A white dot of light descended slowly from the sky. This was the first snow of the 9999th year in the land of Sipistole, full name Sipistole Elena Fandyakz Continent. In this vast and fertile land, various races lived, including humans, magical beasts, mythical creatures, elves, fairies, and demons. Humans constituted the majority of the population. Humans had developed into twenty-seven independent nations, along with numerous bustling towns yet to be incorporated into these nations.
“Ah! This thing keeps making me feel like I have dandruff,” commented the young man wrapped in black noble attire from head to toe as he rode on his sleek black horse, reaching out to brush the snowflakes from his head.
“…Your Majesty, this is the annual first snowfall. Please don’t say such unromantic things,” the long-haired man riding beside him rolled his eyes and spoke in a begrudgingly respectful tone.
Dozens of soldiers were neatly arranged around the two of them, moving in coordination with the horses and providing protection.
In the land of Sipistole, the first snowfall of the year brought not just white snowflakes but also “Snow of Light,” which glittered like stars. It was said that this phenomenon was the tears of the human goddess Elena.
People were saddened by the suffering of those who endured frostbite and the harshness of winter. In response, they would cry, and ever since, whenever the first snowfall came, the snowflakes carried a sparkling white light, as if to remind people, “The winter season has begun; it’s time to wear more warm clothing.”
Another interpretation was that the snow’s light points were as bright as small lanterns. They were said to be fires lit during dark winter nights to protect humanity from the lurking monsters and drive them away. In short, interpretations of the myth were diverse, but nobody ever delved too deeply into the matter.
During this time, grand festivals were held, and bonfires would burn for a whole week to ward off the cold and welcome the winter.
“Who cares what it is? Honestly, what’s so attractive about this stuff, Ziyuan?” The black-haired man was perplexed as he held a light snowflake in his hand, and when he closed his hand and opened it again, it had melted into ordinary water.
Ziyuan, the long-haired man who was addressed as such, sighed and replied, “You’re right. A first snowfall is indeed just a pile of glowing dandruff with no value to you, Your Eternal Majesty.”
With his agreement, the man laughed heartily and said, “Well, what can I do? I am the Demon King, after all!”
His straight and sleek black hair neatly framed the back of his neck, with slightly longer strands falling over his shoulders. His face was remarkably handsome and chiseled, a natural work of art. He sat atop a black steed, his figure tall and commanding, exuding an aura of might and solemnity. His eyes, a dawn-like shade of violet, radiated confidence as they arrogantly surveyed all that lay before him.
The demon race possessed the ability to wield various types of magic and were not bound by any moral constraints. This often led them to recklessly invade human settlements, wreaking havoc, committing acts of violence, and seizing vast territories. To humans, the demon race was viewed as ruthless criminals.
The demon race, despite their indulgent and brutal nature, had a singular entity to which they unconditionally adhered—their king. The Demon King, the wielder of magic, the ruler of the demons, possessed eternal life and formidable magical powers, making him unmatched by any other being in the world.
As long as it was a command from the Demon King, the demon race would unquestionably obey. They followed and believed in their sole king, as the Demon King represented their law and morality, regardless of how terrible his personality or ego might be.
“Your Majesty, if I may ask, do you have any plans for this outing… I mean, royal expedition?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Every demon had a captivating and alluring appearance, and Ziyuan, who served as the Demon King’s aide and part-time nanny, was no exception. He brushed aside his long, crimson hair covering his left eye, revealing his incredibly beautiful face as he inquired.
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“I haven’t decided yet, but I heard that humans are really into raising mini-sized pets this year, so I thought…” The Demon King stroked his chin, but before he could finish his sentence, Ziyuan suddenly roared, “Absolutely not! Under no circumstances! You are absolutely forbidden to raise pets!”
“Wait a minute, I haven’t said anything yet, have I?”
“No! Your intentions are quite clear, so I will strongly object to them before you act!”
“But it’s just raising a pet. Why are you so opposed to it?”
“You dare say that! May I ask who is currently taking care of the Hellish Cerberus you picked up three hundred years ago, Your Majesty?”
“It was you! But when I found that dog, it had one head chopped off, and it was hailing at the time. It looked quite pitiful, so I couldn’t help but bring it back – more or less.”
In reality, the Demon Lord happened to pass by and violently knocked out the Hellish Cerberus in the hailstorm. He then forcibly dragged it back to the castle, claiming he wanted to keep it as a pet. At that time, most of the dog’s injuries were inflicted by the Demon Lord himself. After healing, it was given the names “Laos” and “Les” by the Demon Lord, and they’ve been imprisoned in the castle ever since.
Perhaps they were not pleased to be kidnapped and kept as pets for no apparent reason, given ridiculous names, so they often ate the members of the Demon Tribe who came to feed them in retaliation. However, after some unknown and terrifying training by Ziyuan, they have now obediently become the castle’s guard dogs.
“Two hundred years ago, you also modified the Sage’s Gate that you brought back from the Temple of the Goddess Elena into the main gate of the Demon Lord’s castle!”
“It was me again. But I’ll tell you, the Sage’s Gate eating demons is even funnier than the jokes it tells! You should find some time to go see it.”
The Sage’s Gate was originally stationed in front of the Temple of the Goddess Elena at the western border of the Sipistole Mountains. It would ask questions to those who wanted to pass through it. If someone answered incorrectly or was found to have ill intentions, the Sage’s Gate would open its mouth and devour them.
“At that time, the Demon Lord was also passing by, and as usual, the Sage’s Gate asked him a question. However, the Demon Lord not only answered correctly but also requested more questions. They engaged in a back-and-forth for three days. The Demon Lord was so impressed with the knowledgeable Sage’s Gate that he unceremoniously dismantled it and took it with him. Now it serves as the city gate of the Demon Lord’s castle. In its spare time, it chats with the Demon Lord, plays chess, and occasionally devours passing demon soldiers, much to the amusement of the Demon Lord.”
“…A hundred years ago, who was it that intentionally stole dragon eggs from a dragon’s lair and hatched them?”
“It should be you, right? But that’s because I really wanted to raise a well-behaved dragon from the moment it hatched.”
The stolen egg was as large as an adult, and if the Demon Lord wanted the egg to hatch, it absolutely couldn’t be allowed to lose its temperature. Under the unreasonable command of the Demon Lord, Ziyuan had no choice but to adjust the temperature of the dragon egg, along with dozens of other demons, using their magic to maintain the perfect conditions.
After half a year of continuous incubation, they finally managed to hatch a fire-breathing dragon. Ziyuan still remembered that all the demons involved in the hatching were moved to tears. They had used a significant amount of their magic, and many demons had become exhausted and even died as a result. However, the Demon Lord had lost interest in the dragon egg during that time, and when the dragon finally hatched, he couldn’t care less about it.
That last dragon was raised by Ziyuan in the Demon Lord’s castle and named “Hongyuan.” Its favorite food, well, it happened to be… demons.
Leaving aside the fact that he was a high-ranking official of the Demon Lord, Ziyuan couldn’t understand why he always ended up as a pet caretaker. Whenever Ziyuan thought about the loyal soldiers who served under the Demon Lord, becoming the amusement of the pets amid the Demon Lord’s indifferent laughter, he couldn’t help but feel indignant about their pointless sacrifices.
“Your Majesty, you’re really too capricious! So this time, I won’t let you raise another pet, no matter what.”
“Looking back, Ziyuan, you are truly magnificent,” the Demon Lord rarely expressed such sentiments.
While listening to Ziyuan’s endless complaints about his pet-raising experiences over the years, the Demon Lord rode into the forest. As they approached the edge of a cliff, something suddenly fell from above, landing with a rustling thud on the dense, crisscrossed branches.
One of the demon soldiers below swiftly turned, deftly swung his crossbow from his back, aimed, and fired. The arrow sliced through the air, hitting the target right on the mark. The entire sequence of actions was executed flawlessly, impressing the nearby guards who couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up.
“Your Majesty, I’ve eliminated the intruder!” he reported proudly. However, while he was turning around, still feeling triumphant, he received a vicious kick straight to the face.
“Where did that nervousness come from?”
“Your Majesty, he is our finest archer and also the captain of the guard.”
“Then he can stop working from this very second,” the Demon Lord said with displeasure as he gracefully stepped on the soldier’s face to jump onto the tree where the intruder had fallen.
“I completely don’t understand where the demon king’s anger is coming from.”
The bewildered soldier can only accept his misfortune with the imprinted mark on his face because, after all, the demon king is such a capricious and arbitrarily cruel autocrat.
On a thicker branch of the withered tree, there hangs a slender child. The child’s body is marked with lacerations caused by branches, and the most severe injury is an arrow stuck in the left shoulder, with all the wounds oozing fresh blood. The child appears to be like a fleeting light snow, emitting a faint and peculiar white halo. After seeing this, the demon king took the child down from the tree.
“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”
Approaching to investigate the situation, Ziyuan, upon seeing the demon king holding a dying, frail child and the pure white wings tremblingly unfurled on his bare back, immediately raised an alarm, exclaiming, “This is… a hero!”
The demon king is a unique and absolute entity in the world, possessing powers accumulated since the dawn of all creation and passed down through generations.
In order to protect humanity from persecution by the demon king, the goddess Elena, just before her demise, bestowed the divine power upon a human. With this formidable divine power, that human was able to defeat the demon king.
Therefore, the world’s law is as follows: Eternal to the Demon King, Demise to the Hero.
This means that the Demon King possesses eternal life and power but is eventually defeated by the human Hero, inheriting the battle power of the goddess.
Even though the Hero has god-like power that can rival the Demon King, humans are still humans. Despite the everlasting power, their bodies will wither with time. If they suffer severe injuries and are left untreated, they will die. Once the human body that houses the power of the goddess dies, her power will randomly seek out another human vessel. The power of the Hero will reside in an unborn child, granting the child white wings from birth. These white wings grow with the Hero’s body, and they can be concealed within the body, serving as a tangible representation of the Hero’s power.
In the past, over a thousand Heroes have died, but only twenty-seven of them succeeded in killing the Demon King. When the Demon King dies from an attack, their original demonic power scatters throughout the world for a hundred years before gradually coalescing into a completely new and different individual.
The successful Hero who kills the Demon King is revered as a great monarch by the people of the contemporary era. This is the origin of the twenty-seven nations on the continent of Sipistole. The demon tribes, deprived of their king, enter into a long period of dormancy in large numbers, waiting for the arrival of the next Demon King.
Humans are subservient to the demon tribes, the demon tribes are subservient to the Demon King, and the Demon King is subservient to the Hero. Therefore, for the demon tribes, the Hero is a dreaded and despised figure.
“Your Majesty, please kill him immediately!”
“Is he the detestable Hero?”
“Demon King, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty, kill him quickly!”
Not only Ziyuan, but all the soldiers echoed in unison, rushing forward to take the child from the Demon King and execute him. After all, killing one Hero would bring more peace and freedom to the future lives of the demonkind.
The young Hero, with his eyes tightly shut, gasped weakly, lacking the strength to cry out in pain, let alone resist or escape. The Demon King silently gazed at the young Hero, his face expressionless. After a brief moment, he turned around, mounted his horse, and rode away.
Gently raising his hand, he placed it on the child’s injuries, and as he withdrew it, the wounds began to heal. In no time at all, all the injuries were completely restored, even the arrow that had pierced him disappeared without a trace.
“Your Majesty! What are you doing?” Ziyuan exclaimed, seeing that the Demon King had no intention of killing the Hero.
“I assume there’s a village nearby, right? I want to send him back,” the Demon King replied.
Thank you for the chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡