ISTHR 156

１５６

[……That hurtsss. Saine, don’t do that out of nowhere.]

An amazing sound just rang out but Dole didn’t seem to be in much pain as he rubbed his cheek with a laugh.

[What are you doing with my Reincarnator? His husband is me.]

He pulls me away from Dole with a strong force. On the back of my head is Saine’s hard chest. Saine pulled me towards him as if he’s holding me in his arms.

[He said he wants to go somewhere so I was just going to take him there.]

[He’s right. It’s okay around here but if we’re to go to the Northeastern Section then isn’t it better to call him my husband?]

I tilted my head back and looked up, and Saine was glaring at Dole with his dark eyes.

[I’ll take him. Don’t touch my Reincarnator.]

He’s holding me so tight, the shoulders that he’s grabbing hurt.

[Ow, ouch. Saine you’re gonna break my shoulders……ugh]

[Now, now, don’t treat him so roughly. He’s gonna break so easily, you know? You also held him so violently last night, didn’t you? He’s walking with a weird gait, and if you take him outside like that, someone might jump on him without thinking about the consequences.]

[Bwahah! That’s unlikely! You can’t touch other people’s Reincarnator, can you? Even if that’s not the case, they won’t jump someone like me.  After all, I’m a male Reincarnator, aren’t I? Nope, absolutely impossible.]  

In a world overflowing with men, why would they willingly go out with a male Reincarnator? There’s no normal person like that. If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t want to. If I saw a girl walking by, I’d stare, but not if it was a man.

Saine’s hand loosened a little, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But I was still encircled in his thick arms.

[……It’s taking him quite a while to understand.]

[You also try getting a male Reincarnator, you’ll struggle.]

[Even so, as long as he’s not a child inside, then it should be fine. That Haruka Reincarnator is so unbelievably normal that it’s hard to believe he’s also a male Reincarnator.]

[You think Haruka’s normal? Woah! As expected, you’re a nice dude, Dole. You know, Haruka’s a nice guy. He’s kind, clever, and funny. But you see, the way he talks, his little gestures, things like that, make others call him weird. But he’s not weird at all. He’s just like me, a normal person.]

In this kind of world, you’d think someone like Haruka would be thought of extremely badly, but that’s not the case. It’s worse over there. Bullying starts over the slightest word, and people start talking behind your back. But people here don’t have that at all. Even if Haruka talks like a girl, no one says anything, and no one makes a weird face. 

[I understand that the world you lived in is different from this one. But since you’re living in this world now, it’s about time you understood it properly.] 

Dole looked at me with a serious expression.

[To get to the royal capital, we’ll pass through several towns. This town is peaceful, but not all towns are like that. While it’s a serious crime for anyone other than a husband to touch a Reincarnator, that’s not a national law. It’s just a local rule in this town.]

[So in other towns, it’s okay for someone to mess with someone else’s Reincarnator?]

[Not exactly. But the point is, the common sense in this town isn’t universal. There’s still a lot we don’t know.]

Even for guards, escorting clients only happens between neighboring towns. Merchants, too, only travel as far as the next town. Like some kind of unspoken rule, everyone lives their lives centered around their own town, only ever going as far as the one next door. I always thought going beyond that was forbidden.

But this time, we’re going to the royal capital. Passing through town after town to get there. Even Saine and the others, who were born and raised in this world, don’t know what’s beyond the next town.

[To us, Reincarnators are special. It doesn’t matter whether they’re women or men. What matters is that they’re reincarnated. Do you understand?]

I felt like I sort of understood, but also not really. When I nodded vaguely, Saine placed his hand under my chin and tilted my face upward.

[This world is full of men, but it’s not like we think in terms of being with another man or being with a woman. The only distinction we make is whether someone is a Reincarnator or not. In other words, as long as you are reincarnated, you are special to the people of this world.]

I still didn’t quite get it and tilted my head.

I understood that Reincarnators were special, but male Reincarnators were different, weren’t they? Saine knew the truth about male Reincarnators, but even Dole, who didn’t know everything, still thought of us as inauspicious—rarely bearing children, considered unlucky. We don’t even have kids, so what’s the point in attacking us? There’s no reward, just the risk.

Maybe he somehow read that train of thought, because Dole leaned forward slightly to meet my eyes.

[To put it simply, whether you can have kids or not, to us, Reincarnators are… partners we do it with.]

Thump—my heart skipped a beat.

[Whether a child is born or not is just a result. Saying there’s no point in doing it if kids don’t come from it—that’s something only someone who’s never actually seen a Reincarnator says. When you’re face to face with one, keeping your reason in check… it’s pretty hard.]

Saine’s arms around me tightened.

[…… Bu, but…… But you know, I’m a man, right?]

I pointed at myself but Dole just smiled faintly.

[And I’ve said it many times before, haven’t I? Man or woman, it does not matter. Whether you’re a Reincarnator or not……That’s what’s important]

But, but I’m a man, and the world is overflowing with them. Do those people, who are sick of looking at men, look at another fellow and want to do it?

[Until I actually saw a reincarnated man with my own eyes, I wondered if I would be aroused by another man, but that turned out to be an unnecessary worry.]

Dole took his eyes off of me and stared at Saine.

[Reincarnators are special, after all. How do I put it, they smell different. Completely different from us. I can’t think of them as a man like us.]

Kent and Duke said so. The two who have the same build as the people here pretended to be one of them but they were discovered immediately. The apparently smell different, they were told.

[Besides, you’re small and adorable. If you continue to grow to be around that Haruka’s size, you’d still be cute. If you offer to be my Reincarnator, I’d accept it without hesitation.]

Saying it with a grinning face, I couldn’t tell if Dole is being serious or not.

But even so, there was one thing I’d come to understand about my place as a Reincarnator. In short, we were fodder. Fodder tossed into a pack of hungry stray dogs.

I had Saine come with me to Allec’s house. It wasn’t just because of what Dole had said—I’d simply become scared to walk through town on my own.

On top of that, the lingering discomfort in my butt was no joke, and I couldn’t walk normally. To anyone watching, I probably looked like someone who’d been thoroughly used, my whole body screaming it loud and clear.

Maybe Saine thought the same thing. We hadn’t even taken a few steps past the guild when he suddenly lifted me up with ease.

[Looks like he scared you a bit too much. Listen to just half of what Dole said.]

I hug his thick neck tightly.

[Is my ass being targeted?]

[We’re not completely that beastly. However, be careful.]

[I…… I don’t want to do it unless it’s with you. I don’t want another man’s dick inside me other than yours, Saine.]

[Naturally.]

Saine patted my back lightly.

[Saine, I love you.]

I whispered but there’s no answer. Are they not allowed to respond affectionately either?

[The reason why you can’t give me a reply is because you’re scared of Chinbou-sama’s wrath?]

[……So you heard?]

[From Dole. “I cherish you.” is also forbidden, isn’t it?]

[I’ll never be able to stick it in you again.]

When I chuckled, Saine gave me a slight glare.

[Guards are a superstitious lot. You can’t just dismiss old sayings.]

[I get that. Haruka’s grandma used to say the same. “People in the old days were wise. They passed down these rules for a reason, so don’t ignore them.”]

She also used to say even a sardine head is sacred if you believe in it—but that you shouldn’t be too blindly faithful in anything either.

[You understand well. Even if you think it’s foolish, if something bad happens because you broke a rule, you’d regret it, wouldn’t you?]

[Yeah. I won’t ask you to say things to reassure me anymore. But just tell me this—]

I leaned back slightly to look at Saine.

[Can I stay by your side? I know I’m not useful right now, but I’ll work hard so that someday I’ll be able to help you. So… you’ll let me stay with you, right?]

Saine stopped walking and stared into me with those pitch-black eyes of his, sharp and unwavering.

[Yes. I will never let you go.]

Relieved, I hugged him tightly.

[You’re already doing plenty to help me.]

[You mean, like… at night?]

[Not just that.]

Saine let out a soft laugh.

[When you’re behind me, I become stronger than I ever think I can be. You’re my guardian spirit.]

The only God here is Chinbou-sama. When I unconsciously look at my crotch, Saine roared out in laughter.

I instinctively looked down at my crotch, and Saine burst out laughing.

[No, not like that. Yeah, people here worship Chinbou-sama, but for guards, there’s also the concept of a guardian spirit. Especially for beginners—someone who protects your life. No matter how much you train or how much experience you gain, this job is full of uncertainty. In the end, you have to leave your fate to luck.]

[And that’s… the guardian spirit?]

[Yes. A god who protects only you.]

[I’m protecting you, Saine?]

[You are. You’re my final line of defense. You give me the strength to take that one last step.]

My heart began to pound hard—thump thump thump—and I hugged Saine tight.

[I’m so happy. Saine, I love you like crazy.]

Saine didn’t say anything back. But even so, I wasn’t anxious anymore.

TN: Apologies for the infrequent updates, been having trouble IRL, Will try to consistently update weekly at least.