The Hero's True Nature
The Hero's True Nature
"...You, you came from another world, didn't you?"
When I asked that, I watched his reaction.
Being possessed itself was strange enough, but if there was one thing that needed to be addressed, it was that the character I woke up as was just one of the capture target Heroine NPCs listed in the game's description.
In other words, I was originally just one of the four heroines meant to be humiliated by the Hero.
Well, if other NPCs also had consciousness, I might have just accepted it, but the Hero was different.
The Hero was a Playable Character, and the game's route was determined by that character's personality, and the story unfolded accordingly.
So, should the basic personality of a Playable Character always be that of a true Hero?
To that question, only one answer came to mind: 'No.'
That's because this game wasn't a normal RPG; it was an Adult Game, and one that delivered humiliation, hypnosis, and degradation for those who were no longer satisfied with ordinary pure love and sought something more extreme.
Would the protagonist in a game designed to satisfy extreme sexual fetishes necessarily possess the personality of an upright Hero?
No, absolutely not. In such an extreme Adult Game, no one would object if the Hero's personality was repulsive.
But just now, the NPC—or rather, someone who had lived in this world—showed a reaction that wouldn't be seen from an ordinary person.
First, a casual tone of voice different from what I'd seen in the preview script.
Second, the words he uttered.
'If it weren't for this body, I would have gone in.'
In those words, I noticed the phrase 'this body.'
It meant that this wasn't his original body. That also meant he wasn't summoned, leaving only one possibility.
He was a Possessor, just like me.
And with the words that hammered home that half-certain conjecture, I was almost completely convinced.
'Is the story progressing too fast, so the Saintess hasn't appeared yet?'
Story. That indicated he was aware that this place was a game.
Therefore, I made a guess based on his words and actions and asked.
In truth, I knew nothing about this game's content, so I couldn't claim to know the Hero's fundamental personality, nor did I know what quests the game involved or how it progressed. So, my question might have been a shot in the dark.
At the end of it, in a slightly tense atmosphere, the Hero's mouth cautiously opened.
"What do you mean, another world?"
At his mention of "another world," I opened my mouth to make him understand immediately.
That is, to avoid any misunderstanding that might lead to him pouncing on me with that body, I used a word he would likely know to leave no room for misinterpretation.
"Th-that is, from Korea...!"
"How do you—no, you too?"
At the mention of Korea, he reacted as if he were in the same situation as me.
Then, the Hero's hand pointed at me.
"Uh, uh...!"
"Wow, is it, is it real?"
I nodded, and he stared at me with a blank expression, as if he couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.
Then, he slowly started walking.
Between the clanking of his armor and the click-clack of my elegant shoes, he and I slowly began to talk.
Because we thought we needed information, having suddenly been thrust into a game world to live our lives.
And because a sense of relief welled up, knowing I wasn't the only Possessor.
I started by asking what I was curious about.
Honestly, though I said I needed information, I had none, so there was nothing I could do but ask questions.
"Did you also come here while downloading it?"
"No, I cleared it once. More importantly, have you never played it?"
What? Why did he clear it once?
The thought that it was unfair crossed my mind, but then I felt relieved that at least he had some information.
"Yeah. I came here before I even got to play it."
At my answer, he let out a "huh" and exhaled, then glanced at me.
"Honestly, it's absurd enough that I was dragged here, but the way I was dragged here is just fucking random."
His slightly aggressive language made me wonder if he was just a rough-spoken guy.
Then, his mouth opened again.
"By the way, are you a girl? I'm a girl too, so why did I come as a guy? Ugh, I can't get used to it."
Saying that, the Hero, who had been walking clumsily with his legs spread wide as if his crotch was uncomfortable, narrowed his stride and walked normally again.
A girl?
What is this? Shouldn't I be the Hero then?
As I slowly began to grasp the situation, I cautiously mumbled.
"No, I'm a guy?"
"What? Why are you in a girl's body? Ugh, what's with a guy's mind in a girl's body?"
As if displeased with my answer, the Hero, a handsome man on the outside but a woman on the inside, grimaced and furrowed their Glabellum.
Then, they let out a deep sigh and mumbled.
It was a dry voice, as if saying it didn't matter either way.
"Well, it probably doesn't matter."
The conversation abruptly cut off, and I furrowed my Glabellum.
More importantly, is this a game that women play too? Or is he not a woman?
As I harbored reasonable doubts and pondered deeply, words spilled from his mouth.
"The Hero's name is Kylon. Just so you know."
"Oh, okay."
"More importantly, you're quite perverse. What kind of game is this... Ah, I guess I shouldn't be the one to talk."
Just when I thought he was telling me his name, he spoke to himself again and then fell silent.
I was dumbfounded, but Kylon, aside from him, I had no one to rely on, so I kept my mouth shut.
I just wished he would take me as a companion and let me follow him.
It was a sufficient reason to escape this place, and at the same time, I wondered if I could return to my original world after clearing this game.
As I kept my mouth shut and followed him, a sigh escaped his lips, as if he had told me to call him Kylon.
"Seriously, knowing there's a guy inside the Saintess just drains all my energy."
"I feel the same way. More importantly, can you tell me a little about the story?"
Honestly, I really didn't want to be possessed by the Saintess's body.
But since I was possessed against my will and couldn't escape anyway, I just accepted it and asked what I was curious about.
It was a question born out of frustration from knowing absolutely nothing about this game's story.
At my question, he mumbled, hesitating.
"Uh, hmm. Should I tell you? Well, since we came from the same place..."
Saying that, he muttered 'Inventory' and tapped the air.
It was a window invisible to me, but he, now the Hero, seemed to see it and carefully looked at something.
And at the end of it, what he held in his hand was a piece of paper.
"This is what I wrote down right after I was appointed Hero, but honestly, it's long, and I only remember the middle and end parts, not much of the beginning, so we'll mostly have to wing the early stages."
He said that and handed me the paper, and I took in the contents written on it.
The order of recruiting companions was Veronica the Saintess, Flora the Magician, Agnes the Swordswoman, and Linda the Mutuga.
And the capture order was Flora the Magician, Linda the Mutuga, Agnes the Swordswoman, and Veronica the Saintess.
Below that, there were rough instructions on how to collect items and play locations.
Things like how to collect tools for SM Play, or places where you could have sex to raise Favorability Scores.
At those explicit descriptions, I almost involuntarily got hard, but I had nothing down there.
So, I could only realize that it was indeed a game full of truly perverted desires.
It was a good thing that I didn't get an erection while walking down the street, but at the same time, the complete absence of it felt so empty that tears seemed to well up in my eyes.
Feeling the sense of loss from something that was once there now being gone, I skimmed the guide and sighed.
Then, a summary of the story came from his mouth.
"Did you see it all? So, the main story is about gaining power by capturing them. If you fill up their Favorability Scores by having sex, the girls get stronger, and I get stronger too. That's how you gather enough strength to fight the Demon King."
I understood why the important notes were filled with words focused solely on Tteok-scenes.
So, this game was just an RPG game reliant on sex. I let out a "whew" sigh, wondering if I had perhaps taken this newfound realization too seriously.
It was a sigh of relief.
"Then I can just think of it as a Dating Sim, right? It must have been an easy game."
"No, what bullshit are you talking about? It takes quite a while to clear, and it's hard enough that you forget the early stages."
"Huh?"
My relieved heart felt like it plummeted.
As if to shatter my thought that it would be easy, he told me with a serious expression.
Behind my startled voice, his explanation continued.
"You can raise Favorability Scores normally, but it takes too long. You don't get stronger, and you just grind in circles. Besides, who plays this game just for pure love? Everyone plays it for the Conditioning Tteok-scenes. If you don't do Conditioning, Favorability Scores only go up a tiny bit, so you end up spending all your time on Conditioning anyway. That's this game."
Listening to his explanation, my mind felt utterly blank.
So, to efficiently raise Favorability Scores, Conditioning is necessary, and doing Conditioning takes time. Is that what it means?
This game, I realized, was entirely for Conditioning, and I grimaced.
If I were the Playable Character, the Hero, I would have been grinning from ear to ear, collecting various things and having sex. But since I wasn't the Hero, but one of the capture target heroines, the Saintess, I couldn't help but grimace.
If I had thought of myself as a heroine, I wouldn't have chosen this game.
As I had that horrifying thought, one idea suddenly struck me.
Indeed, there's no way a woman would play such an extreme game.
Don't most women empathize with female characters?
Unless they were a true Masochist who genuinely wanted to be conditioned, humiliated, and hypnotized, I judged that he couldn't be a woman.
So, I cautiously asked again.
"You're not a woman, are you?"
Then, the person walking beside me paused and stopped.
At that, I also put a brake on my steps and cautiously looked back.
Then, his blue eyes, staring at mine, seemed to sparkle.
"What, you said that thinking there's no way a woman would play such an extreme game, right?"
"......"
How incredibly accurate you are.
It seemed he was stung, as if he knew it himself from the start.
So, I thought, 'Just as I expected. You catfishing bastard,' and glared at him with narrowed eyes.
And as if he knew it was a look of suspicion, he let out a hollow laugh.
The fact that he said he knew it himself was as good as a confession.
So I was convinced. No matter what excuses he made, my belief that he was a man wouldn't change.
But at the end of that hollow laugh, the corner of his mouth curled up.
It wasn't a defiant "How dare you doubt me? I'm a woman!"
Nor was it an act of "No? I'm really a woman?" Instead, words came out.
"That's understandable."
At his cool reply, my eyes widened slightly.
And as I looked at him, the corner of his mouth didn't seem to want to come down.
"But I like women, you know? So, playing this kind of game and then ending up here, it really got me excited, you know?"
A sense of foreboding washed over me.
"I like scissoring, and wearing those dildo panties is good too, but having a real dick, even if it's a bit uncomfortable... it's quite a turn-on."
His coming out of the closet about his preferences, spilling out near the deserted convent, left me utterly flustered.
The true nature of his personality seemed to be vividly revealed before my eyes.
"I have a question. Do you know what it feels like for a man to cum? Honestly, with dildo panties, you don't really get the feeling of 'going with a woman.'"
I even thought that if there had been a man inside the Hero, his interest would have plummeted at the mention of me, a man, being inside Veronica.
So, I should have wished that there was a man inside the Hero.
But even if I wished, his mouth didn't stop. His open mouth denied my wish.
Then I truly realized.
If I peeled back the shell of the Hero standing before me, there would be a woman.
Honestly, I had the prejudice that everyone who played this kind of game was a man.
But who would have known? There was a woman who wanted to fuck other women.
The more the Hero's mouth opened, the more explicitly his true nature was revealed.
Each time, my pupils seemed to tremble.
"Honestly, even if you have a male consciousness, if you're in a female body, I don't really care."
This bitch, she was a crazy lesbian.