It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 50

 Chapter 50:

A society where women dominate men means that all inheritance rights stem from women.

In a way, this might be the most reliable method of inheritance.

After all, a child born from a woman’s womb is undeniably hers.

There’s no chance of mixed blood or raising a cuckoo’s child.

However, this also means that men are merely seed providers.

Beyond that, they hold no rights whatsoever.

Thus, in marriage, men are nothing more than an appendage to the woman. The idea of a man taking the initiative to seek a bride has long been relegated to old legends. Yet, as with any world, there are always exceptions.

“…”

At Eric’s words, Ragna blinked, his expression one of confusion. Seeing this, Eric couldn’t help but laugh as he explained further.

“To put it simply, those guys come from high-ranking noble families.”

“High-ranking noble families… I see. That’s how it is?”

A memory flashed through Ragna’s mind—something Karen had said during his meeting with Anneliese.

She had mentioned, “Perhaps those girls were intimidated by the Steiner family name.”

“Probably the same case for you, right?” Eric added.

Ragna nodded for now. Eric muttered, “As expected,” under his breath.

“…But even so, isn’t it improper for a man to propose on his own?” Ragna asked, recalling a story about Seria’s father.

When things had settled and Seria had confessed her feelings for him, she’d shared the story of her parents. Her father had approached her mother first and confessed his love.

But such an act was unacceptable by societal norms, and the two had no choice but to flee to the mountains.

Eric gave a wry smile at Ragna’s question.

“Of course, a man proposing directly is a bit much. But if the proposal comes under the family’s name, it’s fine. For an ordinary family, a man’s family initiating a marriage proposal would be an issue, but those guys come from houses powerful enough to overlook such things.”

“Hm… Even so, what do they gain by seeking out capable women to marry?” Ragna asked.

“It’s not about what they gain. It’s about what their families gain.”

“…?”

“When those guys marry, the women don’t take their own family names but adopt the man’s family name. If you were in their position and got married, Ragna, your bride would take the Steiner name.”

“…Is that even possible? I thought men couldn’t carry their family names…”

“I told you, those guys come from families where that’s allowed. For them, things like training courses don’t matter. Unless there’s a wartime emergency, they won’t be conscripted, so they don’t need it anyway.”

It was akin to the concept of a son-in-law taken into the family.

It was a method used by high-ranking noble families to add talent to their lineage and to avoid sharing the blood of a knight with other houses.

“…I see,” Ragna said.

“Yeah. That’s why Teacher Fiona doesn’t bother saying anything to them. Or rather, they’re not the type to listen anyway.”

Eric sighed, and Ragna gave a bitter smile, agreeing.

As they talked, they reached the school courtyard. Gradually, women began to appear around them.

“…”

Eric started to shrink back, trying to avoid attention. Ragna looked at him curiously but soon understood why. It was the gazes of the women around them.

At this academy, there was only one reason for a man to be here especially one wearing the academy’s uniform.

He was a male knight. And to women, male knights were the ultimate prize.

“Heh heh heh…”

“…”

Sultry smiles. Piercing gazes. They didn’t feel like seduction so much as predators eyeing delicious prey.

Especially the older women, close to adulthood, seemed ready to pounce if not for the surrounding eyes. The word “stud” flashed through Ragna’s mind again.

“…Let’s take a detour,” Ragna suggested.

“…Yeah.”

Even with nerves of steel, navigating through a den of such beasts was daunting. Ragna, looking a bit unnerved, led Eric along a different path. He could still feel the women’s piercing gazes on his back.

After walking a bit, a familiar voice called out from behind.

“Hey, Ragna!”

“…!”

Eric flinched at the voice, while Ragna turned around with a welcoming expression. As expected, Seria was approaching.

“Seri—”

It had only been half a day, but in his excitement to see her, Ragna almost called out her name. Then he realized something Seria wasn’t alone. She was flanked by two girls, likely from her year.

A tall, red-haired woman spoke with a smile.

“Hm, ‘Seri,’ huh? Calling her by a nickname suggests you’re more than just acquaintances.”

“A-Annie! That’s rude to say on a first meeting!”

“But look at how chummy Seria’s acting. It’s hard to see it as anything but that kind of relationship, right, Lily?”

“D-Don’t jump to conclusions like that!” stammered a petite, black-haired girl on the other side, who reminded Ragna of Eric. As the girls approached, Eric’s nervous twitching intensified.

“U-Um, Ragna?” Eric whispered.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve known Seria for a while.”

“N-No, even so…”

By then, Seria had reached them, grinning brightly at Ragna. Instinctively, he almost reached out to pat her head but remembered his morning resolution and quickly pulled back.

Perhaps because of this, Seria looked slightly disappointed but soon noticed Eric.

“Oh? Ragna, who’s this?”

“…Right, men and women are trained separately, so you wouldn’t know each other,” Ragna muttered, pointing to Eric, who was trembling behind him. “This is Eric Tranmier, a male knight training with me. And Eric, this is Seria Brandzburg.”

“P-Pleased to meet you, Eric Tranmier,” Seria said politely.

“F-F-First meeting, Lady Seria Brandzburg. It’s an honor to speak with someone as renowned as you,” Eric replied, his voice trembling.

“…”

The two exchanged formal greetings, Eric’s voice shaking noticeably.

Feeling a tug on his clothes, Ragna turned to Eric.

“U-Um, Ragna.”

“Yeah?”

“I, uh… I just remembered something urgent I need to take care of, so I should go…”

“Hm, really?”

“Y-Yeah, so, um…”

“…”

Eric was clearly flustered, stammering incoherently.

Ragna scratched his head. There was no way Eric had suddenly remembered something urgent. He was probably just uncomfortable being surrounded by girls.

Given Eric’s frail condition, forcing him to stay didn’t seem right.

“…Alright, just tell me where the library is later.”

“Y-Yeah, got it. I’ll, uh… excuse myself!”

With a quick bow, Eric bolted away.

“Wait!” Seria called, trying to stop him, but Eric was already gone. Weak or not, a knight’s physical ability far surpassed an ordinary person’s.

“He got away! …What a shame, he was kinda my type,” Annie said.

“W-Wait, Annie! Stop talking like that! It’s rude!” Seria protested.

“Haha, sure, but with you clinging to him, it’s not like I could make a move anyway, right?”

“Tch, w-well, that’s true, but… hold on, don’t act like it’s a done deal! You don’t even know what our relationship is, and saying stuff like that could cause trouble for both of us!”

“Hm, maybe, but…” Annie said, eyeing Ragna and Seria closely. Seria flinched and stepped back under her gaze.

“…It really doesn’t look like there’s nothing going on.”

“N-No, that’s not…”

“So, how far have you two gone? A kiss? Some skinship? Or maybe…” Annie asked slyly.

“…”

Annie’s teasing pushed Seria into a corner. Smirking, Annie continued,

“…Maybe you’ve already gone all the way?!”

“…!”

“W-Wait, Annie! I told you that’s too rude for a first meeting!”

“—Or not. Haha, sorry, sorry, just kidding. Just… kidding?” Annie trailed off.

“…”

Something seemed to click.

Seria’s face turned as red as a boiled tomato. Ragna just gave a wry smile. Seeing this, Annie and Lily’s expressions stiffened.

“W-Wait, for real? You actually went all the way?” Annie asked.

“S-Seri?! No way?!” Lily stammered.

“N-No, it’s not like that, I mean…” Seria fumbled.

“You did it! …Though I never imagined Seri would beat me to it. I’ve been one-upped. What do you think, Lily?” Annie asked.

“…”

“…Lily?”

“…”

“…Oh no, was that too much for her?”

“Awawawawa…”

The red-haired Annie scratched her head awkwardly. The black-haired Lily’s eyes seemed to lose focus. And Seria was floundering, at a loss for what to do.

It was a chaotic scene, to say the least. Ragna couldn’t help but sigh.

It seemed like a peaceful break was out of the question.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id