Drifted Into a Reversed World ~ The One Method for Me, a Japanese Guy, to Survive in a World Where Men and Fertility Are Scarce ~ - 28

Chapter 28: Checkpoint

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“The weather is lovely, Sota.”

“Yes, very much so.”

After leaving the village without further incident, the party of the Kingdom’s Knights led by Firis continued along the highway at a leisurely pace, heading toward the Royal Capital. The weather was clear and sunny. According to the explanation Sota had received from Elraine when they departed the village, they were expected to enter the Royal Capital by this evening.

Sota’s curiosity was constantly being piqued. While he felt plenty of anxiety—being all alone in another world and knowing monsters existed—there was an indescribable joy in being able to see the cityscapes of this fantasy world. It wasn’t a VR simulation or a movie set. He was about to experience the “Royal Capital,” a place formed as a living culture of real human beings, with all five of his senses.

A fantasy of swords and sorcery. As a Japanese man, there was no way he wouldn’t long for this.

(Well, there are some points, like the gender ratio and the ideologies regarding sex between men and women, that are clearly far removed from my common sense.)

That aside, the one tasked with sharing a horse with Sota today was, once again, Firis.

As the person in overall command of this group, she was likely deemed more appropriate for the task than Elraine, especially now that she was awake.

Firis’s high spirits were quite obvious, stemming from the fact that they had loved each other deeply last night and that she was now using her authority to stay as close as possible to her beloved since morning. Though she likely intended to keep herself composed, she was talkative, and her usually dignified features were somewhat relaxed. To those who knew the usual “Demon General Firis,” this must have been a rare sight. However, there were likely more gazes of jealousy directed at her for being in high spirits while riding double with a man.

“Firis-san, where is Elraine-san?”

“She is at the very rear, keeping watch. Is something the matter?”

“Oh, no. She looked like she was in poor health this morning, so I was a little worried.”

“I see… No, you need not worry. It will be fine. We are trained female knights… We do not collapse from trivial matters. Besides, it is a rule that any disorder significant enough to cause a hindrance must be reported, so there should be no problem.”

“Is that so…”

The image of Elraine with those large dark circles under her eyes was burned into Sota’s mind and wouldn’t leave. She was the complete opposite of Firis, whose complexion had been glowing since this morning. However, the women of this world were built much sturdier than those in the world Sota came from. Sota concluded that if they said they were fine, then a person as utterly weak as himself worrying was merely a needless anxiety.

“Oh…”

After enjoying some conversation with Firis for a while, he saw something like a small checkpoint standing in the way of the highway. It looked like a stone arch with a small watchtower attached. The flag of the lion, the symbol of the Kingdom of Vedna, fluttered in the wind.

“Sota, I have arranged for a carriage there. You must be tired from traveling on horseback. Once we reach the checkpoint, please move into the carriage.”

“Eh, a carriage? I’m grateful, but I’m perfectly fine on the horse.”

“Fufu, I too wish to stay on the same horse with you like this forever. However, we are about to enter the Royal Capital. I simply cannot continue to expose your figure to the public indefinitely.”

“I see…”

“I truly think your ability to interact with women like us without discrimination is part of your charm. But there is no guarantee that every woman in the world will be kind to you…. Even within the territory of this Kingdom of Vedna.”

Firis’s nation, the Kingdom of Vedna, was a country that treated men as apostles of God and hosted them with great care. However, among the three great human desires… it was rare for women of this world to be able to perfectly control their libido, especially considering the intensely powerful impulse they had. 

It was still fresh in his memory how Firis, a model citizen of the Kingdom, had utterly lost to her own sexual desire and had shamelessly sought out Sota upon their first meeting. No matter how noble an ideology one held, even someone with a highly disciplined mind could go mad when a physical man was within arm’s reach. This was a world where women possessed beast-like libidos but lacked an “opposite sex” supply to satisfy them. If one found an oasis after days of not having a drop of water in the desert, it wasn’t hard to imagine what would happen.

“Furthermore, Sota. There will be soldiers at the checkpoint, but please be careful not to exchange words with them.”

“Yes. But why?”

“A man, whom they have only ever seen in dreams, will suddenly appear before them. It will needlessly disturb their hearts. Even after we enter the Royal Capital, please do not speak to people unless it is an absolute necessity.”

“Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration…?”

“I know it sounds rich coming from me, but the secret to a man living a long life in this world is to avoid contact with women as much as possible.”

When Firis pressed him to please comply, Sota could do nothing but nod firmly.

While they were doing that, the checkpoint was right before them. The stone arch was larger than he had expected, giving him a premonition that they were finally leaving the rural roads and entering the Royal Capital. As the group reached the arch, two of the checkpoint soldiers ran over.

“Pardon me, General Firis. I have heard the report. We have one carriage prepared and waiting in the back for… Ehh!!!!”

The female soldier, who had been giving a perfectly disciplined salute, became hilariously shaken the moment she noticed Sota peeking out from behind Firis’s back. Her words caught in her throat, her nose began to run, her body stiffened, and a sound like a strange bird erupted from deep within her throat.

It was just another ordinary day for the gatekeeper—tedious as long as there were no emergencies. And then, suddenly appearing before her eyes, was a beautiful “man.” Furthermore, the miracle of meeting his eyes at this distance occurred. It was a stimulating experience exciting enough to brag about to her friends for at least a year. Because it was so abrupt, the female soldier could only freeze.

Sota had only intended to see what was happening, but he couldn’t help but let out a laugh at her reaction. With a “pffft,” he let a smile burst inside his mouth, his shoulders trembling as he held back any further rudeness. Having exposed her own stupidity—and during her first-ever encounter with the opposite sex at that—the female soldier was overcome with the shame of having been seen at her most pathetic moment. Her face turned bright red all the way to the top of her head, and in front of Firis, she squeezed out the words “I am sorry” in an attempt to pull herself together.

“Ah… Regardless, we may pass, correct?”

Clearing her throat loudly, Firis spoke up, looking somewhat awkward. The female soldier, remaining curled up small, nodded with a “yes” and pulled over to the side of the road to yield the way.

(…I might have done something mean.)

While it was difficult not to laugh at that, Sota felt ashamed of his own attitude. The shame of having one’s blunder laughed at by a member of the opposite sex upon their first meeting… if he took the values of this world into account, she might have been deeply hurt.

(Alright.)

Steeling his resolve, Sota-sama called out to the female soldier as they passed by.

“Thank you for your hard work, as always.”

When he delivered these words of encouragement—meant to convey that his previous mistake wasn’t to mock her—while looking straight into the soldier’s eyes, her spine snapped straight, and she shouted “Thank you very much!!!” in a voice that cracked.

“Sota.”

“I’m sorry… but I felt a bit sorry for her.”

Firis nudged him with her elbow, but Sota did not regret it. It didn’t feel bad to be thanked so much for a simple greeting, and if his merely speaking to someone could raise their morale for work, it was a small price to pay.

(Good grief…)

Firis sensed, based on her own experiences, that the soldier from a moment ago would likely go into a frenzy of masturbation session as soon as she returned home. And seeing Sota’s far too innocent attitude, she became even more worried about what was to come.

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