The Mob Noble Who Got Reincarnated in a World Where Men Are Naturally Protected—So I Trained Like Crazy to Protect Girls Instead, But Their Love Got Way Too Heavy - Chapter 01: I’m the Only Guy Not Popular in a Chastity-Reversed World

Act 01: The Pile Bunker and the Blood-Rose Staff

Chapter 01: I’m the Only Guy Not Popular in a Chastity-Reversed World

I noticed something was off about this world a few years after I was born.

There were way too many women.

The gender ratio? A shocking 1 to 30. Men were almost never born. When I asked about it, my parents just said: that’s how the world is.

Once I understood, I was ecstatic.

Because… wait, doesn’t that mean this is what people call a chastity-reversed world?

In a chastity-reversed world, men and women’s values about sex are flipped. Women are the ones with strong desires, while men are the ones being begged to go out with them. Guys become popular without even trying.

In my previous life, I had zero luck with girls. So of course, I was hyped. A dream life of being loved by whoever I wanted—an endless harem within reach.

Or so I thought, until…

“Ehh… Tect? Yeah, no thanks.”

The girl my age I’d been chatting with casually turned me down flat. I froze on the spot.

“W-Why?”

I couldn’t hide my shock. She shrugged and said:

“Come on, Tect. You’re from a knight family, right? Knight families are nobles. Even if it’s only one generation, noble guys have to build a harem. It’s the law.”

“…What?”

That was the first I’d heard of it.

Me—Protelclus Garland, better known as Tect—ended up prying the details out of her.

Because of the insane imbalance between men and women, there were all kinds of laws governing men’s marriages in this world.

For example, the laws about noble men…

“First of all—noble boys have to take at least ten wives, and have at least thirty kids, you know?”

“…Huh!?”

My eyes flew wide at how insanely high that standard was.

“W-Why!?”

“Well duh. With so few men around, nobles have to go that far, don’t you think?”

“…”

I-I mean, sure, I understood the logic… but still. That was ridiculous.

“But knight families don’t even own land. Once the title gets passed down, the kids aren’t nobles anymore, right? If it’s a real lord with territory, like baron-class or higher, then yeah, a harem makes sense. The wives get treated well, so I guess it’s worth it.”

She said it so casually, while I just stood there, dumbstruck.

“B-But what about commoners?”

“Commoners usually just marry one-on-one. I mean, isn’t it lonely if you can’t keep your husband all to yourself?”

So basically… without land or wealth, running a harem was no different than being a commoner—just way more trouble.

“And besides, there still wouldn’t be enough kids that way. That’s why lots of commoner women just use sperm, magically protected by men, and then form a wife-wife couple instead.”

Hearing that made my heart sink.

Wait… seriously? In this so-called chastity-reversed world where men were supposed to be popular by default, I was the only one cursed with a social standing that made me not popular?

“Besides, men don’t have magic. So women have to work harder to support them. If he’s a guy who’s faithful only to you, that’s fine. But who would want to slave away to support some man lazing around in his harem?”

Magic Power.

That was the biggest difference between men and women in this world.

Magic power was the literal fuel for casting spells.

Men, who had none, couldn’t use magic.

Women, who were born with it, could.

But it didn’t stop there.

That difference in magic power directly translated into a difference in physical ability.

A girl at age five already had the strength of an adult man.

At ten, she was on par with a pro wrestler.

At fifteen, she ranged anywhere from sumo-wrestler class to full-on giant territory.

Naturally, their earning power was on a whole other level.

Whatever the job, men were the dead weight.

In a one-on-one marriage, a woman might still be willing to devote herself to her man.

But in a harem, even after the wedding, it became a battlefield for the husband’s attention.

If you married into a baron’s house or higher, you might feel lonely, sure—but you’d live in luxury. You’d fight other wives for affection, but at least you wouldn’t have to work.

A knight family, though?

That was a whole different story.

Sons of knights—guys like me—got none of those perks.

Shaking with despair, I forced out another question.

“S-So, um… that ‘ten wives, thirty kids’ rule—if you break it, do they arrest you or something?”

“Hmm… I don’t think it goes that far. If I remember right, your taxes just become ten times higher.”

“T-Ten times!?”

My face went pale. That was worse than prison.

So basically, not only was I unpopular, but if I couldn’t gather enough wives, I’d be crushed under a lifelong super-tax?

“That’s how it is. Sorry, okay?”

She tossed that out casually and started to walk away.

Panicking, I grabbed onto her.

“Wait! Please wait!”

“Whoa, you scared me. You know it’s dangerous for a guy to touch a girl, right? If I swatted you by accident, you’d get seriously hurt.”

“That doesn’t matter! At least—at least tell me what I can do to be popular! Something, anything!”

“Eh…? Hmm… that’s a tough one…”

The girl frowned, groaned a little, and thought hard before finally answering.

“Maybe if you were super kind—kind enough that even in a harem it wouldn’t feel bad. And if you earned as much as a woman… hmm, but even then, if it doesn’t feel like real love, it still gets lonely, y’know?”

She kept humming and nodding to herself, like she couldn’t quite pin down the answer.

But as I listened, an idea started to crystallize in my mind.

“So basically…”

I said.

“If I work hard, earn my own way, and—on top of that—become the kind of guy who risks his life to protect girls… then even a harem would be fine, right?”

Her eyes went wide, like she’d just been struck by lightning.

“I-If there really was a boy like that, then yeah, I’d totally be fine with him having a harem. But no way! Girls are supposed to protect guys. That’d be way too convenient for women!”

She shook her head furiously, as if rejecting the very idea of “a beautiful heroine falling for a plain, unpopular guy.”

But I understood.

A man protecting a woman—something so simple. And yet, in this world, it was unbelievably rare.

In that case, the path was obvious.

In a world where girls were expected to protect men, I’d flip the script.

I’d protect the girls—and build my harem!

“—Alright. I’ve decided. I’m doing it!”

“Eh? Ah—wait, he actually ran off… Is he seriously going through with this?”

Leaving the girl behind, I sprinted home at full speed.

When I got there, Dad was in the kitchen cooking. In the living room, Mom—off duty from the knights—and a few of my older sisters were lounging around.

I planted myself across the table, right in front of Mom.

She blinked at me in surprise.

“Tect? What’s with that desperate look? …Wait, don’t tell me you’re being bullied?”

“Tect’s being bullied!? Who did it!? Tell us, and us sisters will beat the crap out of them together!”

“No!”

I waved off my overly protective mom and sisters and pleaded.

“Mom. I want you to train me.”

“…What’s this about? I was half-joking earlier, but are you sure you’re not being bullied?”

“I told you, no! I just… I want to be strong. Strong enough to protect girls.”

And then I’ll be popular, get ten wives, father thirty kids, and escape the nightmare of heavy taxes!

For that—

“That’s why I need you to train me, Mom. You’re a legendary knight, aren’t you? You started as just a foot soldier, but racked up so many achievements that they elevated you into knighthood.”

I stared straight into her eyes, my resolve clear.

Her gaze sharpened—not the gentle eyes of a mother, but the sharp ones of a knight sizing me up.

Then, she let out a small laugh.

“I don’t know the details, but… looks like you’re serious. Fine. I can’t say no when my cute only son begs me from the heart.”

And then she added—

“I’ll train you. Just like I train your sisters who were born with magic—I’ll drill you thoroughly. Even then, for a boy like you, Tect, to protect women? …That won’t be easy.”

“Whether it’s impossible or not—I’ll decide that after I try.”

“…Good answer. You’re too good to stay just a ‘boy.’ —You all heard him, right!? Break’s over! From this afternoon, Tect joins the training!”

At Mom’s command, my sisters instantly leapt to their feet and snapped into perfect posture.

“This afternoon’s regimen—five sets of ten-kilometer runs! Then sword drills until you collapse! And anyone who goes down before dinner? No dinner for you! Push yourselves to the limit!”

“Yes, Master!!”

Their perfectly synchronized reply made me flinch.

On her days off, Mom trained my sisters—so they could serve their lords, earn achievements on the battlefield, and climb higher in life.

Until now, I’d been exempt.

Because I was a boy.

But starting today, that changed.

I would train.

I would grow stronger.

I would become the kind of man who could protect girls.