Chapter 4 How to Steal a Protagonist’s Woman

I regretted saying I was hungry.

Just as I stepped out of the room, the chief invited me to dine with him.

Even though it was just for me to eat, the portion was huge.

But…

“It tastes fucking terrible…”

[There might be a cultural gap due to the different times, which can’t be helped.]

Have I become too accustomed to sweet and salty flavors?

“Still, I learned a lot from the chief’s endless chatter during dinner.”

The reason the chief tried to kick me out was due to a peculiar rule in the village.

Young men are not allowed entry.

However, he didn’t explain why.

“There’s something he’s reluctant to talk about…”

[Maybe you could find out more by asking the villagers?]

“That’s true, but if the village is hiding something, it could be dangerous.”

[For any particular reason?]

“Typical plot cliché. A village hiding something? That’s a sign of danger.”

[…]

What, is my opinion weird? Huh?!

I decided to leave the chief’s house and walk around the village.

As I wandered, it became apparent.

The villagers were all women, with only the occasional middle-aged or older man in sight.

Even the village patrol was all women.

A burly woman suddenly appeared, pointing a spear at me.

Ten of me wouldn’t stand a chance against her…

“Where are you from? Leave immediately!”

“I have permission from the chief to…”

After explaining this.

“Oh, sorry. You’re free to go.”

“…”

And then a few steps later, again.

“Where are you from? Leave immediately!”

“I have permission from the chief to…”

After explaining this.

“Oh, sorry. You’re free to go.”

“…”

Is this some kind of copy-paste thing?

No, I’ve encountered these NPC-like women at least 15 times now.

“Where are you from!”

“The chief allowed me to…”

“Oh, sorry… go on.”

“Where…”

“The chief…”

“Oh, sorry…”

The dialogue never changes.

It really feels like I’m in a game.

Fantasy Punk 1077.

I could see the women in the village slowly gathering as the rumor spread.

-“Oh my, he’s really here!”

-“Wow, how fascinating.”

All the women looked at me as if I were a unicorn, something marvelous.

-“I heard that all men are handsome when young, but he’s not that great?”

-“Right, and his clothes are strange too. Ho ho.”

Are they looking at me like a rhinoceros?

Want to get hit by a time-traveling rhinoceros?

The day passed without much progress, and then came the inevitable patrol members.

“Where are you from? Leave immediately!”

These Fucking Ai like…
***

“Where are you from? Leave immediately!”

“…”

I’m sure this has happened over 50 times now.

At first, I thought the women here might have low intelligence.

Or maybe this place was really like being inside a programmed game.

[It’s strange. That patrol member already checked you earlier.]

‘Ah, I think I get it now.’

From the reactions around me, I could tell.

These women…

“Hurry up and answer!”

They were just flirting with me.

[Because you’re an outsider?]

‘Well, that’s part of it, but I think it’s because I’m a man.’

[Because you’re a man?]

‘Young men are rare here, so they keep playing around. And on my way here, I saw some patrol members giggling as they looked at me.’

[That’s a big problem.]

Already standing out, being harassed like this made it impossible to do anything.

I repeated the same old line.

“I have permission from the chief to…”

The patrol member, having heard my explanation, smirked and repeated her usual line.

“Oh, sorry. You’re free to go.”

Free my foot…

I stopped the patrol member as she was about to leave.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

The robust woman turned to face me, her eyes filled with expectation.

Wow, creepy…

“Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?”

“No, no, it’s nothing…”

The patrol woman started to look extremely flustered. Maybe she was taken aback by my polite behavior.

‘Does this feel like a gender role reversal game or something?’

[What do you mean?]

‘It’s a game where the social positions of men and women are reversed. I once played this game called ‘A Man’s Guide to Fiction’, which was really fun after a long while.’

[Was it an adult game?]

Huh, it’s kind of exciting to hear Armonia say ‘adult game’.

‘It was originally called ‘A Man’s Guide to Pornography’, but when it was released, they changed it to ‘A Man’s Guide to Fiction’, which is a full-age game. It’s been years since I’ve played an all-ages game.

I was in a situation strikingly similar to that game.

In the game, a female character harasses the male protagonist with lewd comments on his novel, but when treated gently, she becomes madly supportive, even financially.

Using that money for dates with the female lead was really funny.

I decided to put on a mask of a gentleman and act as politely as possible.

“I apologize for causing any inconvenience. I know you must be busy protecting the village. I’ll try not to come out much until I leave the village.”

“Wait a moment!”

The robust woman’s voice was as powerful as her physique.

She grabbed my shoulder as I turned to leave, almost breaking my neck.

Her forearms were thicker than my thighs.

And then the woman apologized to me with a flustered look.

“Sorry…”

***
The woman confessed the truth.

In just one day, I had become quite famous among the patrol members, and they all wanted to talk to me, knowing they wouldn’t get the chance to meet or hang out otherwise.

They probably thought, “He’s a man, and he won’t be around in a few days, so why not?”

But this woman apologized and treated me kindly when I showed some politeness.

I didn’t miss the opportunity to gather as much information as possible.

“Haha, I’ll make sure to tell the other members. You won’t be bothered anymore.”

“Thank you very much.”

As I turned to leave, the woman called out to me again.

“Uh, excuse me.”

“Yes, do you need something?”

“That… uh, would you like to have a drink sometime?”

“…”

Good grief…

If I had nothing to gain from this woman, I would have ignored and moved on. I didn’t even want to talk to her, but I had to for the sake of information.

But getting close to a patrol member could be highly advantageous.

Moreover, I heard that these women patrol members were incredibly skilled, having been drafted from the kingdom.

But I couldn’t just accept her offer without some resistance.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh… I see. I shouldn’t have…”

The woman, looking disappointed.

It’s funny to experience this from the perspective of a man in a reversed world.

‘Man’s Guide to Fiction’s Jihoon, I’m following in your footsteps.

“I just arrived today, and with the chief around, it might be too conspicuous for an outsider to be at the tavern.”

“Oh! Right!!”

Her enthusiastic reaction…

It’s like she saw another chance.

Kind of pitiable, really.

“I’ll treat you in a few days.”

“No, no, it was my idea to drink! Don’t worry about the money!”

Her expression was like that of a woman who just got a positive response to her confession to the man she’s been secretly in love with.

Even though she looked like a She-Hulk.

“No, I insist. I’ve received so much help from you. More than anything… I really want to treat you.”

“Oh…uh…”

I smiled as convincingly as I could.

The woman looked flustered, as if her face was about to explode.

“Then! You buy the drinks, and I’ll, I’ll, I’ll pay for, no, sorry, that’s not what I meant!”

“Haha…”

Is this how a girl feels when talking to a socially awkward guy?

In her mind, she might be dreaming of sleeping with me, receiving the village’s blessings for our wedding, having three kids, marrying them off, and whispering ‘I loved you’ as she watches over my deathbed.

But none of that will happen. Wake up from your dream…

Would I be crazy enough to sleep with a real woman?

And with She-Hulk, no less?

‘I’m doing all this just to get fuck Armonia.’

[I can hear you.]

‘I meant for you to hear.’

[….]

“No matter what, I promise to treat you before I leave.”

“Hahaha, okay! Ah, no. I mean, yes!”

I parted ways with the patrol member, laughing.

Thanks to the patrol member, I learned a crucial fact.

The reason why young men weren’t allowed in the village was because of the hero.

And the village’s perfect security and prosperity were also due to the hero.

And my conclusion was…

‘There’s definitely a woman he’s dating here.’

[The information about him having a girlfriend seems credible. But considering the talk about his sister, it might be because of her.]

‘Unless the hero is a siscon, that shouldn’t be the case…’

According to the patrol member, the hero’s sister still resides here.

Did he create this environment fearing that his sister might meet a man?

Jealous of his sister or sister-in-law meeting other men?

That’s insane.

Fuck, I’m pissed because I’m suddenly thinking about my sister.

Fucking bitch, I wish she’d get hydrochloric acid attacked and then have an immortal body for the rest of her life so she could live in real life hell….

‘Tomorrow should be easier to gather more information.’

[You did well. You’re quite eloquent.]

‘I just played along with…. Hm? Isn’t that the chief?’

The chief I saw during the day was walking somewhere, not alone but with a group of older individuals.

It felt like… a meeting?

“Beep-beep-beep, this is Snake, can you hear me, Otakon?

[What? I’m Armonia, did you forget my name?]
‘…’
I knew it wouldn’t be taken seriously, but it’s still embarrassing…

Time to start the operation!

In a rundown house, a group of seemingly elderly villagers were gathered noisily.
“Who’s that young man roaming around today?”

“He’s wearing some strange clothes.”

“But if he stays, won’t that cause trouble for us?”

“He looks so frail, he could probably faint with just a flick. Let’s flick him out.”

They were clearly talking about me.

Faint from a flick? Do I look that weak?

I hid behind a nearby fence and listened in on the conversation.

Thud! Thud!

“Quiet, quiet!”

The chief was shouting and banging on the table.

“But is that clothing expensive?”

“Let’s confront him. A flick will do the job!”

They’re seriously considering assaulting me just because I seem easy to handle.

The chief’s words did nothing to calm them.

“Aye, listen to me, you lot.”

“Speak up, we’ll listen.”

“Ah, you damn fools.”

The chief, seemingly giving up, forced his words through.

“I know you’re curious about the young man who arrived today. I didn’t kick him out for a reason, which I’m about to explain.”

“The hero might find out, and that could spell doom for us.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to the young man, and he’ll understand.”

“The hero listening to you? Ha… So, why keep him here?”

“Here it is.”

The chief placed something on the table.

“A white pearl, wow, it’s precious.”

“Where did you find this? It’s as big as an eyeball, and must be worth a fortune.”
White? Eyeball?

Strange, the fake Crystal Pearl I gave the chief was at least the size of a baseball.

He must have hidden my fake and brought something seemingly valuable.

“Umph, the young man gave this to me.”

“Oh, he must be rich!”

The villagers started to make a fuss.

“Listen! I allowed him to stay because of this pearl. But I searched him when I brought him here, and not a penny was found. Yet, he suddenly produced this pearl!”

“Oh!”

Their astonishment was palpable.

“So, shouldn’t we shake him down before he leaves? Anyone got ideas?”

“…”

Great, they’re planning to exploit me?

Silence fell among them.

How would they even think of a way to steal something materialized through Enel?

“Ah! How about this?”

“Hm? Go on.”

“Our village is full of young women. Why not try seducing him? Any young man can’t resist a woman.”

“Ah, that’s a good idea.”

Suddenly, the villagers were abuzz with this ‘brilliant’ strategy.

Damn, this is going to be annoying.

I just settled things with the patrol, and now this bigger issue arises.

“Then, everyone, go tell your daughters to try.”

“If Viola steps in, it’ll be over in no time, right?”

“Yeah… But won’t it be a problem if Viola and that young man meet?”

“Aren’t we risking it all if the hero finds out?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already imposed a travel ban on her.”

“Still, it’s risky… If the hero finds out, it won’t end with just words…”

“Relax. We’ve been trouble-free for 10 years. We’ll get through this too.”

I paused to think for a moment.

‘Was the hero’s sister’s name Viola?’

[Yes, that’s correct.]

The villagers quickly filled the room with discussions about a woman named Viola.

Then, a statement from one of the older women struck me.

“He’s always been so fond of his sister, they’re probably going to get married now.”
What!?

“Well, if he likes his sister, then marrying her is the next step.”

“She’s twenty-two and still knows no man but her brother, it’s pitiful…”

“Oh dear, pitiful indeed. He is a hero, after all. I hear he’s turning down princesses from every kingdom…”

“Indeed… A hero is better than a king. Young, strong, wealthy.”

“It’s a blessing for Viola to have a hero as her counterpart.”

Everyone seemed to agree.

Except for me.

‘This could be a solid novel title.’

[What title would that be?]

‘How to Snatch the Hero’s Sister in a World Where Being a Siscon Hero is Normal.’

[That title is quite long.]

‘These kinds of titles are trendy somewhere…’

As I was lost in these thoughts, an old woman’s voice suddenly echoed in the room.

“Hmph, what nonsense they speak.”

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