A Story of a Male Knight (Not a Female Knight) in a Chastity-Reversed World ~The Girls Are So Afraid of Being Disliked That a “Kukkoro” Scene Never Happens~ - 21-22

Chapter 21: Demon Magic

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“Demonkin’s magic… You say?”

I tilted my head at Kokoro-san, who nodded with a firm nod.

“Yes. Haven’t you heard of it before?”

“This is the first I’m even hearing about the existence of demons!”

“Then we’d better start with some basic education.”

Kokoro-san adjusted an imaginary pair of glasses she wasn’t actually wearing and began to explain.

“In this world, there exist both humans and demons. Demons are beings with intelligence like humans, but they’re a different race—some have a single eye like monsters, some have two horns growing from their heads, others look like beautiful humans with pointed ears. All of these are collectively called demons.”

I see. It was probably like the demons I’d seen in games and manga from my previous life.

She’d also mentioned monsters existed. That meant there was a chance of getting kukkoro-ed by things like slimes that only dissolve clothes or by female orcs. I didn’t want to be kukkoro-ed, but… well, I couldn’t say I’d hate it either.

“Do you know that this country was founded by the hero who defeated the Demon Lord?”

“Yes, I know that.”

“The Demon Lord was the ruler of all demons and sought to control this world through force. The Demon Lord led armies of demons into human lands, aiming to wipe out humanity. But the  Demon Lord was defeated by the hero. The army of demons collapsed, and the surviving demons returned to their original continent, where they each established their own countries.”

“Hmm. But there was only one Demon Lord, right?”

“There are lords in each demon country, but no single ruler unites them all anymore. So no Demon Lord exists who rules over all demons.”

Kokoro-san continued, noting she’d gotten a bit off topic.

“The point is about demons themselves. For over a thousand years, demons cut off all contact with humans. But recently, they began trading with us again. Through this, we learned that demons have made remarkable technological advancements—and that their magic is far more developed than ours.”

“Eh… Then wouldn’t getting demon magic make someone stronger?”

“That’s right. In fact, other countries are desperate to incorporate demon magic.”

Other countries. Meaning it wasn’t the case in this country. Neither Elsa-san nor Mother had ever brought up the existence of demons in conversation.

“Why doesn’t this country try to incorporate demon magic?”

“There are several reasons. One is simply that it’s only been less than ten years since trade resumed, so most people aren’t aware of demon magic yet. But more importantly, demon magic cannot kill those of us who carry the hero’s blood.”

“Uh…?”

A question mark practically popped above my head.

“The hero and their party were chosen specifically for their special resistance to the magic demons used. Even when attacked by deadly demon spells, they wouldn’t suffer wounds, and it took repeated hits with spells that would normally guarantee death just to knock them down. Even then, if they rested, they would recover completely without a single scar.”

Ah. So it was like in games: you wouldn’t get injured no matter how much damage you took, and even if your HP dropped to zero, you’d just get back up.

“Over the last thousand years, most people in this country have, at some point, inherited the blood of the hero’s party. Because of that, demon magic isn’t considered an effective attack method, so there’s no interest in demon magic for the people in this country.”

That made sense, I supposed. Humans slowed down when they were hurt or in pain. But if you stayed perfectly healthy even after being hit by deadly magic, then demon magic wouldn’t have much value in battle.

“Still, the fact remains that demon magic is excellent. You could even call it a superior version of human magic these days. Even those with little magic power can use spells comparable to an average knight’s, and it requires so little training that it’s incredibly easy to handle.”

“I see. Then if I, with my low magic power, want to fight on par with women, I should master demon magic.”

“That’s right. Of course, even if your skills match theirs, your opponents can still injure you. They might adopt tactics like retreating at full health if they judge you’ve taken enough damage, which would give them the advantage in the future combat. Basically, combat will carry many disadvantages for you.”

“But… At least I’d be able to fight on equal footing.”

“Yes. It’s the only way for you to reach the strength you seek.”

As I listened, I realized it. If I wanted to become a knight, mastering demon magic was the only path open to me.

“Kokoro-san, can you teach me demon magic?”

“Of course. Thanks to my family’s wealth, I’ve devoted myself solely to martial arts. Naturally, I’ve already learned demon magic as well.”

“Then… Kokoro-san, will you teach me?”

“Aah. From tomorrow—no, from today—I’ll drill it into you, so be prepared.”

“Yes!!”

Having settled that Kokoro-san would become my teacher, I turned my head to call out to Elsa-san so we could work out the finer details.

“…Th-the Madam’s beloved tree…”

Elsa-san was deathly pale as she muttered. Seeing that, Kokoro-san also turned blue, realizing she had done something very bad.

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Chapter 22: Training Day

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The tree that Kokoro-san had sliced clean through seemed to have been very precious to Mother. When she came home and saw its pitiful state, she collapsed in tears. Still, when the three of us sincerely apologized together, Mother forgave us, and it was decided that Kokoro-san would be officially employed as my master, with the cost of the tree’s compensation deducted from her salary.

That was how yesterday ended, and starting today, Kokoro-san was supposed to personally oversee my training.

…However.

“Um, Kokoro-san?”

“Fwaaah…”

Kokoro-san looked sleepy, with three-line marks stuck to her face around her eyes and mouth.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m not all right, I’m sleepy…”

“But it’s already morning.”

When I said that, Kokoro-san snapped.

“The sun has just started to rise, hasn’t it!?”

“Yes, so it’s morning.”

“Impossible! I’m a night person! How do you expect me to be okay after being dragged out of bed this early!?”

“Kokoro, do you have complaints about how I woke you up?”

“Senior Disciple! I have nothing but complaints! What kind of wake-up call was that!? If it wasn’t me, I’d be dead right now!”

Apparently, Elsa-san had insisted, “For a man to enter a woman’s room is the same as stepping into a tiger’s den!” and went to wake Kokoro-san on my behalf, but it seemed she’d used quite a rough method. Kokoro-san was clearly in a terrible mood.

By the way, Kokoro-san had already been given a guest room and was staying at our house. It seemed she had brought her luggage yesterday and moved in. Her earlier reluctance to become my master had truly been because of my panties.

Anyway, I quickly asked Kokoro-san what today’s training would involve.

“Kokoro-san, what should I do first?”

“You really don’t care at all about my sleep issues, do you? Fine, until I wake up properly, go do some running.”

Kokoro-san was furious, but her mood improved once I started running.

“Huff, huff, huff. The nape, the sweat, the see-through shirt, huff, huff, huff…”

“You’re as beautiful as ever. Delicious.”

Elsa-san and Kokoro-san, who were running behind me, seemed to be having a good time, and that was all that mattered. After finishing my usual run, I took the towel Elsa-san offered me, just as always.

“Good work, Ray-sama. Here, your towel.”

“Thank you, Elsa-san.”

When I handed the towel I’d used to wipe my sweat back to Elsa-san, Kokoro-san’s expression turned into one of suspicion.

“Senior Disciple. What do you intend to do with that towel?”

“I am disposing of it so that a beast like you won’t succumb to temptation.”

“How unfair~! You’re monopolizing the boy’s sweat-soaked towel that way!!”

“H-Hey! Don’t say things that would make Ray-sama get disgusted with me! Ray-sama, I haven’t done anything, okay!?”

“Yeah, I believe you.”

I believe that you’ve done something. 

Well, I didn’t mind, and if anything, I was happy to give something back to Elsa-san for all she had done for me.

“Phew, of course. Please don’t say things that give the wrong impression.”

“We’ll see about that…”

Kokoro-san continued glaring suspiciously at Elsa-san. I understood how she felt, but training was more important, so I urged Kokoro-san to continue.

“Anyway, Master. What should we train next?”

“Eh, ah, right. I was so desperate for a pretty boy’s sweat-soaked towel that I completely forgot.”

I wished she wouldn’t completely forget things over a boy’s sweaty towel, but since she quickly got back to the topic, I listened carefully.

“From what I saw during your run, your stamina is abnormal. Clearly beyond what one would expect from a boy—or even from a child—and on par with an athletic young girl. I observed your muscles and breathing, and your strength and reflexes are all extraordinary, completely unimaginable from your appearance.”

Just as expected, Kokoro-san was amazing. She hadn’t just been panting with excitement—she’d accurately seen that I had strength far beyond what matched my appearance thanks to my unique magic.

“That must be related to your unique magic. I’d like to know more, but even as your master, it isn’t proper to ask about the details of your unique magic lightly. So I won’t probe further.”

“Kokoro, Ray-sama’s unique magic hasn’t manifested yet.”

“Hah? That can’t be true.”

“No, it really hasn’t manifested yet.”

My magic had actually manifested, but in this timeline, it technically hadn’t yet.

Come to think of it, I wonder what’s the situation with my unique magic?

In the second timeline, the sequence had played out exactly the same as the first time. Mother had channeled her magic power into my magic circuits, and my unique magic had manifested.

But in reality, since I’d carried my abilities back with me when I rewound time, my unique magic was already active.

I wonder… Is currently my Unique Magic active or not…?

I was curious, but decided it was pointless to worry about it. Either way, it was just a matter of timing, and there was nothing I could do about it anyway.

“I’d like to investigate whether you’re telling the truth or not, but doing so would mean learning the contents of your unique magic. Besides, the way you said ‘hasn’t yet’ suggests you know something.”

Saying that, Kokoro-san clapped her hands together sharply.

“Well, if your unique magic hasn’t manifested, your magic circuits aren’t formed yet, so we can’t start magic training. That means we’ll begin with slow-motion sparring.”

“Slow-motion?”

Kokoro-san threw a slow punch as she explained.

“Even if you’re going to learn demonic magic,your effort will be in vain without the proper mindset for combat. Right now, you lack basic knowledge—you don’t even know what you need to learn. You’re like a baby.”

Being called a baby was harsh. I had done sparring session with Elsa-san and had real combat experience with the cherry blossom-haired girl. Last time, I’d even come close to grazing Mother’s neck. I wasn’t that hopeless. But since Kokoro-san told me to attack, I threw a punch at the same slow speed she had shown.

“No good. You need to throw it like you really mean to take me down.”

Like I really mean it, huh.

I thought the same way I would in a real fight and threw a punch slowly but with full intent. Kokoro-san, moving slowly as well, casually parried it.

“Your target is the vital point from the start. That’s easy to avoid and counter. You need to distract your opponent, and your punch itself lacks proper body coordination, plus…”

Just from a single move, I had already received a mountain of feedback. This small session was enough for her to show me how sloppy each of my actions and intentions had been. I realized Kokoro-san was right—I was like a baby. I knew so little. The point of this training was to break down every movement and intention, pinpoint my weaknesses, and polish my skills through precise feedback.

“All right, once more.”

“Yes!”

I began slow-motion sparring with Kokoro-san again.

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As the sun began to set and the first star twinkled in the darkening sky, our training for the day ended.

“That’s enough for today.”

“Thank you very much!”

I bowed politely, then collapsed as if my strings had been cut. Sitting with my legs spread and hands on the ground behind me, I gazed up at the sky. Most of the day’s training had consisted of feedback, discussion, and lectures. Even though I hadn’t moved that intensely, my whole body was screaming in pain.

I realized I’d been using the wrong muscles or wasting energy with unnecessary movements—and I felt sure I still had plenty of room to grow, which made me excited for the future.

“Are you all right? I tried to tailor the training to you, but if it’s too hard, say so.”

“I’m fine! Please keep pushing me hard starting tomorrow, Master!”

By the end of the day, I’d naturally started calling Kokoro-san “Master,” and she had begun calling me Ray. But it seemed Kokoro-san still wasn’t used to it since she was still squirming around like seaweed.

“Hauu… So cute and cool… I love it.”

“Kokoro, I’ll report you to Madam.”

“I-I haven’t done anything indecent!”

Kokoro-san protested, but Elsa-san shot her a knowing look as she hungrily eyed my legs.

“That aside, today’s training was just what I’d expect from you, Kokoro. Ray-sama, how do you feel? Do you think you’ll be ready for Madam’s test in a week?”

Elsa-san must have already told her about the test, and Kokoro-san nodded, showing she knew about it.

“He learns quickly, has good instincts, and his physical abilities are impressive. Above all, he has the willpower. He’s someone who doesn’t shy away from effort—he’ll be fine. More than fine…”

“More than fine?”

“Just watch, Senior Disciple. In a week, Ray will take a point from the Madam.”

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