Hero Friet.
The protagonist of the novel ‘I Became the Main Character of an NTR Game’ that I read, the owner of the body possessed by Kim Seung-woo… and the protagonist of the game that serves as the background for that novel.
An unfortunate young man who possesses the sense of justice and duty befitting a hero, but lacks the abilities to match, suffering from all kinds of contempt and mental anguish.
Fitting for the setting of an NTR game, he is betrayed one by one in the worst possible way even by the companions he had given his heart to, a tragic hero who ends up with no one by his side in the end, whether he wins or loses.
That was the character profile of Hero Friet that I knew.
You say I know too little?
Well, that can’t be helped. After all, that ‘original game’ itself is just a fictional setting that appears in the novel.
The only chances I had to access information about the original game were when Kim Seung-woo in the novel occasionally monologued about it as if complaining.
All put together, it might barely fill three pages of a book.
Fragmented pieces of information that, even combined, weren’t very long, and moreover, mixed with the prejudices and subjectivity of Kim Seung-woo in the novel due to being in the form of monologues.
It’s not like he was saying complete nonsense, so it could be used as a sort of reference material, but relying on that alone was far from enough in terms of information quantity.
Of course, since I had no intention of getting involved with the original characters from the start, I never felt regret or dissatisfaction about the lack of information about the original…
“So… you, Friede, were that Friet?”
But the situation has changed. Quite a lot. So suddenly that I can no longer ignore or escape it.
Irina and Imelia, whom I thought I would never meet, came all the way to Hervor to try to drag me to Gunther, and even shattered the disguised identity that was my only way to settle down.
It’s been over half a year since I ran away, but seeing how they tried to capture me as soon as they saw me… it seems Gunther has no intention of giving up on obtaining ‘Brunhilde’.
So, there was a high chance they would continue to pursue me. Maybe Gunther himself might even take action.
This time, I was fortunately able to escape safely thanks to Friede driving those women away, but it’s uncertain if such luck will follow next time.
So now, I could no longer ignore the original story and pursue a quiet, ordinary life in hiding.
Even if I stay quiet trying not to get involved with the hero’s party, it’s meaningless if they come looking for me.
Moreover, even Friet, whom I thought was being possessed by Kim Seung-woo and getting stronger according to the novel, was instead somehow right here, sticking close to my side.
Astonishingly, instead of his soul changing like in the novel, it was his gender that changed.
There was no possibility that Kim Seung-woo was acting.
Friede had passed a strict, logical, and scientific verification process that left no room for even a shred of doubt.
Not even the legendary Goni from the gambling world could have remained unfazed after hearing that Korean curse out of nowhere.
So, this black-haired girl sitting next to me, looking at me with a slightly anxious face, must be considered the original Friet from the original game, not the Kim Seung-woo from the novel.
Though it was still hard to believe, as her appearance and personality were so far removed from the Friet I knew.
“No, I mean, so you were originally Friede… but only during your time as the hero of the Kingdom of Rhine, only then you were in a man’s body… is that what you’re saying?”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips even as I spoke.
No, Friede. What on earth are you saying, really?
Even for unreasonable things, there’s a limit, how can a person’s gender change back and forth so easily like flipping your palm, are you some kind of clownfish?
…It seems I’m not one to talk, but I only changed once, not twice.
Come to think of it, it’s not even a change of gender, but more like a ghost possessing a living person’s body.
Possession and gender change. In the original world, both would be extremely unreasonable, but in this world, the latter was overwhelmingly more unreasonable.
Because this is a world where ghosts actually roam around. Though they’re treated as undead monsters.
* * *
Friede nodded to my question, saying that was correct, and then went on to explain the detailed circumstances.
Specifically, she talked about her holy sword Nibelung.
The ability to grant three wishes of its owner in a lifetime.
Friede explained that her transformation into a man was probably due to that ability. She said her return to being a woman was likely for the same reason.
It was certainly an ability worthy of being called a holy sword.
If you wished for something that could help in battles against demon folk or Demon Kings, it would grant that wish as is. If misused, it could potentially cause a great disaster.
Just look at Heid’s holy sword, Tyrving.
The true ability of Tyrving is the power of domination that brainwashes and subjugates the opponent.
It only seems like an evil ability because that bastard Heid is using it to steal other people’s women, but the original purpose of that ability was to brainwash the Demon King’s core forces and make the demons slaughter each other.
If the demons kill each other, humans can achieve victory without shedding a single drop of blood or suffering any casualties, what could be better than that?
That’s enough to be called a holy sword. Though if used like Heid does, it should honestly be called a demon sword instead.
Anyway, Nibelung too was a sword that could provide enormous help if used well, enough to naturally be called a holy sword.
However, Kim Seung-woo in the novel, upon seeing Nibelung, immediately said it was already in no state to be used as a weapon to defeat the Demon King and just used it as a temporary weapon…
That was probably because, before Kim Seung-woo possessed Friet’s body, Friet himself had already used up all three wish chances.
“…You used them all?”
Just like now.
“Ah, well… yes. Unless a new owner appears, for me now…”
Did my words sound like an accusation? Or did she find it embarrassing herself?
Friede bowed her head deeply and fidgeted with her fingers as she confirmed that she had already wasted all of Nibelung’s abilities before even encountering demon forces, let alone the Demon King.
If others heard this, they might grab the back of their necks and get angry, saying ‘as expected of an incompetent hero’.
“Hmm. Well… I guess it can’t be helped. Let’s move past that for now.”
Of course, not for me. After all, even in the novel, he hadn’t switched to a better sword because the ability uses were all used up.
Whether we should do the same… that’s something we’ll need to think about more, but anyway, there’s no need to particularly cling to Nibelung, so there’s no reason to get angry.
A sword that grants wishes does seem like it would be very useful, and it’s a bit of a shame that we can’t use it anymore, but…
‘That’s not the issue right now. Who cares about Nibelung’s power? In this situation.’
Compared to the concerns filling my mind right now, such a matter could be easily brushed aside as insignificant.
“Huh…? Is that okay?”
Of course, for Friede who knew nothing about the fifth holy sword, it must have been a bewildering response.
“It’s already in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it now?”
I let out a faint sigh, shaking off even the slightest regret, then steered the conversation back to discussing Friet’s identity.
“Anyway, so… you are indeed Friet. That’s the most important thing. Though you’ve changed beyond recognition, the same goes for me.”
Yes. Truly, that was the most important thing.
I thought about it carefully on the way here, and Friet becoming Friede and being here means, in vulgar terms, that I’m fucked.
I’m ruined, completely and thoroughly.
Think about it. Friet becoming Friede and being here means that the Kim Seung-woo who should have been here might not even exist in the first place.
The protagonist who, though so flawed in character that I didn’t want to associate with him, was the most reliable in combat thanks to his knowledge of the original game.
What does that mean?
The things Kim Seung-woo, possessing Friet, should have done. The things he actually did. Even the things he should do in the future.
Doesn’t it mean that all those actions from the novel will not happen? Because there’s no Kim Seung-woo to perform them.
I had been feeling reassured all this time.
That even if I lived like an ordinary adventurer, the world would be saved by Kim Seung-woo taking care of things. Just like he did in the novel.
Although I couldn’t confirm the ending because it was an ongoing novel, to put it bluntly, unless the author was crazy, there was no way they would present a bad ending where everyone, including the protagonist, perishes.
The original game might have had such bad endings since it was an adult game genre, but what I read was a novel about being possessed in that world and making a difference.
In a novel with only one possible ending, would they really end it with ‘the protagonist died and all the heroines became the demon’s possessions~’?
That would be insane.
They say cursing makes you live longer, but if someone did something like that, they might live for a thousand years.
Even if you suddenly inserted an NTR development with another friend into a childhood friend pure love work, it would receive less criticism than that.
…My thoughts went off track a bit, but anyway, for these reasons, I wasn’t worried about the future of this world at all.
Or rather, I should say I was turning a blind eye to it.
I thought that even if I didn’t step up, even if I didn’t get involved with the original characters, the world would become peaceful on its own. That’s what I believed as I looked away.
But Kim Seung-woo isn’t here?
He’s not here.
The morally bankrupt hero who would create a happy ending on his own even if I did nothing.
This wasn’t the world of the novel where Kim Seung-woo was the protagonist. I had just been mistaken in thinking so.
Then, what exactly is this place, this world?
The world of the original game where Hero Friet is the protagonist? Or a third world where Friede is the protagonist instead of Friet?
I couldn’t know the answer.
There were only two things I could know… or rather, guess.
First, whatever this world is, if there is a protagonist, it would be the hero who is the owner of Nibelung.
In other words, this girl who was looking up at me with flushed cheeks was the protagonist who had to save this world. As unbelievable as it was.
And the second, more important guess was…
‘…Isn’t this really a big problem?’
If this wasn’t the world of the novel, there was no guarantee that the ending this world would face would be a happy ending fitting for a novel.
Most adult RPG games typically have only one or two happy endings, focusing instead on creating dozens of bad endings…
Moreover, in the original game, at least the protagonist was male. Now Friede has become a proper young girl, hasn’t she?
An adult RPG game where the protagonist is a young female hero? There’s no need to say more.
There would probably be over a hundred bad endings prepared, including ones where she’s defeated by all sorts of small fry like slimes or goblins.
After all, those kinds of games are played to appreciate and collect scenes of the protagonist’s defeat.
…It was truly a chilling thought.
Moreover, this hero, instead of diligently growing stronger as a hero should, had been enjoying playing adventurer by my side while hiding her identity, and now had become a fugitive along with me.
“Haah…”
I covered my forehead with my hand and let out a sigh full of worry. We could really be heading straight for destruction in an instant. From my perspective.
No, we might have already stepped halfway into a bad ending. Right now, unlike the original, we’re in the middle of fleeing as wanted criminals.
What’s a bad ending but this? If we get caught like this, that’s a bad ending right there.
Really, what a mess this is.
The situation had become so tangled. I had no idea where to even start or how to fix it.
“…Miss Hilde. No, Miss Brunhilde.”
Unaware of my lamentations and concerns, Friede looked up at me with a strangely reddened face and called my name in a subdued voice.
“So, does this mean you believe that I was actually Friet…?”
My head is killing me and she’s talking about unnecessary things.
“It’s hard to believe… but I have no choice but to believe it. Since Nibelung is in your hands.”
I nodded. Given the clear physical evidence, there was no room to doubt the fact that she was Hero Friet.
“Th-Then!”
Friede suddenly stood up and exclaimed.
It was such an abrupt movement, such a sudden shout, that I blinked in surprise and looked up at her.
What’s going on, why is she acting like this? Was she anxious about whether I would believe her?
“…You startled me. Why so sudden?”
“Th-That, um, so, y-you said before… right? About me. That is…”
“I said what?”
I tilted my head and asked back. She was stuttering twice as much as usual, so I couldn’t understand at all what she was trying to say.
“Th-That, uh, um… m-me, that is… it was the past me, but! Still, th-that, you l-liked… me…”
Ah.
I froze with my mouth hanging open, all the concerns that had filled my mind suddenly wiped away.
“And, and also, that gender didn’t matter… you definitely said that… right?”
Right. I certainly did say that.
Back when I had no inkling of Friede’s secret of actually being Friet, in order to politely reject Friede who had confessed to me.
At that time, the reason I gave as an excuse was precisely that.
That I was actually in love with a party member I had been looking after like a disciple from my former party. That’s why I couldn’t accept your feelings.
You crazy bastard. Of all the excuses to make, to come up with something like that…
Now that I think about it, there couldn’t have been anything crazier. It was essentially the same as confessing that I actually liked you right in front of the person in question.
“So, um… e-even the current me, right? It’s, it’s okay… right?”
Friede asked, moving closer to me with a flushed face.
I couldn’t answer and just broke out in a cold sweat. Until Friede’s carefully extended hand touched my shoulder.