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 21: Midnight at the Academy

Chapter 21: Midnight at the Academy

It was well past midnight when the three of us gathered in a quiet corner of the academy.

Wiz let out a strange giggle—“fufu, fufufufu…”—the kind that sent a small chill down my spine.

“It’s two in the morning… one boy, two girls, in the dead of night… there’s no way nothing’s going to happen…”

“Yeah, something is happening—like us breaking into the academy right now.”

Seriously, what else could she mean? We were literally sneaking in after hours.

Right on cue, Aegis sighed and chimed in.

“You’re such a cringe nerd.”

“Hey! That’s just plain rude! Especially coming from a shrimp like you!”

“We’re the same age, you idiot!”

And just like that, the two of them were already at each other’s throats again.

“Alright, that’s enough. Both of you—equipment check.”

“Y-Yes! Robes, wands, everything’s ready and perfect!”

“I’ve got just my summoning ring. Nfufu~♡ Tect, you’re totally owning that leader role, huh? So capable~”

Aegis poked my side teasingly while Wiz reached for the rose pinned to her chest, whispering something about “Blood Rose.”

I quickly stopped her before she could start pulling any of her dramatic stunts.

“My gear’s all set too.”

Sword, bow, pile bunker, and the prototype grappling hook—all good to go.

“Alright then, let’s move.”

I aimed the grappling hook at the window I’d secretly unlocked during the day.

The claw dug in with a solid click, latching firmly.

Then, wrapping an arm around each girl, I pulled them close and—

“E-Eh!? Y-You mean… T-Tect’s going to carry me!? I-I mean, as a woman, my pride—or rather, this is just way too embarrassing!”

“Oh, really? Then hey, Tect ♡ Since gloomy girl here’s too shy, why don’t we go on ahead, just the two of us~♡”

“Tect, I’m ready! Please carry me!”

“…You two seriously manage to turn everything into chaos, huh.”

Way too much energy for midnight. Seriously.

Then it hit me—yeah, I guess that made sense.

Even if I was the only one with the means to move us, this world’s weird gender-role logic made it feel like a girl carrying two guys.

No wonder they were freaking out.

Still, there was no helping it.

Without another word, I scooped both of them up in my arms.

“Hyah—w-wait, Tect’s so close…!”

“Kyah ♡ Ahh~ what a luxury~♡”

“…”

Same here, honestly.

Getting this kind of reaction while holding two girls in my arms? Yeah, I was loving every second of it.

They smelled nice, they were soft—life was good.

Fully savoring the perks of this “reversed chastity” world, I pressed the reel-in switch.

Even with all three of us, my custom winch had more than enough power. In a flash, we zipped straight up toward the window.

Landing neatly against the wall, I called out, “Wiz.”

“Yes! Nngh… there, it’s open!” Wiz grunted as she pushed the window wide.

I guided both girls through first, making sure they didn’t slip, then slid in after them.

Once inside, I closed the window and locked it tight.

Unless a teacher happened to stroll by on patrol, no one would ever know we’d been here.

…Well, except for the claw marks I’d left on the frame. But hey—it was the second floor. Nobody’s checking that close.

“Alright, Aegis. Lead the way.”

“Yeah, yeah. The History Building’s this way.”

With a soft “light,” Aegis summoned a small glowing orb, and we started down the dark, empty hallway.

The Constantine Royal Academy for Nobles was ridiculously huge.

It was a six-year elite institution—the one every noble kid in the kingdom was practically required to attend.

Even the sons and daughters of knight families weren’t spared. Naturally, that meant the student count was through the roof.

To keep up with that, the campus had ballooned into a monster—packed with buildings overflowing with specialized knowledge.

The History Building was one of them.

Despite focusing solely on history—of the kingdom, of the world—it had accumulated so much research and material that it needed an entire building of its own.

And of course, the other departments weren’t about to be left out.

Territory Management, Arcane Engineering, Magical Biology—each one big enough to fill a wing by itself.

The kicker? Every single one of those wings was an addition—built later, tacked on wherever there was free space.

So now the academy was a patchwork maze of expansions, hallways that led to dead ends, and hidden corners no one had mapped in decades.

Generations of students had come and gone, each leaving behind rumors, legends, and “totally true” ghost stories.

Over time, the place had turned into a melting pot of secrets.

“And one of those rumors is right here.”

Aegis raised her glowing orb, and the light revealed a massive full-length mirror standing deep within the History Building.

It was so tall we had to crane our necks to see the top—so big, even a giant could’ve checked their reflection in it.

The time was 2:58 a.m.

A few more minutes of idle chatter, and it’d strike three.

Perfect timing, I thought, as the three of us stood there, staring at the mirror—when Wiz suddenly whispered,

“…Why would anyone even make a mirror this huge?”

“No clue.”

Both girls tilted their heads in perfect sync.

I leaned in too, humming thoughtfully as I studied the thing.

At first glance, it just looked like a big, old mirror.

Nothing flashy, nothing magical—just oversized and ancient.

But when I looked closer—really closer—something felt off.

“Aegis, can you move that light a little closer?”

“Like this?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

With the new angle, the surface caught the light differently—and my suspicion turned into certainty.

Wiz leaned forward, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

“Tect, what’s wrong?”

“Hmm… something’s weird about this thing. Yeah, just as I thought.”

I pointed toward a faint mark near the edge.

Wiz squinted—and a moment later, her eyes widened.

“Ah.”

She’d seen it too.

“What, what!? Don’t you dare keep secrets just between the two of you! If Tect starts acting cold toward me, I’ll cry! And it’ll be so embarrassing! Like, I’m already teary-eyed, you know!”

“Yeah, yeah, cut the cute threats. Look—if you check again now, you’ll see it yourself.”

“Ehh? …Wait, oh—these are… magic runes?”

Finally catching up, Aegis blinked in surprise. I nodded.

“Exactly. This is what they call a magic mirror. When it’s crafted, runes are carved into the surface so they only show up under specific lighting.”

When I finished explaining, both Aegis and Wiz glanced at each other—then spoke almost in unison.

““So basically…””

“Yeah… we’re standing in front of the real deal.”

Both girls’ voices tightened at once.

I felt the same chill crawl up my spine.

Because those glowing runes could only mean one thing—

This rumor… might actually be real.

We hadn’t come here thinking it would be.

It was supposed to be a midnight dare—one of those “let’s check it out and laugh later” deals.

But now, standing here with literal proof shining in our faces… it suddenly didn’t feel like a joke anymore.

Honestly, we were more confused than excited.

“…Aegis, uh… are rumors supposed to be like this? Like, actually true true?”

“…Usually not? I mean, come on—‘royal secrets’? Nobody expects that kinda thing to just be lying around.”

“Right… yeah… that’s what I thought too…”

All three of us swallowed hard in sync.

We already knew how to activate the runes—just trace them with your hand.

Easy. Too easy.

But should we really do it?

Beyond this mirror might be a golem.

And beyond that… something tied to the royal family.

Were we seriously about to poke around in that kind of top-secret mess?

Just as we froze there in indecision—

“Hey! Who’s there!?”

“““!?”””

A shout echoed down the hallway, followed by a beam of light sweeping toward us.

Of all the times possible… of course we’d get caught by a patrolling teacher now!

“W-W-W-What do we do!? Where do we hide!?”

“Aaah… sneaking into school after hours—yeah, that’s totally suspension-level trouble. Getting caught would suck.”

I looked around in a panic. The patrol’s light was still a ways off—if we moved fast enough, maybe we could bluff our way out of it.

But… there was nowhere to hide.

The room was wide open, and the giant mirror was built straight into the wall.

Which left us with exactly one option.

I ran my fingers over the glowing runes.

“T-Tect!?”

“Let’s take cover inside the mirror! I already figured it out—this spell’s for teleportation! It’ll send us somewhere safe!”

“You managed to read all that in, like, three seconds!?”

Before she could yell more, the runes I touched flared with light. The whole mirror began to shine, the surface rippling like liquid glass.

The instant I reached toward it, a strange force grabbed hold—yanking me straight in.

“T-Tect!”

“Tect!”

Wiz and Aegis lunged after me, catching my arms. Then, after one brief heartbeat of hesitation… they both jumped in too.

Inside the mirror, it felt like we were drifting through water that didn’t quite feel wet—light, weightless, and strangely calm.

Through the shimmering surface behind us, I caught one last glimpse of the real world—

And there, smirking right at the edge of the mirror… was Narcis.

“Wha—”

“Garland, this works out perfectly. I’ll have you clear the way for me.”

The moment his voice reached us, a heavy wave of drowsiness crashed over my mind.

My vision dimmed, and before I could even think to resist—everything faded into darkness.