Fragment 4: Elliot
I was afraid to sleep at night. Because I never knew when that dream would come.
Tentatively, I would slip into bed and pray for sleep.
Yet from the depths of slumber, it was always the same—that day’s scene.
A hundred knights rode their horses in haste across the wasteland.
In the distance, the Demon King’s army was attacking Ludonia’s fortress.
Glancing sidelong at the battle, we spurred our horses onward. Eventually, we arrived at our destination—a narrow path enclosed by rocky mountains. Yet the battle between the Demon King’s forces and Ludonia’s defenders still raged on.
“Will they be alright?”
The unease slipped from my lips before I could stop it. These hundred riders were Ludonia’s elite knights, the very backbone of the fortress’s defense. I couldn’t help but worry—could the fortress hold without them?
“Of course they’ll be fine.”
As if scolding my doubt, a nearby knight gave my back a firm smack.
“Those soldiers held the fortress long before you lot arrived. If they knew some brat like you was fretting over them, they’d be furious!”
The knight who chuckled as he spoke was named Darius.
A battle-hardened warrior, one of Ludonia’s proudest. Though only about ten years my senior, his thick beard made him seem even older.
I first met Darius when the prince was dispatched to the fortress.
Back then, both Felip and I, having accompanied the prince, carried ourselves with stiff pride, unwilling to be looked down on as greenhorns. We even believed His Highness had no place being there.
“His Highness is destined to become the Hero! He should not waste his time fighting in such a place! Do not burden him with idle tasks—instead, strive to swiftly defeat the Demon King’s army!”
That was the declaration we made to the fortress’s knights and soldiers.
Looking back, it makes me flush with shame. But at the time, Felip and I truly believed it.
We were convinced the prince had greater duties, nobler causes to prioritize.
“Who do these inexperienced upstarts think they are?”—no doubt many scowled at our arrogance. Even Prince Carlos gently rebuked us.
“I have yet to prove myself. There is no need to rush. First, I must learn much from those who fight here.”
Yet his very humility—the fact that he was sent to a defensive war rather than the Demon King’s defeat—frustrated us to no end.
Thanks to his natural sociability, the prince quickly grew close to the fortress’s men. But Felip and I were avoided. Likely, we were seen as arrogant attendants who flaunted the prince’s authority. But we truly believed it. That the prince was the Hero. That he should set out as soon as possible to slay the Demon King and bring peace to the world.
Someone had to keep saying it. And if that meant playing the villain, so be it.
Amidst it all, the only one who acknowledged us was Darius, the fortress’s leading knight.
“I get what you’re saying. No matter how long we fight here, this war won’t end. Even if we kill the demons attacking Ludonia, another will come in time. The real target is the Demon King. Killing the head is the only way. But—your delivery could use work.”
With that, Darius roughly tousled our hair. A crude man, risen from the ranks, yet acting so familiar with us nobles. Strangely, I didn’t dislike it.
Because Darius softened our sharp edges. And for us, having even one person understand our feelings was a relief.
He looked out for us, helping Felip and me adjust to life at the fortress. We couldn’t help but admire him for it.
Gradually, our tension eased, and we began to see our surroundings clearly. The fortress’s knights and soldiers were mostly good people. As the prince had said, there was much to learn from them—preparation for battle, equipment maintenance, tactics against monsters, the importance of broad awareness.
During my first real battle, my body stiffened with nerves. But Darius and his men cracked vulgar jokes about first-time combat, helping me relax.
Even in the thick of battle, when Felip and I were overwhelmed, they called out to us repeatedly. More than once, they saved us from danger.
It’s no exaggeration to say Darius helped us maintain dignity as the prince’s attendants.
Meanwhile, as Prince Carlos grew accustomed to the battlefield, he began displaying his full potential.
With sword and spell, he felled demons, crushed enemy battalions, and led Ludonia’s forces to victory with precise judgment.
Slowly, others beyond Darius started agreeing with us.
Hope swelled—that Prince Carlos truly was the Hero, the light to end this war. Until finally…
“Even if we defy the royal capital’s orders, we must slay the demon leading the enemy army and send Prince Carlos on his quest to defeat the Demon King!”
Such sentiment surged within the fortress.
The suffocating air of merely defending, of blindly obeying the capital, must have fueled it. And so, spurred on, the prince at last made his decision.
“We shall slay the demon.”
For now, Ludonia’s forces held the fortress against the Demon King’s army. If the defense succeeded, the entire army would sally forth in pursuit. The cautious enemy commander—a high-ranking demon—would likely retreat at the first sign of trouble. That was when this elite unit would strike.
“I know, Darius. They’re strong. I believe in them.”
Recalling each soldier’s face, I answered.
Darius grinned.
“Damn right they’ll do it. Know why? ‘Cause those bastards are fighting hard, thinking they’ll finally be rid of a nuisance once this battle’s over. Heard some lunatics plan to leave and slay the Demon King afterward.”
The other knights stifled laughs at his words.
Not mockery—these men held immense faith in Prince Carlos. Else, they’d never volunteer for such a dangerous mission.
They were comrades, staking their lives to make the prince the Hero.
Though I worried for the fortress’s troops, our unit—tasked with slaying the high-ranking demon—faced the greatest peril.
“Am I the nuisance, Darius? How cruel.”
Prince Carlos teased.
“Not at all. I meant these two. Unlike Your Highness, they’ve no skill, yet insist on going to the Demon King’s domain. Reckless fools.”
Again, the knights laughed.
Felip and I, now the butt of the joke, could only smile wryly.
Another of Darius’s tricks—easing tension with humor, diverting minds from battle’s terror. Knowing that, we couldn’t even be angry.
“I wonder if Darius and the others will still be alive by the time we return after slaying the Demon King.”
I attempted a light counter.
“Look who’s talking now.”
Baring his teeth in a grin, Darius jabbed my chest.
“I’ll be waiting. You’ve both come a long way since arriving here. You’ll take down the Demon King, no doubt. But first—we’ve got to silence the capital by killing that damn demon.”
Yes, as Darius said, nothing mattered until the demon was dead.
Then—cheers erupted in the distance.
Ludonia’s forces had triumphed. The full army began its pursuit.
Now, it was our turn.
——The terror begins——
In my dream, I knew what was coming. Yet I was powerless to stop it. The dream would only replay events as they had happened.
Hiding among the rocks, we waited. Then, our target appeared—the enemy commander, a blue-skinned demon, accompanied by lesser demons. Fewer than expected.
But the next moment, the demon spoke toward our hiding place.
[So you’ve finally shown yourselves, humans.]
A low, resonant voice. He knew we were there.
“Brave words, demon. You, who watched safely from the rear. Today, we shall slay you!”
Prince Carlos emerged from the rocks, drawing his sword with a flourish. Every inch the Hero. Yet the demon showed no fear.
[The coward is your king. He orders only defense, forbidding attack. But I knew. Sooner or later, you would defy that unreasonable command. I waited long—so long. At last, this day has come. How delightful.]
“……What? What are you talking about?”
The prince was baffled. So were we.
[Look behind you.]
Following the demon’s finger, we turned—to see a new horde of monsters at our backs.
[I stationed them there, knowing elite troops would come to cut off our retreat. Namely—you.]
The demon’s finger pointed straight at the prince.
That was the signal. Monsters surged from the rear.
“Break through the front! Meet up with our pursuing allies!”
The prince acted swiftly. But ahead of him stood a demonic general, and the monsters retreating from the fortress battle had begun to regroup. Breaking through them would not be easy.
The prince was the first to cast a fireball spell, attempting to carve a path through.
In response, the demonic general chanted his own magic, erecting a barrier that completely blocked the fireball. Then, he locked onto the prince and launched his attack.
“Carlos, Prince of Ludonia, bearer of the Hero’s mantle—you are the linchpin of this kingdom. Once you fall, Ludonia will be as good as lost.”
With those words, the demon swung his greatsword and slashed at the prince’s horse.
The prince fell to the ground alongside the horse’s dying cry, but he quickly regained his footing and turned to face the demon. Meanwhile, Felip and I were blocked by lesser demons as we tried to rush to his aid.
The battle descended into chaos in an instant. The fresh reinforcements of the Demon King’s army, arriving from the rear, swallowed us whole. Even as we fought the demonic general, monsters assaulted us from all sides without pause.
One by one, the knights who had stood with us died shielding Lord Carlos.
“I go ahead of you…”
A knight, pierced through the stomach by a hobgoblin’s spear as he covered for Lord Carlos, beheaded his foe in a final mutual strike.
Another knight, struck from his horse by an ogre’s club, was swarmed by goblins who stabbed through the gaps in his armor. Yet even then, he rose, strangling one goblin with his bare hands before collapsing in death—his body still standing as if to block their path.
A lesser demon was skewered by a knight who charged into it, horse and all. “Got you!” he shouted—but the words had barely left his lips before the still-living demon decapitated him with its greatsword.
None of the knights sought to survive. Their only thought was how to open a path—even if it cost them their lives. All of it, just to ensure Prince Carlos and the rest of us could escape safely.
“The Demon King… you must defeat him!”
A knight shouted as he threw himself at a blue-skinned demon, buying just enough time for the prince to flee. How many of us remained? I couldn’t bring myself to count.
Prince Carlos pressed forward without hesitation, cutting through the enemy with his sword.
He spared not a single glance for the dying knights. But that was the right thing to do. Those knights didn’t want pity. They wanted the prince to escape—to someday defeat the demons and the Demon King in their stead. Nothing more.
Felip and I swung our swords mindlessly, consumed by the fight.
Then, a demon stepped before us—the blue-skinned general we had sought, wielding two greatswords in his hands.
(If we can just take this one down…)
For the first time since the battle began, a desire other than survival took root in our hearts. Felip and I exchanged a glance before attempting to flank the demon from both sides.
But with a single effortless swing of its greatsword, the demon sent me flying as if struck by a log. The impact was bone-jarring. Felip fared no better, collapsing beside me.
“Elliott! Felip!”
Seeing us fall, Prince Carlos hesitated—then turned back to help. But that was exactly what the demon wanted. We had walked right into his trap.
However, someone stopped the prince.
Darius, who had been fighting desperately at his side all this time.
“I’ll handle them. Your Highness, escape now!”
Shoving the prince forward, Darius challenged the blue demon.
“Hey, you happy picking on the weaklings? Too scared to fight someone who can actually put up a fight? Figures, coming from a coward who’s always shaking in the rear.”
“Bold words.”
The demon smirked, turning to face Darius.
In that brief moment, Felip and I were pulled up by other knights and urged to flee.
“But Darius—!”
Our reluctance earned us a sharp rebuke.
“You’re supposed to defeat the Demon King, aren’t you?! Make the prince the Hero, and support him when the time comes—that’s your duty!”
Then, a light knock on the head.
“We’re counting on you. We know you’ll pull through.”
The knights who helped us then turned to join Darius in his fight against the blue demon.
After all they had done, the only thing left was to run. We couldn’t let their sacrifices be in vain.
“Live! No matter what! And if you can take down the Demon King while you’re at it, even better!”
Darius shouted without so much as a glance back, raising his sword high. The other knights followed suit. That was the last thing I remembered.
The dream always ends there.
Days later, the severed heads of Darius and the others were thrown into the fortress.
Not as a provocation. It was the demons’ way of showing respect—a demand that they be given a proper burial.
Ironically, though their deaths were branded as dishonorable for disobeying orders, the demons acknowledged their valor. Strangely, I felt no hatred toward that blue demon. Both we and they had fought with everything we had. The only resentment smoldering inside me was for the cowards in the royal capital who lived in comfort, untouched by war.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
※ ※ ※
On the morning of the worst awakening, someone visited my room early.
It was Felip. For a moment, lost in the dream, I nearly reached out to his face and asked, “You survived too?”—but stopped myself just in time. To an outsider, I must’ve looked insane. But Felip knew I frequently had that nightmare.
“That dream again?”
“Not ‘again.’ Always. It’s rarer when I don’t see it.”
“…I see.”
After muttering that, Felip fell silent. What did he come here for?
We hadn’t spoken much lately. For him to visit like this was unusual.
I offered him a seat, but he shook his head and refused, standing stiffly before finally speaking with resolve.
“You’re the shapeshifter, aren’t you, Elliott?”
Now it was my turn to stay silent. Denying it would be easy, but I didn’t want to lie to Felip. As the prince’s closest aides, we had faced life and death together—our bond stronger than blood.
“You left the prince’s faction to keep the blame of colluding with demons from falling on us, didn’t you?”
He was right about that too.
After a long silence, Felip spoke again.
“I’ll deal with Ares. If I succeed, don’t go back to the demons.”
“…And if you fail?”
“Then I’ll take the fall as the shapeshifter and die. You forget everything and live.”
I frowned.
“Don’t do anything unnecessary. Who asked you for that?”
Felip gave a lonely smile.
“Don’t misunderstand. This is just a side favor. There’s no turning back for us now. Whether you like it or not, the prince’s faction was always going to eliminate Ares. Once that happens, there’s no escaping punishment. I’m just shouldering your guilt along with mine.”
He turned his back to me.
“Take care of His Highness.”
With that, he raised a hand and left.
He must’ve known I wouldn’t agree—that’s why he avoided hearing my answer.
This happened the day before Felip and the prince’s faction stormed Ares’s stronghold.
And then, the prince’s faction was wiped out. It was practically suicide.
The faction had been made up of survivors from that battle. With their deaths, there was no one left in Ludonia who truly sought to make Prince Carlos the Hero—no one except me.
In the end, Felip apparently claimed he was the shapeshifter.
It felt like he was telling me, “Give up.”
But I can’t. Not when I still see that dream.
There will be another chance—when Ares and his men leave Ludonia. That’s when I’ll strike.
The human I was died that day. What remains is a shapeshifter, a monster. And monsters hunt Heroes.
TLNOTE:
Because of that volume 1 and 2 fan translation in this site will be removed in the near future
otherwise check the internet archive
As usual, please consider reading other novels written by Daken sensei listed below :
- Monster Meat Led Me to the Throne
- The Castle of Canaan ~ The Lost Kingdom’s Princess, the World’s Hidden Treasure, and the Grand Adventure of the Mightiest Band of Thieves Versus an Empire ~
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
- The Last Magic (translated by my friend narwhal)
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
