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It’s been a few days since Christina began teaching Olivia, and her grades have gradually improved.

So far she had always done everything by instinct, but once she was taught properly she actually understood the theory as well. She probably just struggled to pay attention in class since she preferred doing things her way.

But huh?

Does that mean I really was bad at teaching her then?

…Either way, at least I feel reassured about her grades now. I don’t know for how long Christina wants to ‘make it up’ to Olivia, I just hope that they slowly become good friends. I feel like I need to thank her somehow for teaching Olivia too.

But enough about such plans.

It’s the weekend now, but Olivia said she’s still going to study at Christina’s, so I let her go and return to the room and take off my maid uniform. I changed into a simple shirt and pants that I bought before. I walk to a mirror and check how I look, and feel something is slightly off.

“Hmmm, it’s a bit tight below, feels a bit weird.”

I felt like it was too tight around my hips, which limited my movements. My maid uniform feels a lot less restraining and refreshing, so I feel more comfortable in it.

“…Wait, stop that me!”

I fall on my knees realizing I’ve gotten used to wearing a skirt all the time.

That’s all I’ve been wearing since I woke up in this world though! And Ophelia ordered me to live as her maid! But deep down I still have some pride in being a man! Even if I pretend to talk in a more feminine way all the time!

“Ahhh, I feel my identity and gender crumbling down inside me now…”

Maybe it’s been eroding away since a long time ago, but I’m only noticing now.

I’m getting frustrated. I take a towel and wrap it tightly around my chest to hide it a bit. Do I look more masculine…not at all.

“My face looks like this too.”

I’m Ophelia’s masterpiece, so my face is exceedingly beautiful as well. Though mentioning that makes me feel a bit narcissistic.

I take out a monster bone from my magic storage and throw it into an alchemy cauldron to make a mask. I’m only changing its shape, so it’s easier than making medicine.

“Alright, this might work to hide myself.”

I wear it as a test, it fits me perfectly and the holes for my eyes are aligned perfectly as well.

Then I put on some light armor, gauntlets, boots, a holster belt with my gun, and tie up my hair as short as I can. I look at the mirror again, I look like a mysterious and suspicious adventurer.

“Alright, this should be good enough. Oh, almost forgot this.”

I unfasten the brooch showing I’m a Servant from my maid necktie, and hide it inside my armor. Without it, I won’t be able to prove my identity as a Servant, and I might get killed. All my mechanical joints are hidden by my clothes and armor, so I look human at first sight, but I can never be sure.

Now, time to go out.

I put the mask in my magic storage while I’m still inside the dorm.

It’s a bit later than the usual time people leave for class, so there’s no one else in the hallways. I walk out of the school grounds and head towards the gate leading out of Ingralowe.

The guard looks at me strangely when I show him my Servant brooch, but once I take a gauntlet off and show my joints he lets me pass. I had expected as much, but it’s still annoying.

I walk out of the city for a bit until I arrive at the Valhen Woods. There’s a considerable distance between Bamel and Ingralowe, but the Valhen Woods are terrifyingly vast.

That, however, also creates many spots where monsters make nests, which I appreciate this time. I put on my mask and step into the forest.

Now, as to why I’m here in the forest in the first place. I simply was craving Tyrannoghavial meat really badly, and figured hunting one would be a good way to train as well.

I think this is a really common sensation, like when you crave a bowl of ramen and you can’t think of anything else until you get some. It’s the same thing.

I can’t do anything to help Olivia with her studies so I’m bored a lot, and I wanted to try doing something without having to pretend to be a maid. Wait, is this…trying to escape reality? Nope nope, I can’t hear anything lalala.

Usually a group of medium level adventurers hunt Tyrannoghavial together, but today I have a new weapon I want to try out. While I walk through the forest, I keep running into goblins and orcs, monsters I’m already used to.

“Gugyaa!”

I shoot their heads before they can do anything. I don’t really have a reason to be afraid of such monsters anymore. Some try waving a staff far and attack me with magic from a distance, but their power and speed are nowhere near Black Hawk’s. I just shoot them the moment I see them.

‘How about you slow down a little. I feel bad for them.’

Somehow I felt like I heard what Ophelia told me one of the first times I went out to hunt with her, her voice sounded slightly exasperated. I was pretty much shooting everything on sight back then too.

It hasn’t even been a year since then, but it feels like it happened an eternity ago. The days when she taught me about this world, and magic. Sometimes she would tease me for no reason too. But it was fun.

Then I met Mir, and we went to hunt monsters together. I naively thought those days would continue forever. Until they stopped out of the blue.

“Ophelia…”

No, I have to pull myself back together. There’s no point in getting sentimental now. I can’t wallow in self-pity and melancholy like that.

“Hmph!”

I bang my head against a nearby tree as strongly as I can. I don’t feel any pain as a magic automaton, but the impact shakes my vision violently.

“Alright! Let’s keep hunting!”

It turns out I’m not as rusty using Black Hawk as I expected. I guess it’s time to test out my new weapon for a bit then.

“Grrarr!”

A pack of high kobolds conveniently comes into view. I return Black Hawk to its holster, and take a different gun from my magic storage in its stead. The second magic gun Ophelia made for me.

“Time to give it a spin then.”

I fix the stock against my shoulder and pull the trigger, a multitude of magic bullets spewing from its nozzle and drilling holes through the first kobold’s armor.

“Grah?!”

The pack went into a frenzy seeing one of their members die.

“Hmm.”

I reload quickly and decide to try spreading the bullets in a wider area. I hear the constant explosions from the gun, its entire body shaking as I mow down the pack of monsters.

The high kobolds desperately attempt to get away, but the pale blue bullets have no mercy. I reload, fire, reload, and fire. The entire pack of high kobolds gets reduced to a pile of flesh and blood in just a few seconds.

“White Viper, the submachine magic gun packs quite a punch, huh.”