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 42: A Man’s Duel

Chapter 42: A Man’s Duel

Just as Shia had once explained, the knight commander seemed to be a man who possessed magic despite being male.

He didn’t use flashy spells or anything like that. Instead, his refined swordsmanship was reinforced by magic power, amplifying its force. That fighting style felt familiar—almost exactly like my mom’s.

No openings. That was my first impression.

Honestly, the fact that he’d been caught in the castle collapse and still showed no real injuries already told me everything I needed to know.

He was a veteran.

Facing him head-on, I thought things through.

…How do I attack? He was clad in heavy armor. I could retreat once, switch to an information fight—basically turn it into hide-and-seek. But if I ran, Shia or the other two might get targeted.

That left only one option. A straight-up fight. 

As I reached that conclusion, the knight commander spoke again.

『Do you lack magic power? Then has man truly lost? Has the selfish curse of the witches finally finished eating away at men?』

“That’s why I keep saying—I have no idea what you’re talking about! What witches!?”

When I snapped back, the commander replied calmly.

『Witches are witches. They hated men, cursed men, and wove an unbreakable curse upon every man in the world. The ‘Wretched Witch’… surely you know of her.』

“I don’t. How ancient is that story supposed to be?”

I’d taken history classes. As far back as recorded history went, men had always lacked magic and were few in number.

…Which meant—just like Shia had mentioned before—This guy really was a knight from ancient times.

And in that ancient era, some dangerous being called the “Wretched Witch” had cursed men, creating this chastity-flipped world?

At my answer, the knight commander began to tremble.

『…How cruel. Has it truly come to this? Has so much time passed… that men were defeated by the Wretched Witch, reduced to a miserable world where they are trampled by women—and that became the norm…!?』

At his words, all of us were left confused.

Because the world I’d lived in until now—This world with a male-to-female ratio of one to thirty—

“…Isn’t it the other way around? Aren’t girls the ones getting treated horribly by men?”

I mean, I got the fear behind what he was saying.

If you came from a world where men were strong, and then suddenly men were weakened completely, you’d think—We’re going to be oppressed now!

That fear made sense.

But from the perspective of someone actually living in this world—That didn’t really happen. Or rather… it was the opposite.

『…What are you saying…?』

“No, seriously. It’s reversed. Girls have it way worse in this world.”

I tried to talk to him, hoping I could somehow reason with him.

But it didn’t work.

『—To think you’ve been brainwashed so deeply that a man would utter such words…!』

The knight commander’s fury overflowed.

『What blasphemy…! Unforgivable… I will not forgive this…! Witches…! Children of witches…! I will never forgive you…!』

Behind his helmet, I could sense him crying like a man.

He raised his sword high, fury swelling around him.

That was when my danger sense exploded. Overwhelming killing intent flooded the area, freezing my whole body.

But I couldn’t afford to freeze.

At this rate, someone would be attacked in the next instant. And if I wasn’t ready for that moment, someone would die.

Who would it be? Me? Wiz? Aegis? Shia—?

No.

This wasn’t the time to gamble with lives. Move in a way that protects everyone.

“Aegis! Protect Wiz!”

“Got it!”

Shouting my orders, I burst forward toward Shia.

“Shia!”

“Kya—Tect!?”

I grabbed her and forced her down to the ground.

In the very next moment, a flash of the knight commander’s blade tore through the spot where she’d been standing.

“So you came after us, huh! You outdated, senile old man!”

『You! A man, yet you shield a witch’s child!?』

The knight commander closed the distance in an instant and brought his blade down again.

I met it head-on with my cursed sword.

Steel screeched as his blade slid along mine.

I stepped on his sword and tried to counter with a return slash.

『Insolent!』

“Uwoah!”

But the knight commander used his magically reinforced strength to swing his sword—me included—straight up into the air.

I was tossed skyward, then snapped back to the ground with my grappling hook.

As if hunting my landing, the knight commander stepped in and slashed. But I’d trained for this kind of thing. I slipped aside with footwork and jumped backward to create distance.

Strong.

That was the only word for it. High-level skill, physical ability boosted by magic. He didn’t need flashy spells. With just this, he was stronger than any enemy I’d ever faced.

I raised my cursed blade again and faced him head-on.

Then he spoke.

『Why? Why, even with such skill, do you submit to a witch’s child? You—who refined your martial skill so far without magic—why!?』

“I’m not submitting to anyone! If anything, I’ve been treated kindly—too kindly!”

『That is exactly why it is brainwashing! How do you not realize it!?』

“Then loosen that rock-hard head of yours and think! When did you ever see me being brainwashed!? When did you see me being mistreated by them!?”

『Being dragged into a battlefield like this without magic is proof enough!』

“I brought everyone here myself, you idio—!”

The knight commander charged again, and I met him head-on.

He had more raw power thanks to magic. So don’t compete in strength.

If you’re losing in power and speed—Win with technique.

I relaxed my joints, made it look like a blade lock, and redirected his sword aside. Then I slashed in one clean motion, sweeping across his torso.

But it wasn’t a decisive hit.

It was nothing like that absurd sharpness from when I’d cut down the orc before.

『…So… you struck first…』

Still, that single hit seemed to mean something to the knight commander.

He touched the small wound carved into the side of his armor.

『You. A remarkable man who holds such skill without magic. I still do not understand. I truly do not.』

“Understand what?”

『You are strong. Even after having magic taken from you, your sword skill surpasses mine. Had you possessed equal magic, I would already be fallen.』

“Yeah. Probably.”

『Then I will concede this—you are not weak enough to be brainwashed. But that only deepens the mystery.』

The knight commander continued.

『You said you were treated too kindly. I have heard that the Wretched Witch was raised with excessive kindness as well. Given everything, drowned in pleasure, warped by indulgence—and thus became a witch.』

“And so,” he pressed on,

『Should you not have become the same? If one is fully satisfied, there is no need for effort. Yet your strength is clearly the result of relentless training.』

“…”

『Your words pass as neither lie nor truth. So tell me—where does your truth lie?』

Hearing that, I lowered my eyes.

What came to mind first was my surroundings. Wiz, Aegis, Shia—everyone had treated me kindly.

But that wasn’t all.

I’d had many teachers. Starting with my mother, then Ayla the dwarf blacksmith, and lately even Ms. Hedda.

And then there was my background. Born a knight’s son. Burdened with unfair obligations—and crushing punishments if I failed to meet them.

I’d been treated kindly. I’d been treated harshly. I’d been subjected to plenty of unfairness too. And after taking it all in—I finally opened my mouth.

“Being treated kindly and being spoiled aren’t the same thing. There’s kindness that comes with strictness. Spoiling is just… sweet for the sake of being sweet.”

I raised the cursed blade.

“Sure, guys who were only spoiled turn out awful. They’re like oversized babies. If I didn’t end up like that, it’s because my birth sucked—”

I stopped myself and shook my head.

“No. That’s wrong. I was the lucky one. I wasn’t born into a life where laziness or staying a baby would somehow work out. I was born into a situation where I had to try—and that was a blessing.”

I didn’t envy those trash men raised on pure indulgence.

They were hopeless.

But depending on how I’d been raised, I could’ve turned out the same. I didn’t—and that was thanks to my unusual background. 

There were laws that forced me to try. Teachers who answered when I asked for guidance. Talent that actually rewarded effort. Friends I wanted to struggle forward with.

“That’s why I got strong. And I’m still getting stronger. I get strong to protect the people who matter. That’s what being a man is really about.”

When I finished, the knight commander let out a quiet chuckle—fuh—

And behind me, the girls began to stir.

『I understand now. Then prove it.』

The knight commander took his stance again.

『If you claim to be blessed, then defeat me without magic. Prove with your own body that even a witch’s child is worth protecting!』

“Like I need you to tell me that!”

The moment I shot back, the knight commander stepped in.

After trading blows this long, I’d started to read his movements. 

Straightforward. Honest.

His sword was a blade of pure power—and sincerity. Then I couldn’t half-ass my answer to that. 

I stepped in as well.

Even if I was slower, I knew his rhythm now. If I knew when his blade was coming, then responding—and countering—was simple.

What mattered wasn’t raw strength. It wasn’t speed either. It was doing the thing the enemy hated most.

Fighting in a way that won.

And the moment I thought that—I felt the presence clinging to my cursed blade change.

“—You—”

That same nasty feeling from the orc fight rose up from the sword. But the knight commander was already right in front of me, bringing his blade down.

And I had already placed mine there.

Before he could fully swing, I unleashed a horizontal slash meant to cut clean through. And we crossed.

Splsh.

Blood splattered across my cheek.

Seeing that, Shia screamed, “Tect!”

The knight commander let out a confident little “fuh…” as if he’d won.

I twisted my mouth into a wry, self-mocking smile.

“Guess I’ve still got a long way to go.”

I wiped the blood away with my finger.

“Didn’t think I’d still fail to dodge something like that—”

In the very next instant, a massive spray of blood burst from the knight commander’s neck.

“———!”

Victory.

Even as I felt sure of it, I stared at the cursed blade and muttered,

“So that’s how it is.”

This sword—It was exactly like that trial in the water. 

Survival of the fittest.

Not stronger, but more suitable. A cursed sword that measured how well its wielder understood the enemy, how deeply they adapted—And adjusted its sharpness accordingly.

When the wielder truly became the enemy’s natural predator, the blade would strike as if it had always been meant to—Cleanly splitting the foe in two.

『K… ha…』

The knight commander collapsed to the ground.

Clutching his deeply split neck, he turned toward me and gasped,

『Y… You…!』

Then he said,

『Magnificent…!』

With that, the knight commander fell completely.

His body broke apart into particles of light—And vanished.