The Former Assassin Becomes a Noble Lady

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“Haah…”

When I returned to the dormitory after taking stock of the guild headquarters last night, dawn had already broken.

So, the story goes that I ended up going to school without a single moment of rest.

The classroom was empty because no one had arrived yet.

I yawned widely and trudged over to the spot where I had sat yesterday and flopped down.

When I was a man, staying up all night was nothing. But now that I’m a woman, I’ve only missed one night’s sleep, and my eyelids feel as heavy as lead.

I can’t tell if it’s just how women are or a side effect of the TS magic, but it’s a trivial change nonetheless.

Putting aside those useless thoughts, I decided to reassess the current situation.

Firstly, can I return to my original body?

No. Sem Mogra, who died last night, boasted that he was the only TS wizard on the continent. He may not know all the wizards, but there’s no way I’m gambling my life on something uncertain.

Secondly, do I have any money?

I have some gold coins, but considering the living expenses like dorm fees and food at the academy, it’s far from enough.

Thirdly, is the current situation safe?

House Deretia is probably seething with rage after realizing that their precious lady has become an assassination target. In such a situation, leaving the academy suddenly and vanishing could be even more dangerous.

In other words, the current situation is not favorable for someone like me, who yearns for freedom.

After sorting out my current situation, I tried to sketch out some rough plans for the future in my head.

Firstly, do I really need to leave the academy?

As everyone knows, Griffin Academy is considered the best academy on the continent. It’s just difficult to get in and graduate; but if I do graduate, a bright future awaits. Should I really throw away an opportunity that others are desperate to obtain?

Secondly, how do I secure funding?

Living at the academy costs money. Food costs money, of course, and the dorm is no exception. Even now, I’m in a single room. I’ve managed to pay for the first semester, but from the second semester onward, I won’t be able to bear the costs of a single room.

If I want to move into a room with four people, I need to cut down on my food expenses right away.

Fortunately, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, as Griffin Academy, being national, has a pretty good scholarship system. But it would have been better if they had reduced my food and dorm costs instead. They want to squeeze as much operating costs as possible from the nobility who just want to pay and receive their diplomas.

Anyway, what I should aim for is a full scholarship that covers tuition, dormitory fees, and food expenses. At the very least, I need to get a half-scholarship to have a minimal plan for my future.

Thirdly, Selian Deretia.

This is quite the problem. Whether by luck or misfortune, based on her attitude yesterday, she seems to have a favorable impression of me. Of course, she could be kind to everyone, but that wouldn’t be a bad thing. However, as someone who tried to assassinate Selian, should I really get close to her? If I make even a slight mistake and my identity gets even a little exposed, my life will be at stake. But conversely, if I don’t make any mistakes, getting close might even help avoid suspicion. After all, as a former assassin (with no experience), I’m confident that my meticulous and sharp behavior won’t be prone to mistakes. In that case, it might be better to become close to Selian.

As I was organizing my plans in my head, it was already time for other students to arrive at school.

The back door opened, and a student walked into the classroom.

The sound of the door opening naturally caught my attention, and our eyes met as the student entered.

Her eyes shone as blue as a clear sky without a cloud.

I’ve seen people with blue eyes before, but I’ve never seen anyone with eyes that clear.

Selian Deretia.

Her blue eyes harmonized beautifully with her blonde hair, making her even more attractive.

She seemed surprised to see someone in the classroom and widened her eyes before breaking into a sunny smile.

“You came early, Elysia.”

“Oh, hello, Selian.”

Selian pulled out a chair and sat down, resting her bag beside the desk.

For a moment, thoughts paused, and conversation stopped, bringing another wave of sleepiness over me, which I tried to suppress with one hand covering my mouth as I yawned.

Of course, I didn’t yawn widely like before; I tried my best to be graceful.

As I rubbed my eyes to wipe away the tears from the yawn, Selian came closer, leaning over the desk.

“Did you not sleep well? To be fair, the dorm was a bit loud last night, wasn’t it?”

“Ah, yes… I’m a bit sensitive, so I couldn’t sleep well…”

I had no idea if it was loud since I had been out all night, but I tried to play along as best I could.

Selian didn’t stop at just leaning over the desk; she moved closer, peering intently into my face.

We were so close that our noses could almost touch, and I didn’t know where to look, so my gaze darted around.

Honestly, this is an unavoidable reaction. No matter how much I trained as an assassin, I have never been this close to a female peer in over ten years. I’d be flattered just to keep a conversation going.

After staring into my eyes for a while, Selian finally pulled back, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

That was until she raised both of her hands and placed them on my cheeks.

“What a pretty face, and with dark circles under your eyes too? This is a crime!”

She started pinching my cheeks gently while complaining.

“Eria???”

Even as I called her name with a muddled pronunciation, she showed no signs of releasing my cheeks.

Now she was going beyond just pinching my cheeks; she held onto them and started stretching them while muttering to herself.

“No… perhaps this has an aesthetic appeal? If I had to choose between the two…”

“Uh, uh?”

Feeling uneasy about her chattering to herself, I mumbled again with a garbled pronunciation, and finally, Selian released my cheeks.

Of course, I could have let go of her hands, but that option would be incorrect. I had to cling to her.

Actions that might make her uncomfortable were a no-go.

“Here, have this. It might help you refresh yourself a bit?”

She pulled out a candy from a container in her bag and offered it to me. I reached out and accepted the candy, tossing it into my mouth.

At that moment, a sour taste filled my mouth.

The sudden sourness made me naturally scrunch my eyes. But as I quickly got used to the sourness, I could taste the sweetness. As I rolled the candy around in my mouth, she reached out and began to pet my head.

?

I felt like I’d been sensing something since yesterday, but her proximity was uncomfortably close. Is this how girls generally behave with each other?

The behavior rules I learned as a girl didn’t cover this kind of interaction. But surely the information I gathered isn’t all-encompassing. This sort of behavior could be completely natural among girls.

Thus, I attempted to reach out to pet her head in return.

“Ts!”

At her click of the tongue, I immediately dropped my hand onto my thigh and lowered my gaze.

…?

In the end, my only option was to remain still while she was satisfied by petting my head.

*

“Today is the first day of class, so let’s start by assessing each other’s levels.”

The first day of the first class in Swordsmanship 1 was practical swordsmanship.

The class was taught by Ferrent, the professor in charge of Swordsmanship 1. I heard he was the former commander of the Imperial Knights before entering the academy.

Truly, the best academy on the continent.

“Then, pair up and take your places!”

Following the professor’s instructions, the students scattered into pairs. I noticed some students fidgeting, unable to find partners, but Ferrent quickly matched those students up separately.

And what about me?

I turned my head and glanced beside me.

Somehow, Selian had slipped away from her previous group and was now standing right next to me.

I was startled, turning my head and finding her there without realizing when she had come. Could it be that Selian has a talent for assassination?

“Now, one pair at a time, come forward and begin sparring! It’s not real swords, so don’t worry; if it seems dangerous, I’ll intervene! For those who are not sparring, pay attention and offer constructive feedback afterward; you’ll get extra points, so don’t slack off!”

As I watched the sparring begin, I was saving up points for constructive feedback while waiting for my turn.

*

“Next!”

Finally, it was my turn.

At the professor’s command, Selian and I stepped forward. I swung my wooden sword lightly in my hand.

I could feel the weight of the sword had noticeably increased due to the reduced strength from becoming a woman, even though it was just a wooden sword. Not that it swung hard or anything.

I took my stance and looked at Selian standing before me.

As you’d expect, she is a hero candidate. I don’t know her exact skill level, but she’s certainly not someone to underestimate.

Just from her posture alone, it was clear she was different from the students I faced earlier.

But that’s exactly why it’s good. I need to accurately assess my current abilities.

How far can I go with this female body? Is my plan to aim for a scholarship reasonable?

There was no formal announcement to start, but the spar had already commenced.

Both Selian and I could feel that we were ready to swing our swords at any moment.

The stance Selian currently held was textbook-perfect. One foot slightly back, her body upright, shoulders facing straight ahead, and the tip of her sword unwavering.

Thinking of starting some psychological warfare, I glanced at her face, but the normally cheerful expression was replaced by an unusual lack of emotion.

From her, I felt an unyielding firmness, as solid as a rock.

Okay, I’ll start.

I gripped the wooden sword in one hand, gave it a few spins, and charged at Selian.

I swung the sword upwards, and she effortlessly deflected it before shoulder-checking me as she sprung towards me.

Normally, I would have lost balance and been pushed back by the shoulder tackle, but I followed the trajectory of the sword and spun around, going over her.

I could certainly feel my body had become more flexible now as I grabbed the back of her neck.

If any traditional knights saw this, they’d probably call it indecent, but thankfully no one was carping at me.

Pulling the back of her neck, I swung my sword towards her.

However, she easily sensed my swing from behind and neutralized my attack by placing her sword in the path of mine.

And with a sharp twist, she threw off my grip on her collar while delivering a powerful counterattack. Blocking it was impossible, and all I could do was evade. I wanted to counterattack, but my posture wasn’t right.

Rolling on the ground, her sword passed just over my head. The sound cutting through the air was chilling.

Having escaped her range, I immediately got back up and regained my stance.

It was a situation reminiscent of our first encounter.

Neither side had any advantage or disadvantage now, but both Selian and I could feel that the momentum clearly remained on her side.

It was no needless assumption that she was a hero candidate.

To think I aimed to become the youngest swordmaster? I couldn’t help but realize the hubris in that as a laugh escaped me.

If someone were to claim the closest to a master at this moment, it would be not me, but this girl in front of me.

Had it always been this enjoyable to clash swords? Just a brief exchange revealed the seriousness she held toward her sword. I could sense her thoughts as well. I could tell she enjoyed it too.

Until now, I hadn’t felt joy in practicing swordsmanship. The daily grind always felt like suffering, and I accepted that pain as a given.

A sword had merely been a tool for assassination to me. That’s all I thought it was.

However, her path diverged from mine, which had been filthy and uncomfortable for over a decade.

But it doesn’t matter. I had tried to hide my shame about that path until now, but now I could stand tall.

This is the path I’ve walked. I was not wrong; I had merely walked a different road.

By meeting her, facing her sword, and seeing her path, I could find faith in my own way.

Without consciously thinking about it, an aura began to emanate from my sword. Not the pitch-black aura of when I was a man, but a dazzling, pure white aura.

Seeing my sword, she smiled and summoned forth her own aura.

A golden aura.

Gold and silver.

After a brief silence, we charged at each other.

“Okay! That’s enough!”

Selian and I found ourselves dangling from Ferrent’s grip by the back of our necks, the previous spar interrupted.

Truly, the former commander of the Imperial Knights.