《Water Regalia》


 Prologue: Water Regalia

    "Accept my curse and my power shall be yours." Said the blue floating orb.


    "No thank you. I don''t need more power so please pick another person." I''m currently in a hidden cave located in Maltos Ruin, and in front of me seems to be an elemental regalia.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I am." I don''t plan on risking my current life style for more power. I''m content with my spear regalia Longinus.


    "Very well, from now on my power shall be yours."


    "Wait! Didn''t you hear what I said- GAAA!" Feeling intense pain all over my body, I fell to the floor.


    The pain got more intense by each passing second, making me fall unconscious shortly.


    ...


    Powerful weapons known as regalias existed long before mortals roamed the land. Unlike normal weapons, a regalia needs to link with a person''s soul before it could be used; a regalia could only be used by the one it''s linked to.


    Among all regalias, there were four said to be the strongest. Each could give its user the ability to freely manipulate an element, therefore, they were called elemental regalias. But unlike normal regalias, linking with one comes with a curse.


    Based on the records, the curse given is random. There have been cases where the curse received was so severe that it wasn''t worth linking with the elemental regalia. Since then, people have been reluctant in linking with one. Up till now, there is no known way of taking off a regalia other than death.


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    Upon death, a regalia will drop near the corpse of its former wielder. An elemental regalia, on the other hand, will disappear and spawn at a random location.


    ...


    When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was how vastly my current body differed from before. At first I was afraid that I turned into some kind of monster, but it only took a few seconds to realize that what I turned into was something different.


    My hair got longer and now had a bluish  color, my skin became pale, I lost most of my muscles and my frame became smaller, there were two lumps of fat on my chest, and lastly, the feeling between my legs was different.


    The rod which I used to play with the girls of Winonia Tavern changed into a... "What the hell!"


    Ah, what a lovely voice... Sadly it''s mine... "I told you I didn''t want your stupid power! How can I play with Sheena and the other girls with this body!? Damn it!"

 Sinner Arc: Chapter 1

    Mercenary, a short way of calling people who use their power to earn money. It was a common word in Ardin; a world where commoners are treated unfairly by the nobles. Commoners were depraved of knighthood and forever stuck as a foot soldier unless they have connections, so becoming a mercenary has been an obvious choice for them.


    In 572, in the kingdom of Lunica, a man named Seth Reilden started the mercenary guild with the intention of gathering all mercenaries into one group. The guild''s motto was to give the mercenaries an easier way to get missions and share information. With Seth''s charisma, he gathered people and showed that it was easier to move with the help of the guild.


    As time passed, it became clear that there were too many casualties. To lessen the deaths, the ranking system was created. Those with strength will get higher ranks, leaving the weak ones at the lower ranks. A mercenary can only get a mission based on his/her rank, making sure that the mission is within his/her capabilities.


    The mercenary guild grew bigger. It continued to, even after Seth''s death. Soon, it branched out to different kingdoms. There were some problems regarding the loyalty of the guild to where it started, but the guild made it clear they were only loyal to those who pay for their services.


    Centuries have passed since its creation. The kingdom of Lunica is long gone, but the mercenary guild remains strong and is now a common thing for all kingdoms. I''m also a mercenary, since it''s easier to earn money by using my strength.


    My name is Alex Mortia, the disciple of the former spear emperor. By master''s wish, we had a death match, which I won, making me the new spear emperor and wielder of the spear regalia Longinus. Since then I lived for myself, and I joined the mercenary guild to earn money to live in luxury.


    There are ten mercenary ranks, and it starts from the black class. The color gets lighter and lighter from there, making the white class the highest rank a mercenary could attain. I''m currently in that rank, and it took me three years to get there. Would have been a lot faster if I didn''t have to go back and forth doing useless missions.


    Now the problem is my current body. I could somehow prove my identity if I show Longinus and the emblem of the water regalia on the center my chest, but I better hide my identity until I''m strong enough to take missions as a white class. As of now my raw strength is down to 30%.


    I could fight at 35% to 40% thanks to my experience, but that''ll only put me at red class; that''s four ranks below white. I should keep my condition to myself, especially the fact that I have the water regalia. I''ll be dragged to different conflicts if people know I have an elemental regalia, and it would be bad if that happens while I''m weak.


    Now I''m walking in the middle of a forest, heading to Valtair City, the place where I currently live at. I plan on getting my money and go to a faraway city where I could act freely without being found out.


    I already prepared a letter to get my money without a problem. It says that my current body is my disciple, and the first task I gave her is to get my money. With the letter, none would stop me. If that''s not enough, I''ll use one of my techniques to prove I''m a disciple of Alex. One [Spiral Dance] should do the trick. Heh, who said I wasn''t good at planning?


    A thin layer of cold water is currently covering my body to keep myself cool. It''s been a week since I''ve got this power so I at least know how to use it. I can''t say I mastered it though. There are too many things I''ve yet to test, and I can''t use it while fighting with the spear yet.


    It''s like a master who uses one sword decides to fight with two. Each sword has the same strength so normally one would think it would make him stronger. But in reality, it would be the opposite. If he tries fighting with a style he''s not used to, no matter how good the weapons are, he won''t be stronger. He would be able to pull off good moves thanks to his experience, but he would be much stronger if he sticks with one sword. Of course it all changes if he starts training with two.


    For me, it would be better to focus on the water regalia. I prefer the spear, but the power to control all existing water and all its aspects without mana limitation is a lot better. Even if I start now, it''ll take a long time to reach the level of strength I had before. On the other hand, if I put the same effort in using the water regalia, I''d probably be two or three times stronger than I was before; maybe even more.


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    I lost most of my strength, but I got a powerful ability at a cheap price. Changing genders is far better than being paralyzed for the rest of my life. A curse that would permanently erase my memories would work well with me though...


    Anyway, I can''t say I''m ok with this yet. Now I can''t play like I used to. I''m well aware that sexual relationships can form between girls, but being a man is much more pleasurable; I think.


    ...


    "Young lady, what are you doing walking in the middle of a forest during night time?" Said a rugged looking man with unkempt clothes. He had a sword on his waist and two small knives on his back


    I could also feel a few more hiding behind the trees, around ten. I knew they were following me, but I left them alone since I found it funny how they thought they were doing a good job hiding their presence.


    "If you don''t want to die, then strip-"


    "So you finally decided to show yourself mr. bandit."


    "What?"


    "But I recommend turning around and looking for another victim."


    "Trying to bluff your way out? Not gonna happen young lady. But I do admire your courage. It''ll be fun breaking you ahahaha!"


    "I''ll take that as a no then."


    The ones hiding laughed maniacally in response. ""Hahahahaha!""


    While they were busy laughing, I dashed to the man in front of me and took his sword without him realizing. While behind him, I observed his sword, and boy was it worthless. "I''m not really a swordsman, but I know this sword is trash. You should consider buying a new one."


    He turned around while grabbing his knives, but I cut both of his arms. He fell and rolled on the floor while screaming in pain. "GAAA! MY ARMS!"


    "Uwooo! It didn''t break!? I guess it''s worth something after all. One copper coin maybe?"


    "Y- you bitch! Get her!" Said one of the man hiding behind the trees.


    In a few moments, eleven men appeared, all running to me with weapons in their hands; I- I did say around ten, not exactly ten...


    When I grabbed the man on the floor, he started screaming like a little girl. "NO! PLEASE! FORGIVE ME!"


    "You think taking him hostage will stop us-"


    "Hostage? Nah." I raised the man with one hand. "He''s just a projectile." I threw the man to a group of bandits and ran to the opposite direction.


    With the sword, I decapitated two men. The moment it broke, I took a sword from one of the corpses and dashed to the others.


    It only took a few minutes to kill every bandit except one: the one without hands. I also broke four swords in the process.


    "M- monster!"


    "It took you that long to realize? To think you were this stupid. No wonder you became a bandit..."


    He glared at me despite knowing the difference in our strength. "Don''t talk like you know everything about me!"


    "Hmhmhm" I laughed with my mouth closed. "What''s so different about you and the other bandits? Would you mind telling me?"


    "I didn''t become one because I wanted to! I had to earn money for my family!"


    "Uwaaa! You make it sound like you have a noble cause. And here you are, trying to assault a lone girl walking in the forest. Was ravaging my body a part of helping your family?"


    "..."


    "Well, I''m waiting."


    "Yes, I''m at fault, but please don''t kill me! If I die then my family would-"


    "Nope" I decapitated him with a random sword. "I already gave you the chance earlier."


    I dropped the sword on the ground and walked away. "That took a load off my chest. Now I feel better."


    Unlike him, I don''t sugar coat my words. I killed them because they didn''t heed my warning, not for a grand cause like ridding the world of criminals. I could''ve avoided them, but I guess I wanted to use them as stress relievers.


    I''m well aware that I''m not a good person. Well, at least I gave them a warning right?


    "Now then, I wonder what I should eat tomorrow.¡±

 Sinner Arc: Chapter 2

    Valtair city, one of the three major cities of Roarthas kingdom. It''s the center of trade between Roarthas and Vaishrand kingdom. It''s also the place where the biggest mercenary guild branch is located; believe it or not, it isn''t considered the main branch.


    Now I''m inside the city, walking to the treasury to get my money. I don''t plan to renew my mercenary ID yet, I''ll do that once I''m confident with my strength. With the water regalia, two or three years should be enough to reach the white class level. That''s fast considering that it took me almost a decade to reach the power of a white class from my current level.


    I''m still wearing the same clothes, but I don''t look out of the ordinary. Whether you like it or not, you''ll become popular once you reach the gray class. And as one of the five active white class mercenaries, I also have my own set of followers. People mimicking my style aren''t that rare.


    What''s getting the people''s attention is my face. I once saw a goddess while bathing in the pond. I felt momentary happiness while looking at her body, then pure despair upon realizing that the goddess within my sight could never be mine, because she was me. So close... yet so far...


    Oh, I forgot to mention I became younger. I was in my early thirties before, yet now I look like a teenage girl.


    A young man stood in front of me. He wore elegant clothing and he carried the aura of confidence. One look and I understood that he was a noble. And with him intently looking at me, he probably came here to flirt.


    "Why hello there young lady." He said with a smile.


    "Hello" I said with a neutral expression, hiding my irritation. I can''t mess with nobles as I am now...


    "I''m Rivalle Van Pheles. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"


    Che, he''s from the Pheles family? "It''s Alexa Noctis." Alexa Noctis? I''m so bad at making fake names...


    "Alexa, what a beautiful name."


    Beautiful? Are you retarded? I only added one letter to my name. "Thank you"


    "It suits a beauty like you."


    Bleh! He''s really trying to flirt... "Um, I have a place to go to so-"


    "Where is it? Do you want me to accompany you?"


    "I''m not worthy of your time sir."


    "Rivalle, call me Rivalle. And let me correct your thinking. You are more than worthy of my time."


    Che! This guy is pushy. "I''m just a commoner."


    "So what if your are a commoner?"


    Ah god, I so want to pierce his stupid mouth with Longinus... Sigh, no other choice...


    "W- what is that?" I said while pointing at the sky.


    "Where?"


    When he looked away, I ran off. "Bye sir Rivalle!"


    I can''t believe he fell for that. Pft, what an idiot.


    ...


    "How may I help you ma''am?" Said the woman, around her mid-twenties, behind the counter.


    I pulled out a letter from the pouch, on my waist, and gave it to the woman.


    I''m now inside Valtair city''s treasury, and I''m going to withdraw all my money.


    "You''re lord Alex'' disciple?"


    "Yes"


    "When did you become his disciple?"


    "A few weeks ago. He took me as his disciple after helping my village from a group of bandits."


    "I don''t believe he would let someone he just met a few weeks ago to get his money. Where did you come from?"


    "Err... If you want proof I can show you [Spiral Dance]"


    Once she raised her brow, I felt that something bad would happen.


    "Guards! Take this girl to the cell!"


    I looked around and some of the treasury''s guards were walking towards me... Why!? "Wait, what did I do?"


    "I don''t know where you came from, but learning [Spiral Dance] in just a few months is impossible, much less a few weeks. And the fact that you changed the topic means you''re hiding something. The writing was indeed his, but you''re too suspicious."


    Not wanting to gain more suspicion, I let the guards catch me. Damn it, she was always docile in bed, I never thought she was this sharp...


    Che, and I thought my plan was perfect. Why did I even say [Spiral Dance]? I should''ve gone with a basic move...


    ...


    After waiting in the cell for hours, the girl from before came to see me. She is Cornelia Almark, a former blue rank mercenary who I slept with a couple of times. If I remember it right, the last time we did it was three months ago.


    "Who are you?"


    "You won''t believe me if I tell you I''m Alex'' disciple correct?"


    She just glared at me.


    "Fine, I''ll tell you the truth. But not here, let''s go to the second floor."


    She remained silent and showered me with her hostile stare; it''s kinda hot.


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    "Look, you can restrain me so I can''t get away."


    "... Fine" She left to get restraints.


    When she got back, she tied my hands behind me with a rope which can only be broken by those above yellow class. My legs were also tied in a way where I could only make small steps.


    "I never knew you were into restraint plays."


    "S- shut up! I need to make sure you can''t get away."


    Uwaaa, she''s blushing, how cute.


    After getting restrained, we went to the second floor. We used an empty room and I had her cast a barrier that blocks all sounds to avoid information leak.


    "Are you going to speak now? Who are you and where is lord Alex?"


    I summoned "Longinus"


    A spear with a bluish crescent blade that''s a feet long appeared in front of me. It was connected to a gray metallic pole that¡¯s five feet long, with the thickness of half of my wrist.


    I stood up and turned around to grab it; it was heavier compared to the last time I used it. How weak I''ve become...


    "T- that-"


    "Believe it or not I''m-"


    I was suddenly showered with bloodlust. But because I was still stronger than her, it didn''t affect me much. It surprised me though.


    "What did you do with lord Alex!?" She said with an expression filled with anger and hatred.


    "It''s me! I''m Alex Mortia!"


    "Where is he!?" She ran to me and punched me with an arm she turned to metal with magic.


    I released Longinus and dodged her attack. "Listen!"


    She turned her whole body to metal and glared at me like she wanted to kill me. My arms and legs are still restrained... this is bad...


    "Cornelia listen!"


    She attacked vigorously. "Die!"


    I''d be killed if I didn''t do anything, so I waited for the right opportunity and made our lips touch, making her freeze for a short moment.


    Once she released her spell, I forcefully entered my tongue through her lips. I spun it around, tasting every nook and cranny of her mouth; sweet as always.


    She pushed me away and asked "What are you doing!?" with flushed cheeks.


    "Stopping you from killing me?"


    "W- why did you kiss me then!?"


    "I thought kissing you would make you listen to me?"


    Slowly, her body turned into metal.


    "Wait! Seriously! Listen to me first before trying to kill me!"


    After glaring at me for a whole minute, she said. "Speak"


    "I linked with an elemental regalia a month ago and my curse was to turn into a girl." I turned one of the furniture into ice. "See? I have the water regalia."


    Sensing no mana used, she believed that what I have was an elemental regalia.


    She still looked reluctant so I added "To think you would be angry to see my killer, I never knew you loved me that much."


    "..." Her suspicion was still there. No killing please...


    "Still, you should run if you really see my killer." You''re five ranks below me you know?


    "Stupid"


    "Hm?"


    "If you were alive you should have said so!"


    "I tried, but you attacked-"


    She suddenly hugged me. "Stupid!"


    "... Yeah, I guess I am."


    "I''m glad you''re safe, I really am."


    "Sorry for worrying you."


    She then pushed me to the chair and kissed me. She even forced her tongue to my mouth.


    I didn''t like being dominated so I pulled back. "Wait-"


    Unfortunately, she followed and continued kissing me. I tried to fight back by using my tongue, but she turned hers into metal to overpower me.


    I''m restrained so I can''t fight back, and I obviously can''t use the water regalia on her since she''s not an enemy I should kill. I had no choice but to let her do as she liked...


    Once she was satisfied, she said "That''s revenge for earlier."


    "..."


    "Say, you want to continue?"


    "Er... even if I want to, I can''t with this body. And I''m restrained so-"


    She grabbed my shoulders and said "Is that a problem?"


    "It is..."


    "Don''t you want to feel the pleasures of a woman?"


    "Cornelia..."


    "Oh, and this will be your first time doing it with that body right? Then that means I''ll be your first." She slowly slid her arms to my back.


    Bad... this is bad... "Cornelia, I''ll get angry if you-"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be gentle."


    "Cornelia!"


    "Just kidding, I won''t force you if you don''t want to." She said while taking off the rope.


    I... I can''t believe I felt fear... She was docile before... What happened to my sweet and innocent Cornelia?

 Sinner Arc: Chapter 3(Arc End)

    After telling her my situation, I somehow mentioned that she was different from before. Her answer was "You just didn''t know the real me."


    "Hm?"


    "You are the only white class of Roarthas kingdom, of course everyone would be careful around you. Even you wouldn''t anger a monster right?"


    "M- monster? You all saw me as a monster? But I never acted violently. I did my best to be friendly with everyone." I do bad things behind the scenes though. I''m aware that I''m a bad person.


    "Yes, you were easy to approach and fun to be with, but everyone had to tread lightly. We didn''t know much about you, what if we were already making an enemy out of you without knowing?"


    Now that I think about it, I never told anyone about myself. I was content with how everyone acted around me. I never asked about them, and they never asked about me. There has been a barrier between me and the people from the very start.


    "And? Why are you telling me this now? Is it because I''m no longer a monster?"


    "Yes, that''s one of the reasons. I can talk to you freely knowing that I could at least run away in case I anger you."


    "I could freeze you right now you know?"


    "But you wouldn''t right? You could''ve done so when your life was in danger and when I was forcing myself on to you, yet you avoided using it."


    "Well... I..."


    "You are strong, but you aren''t dangerous. You are good person."


    Che, good person? I''ve sinned so many times, how could I be good person? "Reason, what''s the other reason?"


    "Do you know what I felt when I thought you died? I thought my world crumbled. We rarely talk, most of the time we just have sex and that''s the end of it. But the thought of never seeing you again pained me."


    "..."


    "I slept with you because I idolized you, and I kept quiet because a part of me was afraid of you. I was sure my feelings for you was just that, but it wasn''t. I don''t want to lose you, not until I know more about you, not until you know more about me, and not until I tell you what I truly feel."


    No, don''t tell me. I don''t deserve it. I''m only after sex, I''m the worst kind of person. I... don''t deserve to be loved...


    ...


    I was born in a remote village. All paths leading in and out were not friendly to travelers. We rarely get any visitors, and we were too hard to reach that the kingdom didn''t bother communicating with us. The flow of money wasn''t the same as with the big cities, you could even say it never flowed to begin with.


    The currency were resources, we traded with what we have. And because we only had each other to rely on, an indestructible bond was created between us. Our small village was like one big family. I loved my parents, and I loved every villagers. Even when we were cut from the rest of the world, I was happy.


    But one day, a group of armed men entered our village and destroyed everything we''ve built. I never did anything to them, yet they took everything away from me. My family, my friends, all of them died in front of my eyes along with view of our burning village.


    On that day, my world crumbled, and a feeling I''ve never felt before took over my body: rage. The last thing I saw was me picking up a wooden stick and running to one of the men that destroyed everything. I was sure I would never awake again, I was sure I would die like the others, yet I lived.


    I woke up the next day. My body was indeed in a bad shape, but every men that attacked our village was lying near me. When I looked at the hand which picked the wooden stick, what I saw was a sword filled with blood; at the age of ten, I killed thirty seven men.


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    Without knowing, I exacted my revenge. But after that, I didn''t know what to do. Everyone was gone, I had no place to return to, I had no reason to continue living. No, there was something I could do: repent for my sin. I could''ve saved everyone, yet I didn''t. That was my first and biggest sin.


    I rebuilt the village from scratch, and made myself stronger by randomly swinging a sword as long as I could move. It was a few years later when master found the village.


    Thinking he will destroy the village, I attacked first, but lost. Unlike me who didn''t know which path to take, he knew and has mastered his own path. The difference between us was too large. That time I was certain I would die, yet I didn''t.


    I woke up in my room, and in place of my parents, master took care of me. Since then, I grew attached to him. He trained me harshly, but since that was what he wanted, I never complained. It was painful, but it was nothing compared to the pain of losing everything. I finally found a someone I could call family, I don''t want to lose him.


    But fate didn''t want me to be happy, once I reached master''s level, he asked me for a death match. Of course I declined, how could I point my spear to my only family? I would die first before even thinking that. But he begged, and begged, and begged, until he attacked me, forcing me to fight back.


    Nothing I said stopped him, and I finally realized something. He was a lot weaker than before. He wasn''t even a threat anymore. I restrained him because I didn''t want to hurt him, and at that moment, I lost him without knowing.


    He gave me everything and treated me like his own son. The only thing he asked from me was a warrior''s death. He didn''t want to die by old age or by a disease, he wanted to die fighting the strong. But I depraved him that. I was so focused on myself that I ignored his only wish. I have sinned yet again.


    In the end, I agreed to fight him, but at that point, he could barely touch me. His anger towards me gave him strength to fight, but the gap between us was too large. I struck the final blow, I finally ended the life of my second father, but he didn''t die happy. Till the very end, I didn''t fight at full strength. I belittled his resolve. I was a coward.


    I ran away from the village. I wanted to forget everything. I was physically strong, yet I was mentally weak. I didn''t even want to repent, I just wanted to run away. I''ll never be the hero that I''ve read in books, I''m a bad person, I''m a sinner.


    I reached one of the cities of Roarthas kingdom at the age of twenty five. From then on, I started living a life where I could be happy. No use thinking about what would happen to other people, I''m a bad person anyway.


    I slowly got used to my new life and entered the mercenary guild to live in luxury. I only thought about own happiness. It was fine as long as I was happy.


    I could smile again, I was looking forward to tomorrow, and I finally forgot about my past. But I was just lying to myself. Even now, I''m running away from what I really feel. Even now, I''m a coward.


    I don''t deserve to find true happiness... I don''t deserve anyone''s affection...


    ...


    After getting my money, I traveled to a faraway city by joining a caravan. None found out who I was and Cornelia promised to hide my secret. I should be happy, so why does my heart ache?


    Meh, not like it''s the first time I felt this way. "Now then, I wonder what I should do first in Dorlan city."