I gathered my energy with wide-open eyes, concentrating, when Reid, who was watching me from the side, said,

“Looks like you’re about to do something interesting.”

“Yeah. Just wait a bit. If it works, we’ll ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) finish the story from the valley.”

Reid’s eyes, which had been watching me lazily, widened slightly. It looked like the face of someone who just heard unexpectedly good news.

“Alright.”

The encouraging look Reid gave me was so kind that it gave me strength.

[‘Scales Judging the Soul’ waves a cheering baton, suggesting we pick a 19+ dark, bleak imprisonment romance fitting a dark-haired decadent handsome man.]

[‘Architect of the Tower of Trials’ adds that since this is the magic tower, a tower imprisonment story would be good.]

[‘Eye Watching the Chaos of All Things’ chants “GL only once,” carefully preparing a gender-swap potion for Reid.]

[‘The Balancing Cynic’ hopes for BL and eagerly awaits you drinking the potion.]

[‘Creation Economy Manager’ hopes that since you don’t get the desired result in one try, it will help sales.]

The gods’ cheering messages were so distracting I wanted to turn them off.

Anyway, I went for it.

“Purchase!”

The sound of two billion cash being deducted rang crisply and brilliantly in my ears.

[ Using ‘Genre Change Voucher Trial Version.’ Would you like to check the result?]

With a pounding heart, I selected ‘Yes.’

[ Your genre is ‘Romance Fantasy Parenting.’]

“Huh?”

Why did this come up here? I was dumbfounded by the unexpected result.

<Ah, Ayleth?>

“...Ai?”

Agnes and Reid’s voices calling me were full of bewilderment.

Agnes was one thing, but it was no ordinary difficulty to fluster the final mastermind who had been around for over a thousand years.

Amid the ringing alarm in my head, suddenly my gaze dropped sharply. Greatly embarrassed, I checked my hands.

I saw my arms and fingers had become stubby. The clothes I had just been wearing tightly now hung loosely around my shrunken body like a blanket.

The situation was clear.

‘I’ve become a child!’

I took out a full-body mirror from my inventory and looked. There was a toddler around four years old with pink hair tied in cute side twin tails, barely brushing her shoulders. A visual born to play the heroine of a parenting story.

[‘The Balancing Cynic’ bursts out laughing, finally fulfilling his wish.]

[‘Language That Builds Worlds’ is troubled but can’t take his eyes off your cuteness.]

Though I had wished for a parenting genre before, this was not what I wanted.

‘Redraw! I can just redraw right now!’

Even after saving 10 billion cash for the genre fixation voucher, I still had enough cash left for four more trial voucher draws.

I lit a fire in my eyes and returned to the cash shop to find the Genre Change Voucher Trial Version. But then a problem occurred.

[ Purchase of ‘Genre Change Voucher Trial Version’ failed!]

‘No, why?!’

[ ‘Genre Change Voucher Trial Version’ is designed for trial purposes only. Therefore, repurchasing during the trial period is restricted. Remaining time: 14 days 23 hours 59 minutes.]

‘You didn’t tell me this in advance! How am I supposed to live like this for half a month!’

[‘Creation Economy Manager’ whistles and acts indifferent.]

[‘Language That Builds Worlds’ apologizes but happily watches your cuteness.]

“Ai, are you crying?”

Apparently misunderstanding me shaking my head and trembling, Reid saw no tears but instead I raised my head with determination.

“I’m not crying.”

Reid, staring at me silently, seemed to have figured out the situation so I didn’t have to explain.

“It looks like your attempt to lift the curse backfired.”

“Mostly right. Maybe the offering to the gods wasn’t enough.”

“Hah, gods after all. If I’m not enough, now they’re toying with you.”

His murmuring voice was low and eerie, as if about to fall to the floor. I tensed, expecting the destruction rate to rise.

[ World destruction rate 13% (▼35%p)]

Contrary to expectations, it dropped. Even to a record low.

What change of heart could that be? I silently looked up at Reid. He stared piercingly at me with half-lidded eyes and spoke.

“I hate gods.”

“Mm, yeah.”

“But still.”

“Hm?”

“You’re cute.”

“......”

His straightforward and somewhat mesmerized compliment made me feel conflicted.

If I was so cute as to lower the destruction rate to a record low, this was truly “saving the world with cuteness.”

On the other hand, I felt sad that he was only seeing me as cute. Cuteness clearly has its limits.

[‘Scales Judging the Soul’ laments that the genre is Romance Fantasy but romance has become impossible in reality.]

I sulked and said,

“I’ll return to normal after 15 days.”

“Good thing it’s 15 days, not 15 years.”

I decided not to bring up that I might still be a victim of random draws after half a month. Better to think positively.

“Alright. Since it’s come to this, I’ll enjoy the parenting story for 15 days!”

I boldly clenched my small fist.

At that moment, Reid carefully adjusted my slipping clothes on my shoulder and said,

“But kid.”

“Yeah?”

“How will you explain your condition to the people around you?”

“......”

It was a tough question.

✠

There was no option to be honest.

I was currently an evil partner working with Reid, stirring up politics in the Ragneif Magical Republic and the Serentra continent.

With many enemies unknown, I couldn’t show a weakness. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Then, what identity could I easily fabricate?

Without organizing my thoughts, a crisis struck.

“Wait, that kid is...?!”

I came face to face with Moriphis Marcelion, the spry old man with sky-blue long hair.

As soon as Reid noticed him, he swiftly picked me up into his arms, trying to hide my face. But it was too late—the pink hair was too conspicuous.

Moriphis glowed with wild curiosity in his shiny silver eyes and prowled around Reid and me.

“You’d better get out of the way.”

“Impossible! I found a kid who looks exactly like the Holy Knight. Would the magic tower lord allow that?”

“......”

Don’t confirm with silence at a time like this.

Moriphis grew even more confident.

“They really look identical! What’s your relation to the Holy Knight? Could she be your daughter? Then where is the Holy Knight now? I demand an explanation for this situation!”

Agnes spoke my thoughts aloud.

<Funny. Explanation? Who do you think you are?>

Reid only answered Moriphis’s last question.

“The Holy Knight will be absent from the capital for half a month. It’s none of your business, so don’t worry.”

“Oh no! The one who should explain is absent at the crucial time! So I can just fantasize as I please!”

<Seriously, who does he think he is?>

Moriphis kept babbling nonsense to prove why he was called a madman.

“My guess is this kid must be the Holy Knight’s daughter!”

What the heck!

Before I could yell, Reid’s aura of killing intent was faster.

“The Holy Knight is a saint. Don’t you realize you’re spouting blasphemy?”

“Yes! The Holy Knight is a saint! Which makes my claim even more credible!”

“What?”

A chillingly sharp gaze swept over me.

“I’m sure the Holy Knight conceived this child by virgin birth! There’s no father! So I should immediately find the Holy Knight and tell her I’ll be the father......”

“Crazy.”

I definitely said that, but

[ ‘Parenting Genre Speech Filter’ activated. Please use proper and gentle language suitable for the parenting genre.]

“I feel like my mind is about to float away like a balloon.”

“Is it that good?! Hurry and call me Daddy then!”

There was no reason left to put up with this madman anymore.

“Reid, I want to play with dolls.”

“Alright.”

Reid immediately reached toward Moriphis.

[ Warning. Ultimate skill ‘Marionette’ activated.]

Moriphis’s screams echoed loudly through the magic tower.

✠

The noise caused by Moriphis drew a crowd of mages from the magic tower.

They came to watch the troublemaker of the tower get taught a lesson but, upon spotting Reid and me, completely ignored Moriphis.

“That kid?!”

“Is she a copy of the Holy Knight? She must be the Holy Knight’s child!”

“Then who’s the father?”

“No way...!”

Without listening further, Reid and I escaped the magic tower.

We needed to go out anyway. Staying in a toddler’s body for half a month required many supplies. The most important being clothes.

For reference, when we left the magic tower, Reid and I were both penniless. We had spent all our money on cash shop purchases.

[‘The Balancing Cynic’ complains that the ultimate mastermind left no emergency funds.]

[‘Scales Judging the Soul’ says heroes who save with emergency funds are broken.]