In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 316

Chapter 316: The Kukkoro Male Knight and Reason for Joining the Battle

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To the “big sis” who requested alcohol… or rather, to Zera-shi, I handed over a small bottle of brandy. Unfortunately, this was the last of the alcohol I had brought with me. Because the expedition had dragged on longer than expected, even luxury items were starting to run out.

“Oho? It’s a bit strong on the alcohol, but this is quite a fine drink, isn’t it?”

Zera-shi said this while savoring the contents of the bottle as if licking it. The elves all preferred to dilute stronger drinks like brandy or whiskey, but the ant insectfolk seemed perfectly fine drinking it straight.

“Now then… What was it again? …Ah, right, about how our Queen, the old lady, is scratching that hag Vanka’s backside.”

What do you mean “scratching her backside,” is she doing caregiving or something? 

I thought for a moment, but it was probably slang meaning they were following her. These ant insectfolk really had crude ways of speaking.

“As that scoundrel over there guessed, we’ve been scraping by on potatoes we swiped from the elves. Well, we’re keeping it a secret from the youngsters, though.”

Dalaiya-shi, who had just been called a scoundrel, gave Zera-shi a disinterested glance. Then she turned her gaze to me, smiled like a flower blooming, and pulled out a small, shabby sake flask from inside her poncho.

“This kind of story isn’t any fun to hear sober. Shall we share a drink as well?”

“I’m in a position where I’m forcing my soldiers to ration their food. I can’t be drinking alcohol until the operation is over.”

A drinking session with a loli-baba and a tall, tanned, nearly naked big sister sounded extremely appealing, but unfortunately I had no choice but to refuse. After all, the recent shortage of supplies had become unbearable to look at. Naturally, the food distributed to the soldiers had to be reduced in both quality and quantity. If I were enjoying drinks in a situation like this, I’d earn their resentment. Resentment over food is terrifying. Historically, it has caused countless uprisings.

“Muahahaha! You got turned down, Dalaiya-san! Ah, that’s funny.”

Laughing crudely, Zera-shi tilted back the brandy bottle and gulped it down. Making a face like a pufferfish fry, Dalaiya-shi turned away in annoyance.

“Well, anyway. The point is, that Vanka scoundrel forced us, saying if we want them to keep sending potatoes, we have to send troops.”

“Hm.”

A classic empty promise. Most of the food stored in Runga City had been requisitioned by us, and whatever we couldn’t carry had been turned into a fantastic roasted potato spectacle by the elf flamethrower troops. At this point, the Vanka faction’s food situation should be even worse than ours. Naturally, there was no way they had any potatoes to give to the ant soldiers.

“Well, of course, we’re covering that up from the troops. We’ve been teaching them since they were kids that those Elfenia scoundrels are our mortal enemies. The younger ones are full of complaints about this joint operation.”

…This “big sis” was actually pretty sharp. It looked like she was just drunkenly spilling information, but she was clearly trying to show that there was room for reconciliation. Now then, what should I do? Personally, I’d like the ant troops to withdraw from the front as soon as possible. That said, taking Zera-shi’s offer at face value could be risky. Types like her tended to be cunning. If I showed any weakness, it felt like she’d strip me bare.

“However… Our food stores and potato fields were burned down in the chaos of battle by those ‘Legitimate’ fellows. I doubt Vanka has even a single potato left to give you.”

That said, Dalaiya-shi was no slouch when it came to cunning either. With an amused expression, she twirled her index finger. It seemed she was saying that trying to weigh us against the Vanka faction and profit as a third party would be pointless. Well, that made sense. The Vanka faction was completely broke. There was no benefit to siding with them.

“…Seriously?”

“Seriously. If you want, send someone to Runga City and see for yourself. It’s completely burned to the ground.”

This was largely Fezaria’s doing. She had insisted that leaving usable supplies for the Vanka faction would be boring, and under her lead, Runga City had been completely burned down. Why did that imperial princess love fire tactics so much…?

Still, it was certainly a rational move. A classic scorched-earth strategy. Even if Fezaria hadn’t done it, there was a good chance I would have ordered the same.

“…Seriously, why do you elves so casually burn everything important? Are you idiots? Is the entire elf race just a bunch of idiots?”

“Hehehe… If we were a race capable of thinking things through even a little, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad. Hehehe…”

With a grim smile, Dalaiya-shi let her gaze wander into the distance. 

Honestly, elves are just…

“So basically, we’ve got no choice but to switch sides to you, huh. Well, whatever. It just means the one whose backside we scratch changes from Vanka to Dalaiya-san.”

Sighing, Zera-shi took another swig of her drink. 

Please don’t drink valuable alcohol so carelessly.

“I have no use for those who don’t even hold a hoe or a plow. If you’re looking for someone to cling to, you should ask Albert, not me.”

“Oh, you’re right, that makes sense. If it’s Albert-san, I wouldn’t just scratch his backside, I’d even lick or suck if needed.”

Zera-shi glanced repeatedly at my crotch. 

What exactly are you planning to suck…?

“Jokes aside, it’s true I’d rather not fight Albert-san. That strange weapon of yours that goes bang bang… it’s quite terrifying.”

“This?”

I pulled out my handgun from my holster and showed it to her. She let out a small groan and shrugged.

“Yeah, that. The long ones your soldiers carry are scary too, but the big ones on your ships… Those are the real problems.”

“Cannons.”

It seemed even the ant folk understood that rifles and cannons were fundamentally the same thing. They really were a clever bunch.

“If a lot of those things come out, our way of fighting won’t stand a chance, right? Before it becomes fatal, it’s better to cut our losses. That’s what I think.”

“Right? Take my advice. Tomorrow, I’ll release you, so hurry back and persuade your queen to agree to a ceasefire. I think that’s your best move.”

“It pisses me off, but you might be right. Damn it, this is irritating… That old hag Vanka really screwed us over. I won’t be satisfied unless we make her pay.”

Breathing out heatedly, Zera-shi drained the rest of the brandy.

…Stop that! That’s expensive liquor!

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