In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 299

Chapter 299: The Kukkoro Male Knight and Playful Banter

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

While Sonia remained pressed tightly against me, the time for our nap passed. She had clung to me like a child again, but as I gently continued stroking her head, she eventually began to sleep with a peaceful expression. That put me at ease, and I decided to sleep as well.

That said, it was only a nap, and such a blissful time did not last long. After about two hours, Karina came to wake me, so I reluctantly left the bed. …That said, even though she came to wake me, she only called out from outside the tent. She did not look inside. There was no way I could let her see us sleeping together like that…

“Mmnnn… A half-baked nap somehow feels like it just makes you more tired, doesn’t it?”

After getting dressed and putting on my armor, which had finished being maintained, I said that to Sonia. My usual armor had been polished to a shine while I slept, and the plates had been properly coated with anti-rust oil. Considering it was done in such a short time, the result was perfect. I should thank the person in charge later.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

Fidgeting, Sonia lowered her head. She had been like this almost every day back then, so there was no need to feel embarrassed now… no, wait, it had already been nearly ten years since those days. Thinking of that as just recently was nothing more than the peculiar sense of time that came with being an old man. Somehow, that realization made me feel embarrassed in a different way…

“There’s no need to worry about it. Do you really think we’re the kind of relationship that needs to be so reserved now? You and I?”

“…Yes, yes! That’s certainly true!”

With a beaming smile, Sonia nodded. It was rare to see her in such an obviously good mood. It seemed her mental state had completely improved. Good, good.

…But seeing Sonia like that, Karina had a very strange expression on her face. What was wrong? Had last night’s battle left a mental scar on her too? As I wondered that, Sonia let out a small sigh and beckoned my sworn little sister over. When Karina came closer, Sonia whispered something to her and crouched down.

“……”

Then Karina hesitantly began sniffing Sonia. Despite being a cow, she was acting more like a dog. 

…What are these two doing?

After thinking for a moment, I finally understood. Karina suspected that Sonia and I had done that sort of thing between a man and a woman. I see, being alone together in a cramped tent, the circumstantial evidence was certainly there. But in reality, all we had done was lie together, hold each other, let her listen to my heartbeat, pat her back until she fell asleep, and stroke her head.

…It felt like a rather twisted relationship when I thought about it like that, but that was probably because I still had the sensibilities of my previous life. Probably. Most likely. After all, my childhood friends all said in unison, “This is totally normal, it’s fine. Everyone does it, so it’s not strange at all.” …In this world, this was probably normal. I didn’t have a single male friend, so I couldn’t say for sure.

“…You smell sweaty.”

When Karina muttered that after sniffing Sonia, Sonia, with a furious expression, knocked her to the ground. There was a height difference of over sixty centimeters between them. There was no way Karina, with her small frame, could win against Sonia, the tallest in our knight order.

“Gwahh!!”

“You insolent fool! I went out of my way to clear your suspicions, and this is how you repay me!?”

Sonia then restrained Karina with a joint lock and began tightening it. Karina let out a scream, but from her expression, it was clear she was not truly in pain. If Sonia seriously applied a joint lock, even a sturdy demi-human would not come out unharmed…

“Hey, hey, corporal punishment is forbidden here. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“I’m not using my fists, and this is not military punishment. This is discipline for my little sister-in-law, so there is no issue.”

Karina might be my little sister, but she wasn’t Sonia’s… I almost said that, but thinking about it, we had been raised like siblings. To Sonia, Karina was probably like a younger sister too.

“Then I guess it’s fine…”

“It’s not fine, Brother! Help me!”

Karina shouted in a panic. …The attendants and knights nearby were trembling, trying to hold back their laughter. I smiled a little and told Sonia, “That’s enough, let her go.” Sonia reluctantly loosened her hold… though she only loosened it, not released it. 

No, let her go completely.

“What are those idiots doing…?”

Josette, who had just arrived, said that with a complicated expression. She was a knight who grew up with us, and before Gilberto arrived, she had effectively been third in command. …By the way, although she was called a knight, the only sword she carried at her waist was a short sword for easy handling, while a custom long-barreled rifle was slung across her back.

“They’re just messing around, right? …You did a good job as acting commander. I’m returning to duty now.”

“Understood.”

I saluted Josette, and she returned it with a faint smile. Her face looked composed, but I knew her well. She was pretty worn out. It would be better to let her rest soon.

“While we were napping, was there anything unusual?”

“Other than those damn elves causing shitty problems at a shitty frequency, everything was damn peaceful.”

Josette said that with a careless grin. 

Wow, she’s pissed. 

Without a word, I took out a whiskey-filled flask from my pocket and handed it to her.

“There’s still time before departure, so you can rest until then. …Drink that after everything’s over. Marching while drunk is basically torture.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.”

She tucked the flask into her pouch and smiled brightly. Then she glanced at Sonia, who was still fooling around with Karina, and smirked.

“I appreciate the booze, but I wouldn’t mind getting some other perks once in a while. It’s not fair if Sonia gets all the good stuff.”

“Et tu, Brutus?”

I almost held my head. Sleeping together required quite a bit of mental energy. There wasn’t much time either, so I’d prefer to be spared…

“I’m joking. …By the way, who’s Brutus?”

“One of the people said to have carried out Caesar’s assassination.”

“Who even is Caesar…? Al-sama, you say strange things sometimes.”

Seeing Josette make a puzzled face, I let out a small sigh. These childhood friends of mine often demanded “rewards” like ear cleaning and such. Even if she said it was a joke, her eyes looked fairly serious. …When I had time, I should probably do something for Josette too.

Still, even if it was fine when we were kids, asking for things like that as adults seemed questionable. Things like ear cleaning or sleeping together should be left to lovers, spouses, or professionals… But unfortunately, for some reason, none of my childhood friend knights showed any signs of marriage or even romantic relationships. Only a few even visited brothels.

In Galea, many people married in their mid-teens, so how did my knight order end up like this? As their superior, I was honestly quite worried. …Well, I was also still single, so I had no right to talk.

“Well, you’ve been helping me out too. I can at least do ear cleaning for you when I have time.”

“As expected of Al-sama! You get it! …I like that kind side of you.”

Watching Josette grin and clench her fist, I couldn’t help but smile wryly. Well, if it made her happy, that was enough. I felt like I was far too lenient with my childhood friends, but whenever I tried to be strict, memories of them crying their eyes out during harsh training or homesickness would surface in my mind. Having such a long history together could be troublesome…

“If you like me, then take me. How long am I supposed to stay single?”

“That’s a harsh joke. I have no desire to step into a battlefield willingly.”

Glancing at Sonia, who was still tightening her hold on Karina like a cobra, Josette gave a sarcastic smile. Wanting intimate rewards but refusing marriage, what a terrible woman… Well, Josette was a dragonewt, so unfortunately she couldn’t become a bride of the Blondin family. Having to be picky despite being unpopular really was something else.

“Honestly… stop messing around and go get some rest. …And Sonia, how long are you going to keep playing around! Get moving and whip those elves into shape. We have to depart by early afternoon.”

If we kept wasting time like this, we never knew when the Vanka faction might attack again. On top of that, the forest fire didn’t seem to be fully extinguished yet. I wanted to hurry the elves along and return to the city of Carrera as soon as possible…

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー