Chapter 4: The Devil’s Jest

Gazing at the agitated Demon King, Ellis let out a disdainful huff, much like a chinchilla.

His pride severely wounded, the Demon King fumbled in his robes and produced an exquisitely carved mirror. The mirror was entirely silver, and despite its monochromatic hue, it exuded an undeniable aura of mystery. Its frame, in particular, was sculpted to resemble water gently flowing around the looking glass, a truly breathtaking sight.

Even if it were merely an ordinary mirror, outside of this realm, it would be considered an extraordinary work of art, coveted by artists and collectors alike.

Upon seeing it, Ellis’s eyes immediately curved into crescent moons. ‘This is a treasure trove of gold,’ he thought, his mind already calculating its worth.

“You, Demon King, I command you to put down that mirror! Furthermore, hand over all the other valuables you’re hiding. Then, I might consider sparing your life!”

The Demon King glared fiercely at Ellis.

“You greedy scoundrel! Behold my treasure!” he declared, then aimed the mirror at Ellis, unleashing a blinding white light as dazzling as the sun.

Ellis casually summoned seven powerful Elemental Shields, arraying them before him. These shields specialized in physical defense, elemental defense, and mental defense, among others. He simply refused to believe this pathetic Demon King could truly harm him.

However, life is always full of surprises—or rather, accidents.

He actually fell victim to the attack! For some inexplicable reason, the eerie white light completely bypassed all his comprehensive defensive Elemental Shields, striking him directly.

Ellis instantly felt his body undergo a strange transformation under the white light’s glow. After the light completely vanished, the Demon King stared at Ellis in utter disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

“Who are you?! Where’s that man from before?”

Ellis frowned. Had the Demon King been scared senseless? Why ask such idiotic questions?

“Were your eyes blinded, affecting your brain’s intelligence? The magnificent me is standing right here!”

Upon hearing this, the Demon King’s mouth gaped as wide as a beach volleyball. He looked at the mirror in his hand, then back at Ellis.

Ellis finally sensed something was amiss. She noticed that her formerly well-fitting clothes had inexplicably become very loose, save for her chest, which seemed to have ‘swollen’.

‘What’s going on?’

Ellis cast a Water Mirror spell, creating a water surface mirror of equal height. Within it, a beautiful young woman with purple hair and starry eyes appeared before her. She looked to be sixteen or seventeen, pure and elegant, with delicate features, a high nose bridge, plump lips, and skin as white as snow. Especially captivating were her large eyes, framed by long lashes, with wine-red pupils, and cascades of light purple hair that fell to her waist, making her seem like a vampire princess straight out of a fairy tale.

“Oh, this girl is quite stunning, very much to my taste. Though her attire is a bit unrefined; she should be wearing a long gown or a Gothic Lolita dress. Why is she wearing such masculine clothes…?”

Ellis savored the sight of the beautiful woman in the mirror, but slowly, a sense of unease crept in. Wasn’t he the one looking into the mirror right now? Then who was the person inside?

The familiar clothes in the mirror slowly led him to an undeniable truth: the angelic beauty in the mirror seemed to be *her*!

‘I’ve turned into a woman?!

Ellis: (▼ヘ▼#)

“De~mon~ King~!”

Ellis glared, eyes wide with fury, at the Demon King, who was clearly the culprit. “I’ll give you one chance to atone! Change me back!”

The Demon King was startled by Ellis’s overflowing killing intent. He trembled, looking at his enraged enemy, yet he spoke with surprisingly stiff resolve.

“Even if you torture me, humiliate me, or even kill me, you’ll never change back! You’re getting what you deserve!”

The Demon King grew more confident with each word, more triumphant. An S-rank adventurer, so what? This is what happens when you provoke *him*!

Suddenly, a high-speed projectile hurtled towards his crotch. Fortunately, the Demon King reacted quickly, stepping back a pace. A fist-sized hard brick struck the ground directly beneath where his crotch had been, creating a significant crater with its powerful impact. The thought of what would have happened if he hadn’t dodged sent a deep ache through his groin.

Ellis, like an erupting volcano, had her starry eyes filled with grotesque bloodshot veins. She looked at the Demon King.

“You’ve got guts, you dog! Today, I’ll turn you into a eunuch! You’ll wish for death, but find none!”

“You’re ruthless! I’m returning to the Demon Realm!”

The dense black aura radiating from Ellis scared all the bravado out of the Demon King. With a look of profound grief, he cast one last glance at the secret stash of money he had painstakingly accumulated for years beneath Ellis’s feet, then pulled out a teleportation crystal. Before Ellis could attack, he crushed it. A black smoke instantly enveloped the Demon King, causing Ellis’s subsequent attack to merely destroy the wall behind him.

The thick brick wall was instantly corroded, leaving a gaping hole!

“Demon King! Arghhhhh! You cowardly wimp!”

Ellis stamped her foot in exasperation. The Demon King had fled, so what was she going to do about her current state?

“Uh, are you alright? Did the Demon King appear here just now? You look like an adventurer.”

Suddenly, a voice came from the other side of the destroyed wall. Then, Larry appeared in Ellis’s line of sight.

Larry, separated from Ellis when the castle collapsed, had been searching for his companion. As he walked, he heard someone cursing the Demon King. The pleasant voice suggested it wasn’t anyone he knew, perhaps another survivor. Out of kindness, Larry approached to investigate and discovered a beautiful young woman with purple hair and starry eyes—a rare beauty indeed.

Fortunately, Larry had seen many rare beauties, so he only paused for a moment before regaining his composure. He intended to offer comfort to the distressed woman, but when he saw the weapon in her hand, his eyes sharpened. He spoke in an almost accusatory tone.

“That elemental staff in your hand looks like my companion’s. Can you tell me where you got it?”

Larry’s words were firm, brooking no refusal from the young woman. When his good friend Ellis’s safety was at stake, women were mere trifles.

Seeing his long-time friend so concerned for him, Ellis couldn’t help but feel deeply moved. This was true friendship in times of adversity!

“Larry, it’s me, Ellis!”

“Huh?!”

Larry was utterly stunned by Ellis’s words, and his tone turned somewhat harsh. “I’m sorry, my eyes are fine. You and Ellis are completely different in looks and gender—wait, your clothes seem to be the same. Could it be… I’ll give you one last chance. What happened to Ellis?!”

Larry’s words were already hostile, but his actions were even more so.

At this moment, Larry’s longsword was just a centimeter from Ellis’s neck. For the first time, Ellis felt how close death was, and it was bestowed upon her by her most trusted friend.

Ellis was also taken aback. Indeed, in her current appearance, there was no reason for Larry to believe her.

Ellis thought for a moment, then raised the magic staff in her hand. Larry immediately drew his sword, ready to attack, but what happened next stopped him.

Ellis shouted ‘Holy Blessing,’ and the 15-inch long, jet-black elemental staff dropped from her hand.

Ellis spoke with confidence: “The magic item ‘Devil’s Jest’—once used, it binds to the wielder. During this time, the staff constantly erodes the user’s vitality, mental energy, elemental energy, stamina, and willpower, until the user dies and the binding is released. Need I tell you who the current adventurer is who has survived and successfully unbound from it? You, the harem scumbag?”

Larry looked at the elemental artifact that had just been wreathed in black energy, now lying quietly on the ground like a charred piece of wood. And that familiar way of speaking was indeed very much like his friend.

Ellis, seeing Larry’s skeptical expression, felt a mischievous idea surface.

She leaned down and shouted towards Larry’s crotch: “I also know that the estimated length of your ‘thing’ now is… and its estimated length in your previous life was… you love wearing… colored underwear, today you’re wearing… and your favorite sleep talk at night is…”

“Stop!”

Clang! Larry’s sword fell to the ground. He rushed forward and clapped his hand over Ellis’s mouth.

“Enough! I believe you’re Ellis, just stop talking! You brute! Can’t you say something else to prove your identity?! Like our memories from our past lives! Do you have to say *these* things?!

“Past lives, you say? When you were six years old and slept in the same bed as me, you wet the bed. When you were eight, a girl bullied you until you cried, and I was the one who stood up for you. When you were ten, you bought your first anime girl figure and showed it off to me, declaring she was your wife…”

Ellis, like a proud collector, recited Larry’s embarrassing history, item by item.

“Say one more word and I’ll kill you!”

Larry, pushed beyond his limits, let out a hungry wolf’s growl.