Chastity-Reversed Hard Mode: Surviving as a Steel-Minded Adventurer in Another World - Chapter 31: Staying Strict with a Steel Mentality Toward the Bratty Boy Dragon

Chapter 31: Staying Strict with a Steel Mentality Toward the Bratty Boy Dragon

My brilliant deductions kept landing one after another, and the dragon brat stood there completely stunned.

Seeing my chance to press the advantage, I pressed further.

“You can try to hide the truth from the human world all you want, but it’s useless. I alone know that you’re one of the demon race…!”

“Uh, yeah… I mean… I am a demon, though…?”

The dragon kid nodded at my accusation.

Knew it! My reasoning was spot on again…!

First the truth about the Count’s family, and now this? Maybe I really did have the talent of a master detective.

Deabolica, who had been watching our exchange, cut in from the side.

“Demon…? What are you talking about? He’s a dragon, isn’t he?”

“The demon race is a species infected by a terrifying curse. They spread that curse through sex, increasing their followers that way. They possess far more mana than humans, but their minds are twisted and evil. Led by a Demon King, they’re plotting to conquer the entire world.”

Alright, the second half of that explanation was basically cheat-knowledge.

In most fantasy web novels, a Demon King plotting world domination was practically standard. It was admittedly a sneaky meta assumption on my part—but come on. The hero and the villain always came as a pair, didn’t they? If I, the cheat transmigrator, existed, then obviously there had to be some Demon King-type big bad somewhere. Otherwise, the god who sent me here would’ve been doing a half-baked job.

I had been waiting for a clue.

And now I had finally grabbed hold of the tail.

Hearing my confident declaration, Deabolica’s eyes widened in shock.

“Cursed demons plotting to take over the world…!? A species like that really exists…!?”

“Yeah. Right in front of us. High mana. Controls monsters and sends them to attack humans. Twisted mindset. The dragon race fits every one of those traits perfectly. In other words, dragons are demons…! Or rather, one race within the larger category of demons!”

I pointed straight at the dragon brat like I had just solved the case of the century.

He lowered his eyes and slowly shook his head.

“That’s kind of sad… Even if it’s because of the Covenant, humans have really become this clueless…”

“What do you mean by that? Does this so-called Demon King actually exist? Talk!”

Maybe being pitied by someone who had already been reduced to a total weakling struck her pride, because Deabolica stepped forward aggressively.

She really did love acting tough when the other side was powerless.

“Are you guys seriously this dumb? Come on. A Demon King trying to conquer the world? That’s just a bedtime story for kids…”

The dragon kid gave a half-smile and shrugged.

Then his expression shifted, his brows furrowing as if something had just clicked in his mind.

“…Well. Depending on how you look at it, I guess that’s not entirely wrong… Um… Hey, is this supposed to be sarcasm toward them? You’re kind of pushing past the acceptable line here.”

Why were you asking me?

You were the one being questioned.

Still… he was hesitating.

That awkward pause didn’t look like simple mockery.

“Is there some reason you can’t say it out loud?”

“Well, yeah. There’s the Great Covenant from ancient times. It’s not exactly something you can just tell anyone.”

“Great Covenant? What’s that supposed to be? You lost, remember? Spill everything you know!”

Deabolica kept pressing forward aggressively.

The dragon kid simply shrugged.

“You talk big, but judging by your clothes, you’re not royalty or from the Holy Church, right? Then I can’t tell you.”

“O-Oh… I see. Well, in that case, it can’t be helped.”

The moment royalty and the Church were mentioned, Deabolica’s face twisted into a submissive smile and she quietly backed down.

You were way too weak against authority.

Also, Ursna was looking at her like she’d just spotted a pig rolling in mud.

“Anyway, I’ll say one thing for the honor of the Drayg. We have absolutely nothing to do with this ‘Demon King’ you’re talking about. Saying Drayg serve under a Demon King? That’s insulting, even as a joke! Don’t ever say that again!”

“O-Okay, got it.”

As if declaring the topic closed, the dragon brat huffed and turned his face away in a sulk.

Hmm.

Was the demon race a serious taboo in this world?

I didn’t know what this “Great Covenant” truly was, but from the bits and pieces I’d gathered, it sounded like some ancient agreement between multiple races to keep the existence of demons a secret. Apparently, human royalty and the Holy Church were involved as well.

When I combined all of that with one of my own skills, a new theory began to take shape.

I had this ridiculously named skill called [Demon Breeding Rights], and its effect was simple: even if I had sex with a demon, I wouldn’t be infected by their curse, and we could safely have children.

Which meant one thing.

Humans and demons could have children together.

That fact alone showed that demons were closely related to humans.

I remembered reading that, long ago in Japan, there was a brief boom around something called a leopon—a hybrid between a leopard and a lion. But for hybrids to exist at all, the two species had to be genetically close enough to interbreed in the first place.

In our world, Homo sapiens didn’t have any living close relatives. Well, technically there had been Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, but they were already extinct.

But in this other world?

It seemed demons were a branch that had split off from the same distant ancestor as humans—and were still alive today.

Another piece supporting this theory was my skill [Otherworld Language Proficiency].

It didn’t translate the cries of Big-Horned Rabbits, but it did translate the dragon’s speech. That suggested the skill only activated if the other party was human—or at least closely related to humans.

In that case, dragons weren’t just monsters. More accurately, they were something like a “dragonoid” race—probably classified as a type of humanity in this world.

Even if they could transform into kaiju-sized beasts and possessed absurd amounts of mana…

Honestly, their specs were so different that it felt questionable to lump them under “humanity” at all.

Still… I couldn’t exactly share that theory with everyone.

It was far too shocking.

And if this so-called Great Covenant truly existed, saying the wrong thing might get me permanently silenced.

Yeah.

Better keep that deduction locked inside my chest.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and noticed the dragon brat staring at me.

“…Hey. What are you, exactly? You sealed my mana in an instant, and you know about demons… There’s no way you’re just a normal human. Are you from the Holy Church? But your hair’s black, so you don’t really look like it… Maybe you’re from the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate?”

“No, I’m just a traveler—”

“He’s a Saint! A special human blessed with power from the gods!”

Deabolica cut in before I could finish.

The dragon’s eyes widened.

“A Saint…?”

“That’s right! With the power of a Saint, sealing an evil dragon like you is child’s play! Tremble in awe! And the Adventurer’s Guild that this Saint belongs to? I am its Master! You’d better show me more respect! …Although I was never told he could do something like that. Why didn’t you mention this sooner, you fool!?”

Apparently, while bragging about me, she suddenly remembered she was mad at me too.

Make up your mind. Were you boasting or scolding?

Seriously… the small-time energy was overwhelming. When we first met, she had that mysterious, untouchable vibe. Now? Not even a trace of it remained.

“I tried to tell you several times. You’re the one who told me to sit down and stay quiet.”

“Is there such a thing as taking that literally!? You’re supposed to use your judgment in the field! Adventurers value initiative!”

“So from now on, I can move however I want?”

“Well… no. You’ve got way too many hidden tricks. I have no idea what you might pull, so absolutely not. And seriously, if you can seal mana, say it from the start! You’re not hiding anything else, right!?”

“You checked all my abilities with the crystal ball, remember? That was everything.”

“Grrr…”

What was even the point of that aptitude test?

All I did was combine a few skills to create new effects or buy some extras from the vending machine later. And I told you about the ones I bought afterward, didn’t I? There was no problem there.

Anyway.

“If you don’t want me acting on my own, then make sure to protect me properly so I’m never in danger.”

“Damn it…!”

“…Which one of you is actually in charge here?”

The dragon brat looked at us with pure disbelief.

“I am! Obviously!”

Deabolica snapped back instantly, baring her teeth like she was about to bite.

Unfortunately, her full-force intimidation had absolutely no effect.

The dragon kid just gave her a half-mocking smile, like a big dog watching a tiny chihuahua bark itself hoarse.

…Though honestly, if he kept underestimating her too much, he might end up getting disciplined again.

“Just so you know, Deabolica has unusually high mana for a human. Right now, your mana is stuck at 1. A single beginner-level lightning spell would turn you into a pile of charcoal. Now imagine if she attacked you at full power. What do you think would happen?”

“Hiie—”

The dragon brat shuddered, clearly remembering his current situation.

“H-H-Hey, cut it out with the threats. That stuff doesn’t work on me!”

“It’s not a threat. It’s a fact. When I tested it on a Big-Horned Rabbit before, one shock from a magic item—even one a human kid could use—burned it black and killed it instantly. Want to try it on your own body?”

As I spoke, I pulled out my magical stun gun and let it crackle with a sharp BZZT, sparks snapping in the air.

“Well, maybe a dragon’s vitality would let you survive. Could be fun to see how many hits you can take before you pass out.”

“W-W-W-Wait, nooo! Don’t come any closer!!”

His face turned ghostly pale in seconds.

He collapsed backward onto the ground and began scooting away, dragging himself desperately across the dirt to escape.

Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

I walked straight up to him without hesitation and leaned down, peering directly into his face.

“You’re saying ‘Don’t come closer’ now? I wonder… didn’t the villagers you sent a stampede after say the same thing? What did you do back then? When weak humans cried and begged, didn’t you laugh and call it fun?”

“Th-That’s different! They were weak! Everyone says weak humans can’t complain if a strong Drayg does whatever it wants to them!”

“Then the same logic applies to you, right? You’re weaker than me right now. So whatever I do to you should be fair.”

“…………”

Silent, huh?

When it stopped being convenient, he just shut his mouth.

Yeah… I knew I wasn’t exactly a saint myself. I didn’t have the best personality either, and part of me knew I wasn’t really in a position to preach.

But right now, I was the only one who could scold him.

So I decided to do something that truly wasn’t my style.

“Stand up.”

I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to his feet.

Then I slapped him hard across the face.

I didn’t hold back at all.

Smack!

The sound rang out clean and sharp.

I hadn’t lowered his defense, so I had to put real strength into it. Of course, with my mana stuck at 1, the slap probably didn’t do much actual damage.

But being struck at all must have shocked him.

He clutched his cheek and trembled, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Y-You hit me…! Even my mom has never hit me!”

“Then I’ll teach you what your parents failed to. Listen carefully. You did something wrong. You killed humans for fun. That’s why you’re facing consequences now. People who enjoy tormenting the weak will one day be bullied by someone stronger than them.”

“B-But! Everyone says it’s fine to bully humans because they’re weak—”

“Who said you could talk back?”

I slapped him again, this time across the other cheek.

Smack.

His face swelled slightly, and tears spilled down in heavy drops.

“You’re the one who bullied humans. Don’t push the blame onto someone else. You chose to hurt the weak. So you’re the one who gets punished. Aren’t you supposed to be the next Dragon King? When something bad happens, is a king supposed to say ‘My servants did it’ and dodge responsibility? Can you really call yourself a proud ruler like that?”

“Uuu… uuu… waaahhhhhh…!”

The dragon brat’s face crumpled, and he started bawling loudly.

A child’s crying voice had a way of tugging at the heart.

“Hey… Yuji. Don’t you think that’s going a little too far…?”

“Yeah, he’s still just a kid… You could’ve just talked to him instead of hitting him, right?”

Hearing the leader and the others say that, I let out a quiet sigh in my heart.

Ahh, there it was.

The soft spot.

≪Explaination Time!
A dragon attacks.
It gets defeated.
It turns into a cute little kid.
The “Saint” smacks him and starts lecturing.
The dragon bursts into real tears.
And then the men go, “Alright, that’s enough…”
That’s the situation!
Men just can’t sit quietly when a cute kid is crying!≫

Back when I used to read normal isekai stories, I remembered seeing the hero gently forgive a female enemy just because she was a girl. And there would always be some woman in the party muttering, “Men are so predictable…”

At the time, I thought, Wow, what’s her problem? That’s some ugly jealousy.

But now?

Now I understood exactly how she felt.

Why should someone who just tried to kill you get a free pass just because they’re the opposite sex?

It wasn’t jealousy.

It was simply… unfair. Completely unreasonable.

And in this world, where men made up only one quarter of the population, women were ridiculously soft on them.

Sure, technically men didn’t have full rights and were often treated like property. But at the same time, their selfish behavior was constantly brushed off with, “Well, he’s a boy, what can you do?”

Men were rare.

And because they were rare, the culture drilled it in: treat them gently. Be kind. Don’t be harsh.

I hadn’t really understood that until recently, since I had barely interacted with other men during these past six months in town.

But after meeting the soulmates of the Longfield family, my sense of how this world worked had been updated.

So—

“Don’t think crying will get you forgiven.”

“!?”

Without hesitation, I slapped the dragon brat across the opposite cheek again.

He stopped crying instantly and just stared at me in shock, one hand pressed to his face.

See?

I knew it.

That crying act had a bit too much calculation behind it.

“I don’t know what the women around you were like, but crying won’t work on me. I’m a man. I’m not letting this go until you truly reflect.”

“U… u…”

Tears slowly welled up again as the dragon brat lowered his head.

Watching him, I suddenly remembered something my grandpa used to say back when I was still in Japan.

“Listen, Yuu. These days people say corporal punishment is bad. But Grandpa doesn’t agree. Sometimes, a child needs pain to understand punishment. If you never discipline them properly when they do something wrong, they’ll start looking down on adults. They’ll stop listening. They’ll think they can get away with anything. Then one day they go out into society and suddenly they’re expected to obey their boss without question. That’s miserable. So if you ever do something truly wrong, Grandpa will smack you and scold you. And someday, when you have a child of your own, if that child does something bad, you smack them and scold them too. That’s for their sake. …Of course, Grandpa also happens to love it when a cheeky little girl calls him ‘useless small fry ♥.’”

Right after saying that, Grandpa got smacked flat by Grandma and thoroughly dominated while she called him “small fry” over and over.

In the end, though, he was a gentle old man.

He never actually hit me.

He always said I was a good kid, and that if he explained things properly, I would understand.

This dragon brat had probably grown up without ever being properly scolded.

Never yelled at.

Never punished.

Just praised and pampered.

The so-called “kind cruelty.”

He was royalty. And he was male.

Of course everyone doted on him.

But if someone like that actually became king, it would be a disaster—for dragons and humans alike.

So I would straighten him out here and now.

Even if it became the biggest trauma of his life.

Still… what to do?

Slapping his cheeks and lecturing him wasn’t going to magically cure his habit of bullying the weak. Once the pain faded, he would forget all about it. Before long, he would probably return to playing “hunting games” again with that carefree grin.

Worse, he might even come back with friends for revenge.

“…Maybe the only way is to leave him alone in the wilderness and make him survive like that. Let him learn what it feels like to be weak.”

“!?”

At my quiet mutter, the dragon brat flinched hard.

He hurriedly grabbed the front of my jacket and shook his head desperately, clinging to me.

“W-Wait! Not that! If you do that, I’ll definitely die!”

“You’re still durable and fast. You’ll manage somehow. And if you can walk back to your parents’ territory, that solves everything, right?”

“There’s no way I could make it back! And even if I did, without my mana I could never become the next successor! Do you know what would happen if the Drayg lost their heir? The whole clan would come for revenge!”

As he kept talking, his tone slowly grew bolder.

Looks like he was regaining some of his nerve.

“That’s right! I’ll get revenge for what you did to me! So if you don’t want that, give me my mana back right now! Hurry!”

“…?”

I tilted my head.

Wasn’t he misunderstanding something?

“Even if you go back, I doubt the dragons will come for revenge.”

“Eh…?”

“You’re pampered because you’re a royal male. What the women around you actually value is your seed. As long as you can fulfill your role as a breeding dragon, that’s enough for them. Honestly, with you being only as strong as a human now, it might even be more convenient for them. It would make it harder for you to run away.”

The shock on his face was even greater than when I slapped him.

His shoulders trembled.

“N-No… that’s not true. I was born special. Precious. Worthy of being the next leader…”

“Think about it calmly. If they truly wanted you to be a great king, they would have disciplined you properly from childhood. No one wants a tyrant ruling over them. That would only put them in danger. But instead, they just pampered you. That means they never really cared about your qualities as a ruler. You were meant to be a decorative king. As long as you produced heirs, that was enough. Everything else? It didn’t matter.”

“Ah… u…”

The dragon brat slowly dropped to his knees.

“No… no, that can’t be…”

He clutched his head, muttering to himself as if trying to deny it.

But he couldn’t fully reject what I had said.

And in his eyes, clear as day, despair began to settle.

“H-Hey… wasn’t that a bit too cruel for a kid…?”

The leader stepped in with a look that clearly said, How are we supposed to fix this atmosphere now?

But Ursna firmly shook her head.

“No. This is fine. If he doesn’t understand his position while he’s still young, it will only get worse later.”

“Hmm…”

The leader looked at me as if to say, Alright genius, how are you going to wrap this up?

Yeah… fair point.

I lightly patted the dragon brat’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper near his ear.

“But you realized it now. If you start working hard from here and aim to become a proper king, maybe the people around you will truly recognize you as a worthy successor.”

“R-Really…? I… I can still become a proper clan leader…?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded firmly at the faint spark of hope returning to his eyes.

“Study seriously. Learn how the world works. Stop bullying the weak and gather the courage to stand only against those stronger than you. And for that—”

I grabbed his hand tightly.

“You’ll survive the wilderness without mana and learn what it feels like to be weak!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

He shook his head at full speed, rejecting the idea with everything he had.

Huh.

That was strange.

For a second there, I thought I had him convinced.

“This is insane! What’s wrong with you!? Why does this keep turning into a death sentence!? I said I’d reflect! I said I’d become a proper king! You just admitted I’ll definitely die if you abandon me like this, didn’t you!?”

“People only become great after overcoming hardship. And hey, I survived out there too, so you’ll be fine.”

“N-No way! That kind of suffering has no point at all! I get it already! I understand how it feels to be bullied by someone stronger! I won’t pick on the weak anymore, so please forgive meee!”

As he cried and begged, Deabolica let out a smug little snort.

“Heh… how pitiful. And this is supposed to be a prince? Dragons might not be that impressive after all. Letting royalty wander outside without attendants—what a low-level culture.”

Hmm.

Attendants, huh?

“You’re right. Royalty should always have attendants with them. Got it.”

I nodded once and turned my gaze toward Deabolica.

[Influencer] – [Mana].

“Eh…?”

Suddenly, Deabolica lost her balance and fell flat onto the ground.

Well, that’s what happened when your mana instantly dropped to 1.

“Y-Yuji… what are you… doing…?”

“I’ve been thinking for a while now. You’re not exactly great at understanding other people’s feelings either, Deabolica. So why don’t you take this chance to survive the wilderness with mana at 1 and learn what it feels like to be weak?”

Deabolica stared at me blankly.

A moment later, as the situation fully sank in, her face turned bright red and she exploded in outrage.

“Y-You idiot! Who do you think I am!? I’m the Guild Master! Your superior! The daughter of the Lord of Thousand Leaves! Do you think you can humiliate me and get away with it!?”

“Yeah. I mean, I already embarrassed a dragon prince who’s way scarier than Thousand Leaves. At this point, what’s the difference?”

“…………”

Deabolica completely lost her words.

She turned desperately toward the adventurers.

“H-Hey! You guys say something to Yuji! Tell him to stop this ridiculous joke! Y-You’d be in trouble without me, right!?”

“…………”

Every single adventurer turned away in unison.

Not a single one made eye contact.

“Eh…? You’re kidding… right…?”

Wow.

That was an impressive lack of popularity.

I patted Deabolica lightly on the shoulder and gave her a bright smile.

“See? Everyone thinks you should work on your personality too.”

“N-No way… no way, no way, no way! I’ve worked so hard for all of you! Who do you think makes it possible for you to eat every day, huh!?”

“You’re the one who said in front of everyone that the Adventurer’s Guild was just a stepping stone for you to reach the Central Parliament, remember?”

The leader nodded firmly at my words.

Faced with her subordinates silently rebelling, Deabolica let out a strange choked noise.

Looks like she finally realized her own slip-up.

“See? That right there is what I mean by not understanding other people’s feelings.”

“E-Even so! I’ve properly supported everyone, haven’t I!? Did I really do something so terrible that I deserve to be thrown into the wilderness!? Huh!? And Yuji, don’t act all superior! You’re not one to talk! You’re the weird one! Out of all of us, you understand people’s feelings the least!”

“…That’s true.”

I had lost a good chunk of my empathy thanks to [Mental Resistance], after all.

If we were ranking who understood human emotions the worst, I would probably take first place.

Deabolica’s point was fair.

She and the dragon brat both let out small sighs of relief, as if they had finally found a crack in my logic.

“S-See? Then—”

“Alright. You’re right, Deabolica. So I’ll go to the wilderness too.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s fine. I survived out there for six months already. I can be a good example for you beginners. If the three of us stick together, we can overcome any hardship. Just leave it to me!”

They must have realized I was completely serious.

Deabolica and the dragon brat exchanged looks… then slowly nodded at each other.

And in the very next second, they both burst into loud, desperate sobs and lunged at me.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!! Give our mana back! Give it back right now!!!”

“Whoa—hey! Don’t wipe your snot on me! That’s disgusting!”

After that, the two of them clung to me as if letting go would end their lives. They cried, begged, and tried every last tear-filled trick in the book.

In the end… I couldn’t shake them off.

So, reluctantly, I decided to cancel the “wilderness exile” plan.

[Explanation]

Yuji still firmly believed that all the usual “isekai cheat reincarnation” tropes applied here.

When he brought up the Demon King, he didn’t think he was saying anything strange. In his head, it was perfectly logical.

If there was a cheat isekai protagonist like him, then obviously there had to be a matching final boss somewhere, right?

Hero and Demon King. Light and Dark. That was how these stories worked.

It was basically his meta-reading of the situation.

…But this was a chastity-reversal world.

Did he really think the standard template would work so neatly here?