Chapter 1 : It’s A Harem, But The Women Are Scary

Being popular with the opposite sex isn’t always a good thing.

You can tell by listening to stories about handsome or beautiful people how annoying and exhausting their lives can be.

Having no connection with good looks, I only realized this fact after being reborn.

“Um… Excuse me… Mr. Wade.”

Another woman came today.

A noble dressed in a splendid gown and jewelry.

Someone so valuable that it would be a waste to give them away.

She wriggled her body as she chose her words.

Her red face and every shy movement hinted that she had fallen in love with that woman.

“What would you like to say?”

“Well, I mean… I….”

“Please feel free to speak without any burden.”

I had just started to eat, so I put down my knife and fork.

I could tell what the woman was going to say, and I had little interest.

I wished she would just state her business and leave quickly… but I didn’t show it.

Isn’t it too much? Well, probably not.

Because that woman doesn’t like me, but someone else.

“Um… Where is Mr. Kalian…?”

By the way, my name is Wade.

Kalian is the owner of the mansion where I currently reside.

“That friend went out for a while. I heard he went hunting.”

“I see.”

As soon as I informed her that there was no one she was looking for, the woman’s attitude completely changed.

She suddenly stopped being so shy, as if embarrassed, and handed me a letter she had concealed behind her back.

“Mr. Wade, if it’s not too much trouble, could you please deliver this letter to Mr. Kalian?”

“Yes, sure.”

“It’s a very precious letter filled with my sincere feelings. Please make sure it gets to him intact.”

“Alright.”

She seemed slightly dissatisfied that I responded as if it was nothing, but since it was her regret, she maintained her courtesy until she left.

The maid who took the letter on my behalf threw it into a basket in the corner as the woman left.

The basket was full of similar letters.

My maid, Maria, asked,

“What should we do with these?”

“We’ll burn them all at once later. This is only about half of today’s total.”

“They’re annoying.”

“Annoying, indeed.”

I sighed briefly.

If only I were loved and popular, I could handle it.

But what women want isn’t me, but my friend Kalian Bright.

Why do they keep coming to me to deliver their love?

They should just go directly and settle it themselves.

Receiving women’s confessions of love at Kalian’s mansion instead of Kalian himself felt absurd.

If it were only the first few times, I could overlook it, but now it’s become routine.

“It should be just a day or two. Isn’t that right, Kalian?”

Thump thump.

I slammed the table.

I sent away the annoying guest.

I needed to finish my meal before another guest arrived.

Just as I was picking up my knife and fork, another maid opened the door and entered to serve the next course.

The mansion’s maid smiled kindly.

“Do you like the food at the mansion?”

“01.”

“I’m glad to hear that. But where has Mr. Kalian gone? I haven’t heard anything about him.”

“He said he went to meet someone in a neighboring territory for a while. Anyway….”

I stared directly at her.

“You’re not from this mansion. Who are you?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Even if you pretend not to know, it’s no use. I don’t come here just once or twice, and you probably couldn’t remember the servants’ faces, could you?”

“Ah, you’ve caught me.”

The maid setting the table hastily took off her maid uniform.

She didn’t show any signs of being rattled by having her true identity discovered and took out a letter from her bosom.

“Please deliver this to Mr. Kalian.”

“You’re shameless sneaking in like this. If you don’t want me to deliver it?”

“From now on, you should avoid the dark.”

“Alright, I’ll deliver it.”

After hearing the response, the woman bowed her head and disappeared like smoke.

Such fuss.

If Kalian likes her, he would make proper arrangements and come, not sneak in like a spy.

“Maria, take these and burn them all too. The basket is getting full.”

“Should I burn them here?”

“No, because someone else might see, burn them somewhere else.”

“Understood.”

Maria took the letter basket and left her place.

After the room had completely quieted down, I slammed the table once more.

“Come out now.”

“Uh…”

A man crawled out from under the table covered with cloth.

It was Kalian Bright, the owner of this mansion, my friend, and the person responsible for the affection received from the women I’ve encountered so far.

Kalian scratched the back of his head and laughed.

“Ha ha, I called you to have a meal together. I ended up assigning you another annoying task.”

“Sit down. You must have been starving until now.”

“I’m really hungry.”

Having been cautious for a moment, he flopped down across from me and only then began to eat comfortably.

This is quite… unexpected.

Completely unexpected.

In the novel I was reading, Harem Knight Success Story, he was a character who, with the love and support of numerous heroines, saved a world on the brink of destruction.

However, upon entering the world of the novel, reality was different.

I thought Kalian would remain cool when approached by any woman and would casually brush off anyone trying to confess their love, portraying him as an insensitive character.

Instead, he simply feared women.

He didn’t realize he was popular and didn’t explicitly favor any particular heroine, instead juggling relationships with all the heroines…

Not the cliché harem trope.

Does that make sense?

He’s afraid.

The protagonist of a harem story, afraid of women.

At first, it was absurd. I wondered how this could happen and whether something had changed because I entered this world.

However, combining what I read in the novel with life here, everything aligned perfectly.

He genuinely feared women.

The reason turned out to be surprisingly simple.

Whether it was the author’s intent or some sort of curse, I don’t know, but he had been popular with women since he was young.

Having many women approach him meant there were also many abnormal women.

As a result… he had experienced too many mentally unstable women from a young age.

Noblewomen would kidnap him when he was young, or the leader of an assassination squad would come at night to sing him lullabies.

From a young age, he was dealing with this madness, making it hard for anyone sane to be around him.

Even I would develop a fear of women.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

“Eat a lot. There’s still plenty of time before the day is over.”

You’re having a tough time.

At first, I was baffled upon realizing he had a fear of women.

On one hand, I felt sorry for him, knowing that his destiny was to save the world by being involved with countless women.

I considered just ignoring it and living my own life… but human emotions are unpredictable.

I felt sorry for him, and I thought that if something went wrong and he failed to save the world, I would also be doomed for doing nothing.

So, I have been taking care of him since he was young—protecting him from crazy women and helping him regain his composure whenever his mental state wavered.

Because of that, we became close enough that I could share my true feelings with him.

But now, it seems that is coming to an end.

“Kalian, how’s the preparation for the academy going?”

I brought up the most important agenda, an event that would be a significant turning point in Kalian’s life.

He was mumbling about the food he was chewing and paused for a moment before nodding his head.

“Ah, uh… it’s going well.”

“You made a good decision. You absolutely have to go there. It’s your destiny.”

“What destiny are you talking about….”

It’s destiny.

You will gain the people, resources, and skills you need from there.

The background of the original novel also starts when he enrolls in the academy.

The events that happened before and my meeting with him were just a prequel.

It took a lot of effort to bring him here safely.

From now on, new friends will handle these matters.

I just need to walk a path of flowers from here on out.

“Wade… what’s with that smile?”

“Nothing, just wondering if little Kalian will adapt well.”

“Little? Even though I owe you a lot, I’m clearly an adult.”

“Yeah, you’ll do fine.”

It was an awkward conversation for just two men, but in this world, cringe-worthy interactions are the norm. Having adapted to this place, I naturally offered him words of encouragement.

Kalian rummaged through his food.

“Speaking of the academy, did you say you’re going to enroll too?”

“No, I said I wouldn’t. Didn’t I tell you like a hundred times?”

“Why not? There’s so much to learn, and once you graduate from there, everything is guaranteed. Wealth, fame, even official positions.”

“It might suit you since you have grand ambitions, but for someone like me who enjoys staying at home and being lazy, it’s not for me.”

Ever since he was considering enrolling in the academy, he had repeatedly suggested that I join him.

I declined every time.

Why would I go to such a place unless I was crazy?

The academy is one of the places where important figures in this world gather.

Who knows how I’ll get involved with whom if I join without a reason.

Hearing my refusal, Kalian mumbled with a slightly dejected expression.

“Yeah, that’s right…”

“Don’t worry and go ahead. Even without me, you’ll adapt quickly there. You’ll probably forget about someone like me in no time.”

“I guess so…….”

“I told you.”

Having seen him up close, I know that his fear of women has significantly improved over time.

He’s requesting less and less for me to handle interactions with women on his behalf, and he will eventually adapt to the harem.

His dependence on me will naturally fade away.