Prologue: The Little Heroine on That Night
It had already been four hundred years since the Demon King, humanity's sworn enemy, was vanquished. Back then, more than half the continent lay in ruins—scorched by flames or tainted with poison, turned into lands where no human could survive. Under the Demon King's command, demons and monstrous beasts had invaded in droves, leaving mankind in constant dread, wondering if they could even see tomorrow. But amid that chaos, a hero arose who repelled the hordes of beasts and demons, ultimately slaying the Demon King himself. That hero's legend had been passed down through his descendants.
Thus, the seventeenth hero of the illustrious Edenberts family—the undisputed lineage of heroes who inherited the title generation after generation. Emilia Edenberts. Though born a woman, she had received the Hero's Blessing upon her body from birth. Chosen as the hero, she was raised to live as one.
Emilia adored tales of the heroes. She admired and yearned for them. The hero who overcame endless swarms of monsters and the cunning tricks of demons, striking down even the vile Demon King at the very end. That heroic figure had planted profound fascination and longing in young Emilia's heart.
But even more than those distant legends, the ones Emilia yearned for were right before her eyes: her father and mother. Compared to ancient heroes from storybooks, the sight of her father embodying the dignity of a hero filled her young heart with even greater admiration.
—Her father was magnificent. Upright, steadfast, and strong, as befitted a hero.
—Her mother was wise. Shining with the intellect suited to a hero's wife, she possessed another kind of strength wrapped in beauty.
Such wonderful, wise, and beautiful parents. For Emilia, who had grown up so purely, it was only natural that her childish heart idolized them both, striving every day to emulate them. Though they had no other children, their only daughter possessed the qualities to succeed the Edenberts line as the next hero. Everyone expected that no matter when the Demon King revived, she would march forth and defeat it just like the legends of old.
Just as her revered father, in his youth, had heeded the oracle and shattered the egg of the nascent Demon King with his own hands. Surely, she could prevent any tragedy from befalling the land, resolving any calamity that came as a hero should. Bearing such expectations on her small shoulders, she grew day by day, her brilliance, wit, and excellence ever increasing.
Her body, blessed with the Hero's Blessing, and perhaps thanks to her beautiful mother, even at just ten or twelve years old, Emilia Edenberts already showed glimpses of stunning beauty to match her martial prowess and sharp mind. Her path was smooth. Her brilliant future seemed blessed and wide open. She surely would have become a hero. She might even have achieved new feats. She was blessed. They said she had the greatest talent of any hero in history, and when she came of age, her beauty would only amplify it—surely earning the acclaim of the entire continent, or so people thought.
Undoubtedly, it was a future no one would doubt. Undoubtedly, it was the future meant for Emilia.
Yes. It would have been.
...If only that night had never happened.
That day arrived. It came, inevitably.
—It was a chilling night, the moon hidden from view.
That night, young Emilia couldn't sleep, her heart inexplicably restless. Still in her pajamas, she wandered the mansion's halls with pattering footsteps. She didn't know why. But something felt scary, her chest churning uneasily. She couldn't possibly sleep like this.
...I want to sleep with Father and Mother.
She had long outgrown sharing their bed. She'd insisted she was grown-up now, sulking at being treated like a child, demanding her own room. Yet some nights, she still craved sleeping with them.
It's embarrassing...
She wasn't a kid anymore. Adulthood loomed, time to choose a fiancé drawing near. Sneaking into her parents' bedroom because she was scared to sleep alone... It was... really embarrassing.
In the end, lost and pacing the corridor, Emilia steeled herself.
...Still.
I just really want to see them tonight...
She clenched her tiny fists with a determined huff, resolving to act like a child just this once. With that resolute determination, she headed to their bedroom.
The door to the room she reached after pattering down the hall stood slightly ajar. From the gap drifted strange, rhythmic heaving sounds— unmistakably her mother's.
She'd heard similar noises before, passing their room at night. With her keen ears from her martial talent, they reached her unavoidably. Once, thinking they were fighting, she'd pounded on the door, sobbing, "Mommy, Daddy, don't fight~~~!"
She later learned it was an act of love. Something she, still a child, must never see.
...But now, maybe I could peek?
The restlessness, insomnia, and childish whims all vanished from her mind. Curiosity about the secret act her parents hid—the intimate lovemaking they deemed her too young for—overwhelmed everything. Knowing it was improper, Emilia still peered through the gap.
And then, at the sight that followed.
At that unbelievable scene...
She froze solid.
"Ah... Aah... Hah... Ha..."
"Nngh... Hn... Yes...!"
A stranger was in the bedroom. A man. Tall. Emilia gauged adult men against her father, and this one seemed half a head taller. His well-trained body looked as robust as her father's. His face seemed vaguely familiar, but her frozen mind couldn't place it.
For some reason, his clothes were disheveled, his filthy body half-exposed. And the woman he embraced, ravishing—
Mother?!
"...?!?"
Her mind couldn't process the scene. Her beautiful mother, shamelessly naked. Exposing herself not to Father, but to another man, letting him grope her. Her usually chaste face flushed red, melting in ecstasy. And... whatever that act was, she couldn't comprehend it. But clearly, the man's genitalia and Mother's womanhood—slightly different from her own—were joined.
That... is...
The realization struck like lightning. That must be the hidden act of lovemaking. The union of man and woman. Copulation, they called it.
Until now, she'd only read about it in books or overheard whispers from maids. Seeing it firsthand, she understood instantly. In that moment, a thrilling jolt coursed through her body. Heat welled up in her lower belly, her precious womb and privates.
Ah... What's this...
My body's... going weird...
She couldn't tear her eyes from the scene beyond the door. It seared into her brain, stirring strange reactions in her body. She didn't understand. But... Mother clearly enjoyed it...
Unthinkingly rubbing her thighs, hand drifting toward her crotch, Emilia suddenly paused.
—Wait a second.
—Why is Mother with another man? Who is he? Where's Father?
Those questions hit just as a thick, unfamiliar metallic blood scent assaulted her nose. So pungent it twisted her senses—how had she missed it until now? The narrow gap didn't reveal everything. Cautiously, she nudged the door wider with her slender hand.
Creeeak...
They hadn't noticed yet... Slowly, bit by bit, she opened it.
And then— she saw.
Her father, skewered like a spit on a strangely shaped dagger and an eerily long sword. Propped up on the bed like a gruesome display. A dagger plunged into his crown, his mangled corpse...
Thud!
"—————."
With rigid eyes, Emilia flung the door open. She surveyed the bedroom's horrors. Her face frozen, she took in the atrocity.
Mother's lewdly smiling eyes widened. The man holding her turned his gaze toward Emilia.
Everything flooded in—chaos, chaos, chaos. Her vision spun. Thick blood reek mingled with the musky scent of a woman in heat, overwhelming her.
She couldn't comprehend it. Not even her brilliant mind could keep up.
She wanted to vomit. To scream. But no tears came. Her mouth gaped, spewing words she herself couldn't grasp.
Ah, that was...
An undeniable nightmare, one that would never fade, no matter how much time passed.