This World Is Abnormal
This world is abnormal.
『Princess Lydia: Please accept it, Hero. The kingdom’s strongest swordsmanship and elixir.』
「—On her twentieth birthday, Princess Lydia de Gallia, the forgotten princess of the Gallia Kingdom, received a wooden box from her lover that very night. Inside lay an elixir glowing with a brilliant blue light and a manual inscribed with the words Ember Swordsmanship in delicate handwriting.」
『Princess Lydia: These are treasures left behind by those dear to me who have passed. Take them, and carry me away from the Gallia Kingdom. Protect me for the rest of my life. If I remain here, I will only ever be a tool for political marriage….』
『Hero Arty: Yes. I will definitely protect you. I love you, Lydia.』
『Princess Lydia: I love you too, Arty.』
『Hero Arty: Now, freely outside the Gallia Kingdom….』
『Princess Lydia: …Arty, I can’t wait any longer. Take my heart and my body.』
『Hero Arty: … … ….』
[1] Accept Lydia’s request.
[2] Stay with Lydia forever.
Click!
「—Accept Lydia’s request.」
『Princess Lydia: Mmm…♡』
「—Beneath the bright moonlight, the lips of the two who had promised freedom overlapped. Under Arty’s touch, Lydia’s dress slowly scattered like night mist.」
『Princess Lydia: Hnn…♡ D-don’t look there…! It’s embarrassing….』
『Hero Arty: Don’t worry. From now on, you’re mine.』
「—What was soon revealed was pale skin glowing in the dim moonlight. And then, plump and ripe—」
*
“Goddamn it. This is ridiculous. I can’t take this anymore.”
Lee Daehyun, three years into the game and well past the late-game adult event, let out a dry laugh as the ending rolled.
“What kind of outdated ‘please do it for me’ trope is this? I got my hopes up because it was supposed to be a hidden heroine route, but aside from the blonde hair, she’s got zero charm.”
The adult RPG Holy Sword Hero Biography. This medieval fantasy game borrowed multi-ending and real-time choice simulator elements—in other words, a typical pretty-girl otaku eroge. It was the refined hobby of an ordinary male college student named Lee Daehyun.
‘I was looking forward to the Princess Lydia route because it only unlocks after seeing all the general heroines’ harem endings… but the princess route really isn’t my taste.’
“…”
Lee Daehyun pondered.
‘The excessive NTR endings and tragic elements are whatever—they’re part of an eroge. But the final hidden route being this boring is just too much.’
His disappointment was as strong as the expectations he had held for this new game. He briefly considered leaving a harsh review on the official site, but soon decided against it. Maybe he would just poke fun at it in the community instead.
Click!
Lee Daehyun took a screenshot of Lydia’s dialogue. It showed the golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty gazing at the protagonist with desperate eyes.
『Princess Lydia: Please accept it, Hero. The kingdom’s strongest swordsmanship and elixir.』
Along with the screenshot, he posted on the Holy Sword Hero Biography community board.
“No lol, of course she gets sidelined when she does nothing and just keeps saying ‘please do it for me’ lol. Now I get why Lydia’s at the bottom of the succession line lol. She’s literally useless and boring lol. I could do way better lololol”
Lee Daehyun smirked at the playful comments.
‘…People really do think alike. Well, as long as an eroge is erotic, that’s all that matters.’
Lee Daehyun turned off his computer and went to sleep.
And the next day…
“Waaah—!”
He realized he had been reborn as the eroge heroine—Princess Lydia de Gallia.
‘…I shouldn’t have said that one line.’
*
A solemn space. Candlelight glowed softly inside the temple bearing the mark of the Sun God Lua. Six women clad in white robes sat within. Having only recently left girlhood behind to become young women, they recited prayers in quiet voices.
“…Thus, we who have passed through twenty winters solemnly declare before the Morning Star Angel in the deepest night where we may dare face the Sun God: we are no longer lambs protected beneath the Vow of Chastity, but shall advance as wives and mothers….”
Then they fell silent in prayer. When this prayer ended, the divine protection granted by the vow would be lifted. From now on, they would have to protect themselves with their own strength and seek companions.
“…”
“…”
“…”
One of them spoke.
“…Is it done? It’s over now, right? Goodness, I was worried since we’re doing this without the priests.”
“…I don’t know. This is everyone’s first coming-of-age ceremony here.”
“Is there anyone who receives the ceremony twice…?”
“…”
“Well? Does anyone feel any different?”
The freckled girl looked over her body through the unfamiliar white robe. Then she let out a scream.
“Uh… uh—?!”
“Daisy, what’s wrong?”
“It’s gone!”
“What is?”
“The Vow of Chastity! Everyone, look at your chests!”
“!”
After all, only six young women were inside the temple. Aside from one brown-haired girl, the other five were ordinary friends from a quiet village in the Gallia Kingdom. So, including the freckled girl, five of them unhesitatingly opened their robes to examine their bodies. They soon discovered that the mark that had protected them since childhood had vanished.
“!”
“!”
“!”
One of them spoke in a trembling voice.
“Th-then… does that mean we can… make love now? With a man, just like that… without the Sun God’s divine punishment?”
“…!”
At that timid voice, the other friends grinned.
“Oho?”
“Hehe…”
“Wh-what’s wrong…?”
“Oh, so Vanessa already had someone~”
“N-no…! It’s not that! It’s just that with Peter oppa…”
“Peter? That blacksmith apprentice Peter? Vanessa, you sly girl! How dare you flirt with a man while still under the Vow of Chastity that the Morning Star Angel and Sun God protect! What if Peter couldn’t hold back and got struck down by divine punishment?!”
“!”
—Struck down by divine punishment.
Though casually mentioned in their conversation, no one doubted its truth. Such things actually happened in this world.
“B-but…! Peter oppa said… after the ceremony, let’s go on a picnic by the river together. He said he could hold back just fine, so doing naughty things later would be okay.”
The four friends burst into laughter at the innocent Vanessa. Vanessa’s face turned bright red. Sulking at their teasing, she went to a corner of the temple and lay down with her back turned.
“…I’m going to sleep.”
“Yeah, you should sleep early if you want to work hard on increasing the village population starting tomorrow.”
“Ahaha!”
“Hohoho!”
The temple remained lively with the women’s laughter late into the night.
Even in that atmosphere, the brown-haired girl sat quietly in the corner, fiddling with her necklace.
“…”
“Hey, you’ve been quiet this whole time. You’re the one who came from outside, right? Where are you from?”
“That necklace you’re wearing is so beautiful too!”
“…Saint-Roy Royal District.”
“…I-I see. You’re from a nice place.”
“…”
The village girls stopped trying to talk to the brown-haired girl. Where one lived was essentially a marker of class. And the Saint-Roy Royal District the girl mentioned was a wealthy merchant district near the Gallia capital. ‘For the child of a high-ranking merchant to come all the way out here for the coming-of-age ceremony… she’s basically been abandoned….’
Getting involved in the affairs of nobles and wealthy merchants only brought trouble. That was common sense for commoners living in this world. So not asking further was the wisest course.
“Yawn, I’m especially tired today…”
“Is it because the temple is… so quiet…?”
“Sleep is… coming…”
A moment of silence passed, and soon only soft breathing could be heard inside the temple. The women who had prepared the ritual since early morning had fallen fast asleep. All six of them drifted into deep slumber in their respective places.
And then… the candles illuminating the temple all went out.
The main door, which should have been firmly locked, slowly opened.
Creak—
On the night when pure maidens celebrated their coming of age, what slipped in under cover of darkness were priests with sinister expressions. Each held a small lantern in one hand, their noses covered with cloth.
“…Heh heh. They’re fast asleep, completely unaware.”
“They’ve been breathing in specially made incense mixed with sleeping powder all day, after all. Once they fall asleep, they won’t wake up no matter what happens.”
“My, my. Such pitiful lambs.”
The priests approached the women without hesitation. Their hands slowly reached out.
“Ooh…! This is…!”
“And they’re purer than ever before.”
“Bodies most suitable for conducting the ritual.”
“It’s a shame the foolish brothers of the Holy Theocracy can’t understand this pleasure….”
From the corner of the temple came the girl’s cold voice.
“…So this is how it was.”
“Wh-who’s there?!”
The priests turned their lanterns in shock.
“Where?”
“Did you hear something!?”
And then flames bloomed in the darkness.
Whoosh—!
“…?!”
The vivid red flames swept through the darkness. One of the lanterns the priests held soared into the air. One priest’s hand had been severed clean off.
Slash—!
“Graaah—!?”
Amidst the blood-spraying screams, the priests’ eyes glowed red. Black demonic energy rippled from their white robes.
“Who are you?! Reveal yourself—!”
“You uncultured lot, shouldn’t you introduce yourselves before asking for someone else’s identity?”
“!”
One priest desperately chanted a curse toward the voice. A black shadow lunged at the girl’s feet, but she lightly brushed it away with flames. She quickly vanished back into the darkness. The priests looked around frantically.
“Gah—?!”
“…Well, this lady isn’t particularly curious about your filthy identities. So I’ll tell you instead. Die remembering that it was the Ember Knight who took your lives.”
“Ember Knight? What kind of unheard-of…!?”
The priests, their faces twisted demonically, looked toward the voice again. There stood the brown-haired girl holding a crimson sword.
“…You vile creatures.”
The girl blazed like fire. A faint red aura flowed from the tip of her crimson sword. It burned away the priests’ ominous energy like sparks flying from flames.
Crackle! Crackle!
The power they had gained by defiling hundreds of maidens through black magic rituals burned away helplessly, like paper before a campfire.
“!”
“!”
“!”
The fallen priests stared in horror at that aura.
“What? She’s driving back the Archduke of Lust’s power with nothing but a knight’s mana…!?”
“How is this possible?! A knight’s mana shouldn’t be able to interfere with dark forces…! This is almost like divine power…!?”
The girl swung her sword. A red flash like steel striking steel burst forth.
Whoosh—!
“!”
“!”
“Kugh—”
Before they could even scream, one lantern toppled slowly, its bearer’s head severed.
Thud!
The priests stared in shock.
“?!”
“?!”
‘We swore allegiance to one of the most powerful Archdukes of Darkness, yet we’re being cut down with a single sword stroke!?’
The priests gathered desperately, guarding each other’s backs, and deployed a black barrier by gathering evil spirits. The more they gathered, the louder the ominous whispers of the evil spirits grew. These were souls corrupted by black magic—unable to return to the cycle of life, turned into mere tools.
“It’s similar to divine power—!”
“Everyone, draw up the dark energy!”
“Don’t let him swing his sword again!”
The girl sneered at the sight.
“Priests fearing a power similar to divine power… how utterly ridiculous. Is this the price of selling yourselves to high-ranking demons of the dark realm?”
“The Archdukes of Darkness are demons? How narrow-minded! Just like the ignorant ones of the Theocracy, you dismiss the transcendents who rule the darkness of the dark realm as mere evil spirits!”
“How filthy, desperately defending the master who took your souls. Shut your mouth.”
The girl lightly rose onto her toes. Then she charged at the priests like a surging flame.
Slash—!
In the blink of an eye, the black barrier split. The foremost priest lost his life in an instant.
“Kuh…!”
“!”
“!”
‘At this rate, we’ll all die in moments…!’
The priests exchanged glances, then frantically chanted wicked incantations within the barrier. It was a ritual to summon a transcendent of the dark realm.
[O Asmodeus of Lust—!]
[O Sovereign who rules over lust, the most alluring of sins—! Grant us your power!]
[Bestow your blessing upon us seven brothers—!]
There was one who answered their prayer.
—Perm… itted….
Then the priests’ bodies began to twist grotesquely. Their forms melted like clay and merged into one. Their bloated arms transformed into tentacles covered in mucus. Their faces melted and became covered in tentacles.
“…!”
The girl sensed an ominous energy from the change and stepped back.
Rumble—!
Having lost their human forms, the priests became a massive lump. They roared, emitting an ominous aura. The force was enough to shake and distort the temple in various places.
[GROOOAAAR—!]
The moonlight streaming through the temple windows was all blocked. The massive entity had covered everything in darkness. In the shadows, the grotesque being writhed.
The girl stood firm even before the enormous monstrosity.
“…”
The massive abomination extended its wet tentacles toward the girl, filled with its inner depraved desires.
[Taste the side… dish of great power… and die slowly, violated—!]
Like an approaching tsunami—a natural disaster of an attack. And from each tentacle came the wails of women who had died violated by black magic.
—I have to… go to my wedding….
—Kill me….
Crash—!
“…”
The girl took her stance before the tentacle attack.
“Huu…!”
She steadied her breath and raised her sword. As she imbued the blade with white flames—
The flames that had flickered beneath the darkness began to shine brilliantly.
Under the dawn’s first light, the brown-haired girl declared firmly.
“Foul abomination, tell the dark realm, and make them fear together. The technique that slays you is Lydia de Gallia’s Ember Swordsmanship—Dawn’s Flash.”
[What… did you say…?! The Golden Princess has dazzling golden hair…!]
Before the abomination could finish speaking, the flames flickering at Lydia’s sword tip merged into one.
Whoosh—!
Primordial power—a pillar of flames blazing like magma. And the realm where one unites arbitrarily scattered mana into a single sword shape. A massive flame approached. A single strike that burned all the tentacles as it advanced. The brilliant sword of judgment split the wave of sin.
Fwoosh—!
[…?!]
The abomination cried out in bewilderment before the relentless red flames.
[Sword… Master…?]
“That is correct.”
Flash—!
Lydia’s answer ended behind the abomination.
“…This lady is one of the four Sword Masters existing in the Gallia Kingdom. Few know this fact, so die knowing it as an honor.”
[How… could this be…! At only eighteen years old, a Sword… Master…?!]
The abomination, split in half, began to burn from the fissure.
[Graaah—! Archduke… this is…!]
And the abomination’s remains writhed and vanished.
Soon, light shone once more upon the ruined temple.
“…”
Dawn had broken.
The pure maidens were still asleep. Only the girl holding the flame sword faced the sunlight.
“…”
And in the silence, more people entered the temple. This time, they were liberated slaves from the underworld. Covered in tattoos and burly, they carried warm blankets in both hands and respectfully wrapped the sleeping women to carry them to carriages.
Lydia asked them.
“…Are you the ones Béatrice sent?”
“Yes, Your Highness the Princess. We came under her orders to return the innocent women to their homes.”
“I see. Good work. And during the mission, address me as ‘Sir.’”
“Understood, Sir Lydia.”
“Mm.”
The liberated slaves saw Lydia off with respectful attitudes. Their reverence for Lydia was genuine, separate from their loyalty to their leader.
Once outside the temple, Lydia removed the necklace she wore. Her brown hair and ordinary face vanished like an illusion. What appeared beneath was brilliant golden hair and a beautiful countenance.
‘…This golden hair stands out too much, so I have to hide it during missions.’
The Golden Princess—Lydia let out a small sigh.
“Huu…”
She had defeated countless demon worshippers until now, but this was her first time facing ones that had appeared in the game. And the actions of the fallen priests were even more depraved than described in the game.
“…”
Lydia recalled a faint memory.
「—The evil rituals of the fallen priests often troubled those around them.」
‘Troubled? Priests borrowing power from the demon of lust to violate and corrupt pure maidens who had just completed their coming-of-age ceremony through evil rituals is merely… troubling them? This world really is abnormal.’
Even the fallen priest event was truly laughable compared to other violation events in the original work. Trap events designed solely for tragic and NTR sensibilities, eating away at the world….
“…”
But Lydia accepted it.
‘…After all, it’s a cheap eroge world, so it can’t be helped. Therefore, I will normalize it.’
Lydia left the temple behind and returned to the capital. It was time to enroll in the academy, the main setting of Holy Sword Hero Biography.
‘First, I need to thoroughly train the original protagonist’s party. Feed them all the opportunities that exist in the game.’
She intended to strictly discipline the protagonist’s party with both carrot and stick. To turn them into loyal subordinates….