How to Steal the Protagonist's Women

Chapter 4: How to Steal the Hero's Sister [2]

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 flavours?

"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 rumour spread.

-"Oh my, he's really here!"

-"Wow, how fascinating."

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

-"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-travelling 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...

'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 has arisen.

"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."