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 23 & 24: Soaked Shirt ♡ Romantic Comedy (Male Edition) | The Suspension-Bridge Effect

Chapter 23: Soaked Shirt ♡ Romantic Comedy (Male Edition)

Alright—so, what now?

To take down that giant golem, first we needed a magic stone.

Why? Because the pile bunker ran on magic stones, obviously.

Do I have any on me?

Of course not! I’ve been stuck inside the academy this whole time!

And to get one, we’d need to hunt a monster.

Any monster would do—it didn’t even have to be strong.

We just needed something that dropped a magic stone.

Which meant, step one—

“We have to get out of this room first.”

“Um… wait, if that’s the magic formula here, then… no, no, hold on—if it develops from that, this is going to spiral completely out of control!”

“This stupid thing—hiyaah! Break! Break already, you damn door!!”

While Wiz crouched by the fountain, muttering to herself like a doomsday prophet, Aegis was already going full berserker mode on the door.

Why, you ask?

Because this was one of those rooms—a good old-fashioned puzzle room.

To sum it up: we were being chased by a golem, so going back was off the table.

Our only path forward was sealed by a massive, annoyingly locked door.

When we looked around for a key, we found an inscription carved near the keyhole that read—

[Water constantly changes its form, settling at the bottom of its vessel.

A king is not the strongest, nor the wisest—he is simply the king.]

All three of us tilted our heads in perfect sync.

A king is a king.

Well… yeah, obviously. But what’s that supposed to mean?

And what’s with the random bit about water?

Yeah, no doubt about it—this had to be tied to the so-called “royal secret.”

“There’s gotta be more clues around. Let’s split up and look.”

When I said that, everyone nodded, and we scattered to search the room.

A few minutes later—

“Everyone, come here! Look! There are ancient letters floating on the water’s surface!”

We hurried over. Wiz, dead serious for once, pointed at the fountain.

“Can you see it? The letters appear on the surface. There are multiple light sources in this room, and depending on the angle, the reflection reveals hidden writing.”

“Ohh! Nice catch, Wiz!”

“Ehehe… ehehehe…! A-And! When I tried reading it, it seems to be ancient script describing some kind of magic. I think it’s the hint we need to unlock this room!”

I couldn’t help being impressed.

Of course—this was exactly where our genius wizard shined.

“Nicely done, Wiz! I can’t read ancient text anyway, so I’m counting on you.”

“Y-Yes! Of course, Tect! Hehe… it makes me really happy when you rely on me like that…”

Wiz gave a sweet, melting smile—the kind that could probably stop a man’s heart.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was really worth getting that happy over, but whatever.

For now, we left the puzzle-solving to her.

The problem started about twenty minutes later.

“Ugh, gloomy girl, you’re taking forever. Still not done cracking it?”

“Y-You’re so noisy! This text is way more complicated than I thought, okay!? If you’re gonna complain, then you read the ancient script instead!”

Aegis threw shade; Wiz fired right back.

Yup—round seventy-two of their never-ending rivalry.

I was just about to stand up and stop them when—

“…Heh. Sure, I can’t read ancient letters—but I can do this!”

“Wait—what are you—!?”

Aegis suddenly sprinted forward and launched a flying kick straight at the locked door.

GAKOOON!!

A sharp metallic clang rang through the entire room.

Wiz froze mid-scream while Aegis turned back with a smug grin plastered on her face.

“If I break through this door before you solve the puzzle, that means I solved it first, right?”

“Fine then—challenge accepted!!”

…And yeah, that’s pretty much how it went.

In the end, we had one girl glaring at the fountain like it personally insulted her, and another dropkicking the door on repeat.

A flawless display of teamwork.

About ten minutes had passed since Aegis began her war against the door.

With nothing better to do, I just started wandering around, letting my thoughts drift.

I stopped beside Aegis and glanced again at the inscription near the door.

Something about “water this” and “king that.”

The part that stood out was: A king is not the strongest, nor the wisest.

“…So it’s not talking about survival of the fittest—it’s more like natural selection, huh.”

Like how dinosaurs went extinct, but squirrels are still living their best lives.

It’s not about being strong or smart—it’s about being fit for the role.

But then… what actually makes someone fit to be king?

That part wasn’t written anywhere.

Still, the earlier line said: Water constantly changes its form, settling at the bottom of its vessel.

So—adaptability.

Water shifts, adjusts, takes shape wherever it flows… yeah, that kind of metaphor.

But what caught my attention was the wording: “the bottom of the vessel.”

“Not inside the vessel… but at the bottom, huh.”

I turned on my heel.

Aegis, still mid-kick, paused and shot me a look. “Tect?”

I ignored her for now and walked straight toward the fountain.

The water shimmered under the lights, its surface covered in glowing ancient runes.

Which meant—the light wasn’t just reflecting something.

It was hiding something beneath the surface.

“Wiz, sorry if the letters get harder to read for a bit.”

“Eh? What do you mean by—wait, Tect!? What are you—waaah!?”

Before she could finish, I dove straight into the fountain.

Splash!

The water was crystal clear—and thankfully, there weren’t any weird creatures or tentacle surprises waiting inside.

In fact, it was spotless—so clean it felt almost too clean.

And at the very bottom, something faintly shimmered in the light.

Bingo.

I kicked down, swimming deeper until I reached it—around five meters below.

My fingers brushed something cold and solid, and I grabbed hold before pushing myself back up.

“Puhah!”

I climbed onto the edge, dripping wet, and opened my hand.

There it was—a key.

Shaped like frozen water molded into solid form, gleaming with a faint blue glow.

“T-Tect, what did you—wait, is that…?”

“Eh, Tect… that’s a key, right?”

“Yeah. I was thinking about that first hint—‘water settles at the bottom of its vessel.’ So I figured… maybe the answer’s literally down there.”

I grinned, soaked head to toe but grinning like a champ.

“So, in short—puzzle solved. By yours truly.”

“—～～～～…!!”

“W-What the—! You smug Tect!!”

“Ahahaha!”

Wiz’s face went bright red as she flailed in embarrassed defeat, while Aegis, blushing but smirking, lunged at me like she was ready to throttle me and laugh at the same time.

Their reactions only made me laugh harder.

Still… as I glanced down, reality hit me.

I was soaked.

Jumping in like that might not’ve been the brightest idea.

My clothes clung to me, freezing and heavy, so I quickly peeled them off—standing there shirtless in the cool air.

“Hyau—!? T-T-T-Tect!?”

“Whaaa!? Tect, what the heck are you doing!?”

“…Huh? What?”

They both screamed before I’d even finished pulling my shirt off.

“W-W-W-What were you just trying to do!? You can’t just strip like that in front of people!”

“Uh, what? My clothes are soaked—it’s bad to stay wet. I’ll catch a cold.”

“Ugh, geez! Tect, you’ve always been like this! How many times have I told you—don’t take your clothes off in front of people!”

“Stop making it sound like I’m part of some nudist tribe, seriously.”

Come on, if your clothes get drenched, taking them off is just common sense!

But both girls were blushing bright red, fidgeting like I’d just committed a crime of passion.

It’s not like I was flashing them or anything!

“Come on, it’s fine if a girl undresses in front of others, but why freak out over a guy taking his shirt off?”

“Of course we’re freaking out! And for the record, I’d still freak out if a girl did it too!”

Then it hit me.

Right… reversed chastity world.

“…Okay, but seriously, I’m freezing here. Just let me take it off before I get sick.”

“E-Eh!? Ah, um—uhhh…”

“Ugh, useless gloomy girl! Fine then, Tect—wait right there!”

As Wiz froze like a malfunctioning statue, Aegis stepped forward—

Or more accurately… started undressing herself.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! Aegis, there’s no reason for you to start undressing!”

“Sure, I may be small, but it’s still better than you stripping down completely, right?”

“It’s not better!!”

Aegis yanked off her jacket, leaving just a thin undershirt, then held her clothes out toward me.

She wanted me to wear them? Me!?

Meanwhile, she was standing there in that flimsy little top—skin practically glowing under the light—and now she expected me to just take it like that!?

I averted my gaze, hands up in protest.

“N-No, Aegis, you keep those. They won’t fit me anyway. I’ll be fine like this—seriously, just pretend I’m invisible if I’m down to my shorts.”

“Like hell I’m pretending that! What kind of girl could calmly stare at a half-naked guy and not lose it!? I’d punch her!”

Aegis’s face went crimson as she turned away, shoving the clothes at me even harder without looking up.

Uhh… seriously? Am I supposed to wear these?

And that’s when Wiz—who’d been standing there frozen like a statue—finally came back to life.

“Tect… um… would my robe work?”

“…Ah—yeah, actually, that’d be perfect.”

It was long, loose, and easy to throw on—pretty much the ideal emergency cover-up.

Honestly, I didn’t care either way, but with both of them panicking like this, I sighed, stepped a few meters away, stripped off the soaked stuff, and came back wearing nothing but my boxers under Wiz’s oversized robe.

“Alright, let’s get focused and move.”

“Poor little one—how tragic. You offered your clothes and then got rejected because they ‘didn’t fit’… teehee.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Cut it out, you two.”

After we finally cooled off the theatrics, we unlocked the door and pressed deeper into the academy.

Chapter 24: The Suspension-Bridge Effect

Even after we cleared the first puzzle, the path kept twisting like a maze.

We leapt onto high platforms, sprinted across floors that dropped away beneath our feet, and solved a handful of small riddles to keep going.

Luckily, Aegis and I handled the physical stuff while Wiz handled the brainy bits—classic team composition.

It felt exactly like a trial designed to test visitors: obstacle rooms that checked if you were worthy, like some game dungeon hiding a legendary weapon.

“Next up: the suspension bridge, huh?”

We were all slightly worn out, but we’d made it to the next challenge.

Ahead yawned a cliff, and a narrow, flimsy-looking suspension bridge spanned the gap.

It screamed “trap” the moment you saw it, so I folded my arms and inspected it like a suspicious merchant.

Wiz was even more careful than me—she crouched and checked the anchor points with textbook precision.

And of course, the first to step onto it was Aegis.

“? What are you two hesitating for? Hurry up, I’ll go!”

“You might not care since you’re light, miss shorty, but with how flimsy this suspension bridge looks, a normal person would be cautious, you know.”

“If it’s only me and Tect crossing, I’ll just drop the bridge with you on it.”

“Alright, play nice, you two. At a glance I don’t see any traps.”

When I said that, Wiz nodded in agreement.

“At least, there’s no sign of magic traps. We should still be careful, but I think it’s safe to cross.”

“See? Told you! It’s better to just hurry up and get it over with. Worst case, if Tect falls, I’ll save him.”

“If Wiz gets in trouble, make sure you save her too, alright?”

“I’ll… consider it.”

Yeah, right. Not happening.

I followed behind her, ruffling her hair as I said, “Sure, sure. Big words for someone who just wings everything.”

“Kyahaha, stop it!” Aegis laughed, swatting my hand away.

Behind me, Wiz crept closer—probably to make sure I didn’t slip. Her hands hovered just behind my back like she was ready to catch me the second I tripped.

Man, these two were way too protective sometimes. I smiled, reached back, and took Wiz’s hand.

“What, you nervous? Don’t worry—Aegis is useless in that department, but if you fall, I’ll definitely catch you.”

“E-Ehh!? I-I… o-okay…”

“Don’t flirt with her while you’re patting my head!”

And just like that, with our usual noisy bickering echoing through the cavern, we crossed the bridge one creaky plank at a time.

We were about halfway across when—

“Well, well, Garland. Looks like you’re walking quite a dangerous bridge… literally, I’d say.”

The voice came from behind us.

We turned—and there stood Narcis and his group at the entrance.

“Tch! You—finally showed up, huh!?”

I ground my teeth and glared at Narcis.

Seriously—what about that giant golem? Had they somehow slipped past it? Of all times for him to show up.

Narcis spread his hands like he owned the place, voice smooth and smug.

“I happened to overhear you prying into the ‘royal secret.’ Honestly, I didn’t expect much from you lot, but you’re annoyingly troublesome.”

With a snap of his fingers, the girls behind him darted toward the bridge’s support ropes—they were going to drop the bridge.

We weren’t slow to react. I yelled, “Aegis, run!” grabbed Wiz’s hand, and bolted.

Narcis sauntered after us at his own lazy pace, still lecturing like he was giving a tour.

“You’re nosy and greedy. How did you even find this place…? Too bad for you, I know it much better.”

“What are you talking about, Narcis!? Are you seriously going to try to kill classmates!?”

“I’d prefer people who play innocent to just disappear. And those weird followers who fawn over them, too.”

“Narcis! We’re ready—whenever you say, we can drop it anytime!”

One of his cronies called out. We sprinted across the bridge as fast as our legs would carry us.

Just a little more. With Aegis and me powering the run, we could make it. I hauled Wiz along.

Just a little further—

“Drop them.”

Before I could even finish that thought, Narcis gave the order—

And the next second, the world dropped out from under us.

“Ah—!!”

Wiz and I were thrown into the air as the bridge snapped beneath our feet.

Desperately, I reached for one of the planks—anything solid to grab onto.

But the wood was old, rotten, and brittle.

It cracked the instant my fingers touched it, unable to handle our weight.

Crack!

The sound echoed in my ears as the plank splintered apart, and we plunged even faster.

“I won’t… let you!”

Aegis—who’d barely made it across—spun around and lunged forward.

Her hand shot out, catching my arm just in time.

The pull nearly dragged her off too, but she dug in her heels and held firm.

We ended up dangling there—Aegis gripping the cliff edge, me hanging from her arm, and Wiz clutching onto mine.

We’d survived by sheer dumb luck.

And from above, Narcis’s smug laughter echoed down at us—

“Hah—hah-hah-hah! You actually survived that!? Impressive! Truly, a tear-jerking effort! I’m disappointed that Delphia needed a man to save her, but I’ll admit—I’m impressed by the tiny girl holding both of them up!”

“Haah!? Excuse me!? Do you not know who I am!? I’m top of our year, thank you very much!”

“Oh? Then you must be in the upper-noble class. My apologies, but you see—there are fewer men than there are upper nobles, so it’s impossible for me to remember every girl’s name.”

“Oh, how tragic! Unlike Tect, it seems no one ever taught you respect! Raised like an animal—no, worse!”

Even as she shouted, Aegis held us both up with her trembling arms—her grip on my hand so tight I could see her veins straining.

Narcis tilted his head, smiling lazily. 

“Hmm… more stubborn than I expected. Alright, everyone—prepare to fire.”

“Yes, Lord Narcis!” 

The girls behind Narcis raised their wands in unison, aiming them straight at us.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…! Aegis! Forget it! You need to run! They’re serious!”

“Tect!? No, we can’t! Shrim—no, Aegis! Please, at least save him! I’ll be fine!”

Wiz’s hand began to slip—her grip weakening as she tried to let go.

I tightened my hold on her hand with every ounce of strength I had.

“No way! I’m not letting you fall alone, Wiz! I’m not saving myself at the cost of your life!”

“If we both fall, that just means one extra corpse! Let go already! If Tect dies because of me, I’ll never forgive myself—even in the afterlife!”

Wiz kicked and struggled, but I refused to let go.

Above us, Narcis’s group calmly chanted, their wands glowing in a rainbow of colors as spells began to form.

Right in the middle of that chaos, Aegis blinked at Wiz, eyes wide.

“…Wow. Didn’t think you had it in you. Throwing your life away for Tect without even hesitating? Didn’t peg you for the dramatic type.”

“What are you even talking about right now!? Listen, Aegis! I’m letting go, so Tect’s in your hands!”

“Don’t you dare! I’m not letting you go, Wiz! I’ll never let go of your hand!”

While the three of us yelled over each other like total lunatics, Narcis’s group finished their chants.

“Good grief… such noisy people, even in their final moments. Fire.”

Narcis waved his arm, and a barrage of magic rained down.

The instant I saw the light, I shifted my grip—loosening my hold on Aegis just enough to put every ounce of strength into holding onto Wiz.

Wiz, realizing what I’d done, instinctively loosened her grip too—

But since I was clinging to her like my life depended on it (which it did), she didn’t fall.

And me?
I didn’t fall either—
Because Aegis was still hanging on with a death grip strong enough to crush bone.

“This is the worst. We’re all gonna die like this…!”

I gritted my teeth as the spells streaked toward us, slicing through the air—straight at our position.

Then Aegis’s voice cut through the chaos.

“You actually tried to die for Tect, didn’t you? Fine. I’ll remember this, Wiz.”

And in the very next instant—Aegis threw Wiz and me upward with sheer, ridiculous strength.

“Huh?” “Wha—!?”

We shot up into the air, dodging the deadly barrage aimed right beneath us—

But Aegis, who’d been standing at the edge just a moment before, didn’t have time to escape.

Still, I caught a glimpse of her face.

Calm. Defiant. Grinning.

Her thumb brushed the ring on her finger as she whispered,

“Come—Little Fortress.”

The magic barrage hit her square-on.

“Aegis!!” “Aegis!!”

Explosions roared, smoke and heat bursting upward. Even midair, we had to shield our faces from the blast.

Then—through the thick haze—something moved.

The smoke was shoved aside, swept away like it dared to get in the way.

And there it was.

A golem—though not a neat, carved one. It was smaller, rougher, like a walking pile of jagged stones.

In its left hand: a shield so massive it could’ve covered an entire golem’s body.

In its right: a gigantic stone hammer, heavier than I could ever hope to lift.

It hefted the weapon over its shoulder with casual ease and the rocky being spoke.

“With this form, I can’t exactly catch you two. But you can handle a safe landing, right, Tect?”

Right after she said that, I hit the ground, rolling to absorb the impact. Smooth landing—textbook perfect.

Wiz swung her staff mid-fall and shouted, “Magic Wall!”—her spell blossoming just in time to cushion her drop. She landed right beside me, completely unharmed.

Still catching her breath, Wiz blinked in disbelief.

“Wait… that voice… that rough-looking golem thing—is that… the shorty!?”

“That’s right, gloomy girl. Sorry if the ‘rough-looking golem thing’ hurts your delicate feelings.”

The golem’s helmet creaked open—

And Aegis’s familiar face peeked out from inside.

I froze.

No way… that was Aegis.

“Aegis… that blast just now—”

“As you can see, not even a scratch. This armor doesn’t flinch at something that weak.”

She lowered the visor with a metallic click and turned toward Narcis and his crew.

They stood there frozen, eyes wide—Narcis practically shaking.

“W-What…!? That’s impossible!”

Aegis gripped her hammer tighter, a grin curling on her lips.

“Come to think of it, I never told you two about my bloodline, did I?”

Then, raising her massive hammer high, she began to speak.

“My family line, the Little Fortress, has served as the Grand Generals of the Constantine Kingdom for generations. People think the name means we’ve got fortress-level defense shrunk down—but that’s not it.”

You could see raw power spiraling through Aegis’s arm as she gripped the massive hammer. Her forearm trembled—not from strain, but from the sheer pressure of the magic she was building.

“It means a fortress became small and stayed that way. That’s why we’re called Little Fortress. You get the difference?”

“W-Wait… something’s wrong with them! Ready your spells—!”

Narcis and his lackeys finally caught on to Aegis’s stance and started panicking, but she just kept talking—completely unfazed.

“Because we’re small, enemies can’t get inside. Because we’re small, we’re hard to hit. But our functions… are the same as any fortress.”

“N-No—this is bad! We won’t make it! Fall back, everyone! Open the door—what!? It won’t open!?”

Narcis’s group scrambled, realizing the entrance behind them wouldn’t budge. They were trapped.

“We’ve got fortress-level defense and we can fire like one too. Admittedly, I’m still next in line, so this hammer’s a replica, but—”

“Hurry! Open the door now! I can feel it—she really meant to kill us!!”

Aegis finished gathering her strength—magic energy swirling around her like a storm about to break.

“When I throw it, it hits with the power of a full-blown cannon shot.”

Aegis hurled the massive hammer across the gap with every ounce of strength she had.

“Waaaaaah!? Open it! OPEN IT RIGHT NOW!!”

“““Eeeeeek!?”””

Narcis and his girls shrieked as the enormous stone hammer—easily several times my size—shot toward them like a meteor.

BOOOOM.

A deafening crash rattled the entire chamber, a wave of dust exploding across the opposite cliff. Narcis’s group vanished behind the blast.

Wiz went pale. 

“W-Wait… seriously!? Did the shorty just kill them!?”

Aegis lifted her visor with a deadpan sigh.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not.”

As the dust cleared, the hammer came into view—buried halfway into the cliff wall, stopping just short of Narcis’s trembling group.

“A-Ah… ahhh…”

Narcis’s legs gave out beneath him.

The moment he realized he was still alive, all the tension drained—and his pants… well, didn’t stay dry.

Aegis snorted.

“I’m not wasting my first kill on such a pathetic man.”

Her words made Narcis’s face twist with humiliation and fury.

Then, turning away, Aegis—still clad in her stone armor—called to us.

“Come, you two. Get up. The real fight’s ahead—and compared to what’s waiting, these losers were nothing.”

“…Yeah. Let’s keep going.”

I helped Wiz to her feet, and just as we started moving—

Narcis screamed after us.

“You made me lose face! I won’t forgive you for making me look like this—I’ll never forgive you!”

“…Wow. That’s your big line? Seriously, men other than Tect are something else.”

Aegis gave Narcis a look of pure disgust.

Narcis didn’t even acknowledge her—his glare was locked straight on me.

Yeah. He hated me. Plain and simple.

“So? What now, Narcis?” 

I put on a threatening face. 

Narcis gulped and stammered, “W-We’ll retreat! Get out of here, you lot!” Then went to the entrance and worked the door.

The door flew open like it had just been waiting for him, and Narcis and his group vanished in record time.

“Ah! They got away! What do we do!? Chase them!? Aegis, use that hammer and actually smash them this time!”

“Calm down, Wiz. The bridge is already gone, and the hammer’s stuck on the other side. Even if we could reach them, that’d be overkill—and we’re not murderers.”

Aegis sighed and patted Wiz’s head. Wiz puffed out her cheeks but didn’t argue.

Honestly, it was kind of sweet—a sign those two were finally starting to warm up to each other.

“Still… they might come back. That lot doesn’t seem smart enough to quit. But I just couldn’t bring myself to kill them.”

Aegis tensed, clearly still on guard.

Then I said this:

“Don’t worry about it. Aegis, you did what you could. Honestly, it’s a miracle you didn’t kill them with a weapon like that. After the bridge collapsed, there wasn’t much else we could do to deal with those guys.”

Narcis and his crew would probably come back eventually… but that couldn’t be helped.

After all, we were still students—and this was an academy, not a battlefield.

I looked at the two of them, still torn, and said,

“So—if they come at us again, we’ll just beat them again.”

They blinked, then let out soft laughs.

“Right. Next time, we’ll make sure they don’t stand a chance!”

“Yeah. When that happens, I’ll finally get to see what the gloomy one can actually do.”

“Hey! You’re back to calling me ‘gloomy one,’ you little—!”

“We’re the same age, you know!”

Their usual bickering kicked back in, but there was something new between them now—like the first sprout of trust.

I smiled and shrugged. “Alright then—let’s move on.”

And with that, the three of us continued forward.