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 22: The Giant Golem!

Chapter 22: The Giant Golem!

When I came to, staring up at unfamiliar stone tiles, the first thing that hit my ears was Aegis’s angry yell.

“Hah? Those guys we saw right before falling—what were they!? I’m gonna kill them.”

“Aegis, can we not make ‘killing’ your default reaction to everything?”

“Oh, Tect, you’re awake. Darn, I was kinda hoping gloomy girl would stay knocked out.”

“…And what exactly were you planning to do if I wasn’t awake?”

Aegis just shrugged like it was no big deal, while Wiz sat up beside me, rubbing her head.

I stood and took a slow look around.

The floor and walls were made of dark, pitch-black stone—giving the place this heavy, eerie vibe that screamed bad news ahead.

“Alright, first things first—everyone okay? No injuries or broken bones?”

“I’m fine.”

“Same here. Totally fine.”

“Good. Next—any idea where we are?”

“Sorry… not a single clue…”

“Hmm. If the rumor was right, maybe this is the place guarded by that golem?”

Aegis crossed her arms, tapping her chin

That was possible—but right now, there was no golem in sight.

If we kept moving forward, we’d probably run into it.

Or not.

Either way, we’d find out soon enough.

“Alright then. One more thing—when we fell, Narcis and his gang were watching us, right?”

I glanced at Wiz. She nodded silently.

Aegis scowled.

“So that flashy guy’s name is Narcis, huh? Yeah, figures.”

Then Wiz’s expression shifted, her usual calm replaced by something colder—her voice dropping low.

“He said something about having us clear the way for him, didn’t he…? Do you think he actually knows something about this mirror?”

“Hard to say. From how it sounded, he basically wants us to go first, clear out any danger, and then he’ll stroll in after the coast is clear.”

A short silence settled. After a moment, I spoke up.

“Well, there’s nothing here right now. How about we ambush them when they follow us in and make them talk?”

“I’m in.”

“W-Wait, both of you!? No, no, no! We can’t just attack a boy like that! That’s way too violent!”

I suggested it, Aegis agreed immediately, and Wiz went into full panic mode.

Aegis huffed, shaking her head. 

“See, this is why gloomy types are hopeless. Listen, Wiz. There are two kinds of boys—those you treat nicely… and those you smack around until they learn their place.”

“I—I mean, I get what you’re saying! I really do!”

Wow. Even Wiz got it on a spiritual level. Narcis was absolutely being hated right now.

“Well, for the record, I’ve only ever met one boy worth treating kindly—and that’s Tect.”

“I agree with that too!”

“…What kind of hell have you two grown up in?”

Also—wait—was I being “treated kindly”?

Actually, yeah. Maybe a bit too kindly sometimes.

I was still wondering about that when—

Thud…

The floor vibrated. A low, heavy rumble echoed from somewhere ahead.

“Huh? What was that just now…?”

“Aegis, can you move?”

“I can. What do we do?”

“Grab Wiz. We’re hiding in the shadows.”

“Roger. Hey, gloomy one! Hold on tight!”

“W-Wait, what!?”

Aegis scooped Wiz up like a sack of potatoes, and I scanned the area before sprinting us into cover.

The place was a massive stone hall, but I’d spotted a side passage earlier leading deeper inside. We slipped into it and held our breath.

Then, a huge shadow loomed out from the darkness.

“W-What’s that—tha-that thing—!?”

“Shh, gloomy one.”

Aegis clamped a hand over Wiz’s mouth before she could scream. I leaned out just far enough to peek—then forced a wry smile.

“Wow… that thing’s huge.”

It was a golem. Normally, golems were about three meters tall—hulking brutes of packed earth or stone, animated by magic.

But this one? This one looked closer to twenty meters.

If it so much as brushed us, we’d be flattened.

We’d all heard stories about golems before—but nothing like this.

I glanced at the girls.

“Alright, change of plan. We fall back. I might have an idea on how to handle it, but I’m not letting anyone take a hit testing it.”

“Y-You actually have a plan to beat that thing!?”

“We’ll talk about that later. For now—move.”

The three of us tiptoed away as quietly as possible, inching down the passage, putting as much distance as we could between us and the towering golem.

We crept along in the shadows, and before we knew it, the passage opened up into a strange hall.

It was smaller than the last area but still wide and open.

A fountain stood at the center, and at the far end—a door with a single keyhole.

The stone walls and floor shimmered faintly blue, and the water’s reflection danced across the room, giving everything this soft, dreamy glow.

“Wow, it’s beautiful… but with everything going on, I can’t even enjoy it.”

Aegis muttered, forcing a small smile as she glanced nervously back toward the passage we came from.

The golem that could squish us like bugs didn’t seem to be following—at least, not yet.

We were just guessing, though. The ground had stopped shaking, and we decided to take that as a good sign. Not exactly reassuring, but hey—better than nothing.

“So, Tect—about that ‘plan to beat’ you mentioned?”

Wiz asked, and I shrugged.

“It’s not some hidden technique or anything. But this place is basically a maze, right? If we can snag a magic stone, I can use it to charge the pile bunker. With that, we might actually be able to take the golem down.”

The moment I said that, both Wiz and Aegis turned to me with dead-serious, unamused expressions.

“I’d really rather you stayed somewhere safe, Tect…”

“I actually agree with gloomy girl for once. Why don’t I use that pile bunker? I’m tougher than you—safer that way.”

“You two are way too overprotective. Leave the dangerous stuff to the guy, alright?”

“That’s supposed to be our line, you know.”

“Tect, your bravery would be impressive… if you were a girl.”

They sighed in perfect unison. I groaned and got down to business.

“Look, emotional debate aside—it has to be me. I’m the only one who can use the grappling hook.”

“Ah, that explains it. You’re not planning to fire the pile bunker randomly, right?”

“…Okay, hold up—what does that even mean?”

Aegis puckered her lips, and I pointed to the room as I explained.

“The golem’s weak spot is its head. That’s where the core metal and the magic stone sit. We have to hit that spot—but without the grappling hook, there’s no way to reach it.”

“Ahh, that makes sense. With that size, yeah—totally checks out.”

So the plan was straightforward: use the grappling hook to scale the golem, then drive the pile bunker straight into its head.

Since I was the only one who could pull that off, that made me the obvious candidate.

“… uh… ngh… fine! You win! I admit it—I can’t use the grappling hook, so I’ll back off on that part. But listen up—!”

Aegis sharply pointed her finger at me.

“I’ll clear out every obstacle in your way. You just focus on that golem. I’ll be the one protecting you, Tect. Remember that.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m counting on you, princess.”

I flashed a grin, and Aegis went instantly red, looking away with a flustered huff.

“A-As long as you understand… that’s fine…”