Prologue

The knight who had been hailed a hero raised his eyes to the sky.

The evening sky was gorgeous, slowly grading from purple in the east to orange in the west.

The knight, who was born in a rural area, thought back to the pumpkin harvest as the cool, fresh air and early dusk foretold the coming of autumn.

“Was the sky always this beautiful?”

The knight smiled, wondering how long it had been since he had stared up at the sky like this. After making the decision to commit himself to the sword, this was one of the few tranquil moments he had.

In his heart, he vividly imprinted this moment.

Indeed, he was probably not going to see the sky again.

The man’s eyes wandered from the magnificent sky to the bleak, darkened earth. The darkness stretched as far as the eye could see.

When the man strained his eyes, the darkness, which appeared to have been painted with black ink, flickered. He could see the darkness intentionally sneaking in on him.

It was a demon stampede that was estimated to number more than a million.

Right in front of them was a vast army of death unlike any in recorded existence.

The knight took a deep breath.

He could feel the cold air gently fill his lungs.

“Warriors! Heed my call!”

Grandiosely turning around, the knight shouted.

His tone was low but pleasant.

Before him, the Kingdom of Elugor’s more than 200,000 soldiers eagerly awaited his, the hero’s, speech.

“This battle will be our last one. Even I, whom you all hail as a hero, will inevitably perish. It will be a hopeless battle. The cruelty of Adil, the God of Trials, will shake you to your very core.”

The knight’s words were like arrows that shot straight into each soldier’s heart.

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“Yet I am still proud! Look around you. All of us gathered here have overcome fear and risen above despair. Each of us is a flame that is fueled by life’s fire!”

The soldier’s eyes lit up with hope at the sound of the knight’s mighty voice.

“What is it that bear? What is it that you must protect? Do not fear! Do not falter! Do not let go of your light! We are the spear that protects this kingdom! March forward, brave warriors!”

The knight raised his sword as if to pierce the sky.

Following him, a frenzy of cheers erupted.

The roars of the soldiers encouraging themselves and their comrades swiftly spread, empowering the army with courage.

The knight nodded.

What brave and loyal soldiers. Yet the future that would have awaited you would be cut off here.

No one noticed the sadness and anger in the knight’s eyes.

“Forward!”

The 200,000 soldiers of the Kingdom of Elugor descended into the approaching darkness like a vast wave while the knight’s command soared through the air.

The knight’s sword danced.

Flashes of silver light and streaks of red colored the sea of darkness.

With each roar that erupted from the depths of his stomach, the knight ripped through the darkness in front of him.

He seemed to be the definition of the phrase “one-man army.”

His figure was truly that of a hero.

The fire of life that burned in the young, kind knight Orthus’ eye was continuously fueled with more wood.

Orthus was content to die in this battle.

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He was willing to burn through everything he had.

In the middle of this hopeless anguish, Orthus saw a vision of a person. It was the man who had recognized Orthus’ sole talent for the sword, bestowed upon him the title of knight, and brought the dirt-covered Orthus into the open. It was the king’s image. The one person Orthus had vowed to give his life to protect.

I cannot lose. I will not let a single one pass through. Who am I? I am the shield that will protect this kingdom and its king!

The courageous young knight blossomed into a monster of destruction.

The knight who had been hailed a hero raised his eyes to the sky.

Shooting stars cut through the starry sky.

Even Orthus, who by no means had a sense for elegance, thought he could see the autumn constellations.

Silence filled the area.

All of the sounds associated with battle—yelling, screaming, swords scraping against one another—were gone. Only the sound of the wind caressing the grassy plain tickled Orthus’ ears.

The moonlight shone down on Orthus in this field of monster and demon corpses as though to celebrate the end of the battle.

Orthus smiled before collapsing to the ground. He gave in to the sensation of his spirit departing his body along with all of his blood.

Drowsiness came after the exhaustion.

In his peaceful sleep, Orthus joyfully embraced his own death.

He’d kept his promise.

He’d fulfilled his duty.

“W-Will the king congratulate me on a job well done? Or perhaps he’ll be upset over my death?”

Orthus felt no pain.

His body felt cold, and the feeling of impending death intensified.

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“Ahh… I wanted to be by the king’s side as he paved the future for this kingdom.”

Orthus said as he reached for the stars, a drop visible in the corner of his eye

Come to think of it, the king’s child is to be born this year. A boy or a girl, doesn’t matter. I just wish I could’ve seen it. I guess this will be the only regret that I leave behind.

“… I wish I could once more stand by the king’s side in my next life… possibly even that of his offspring…”

No further words escaped Orthus’ mouth.

His extended hand simply fell to the ground without grasping anything.

This was the end of Orthus’ life.

He had a tranquil expression as he quietly passed from this life.

The heroic efforts of 200,000 soldiers under the command of Orthus, the hero regarded as the greatest on the entire continent, resulted in the astonishing annihilation of one million demons in the great battle that later came to be known as the Elugor Disaster.

The bards continue to sing and tell stories of the hero Orthus, who perished in the battle, praising him as history’s greatest hero. So, even to this day, a decade later, his death is still remembered and honored every year.