VOLTACTION Gender Panic! ~The Cursed Mansion and the Labyrinth of Love~ - The Cursed Mansion and the Night of Gender Transformation

"…Someone's there." The moment he lowered his voice, a chill swept across the skin of all four of them. Deep in the forest, where even moonlight couldn't reach. Through the gaps between the trees, the sky was filled with the starry expanse that Luminousphere prided itself on. But that light seemed to avoid the mansion's surroundings, sinking into a void of darkness. Seraph Dazzlegarden gripped the hilt of his dagger beneath his black cloak. His fingertips were slowly growing cold. His instincts—honed from living as a freelance agent at the young age of twenty—told him that the place they were about to enter was abnormal. "Hey, are we really going in?" Seraph didn't turn around at the voice from behind. He simply nodded. "Yeah. The advance payment alone is 300,000 Lumin. Another 900,000 if we succeed. No reason to refuse." "But this place… it's Veilgate Manor, right? The one they say you get lost if you get too close." Kanato's voice was trembling. His fluffy light-brown hair swayed in the night breeze. Eighteen years old. The youngest member of VOLTACTION, and his large maroon eyes were now filled with anxiety. His small 165-centimeter frame was wrapped in a black lightweight jacket. "The only ones who get lost are the people who approach without permission. We've been hired. We walk in through the front door with confidence." "I mean, walking through the front door doesn't necessarily mean you're confident…" A soft chuckle. Brushing back his long, loosely waved silver hair, Hibari stepped forward. His narrow, sharp blue eyes gazed at the silhouette of the mansion floating in the darkness with amusement. His tall 178-centimeter frame was wrapped in a black coat, and his stance seemed to melt into the night. Twenty-two years old. The team's strategist, a man who was always nonchalant. "Well, like Seraph-chan said, the pay isn't bad. Though the anonymous client does bother me a bit." "…If we're going, let's go quickly." A low, short voice. A young man with cool, straight black hair cut at eye level stared at the mansion with an expressionless face. His narrow purple eyes reflected no emotion whatsoever. 172 centimeters. Nineteen years old. VOLTACTION's tech specialist, who rarely opened his mouth. Seraph looked at the three of them in turn and let out a small breath. VOLTACTION. It wasn't an official organization name or a guild. It was the team name of the companions who had somehow gathered together after Seraph went freelance. Their work was mainly underworld jobs. Assassination, espionage, retrieval of stolen goods. A small gathering of those who navigated the underbelly of Luminousphere. "Alright. I'll take the lead. Kanato, behind me on the right. Hibari, left. Akira, rear guard." "Got it!" "Yeah, yeah. Seraph-chan's as much of a worrywart as ever." "…Leave it to me." The four of them slowly approached the mansion. Veilgate Manor was located about eight kilometers north of the outskirts of Celestia City. An old Western-style mansion over two hundred years old, originally a noble's villa. It should have been abandoned and dilapidated with no owner now, yet for some reason every window was sealed shut, and ivy had crawled across every wall. The cobblestone path had long since broken off, and the ground beneath their feet was covered in damp soil and fallen leaves. With every step, there was a squelching sound. "What a gross sound…" "Shut up and walk. Quiet your footsteps." "I-I can't! Quiet my footsteps on ground like this?!" "Then at least make them quieter." Seraph stopped and looked up at the mansion's front entrance. A massive iron door loomed like a beast with its mouth open. On the gatepost covered in ivy, faint rune-like patterns were carved. "A barrier." "Yeah. The kind that gets you lost if you touch it. But we should be fine as long as we have the pass the client gave us." What Hibari pulled from his pocket was a small black stone. An "invitation" to the mansion, sent by the client. The stone pulsed with a faint light. "…Is that really going to work?" "Whether it works or not, we'll find out once we're inside." "Hibari-san, that's not something you say with a smile!" "Now, now. Come on, let's go." When Hibari touched the stone to the gatepost, the air around them rippled for a moment. Then, with a heavy sound, the iron door creaked open. "It opened…" "See? It was fine." "We haven't even gone inside yet." Seraph drew his dagger and slipped through the gap in the door. Inside was darker than outside. And that wasn't all. The air was different. A lukewarm, sickly sweet smell stung his nose. An unpleasant scent, like rotting flower nectar. "…Be careful. Something's here." "Shadow Eaters, maybe." "Shadow… what?" "Monsters that appear around here. They have no physical form—they eat people's anxiety and fear. If they touch you, your memories get scrambled. They're weak to light, so this can drive them off." Hibari pulled out a small lantern and lit it. Orange light illuminated the dusty corridor. Instantly, something like a black shadow clinging to the floor darted away to the wall. "Whoa! What was that?!" "That's a Shadow Eater. They hate light, so you're fine as long as you stay near the lantern." "Even if you say I'm fine, seeing something like that is scary!" "Kanato, you're too loud." "S-sorry…" Seraph walked at the front, observing the interior of the mansion. The wallpaper was peeling off, and cobwebs hung from the ceiling. Several doors lined both sides of the corridor, but all of them were tightly shut. Occasionally, from somewhere far away, there was a clattering sound. "Where's the wooden box from the job?" "Apparently it's in a room called the Sealing Chamber. At the back of the mansion." "The Sealing Chamber… what an ominous name." "But the more suspicious the job, the better the pay. That's the iron rule of the underworld, right?" "…Agreed." Akira muttered quietly. Seraph glanced back for a moment at Akira walking behind him. Akira, expressionless, let the dagger in his right hand hang loosely. But his purple eyes alone were constantly vigilant of their surroundings. "Akira, how's the rear?" "…No problems. But I have a bad feeling." "Same here. Let's finish this quickly." The four of them advanced down the corridor and emerged into a great hall. The room, which must have once been magnificent, was now a ruin. A shattered chandelier lay on the floor, and fragments of glass glittered in the moonlight. "This place must've been amazing back in the day." "It was a noble's villa. Before the Starfall Calamity, they probably held balls here." "The Starfall Calamity…" Kanato repeated quietly. About thirty years ago, a massive magical explosion devastated the northern region of Luminousphere. Officially it was called a "large-scale natural disaster," but different rumors circulated in the underworld. That it was the result of an ancient star-reader performing a forbidden ritual, or that the government was hiding something. And after that calamity, certain people began to develop special birthmarks called "Stigmata." Seraph unconsciously touched his left shoulder. Beneath his clothes was a star-shaped mark. A Stigma. It had already been there when he was born. "Seraph-san, what's wrong?" "…Nothing. Let's go." They passed through the great hall and went further in. The corridor grew narrower and the ceiling lower. The ivy on the walls had encroached inside, and roots crawling along the floor tangled around their ankles with every step. "Gross gross gross gross!" "Calm down. It's just a plant." "But it's moving!? Just now, it tried to wrap around my leg!" "The plants in this mansion are a bit lively. Because of the curse." "Curse…" "Look, there it is. That's the Sealing Chamber." Where Hibari pointed stood an especially large door. Unlike the other doors, it was a heavy wooden door painted black. Complex rune characters were densely carved into its surface, and a large keyhole gaped open in the center. "The key?" "I've got it from the client. Here." What Hibari held out was a black stone. The same kind as the pass from earlier. "This becomes the key?" "Apparently. This stone doesn't just nullify the mansion's barrier—it also opens the lock on the Sealing Chamber." When Hibari brought the stone near the keyhole, it changed shape on its own and was sucked into the keyhole. With a click, the door slowly opened. Inside was pitch black. "…I'm going in." Seraph raised the lantern and stepped inside. The room was surprisingly small. Bookshelves lined every wall, packed with old books. Thick dust had accumulated on the floor, and in the center of the room stood a lone pedestal. On the pedestal was an old wooden box. "That's it." "It's really here… just like the job said." The wooden box was smaller than expected. About the size you could hold with both hands. Complex rune characters were carved into its surface, and there was no lock. "Are we opening it?" "No, the job is to bring the box back. They didn't say not to open it, but… it's safer not to." "But aren't you curious what's inside? The pay's too high, so there must be something amazing in there." "Kanato. Don't do anything unnecessary." "But but, just a little! Let's just open it a tiny bit!" "You…" "Seraph-chan, I'm with Kanato on this one. Bringing it back without confirming the contents—that's not how an agent should operate. It might be a fake." "…Confirmation is necessary." "All three of you…" Seraph sighed. "…Fine. We're just opening it. Don't touch what's inside." Seraph picked up the wooden box and gently placed his hand on the lid. The box was lighter than expected. "I'm opening it." He lifted the lid. In that instant. Rainbow-colored light overflowed from inside the box. "What—!" The light filled the room, enveloping all four of them. A sensation of his body floating. Deep in his ears, he heard something like singing. "Seraph-san!" "Everyone, don't move—" Before he could finish, his consciousness faded. Within the light, Seraph thought he heard someone laughing. A woman's laugh—joyful, yet somehow a little lonely. And then, Seraph's consciousness sank into darkness. ──── It was morning. Sunlight streaming through the window dyed the inside of his eyelids orange. Seraph slowly opened his eyes. A familiar ceiling. This was one of the rooms in VOLTACTION's hideout in Celestia City. "…A dream?" The moment he spoke, something felt wrong. His voice was high. It was his voice, but it wasn't his voice. "Eh?" He tried to sit up and noticed his body was light. No, it wasn't just light. There was a strange weight around his chest. "…What is this." He timidly looked down at his own body. His white shirt was baggy. No—the shirt should have been his usual size, but his body had gotten smaller. His shoulders, his arms, his legs—everything was slender. And then, his chest. A swelling that was visible even through his clothes. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa." Seraph leaped off the bed and ran to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. What was reflected in the mirror was— A girl he didn't know. Long black hair reaching down to her waist. Large amber eyes with slightly upturned corners. White skin. A small face. And a supple, feminine figure. "UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" A scream echoed through the room. In a high, girlish voice. "W-w-w-what is this?! Me?! I'm a man! A 186-centimeter man! Why?! Why have I turned into a woman?!" The beautiful girl in the mirror was panicking in exactly the same way. Her long black hair swayed smoothly with every movement. "Calm down, calm down… This is a dream. I must still be dreaming." Seraph pinched his own cheek. It hurt. "Not a dream…" Just then, a scream came from outside the room. "GYAAAAAAAAAH!!!" It was Kanato's voice. Seraph rushed out of

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Episode 1

Name: VOLTACTION Gender Panic! ~The Cursed Mansion and the Labyrinth of Love~
Author: Novelia

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