After the meal, the old man continued his explanation.
It was unclear where he had gotten them, but he bit into a roll of dried leaves wrapped in paper, using flint to light it.
Then he took a puff of smoke and exhaled, saying,
"Ugh, damn it... So, where was I in the story?"
"I asked about the women you referred to. And also about the monsters..."
"Oh, right. I was talking about women and the womenfolk. ...Damn it, how am I supposed to explain this? Hey, do you not have any recollection of your parents or the people around you... I mean, the ones you usually lived with? Or maybe memories of wandering in the city?"
At that, Alain shook his head vigorously.
Seeing that, the old man frowned, saying, "I'm losing my mind... Where should I even start the story..."
He took another puff of smoke before tossing the short, burnt cigarette butt to the ground, spitting on it, and then grinding it out with his foot.
"Ugh... Since it's come to this... fine. I might as well start from there. Hey, you. Listen carefully. At least knowing this will not cause you problems living here."
"..."
Alain nodded slightly. In response to Alain's demeanour, the old man similarly nodded, his expression turning serious.
"Listen well; this is very important. Do you understand? Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm telling you this, but anyway, so - First of all, in this world, women are stronger than men. So don't go against women. Got it?"
"...What?"
"Did you catch that? Women are stronger than men. So don't go against women. If you mess up, in an instant, your head could end up like a crushed tomato."
The old man said this with a serious expression, then spat again.
Alain stared blankly at the old man.
'Wait, hold on a second.'
'What on earth does that mean?'
'Women are stronger than men.'
'That didn't make sense.'
Generally, when comparing the physical differences between men and women, it is common for men to be stronger.
Thus, tasks that require strength, like in the military or various construction work, are typically led by men.
However, the old man's words completely contradicted this.
"Tch, without memories, I don't even know where to start. For now, just remember that women are stronger than men. Keep that in mind. And we'll start from there. Do you understand? In this world, the strong dominate the weak. It's a survival of the fittest society."
"..."
"And from the fact that the strong dominate the weak, you can understand... um, do you get it? Anyway, men can't help but be wary of women. They're inherently weaker after all. So, ultimately, you can think that in this world, women hold all the high positions. Leaders of organizations, heads of families, representatives of noble houses, and even the throne itself. All those positions are held by women."
"W-why is that?"
"I told you, you fool! Because women are unbelievably strong! Damn, if it weren't for 'that', it wouldn't have turned out like this..."
As he looked at the grumbling old man, Alain began to rack his brain.
He couldn't make sense of it.
What on earth happened over 500 years that women became stronger than men?
No, before that, how could that even make sense?
Could it be that during his time asleep, the distinctions between men and women had changed? Or was there some significant change that occurred in women's bodies?
As if to answer such questions, the old man spoke.
"Tch, I suppose your questions are valid. It's true that at first glance, women seem smaller and more delicate than men.
Their arms are thin, their waists are slim, and among them are some who look as frail as twigs. So it's not surprising you might dismiss women as weak. I thought that way when I was younger too."
"..."
"But that's the biggest mistake. Sure, among some women, some are weaker than men... but that's only a small fraction. In the first place, almost no women exist who haven't undergone the coming-of-age ceremony."
"Coming-of-age ceremony?"
"Yeah, the coming-of-age ceremony. Once women undergo it, they can gain strength that surpasses men. And because of that coming-of-age ceremony, this world has ended up the way it is now."
As the old man lamented and replied, Alain's doubts deepened even further.
The coming-of-age ceremony allows women to acquire strength greater than men.
What on earth could it be? And why don't men undergo that ceremony?
"Hey, why is that? Why can only women undergo the coming-of-age ceremony?"
"Damn, that's obvious, isn't it? Only women can receive the coming-of-age ceremony."
"...?"
"Don't ask me for the details. That's a secret among women. So no matter how curious you are, it's not something men can know."
"... If that's the case, can't there at least be some interference to prevent them from receiving the coming-of-age ceremony? That way, women wouldn't be able to gain such great strength?"
"Ha ha, you're so naïve. Or is that the reason?"
"...?"
"I thought the same way when I was young. I thought we should just interfere with them gaining that power. But as I grew older, I realized that wasn't possible. From the very start, if there's a way to gain strength greater than men, then which woman would give that up? Just imagine if you were in their position. Would you be able to give up the power you could obtain?"
"Um..."
"Not a chance. That's why it doesn't make sense. Besides."
"Besides?"
"To face the monsters, that power is necessary. Without that power, you can't confront the monsters. To battle monsters, you need to be able to wield 'that weapon' using that power."
The old man, murmuring somewhat self-deprecatingly, only deepened Alain's questions.
Every word that came from the old man was filled with terminology that Alain couldn't understand.
How did women manage to obtain such power?
And what exactly was that power and the weapon he mentioned?