Drifted Into a Reversed World ~ The One Method for Me, a Japanese Guy, to Survive in a World Where Men and Fertility Are Scarce ~ - 32

Chapter 32: The Change

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“Is this… really okay? This kind of treatment…”

Standing all alone in the excessively spacious room he had been given, Sota’s small murmur vanished like dew. The private room, which surpassed even the ultra-high-grade suites of famous hotels in Tokyo, was in no way inferior to a member of royalty’s private chambers. The collection of furnishings in his sight all looked as if they cost hundreds of gold coins each, leaving the common-born Sota feeling nothing but overwhelmed.

The size of the canopy bed was, of course, a king. Incidentally, Sota had just finished using the royal castle’s grand bath for his exclusive use, and his skin possessed a moist glow. The soaps, made from organic materials from this different world, all featured scents that Sota liked, and his hair gave off a sweet, refreshing aroma.

After the exchange in the throne room and enjoying the grand bath, he was shown to this room, leading up to the present moment.

“…”

A mountain of delicacies, placed on a giant round table as if pleading to be eaten, was steaming. Even though he was hungry, it was an amount he could not possibly finish alone.

“Thank you for the food.”

He pressed his hands together and recited the grace. Aside from his own voice, there was only the occasional sound of firewood popping. Despite such a luxurious meal, he felt strangely lonely for some reason.

“This is delicious…”

Meat. Fish. The shrimp-based seafood he loved. The various dishes, prepared with cooking methods and seasonings Sota didn’t know, were all exquisite. Even if he didn’t want to notice, he could tell the Kingdom of Vedna intended to treat him with the utmost hospitality.

“I wonder if Firis-san is doing okay.”

He muttered as he pierced a fragrant grilled shrimp the size of a fist with his fork.

After that, Firis was taken to a place called the Temple to have her physical condition examined. It was a place for worshiping the gods, but at the same time, it apparently functioned as an institution similar to an obstetrics and gynecology clinic. It seemed that pregnant women needed to spend the one-week period until childbirth at the Temple, meaning the next time he could see Firis would be after the birth. He felt a deep affection for the memory of Firis, who had looked back and waved many times until Sota was out of sight as she regretfully made her way to the Temple.

Firis was doing her best. From here on, she would go through a difficult time to give birth to his child. If so…

“I need to find some kind of work, too.”

(I don’t want to be someone who only receives. I want to provide for my child, and even if I can’t be Firis’s equal, I want to stand on the same level as her.)

That was the determination of the Japanese man, Sota Akitsuki.

…Though, if he were asked if there were any jobs for him in this country, it was a doubtful point.

(If I have time tomorrow, maybe I’ll try consulting Her Majesty.)

Just as he vaguely set a goal, the silent air rippled four times.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

The sound of the knocking on the door was modest. It seemed he had a visitor. Sota pattered over to the door.

“Who is it?”

“…It is I. Elraine.”

When he opened the door, there stood Elraine, dressed in casual clothes rather than her usual knight’s attire.

“Is something the matter?”

The time was past nine o’clock. Sota invited Elraine in and pulled out one of the chairs at the round table piled with food for her to sit.

“…I thought we might have a drink.”

Elraine said with a weak smile, taking a bottle of wine out of a basket.

“Thank you, Elraine-san. I’ll have some. Please, feel free to eat some of this food too. I can’t finish it all by myself.”

“…Thank you. I will.”

“…”

The night meeting with Elraine was shrouded in a heavy silence. It was stifling, and there was no conversation. Only the sound of Sota’s cutlery rang out hollowly.

“…”

Sota had sensed it somehow, but Elraine seemed to be lacking her usual energy. Her gloomy expression did not clear, and she showed no sign of touching the food or the wine.

“You came because you had something to talk about, didn’t you?”

When Sota spoke, Elraine raised her head. Her eyes wavered with anxiety.

“I apologize. I know I’m being rude, but there is something I simply must ask…”

Elraine remained silent for a while before she continued. 

“Why… with Firis-sama…?”

Why with Firis? The question lacked specificity, but it was enough for Sota to understand. Sota tilted his wine glass slightly to dampen his tongue and smiled softly.

“You all treat me with great importance, but I’m not that great of a person.”

“That is absolutely not true! Even though you are a precious male, you are a wonderful person who grants mercy to people like us…!”

“Being kind to one’s neighbors. That’s the same for you and the others, isn’t it? I just happened to be born male, and I don’t want to be the kind of person who rests on those laurels.”

“You… you know too little of the world! There are things permitted precisely because you are a man. You even have the right to be picky! You should know just how much danger your innocence invites…!”

“I do what I think is right. …Even if, in this world, that happens to be misguided.”

This man said such things with such ease. That uncontrollable stubbornness was frustrating to Elraine.

“…Come to think of it, I haven’t answered your question about why I did it with Firis yet.”

“…!”

“To me, she is just too charming.”

“Eh…?”

“She’s beautiful, cool, has a cute side… She smells good, she’s soft…”

“So, that’s why you didn’t mind being held…?”

“I was the one who wanted to do it.”

Sota said this and took another gulp of wine. Alcohol reached his tired body quickly. Sota’s consciousness, his cheeks flushed, began to drift and float. His true feelings were slipping out.

In contrast, Elraine writhed as the flames of jealousy scorched her belly. Her hands trembled. Her lips twitched. She felt dizzy. Sota Akitsuki… without a doubt, he was her first love. A flower on a high peak, seemingly out of reach.

He was charming, his friendliness was cute, and he was far too defenseless and ignorant. The fact that he had invited Elraine into his room so easily was the height of defenselessness. Without even knowing how much sexual desire she was struggling with…

And then, she was stunned by his previous statement. This man named Sota, just as he had said in the throne room, said he had gone to be held by Firis of his own will. Where in this world was there a man who would want to be held by a woman… and an “over-the-hill” woman like Firis at that?

“…”

She wanted to defile him. She wanted to defile him, defile him, defile him. Elraine wanted to defile him. This beautiful and truly lewd man who not only gave his body to such an older woman but went to be held by her of his own accord.

Her molars creaked. Her vision began to blur. Her throat constricted tightly. Her jealousy only increased, gradually warping the vessel of her heart.

(If I, if I, if I had found him first… why with that woman? Unforgivable. How could I ever forgive this? Toying with my feelings, my first love, my lust… making fun of me. Even though you’re a pervert. Even though you’re a masochistic male!!)

It was utterly selfish. It was an utterly irrational argument. Obsessing over him on her own, and going mad with jealousy on her own. She had lived seriously—so seriously it was a fault. Studies, swordsmanship; she had worked hard at everything she could acquire. She had respected Firis, who walked the same path ahead of her.

…And she had thought of her as a comrade. However, seeing that face smiling happily after receiving the seed of the man she loved in her womb, she felt hatred for Firis for the first time. She had been betrayed. He had been snatched away. He had been intercepted.

(Even though I was the one who fell in love…. Just because she met him a little bit sooner, she looks so happy. That was a seat I could have been in.)

The women of this world had abnormally developed sexual desires.

But even more than that, the talented Elraine had latched onto a monster-like possessiveness. The flames of jealousy raged to the point where she referred to the Firis she used to respect as “that woman.” She couldn’t stop; she wouldn’t stop.

…Sota, whom the “alcohol” had affected too much, had finally begun to let out the soft sounds of sleep. A single drop of drool escaped the corner of his mouth. The talented Elraine pounced without hesitation.

Her love and lust had already broken past their limits.

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