world of inverted chastity, however, men have no human rights

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!"

A threatening sound, like the cry of a monstrous bird, echoed throughout the guild house.

Uh, what? What?

While I was panicking at the suddenness of it all, a human-sized shadow jumped at me with great force and knocked me to the floor.

The shadow grabbed me by the collar and looked into my eyes with a bloodshot face. It was terrifying.

"Yuuujiiiiiiiiii!! You bastard!!"

"...Ah, perhaps... Guild Master? What's wrong?"

It was a gruff voice, but I finally realized that the monster on top of me was the guild master, Deabolica. I thought about greeting her with, "Your gaze is impressive today," but I felt like I'd be killed without question, so I refrained. It seems I can read the mood sometimes.

"What have you done?! What are you planning?! Why did you incite the people?! You even used the guild's crest as a banner! Are you trying to frame me?!"

"No, that's a misunderstanding. I didn't incite the people; they just got excited on their own. Weren't you the ones who gave us permission to use the Adventurer's Guild sign for business? I just did the business of curing people's illnesses."

I think I managed to explain it logically. Yay! At times like this, it's good to have [Mental Resistance]. If you're traveling in another world on hard mode, please bring it along as your companion. Although… it will ruin your relationships.

Ah, so this is what happens when relationships fall apart. This is bad.

It doesn't really matter, but Deabolica's flesh is softer than I expected. Her hair smells nice, too. Maybe it's because nobles eat different food? Or maybe they bathe more often… I even have the time to think about these things.

Deabolica-san glared at me with eyes like a yakuza about to kill someone. I'm scared. I might pee my pants. Thank you, [Mental Resistance].

"How much?"

"What?"

"How much, and who did you treat?"

"Five silver coins. Anyone, regardless of social status. I think I've seen at least 300 people. Ah, do you want me to pay you 20% of the sales now? To be honest, all those silver coins are heavy."

"Just answer the questions I'm asking, or I'll kill you."

"Yes."

I kept my mouth shut. If she's threatening to kill me, that means she's not planning to kill me just yet.

"You… you… Do you know that our lord's family goes out of their way to attract doctors by paying a high price? Didn't you know how the doctors would react if you did something like that?"

"That's the first time I've heard that. I thought healers could only heal injuries, so I figured it would be okay to cure diseases and poison too. But poor people complain that doctors can't heal them, so maybe there aren't enough doctors? In that case, I thought I could heal people in places where there's a shortage of doctors and make money."

"They're intentionally creating a divide! They're restricting medical services to the poor in order to give the wealthy a sense of superiority! It's obvious logic! In the first place, the people in the slums aren't even citizens! How can the doctors we nobles invite have any obligation to look after people who aren't citizens?!"

"I have no obligation to consider the reputation of such doctors."

"It would be a disgrace to our family to have invited a doctor here! Besides, you did business under the name of the Adventurer's Guild. The head of the Adventurer's Guild is me—the third daughter of the head family! So do you understand that you shouldn't smear my name? That's how it is!"

"I see, that's what you mean. I understand."

I wish she had told me that from the start.

Well, maybe I'm also at fault for not explaining my business plan when I started.

"Okay, I'm in the wrong this time. That's fine."

"Do you think there'll be a next time?"

"You don't want one? You're not planning on using the human resource who can cure any disease and just squash them? That would be a waste."

When I smiled at her, Deabolica-san clicked her tongue with a bitter look on her face.

"…Now I understand what kind of person you are. You're a highly intelligent freak. You're the type of person rulers find most difficult to deal with. You've done well to pretend to be an idiot up until now."

"Thank you for your excessive evaluation."

No, I think I'm stupid. I think I'm crazy, training my body just to dream of being reincarnated in another world. Plus, I'm aware that my [Mental Resistance] is getting the better of me, and I'm even crazier than I was in Japan. I'm less responsive to people around me, and I can't remember things I'm not interested in…

But if the other party gives a high rating, you'd be missing out if you didn't go along with it—your life depends on it.

Besides, if I could easily earn 1,500 silver coins and be enshrined as the leader of a rebellion, even someone as insensitive as me would realize I was more valuable than I thought.

"Well then, please do your best to make the most of me."

"...You were best friends with my cousin. This is the worst—it feels like there are now two of them..."

I heard some laughter, oddly out of place, and Wes was sitting at the usual reception desk, holding his stomach. He seemed to be breathing some good air. I wish I wasn't in the middle of it all so I could sit next to him and watch.

"So, what do we do about this situation for now?"

I looked out the window. The crowd was closing in on the guild, ready to break through the gates and invade. If things continued like this, there would definitely be a bloodbath.

Deabolica-san folded her slender arms and let out a small sigh.

"Before I do anything, answer me one thing: did you call yourself an angel?"

"No, not at all. Somehow, everyone just started calling me that."

To be precise, I told the old man in the slums that I got my powers from God. But I also said that I'm not an angel, so I think I'm safe. ...Aren't I safe?

"I see. Then be happy—your lifeline is intact."

"So calling yourself an angel is a no-go?"

"In that case, we kill them. No matter how useful they are, we'd have no choice but to keep them from living."

Oops. That was a close call.

Well, I wouldn't call myself an angel.

As I watched, wondering what she would do, Deabolica jerked her chin toward me.

"Well then, you need to go out there and tell them: 'I'm sorry, it was actually a scam. The people who were cured were fakes I hired. I'll give you your money back, so please forgive me.'"

"Picture?"

"No, not that. The only way to deal with this false image of angels that you've created is to deny it yourself and destroy it. No matter how much others say it, it's no use. Even if we insist they are fake, the crowd will only become more stubborn, thinking we're insulting the object of their faith. The best thing is for you to admit they're fake."

I repeatedly looked back and forth between the murderous crowd and Deabolica's face.

"...Am I going to appear in front of those people? Me? No, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die."

"You have to take responsibility, Yuuji. You're the one who did business under the guild's name."

"But you were the one who lent us the guild's name in the first place..."

"'Okay, I'm in the wrong this time. That's fine.' That's what you said earlier, right?"

"..."

My expression must have been bitter at that moment.

Remember that, Deabolica. One day, I'll turn that smug face into a tear-stained mess.

As expected, even when I confessed, "It was a scam! I'm sorry☆", people weren't convinced.

Of course not—because the diseases had actually been cured. Those who had been healed claimed I was forced by Deabolica to say it was a fraud, while those who hadn't received treatment got angry, saying it was unfair! "Please cure me too!" That's what happened.

So I tried removing the [Disease Resistance] and [Drug Resistance] from people in the crowd who only had a slight cold or hangover. As expected, they immediately fell ill and began screaming, "This is a scam!"

That's because even if the symptoms disappear due to resistance, the pathogens and alcohol decomposition products remain in the body. Once resistance is removed, the body is attacked again by the virus, and the symptoms reappear. To truly cure a disease with my skill, I'd have to wait until the pathogens are expelled before releasing the effect.

I really felt sorry for the people who were happy their symptoms disappeared. But my life is at stake too, so please forgive me...

However, just as we'd planned, some people shouted, "This is a scam! We want our money back!" while others insisted the angels were telling the truth, and the atmosphere in the crowd grew tense.

I'm in trouble... If I remove everyone's resistance, they'll all believe it's a scam, but I don't want that. It would shatter the joy of the seriously ill people who were crying and thanking me. There were many in the slums who showed signs of tuberculosis. If they fall ill again, it could lead to a pandemic.

I looked toward Deabolica, but it seemed she didn't have a good plan either.

What should I do? That's when I wondered.

"Everyone, isn't that enough? The angel says he has no power to heal illnesses. You who have received his blessings, let us believe his words and rise up."

It was a clear, dignified voice that carried through the crowd.

His voice had such power you couldn't help but listen. A voice full of dignity—one you couldn't believe came from such aged vocal cords. It was the kind of voice only someone with deep life experience could produce.

An elderly man was speaking to the confused crowd.

"Don't mess with me! Get out of here, old man! Hey, you guys, I'm not gonna listen to some old man like this!"

A voice shouted from the crowd.

He glanced in that direction, but the one who yelled was buried in the crowd and said no more.

"That's enough. You have received enough charity. Taking advantage of it, each and every one of you clings to it and devours it. That is so shameless. Even though we are poor, we should not become beasts in our hearts. The angel said the Lord watches over even the humble. That should be enough. We should know how to be satisfied."

"The old man got his leg healed! So you're the only one who gets what you deserve, and the rest of us should just endure it?! The angels' charity is equal for all! It's not fair unless everyone gets healed! The Adventurer's Guild and the nobles betrayed us—we have to take revenge! Right!?"

Suddenly, silence spread.

Then, one by one, the crowd turned toward the old man. No one wanted to support the instigator. Naturally. The instigator was a coward—a shameless man who hid in the crowd and incited others. Who would follow someone like that?

The old man's next words rang out, filled with pity.

"What on earth did you see in the angel's appearance? What he brought to this town was not just relief from illness—it was unconditional love for those who suffer. Didn't you feel anything when you saw him? Didn't you wish to be as kind to others as he was? If you can't feel that, then your life is poor—not only in how you live but in your heart."

Everyone listened intently to the old man's speech.

There was no further argument from the instigator—and even if there had been, no one would have listened.

The old man spread his hands and concluded his story.

"Now, everyone, let's go home. We don't need to be sad if the angel can no longer heal us. We learned from him how to be considerate to our neighbors. Let us make that our greatest treasure. If we see a neighbor in trouble, let's help him with five silver coins. If we ourselves are in trouble, let's give five silver coins and trust we will be helped. Let us take pride in living by supporting each other from now on."

...People quietly returned home, as if the earlier frenzy had been a lie.

When I bowed to the old man after finishing my work, he gave me a wink and quietly left. His unexpectedly playful gesture made me smile.

As I recalled the contents of his speech, I clapped my hands.

"Ah. So that's why everyone followed me..."

We all wanted to be as kind as that person. That shared feeling was what resolved everything without bloodshed.

Honestly, I was motivated by money, which is kind of embarrassing. And the fact that [Mental Resistance] made me too numb to understand that made it even worse.

"Yuji, what's wrong? You've been smiling happily for a while now."

…I see. So now I'm smiling—not a fake one.

I answered Wes as he approached me from behind.

"I just thought again… I'm glad I was kind to my grandpa."