Chapter 1: Prologue

This is the story of a world that was saved from darkness.

Several years ago, when the world was on the brink of being engulfed by the Goddess of destruction, Nyx, a hero emerged and saved it.

He defeated Thanatos, the Lord of Death who appears before the end of the world, and rescued the Kingdom of Ayman.

He sealed away the evil dragon Tiamat, received the blessings of the gods in the Holy Temple of Asgard, and was recognized as the rightful owner of the sacred sword, Grandias.

With his companions, he climbed the Tower of Destruction, and after a fierce final battle, he drove Grandias into Nyx’s throat, preventing the world’s end.

The world cheered, and there was no one left who didn’t know the names of the hero and his companions.

Later, the hero held a grand wedding with Princess Aegina of the Kingdom of Ayman, who was not only his comrade but also his beloved.

Everyone believed he would become the next king of Ayman.

But he declined the throne.

To grant Princess Aegina’s wish to live freely, he returned to his hometown village.

My name is Anak.

I am that hero’s companion and have lived next door to him ever since we were children.

The first time I came to live next to the hero—that was already 20 years ago.

It was around the time I began to recognize my own talents.

Even calling it a village was generous; it didn’t appear on any map, and even counting every soul, there were fewer than a hundred people.

You might think talent wouldn’t mean much in a place like that, but I dare say I was exceptionally gifted.

Once, an old wandering mage passed through our village and, to entertain us, demonstrated a summoning spell.

At the time, I was just nine years old. I merely repeated the incantation I heard him say—and I summoned five minor spirits.

Now if that’s not talent, what is?

After that, I became the talk of the village.

When I lay in bed at night, I would dream—perhaps a bit arrogantly—of being formally trained in magic, becoming a royal court mage, and entering the palace.

But before I could even properly consider my future or enjoy my fleeting moment in the spotlight… he arrived.

Yes, him.

The one who would later be called the Hero of Light, the one who stopped the end of the world, who married a princess but turned down a crown to return to this rural place.

Lowell.

One day, a small wagon arrived in our village.

It was the kind of travel wagon you could find anywhere—modest, worn, the smallest model available for hire.

But the people who stepped out of it were anything but ordinary.

I still remember it vividly.

First to step out was a young couple who appeared to be husband and wife.

They wore plain clothes, but no fabric could hide the elegance that radiated from them.

Even we, who had never once laid eyes on nobility, instantly recognized that they were what we’d only heard of in stories: aristocrats.

That old saying about noble blood running blue—perhaps it wasn’t just nonsense after all.

They truly were… different.

They shone.

“Hello.”

They said.

They bowed politely to us without hesitation or disdain.

In response, my fellow villagers and I instinctively bowed our heads, practically pressing our foreheads to the dirt.

Their expressions grew slightly troubled at the sight.

And then—peeking out from behind them came a boy, doll-like in appearance, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

He looked around with wonder, then locked eyes with me.

With a beaming smile, he ran over and grabbed my hand.

“Hi! I’m Lowell! Let’s be friends!”

“Uh, o-okay! Sure!”

I barely managed to stammer a reply as I nodded my head.

That’s how Lowell and I first met.

Later, I found out that his father, Lord Revlant, had once been the captain of the royal guard in a certain kingdom—but due to royal power struggles, he lost both his title and his fortune, and was forced into exile.

In any case, the center of the village from then on was those two people and their son, Lowell.

It wasn’t just their gentle nature and elegance, but Lowell’s demeanor—always approaching others first without hesitation, regardless of age—that made everyone, young and old alike, adore him.

He was like the sun.

Radiating warmth and drawing everything toward him with his light, yet untouchable—just like the sun itself.

That was a talent no one else could possibly imitate.

Of course, that wasn’t the only talent he had.

When we turned twelve, Lowell and I were able to attend an academy in a nearby city.

Normally, Lowell being accepted made sense, but as a commoner, I wouldn’t have been able to enter if not for Count Hemil, the academy’s administrator, who was close friends with Lord Revlant.

I had already learned basic knowledge and noble etiquette from Lord Revlant, so pretending to be a noble wasn’t too difficult.

Still, for someone like me—who had only ever known Lowell’s family as nobles—the scenes I witnessed inside the academy were quite a shock.

Surprisingly, nobles weren’t all that different from ordinary people.

Unlike Lowell’s family, they were often foolish, ignorant, and narrow-minded.

It was only then that I realized it wasn’t that nobles were special—Lowell’s family was special.

Naturally, even within the academy, Lowell stood out.

He shone brighter than anyone.

Swordsmanship, magic, academics.

He excelled in everything without exception, and nearly everyone—students and teachers alike, regardless of gender—liked him.

And then, three years later, when we completed all the academy courses,

I was packing my things to return to our home village after finishing the final class.

Nobles who completed the academy usually received an official post right away in the name of the academy.

But as someone who wasn’t a real noble, that didn’t apply to me—and I accepted that as natural.

In contrast, Lowell had already received offers from the Royal Guard and the Court Mage Division, and being the top student for three consecutive years, he could’ve risen to a high-ranking post within just a few years if he wanted.

But then, he—

“Haven’t finished packing yet?”

—he gave up all those opportunities without a moment’s hesitation and came back to the village with me.

And everything after that is what everyone knows.

The Goddess of Destruction, Nyx, heralded the end, and the Lord of Death, Thanatos, along with his army, spread fear across the world.

At that time, the villagers wanted to abandon our unprotected village and relocate to the fortress city of Sless.

They hurriedly packed their things and prepared to leave.

But Lowell and I stopped them.

The army of the Demon King, who brought death, wouldn’t target small villages or forests.

Their goal was to cleanse the land as much as possible before the arrival of the God of Destruction—to leave humans with no room to resist and to rob them even of their last hopes, so that they could only passively await annihilation.

If that was the case, then the first targets would clearly be the places people thought were the safest—the great empires, powerful kingdoms, and figures who acted as the central pillars of resistance, like saints and heroes.

We told everyone it would be wiser to stay hidden in the village.

And when even Lord Revlant supported our opinion, the villagers stopped packing and nodded in agreement.

But just after we barely managed to stop them from leaving, Lowell suddenly said this to me:

“Anak. Come with me.”

I had no idea what he meant.

Where would we go in a situation like this?

Staying quietly in the village, just like we told the others, was clearly the safest option.

“The world’s on the brink of destruction. We have to help!”

He said it so confidently.

But it wasn’t childish recklessness or the passionate bravado of youth.

Nor was it the belief that he alone could save the world.

There was fear in his eyes.

He had affection for his parents and our village.

But even more than that, he couldn’t bear the thought that the world and its people were in danger.

I, on the other hand, was not like that.

I was afraid. I couldn’t even imagine fighting the Demon King’s army or facing the end of the world.

Even if destruction came to this land, even if countless lives were lost, I just wanted to stay alive until the very last moment.

I stopped the villagers from leaving for my sake.

I simply shared the idea I had come up with for my own safety.

But Lowell truly stopped them for their sake, and after that, he wanted to save the world.

“Anak!”

Yet, as always, I couldn’t refuse the look in his eyes when he turned to me.

Even if it was like a moth diving into a flame, I couldn’t turn away from that light.

And so, I became the hero’s companion.

***

“Anak! Are you still sleeping?”

As always, it was Lowell’s bright and cheerful voice.

As he opened the door and came in, his figure overlapped with the one from the past, and only then did I finally get out of bed.

“No way. I was already up.”

It was the first time I heard my own voice today, and it sounded very different from his.

A sagging voice, like something was missing.

I hated hearing that voice.

“Then why aren’t you coming for breakfast? You know we’re all waiting for you.”

He said it playfully as he pulled me along.

Ever since we defeated Nyx and returned home, they had never once started breakfast without me.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

I forced a playful apology and began to hurriedly put on my clothes.

This was their kindness.

For me, who had been left alone, they always went out of their way like this. I had no choice but to be grateful.

But as I was getting dressed, Lowell suddenly spoke in a cautious tone.

“But Anak… you’ll need to be ready for today.”

At that moment, I felt a bad premonition and dropped the hat I was holding.

It wasn’t often that he started a conversation like this.

“…Don’t tell me it’s today?”

Lowell couldn’t answer my question.

He simply turned his gaze toward the window.

It seemed my guess had been right.

“…Why didn’t you stop her?”

“Sorry. Aegina woke up early today.”

“…Yeah. I guess it couldn’t be helped.”

I took a small pill bottle from the drawer and picked out a few tablets.

Then, I handed one to Lowell, who had already reached out, and put the rest in my pocket.

That was the best preparation I could manage.