The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 1
EP.1 Raging Flames (1)
It was unusual to see heroines like this in modern games unless you’re playing an adult-only game. However, about 20 years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for heroines with a past of sexual abuse to appear in even all-ages games.
Of course, such scenes weren’t explicitly shown. It was often just implied that “this character has a tragic past,” and leaving it at that. Still, in hindsight, it was a setup that could easily cause one to spit blood.
However, while Claire Fangriffon could certainly be classified as a heroine character, she wasn’t a heroine that players could romance. At least, not in the series up until I played it. Actually, the issue wasn’t whether you could pursue her romantically; it was that she was a character you couldn’t save.
The series had been around for twenty years, but this current world’s storyline only started about five years ago. The fourteenth installment was released five years ago, and since then, three more installments have been added to the series. By the late 2010s, the trend of introducing such ‘humiliation-type’ characters had faded.
Claire’s character traits might be considered attractive, I supposed. Tragic backstories often gave rise to compelling character traits. Like a character who pretended to be cheerful to hide a dark past, one who was more mature for their age, someone who acted tough to mask their vulnerabilities, or someone who, after being saved from a profoundly dark past, reconciled with a stepsister they didn’t get along with—— these setups existed for Claire. Still, the truth was, a dark past didn’t need to involve “humiliation” to be impactful.
Was it simply a matter of the production team’s preferences? Or perhaps the writer who created the story twenty years ago was still involved in the series?
Regardless of Claire’s popularity, that provocative backstory always held her character’s appeal back. In Korea, at least, there were a few users who continued to exploit her tragic backstory, further tarnishing her image.
Whether the production team realized this issue, or Claire was initially designed to serve such a role, remained unknown. But eventually, in the latest installment of the series, Claire sacrificed herself, rejecting even the Emperor’s command to save her stepsister—the Emperor’s true daughter.
Despite all the controversies surrounding her character, no one criticized that part of her story. A character who remained unhappy until death but still choose their own ending was always popular.
“Hmm…”
If there was one problem, it was this: the Claire nervously sitting before me hadn’t yet earned the name “Fangriffon,” nor did she possess such a dark backstory.
Claire was sold to a brothel by the orphanage owner for money. In fact, the orphanage had a secret arrangement with the brothel. It pretended to be a normal orphanage, but it would secretly sell orphans to the brothel when one of their ‘special clients’ needed a new child.
…Most likely, the child who was “adopted” recently had also been sold for “such purposes.”
Considering they ‘purchase’ them according to those with “special tastes,” it didn’t matter if the children were male or female.
Claire, a girl who had once lived in a brothel became the emperor’s daughter. While this might seem impossible in ordinary circumstances, there’s a backstory that justifies it here. As it turned out, she had a certain talent.
During one of the usual humiliations she faced, Claire eventually snapped. Unable to bear it any longer, she exploded in rage and ended up killing the “client” she was servicing. Hearing the screams, a group of bouncers rushed in, but Claire slit their carotid arteries one by one with a single fork she held. On her way out, she accidentally knocked over an oil lamp, which resulted in the brothel catching fire.
This world lacked proper firefighting systems and didn’t place much value on human rights. The fire that started in the dilapidated brothel, packed closely with other buildings, quickly spread, engulfing the entire slum in a massive blaze that caused numerous casualties. Ironically, many nobles who opposed the emperor were at the brothel during the fire, and their deaths ended up dealing a significant blow to the aristocratic faction. This, at least, was part of the backstory.
The emperor, discovering Claire’s existence during the investigation of the incident, promptly took her in and claimed her as his daughter. Many of the emperor’s “children” became loyal followers in a similar fashion, aligning themselves with him and pledging their loyalty. Of course, these children had no right to the throne; they were simply close aides created to further the emperor’s ambitions.
Claire’s true identity remained a mystery, even up until the latest installment of the series. There had been hints that her biological parents might appear in a future sequel, but that was all.
At any rate, she wasn’t “Fangriffon” yet, meaning she hadn’t experienced those terrible events.
But on the flip side, this also implied that the orphanage where I currently resided was somehow connected to that deranged brothel.
That’s right. This meant that not only Claire but also “I” could be sold off. My reflection in the mirror was that of a girl with an almost mystical aura. Even if my true self was that of an adult man, those nobles who bought children for such acts would likely consider it just another form of entertainment.
“This is screwed up.”
“Sc-screwed up…?”
“Ah.”
Claire mimicked my muttering, and I clasped my head in my hands as I watched her do so.
For the past month, I had done absolutely nothing. Of course, it was not that I hadn’t thought of anything. I had considered trying to find a way out of this orphanage and escaping to a better place. I even knew of a viable option.
The protagonist of this game was a very diligent and kind person. The parents are the same. They belong to a baronial family of some standing, having lived in the capital for generations. To underscore their virtue, the family ran a proper orphanage—not like this place, which only had the façade of one, but a true orphanage that genuinely cared for and loved the children, taking full responsibility for them until they come of age.
I had earned platinum medals in all console versions of The Chronicles of Aetherna that I had played. Before the Korean version’s official release, I even imported the Japanese version and completed it with the help of a Japanese dictionary, and then write down strategy guides in the process. So, I was familiar with the map of the Imperial Capital. If this world truly was the one from the game I knew, I should be able to navigate my way using the map I remembered.
The problem, however, lies in the scale of the game.
Unless a studio with an enormous budget was involved, there were hardly any companies that would attempt to replicate an entire city within a game. For a mid-sized developer with a team of around 40 people, such a feat would be impossible.
Still, they managed to meticulously create certain regions for the setting, but not all the areas were connected seamlessly. In reality, they had only crafted the essential or significant locations needed for the game. These places corresponded to about two or three city blocks, and there were eight such regions represented in the game.
The rest of the game took place in battlefields outside the city. And naturally, as typical of JRPGs, these fields were populated with monsters and treasure chests, so the layout wasn’t necessarily logical. They were designed solely as dungeons, making it unsurprising that they differed completely from the actual outskirts of this world’s city.
Even though I had some knowledge of the city’s layout, I wasn’t adept enough at navigation to find my way solely using maps or signs. The capital was described multiple times as a complex place. If it were a well-organized metropolis, it might have been different, but back alleys filled with illegal shantytowns and century-old wooden houses wouldn’t be accurately represented on any map.
That’s why I’ve been stalling for time.
“Sylvia, is something wrong?”
The children here seemed to like me. Perhaps it was because the previous leader, who ruled over them with an iron fist, was gone. Whenever the kids caused trouble, he was the one who got beaten, so to keep things quiet, he would resort to violence. Through all of this, he never laid a hand on me. Maybe it was because of this pretty face of mine.
…It feels strange to say such things about a child’s face, but it was indeed a face that other children would find attractive. To an adult’s eyes, it would be seen as a face with a promising future. And to the eyes of a criminal, it was probably a face they’d want to possess immediately.
I didn’t know why I ended up in this orphanage with such a face. If this were a web novel, I would probably end up saving the child in front of me, and from then on, the main story would deviate completely from the original plot—But how?
I pondered as I looked at the other children who were staring blankly at me.
Since they were all considered ‘merchandise,’ everyone had quite attractive faces. I couldn’t fathom how they managed to gather only such children from the back alleys.
…Perhaps they weren’t just ‘ordinary orphans.’ Well, there was no way for me to prove that right now.
Sure, being born into another world was fine. Meeting a heroine from her childhood days was fine, too. Honestly, when I first realized it, I was quite moved. Magic, battleship soaring in the sky, steam engines powering all sorts of unbelievable devices—weren’t these things that ignite one’s sense of adventure?
The problem was, it seemed like I was destined to be sold off and exploited to death before I could enjoy any of it.
Who knew, perhaps a character named Sylvia Black already existed. Maybe she was supposed to be someone Claire knew before becoming the emperor’s daughter. It’s possible she was just a character who got sold off and disappeared before the main story began, hence why she never appeared.
“……”
No matter how anxiously I racked my brain, I couldn’t see a way out.
There was no status window and no personal notifications. Even after racking my brain, it didn’t seem like I had any extraordinary abilities.
“Sister?”
“……”
It was definitely a language similar to English, yet it carried that distinctive feel unique to Japanese games. Maybe it wasn’t just my imagination.
In reality, it was highly likely that there wasn’t much of an age difference between Claire and me. At most, it might be a year, or maybe just a few months. Given that our heights were similar, that seemed about right. But since the old hag claimed I was the oldest, all the kids here called me ‘sister.’
“…No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
I tried to be kind to the children whenever possible. After all, there wasn’t much I could do for them.
I wasn’t the kind of person who empathized with everyone’s pain and tried to help at all costs. If there was something I couldn’t handle, I preferred to keep my distance and just watch. That was the kind of person I was. I could at least offer a kind word to children destined for a terrible future.
…Thinking about it now, maybe that’s why the kids were so attached to me.
*
And before long, the day of our farewell arrived.
“Claire!”
And it came in the worst possible way.
“Someone has come to take you! Be happy!”
“……”
When children leave this place, they are a bit happier. Considering that they were escaping from a place filled with nothing but those who beat and tormented them, it was normal to feel happy about leaving.
Besides, they didn’t even realize they were being sold off. They just assumed they were being adopted into a wealthy family where they would be loved, well-fed, and warm.
…The children still didn’t understand that there was no way a noble or a bourgeois would take kids from such a shabby place like this.
Despite that, Claire just looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with fear and sadness.
Did she form a bond with me during this time?
“…I’ll walk you to the front.”
I stood up as I said that. Claire smiled at me, as if she was unsure of what was about to happen.