The OOC Trap
"Alright. We didn't forget anything, did we?"
"No, Lord. You did forget something."
"Hm? Didn't you pack everything?"
Thalia smiled brightly and linked her arm through mine as we began to walk.
"You forgot your lovely Thalia, Lord."
Her chest pressed softly against my arm.
Damn, what is this?
Is it really okay for me to be this happy?
It felt amazing. So good I thought I might go crazy.
Just then, my sword vibrated slightly.
What the? Did my sword always have a vibration feature?
"..." Thalia's face grimaced slightly.
Huh? What was that? I feel like I'm forgetting something.
"Thalia. Have I always been this happy? Was my life always this wonderful?" I muttered absentmindedly.
"You are being very strange today, Lord," Thalia giggled.
It was a truly lovely smile.
But... no. This wasn't right, was it?
Usually, Thalia would look at me with utter disdain and tell me to stop talking nonsense—
"Stop thinking about other things and look only at me. Even I get sulky sometimes, you know." Thalia leaned in even closer.
Damn it. She's so fucking cute!
And soft. I couldn't describe it in detail, but the sensation pressing against my arm was incredibly soft.
"...But Thalia, doesn't today feel a bit off? Unlike usual..."
"There is nothing strange at all, Lord."
Is that so? Well, if Thalia says so, then it must be.
Indeed, if my pretty Thalia said the Earth was flat, then the Earth was flat. Absolutely.
As we stepped out of the student dormitory, the gazes of the female students gathered on us.
"Look over there! Isn't he incredibly handsome?"
"Oh my, you don't know who that is? That's Lord Edwin Faldemont of Lamedia. The woman next to him is his retainer."
"Ah, so he's the prince of Lamedia?"
"I'm so jealous. I want to be by his side too..."
"Kyaaa! He looked this way!"
Envious stares. Even though Edwin's homeland of Lamedia was a tiny kingdom, he was still royalty.
On top of that, women swarmed around me to a noisy degree thanks to my handsome face.
This is troublesome. Thalia's going to get jealous.
Sure enough, when I looked to my side, Thalia clung tightly to my arm as if refusing to let anyone steal me away, walking with an air of possessive pride.
Ugh, she's so adorable I could die!
Unable to contain my affection, I kissed her once more.
"Mmh... Haah, Lord...?"
"I thought you were feeling anxious."
"...Honestly, you're so mischievous."
Squeals erupted from the crowd around us. *What a noisy bunch of girls.* Hmm.
"...Hm?" Just then, I spotted a familiar face.
She stood frozen for a moment, watching Thalia and me walk arm-in-arm. I greeted her first.
"Lady Rianette. Good day."
Her eyes trembled at my greeting.
"Hello, Lord Edwin. The, um, weather is quite nice today..."
"Yes, it is."
I tried to pass by with a light nod, but before I knew it, Rianette had approached from the other side, walking in step with me.
When I glanced at her, she blushed and turned her head away.
"Is something the matter, Lady?"
"...O-Oh, it's nothing."
What? Is this a green light? I guess so. Maybe it's because I spoke to her for a few days like in the original novel.
But wait, I'm the second male lead. Is it right for her to fall for me this easily? Well, since I'm different from the original... wait, according to the original plot, her falling for me... huh?
My train of thought derailed. Hmm.
I couldn't quite remember what I had done, but judging by her attitude, I must have done something to make her fall for me. Probably.
Just then, Rianette spoke up.
"Um, Lord Edwin?"
"You may call me Edwin."
"Ah, yes. Edwin. There is something I wanted to ask..."
She hesitated, politely covering her mouth with both hands.
"..."
At the same time, Thalia's grip on my arm tightened.
Is she jealous of Rianette? Mmh, two beauties fighting over me. Not a bad feeling.
"I will answer anything I can. What is your question?" I replied gently.
Rianette's face flushed even redder as she spoke.
"Yes, well... Edwin, are you currently seeing anyone? If not, do you have any interest in dating a fellow student?"
*Oh boy. I knew it. Did I already trigger a flag? This damn popularity of mine. It's honestly a burden.*
While I was debating how to answer, Thalia stepped in.
"The Lord maintains good relations with many female students at the academy. However, when it comes to romance, well... he is already troubled by the advances of many ladies who are already betrothed."
Thalia's words were a direct shot at Rianette. It carried the blatant subtext: *You already have a fiancé, so why are you hitting on Edwin?*
But Rianette was no pushover.
"Ah, so you mean he isn't dating anyone right now. And you are Edwin's retainer, correct? What was your name again?"
A forced smile. Showing anger at Thalia's remark would only prove she was rattled. Instead, she chose to ignore the jab and strike back: *You're just a retainer who is nothing to him, right?*
"I am Thalia. As you said, I am the retainer who always serves by Lord Edwin's side. Since there are so many women in the academy who wish they could hold the Lord's hand even once, I unintentionally receive a lot of envy."
"Yes, I suppose so. A knight and a retainer... that must indeed draw a lot of envy."
Sparks flew between them.
Women are terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! What am I supposed to do? Ah, this cursed popularity!
I intentionally quickened my pace to put an end to their conversation.
"Ah, we must go this way, Lord."
The battle ended in Thalia's victory. Thalia and I had to head to the Magic Department for class, while Rianette did not take magic classes. She had to bid a gloomy farewell.
"...See you later, Edwin."
"Yes, see you."
Thalia walked on, triumphantly holding my arm.
"Now, today's class is..."
And so, we attended Cordelia's magic class.
Her teaching bags were as massive as ever. No, had they gotten even bigger? I couldn't take my eyes off those giant assets throughout the entire lecture.
Our eyes met several times, and each time, Cordelia sent a seductive smile my way.
"...Professor Cordelia keeps glancing at you, Lord," Thalia whispered in dissatisfaction.
I joked, "My word, has my charm seduced even the professor? This is a real problem."
"Exactly. You must watch your behavior, Lord. All sorts of women are clinging to you."
Huh. That's not the reaction I expected.
But she was still adorable. Yes, Thalia was lovely. Even her jealousy was cute.
"Alright. I'll be careful."
As soon as class ended, I tried to run to the Swordsmanship Department. However,
"Edwin? Are you heading to swordsmanship class?"
"Ah. Yes, Professor Cordelia."
Cordelia approached me. She had her arms crossed, which pushed her massive breasts up, making it very difficult to know where to look.
Mmh. Thalia isn't small by any means, but that size is definitely cheating.
She looked around for a moment, then leaned in close to whisper.
"Hmm... Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to proceed with the research I mentioned before."
"I'm always available."
"My, that's wonderful. Come by tomorrow evening then. We'll be... spending quite a lot of time together, just the two of us, so make sure to tell your little girlfriend in advance."
As she finished speaking, she ran her fingertip across my chest before walking past.
That touch left me in a very awkward position. To be precise, my pants felt a bit tight.
"...Lord? What did that woman say to you?" Thalia asked, looking at me suspiciously as if she had sensed the strange vibe.
I brushed it off. "It's nothing."
Then, I adjusted my pants.
Here's a little tip: if you put your hand in your pocket and discreetly flip it upward, your belt will hold it firmly in place, making it easy to hide. Huh? Hide what? Don't worry about it.
"Ah, Edwin!"
"It would be best to remain quiet during class, Lady Rianette."
"Oh, thank you for letting me know, Thalia."
During swordsmanship class, another war of nerves broke out between Thalia and Rianette.
After school, I drew my sword with high spirits, planning to spar with Thalia as we always did. However, Thalia glanced at the blade and shook her head.
"...Mmh, Lord. I don't think I can manage today."
"Why? Are you tired?"
"Yes, because you were so rough last night..." Thalia lowered her head bashfully.
*Ah, I seriously want to take a bite out of her. She's too cute!!*
"Alright. It can't be helped. Let's rest today."
"Um, Lord..."
"Yes?"
"Then, could we rest in your room?" Thalia asked, stepping closer. Naturally, I had no reason to refuse.
"Of course we can."
Technically, the dormitory rules forbade guests of the opposite sex, but since my room was a single, there was no one to complain.
As soon as we entered the room, Thalia approached me and began unbuttoning my shirt.
"...You must be tired."
Before I knew it, I was stripped down to my underwear. There was a sense of urgency in her movements.
"Mmh... It's so hot." Thalia shed her clothes and climbed onto the bed.
"Lord..."
"Thalia."
Thalia's voice grew husky. I wanted to dive onto the bed right this instant. I wanted to strip away the last remaining piece of fabric, see what lay beneath, and taste her.
As my desire flared, Thalia delivered the final blow.
"Come to me... Lord."
This was impossible. I couldn't hold back anymore! I immediately pushed Thalia down onto the bed.
"Kyaah...!"
Thalia collapsed helplessly. I quickly shed my clothes and mounted her—
Thwack.
"...Ah, ugh, Lo...rd?"
I plunged my sword straight into her chest.
Thalia's eyes widened instantly. Her gaze was filled with utter confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"W-What..."
But I didn't pull the sword out. Instead, I grit my teeth and spoke.
"What, did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Thalia's eyes stretched wide. Her expression began to distort.
"How on earth did you..."
"How did I know?"
There had been plenty of clues. Strange memories. An absurdly convenient progression of events. Women throwing themselves at me for no reason. And the vibration of my sword every single time.
Even so, because this world was so incredibly sweet, I had almost surrendered to it.
"You did a good job setting it up. Really."
It was all great. Well-crafted. Rianette hitting on me? Sure, that could happen. Maybe I was just really good at triggering flags.
Cordelia openly seducing me? Totally plausible! Fuck, when a hot guy like me is around, of course she'd want to flirt! She's a woman who's probably had cobwebs growing between her legs for hundreds of years anyway!!
Every female student in the academy walking on eggshells around me, courting me, and fretting over my attention? Sure! I'm a total alpha male, after all!!
But. But here's the thing.
"Thalia! She's supposed to be super embarrassed and pretend she doesn't care!! Even in bed!! She's a character who acts like she has no feelings, like she's just doing it out of duty!!"
"What are you..." The head of Thalia—no, the thing that wasn't Thalia—twisted at an unnatural angle as it let out a bizarre groan.
"And yet, what? 'It's so hot'? Hot, my ass!! Do you really think Thalia would ever say such an embarrassingly cringey line? Would she?!"
Oddly colored blood spilled from the creature's mouth.
"Do you get what I'm saying?! You fake bitch who completely ruined the character interpretation!!!"
I swung my sword, spraying the bizarrely colored blood in all directions.
Crack, crackle!
Then, the world began to warp.
The false dream collapsed, revealing walls made of disgusting, hidden skins of human faces.
This place was still Sheol.
"...Sigh."
Completely drained of strength, I collapsed onto the floor.
Whew. I absolutely cannot tolerate out-of-character behavior.