Chapter 26: The Secrets of Gender and Divinity

“A potion that can change gender!?” Alice exclaimed in astonishment.

“Indeed there is,” the Duchess replied, confirming her words.

“So, I could actually change back to my original body?” Alice blinked, hope dawning in her eyes.

“I never said you couldn’t,” the Duchess said, spreading her hands in a casual gesture.

“Then…” Alice’s eyes lit up.

“Do you wish to change back?” the Duchess asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Normally, of course I would!” Alice blurted out her true feelings.

“The effects of potions are always time-limited, and consuming them too frequently in a short period can lead to poisoning. Even with a gender-bending potion, you could only drink it once a day, and its effects would last for approximately two hours,” the Duchess explained. “I hope this doesn’t disappoint you too much.”

“This…” Alice pondered for a moment. “Having a choice is always better than having none, I suppose.”

“However, I must still caution you on two points. First, only witches of the Seventh Sequence, ‘Sorcerer,’ or higher, can brew a gender-bending potion with their own blood. Second, the Witch path represents the authority of feminine power; when your body transforms into a male form, your power as a witch will be greatly diminished.”

“So, I can’t make it myself right now?” Alice was stunned for a moment.

“If you wish, I can brew a bottle for you, out of respect for Her Majesty the Queen. But if you desire to obtain this potion whenever you please in the future, you must strive for advancement,” the Duchess said, pausing before continuing, “The summary of this principle is: it’s better to rely on yourself than on others.”

Alice noticed that the Duchess seemed rather fond of delivering grand pronouncements. She wondered if this was merely a personal preference or a professional habit left over from her past as a royal tutor.

Though a witch’s gender-bending potion offered only a temporary transformation, it held significant value for Alice.

Should the day come when she could exact her revenge on Camilla, pushing her to the brink of despair, she hoped to stand before Camilla once more as Levi, if only for a fleeting moment.

If this was to be Levi’s revenge, then at the very least, Camilla had to understand whose hands she ultimately fell by, allowing that woman to regret her past actions while enduring her deserved punishment.

Beyond that, she also hoped for an opportunity to see Jeanne again as Levi. After all, as Alice, even if she met Jeanne, recognizing each other would be impossible.

It seemed there was indeed a need to consider the “advancement” the Duchess had spoken of.

“I believe I’ve also heard Queen Isola mention that witches have different ranks. Could you elaborate on this for me?” Alice proactively inquired.

“Excellent. The most valuable quality in learning is curiosity,” the Duchess said, clearly pleased with Alice’s eagerness to learn. “Allow me to explain simply. In fact, it’s not just ‘Witches’; blessed ones from other paths also have distinct ranks. We use sequences to categorize these levels. Taking ‘Witch’ as an example, from the lowest Ninth Sequence upwards to the First Sequence, they are respectively: Witch, Diviner, Sorcerer, Succubus, Harpy, Gorgon, Banshee, Oracle, and Grand Witch.”

“You just mentioned that blessed ones from other paths are categorized similarly. Does that include the Bishops and Paladins of the Church of Salvation?”

“Of course it does. ‘Bishops’ and ‘Paladins’ are precisely the two main blessed paths controlled by the Imperial Army and the Church of Salvation,” the Duchess affirmed with a nod.

Alice mused that Jeanne must also be at a certain sequence within the ‘Paladin’ path.

“So, the First Sequence is the highest rank, then?” Alice asked casually.

“If you confine the concept of sequences to ‘Blessed Ones’ and ‘Near-Gods,’ then yes, that is correct,” the Duchess replied. “However, theoretically, above the First Sequence of every path, there should exist a Coronated Divine Sequence.”

“Coronated Divine Sequence?”

“That refers to the deity who holds the authority of that path, and who is also the source of its power,” the Duchess elaborated. “The Coronated Divine Sequence exists outside the sequence hierarchy because beings at the coronated level have transcended the concepts of blessed ones and near-gods; they are deities themselves. Blessed paths are commonly associated with religions, and the deity worshipped by that religion often represents the Coronated Divine of that path. The Coronated Divine Sequence for Witches is precisely the deity worshipped by the Witch Cult—the esteemed Goddess of Fate!”

“Does this mean that gods other than the Supreme God truly exist?” Alice couldn’t help but delve into a serious discussion. “Yet the Church itself controls at least two paths, but only worships one God!”

As the top student in theology at the Southwestern Saint Academy, she was acutely aware of how heretical the Duchess’s current statements were.

The Church of Salvation had always propagated that there was only one God in the world: the Supreme God, who embodied the three authorities of the Sun God, the Creator, and True Order. Any religion that worshipped other gods or multiple gods was deemed heretical.

According to the Duchess’s theory, blessed ones possessed multiple paths, and each path contained a Coronated Divine. This polytheistic ideology, if anyone dared to express it publicly, would surely earn them an invitation for ‘tea’ with the Inquisitors.

“That’s because the Church used the Coronated Divine of the Bishop path to absorb the deities of the other two paths,” the Duchess patiently explained. “The Sun God, Coronated Divine of the ‘Paladin’ path, the Creator of the ‘Mage’ path, and the Supreme God of the ‘Bishop’ path were all merged into one by the Church of Salvation. A similar thing actually happened in the Death Kingdom in the south, which worships the God of Death—but we can discuss that in more detail another time.”

“This is utterly shocking. Are there any historical texts on this?” Alice, who always approached theology with an academic mindset, hoped for some evidence to substantiate the Duchess’s claims.

“How could I possibly keep such dangerous things around? If you’re interested, should we reclaim Starfall City someday, I can find some ancient texts for you in the Witch Cult’s library.” The Duchess then glanced at the grandfather clock. “Time is almost up. Let’s pause the lesson here and take a short break.”

“I can actually keep learning; I’m very interested in what you’re saying,” Alice felt her thirst for knowledge ignited.

“Haste makes waste; only with proper rest can one study effectively. We still have time. Come, have some tea.” The Duchess unhurriedly replaced Alice’s teacup with a clean one, refilled it with black tea, and pushed it toward her. “Actually, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to discuss something rather private with you alone.”

“Private topic?” Alice, utterly confused, picked up her black tea and took a sip.

“You must know what happened between you and Her Majesty Queen Isola, don’t you?” the Duchess abruptly delivered a stunning blow.

“Pfft!!” Alice, who was drinking tea, choked violently on the spot.