The Cursed Gender Swap: My Fiancées Are All Men?! The Assassin Noble Luge's Hellish Rom-Com
Rugh Touahade has a problem. Several, actually.
First: he's the heir to an assassin noble house, secretly handling the kingdom's dirty work while maintaining a polite public face. Second: he's been reincarnated from a past life as an organization's assassin, which honestly explains more about his personality than he'd like to admit. Third: as of this morning, every woman in his domain has turned into a man—including Dia, his childhood friend and magic teacher, who is currently sobbing on the fl
The Cursed Gender Swap: My Fiancées Are All Men?! The Assassin Noble Luge's Hellish Rom-Com - The Lightning-Fast Maid, Who Still Wears a Skirt Even After Becoming a Man
The morning in the royal capital of Alvein was far noisier than usual.
On the cobblestone streets, people whose sexes had been swapped hurried to and fro. Men in women's clothes, women in men's clothes. Everyone kept checking their own bodies, exchanging glances with one another, and sighing.
Rugh Touahade walked those streets alone. Short black hair, deep brown eyes. A hundred and seventy-two centimeters of eighteen-year-old male. The Touahade family's assassin crest marked the back of his right hand, and a small silver earring hung from his left ear. He was the same as always.
(...Yesterday, in the end, I learned nothing.)
Yesterday, Rugh had gone with Dia to the Royal Academy of Magic, Arcadia. The star-reading compass hadn't reacted, and no records of sex-disruption magic had turned up. The academy itself was in chaos, with sex-swapped students wandering the corridors.
And then he'd heard it from one of the academy's professors.
This phenomenon was spreading through the entire capital—and the entire kingdom.
(Even the hero Epona's been caught up in it, apparently.)
Rugh let out a small breath.
(...I see. Things have gotten troublesome.)
It was a habit of his. The memories of his past life—of when he'd lived as an assassin for an organization in a world called Earth—always surfaced in his mind like a mantra to keep him calm.
He sorted through the situation.
A sex-swap phenomenon. Cause unknown. The goddess's letter had said, "Confess your true love." But what that meant, he still didn't know.
(Anyway, I'm heading back to the estate today.)
Rugh turned toward the capital's north gate, bound for the Touahade estate in the Vervina barony. He needed to settle the chaos in his territory. And Tart should be at the estate.
Tart.
The Touahade family's exclusive maid and assassination assistant. Eighteen, the same age as Rugh. Chestnut hair tied back in a single bundle, bright brown eyes, always moving briskly. A reliable assistant who carried a spear and a handgun beneath her skirt.
(I wonder if Tart's been affected by the curse too.)
Rugh quickened his pace.
———
When he returned to the Vervina barony, the territory was, as expected, in utter chaos.
Beyond the wheat fields, a woman who'd become a man was shouting. Near the vineyard, a blacksmith's master who'd become a woman stood frozen, staring at her own arms.
"Lord Rugh! You've returned!"
As he passed through the estate gate, a servant came running up.
"Yeah. How are things in the territory?"
"Well... it's been utter pandemonium, sir. Everyone's bodies have changed, so no one can even focus on work..."
"I see. Where's Tart?"
"Tart is... ah, well, that is..."
The servant faltered, clearly reluctant to say.
"Did something happen?"
"No, it's not so much that something happened as... anyway, she's in the great hall. I think you'll understand once you see her..."
Rugh tilted his head and entered the estate.
He walked the stone corridor. The morning sun streaming through the windows stretched in long, thin bands.
He opened the door to the great hall.
"—Master!"
He heard the voice.
For a moment, Rugh doubted his own eyes.
The figure stood in the center of the great hall.
Chestnut hair tied back in a single bundle. Bright brown eyes. The usual maid's uniform. A white apron and a long skirt.
But something was wrong.
The height was clearly greater than before. A body that should have been a hundred and fifty-five centimeters was now close to a hundred and seventy. The shoulders were broad, the chest flat, and there was an Adam's apple at the throat. The line of the face was far sharper, far more masculine, than he remembered.
"...Tart? Is that you?"
"Yes. Master. It's me. Tart."
Tart smiled brightly. With a man's body.
Rugh was speechless.
(Tart too...)
It was the same as with Dia. Tart had become a man's body as well.
"Master, welcome home. Thank you for your hard work on the investigation in the capital."
Tart spoke with the same polite manner as always, the same smile as always.
"...Yeah. I'm back. Tart, that body..."
"Yes. Due to the curse, I've become a man's body. But, Master—with this body, it's actually easier to guard your side. It seems my compatibility with body enhancement is better, too."
Tart said this and lightly flexed an arm.
"...You're not bothered that your body became male?"
"If I can protect you, Master, the shape of my body is a trivial matter. Besides, a man's body makes physical labor easier."
Tart kept smiling cheerfully.
But Rugh noticed.
Tart's fist was trembling faintly.
(...Suppressing the emotion.)
Rather than being ashamed of becoming a man through the curse, Tart was prioritizing being useful to Rugh. That was a choice very much like Tart.
"...I see. If that's what you say, I won't argue."
"Thank you, Master."
Tart bowed deeply.
"So then, Master. Where are we headed today?"
"The academy's grand library. I'm going to look for records of the sex-disruption incident of Star Calendar 798."
"Star Calendar 798... ah, yes, the incident about thirty years ago in the capital, when people's sexes temporarily swapped."
"You know about it?"
"Yes. I came across it once before in the Touahade family archives. It says the cause was unknown and it resolved naturally."
"Right. It might be connected to this curse. Worth investigating."
"Understood. Please let me accompany you. I'll help with all my might so I can be of use to you, Master."
Tart said this happily.
Rugh gave a small nod.
"...Yeah. I'm counting on you."
———
Inside the carriage heading back to the royal capital of Alvein.
Rugh and Tart sat facing each other.
Even with a man's body, Tart was wearing a skirt. And, as always, carrying her favorite spear and handgun beneath it.
"...Tart, that outfit."
"Master, this is my battle attire. Just because I've become a man is no reason to change where I keep my equipment."
Tart answered with a perfectly straight face.
"...I see. But wearing a skirt with that body is going to draw stares..."
"If it's to protect you, Master, I don't mind the stares. Besides, a skirt makes it easier to draw my weapons in an emergency."
Tart lifted the hem of her skirt just slightly, giving a glimpse of the spear and handgun carried beneath.
Rugh sighed.
(...Tart's always been like this.)
Tart came from a poor village and had been cast out at ten to reduce the number of mouths to feed. Rugh had saved her when she was on the verge of starving to death. Ever since, Tart had sworn absolute loyalty to Rugh.
That loyalty hadn't wavered in the slightest, even after the curse turned her into a man.
(...I'm grateful, but it's complicated.)
Rugh looked out the window.
The streets of the royal capital of Alvein drew closer.
———
The Royal Academy of Magic, Arcadia.
The stone main building, the library, the research wing, the dormitories. Around eight hundred students. The highest research institution for star-reading magic.
As Rugh and Tart passed through the academy gates, they noticed something off immediately.
"...What's that?"
A crowd had gathered in the academy corridor.
Sex-swapped students were pointing at something, whispering among themselves.
"Hey, look at that person..."
"A man's wearing a skirt..."
"And there's something dangerous-looking under the skirt..."
The object of the students' stares was Tart.
With a man's body, wearing a maid's uniform, spear and handgun carried beneath her skirt, Tart walked calmly down the corridor.
"Master, which way is the library?"
Tart asked Rugh, seeming utterly unconcerned by the surrounding stares.
"...That way. I mean, Tart, that outfit really is a problem."
"What's the problem? To protect you, Master, I need to be in a state where I can fight at all times."
"No, that's not the issue here..."
Just as Rugh started to speak—
"Kyaaaaa!?"
A female student screamed.
Every time Tart walked, the hem of her skirt swayed softly, giving glimpses of the spear and handgun beneath. The female student who saw it screamed.
"W-what is that... a spear under the skirt..."
"I saw a handgun too..."
"Wait, that person's a man, right? Why's he wearing a maid's uniform?"
"The curse swapped his sex, I guess. But why's he wearing a skirt..."
The students began to murmur and stir.
"Tart, let's go. Quickly."
Rugh took Tart's hand and hurried down the corridor.
"Master, I'm sorry to trouble you. But I'm happy just to walk beside you."
Tart said this happily as Rugh pulled her along by the hand.
Rugh kept walking without a word.
(...Tart really does... care for me that much...)
Rugh felt anew the depth of Tart's loyalty.
———
The academy's grand library.
A large stone building boasting twenty thousand volumes. Light filtered through stained glass from the high ceiling. The smell of books and old paper mingled, creating a distinctive atmosphere.
"So this is the grand library."
Tart looked around, eyes shining.
"Yeah. The records from Star Calendar 798 should be deep in the archives."
"Understood. I'll search the back of the archives. Master, please check the record index here."
"No, I'll search with you."
"Master, the archives are dusty. Please leave it to me."
With that, Tart headed into the back of the archives.
Rugh began searching for the Star Calendar 798 records at the library's index desk.
(Star Calendar 798... about thirty years ago, then.)
Rugh recalled his past-life memories. Of when he'd lived as an assassin for an organization in a world called Earth. No matter how unreasonable the request, no matter how abnormal the situation, first grasp the current state and make the best move. That was the iron rule of an assassin.
(This curse must have some intent behind it too.)
The goddess's letter had said, "It just happened by chance."
But Rugh didn't believe it.
(This isn't the scale of something that "just happens.")
Sexes were swapping across the entire kingdom. This was someone's deliberate doing.
(...But who, and for what purpose?)
As Rugh sank into thought, Tart's voice came from the back of the archives.
"Master! I found it!"
Rugh headed toward the voice.
The back of the archives. A dim place lined with tall bookshelves. Tart held an old, dust-covered document in her hands.
"Here it is. The record of the sex-disruption incident of Star Calendar 798."
Tart held the document out to Rugh.
Rugh took it and turned the pages.
On the old paper, in elegant handwriting, the records of that time were set down.
"...Cause unknown, resolved naturally. Several victims. All returned to their original sex within a few weeks. ...So that's all it says, after all."
Rugh read on.
Then, at the end of the record, a list of those involved at the time was attached.
Rugh stopped moving when he saw it.
"...This is..."
"Master? Is something wrong?"
Tart peered into Rugh's face.
Rugh pointed at one spot on the list.
It read:
"Head of the Touahade Family."
"Your family, Master...?"
Tart caught her breath.
"...Yeah. The head of the Touahade family was among those involved in the sex-disruption incident thirty years ago."
Rugh's voice was calm.
But inside, he was deeply shaken.
(The Touahade family was involved in the sex-disruption incident...?)
(Which means... my family line might be connected to this curse as well.)
Rugh stared hard at the document.
"Master... are you all right?"
Tart looked at Rugh's face with concern.
"...Yeah. I'm fine."
Rugh closed the document.
"Tart, can we borrow this record?"
"I'll go check. Let me ask the librarian."
Tart left the archives and headed for the librarian.
Rugh remained alone in the back of the archives.
(A Touahade ancestor was involved in the sex-disruption incident.)
(And now this curse. Is it a coincidence?)
(...No. It can't be a coincidence.)
Rugh clenched his fist.
———
"Master, I asked the librarian."
Tart had returned.
"The records can't be taken out, but they c
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