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 48 & 49

Chapter 48: Night Mirage

In the dead of night, when even the grass and trees were asleep, Aegis hid in the bushes beside the boys’ dormitory together with Wiz and Shia.

Their goal was simple—stop Vee, Tect’s older sister, from kidnapping him.

After that conversation during lunch, they had taken time after school to thoroughly question Tect—who showed absolutely no sense of danger—and came up with a plan.

First, they gathered information about Vee, the sister planning to abduct him.

“Fifth sis’s combat ability? Hmm… in a straight fight, she’s probably weak enough that none of you three would lose to her. She was the weakest among my sisters. But—”

Tect continued with a serious expression.

“You shouldn’t underestimate her. Especially in this kind of field situation. Fifth sis will do anything.”

Hearing that she was “weak,” Wiz and Shia didn’t seem too concerned beyond that. Aegis felt mostly the same, but she couldn’t shake off a strange sense of unease.

From there, they moved on to forming a plan. Shia suggested positioning themselves near the boys’ dorm to block any intrusion, but Aegis rejected it.

“We should let her grab Tect first so she can’t talk her way out of it, then take her down. Besides, carrying Tect is like hauling a huge burden—her combat ability will drop, so it’s better if we make her hold him.”

With that plan decided, they chose to wait until after the enemy infiltrated—then stop her as she tried to escape with Tect in her arms.

And so, Aegis and the others lay in wait in the bushes. They had taken short naps, but all of them were still fighting off yawns as they kept watch.

Tect had said there was no guarantee she would come tonight.

But considering how deeply he slept, there was no reason for the other side to wait.

Which meant—Aegis was certain it would be tonight.

“But… she’s not coming, is she…?”

Holding her breath, Wiz whispered.

“If she were coming, it’d probably be around now, right…? Did you see anything suspicious…?”

“Nothing… But stay alert… If someone shows up and goes into the boys’ dorm, we let it slide… Then we strike when they come out… You remember, right…?”

Aegis whispered, and Wiz nodded.

At that moment, Shia looked up at the boys’ dorm.

“Tect’s room was around there, right…?”

“Yeah, around that window… He said he’d keep the light on all night so it’s easy to spot…”

“…Ah—Aegis.”

Shia pointed, her voice tense.

Following her finger, Aegis—and then Wiz—looked toward Tect’s window.

A shadow.

At this hour, Tect should have been asleep.

The moment that thought crossed their minds, the shadow casually leaned out of the window.

Most likely—she was about to escape.

“———! She’s already inside! Everyone, move!”

“No way! W-We were watching the whole time, right!? When did she—!?”

“I don’t know, but what we need to do is clear!”

Shia pulled a small handbell from her pocket.

She shook it, letting it ring, and chanted—

“Wipe them out—Phantom Knights.”

The one who appeared was the knight commander they had seen before.

Understanding Shia’s intent, it immediately dashed forward.

Right after that, Shia drew the sword at her waist.

“Then I’ll follow the plan and stay on guard duty for Ms. Delphia! Aegis, take the front line with the knight commander! Ms. Delphia, support the two of them!”

“Y-Yes! I’m going too! Sip, drip, and then, bloom—Blood Rose Wand!”

Wiz tightly gripped the rose-shaped wand she pulled from her chest, letting blood flow from her palm.

A small magic circle formed from the drops of blood and began sliding across the ground.

“I improved it so I can activate it even from a distance! Leave the support to me!”

“You made something already dangerous even worse… Not that I’m complaining this time! Alright, I’m going in!”

Aegis nodded and sprinted forward, catching up to the Phantom Knight Commander.

At the same time, a shadow leapt.

Closing in.

As it descended through the air, she could make out two figures—the shadow was carrying someone on its back.

Aegis narrowed her eyes as she ran, and the moonlight illuminated them.

The one being carried was, just as expected, Tect.

He was fast asleep, completely carefree, wearing a peaceful expression.

At the same time, the face of the one carrying him became clear.

A girl with flaxen hair neatly tied back.

She had a gentle, calm appearance—so much so that if someone said she was just an ordinary town girl, you’d believe it.

That girl moved along the trees and lightly landed on the ground.

“…Ah, I remember now. She was there. Among the Garland Ten Sisters!”

As her memory resurfaced, Aegis touched her ring.

Even among the sisters, she had been the least noticeable one.

When she was introduced alongside the others, she had only said one thing—“I’m still far from being skilled.”

She had probably been weak even back then.

But there was no way she’d hand Tect over to someone like that.

“Even if you’re his sister, I’m not letting you take Tect now. Because Tect belongs to me—come forth, Little Fortress!”

Rock armor wrapped around Aegis’s entire body.

At that moment, Vee—Tect’s sister—noticed them.

Now the real fight began.

If this were a normal enemy—someone she could kill—Aegis would’ve used her hammer.

But this time, Vee was carrying Tect, so she couldn’t risk it.

Even the slightest mistake could put him in danger.

So instead, Aegis grabbed the Phantom Knight who had caught up—and threw him.

“The plan’s already been explained by Illucia, right!”

When Aegis called out, the Phantom Knight Commander—lifted by the legs and lower body—simply nodded.

Then Aegis shifted into a throwing stance.

“Here we go! Take this—!”

She swung back.

And hurled him.

At the same time, the knight commander jumped, perfectly matching the timing.

A person throwing another person—

Even in a world full of women strengthened by magic, it was still a rare and shocking sight.

Perfect for catching the enemy off guard.

All that was left was for the knight commander to close the distance, and for Aegis to pin her down.

Tect had said, “If you face her head-on, she’s weak.”

So this should work—!

The moment Aegis saw Vee—still carrying Tect—flinch, she was certain of victory.

And then—

Vee slipped behind a roadside tree.

…And vanished.

“Huh?”

The knight commander, who had already landed, lost sight of her target and looked around in confusion.

He checked behind the tree too—but there was nothing there.

“W-Why? There wasn’t even an opening for her to escape just now! Where did she—”

The moment Aegis tried to finish that thought—

Vee dropped down from above the tree.

From directly over the knight commander’s head, she brought her blade down.

There was no time to react.

Aegis could only watch—

As Vee landed on the knight commander’s shoulder and, in one clean motion, slit his throat.

The knight collapsed.

After taking him down, Vee landed lightly on the ground.

Then she slowly turned toward Aegis.

A beat later, a chill crawled up Aegis’s spine.

“———You…!”

“Oh? Isn’t that the lady? Then that means… this is the phantom of the princess I looked into… I see.”

Vee seemed to grasp the situation.

With a cold gaze, she gave a faint smile.

“Tec really was a very convenient man for you, wasn’t he? Guarding him this late at night… I can’t forgive that. I’ll make every one of you regret it right here.”

Vee’s body swayed slightly.

From her blind spot, Wiz’s magic circle crept closer.

Aegis spoke.

“I get how you feel, but we’re seriously in love with Tect. And we’re here to make you acknowledge that. —Hey, introvert! Now!”

“Yes! Shorty!”

“—!?”

From the red magic circle beneath Vee’s feet, thorny vines shot up.

They wrapped tightly around her legs, digging in hard enough to draw blood.

If Aegis followed up now, it would’ve been a guaranteed win against a normal opponent.

But Vee wasn’t normal.

“Earth.”

A short, simple chant.

With a flick of her hand, fine dirt blasted toward Aegis at close range—aimed straight at her eyes.

Even through the armor, the cloud of dust blinded her for a moment.

“Tch—”

Aegis lifted her face guard and wiped the dirt away.

But by the time she moved her arm—

The vines had already been cleanly cut apart, and Vee was right in front of her.

“—! Don’t underestimate me!”

Aegis reacted with a quick shoulder tackle.

But the moment Vee kicked off against her—she vaulted over Aegis and landed behind her.

She didn’t even care that her legs were bleeding from the thorns.

Leaving a trail of blood behind, Vee dashed forward.

“!? No way—both of you, she’s heading your way!”

Tracking Vee’s back as she carried Tect, Aegis shouted.

The two were already on guard and immediately took their stances.

“Wiz, stay back! I’ll take the front—support me!”

“Y-Yes! Your Highness!”

Shia stepped forward, sword at the ready.

From what Aegis remembered, Shia ranked near the top in swordsmanship.

With Wiz backing her up using magic, their formation was solid.

“I’ll take the first move! Fireball!”

Wiz launched a ball of fire from her palm.

A basic fireball.

At the same time, Shia closed in, raising her sword to strike.

A clean, coordinated attack.

But Vee handled it with ease.

“Water.”

“…!?”

Right after the short chant, Vee clashed water against the fireball.

A thick cloud of steam burst outward.

Vee and Shia were both swallowed by the mist.

“Kuh… I can’t see—kyah!”

Shia let out a scream.

“Your Highness!?” Wiz shouted—

And in the next moment, Vee dropped from above the trees and struck Wiz hard with the back of her blade.

The mist cleared.

Shia lay there, unconscious.

Wiz too had collapsed, unable to move.

“———!”

Aegis gritted her teeth.

Then she glared at Tect’s face, visible over Vee’s shoulder.

What was that about—“In a straight match, none of the three of you would lose”?

This was Garland-style combat skill.

Even three against one, they were being completely toyed with!

“…No. That’s not it. Tect wasn’t lying. Vee is just insanely good at hiding herself. She keeps repeating concealment and surprise attacks—that’s why she’s this strong.”

In a formal match, there’d be no ambushes from climbing trees at high speed.

At most, she could throw dirt with magic to blind someone.

In that kind of setting, yeah—she probably wouldn’t lose.

But this wasn’t that kind of fight.

Trees lined the area, and the darkness itself limited their vision.

Even the knight commander—stronger than Aegis—had been taken down that easily for the same reason.

The rules were different.

Thinking that, Aegis faced Vee, who stood there swaying slightly.

“Young Lady… how about you surrender?”

Vee spoke to Aegis.

Then she continued—

“I know what kind of person you are, Lady. Straightforward and bold. That’s exactly why you’ve been poisoned by bad company. I’ll be keeping Tec with me for a while, so take that time to reflect.”

“Too bad for you. Tect and I are in a completely pure relationship.”

“That’s a lie. Then why would there be a fight over him? Dragging kind and innocent Tec into something like that—t-that kind of tangled mess…!”

Vee trembled, her anger spilling out.

…So that’s how she interpreted that whole chaotic scuffle.

Aegis let out a wry smile.

Still… what now?

Without her giant hammer, Aegis only had hand-to-hand combat.

And on top of that, her armor made her heavy and slow.

Her defense was solid—but her attacks were sluggish.

Which meant…

She’d have to bet everything on one decisive move.

Aegis let out a small breath and smiled.

“Alright. Enough talk. You said you’d make me regret it, right? Then come at me.”

Aegis took her stance.

Then, with proper respect, she declared her name.

“‘Little Fortress,’ next in line—Aegis Gloria Aragonia.”

“…Fifth daughter of the Garland Ten Sisters. ‘The weakest’—Vee.”

They faced each other.

Their breathing slowed, tension tightening in the air as even the sound of the wind felt sharp.

And then—

“—In order to correct you, Lady… I’m coming.”

Like a burst, Vee rushed toward Aegis—only to slip behind a roadside tree…

And vanish.

“Of course you’d do that. There’s no way you’d be dumb enough to face me head-on.”

In a direct fight, Aegis would win easily.

That’s exactly why Vee avoided it.

Was it just the wind—or the sound of Vee moving through the trees?

The night breeze rustled the branches, filling the air with a constant whisper of leaves.

Aegis simply waited.

Keeping her tension steady.

Waiting for the moment Vee would strike—

And for her chance.

From above, a rope dropped down.

“A rope!?”

It looped around Aegis’s neck.

And the next instant, Vee—holding the other end—dropped down from the tree, yanking it tight.

Aegis’s body lifted slightly.

“—! Young Lady, you’re way too heavy! Maybe try dieting!?”

“Ggh—t-this weight… is m-my armoooor…!”

She struggled.

Thankfully, her rock armor was so heavy that she didn’t fully lift off the ground and hang.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t stunned.

Vee landed, gripping the rope in one hand, and launched a dropkick.

Aegis, already struggling to breathe, couldn’t withstand the impact.

She staggered—and fell.

Vee immediately closed in.

She kicked off Aegis’s helmet, knocking it away, and raised her blade.

“This is the end. From now on, make sure you treat Tec better.”

A declaration of victory.

Vee brought the blade down.

—This was exactly the opening Aegis had been waiting for.

“—RAAAH!”

Gathering the last of her strength, Aegis forced her upper body up—

And grabbed it.

That was Tect’s leg, slung over Vee’s shoulder.

“Mm… huh…?”

Maybe the fighting had already lightened his sleep—

Tect’s eyelids twitched.

“—!”

Vee reacted instantly.

The same Tect she had been protecting until now—

She flipped him over her shoulder and threw him away.

She judged that Tect needed to be neutralized even faster than Aegis.

And that judgment… wasn’t wrong.

As he was thrown, Tect’s eyes snapped open.

If there was one mistake—

It was that even this was already too late to stop him.

“Oh… so this is what’s going on, huh?”

While still mid-air, Tect swung his free right arm back.

Click—a mechanical sound echoed.

Tect grinned.

“Nice work fighting at night. I’ll light things up for you. —Pile… Bunkerrrr!”

BOOOOOOOOM!

With a massive explosion, flames burst out—

A deafening roar—

A blinding flash tore through the darkness.

Aegis could only raise her arm and shield her eyes from the searing light.

Amid the thunderous blast and blooming fire, she could do nothing but endure.

And when the flames from the pile bunker faded, and Aegis finally recovered from the stun—

Vee was already tightly bound with rope, completely restrained—

By Tect himself.

“Phew… rough way to wake up. Still, way better than waking up already tied up.”

Tect walked over to Aegis and held out his hand.

Then he gave her a bright, easy smile.

“Thanks for helping me. Beating Fifth sis like that—nice one, Aegis.”

“Well, that was for your sake. Honestly, I’m more embarrassed that I couldn’t win on my own.”

Aegis took his hand and stood up.

Then she stored her rock armor with magic, and—

“I’m tired, so hug me.”

She said it, asking Tect just like that.

Chapter 49: What Lies Between the Lines

Thanks to everyone, it only ended as a failed kidnapping attempt.

After waking up Wiz and Shia—who had both been knocked out—we decided to take shelter in my room for now.

“T-T-T-Tect’s room… Tect’s room…!”

“Hey, introvert, this isn’t the time for that.”

“I know, shorty! But a girl’s heart is weak to stuff like this!”

Wiz and Aegis were as usual.

“…So all it takes is one moment of losing focus… and I’m done…”

Shia, on the other hand, was seriously reflecting on her mistake.

And then—

“…”

Fifth sis—Vee—sat there, completely tied up, cheeks puffed out in frustration.

“Alright… so, let me properly introduce her to everyone again.”

I sat down next to Fifth sis and gestured toward her.

“This is my older sister, one year above me—Vee Garland. Sorry for the trouble she caused this time.”

“T-Tec! This isn’t something you should apologize for! If anything, it’s those girls playing around with you who are—ow!?”

“Knock it off! How many times do I have to tell you—I’m not being played with, you idiot sister!”

“Hiiin…!”

Fifth sis got scolded by me and started crying.

“…T-The person I lost to that easily… was this…”

Shia looked completely stunned.

Well… I get it. Losing to this would feel pretty embarrassing.

Then, sitting on the bed with her cheek resting on her hand, Aegis spoke.

“But still… it really made me realize—this is the Garland family, huh. What do you mean ‘the weakest’? You just took down three people with bloodline abilities.”

“Ah… Fifth sis’s ‘weakest’ basically means, ‘I’m the weakest, so I’ll use every trick possible—please forgive me,’ kind of ‘weakest.’”

“Don’t try to spin it like that.”

“Stop hitting meee!”

As Aegis and I lightly smacked her on the head, Fifth sis burst into tears.

“B-But…! Tec is the most important to me…! If I think you might be getting tricked or used, I just can’t sit still…!”

Hearing that while she sobbed like that—

Even we couldn’t keep hitting her anymore.

“…Well, I do appreciate the feeling. But next time, don’t go out of control right away—make sure to check the facts first, okay?”

“Yeah. If you’re going to become a knight someday, there’ll be times you have to hold yourself back. You need patience too.”

Aegis and I both gently patted Fifth sis’s head.

Behind us, Shia was whispering to Wiz—

“She’s kind of like a baby, isn’t she?”

“Your Highness, you’re not really in a position to say that—”

“…Eh?”

“Anyway.”

I clapped my hands, wrapping things up.

“Fifth sis, seeing all this, you get it now, right? No one here is using me or anything. If anything, they care about me too much. So… acknowledge them.”

“—! I-I should properly greet Tect’s family…!”

“As a friend.”

“Ugu—”

Ignoring Wiz, who looked like she just took a hit from behind, I pressed Fifth sis a bit more.

But she puffed her cheeks and turned her face away.

“…Nooo.”

“Why not? They stayed up in the middle of the night just to protect me, you know? Friends like that aren’t easy to find.”

I frowned.

Behind me, I could hear—

“Every time Tect calls us ‘friends,’ it kind of hurts a little…”

“I get it, Aegis…”

—But I ignored that and pressed Fifth sis again.

After a moment, she finally gave in and spoke.

“…Because someone weaker than me—the ‘weakest’—isn’t worthy of Tec.”

“““—!”””

A chill ran through the room.

The three of them stared at her in shock.

And once she got going, Fifth sis just kept talking freely.

“I’m the weakest in the Garland family. So losing three-on-one to someone like me? That’s not good enough to protect Tec. And honestly, your statuses are way too high too.”

“I’m not expecting my friends to protect me! And status doesn’t matter between friends!”

“Friends, friends—stop lying, Tec! Those girls are totally looking at you like that! Women are wolves, you know!? You can’t just trust them so easily—gyah!”

“Just shut up! Don’t stomp all over delicate teenage relationships like that!”

I brought my hand down in a chop on her head, forcing her to stop.

What the hell was she saying?

She was casually wrecking a topic I usually went out of my way to avoid.

Just then, Wiz stood up.

“Big sis!”

“B-Big sis!? I-I’m not your sister!”

“No, you are, Big sis! If you’re going to say that much, then I’ll train harder! I’ll beat you and make you admit I’m worthy of Tect (as his bride)!”

“Ugh…”

Overwhelmed by Wiz’s intensity, Fifth sis faltered.

Then Aegis and Shia followed.

“Yeah. If you’re saying we’re not worthy (to be Tect’s wife), then we just have to get stronger and prove you wrong.”

“Indeed. It’s perfect timing to rebuild our strength anyway. I’ll make you acknowledge that I’m worthy (to be Tect’s main wife).”

Everyone was suddenly fired up.

Meanwhile, Fifth sis got fired up in the opposite direction.

“N-No way, I won’t accept that! Tec is my little brother! I’ll train harder too and prove that I’m the only one worthy of Tec (as his bride)!”

Fifth sis and the three of them glared at each other with full intensity.

Watching all this from the sidelines, I muttered—

“…Something’s off. I feel like I’m hearing words between the lines that were never actually said…”

Whether they were high-ranking noble girls… or my own blood-related sister—no matter how much they cared, none of them could marry me.

Clenching my teeth, I grabbed my head.

“…My marriage prospects are completely doomed…”