed likely that I had overexerted myself.

“I doubt it’s due to a nutritional imbalance.”

As I heard that, I started contemplating whether I should eat a bit more than just instant noodles.

After advising Jessie, who was resting in the infirmary, to take care of herself, I stepped outside to find Yoon Si-woo still standing there like a statue.

What an odd guy.

—

[This is Sator Astra.]

[I contacted you to see if I could obtain some containers filled with the magic from the body disposal company.]

[For what purpose? Of course, it’s for research. What other use would someone like me have for it?]

[You will allow it? Thank you. I hope Dolos always thrives.]