My reflection in the mirror was terrible.

The tire I was wearing was clearly the long nightgown I usually wore, but the calves visible underneath were firm and massive, as if they were stuffed with ripe potatoes.

Not to mention the manly leg hair and the robust shoulders and large hands that were about to tear through fabric were truly part of the skeletal structure of a god-blessed warrior.

‘Hmm. Looking at it this way, I definitely look more impressive than that damn Andert. I think I’m even a bit taller.’

Was I being played by my younger sibling or something?

…No, that’s not it.

‘Could it be that all the time I spent living as Daisy Weatherwoods was just a dream?’

I thoroughly combed through the bedroom. Judging by the familiarity of the bedding, it didn’t seem like a dream. This must be reality, then.

‘I need to know what caused my body to return to being Andert Fager.’

What could be the cause? By what logic did it come back?

‘Damn it. How do I figure this out?’

It was necessary to understand the situation. I left the bedroom and made my way to the dimly lit parlor in the mansion where darkness had fallen.

As I arrived at the parlor wearing indoor shoes that almost fit like toe protectors now, the familiar members of the household froze in astonishment.

The head maid, the assassin, the bandit maid.

Crash!

Next, the teacup in the head maid’s hand fell to the floor.

“A living and moving… Andert Fager….”

Finally, the head maid’s lips trembled in shock.

What the hell was going on?

“Well, since everyone seems to be gathered here. I have a question, how did I end up returning here…?”

“AAA!”

The Head maid let out a scream and stood close to the wall, covering her face with her hands.

Then she started muttering, “What should I do? It really is Sir Andert, the hero! How is this possible? My makeup’s all gone. Does this make any sense?”

“…Why are you like this?”

Crash!

The second teacup shattered. The assassin-butler, who usually never lost his composure, stood up abruptly and shouted loudly in a military stance.

“Yes Sir! It seems that the head maid is shy to face the master directly!”

“What’s wrong with you now?”

“Nothing, sir! I am always fully devoted to you, with all my heart and body!”

Did they all collectively go crazy?

No, right now, whether they were mentally disturbed or not wasn’t important.

“Head Maid, how did I get back here?”

“Oh, don’t come this way!”

With a face as red as an apple, the flustered maid pointed to the neatly folded clothes on top of the drawer.

“There, t-the clothes I prepared…”

Ah, that’s right.

‘I must have looked like a pervert.’

That’s why everyone was surprised. Feeling embarrassed, I briefly left the parlor, quickly changed clothes in the hallway, and came back in.

The indoor outfit, perfectly fitted with a knitted vest and tie, surprisingly fit snugly, making it easier to move in.

“Sorry. You can look this way now.”

…But did this really require an apology? I might have another body, but I was still a woman.

The head maid seemed completely uninterested in turning her head towards me. I gave up on making eye contact with her,  and asked again.

“Now, explain the circumstances of the incident.”

Seemingly gathering herself, the head maid turned her head abruptly and explained in a shaking voice.

“Two days ago, in the early morning, L-Lord Rosebell suddenly… came to the townhouse…”

And then she fell right away.

I quickly supported her falling body. The head maid, exhaling roughly, with a bitter look in her eyes, muttered.

“Sir Andert’s support… Even if I die like this… I have no regrets…”

She was out of her mind.

The assassin-butler carefully examined the fallen maid and shouted loudly.

“She fainted! There’s nothing wrong with her health other than that!”

First, I laid the housekeeper down in the bedroom and assigned a servant to stay with her, then returned to the parlor.

“Is there anyone who can tell me what’s going on right now?”

“…”

“No one?”

“…”

“Hey, are you all scared of me?”

“…”

“Ugh… It’s so frustrating. Hey! Grandpa Malcolm, if you’re in the mansion, come out for a minute!”

Not long after, I began to hear faint footsteps from the second floor. Malcolm hurriedly descended the stairs with the gait of an old man and couldn’t hide his surprise when he saw my face.

“Oh my… Viscount Weatherwoods. I did see you and confirm it with my own eyes when you were lying like a corpse, but… you truly are Raphael’s sword!”

“Then did you think I was lying before? Still, I’m glad at least you seem to be fine, old man. If you have time, please explain how I came back to the mansion. The others don’t seem to know how to communicate.”

“They can’t communicate? Haha. Well, that’s understandable. After all, a hero from an era thought to be dead has returned so splendidly before them…”

Malcolm’s explanation was concise.

The one who brought Rue and me to the townhouse in Ragel was Count Rosebell.

At that time, I’d already become the hero Andert Fager, and Count Rosebell seemed to believe that I had been rescued from a laboratory. Afterwards, the head maid and the servants sought help from Malcolm, and we were able to safely arrive at Midwinterre.

‘Raphael protected my secret.’

At that moment, a sentence that I couldn’t ignore passed through my ear.

“Wait. Rue also collapsed like me?”

“That’s right. He was in a deep sleep just like you. I remember being really surprised.”

I looked like Andert when we arrived at Midwinterre, and Rue lost consciousness.

‘Is there a connection between Rue and why I came to look like this?’

I felt uneasy. Something didn’t feel right.

“But still, it’s fortunate. I don’t know if you heard, but the day before you arrived, Skuld visited the Weatherwoods. He took the Calepa with him to return to the sanctuary, and…”

Malcolm rummaged through his belongings and handed me a rough wooden key.

“What’s this?”

“A disposable teleportation artifact. They said you would understand its purpose as soon as it’s handed to you. And if possible, they said to use it immediately once you understand.”

A disposable teleportation artifact.

Although it was a brief explanation, I immediately understood its purpose. I stood up right away.

“I’ll make a quick stop somewhere. Please take care of the mansion, Malcolm.”

“Take your time, Viscount… just don’t forget this is the place you must return to.”

As I was about to use the key, I suddenly remembered someone whose existence I’d almost forgotten and turned to Malcolm again.

“But where’s Jean?”

“Ah, Jean? She said she had to become a suitable aide for a hero and went out for evening training. I tried to dissuade her and told her to rest, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Ah, to be young, so so young.

I inserted the wooden key into the tightly closed bedroom door knob and turned it.

Click.

When I opened the door, the bedroom, which used to exude a gentle aura, had completely disappeared. Instead, a chilling and desolate breeze brushed through my hair.

A tall and spacious hall. Moonlight seeping through the collapsed ceiling. Beyond that, an altar weathered by time.

“You’ve arrived, Miss Daisy.”

In the returned sanctuary of Calepa, three men were present.

One stood beside the altar, one sat on a long wooden chair, and one stood against the wall, engrossed in reading.

After closing the door, I walked towards the altar.

On top of the altar was a white wooden structure resembling a coffin, and inside it lay a familiar man.

It was Rue.

Why hadn’t he woken up yet? I stared at Rue, who was asleep as if dead, and asked the man standing next to the altar.

“…Is it Rue who called me here?”

The man standing next to the altar, Calepa Skuld of Rogue Church, answered,

“I was instructed to do so in case of an emergency.”

“What do you mean by emergency?”

“It means that the Lord Calepa can no longer watch over you.”

In an instant, I felt my heart drop as if it were falling to the ground.

“You test my limits until the end, Daisy.”

Rue’s voice, which I heard amidst the suffocating breathlessness, was still fresh in my ears.

“He can no longer watch over me?”

Why?

“Did Rue save me?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did I return to the form of a man?”

“Because he touched the realm of Gods.”

The answer came not from Skuld, but from the man sitting in the nearby chair.

As I confirmed the man’s face, I tensed slightly. The silver-haired Calepa. He was the one who stood in our way with a sword when I’d broken into Calepa with Andert.

“Lord Calepa has turned back your physical body to the past. To the version of yourself he judged to be the youngest, strongest, and healthiest.”

Upon hearing those words, I slowly lowered my head and examined my body. A body when it was at its youngest, strongest, and healthiest version.

Was that the body from my time as Andert?

“Then when will Rue wake up…”

At that moment.

“Hmm. So, this is the body right after swallowing Dian Cecht’s heart?”

An unfamiliar face suddenly appeared right in front of me. He exuded an atmosphere as impressive as Skuld and Urd, and with great interest, he scrutinized my features.

“Well, well! That’s truly astonishing. I never imagined that the heart we couldn’t find no matter how hard we searched would have merged with the soul of this body. Unbelievable.”

“…”

“Oh, have I forgotten to introduce myself? I am Bernard, a Calepa of Rogue. The one with the unlucky expression on this side is Urd, and the grumpy oldie on the other side is Skuld. I believe you met Skuld in the past, right?”

As if delighted to see me, Bernard tapped my shoulder and then declared in a somewhat solemn voice.

“I never expected the day would come when I would say such words, but.. Daisy Weatherwoods. According to Lord Calepa’s will when he was alive, the three of us, the Calepas, will be your protectors and guardians, and we promise to fully assist you in crossing the fourth wall.”

THE FU YOU MEAN LORD CALEPA’S WILL

RUE GET BACK UPPP THIS PRANK ISNT FUNNY

But also. Something about Rue returning Daisy’s body to the healthiest version of herself despite it being her time as Andert just makes me go fuzzy

Also, the head maid is totally whipped for sir Andert??? No blaming though our daisy was a war hero. The weatherwoods remain the most chaotic household in the continent