In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 333

Chapter 333: The Widow Elf’s Unexpected Outcome

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I, Vanka Orisis, had been in a great deal of trouble. That mantis insect-person had gone on an unexpected rampage and abducted Lord Blondin. If all it wanted was to fill its stomach, it could have targeted elves or ant-folk… so why did it deliberately go after Lord Blondin?

In any case, we had to rescue him immediately. With the commander absent and the situation in chaos, there was a worrying chance that the “heavenly conflagration” would not be properly deployed. That weapon needed to sweep away every last elf soldier without fail. And more than anything, I could not bear the thought of Lord Blondin losing his life because of my scheme. Fortunately, that mantis had a sturdy gag fitted to its mouth. It likely would not devour him right away. With that in mind, I personally set out to search for Lord Blondin, bringing along the elite unit.

Strictly speaking, it was quite bad for me, the supreme commander, to leave the battlefield. However, I could not entrust the search for a man to those lowly elf soldiers. Knowing their vulgar nature, even if I gave strict orders, they would surely try to indulge their vile desires the moment I was out of sight. I absolutely had to avoid Lord Blondin suffering the same fate as my husband.

“Is he not found yet? Still nothing!?”

“The mantises can fly. Who knows how far they might have gone…”

At the elite unit leader’s words, I shouted “Damn it!” and kicked a nearby mushroom. My impatience burned steadily within me. At that moment, a crow bird-person flew through the trees and landed beside me. Most of the birdfolk had sided with Liseben, but a small number still cooperated with us.

“Report! A rebellion has broken out in the ant-folk army. Chancellor Zera demanded a ceasefire with Liseben and appears to have taken the queen’s head!”

“Leave them be!”

I answered curtly. At this point, I did not care what happened to the ant-folk. Their role was to keep elf soldiers restrained, regardless of sides. A rebellion would not significantly affect the overall situation. Watching the bird messenger fly off with half-lidded eyes, I bit my thumbnail. I did not care about elf or ant soldiers, but Lord Blondin alone worried me. Where on earth had he been taken…

“Don’t be so impatient. That mantis targeted Blondin specifically because he’s a man, so its goal should be mating. Even for a husband-eating mantis insect-person, it’s unlikely it would devour him immediately.”

At the elite unit leader’s words, I clenched my teeth. This was not a matter of simply being alive. If the mind was broken, then it was already too late. The thought of that charming male knight suffering the same fate as my husband… it was unbearable even to imagine.

“…In any case! We need to find Lord Blondin quickly. Understood!?”

Even so, venting my frustration at the elite unit leader would accomplish nothing. She was not loyal to me out of devotion, but merely cooperating due to aligned interests. She had no reason to consider my personal feelings.

“We’ll find him faster than the Liseben forces. This forest is like our backyard. We won’t fall behind outsiders.”

After saying that, the elite unit leader let out a low, unpleasant chuckle.

“Once we secure Blondin, we’ll make sure he fires that ‘heavenly conflagration’ right into the heart of the battlefield. It’ll be quicker to force the decision than wait for his free will.”

Shrugging, she spoke in a casual tone.

“Come to think of it, that mantis did us a favor. It would’ve been quite troublesome for us to abduct Blondin ourselves.”

“… ”

I frowned involuntarily. It seemed the elite unit leader intended to force Lord Blondin to use the “heavenly conflagration” by any means necessary. I disliked that aspect of her, honestly.

…That said, I was no better. In the end, we were cut from the same cloth. I could not even bring myself to complain, and fell silent.

“We’ve found Lord Blondin! Fortunately, he doesn’t appear to have been killed yet!”

At that moment, one of the elite units came running in. At her words, I let out a sigh of relief and listened to the details. It seemed Lord Blondin was being held by that mantis not far from our current position.

“Also, there was someone like a white pigeon bird-person with Blondin…”

“A pigeon bird-person?”

As far as I knew, no pigeon birdfolk lived on this peninsula. Most likely, it was one of those clergy from the Star Guidance Faith religion. Had they come to rescue Lord Blondin? …Well, it didn’t matter. What we had to do remained the same.

“That white pigeon is probably a Liseben scout. We need to recover Blondin before they take him. Gather the elite units.”

The elite unit leader began issuing orders briskly. I paused briefly, then added another command.

“A weapon that cannot be controlled is nothing but harmful. While we’re at it, we should eliminate that mantis here as well. Can you do it?”

“We can harass it, sure, but defeating it might be a bit difficult.”

Furrowing her brow, the elite unit leader showed hesitation. Of course, I understood that myself. The combat strength of a mantis insect-person was frankly abnormal. Even the skilled elite unit could not defeat it easily.

“…No, you’re right, Vanka-dono. We’ll take down the mantis here.”

However, she quickly seemed to grasp my intent. Her expression changed, and she began issuing orders to her subordinates. That mantis could not be defeated by partial forces. All elite units would need to be mobilized to fight as one.

…Though in truth, the ones I wanted eliminated were not the mantis, but those elf elite units themselves. Now that Lord Blondin had been found, they had outlived their usefulness. I might as well have that mantis execute them all.

“Boss, I heard we’re taking down the mantis. Is that for real? That opponent seems a bit much…”

One of the gathered elite units spoke anxiously. For an elf warrior, who valued bravery, to show such weakness was rare. However, mantis insect-people were foes that even the fiercest elves said it was no shame to flee from. Fear was only natural.

“What are you trembling for? I alone took down that mantis and its mother. There’s no way you lot can’t do the same.”

“Y-You’re right! I had forgotten!”

Blushing, the elite unit accepted her words. In fact, it was this leader who had captured the mantis insect-person called Nael. At that time, she had even slain Nael’s mother, achieving a great feat.

…Though in reality, it had been accomplished through underhanded tactics like poison bait and deception, nothing to be proud of. And this time, there had been no preparation of such schemes, so they would have to fight head-on. Yet she concealed all of that and sent her subordinates into a death trap. This woman was truly terrifying. Though, I had no right to judge her.

“Very well. I’ll head out as well. If we live, we’ll meet again, Vanka-dono.”

With that, the elite unit leader bowed and went ahead with her subordinates. I hurried after them, but with a body that had aged after bearing children, I could not keep up with those in their prime. I was quickly left behind.

“Haa… haa…”

By the time I reached the destination, the battle had already begun. A fog-like smoke screen filled the forest, and horrifying screams echoed from ahead. As I caught my breath and scanned the surroundings, figures soon emerged from the smoke.

“Lord Blondin!”

Relief made me shout aloud. Emerging were Lord Blondin, being led by the elite unit leader, and the pigeon bird-person. He appeared to be unharmed, with all limbs intact. His armor was undamaged as well, so his chastity was likely safe.

Thank goodness, truly. I knew what became of a man whose dignity was violated. I could never accept Lord Blondin suffering the same fate as my husband because of me. That said, the danger was not over. The elite unit leader clearly had ulterior motives. Before she did anything reckless, I had to somehow help Lord Blondin escape…

“I’m glad you’re safe. Now, come this way…”

At that moment, it happened. Lord Blondin’s hand moved with lightning speed, drawing a lump of metal from the holster at his waist. A sharp crack rang out, and a tremendous impact struck my abdomen, sending me collapsing to the ground.

“Wha… what…”

Groaning, I pressed a hand to my stomach. At some point, my poncho had been stained bright red with blood…

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