In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 337

Chapter 337: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Return

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With the broad strokes of the plan settled, I decided to return to the main camp with Nael. Truth be told, I wanted nothing more than to take a rest, but time was a luxury I simply didn’t have. After ordering Gilberto and the others to regroup at the main camp as well, I became a man aboard—not a horse—but an insectfolk.

On the way there, it had been a journey through the sky while restrained by Nael’s scythes, but for the return trip, I decided to travel by clinging to her back. This was a measure taken to avoid any strange misunderstandings from my allies, but the problem was that Nael wasn’t equipped with so much as a saddle. Thanks to that, I spent the entire flight experiencing a level of excitement that no scream machine on Earth could ever hope to match.

By the way, I wasn’t the only one riding with Nael. Lady Dalaiya was on board as well. Dalaiya’s cooperation was essential for my plan, after all. If she moved at a snail’s pace on foot, we wouldn’t make it in time for the execution of the operation. This was the solution. However, it seemed she had a fear of heights. Every time Nael wobbled even slightly, she made a huge fuss, screaming her head off. It made for a quite noisy, albeit brief, aerial journey.

Well, that was all well and good, but the real trouble started after we returned to the main camp. Despite having sent word ahead, we were nearly intercepted, and Sonia came rushing at me with an apology so intense she was practically prostrating herself. It was quite an ordeal.

“To think that while I was by your side, I allowed Al-sama to be abducted…This is the blunder of a lifetime! Please, forgive me, Al-sama! Never again shall such a thing…”

Sonia bowed her head repeatedly while saying this, and I found myself a bit overwhelmed. Honestly, this incident wasn’t Sonia’s failure at all. A Mantis insectfolk was essentially a flying tank. With our current personnel and equipment, repelling one was extremely difficult. No matter who had been in charge of my escort, the result would have been the same, so blaming Sonia was completely off the mark.

“Sonia, this incident was strictly not your fault. If anything, I am impressed you stood your ground so gallantly against an incomparably powerful Mantis insectfolk. Truly, you are my pride.”

After managing to soothe Sonia with those words, I began to grasp the current situation. A considerable amount of time had passed since I was abducted. I thought the battlefield might have shifted significantly, but…

To be honest, not much had changed. On the front lines, the Elf soldiers and the Ant soldiers were still grappling in a chaotic melee that looked like it would never end. Both friend and foe possessed such absurdly high morale that the result was a horrific struggle; just watching it from a distance made my skin crawl.

The only things that had changed were the arrival of the main body of the Liseben Army and the fact that the enemy units attempting a tunnel warfare maneuver had been repelled and their tunnels demolished. However, I wasn’t disappointed. While there was no great change in the state of the battlefield, behind the scenes, Sonia and the others had perfectly prepared for the new operation.

“The preparations on the supply unit and baggage train side are already complete, and the Aerial units are on standby. I see, the operation can be launched at any time.”

I let out a sigh of relief as I read through the reports.

“The sudden loss of their commander must have thrown the headquarters into total chaos. In such a situation, to have proceeded with things exactly according to the operational plan… you really are something, Sonia.”

“Of course! …Is what I would like to say, but this is thanks to Gilberto. To my shame, I was quite distraught… I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t snapped me back to my senses.”

Sonia said, looking genuinely ashamed of herself. How surprising, for the usually cool Sonia to be that shaken… As a soldier, it was certainly not ideal, but as a private individual, I was actually quite happy.

“I see, Gilberto did that, did she…”

Nodding as I spoke, I gulped down some herbal tea. Because of a shortage of tea leaves, we had been stuck drinking nothing but plain hot water for a while, but the main force had brought supplies. Farewell to the life of austerity. …Well, not that I had any time to actually enjoy the flavor of herbal tea after such a long absence.

I flicked my gaze toward the front lines. It was a mess—a frantic, tangled brawl. There was no plan, no tactics. They could do nothing but lash out at whoever looked like an enemy in front of them. In a situation like this, the casualty rate would hit the ceiling. Both sides must have lost a ridiculous number of lives already. This pointless battle had to be ended even a second sooner. And now that Lady Vanka, the enemy’s commander-in-chief, was dead, I was the only one who could do it.

“Alright then, Nael. Sorry, but I’ll need you to accompany me as promised.”

I placed my teacup on the command table and stood up. My fatigue was nearing its limit, and I felt the illusion that I was taking root in my chair, but I moved my body through sheer willpower. 

A commander must never lose their air of composure, no matter how exhausted they are. 

Putting on a brave face, I looked toward Nael.

“Very well. So, I just need to put Albert-kun on my back and charge into the middle of that ‘Death Scrum’ over there, right?”

“That’s right.”

What the heck is a “Death Scrum”?

Despite the question in my mind, I nodded.

“And then, I just eat every warrior around me at random? Like an all-you-can-eat buffet venue?”

“No. Definitely not.”

“I know, I know. It was a Mantis joke.”

At our exchange, Sonia and Lady Dalaiya looked at each other with indescribable expressions. It couldn’t be helped, but it was clear they didn’t trust Nael in the slightest. They didn’t raise any objections, but that was only because the emergency forced them to shelf their distrust for now.

That said, if she truly harbored ill intent toward us, it would have been game over the moment I was abducted. Since I managed to return with all my limbs intact—well, more or less—it should be safe to trust her to some extent. …Though I say “all my limbs intact,” I was actually a hair’s breadth away from having an arm eaten. If it hadn’t been for Bishop Fiorenza’s intervention, things would have been quite dicey…

Speaking of Bishop Fiorenza, I left her in Gilberto’s care. I had suggested she return with us, but she had turned me down. Apparently, she simply hated the idea of flying through the sky with Nael.

“Your role ends the moment you charge into the enemy lines with me on your back. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Can you really ‘handle’ it? With the slender arms of a boy?”

“I won’t be using my arms, I’ll be using my mouth, so it’ll be fine. …And if things don’t work out, I’ll have you handle it with those huge arms of yours, Nael.”

I smirked while glancing at her dangerously shaped scythes, then turned my gaze toward Sonia.

“The artillery units are ready too, I assume?”

“Of course. Everyone is awaiting Al-sama’s command.”

“Excellent. Then, fire the green signal flare.”

A signal flare was launched from a simple wooden launcher. It climbed into the sky with a sound like a firework, and as its parachute opened, it emitted a brilliant green flash. The flare glowed in the air for a while, but eventually burned out and fell toward the earth. Simultaneously, a thunderous sound of beating wings could be heard from the north. A massive swarm of Aerials had taken flight from the ground.

“What a staggering number.”

“That’s because I’ve deployed almost every single Aerial on our side… Now then, shall we go?”

When I spoke, Nael nodded and lowered her body. She was considerably larger than a standard warhorse, so I couldn’t mount her unless she crouched down. I scrambled up onto her lower body—which could only be described as that of a giant praying mantis—and clung to her upper torso. Since there was no saddle or reins, there was a high probability of being thrown off otherwise.

“N-Nuu… I truly cannot get used to this…”

Lady Dalaiya climbed onto Nael in the same fashion. The place she clung to was my back. Her thin chest was pressed firmly against my back. …Well, I was wearing armor. Sadly, I couldn’t feel the sensation of the loli-hag’s chest at all. Honestly, it was a damn shame. However, looking at my current state, I was essentially a sandwich between a monstrous giantess and a loli-hag. It felt like a clearance sale of bizarre fetishes. Given the situation, I couldn’t exactly feel excited, though.

“…”

Sonia was glaring at us, grinding her teeth. Honestly, she was pretty scary. On top of that, a powerful stench of blood and entrails was wafting from Nael’s body, which was also terrifying. 

(You really are a horror movie creature, aren’t you…?)

Well, in terms of smelling like blood, I wasn’t exactly one to talk.

“Now, begin the operation!”

I shouted, feeling almost desperate. Nael gave a casual “Alrighty~” and took off. 

Well then, time for one last push…!

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