41-38

Chapter 38: Disciplining a Man in the Reversed World (2) 

The Renes territory’s knight order is renowned throughout the kingdom. 

Senya, among them, is a standout powerhouse one of the few in the domain who could even hope to match her in combat. Though her experience is still limited, there’s no doubt that with a few more years of achievement, she could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Three Knights. 

Having such a person as an older sister was a great source of pride for Seiji. 

“Have you calmed down a bit?” 

“Y-yeah... sniffle.” 

Senya tried to soothe Seiji’s anger and tears. 

But the pain in his face kept stoking his anger, and in the end, the ache in his chest erupted into another round of sobbing. 

“Ugh, sis, sis...” 

“Oh, look at you crying again. You’ve always been such a crybaby, Seiji. All grown up but still a baby.” 

“I’m not a baby!” 

“Maybe not, but you’ll always be my baby.” 

Whenever something happened, he’d always come to her first how could she not see him as a child? 

But as precious family, she couldn’t just leave him to suffer. 

“Calm down and tell me what happened.” 

“Well, what happened is...” 

At her urging, Seiji explained what had happened. 

He cleverly twisted the truth, hiding that he’d approached first and greatly exaggerating the supposed brutality of the man who hit him. 

“So you and your friends went to see the male gladiator the Three Knights are training, and despite your kindness, he acted arrogantly and got violent?” 

“Yeah, that’s right. Even though he’s a man, he was so violent! Look at my cheek, it’s so swollen... I’ve never even been hit by Mom, isn’t this too much?” 

“...It is pretty bad. Hard to believe another man would do this.” 

Men are supposed to be gentle, but Seiji’s pretty face was a wreck. 

Watching him, Senya gritted her teeth and muttered, 

“So even a man can be a brute...” 

“Yeah, exactly. That’s why the lord made him a gladiator. I heard he even sold his body in the arena to win...!” 

Seiji continued to curse and badmouth the man. 

Senya could sense the malice in his words, but decided not to address it for now. 

To her, Seiji was a beloved family member a boy she always had to protect. 

“I can’t just let this go.” 

“You’re going after him?” 

“I can’t just stand by when my brother’s been hurt. Leave that man to me, and you go see the priest for treatment.” 

“R-really? I can trust you?” 

“Of course. Has your big sister ever refused you?” 

She smiled and patted his head, her affection clear. 

“You don’t have to worry about anything. No matter what, I’ll always protect you.” 

And she always had. 

When he got lost in the woods, when he was attacked by wild animals, when jealous kids bullied him for his looks... 

She was always there, and under her protection, he’d grown into a proper knight. 

He trusted her completely, believing she’d make things right. 

‘Heh, that bastard. Acting tough just because he’s a man he picked the wrong opponent.’ 

He was sure his sister would soon bring him the news he wanted. 

Confident, Seiji left her side and headed off to the cathedral for treatment. 

The next day, after being discharged from the cathedral, Seiji returned to his sister’s quarters, expecting to hear good news. 

“Sis!” 

“Oh, oh. Seiji... good morning.” 

Senya greeted him with an awkward tone. 

It was unlike her, but Seiji didn’t notice right away. 

All he cared about was what happened to the man who ruined his face. 

“What happened to that guy yesterday? You put him in his place, right?” 

“...” 

“...Sis?” 

Senya didn’t answer, just hung her head. 

Only then did Seiji notice something was off. 

Her face was flushed, she clutched her arm, and she was looking away like she was embarrassed by some memory. 

“Ahem.” 

Senya cleared her throat and finally glanced at Seiji. 

“Well, Seiji... I talked to him yesterday.” 

“...Talked?” 

“Yeah, I couldn’t just attack a man, so I tried to resolve things peacefully...” 

Talk? What was she saying? 

He’d wanted her to mess him up even worse than he was. 

“But after talking, he didn’t seem like a bad person.” 

Her words were the opposite of what he’d hoped for. 

She even sounded a little sympathetic, leaving Seiji stunned. Senya continued, a bit shyly, 

“The whole ‘criminal’ thing is a misunderstanding. He was a wanderer without any proof of identity, so he became an illegal resident... Actually, the lord forced him into the gladiator job because she needed a male fighter. I felt kind of sorry for him.” 

“W-what are you talking about, sis?” 

Unable to take it anymore, Seiji shouted. 

“Did you forget what I said yesterday? You know he’s the reason my face is like this!” 

“Well, that’s true, but...” 

“But what? Aren’t you mad your brother got beaten up?” 

He wanted her to be furious, to want to break the guy’s arms and legs but instead, she was showing sympathy. 

It made no sense to Seiji, and he hoped her behavior would change if he pressed her. 

She’d always stood up for him, never refused a request. 

But... 

“...Seiji. From what I heard, you and your friends ganged up on him first, right?” 

“Sis?” 

“I’ve heard some bad things about you since you joined the order. Skipping training, making other women do your work...” 

“Sis, what are you saying? Why are you bringing that up now?” 

“I just think maybe you were in the wrong, and he only used violence as a last resort.” 

Wrong. 

A word he’d never heard from her before. 

Hearing it, Seiji felt a sense of disconnect from reality, and confusion quickly turned to rage. 

“Sis, what’s gotten into you today?” 

This shouldn’t be happening. 

The sister who always protected him was now scolding him. 

“Normally, you’d have punished him right away, but now you’re listening to him? That’s not like you at all!” 

“Not like me? Of course I love you, Seiji, but do you really think I should do everything you ask, even if it’s wrong?” 

“Of course! No matter what, you’re always supposed to be on my side!” 

She’d always protected him, even if the world turned against him. 

“...I see. Now I know who’s really at fault.” 

But it was as if she felt betrayed by him. Her face slowly filled with contempt a feeling she’d never shown her beloved brother before, and never thought she’d have to. 

“I thought you’d grow up eventually, but maybe I spoiled you too much.” 

“Sis?” 

“Sigh, fine. I’ll talk to him again today like you want, but you go back for now.” 

“No, don’t just talk teach him a lesson...” 

“I said I’ll handle it. Are you going to disobey me?” 

For the first time, his sister snapped at him. 

Seiji was stunned, not knowing how to react, and left. 

But her words left him confused long after. 

‘What’s going on? Why is she taking his side instead of mine?’ 

Did that guy somehow seduce her? Did he badmouth Seiji to her? 

‘I need to find out what’s going on.’ 

Since this involved his family, he couldn’t leave it to anyone else. 

He hid near her quarters and watched her, then secretly followed when she left. 

She was heading toward that infuriating man. 

Maybe she was finally going to settle things but when he arrived, she was acting strangely cautious. 

“Um, Aid, are you here?” 

“Oh, Senya. Didn’t expect to see you.” 

They spoke each other’s names as if they were friends. 

Seiji was shocked, but the two didn’t notice and just chatted. 

“Did you get home safe yesterday?” 

“Yeah, I did. Still training?” 

“Yeah. You never know who you’ll face next, so it’s best to be prepared. Could you help me train today, too?” 

“S-sure. If you don’t mind.” 

Senya’s face turned bright red with embarrassment. 

It was a reaction Seiji knew well he’d seen it in women who liked him. 

‘Sis, no way...’ 

No, impossible. 

This was the guy who hit her little brother her sworn enemy. 

She couldn’t possibly like him. 

“Could you hold my legs for sit-ups?” 

“Ah, okay.” 

But contrary to his expectations, she was helping with his training. 

When Aid sat up and exposed his stomach, Senya hurriedly pulled his shirt down. 

“W-what are you doing!? Be more careful!” 

“Oh, was I being careless?” 

“Really, be careful. I’m still a woman, you know.” 

She seemed flustered around men. 

As Seiji watched, Aid grinned and joked, 

“What’s the big deal? You saw everything yesterday anyway.” 

‘Saw everything? What does that mean?’ 

“T-that was just the alcohol talking...” 

‘Alcohol? What are they talking about?’ 

He couldn’t understand any of it, and anxiety grew. 

Senya glanced at Aid, speaking in a strained voice. 

“Um... Aid.” 

“Yeah? What is it?” 

“I don’t really remember what we did yesterday... Could we do it again?” 

Do it again? What? 

“...Let’s move somewhere else.” 

A bad feeling crept in. 

Unable to intervene, Seiji watched as Aid led Senya to his room. 

‘Sis...’ 

A terrible possibility entered his mind. 

He tried to deny it. 

There’s no way his proud sister, admired by all, would let herself be toyed with by a man. 

‘Please, no...’ 

He followed them to the room, peeking through the door. 

But what he saw inside was exactly what he’d feared. 

His sister, stripping off her armor and shyly revealing her naked body. 

“D-don’t stare, it’s embarrassing...” 

 Thump, thump. 

Seiji’s heart pounded as he watched the scene unfold.