"Father, what's wrong?" Mengdie asked.
Father Kotton smiled and approached. The white wolf lay nearby, eyes closed.
"It's nothing, just that... it seems strange to me. You, such a beautiful young lady, don't seem to cherish your beauty, always fighting and intensively training yourself."
Mengdie's face tightened, and she hummed dismissively. She grabbed her towel and was about to head to her tent, not intending to converse further with the priest who saw her only as a woman. However, as she passed by him, Father Kotton remarked, "It's strange... such a slender body, yet it possesses such great strength..."
Strength???
Mengdie stopped in her tracks. After her rebirth, the one thing she lacked was strength! How could the priest say she had great power within her?
"Father, you must be mistaken. I have strength within me? Ha, what a joke."
Father Kotton slowly shook his head, his expression serious.
"Young lady, I may not know much about other things, but I can assure you that your physical structure is extraordinary. Your bones, meridians, muscles, fat, and skin are beyond my understanding. Your body harbors potential beyond the imagination of ordinary people. This power... let me exaggerate a bit, if you continue training this body, I fear no one in this world could stand against you."
Mengdie believed in being invincible in this world once her seal was completely released. She glanced at the ruby necklace on her chest.
"Forget it, forget about being unbeatable. It's useless to talk about it now." Unfortunately, the seal was still not broken. Mengdie waved her hand dismissively, appearing somewhat disheartened.
Stolen novel; please report.
Yet Father Kotton remained earnest—
"It's true, young lady. I've seen enough of the world and have some knowledge in medicine. Normal human muscles have limits, and pushing beyond can damage muscles and bones. But your body is different; your bones and muscles can store a vast amount of energy. With your training and fighting, this energy will strengthen your body at a rate several times faster than ordinary people. Haven't you felt this at all?"
Mengdie began to recall her experiences. When she first arrived in this world and lost her necklace, she would pant even with a little exercise. Especially during her first fight against two lower-ranked Black Flame Snake soldiers, it was perilous, and she was exhausted afterward.
But now? Leaving aside her extraordinary strength, her endurance and agility had improved beyond comparison. She could handle multiple harassers, remain composed in a thousand-person battle, and even challenge the faster white wolf! Perhaps because she was so powerful as a man, she always felt weak now, never noticing the strengthening of her body.
Mengdie scratched her head, reevaluating her body after some deep thought. It was unusual for anyone to go from a frail woman to her current state, capable of charging through crowds uncontrolled, in just a few months.
“Hmm... it seems so,” Mengdie tilted her head, frowning, partially acknowledging her body’s improvement, “But that’s it, right? Lately, I've felt like my physical abilities have reached their limit, unable to break through. So much for the so-called great power.”
Father Kotton immediately shook his head at her self-doubt, saying, “Young lady, there's always a reason behind everything. If your power can't grow further, there must be something restraining it. What could that mean? Can you tell me about it?”
Mengdie looked at the priest, her heart fluctuating—
Everyone has always seen me as a woman, a fragile one at that! But I am a man at my core! Would anyone believe such a thing? I learned no one would believe it in my first four months in this world. Even if I desperately wanted to clarify, no one would believe...
Wait, this man is known as a sage, and he travels... Alright! I've decided! I'll tell him, even if he doesn’t believe it!
Deciding, Mengdie pulled Father Kotton aside, took a deep breath, and said, “Father Kotton, I want to tell you something. I don’t know if you'll believe me... Will you listen?”
Father Kotton smiled, “As a servant of the Goddess, I listen to anyone's troubles.”
Mengdie nodded, sat down with him, and after another deep breath and a moment of silence, she began—
“Father. Actually, until half a year ago... I was a man.”
Just as she spoke, Father Kotton’s expression froze! Mengdie paused, and after a moment of mutual silence, she cleared her throat and continued, “Before that, I lived for twenty years as a man. I'm sorry, I can't discuss those years; they are too complicated, even for me to understand.”
“Then, eight months ago, it was like a dream. I woke up to find myself in a female body, younger than before. But more importantly...”
“My strength diminished to even less than that of a typical girl...”
Mengdie waited for Father Kotton's reaction to her heartfelt confession.