Drifted Into a Reversed World ~ The One Method for Me, a Japanese Guy, to Survive in a World Where Men and Fertility Are Scarce ~ - 24

Chapter 24: A Peaceful Night

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Night.

A peaceful night arrived. Due to Sota’s selfless act as a decoy and Firis joining the fray, the Kingdom’s legion was able to achieve an easy victory afterward. It was thanks to a winning formation that was nothing short of a fluke: Firis intercepted the creatures as they swarmed Sota, while the soldiers harvested them from behind in a pincer attack.

Having secured victory in the blink of an eye, they spent the daylight hours performing temporary repairs on the village, which had been ravaged into a battlefield, and finished disposing of the goblin corpses. The human side suffered its fair share of casualties, but considering the scale of the conflict, the damage was small enough to be called a bargain.

And now, with sunset, they were gathered around a bonfire for the evening meal. Though exhaustion marked the soldiers’ faces, there was no gloom. Rather, their expressions were somewhat proud.

“Next person, please.”

The cause for that was, unsurprisingly, the lone male, Sota. He understood intuitively that he was the reason the goblins had been drawn there, and he harbored feelings of guilt. And he was right. It was none other than the pheromones wafted by Sota that had attracted the goblins to this village. Had the group visiting the village consisted only of female soldiers, such a battle likely never would have occurred.

However, the soldiers didn’t utter a single word of complaint regarding that… not a shred of dissatisfaction showed in their attitude.

『If it is to protect a single drop of a man’s blood, one must become a shield even at the cost of a hundred women’s lives.』

…This was the very first thing drummed into anyone receiving training in the Kingdom of Vedna. In fact, as a common national understanding, it was a mindset held by every woman. It wasn’t just ethics; it was already a religion. In the Kingdom of Vedna, where men were perceived as beings gifted to women by the hand of God—lives equal to gods rather than humans—this was common knowledge and a basic upbringing.

Therefore, for the sake of Sota alone, they would not hesitate to face any sacrifice or hardship.

…But, of course, that way of thinking was nothing but an abnormality to Sota Akitsuki, a resident of Tokyo. Even if every woman around him prostrated themselves as if he were a superior being, he did not behave arrogantly because of it. It certainly felt good to be thought of that way, but he couldn’t help but feel pathetic when he imagined himself acting all high and mighty as a “child of God.”

Naturally, Sota had a normal level of desire for dominance. He had thoughts of wanting beautiful women to wait on him or wanting enough power to order others around at his beck and call. However, the hurdles were a bit too high for him to actually carry that out. Maybe he was just a wimp. Maybe it was hypocrisy. But he simply wanted to live in a way that wouldn’t bring him shame if shown to his friends and family back in his original world. In the end, no matter how far he went, Sota was not a person of “Yggdrasil.” Thus, he intended to do what he believed was right.

“Next person, please.”

With that in mind, Sota was currently serving the food. He scooped vegetable soup simmering in a large cauldron with a wooden ladle and served it into the deep plates of the female soldiers waiting in line. He had volunteered for such a task. To anyone belonging to the Kingdom of Vedna, this sight was outrageous. Letting a man serve food was unthinkable. In a country where slavery still existed, this was a job first given to slaves.

But as far as work Sota could do right now, this was it, and he wanted to help with anything—anything at all—for everyone who had put their lives on the line to fight for him. He couldn’t forgive himself for being a mere existence that sat back in a chair, doing nothing and only receiving, despite being the one being protected.

Of course, Elraine and others had tried to stop him, but out of deference to Sota, who stubbornly refused to back down on wanting to work, it had turned out like this. As Sota distributed the soup, he offered his sincerest thanks to every single woman in the line. He spoke his heartfelt truth: “Thank you for protecting me,” and “I’m only alive now because of you.”

…But what would happen to a woman treated in such a way? Their self-esteem was filled to the point of drowning and their hearts were violently shaken. It wasn’t sexual desire that arose there, but rather deep affection. Even if they tried to act cool and composed in front of a man, their facial muscles collapsed, and moisture overflowed from the corners of their eyes.

Even if the reactions seemed exaggerated to Sota, it was cruel to expect anyone to maintain their composure after having their work recognized and being shown goodwill by a being equal to a child of God. Especially since it came from a man, who was fundamentally supposed to loathe women…

The soldiers’ evaluation of Sota only continued to soar. He had volunteered as a decoy for women on such a battlefield, served food without a single look of disgust, and didn’t show even a glimpse of a discriminatory gaze or attitude toward women. How much Sota’s gentlemanly conduct meant in this world, and what kind of destructive power it hid—it would be a little while longer before he experienced it for himself.

“Sota-sama, how is your shoulder?”

A voice heavy with worry touched Sota’s back while he was serving. Turning around, he saw Elraine, draped in a sense of tragedy as if she had just been handed a death sentence. Worried about Sota, who had hit the ground shoulder-first during the fall from the horse, she timidly raised her downcast face. When his gaze met the eyes hidden behind her glasses, framed by long eyelashes, Sota gave a slight, wry smile and rotated his shoulder.

“I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with the bone, so it’s no big deal. I was lucky to get away with just a bruise. I’ve had first aid, so as you can see, I’m doing great.”

Following his arm as it rotated freely without hesitation, Elraine felt as if an expensive piece of glassware was being swung around in front of her, making her skin crawl with anxiety. It was mentioned earlier that Sota felt a sense of debt, but the one who felt that debt and responsibility more than anyone else was none other than Elraine herself. The fact that Sota got injured and that he had entered a dangerous battlefield was all due to his single-minded desire to save her. There was no way Elraine, who witnessed that scene firsthand, wouldn’t feel guilty.

Above all, being protected at the risk of his life by a man she was supposed to guard was utterly pathetic. With such a poor showing, she began to wonder why she had even wanted to become a knight. The very meaning of her knighthood was on the verge of collapsing. It would be natural for her to be mocked and insulted. And yet… Sota wore a friendly smile.

As soon as he finished handing out soup to everyone, he turned back to Elraine and gave her an invitation.

“If you’d like, would you care to eat with me?”

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