Shierra was the youngest child of a retired adventurer family in a small kingdom within the Strife Zone.
Her father was a warrior who didn't belong to any mainstream sword school. After all, there are plenty of other styles out there besides the world's Three Great Sword Styles. Her mother, meanwhile, was an Intermediate-tier healing mage. Thanks to that, she was taught how to read, use healing magic, and even manage finances from a young age.
By all rights, she could have studied at some academy in Asura and landed a comfortable administrative job. Unfortunately, a peaceful life in the Strife Zone was never meant to last.
War broke out, and her parents, along with any siblings capable of fighting, were forcibly conscripted. It didn't take long for all of them to end up dead, leaving only her and her older sister, Vierra.
Refusing to bow down to adversity, Vierra—who had inherited their father's swordsmanship and a warrior's will—guided her little sister down the path of an adventurer. They left their homeland and operated in Asura for several years. It wasn't an easy life, but it at least put food in their bellies, clothes on their backs, and paid for a warm bed at an inn.
Before long, the two sisters became highly promising B-rank adventurers. Normally, this would be the time to leave a peaceful place like Asura and seek out new opportunities in more chaotic regions, like the Northern part of the Central Continent, the Millis Continent, or maybe even Begaritt. However, whether by sheer luck or terrible misfortune, the region hailed as the most peaceful in the world was suddenly struck by a monster outbreak that spread from the Fittoa Region across the entire kingdom.
Vierra and Shierra traveled to Fittoa, where the monsters were the most numerous and ferocious, to join the defense and subjugation campaigns. They did their jobs fairly well, they even earned enough money to settle down somewhere when things are done. But just by that time, another disaster struck: the Teleportation Incident.
The two adventurer sisters were teleported to an unfamiliar, unknown land. Stripped of their weapons and gear, they were quickly defeated and taken captive by a bandit brigade. Both of them were turned into playthings for those bastards for nearly a year until Paul finally rescued them.
Vierra managed to move past it quickly; her willpower was always something to be admired. For her younger sister, Shierra, however, it was the exact opposite. She couldn't easily forget the sheer, paralyzing terror she had endured.
Night after night, the healing mage was plagued by nightmares—the monstrous faces and the horrific things they did to her. Every single night, she would cry and tremble, only finding solace when wrapped in her older sister's embrace.
That fear made it impossible for her to function normally in society. The gaze of men, their scent, even the sound of their breathing terrified her. Even Paul—the very man who had saved them—made Shierra feel intensely anxious.
It wasn't because Paul was a bad guy, nor did Shierra completely hate men. During her time in captivity, the girl had developed an uncanny ability to sense men's lust through their most subtle expressions. It was like a natural defense mechanism, it's not actually accurate but she really believes in it. And now, it was exactly what kept her drowning in constant fear.
Because of this, Vierra decided to dress as provocatively as she does now. A two-piece armor set that only covered the most sensitive parts of her body, leaving the vast majority of her skin exposed. And just like that, the leering gazes of every man around were drawn exclusively to her.
Men really are disgustingly predictable creatures.
Yet, even that wasn't enough to make Shierra feel completely safe. After all, Vierra couldn't be by her side 24/7. There would be times when she was alone, and times when some random guy would end up looking at her.
An eternal fear that could never be extinguished. A scar so deep it could never fully heal.
It was an incredibly inconvenient way to live. It had been three years since she was rescued, after all. Other girls who suffered the same fate had gradually recovered; some had even found love and built families of their own. Shierra realized that she couldn't hide behind her sister's back forever. Someday, Vierra might get married, and the mage would have to stand on her own two feet. It was an inevitable rule of life.
Thinking about it always made her anxious. But she knew she couldn't stay like this forever. That was why Shierra had recently taken more initiative to act on her own. She also tried to interact with men more, starting with those who seemed trustworthy, like Paul, Geese, and the other guys in the search party.
Even though she was still terrified, still timid, and still wanted to run away at every turn, these were her first steps. She was trying, giving it everything she had.
But then, this happened.
She had initially thought this would just be another typical skirmish between slave traders and Paul's rescue squad, like the ones over the past few years. The two sides would clash, fight until they couldn't anymore, and that would be it. Or, worst-case scenario, someone would die on the spot.
But this time was different, completely different. The people she encountered weren't your average adventurers or hired guards. They were literal lunatics. They lunged at her and Vierra like starving dogs, defeated them in a flash, and dragged them back to their lair.
If Shierra's past few years were an unending ache, then this place was nothing short of absolute hell. Her sister was violated right in front of her eyes, and she even witnessed Vierra incomprehensibly turn into a depraved mess.
Sister... Please don't be like this… Why was this happening?
And it wasn't just Vierra; everyone else she knew seemed to transform into completely different people.
She tried to fight back, and so did Kitten—the stray cat she picked up in an alley, which turned out to be a shrunken monster. It fought until it was beaten to a pulp, both of its front limbs broken.
Shierra had to sob and beg before those maniacs finally stopped. She thought that sooner or later, she would share her sister's fate, just like in the past, reduced to nothing more than a plaything.
Yet their leader, a bizarrely beautiful man, had other ideas. He ordered his men to tie her up and lock her in a dark room, treating her like some spare prop that needed to be preserved for an important event.
And it didn't take long for that event to actually happen.
Now she was still tied up, sitting in the middle of a massive sanctuary. Her face was drenched in tears, entirely powerless as the boy she had grown to despise—Atur—slowly approached her. He had the eyes of a starving beast, a sick bastard who would only stop once he was satisfied. Shierra had seen that look far too many times; she knew exactly what was about to happen next.
"Don't... don't do this... please..."
But she begged anyway. Just like she did the very first time it was stolen from her by some bandit. Through all the countless times after, she had begged, hoping for even a sliver of sympathy from those savages. Her pleas were never answered, not once, yet she kept doing it anyway.
Was it born from a fierce belief in human goodness? No, Shierra had lost faith in the goodness of men a long time ago. She begged simply because it was the only thing she could do.
Utterly powerless, isn't it?
The boy's hand slowly reached out to her, touching her tear-soaked cheek. It wasn't gentle in the slightest. It was crude, his hand rough and covered in calluses. With her senses heightened to the extreme, Shierra felt actual pain from that single touch alone.
But even then, she must have sensed something different about the boy compared to the bastards who had defiled her in the past.
"Damn... it..."
Because his face was contorted in agony, no different from hers.
His eyes were brimming with lust, but there was absolutely no joy in them; his teeth were biting down on his lip so hard it bled. Exhausted pants echoed with every breath he took. His other hand grabbed his own throat. Though she didn't know how, it was obvious He had just cast detoxification magic without incanting.
"Motherfucker! Why isn't it working!?"
He roared, the hand resting on her cheek suddenly jerking back to punch himself hard in the chest. Immediately after, he punched himself again. He staggered, His legs threatening to give out, but he forced himself to stay standing. It must have looked exactly like two different people fighting for control over the body.
Shierra was so startled she stopped crying. She was completely baffled, having no idea what the hell was going on anymore.
"Don't bother resisting, Hero Atur," Velma, the cult leader, lightly stroked his long, flowing hair as he intently watched the scene unfold. "You aren't poisoned, so using magic is useless. So silly, hehe. Also, inflicting pain on yourself is a neat trick, but unfortunately, I've never seen anyone succeed with it. Sooner or later, you would sink deep into lust anyway."
He kept fighting it. He bit down on his own hand, biting so hard he almost tore a chunk of flesh right off. Only then did he manage to freeze in place. The boy was covered in blood, his own blood. Panting heavily, Atur tried to step back but couldn't. Powerless, he had no choice but to speak up.
"Not poison… huh? Then what the hell is this? What did you do to me!?"
"Hmm... I thought you'd be smarter than this," Velma crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand, thoroughly enjoying his explanation. "But surely you know about things called Demon Eyes, right?"
"Demon Eyes?" Atur asked. "The things granted by the Demon Empress? So your eye is..."
"Yep. A Demon Eye." Velma nodded with blunt honesty. "So you really did come from the Demon Continent. Seems like the rumors were true."
Shierra had also heard of the existence of Demon Eyes. They were mystical eyes possessing various unique abilities. Adventurers were constantly gossiping about them, and Shierra herself had encountered one before. It was the Foresight Eye belonging to Rudeus, Paul's son. He had used that eye's power to see into the future and effortlessly thrash the entire search party.
It was safe to say that possessing one of those eyes granted the user immense power. If it fell into the wrong hands... actually, scratch that, we literally have a textbook example of that right here, right?
"However, it doesn't necessarily have to be granted by the Demon Empress," Velma continued, pointing an index finger directly at his bewitching purple right eye. "The Great Demon King Samyaza also had Demon Eyes of his own. One was the Affection Eye—an eye that makes others fall in love with him. The other was the Lust Eye—an eye that consumes others with carnal desire. The descendants of Lord Samyaza are blessed with one of those two eyes. And I am one of them, born with this Lust Eye. Therefore, the moment you looked into it, you were officially swallowed by lust. There is no cure."
It wasn't unheard of for individuals to be born with a Demon Eye. However, this was the first time Shierra had ever heard a story like this. It was on too massive, too terrifying of a scale.
While Velma was talking, Vierra wrapped her arms around him, pressing her breasts against his arm.
"However, I don't like calling my eye something that forces lust upon people." Velma shrugged, soaking in the intoxicating sensation he was receiving. "I prefer to call it the Eye of Truth. After all, human nature is inherently lustful. Am I right?"
"Yes, my lord~" Vierra instantly agreed.
"Good girl." Velma reached over to stroke Vierra's hair before violently yanking it, drawing a lustful moan from her lips. "But I'm talking to the boy. Don't interrupt."
So Vierra had been affected by that Lust Eye. Shierra finally understood. And Atur was under its spell too. Then can he even…
"I see." He suddenly stood up straight.
Atur was no longer trembling or staggering. The agony was gone from his eyes; sheer desire had won. His blood-stained hands moved decisively, reaching up to his buttons and quickly ripping off his shirt.
"Oh, it seems our hero has given up." Velma chuckled. "I thought you'd be more stubborn than this. Expectations really do leave room for surprises, don't they?"
Atur said nothing. He simply stepped closer to Shierra.
The mage's heart must have felt like it was going to explode. Her absolute terror once again hijacked her mind. She thrashed wildly, fighting tooth and nail for any chance to escape, but it was useless.
"Don't... please don't! Fight it! You can win it!"
She cried again. Of course she did; what else could she possibly do besides cry? She was no different from a fish on a chopping block, a mindless toy for their amusement.
"Screaming is useless, my little love," Velma casually remarked. "Becoming a plaything and serving as proof of a hero's downfall. You should consider it an honor."
An honor? Shierra only felt absolute disgust.
She was disgusted by this godforsaken lust. Disgusted by every man in the world. She hated them. Hated, disgusted, hated, disgusted!
Ah, that's right...
Suddenly, she realized it. A way out.
Death was the only escape from this hell. She could still die. That's right...
So Shierra mustered every ounce of her strength. While her body was still instinctively resisting, her mind was made up. She slowly opened her mouth wide, like drawing a guillotine blade to its peak.
Then, the mage bit down with zero hesitation.
Chomp!*
Yet she didn't bite her own tongue. It was a hand, shoved straight into her mouth.
"Death isn't the way out," Atur said.
Shierra froze. She was completely blindsided by his action. Did he just save her? But wasn't he...
"Ah..."
Then she realized what was actually happening. Her eyes flew wide open. Her tears stopped falling, replaced entirely by a single, overwhelming emotion. Pure, unadulterated shock.
"Huh?" Even Velma realized something was off.
"Hey Velma," Atur continued. "Even though your bullshit rambling has been pissing me off this whole time, I have to admit you got one thing right. And that's the fact that every guy is a lust-driven animal. I even have to admit that I was thinking about how awesome it'd be to sleep with a busty girl like Vierra. And if I can lose my virginity it would be nice as well."
Velma's previously amused face was wiped clean of any joy. He stared at Atur with creeping unease. From his angle, Velma could only see the boy's back and a stream of blood dripping from his chin.
"What... did you do?" Velma asked cautiously, a hint of repulsion in his voice. It seemed the cult leader had managed to picture exactly what had just happened.
Atur, on the other hand, paid zero attention to his question. The boy reached out to Shierra, but instead of touching her, he expertly untied her restraints. Not acting like a sex-crazed maniac in the slightest.
Once he was done, he tilted his head up toward the ceiling and calmly said,
"But there's one thing you failed to realize about what makes a real man."
Then, he slowly turned around. Now it was Velma's turn to be horrified; he grimaced, looking like he was about to throw up.
"You... you actually...!"
And this time, Atur was the one grinning from ear to ear.
"A real man is someone who can restrain his own lust, no matter the cost. And you underestimated my sexual preferences. I'm a hardcore vanilla type of guy. When it comes to sex, it better be with love. And I will only sleep with the girl I hold dearly, not some random woman I just met!"
He then tossed his eyes away like pieces of trash.
Indeed, Atur had gouged his own eyes out. Both of them. As a final act of defiance against the influence of the Lust Eye.
"I only planned on giving in because, if push came to shove, I figured at least I wouldn't have to look at Shierra's pained face," He admitted. His entire face was a bloody mess, yet he probably looked bizarrely cheerful. "But as it turns out, doing this actually freed me from your spell, you goddamn bastard. Hahaha!"
"You... you absolute lunatic!" Velma screamed. "But don't think you've won just because of that. I'm still a North King!"
"Looks like we have that in common then, you psycho." The Dragon Demon King sword was drawn once again. A blade as black as pitch with the enormous power from Fortress Necross. "Now, let's resume our conversation with the swords!"
The real battle has finally begun.