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‘Why has it become like this?’

Xie Shenhong—no, Xie Hai Zhu—gazed down at the nocturnal scenery, utterly bewildered.

But after that, the afternoon’s continuous training, returning home in the evening to cook, and sharing dinner with Shen’ai—none of these saw any unusual occurrences.

It was only when she transformed as usual, preparing to spend the night peacefully in a fragmented state of consciousness, that something unexpected occurred.

She had become Xie Hai Zhu.

While that might sound redundant, what she truly meant was that this particular transformation was unlike any before.

Gone was the icy sensation that usually surged from her heart, and neither her personality nor her way of thinking had undergone any alteration.

Her physical sensations, too, were far more acute than before; she could distinctly feel the blood coursing through her veins and sense a warmth within her body akin to that of an ordinary person—yet this was clearly an abnormal state.

She was a doll, after all—how could she possess blood and body temperature?

‘No, what flows within me should be mana, or perhaps engine oil, and that warmth must be heat emanating from an engine or core…’

‘As if!’

Employing her divine sense to perceive the various normally functioning organs within her body, along with parts no man could possess, Xie Hai Zhu became utterly convinced that she had truly transformed into a woman.

Indeed, she had already been in this form for a week, so remarking on it now felt somewhat comical.

However, her body had previously been as cold as a doll’s, and at the time, she hadn’t been one to meticulously examine herself, leading her to believe she had merely become a synthetic android—never imagining she had truly transformed into a living female body.

‘So, the reason I’m gradually becoming more like Hai Zhu is because I’ve transformed so many times that my body has memorized this appearance?’

Having clarified the situation with her body, Xie Hai Zhu let out a sigh.

This was not the time to dwell on such matters.

She had long since come to terms with the possibility of becoming female, and this wasn’t her first transformation—but the real question was, why had such an anomaly occurred this time?

‘Is that cold version of me playing tricks?’

Xie Shenhong attempted to summon her other self, but failed.

Concurrently, she discovered another issue.

‘This… how am I supposed to use magic?’

When she had previously transformed into Hai Zhu, she had accessed body memories from the doll—or rather, from the transformed female body—thereby successfully casting spells.

Now, however, these body memories had become incredibly faint, and she also lacked the memories of her other self casting spells, leaving her utterly dumbfounded.

Yet, as time slowly slipped away, she resolved to face it head-on.

‘First, I need to learn to teleport… Whoa!’

No sooner had the thought formed than Xie Hai Zhu vanished.

When she regained her senses, she was already on the rooftop of a nearby skyscraper.

This, however, was miles away from her intended teleportation destination.

Xie Hai Zhu immediately refrained from any rash movements.

She feared that if she wasn’t careful, her teleportation would fail, leaving her stuck within a wall or materializing inside someone’s home—and she certainly didn’t wish to engage in any actions that would tarnish the Saintess’s name.

‘Could asking Sister Yun be my only option?’

However, she didn’t want to cause Sister Yun any worry, much less hear her suggest giving up.

‘Are you doing this because you understand how I feel?’

Xie Hai Zhu spoke to herself, and seeing no response, she could only silently cast a few simple spells, striving to familiarize herself with their usage.

Before long, she discovered something else.

‘My favored magic has become fire-attributed?’

Saintess Hai Zhu was renowned as an Ice-elemental Battle Marquis; previously, she had predominantly utilized water and ice magic.

Yet now, she struggled to cast even a single water spell, while surprisingly, fire and wind magic came to her with ease.

Of course, this was merely a relative improvement.

Once she had mastered the ability of aerial flight, she estimated that her fire magic could barely reach the level of a Battle Marquis, her wind magic was at the intermediate Martial Marquis stage, and her water magic didn’t even qualify as Silver-tier.

‘This is terrible. If I go out like this, won’t I be exposed instantly?’

Moreover, if the situation failed to improve, then… Xie Hai Zhu shook her head, casting off her despondent thoughts and resuming her usual detached demeanor.

‘At the very least, my conduct must align with how outsiders perceive the Saintess,’ Xie Hai Zhu admonished herself inwardly.

‘I should go find Sister Yun first.’

Gradually immersing herself in the role and shifting her thought process to that of her other self, Xie Hai Zhu decided to disregard her earlier reservations and inform Duanmu Yun of the situation before a greater disaster could brew.

[This is the right thing to do… My habit of trying to solve everything myself is truly both lame and detrimental.]

Before Xie Hai Zhu could even act, she sensed someone rapidly approaching.

Soon after, that person leaped onto the rooftop from the building’s exterior.

“Lady Hai Zhu?”

The newcomer was a brown-haired youth with deep red streaks dyed into his bangs, and upon seeing Xie Hai Zhu’s figure, he froze in surprise.

‘Crimson Hawk, Li Tianming?’

As she clearly discerned the newcomer’s features, a wave of astonishment also washed over Xie Hai Zhu.

To the other person, however, Xie Hai Zhu merely cast a cool, indifferent gaze.

“Greetings, Lady Hai Zhu!”

Perhaps realizing his display had been overly disrespectful, Li Tianming hastily knelt on one knee.

“There’s no need for such formality, Knight Li Tianming. What brings you here?”

“Reporting, Lady Hai Zhu, the situation is as follows…”

As Li Tianming explained, Xie Hai Zhu then learned that her experimentation with magic on the rooftop had led to complaints from residents below.

Considering the possibility of remnants from the Sakura Kingdom causing trouble recently, the Knights had dispatched Li Tianming, who happened to reside nearby, to investigate the situation.

“My apologies for causing you trouble.”

“Lady Hai Zhu, there’s no need. Your presence here is an honor for the residents!” Li Tianming declared in a clear voice.

‘Such words…’ Xie Hai Zhu couldn’t help but shake her head slightly.

“A mistake is a mistake. I cannot claim immunity simply because I am the Saintess.”

“No, Lady Hai Zhu, forgive my frankness, but you are entitled to such privileges!” Sensing her intent, Li Tianming instantly became agitated. “I implore you not to engage in actions that would diminish your dignity over such a trivial matter!”

‘Wow, what kind of fanatical thinking is this, placing the Saintess above all else?’

Xie Hai Zhu had not expected the renowned Crimson Hawk to be such a person, but recalling her own identity and knowing that such individuals comprised the majority in the kingdom, she suppressed the urge to reprimand him and opted for a different approach:

“I do not believe that showing love for the populace is an act that diminishes the Saintess’s status.”

“Then, allow me to apologize on your behalf!”

“I’ll leave it to you, then.” Seeing that Li Tianming had no intention of backing down, Xie Hai Zhu abandoned her plan to handle it personally.

However, she did not depart immediately.

She intended to confirm whether Li Tianming’s words were merely a pretense.

“Your subordinate will attend to it immediately!” Li Tianming understood her unspoken demand and promptly descended via the stairwell.

While the rooftop was empty, Xie Hai Zhu attempted to conjure a table and chairs for tea, as her other self would, but failed.

A strange lump of earthen creation appeared on the ground instead.

How embarrassing.

Even more mortifying was that she had actually tried to conceal her spell’s fluctuations, but had undeniably failed.

“Lady Hai Zhu, if you require anything, please inform your subordinate.”

Having returned from his apology mission, Li Tianming respectfully knelt on one knee before her.

Throughout the entire process, he did not spare a single glance at the failed creation.

The solemn expression on his face remained undiminished.

‘Could it be…’

Recalling her previous misjudgment of Lyte, Xie Hai Zhu decided against making a hasty conclusion or speaking plainly, and instead silently cast a spell to destroy the failed creation.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Serving Lady Hai Zhu is your subordinate’s honor!”

“…”

Xie Hai Zhu gave him a profound look, then silently ascended into the air and departed.

Then she blacked out.

When she regained her senses, she… had become him.

He had reverted to Xie Shenhong.

Looking at the time displayed on his phone, he immediately understood that his other self had been controlling the Hai Zhu form after that.

Concurrently, a note appeared in his hand.

[Do not tell anyone about this.]