The Demon King and his companions left the young hero not far from the village, pointing him in the direction of the settlement. The child held the partially eaten apples in his arms and gazed intently at the Demon King, who waved goodbye.
As the young hero took a few steps toward the village, he turned to look back at the Demon King. After a moment, he continued forward but then turned back again, clearly reluctant to leave.
The Demon King couldn’t help but laugh and shouted, “Remember, don’t come to kill me in the future; you’ll meet an early demise! But you’re always welcome to come and visit me!” He waved enthusiastically before they parted ways.
“Can I take a look at what’s inside your head?” muttered Ziyuan under his breath.
It wasn’t clear whether the young hero had heard the Demon King’s words, but he mimicked the Demon King by raising one hand, waving left and right, and then continued on his way to the village without looking back.
After the figure disappeared in the distance, the Demon King suddenly spoke, saying, “I want to take back what I said earlier.” His expression, which had been full of excitement just moments ago, now turned solemn, and Ziyuan refrained from making any more jokes or comments.
“Which sentence are you referring to?” Ziyuan inquired.
“The one where I said I didn’t understand what’s so appealing about the first snow,” the Demon King replied.
The snow of light continued to fall, and the Demon King looked up at the sky, extending his hand to catch the points of light. “Both falling from the sky, both radiating light. To me, that little guy is like the first snow. The light emanating from him is gentle and evokes pity. I can’t bear to clasp my hand and let that light fade,” the Demon King said, turning to smile at Ziyuan. “That’s why I didn’t care if he was a hero just now.”
“While I can somewhat understand your perspective, that human child is still a hero. Allowing him to live now will only pose a threat to the demon race in the future,” Ziyuan remarked.
“Since he’s just a human, how much of a threat can he really be?” the Demon King confidently replied, causing Ziyuan to sigh and refrain from further arguments.
“I’ve heard that another layer of meaning for the ‘Snow of Light’ is ‘burial’ and ‘forgetting.’ Your Majesty, what do you think?” Ziyuan inquired.
“If this snow truly holds such magic, I can only hope that the Demon King will soon forget his memories of that little hero and this first snow, and be a responsible Demon King,” Ziyuan thought.
“I believe this first snow is beautiful, and that’s enough for me,” the Demon King said with satisfaction. For a being with eternal life, it’s hard to find something that touches the heart, making this snowy scene especially precious.
“Alright, alright. I’ve seen the first snow, and I’ve ridden this horse enough. So, Ziyuan, I’ll return to the Demon King’s castle for now,” the Demon King concluded.
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.
“What? Wait! Are you planning to…” Ziyuan’s words were cut short as the Demon King made his move.
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“You stubborn fellow! If I could really become the Demon King, the first thing I’d do is utterly reject you!” Furious, Ziyuan shouted as he fell off his horse.
—
The Hero Named “Tom Legend” (Part 1)
The guild hall was in a state of uproar.
At the foot of the mountains on the border, there was a small town called Rolen that had not yet been claimed by any nation. In this remote and desolate town, there was only one bounty hunters’ guild. Therefore, travelers, bounty hunters, and even ordinary townsfolk would gather there from time to time to exchange information.
Bounty hunters are a special profession that specializes in hunting down monsters and demons listed in wanted posters in exchange for a bounty. Because Rolen is located near an area with active monster activity, the guild thrives, and most bounty hunters come here to make adequate preparations before venturing into the dangerous mountain regions to hunt demons.
The guild hall was bustling and lively today, with hunters coming to claim bounties, negotiate missions, and travelers seeking information or forming teams. The entire hall was filled with a vibrant and energetic atmosphere.
In the midst of the busy affairs, the guild hall was equipped with several counters to accommodate the workload. There were counters for claiming bounties, negotiating missions, and registration, each with long lines of people waiting their turn. However, in the far-left corner of the hall, there was one counter that seemed abandoned. Above this counter hung a sign that read “Inquiry Desk.”
In the guild, the Inquiry Desk was primarily set up for rookie hunters to ask the most basic questions. These questions might include, “Where can I apply for a bounty hunter license?” or “What is a contract monster?” or “Where can I pick up missions?” or “Which element is strong against Fire Rats?” or “What basic equipment should a bounty hunter have?” However, most of the bounty hunters in this guild were seasoned and well-known experts. As a result, the Inquiry Desk was practically useless, and it just had to be there as per the official guild regulations. Being a staff member at the Inquiry Desk was considered the least desirable position, and people typically didn’t volunteer for it.
Sitting behind the desk was an employee who seemed to fit perfectly with the reclusive atmosphere. The thick, round glasses gave them a mild and absent-minded appearance, and their hair was a haphazard mess, looking as if it had been unevenly cut, with some bangs even obstructing their vision. They wore a work uniform with a plain tie, but despite the autumn-winter season not being particularly cold, they had a mismatched light gray scarf wrapped around their neck.
“Have you heard? Lately, there has been an increasing frequency of appearances by the demon race in the mountain areas,” whispered several bounty hunters from different teams, huddled in a nearby spot not far from the Inquiry Desk, discussing ominous rumors in hushed tones.
In fact, everyone was quietly discussing this topic, but nobody dared to be too overt about it.
If the demon race appeared too frequently in the same area, it meant they had intentions of taking over and disrupting that territory. At that point, no matter how many bounty hunters there were, they wouldn’t be able to resist the onslaught. In front of a group of demons, humans were on a similar level to ants, so when such a phenomenon occurred, the local residents had no other choice but to evacuate and flee their villages and towns as quickly as possible.
“Heh, you guys are making too much fuss. Do you even know who I am?”
A rugged-looking man proudly puffed out his chest, his silver-gray heavy armor gleaming with a polished shine. He rested both hands on a large broadsword hilt, and the weathered, yellowed scabbard seemed to carry a weight of history, adding to the overall sense of gravity.
For a moment, the entire guild fell silent, as if everyone already knew the answer and was waiting for the man to speak for himself.
“I think there’s no one here who doesn’t know!”
The man confidently raised his enormous sword, drew it from its scabbard, revealing the copper-red blade, and the onlookers erupted in admiration and cheers.
He then calmly removed his gauntlets, took off his gloves, and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the intricate, winding totems on his forearms.
The Goddess granted the Hero three symbols: the pure white wings, the broadsword known as the “Crimson Elena Goddess,” and the unique totems that appeared on his forearms from birth.
“I am the current Hero, Khlue!” the man declared.
The people instantly crowded around, surrounding Khlue with worshipful looks.
“He’s the Hero, he’s the Hero!”
“Our town is saved!”
“This man is the Hero, sir!”
“We’re so lucky! This is the blessing of the Goddess Elena!”
“Hey, you’re the Hero, right?”
The man who asked the question was tall and had a black cloak draped over his shoulders. Several finely crafted silver clasps adorned his chest. Once inside, the cloak looked more like a cape, revealing that he was wearing lightweight black travel gear underneath. He wore a russet leather belt with two sharp swords attached, and a row of daggers on his left thigh. The man hadn’t lifted the hood of his cloak, so his face remained concealed by the brim.
“Hello, sir. I’m Tom Legend, a member of the information desk at the Rolen Town Guild. How may I assist you?” The employee inside the booth hesitated for a moment, then delivered the standard greeting with a stiff, forced smile, ignoring the man’s question.
“Who picked that name for you? Was it a punishment for losing a game?” The man inquired, his tone lighthearted.
“No, that should be my name,” the employee replied with little confidence, giving the impression that he was just making a dull joke.
“Alright, well, it is what it is. My name is Thrett Fyndrilval Ellyad. You can call me Thrett,” the man said, seemingly uninterested in pressing the issue of the strange name.
“Okay, then, may I ask if you have any questions, Mr. Thrett?” The unassuming employee continued to work with the man.
“I just asked that earlier; you’re the hero, right?”
This time, everyone heard it clearly, and as soon as the man’s words landed, they all burst into laughter, almost knocking the roof off.
Khlue raised his voice and laughed, saying, “Hey, young man! The real hero is standing right in front of you, and you’re asking if that useless, wimpy-looking bumpkin is the hero? You’re too funny! Oh, my goddess Elena, did you forget to bless this man with a ‘brain’?” His words were followed by another wave of laughter.
“Mr. Thrett, as this gentleman mentioned, you’ve made a mistake.”
“Oh,” Thrett intentionally drew out his response, filled with doubt.
Although the brim of his hat shielded the man’s eyes, the employee could still sense an intense gaze fixated on him.
“Hahaha! Don’t doubt it anymore, little brother, this guy clearly doesn’t fit the image of a hero in any way.” A certain bounty hunter stepped forward and patted Thrett’s back, about to continue taunting, when a sudden earth-shaking event occurred. Accompanied by a tremendous roar from outside, people rushed out of the guild in panic.
Outside, despite the clear skies, deafening thunderbolts continued to strike down, golden lightning beams pierced through buildings, and townfolk screamed and fled in chaos. Several houses were already engulfed in raging flames!
“It’s the demons! The demons are invading this place!” People shouted in panic as they fled.
In the skies around the town, seven demons floated, each of them loudly taunting the fleeing crowd. Aside from the demon king’s army, demons rarely gathered in large numbers, so having seven appear at once was quite significant.
“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen any demons,” Thrett mused with a nonchalant expression, looking at the chaos outside the gate. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Ziyuan or Queen Lily in a few months.”
This seems really promising!!
Can’t wait to read more, and see how their dynamic works.
I still feel bad for Ziyuan tho 😂
Thank you for the chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡
<3