In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 329

Chapter 329: The Peeping Pervert Adjutant’s Growing Panic

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I, Sonia Suolahti, was in a panic. This was because Al-sama had been taken away by that green monster.

“S-search party! Organize a search party immediately!”

To think that I, of all people, would be brushed aside so easily. Of course, the opponent was a giant monster. I never thought I could win easily. However, I never dreamed it would be this one-sided. That mantis’s eyes when it ignored me and shifted its target to Al-sama… that look of total disinterest, as if thinking, ‘Well, I suppose I can just leave this one alone’! It was utterly humiliating.

But the fact remained that I was no match for that mantis. And this was the result! If it was going to kidnap someone, it should have just taken me, that damn mantis… 

Oh, I cannot forgive myself or that creature!

“Dalaiya! Does that beast kidnap people just to devour them?”

“U-um… it is said that those mantises devour women on the spot, but they have a habit of taking men back to a quiet place to eat them slowly. One theory suggests they do so to prey upon them while mating…”

“…!”

What a loathsome creature! To think that Al-sama was taken by such a thing….

What on earth am I doing?! 

Unable to contain my rage, I kicked away a nearby chair. I had quite a few birdfolk at my disposal, I should have ordered some of them to track it… but the situation was so chaotic that I had missed my chance.

Moreover, many of the birdfolk themselves had lost their nerve after the sudden encounter with the mantis. Apparently, for the natives of Liseben, that mantis was a creature that triggered instinctive terror. Whether they were Sparrows or Crows, their fear was far from ordinary.

“I understand how you feel, but calm down a little, Lady Sonia! The creature was wearing a muzzle! He won’t be eaten that easily. We have some leeway in terms of time!”

Upon hearing Dalaiya’s words, the face of that abominable mantis rose up in my mind. True, that monster was fitted with a sturdy-looking muzzle. In such a state, it would be almost impossible to devour a person. But why on earth was it muzzled in the first place? …I didn’t even need to think about it; it was likely to control it as a weapon. If this was a tactic devised by Vanka, I could never forgive that woman. I would kill her in the most sadistic way I could imagine.

“…However, even if its mouth is sealed, a union between male and female is still possible! To have Al-sama’s chastity stolen by such a monster…!”

Monsters that kidnapped men like that often possessed means to forcibly “get them in the mood.” For instance, aphrodisiac venoms or magic that deranged the mind… Al-sama’s will was as hard as steel, but even so, there were ways to subject him to their poisonous fangs. Of course, my love for Al-sama would not diminish in the slightest just because a monster stole his chastity, but the problem was the emotional trauma. Being violated by a monster like that would undoubtedly leave a scar on his soul.

“Y-you are certainly right… Hmmm…”

I shifted my gaze away from the groaning Dalaiya. The movements of the surrounding soldiers and knights seemed incredibly sluggish to me. 

Why are you all idling? Move so we can find Al-sama quickly! 

Just as I was about to scream at them…

“Lady Sonia! Lady Gilberto has arrived! It seems she left the unit to her adjutant and rode ahead with only the cavalry!”

A messenger burst in and reported. …So Gilberto had arrived. If only she had come a little sooner… no, there was no point in saying that now. At any rate, I was grateful for more hands. I would have her help search for Al-sama too. Thinking this, I immediately ordered the messenger to bring Gilberto to me.

Ten minutes later, Gilberto and her group arrived at the command trench. Several knights surrounded her as guards.

“Gilberto! You’re late! I assume you’ve heard, but Al-sama was kidnapped by a monster. We must rescue him as quickly as humanly possible…”

“Lady Sonia.”

Gilberto interrupted my words with a heavily suppressed voice.

“What are you doing, failing to even hand over command?”

Gilberto glared at me while pointing toward the front lines. There, the chaotic battle continued. Because the command headquarters had fallen into a state of paralysis, they were unable to move in an organized fashion.

“You, what is with that attitude?! Do you understand?! Al-sama has been… by a monster…”

“I am aware of that.”

“Then why can you be so calm!”

Losing my temper, I instinctively grabbed Gilberto. But she only glared at me with cold eyes, not even changing her expression.

“A commander must never show agitation, no matter the time or place. That is what our Lord always says. Have you forgotten?”

“…”

She was exactly right. As I fell silent, Gilberto grabbed my collar and pulled. She leaned in close and said in a small voice:

“You are the second-in-command of our army, Lady Sonia. Now that our Master has left the front, taking control of the units is your job. Why are you slacking off?”

“You bastard!”

Without thinking, I punched Gilberto. Her body flew a good three meters, tumbling onto the ground with a splash of water. The incensed knights of the Prevost family tried to step forward, but Gilberto, staggering to her feet, stopped them with a hand.

“A situation like this should have been trained for repeatedly in our exercises. Al-sama said it over and over, he’s aiming for an organization that can keep fighting no matter how many times the commander is killed in action. And yet, the moment that scenario becomes reality, you show this incompetence! Your actions are a mockery of our Lord!”

At Gilberto’s words, I felt as if I had been struck in the head with a hammer. The commander dying and the second-in-command taking over… we had done that situation in drills countless times. We had done it so often it was actually annoying.

Every time, I was the one who had to act as the next commander, which made me a bit weary. Of course, I had knowledge of command, but Al-sama was clearly superior as a commander. I thought it would be more efficient for me to concentrate on my duties as an adjutant…

『I am the one protecting your person, so there is no way you could be killed in action, Al-sama.』

 I had complained like that more than once or twice. …And yet, the result was this mess.

“I… I…”

“Our lord praised you as the ultimate adjutant! If you show such a pathetic display, you will stain our lord’s honor as well! Is someone who runs around in a panic, ignoring the fact that the subordinates are still fighting, truly the ultimate adjutant for our lord?!”

“…”

…She was right. Certainly, I was worried about Al-sama. But even so, abandoning command was out of the question. As long as Al-sama was gone, I was the one in total charge here. I had to fulfill my duty as an officer.

“…I’m sorry, Gilberto. I was wrong.”

I took off my helmet and walked up to Gilberto. Then, I looked straight into her eyes, which were burning with anger, and said to her.

“I need to cool my head. I’m sorry, but hit me once. Hit me with everything you’ve got.”

Gilberto punched me in the face without a word. Since I, who weighed over a hundred kilograms… or rather, well over a hundred and fifty kilograms if you include the armor, was sent flying, it was a staggering blow. Wiping the blood dripping from my mouth, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“…My apologies.”

“No, it’s fine. It was exactly what I ordered. Thanks to that, my head is clear.”

Taking Gilberto’s offered hand, I stood up. Then, while wiping the mud off my armor, I said to her.

“For now, I will continue command based on Al-sama’s operational plan. However, it is a somewhat unique operation. The final touch probably won’t succeed unless it is Al-sama himself. This isn’t sentimentality, it is an objective fact.”

“Yes.”

There was no shadow of doubt in Gilberto’s nod. I had already informed her via Birdman messenger about the revised plan… Operation Vittles, or whatever it was called. This was a unique operation that was closer to trickery than a strategy—to be blunt, it was a sort of underhanded method. Honestly, it would be impossible for me to pull it off.

“To be frank, in this operation, the Liseben soldiers other than the artillery don’t have much to do. Therefore, Gilberto. I want you to lead the Liseben infantry and search for Al-sama.”

“Is that all right? Entrusting such an important mission to a woman who took such an attitude toward her superior…”

“I’m entrusting it to you because it is you, Gilberto. I’m counting on you. It’s a job only you can do.”

I gave a small smile and patted Gilberto on the shoulder. Then, my expression tightened, and I continued.

“…And, in the worst-case scenario… as much as it kills me, we will return the operation to the original plan.”

The “original plan” was, in short, a plan to annihilate the enemy army through brute force. To be honest, it was such a heavy-handed thing it could hardly be called a strategy, and our own casualties were expected to be immense. It was a plan I didn’t want to take if possible, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“…If anything happens, send a Birdman messenger immediately.”

“…Understood.”

I certainly didn’t want to see any messengers other than ‘Success in securing Al-sama,’ though. Still, a commander must prepare for the worst-case scenario. …This, too, was something I learned from Al-sama.

“Dalaiya, you join the search party as well. You are likely the most knowledgeable about that mantis’s biology.”

“Mm, I understand.”

Folding her arms, Dalaiya nodded. To be blunt, this woman was not to be trusted, but her knowledge as an elder and her skill as a mage were the real deal. I would put her to good use.

“Good. Then Gilberto, head back for now and…”

It was at the moment I said that. A knight, looking terribly flustered, came running into the command trench.

“T-this is terrible!”

“…What is it now?”

Feeling a sense of weariness, I asked back. Then the knight shouted with a pale face:

“Lady Fiorenza… the Bishop, has apparently flown off after that mantis!”

“…Huh?”

I let out an involuntarily stupid-sounding voice.

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