“Are you the hero?” A deep voice echoed throughout the audience hall as a black-haired demon approached him.
The hero nodded in acknowledgment.
“Then you’re really out of luck. The Demon King isn’t in the castle right now. If you want to kill him, you’ll have to come back another day. Or do you want to wait here for his return?”
Despite being a demon, he was speaking amicably to the Demon King’s nemesis, leaving the hero with the impression that this demon was quite ‘strange.’
“…And who are you?” The hero stared at him. This demon’s strangeness provoked the hero’s curiosity, prompting him to ask a question he normally wouldn’t react to or act upon due to curiosity.
“I’m a close aide to the Demon King. The Demon King won’t be back soon. If you really want to kill him, I suggest you stay here for a few days and wait for his return. How about it?” His tone was forceful, not allowing the hero any room to refuse. Thus, the young man nodded and agreed to the strange demon’s proposal.
Someone had requested him to ‘kill the Demon King,’ so he set off. Someone had told him to ‘wait,’ so he stood there. Thus, when this person told him to ‘stay here,’ it was only natural for him to comply.
“By the way, what’s your name?” the demon asked.
The hero was about to answer, but suddenly hesitated. In that brief moment, he couldn’t recall his own name.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, “Snow Ryuu Blaika.”
“…I see.” An emotion flashed in the black-haired demon’s eyes, quickly masked by a smile, though it conveyed no real warmth.
“My name is Thrett Fyndrilval… formerly Thrett Fyndrilval Ellyad. Someone once took the last six characters, so now I go by Thrett Fyndrilval.”
The hero did not respond further, as he hadn’t asked the demon for his name. He was no longer as curious about the details of his name being split or to whom the other part was given as he had been a moment ago.
Silence awkwardly flowed between the two until Thrett broke it by saying, “How about having lunch together? It’s about that time.”
The hero nodded. From a young age, he had understood that in the life of the nameless, if he didn’t eat now, there was no guarantee of when he would eat next. So when it came to food, he never turned anything down—if he could eat, he ate.
Following Thrett to the dining hall, the hero maintained a certain distance. If Thrett intentionally quickened or slowed his pace, the hero would adjust accordingly.
Thrett’s thoughts were still in disarray.
Could this person, who looked exactly like Ellyad, still be considered ‘Ellyad’?
The hero showed no reaction to Thrett’s appearance or even when Thrett deliberately brought up their names. Even if Thrett wanted to avoid the reality of Ellyad’s memory being erased, he was forced to confront it.
They arrived at the grand dining hall of the Demon King’s castle, where the table was already laden with delicious dishes. With just a command from the Demon King, the demons would go to great lengths to accomplish anything. One had to admit, if demons weren’t inherently violent and immoral, they would actually be an incredibly diligent and loyal race.
“Sit down,” Thrett said, pulling out a chair for the hero. He then moved to the other end of the large table, and the two dined in silence across from each other in the tranquil dining room.
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.
Ktf tfgb rja vbkc jcv yfujc fjalcu delfais. Ktgfaa, ktb cfnfg gfjiis fcpbsfv fjalcu, rlwqis mgbrrfv tlr ifur jcv kjamtfv atf qfgrbc jmgbrr ogbw tlw.
Ktf rboa milcxlcu bo qijafr jcv meaifgs kjr atf bcis rbecv. Snfgs wbnfwfca kjr pera ilxf Siisjv’r, ojwliljg sfa fcalgfis vloofgfca. Po la kfgf Siisjv, tf kbeiv tjnf egufv Ktgfaa ab fja wbgf, vfrqlaf xcbklcu ogbw atf yfulcclcu atja Siisjv kjr cfnfg nfgs ajixjalnf. Siisjv’r jaafcalbc jcv mjgf kfgf cfnfg ijmxlcu. Lbkfnfg, atf qfgrbc jmgbrr atf ajyif kjr rlwqis lcvloofgfca, delfais fzlralcu lc tlr bkc mibrfv-boo kbgiv.
‘This person isn’t Ellyad at all.’ The uncontainable frustration and a deep sense of powerlessness made Thrett slam his fist on the table. The large table shook violently, causing soup and other liquids to spill everywhere.
‘Those damned elves said Ellyad’s memory would never return, but what’s worse is that Ellyad is right in front of me, and as the Demon King, I can’t do anything for him!’ Unable to control his rising anger, Thrett suddenly had a thought: since this person was no longer Ellyad, he might as well kill him to stop the pain he felt every time he saw him.
Thrett stood up and walked directly toward the hero, saying nothing as he grabbed the hero’s collar while he was still focused on his meal.
That white ceremonial outfit was blindingly glaring to Thrett. He had long wanted to stain it with a deep crimson. The hero didn’t struggle at all; instead, he lifted his head and met Thrett’s gaze, his eyes lifeless and murky like a swamp.
“So from now on, I’ll be ‘Thrett Fyndrilval,’ and you…”
“…will be ‘Ellad.'”
The first time he met Ellyad, they had agreed to share their names.
‘So you should be called Ellyad, not Snow!’ Thrett tightened his grip on the hero’s collar, but the more he squeezed, the more his heart ached, constantly questioning why Ellyad had ended up like this.
Thrett suddenly snapped back to reality. He quickly released his grip on the hero’s collar. Killing him wouldn’t make Thrett any happier. Trying to cover up his momentary lapse, he searched for a random topic but struggled to find any words.
“By the way, what should I call you? Snow? Or Blaika?” Or should I still call you Ellyad?
Thrett couldn’t help but mock himself internally once more.
“You can call me whatever you like. So, what should I call you?” The hero mirrored the question back to Thrett.
‘My name is Thrett Fyndrilval Ellyad. You can just call me Thrett,’ he had once told Ellyad.
His heart felt like it was in knots, but Thrett managed a bitter smile and replied, “You can just call me Thrett.”
‘Thrett… Thrett.’ The hero repeated the name in his mind a few times, puzzled by the sense of familiarity, as if he had called this name countless times before.
“Thrett…”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Here.” The hero unhurriedly handed his entire plate of food to Thrett and said, “You should eat something too.”
The hero had noticed that this demon seemed to be in a bad mood from the start. Strangely, he felt an urge to do something for him, and the first thing that came to mind was to share the delicious food.
Was it because he wanted to see him smile?
──You once said you didn’t like any particular food. Try this, the apple tastes great.
In Thrett’s memory, the person handed him an apple. Though his tone was flat, there was a detectable hint of happiness, as if he really enjoyed it.
“Thank you.” Without realizing it, Thrett overlapped the image of Ellyad in his memory with the hero in front of him.
At that moment, Thrett noticed something on the hero’s finger—it was the ring he had once given to Ellyad.
“You… have a ring?” Thrett knew well that Ellyad’s memory had been completely erased, but he couldn’t help but probe, hoping to find the last link between them.
“Someone told me not to take it off.” Although Lena hadn’t explained the reason, the hero felt there was indeed a significant reason for keeping it on.
Thrett looked down and gave a bitter smile. Maybe everything was different, yet in reality, it was still the same person. Though he couldn’t distinguish the difference and felt regret and unwillingness about the situation, seeing that ring made Thrett decide to spend more time with this hero who wasn’t Ellyad.
Snow watched the demon before him. His mood seemed to have finally improved a bit, which inexplicably made Snow feel a touch of happiness as well.
—
The intricately carved door swung open as Ziyuan briskly entered the room, immediately shutting the door behind him. Bored and restless, Wei Yu jumped up from his chair upon seeing him.
“Ziyuan, what’s going on here?”
“Keep your voice down. Although His Majesty ordered no one to touch that human, he didn’t say anything about not touching you,” Ziyuan snapped, covering Wei Yu’s mouth to stop his impending barrage of questions. He was quite troubled at the moment. The Demon King had ordered everyone in the castle not to approach the flaxen-haired human hero. However, he hadn’t mentioned the other golden-haired young hero. If Wei Yu left this room and was discovered by any demon, he’d likely be killed on the spot. While Ziyuan was a trusted minister of the Demon King, the demons weren’t obligated to obey him. The only way to protect Wei Yu was to keep him locked in this room.
“This is frustrating,” Wei Yu muttered, turning his head away in annoyance. Ziyuan thought he was throwing a tantrum because of being confined to the room, and he started to feel guilty, awkwardly blaming his own incompetence. “I really am sorry for this.”
“Wait a minute! Why are you suddenly apologizing, Ziyuan?”
“Who’s told you to get in my face?” Ziyuan retorted, their argument escalating quickly. The more familiar they were with each other, the more they indulged in their immaturity. They had quarreled so often during their travels that it became a routine, but neither ever used the threat of ‘let’s go our separate ways’ as a weapon.
“I’m mad because I never knew you and that black-hearted demon had known each other for so long, and that you lived in the Demon King’s castle. Tell me, how long have you two been living together?”
“Living together? Wait a minute, I’m His Majesty’s assistant, so of course, I have to live in the Demon King’s castle. Don’t throw a childish tantrum over this.”
“You’re calling me childish? Ziyuan, you’re the one being really shameless!”
“Who are you calling shameless? Say that again if you dare!”
“Fine, I will! ‘I’d rather livee with a black-hearted demon than stay in our country; Ziyuan, you’re the utterly shameless demon!'”
“Where would I stay and what would I do if I stayed in your country?”
“You could live in my palace and be my advisor!” In truth, ever since Wei Yu had left the country, the slanderous rumors about him had gradually faded away. Perhaps out of guilt, the palace had even sent letters hoping he would return.
“What do you think you are? Want me to work under you? At the very least, you should be one-tenth as great as His Majesty the Demon King,” Ziyuan retorted coldly.
Wei Yu felt he had grown quite a bit. Since he acquired the totem of the Sacred Beast, it seemed his destiny had slowly begun to change. Because of this, he was even less likely to leave the Sacred Beast that had helped him grow and protected him.
“Well, what should I do then?” Wei Yu was actually quite anxious. It was clear to him that Ziyuan’s charisma and ability were unmatched. That was why he was so concerned about Ziyuan being an assistant to a black-hearted demon and their relationship being closer than he had imagined. He also knew that Thrett was indeed more qualified than him.
“Why are you asking me this question? Isn’t this something you should figure out yourself?” Ziyuan paused for a moment, then smirked mischievously. “If you can become the king who rules over all the countries on this continent, then I’ll consider being your assistant.” Suddenly, Ziyuan thought of that dream, the prophecy of the demons, a reality that would undoubtedly come true, and it seemed the opportunity to realize that dream was Ziyuan himself.
“Isn’t that asking too much, Ziyuan…”
“If you can’t do it, forget it.” Ziyuan turned away decisively.
“Oh, alright! I’ll try my best! But, dear… where do I even begin?” Wei Yu sighed, deeply troubled, and rubbed his right eye, masked by an eyepatch, as if it was the longest lament he had uttered in his life.
Seeing Wei Yu’s deeply troubled expression, Ziyuan couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He walked up to Wei Yu and tapped his head lightly, adding, “But don’t even think about making me your queen.”
“Huh?! Ziyuan, how did you know I… Wait, if you say that, doesn’t it mean you’ve thought about it too?” This time, Wei Yu seized Ziyuan’s hands with lightning speed, his expression deadly serious as he pressed closer.
“Who said anything like that? That was you…” Ziyuan clicked his tongue, suddenly remembering that only he knew about the prophecy dream, almost slipping up on the embarrassing part.
“How do I look? Ziyuan, finish what you were saying!”
“Shut up, you brat! Let go of me, or I’ll throw you out to the dogs.”
“Wow, who would’ve thought even Ziyuan’s talking about love.” A female voice suddenly intervened between the two. Ziyuan instantly shook off Wei Yu, almost sending him flying.
“Q-Queen Lily, I wasn’t… uh, well, anyway, what brings you here?” Ziyuan momentarily forgot about their respective ranks, retorting loudly to Queen Lily, then immediately switching back to his standard assistant mode.
“Nothing much, just passing by and taking a casual look,” Queen Lily chuckled a few times, seeming ready to leave. But before she did, she fixed her gaze on Wei Yu and suddenly asked, “Can you summon the Sword of the Hero?”
“I can’t. The Sword of the Hero is with Ellyad, the other hero,” Wei Yu replied.
Upon receiving the answer, Queen Lily only hinted at a faint aura of disappointment. Ziyuan felt something was off about Queen Lily’s demeanor and asked with concern, “Queen Lily, are you alright?”
“Absolutely terrible,” Queen Lily casually replied to Ziyuan, waving her hand as she walked through the wall and disappeared.
After she left, she muttered softly, “Why did it all come flooding back to me now…”
