K2 The Last Dignity of a Man

From Yeda's perspective

How did it come to this?

I gaze at another version of myself, through a hazy awareness.

The other me unleashes magic upon Shun without hesitation.

His soldiers, along with himself, surrounding the area.

Shun cannot be affected by my magic.

Originally, there had always been a difference in talent between me and Shun.

The difference, once small in childhood, grew larger with time.

There had been moments of envy toward her talent.

Yet, as she continued to observe Shun’s unwavering effort, her feelings shifted—toward pure respect.

Ah, right—this one was always relentless, charging straight toward their goal since their previous life.

In a previous life, they had been obsessed with games, but in this life, their goal was Julius—the elder brother and the hero.

The result of innate talent combined with relentless effort toward an elevated goal was the scene before them.

The fire magic I cast was a wide-area destruction spell.

It lacked the power of a great spell, but even so, when directed at a group, the damage would be severe.

Shun neutralized it with magic—protected even the surrounding enemy soldiers—reducing the damage to zero.

As always, ridiculously strong hands. Ridiculously kind-hearted.

Protecting the enemy—there is no other word for it. Utterly foolish.

I tried to force a wry smile, but my expression twisted into one of hatred, against my will.

"Kathia! Come to your senses!"

"Quite the nuisance. I am perfectly sane. Rebels should behave like rebels and submit quietly to punishment."

The words that escaped my mouth were not of my own intent.

But I know.

I am the one speaking them.

There had been signs of it since childhood.

In a past life, male.

In this life, female.

Living as a woman, yet bearing a male spirit.

A contradiction in self.

Something incompatible, like water and oil.

The divide grew deeper with each passing year.

Became drawn to things once deemed too cute to notice.

Developed a taste for sweets despite having disliked them before.

No longer felt anything upon seeing a woman's body.

Menstruation arrived without surprise.

The monthly cycle became a natural occurrence.

The chest expanded. The form became distinctly feminine.

Not just the body.

The inner self changed gradually.

Even I did not notice until it was too late.

The turning point was when Shun was attacked by Yugo.

At that moment, I was shaken—more than I could understand.

The moment I thought Shun might be dead, my vision went white.

At first, I believed it was because Shun was my friend from a previous life—truly, my only friend.

Yet after meeting Shun, I felt uneasy.

I could not name the emotion.

Only that I did not want to lose Shun.

That feeling grew stronger each day.

Being near Shun made me restless.

Yet being away from Shun made me feel empty.

Restless whether near or far.

I was confused by my own unstable emotions.

Tossed about by incomprehensible feelings.

No.

I knew what the feeling was.

I simply did not want to admit it.

I was once a man.

Now I am a woman.

Probably, the moment my heart split irreparably was around this time.

Each time she sees Shun clinging to Suyu and Yuri, her heart grows sharp with irritation.

Yet, a part of me refuses to acknowledge it.

A conflict of opposing hearts.

Yet the scales had already tipped.

The mind depends on the body.

That is the essence of it.

Thus, as I now gaze upon my own battle, I am nothing more than the leftover scraps of the existence known as Oshima Kotaro.

A man's mind—its leftover remnants.

Likely, he was unaffected by Yugo's enchantment because he was male.

After that incident, Shun had not spoken with him, but Yugo was placed under strict surveillance.

Under my ducal family's direction, a surveillance system was established and maintained without pause, monitoring every action in real time.

That should not have been the case, yet something anomalous began appearing in the reports, gradually.

Human agents trusted for surveillance are employed.

Betrayal is impossible.

Yet, content that could only be described as falsehood began to appear within the report.

I replaced the surveillance personnel.

Looking back, that was the mistake.

Shun inherited the title of Hero and departed the academy.

The change from there was instantaneous.

Something was wrong with Yuri.

Julius, who had been devoted solely to the Divine Word Sect, ceased mentioning the matter entirely.

Next is Sū.

Shun’s absence had visibly weighed on her, but now she seemed as if it had never happened.

Something is beginning to unravel.

To recognize it thus, the cause remains unknown.

It was after being summoned by the noble house’s agents who had been monitoring Yugo, lured into a trap, and subsequently brainwashed by Yugo’s hand.

At this point, most of the noble family had already been indoctrinated by his hand.

And now, I am forced to fight against Shun.

Yugo's indoctrination is absolute.

One might say it is a miracle that even a sliver of normal consciousness remains.

The others, those already indoctrinated, must revere Yugo with every fiber of their being.

Even now, though I am aware, awareness alone changes nothing.

There is nothing left for me—just refuse and scrap.

But—

That is precisely why I cannot surrender here!

A man has pride. That is his nature.

I snap back into focus.

In the instant the surface consciousness concentrates on spell construction, I force my will into it with full strength.

The spell detonates.

"Katie!?"

Shun rushes forward in shock.

I am caught just before falling to the ground.

I feel my life slipping away.

This is acceptable.

The surface me must have wanted this outcome.

The blurred vision captured Shun's desperate face.

An ugly face.

A faint smile forms.

Unlike before, my cheek rose according to my will.

If I can die laughing, then it is my wish.

My consciousness sank directly into the abyss.

Dragged upward by warm light, forcibly.

"Ah, Shun?"

"Katie, back to your senses?"

“Ah… wha—? Gah…?”

No injury from the magical backlash should have been present.

Healed.

Simply put, Shun.

I did truly think I was dead.

"Ah, come on, why's this one—ugh, damn it—"

Do not speak now. We are leaving this place.

Lifted while still in princess-carry position.

At that moment, the heart seemed to burst with a single, violent beat.

Even in this situation, her face grew hot.

Ah, no good.

It’s over. No more.

At this moment, Ōshima Kotoda became Karnatia Seri Anabardo in the truest sense.

Next, B2 follows