This story is told from the perspective of the Magic Swordsman from the former Hero’s party.
My name is Wolfgang.
I’m a magic swordsman and a former member of the Hero’s party.
After the party disbanded, I became known as the "Lone Wolf of the Court Mages" and spent my time wandering. However, for certain reasons, I’ve returned to my birthplace—the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Gardenia—for the first time in several years.
I haven't achieved the true purpose of my journey yet, but it couldn't be helped.
The truth is, I have a secret I don't want anyone to know.
Until today, the only people who knew were the few companions who traveled with me to defeat the Demon King, such as the Hero and the Saints. Or so I thought.
Then, a mysterious girl literally fell from the sky and landed on me, witnessing exactly what was hidden under my hat.
"Ah! You’ve got dog ears!"
The girl pointed at the animal ears atop my head, a mischievous smirk spreading across her face.
"You're cute, mister. Are you a demi-human?"
"No, I’m human. And these aren't dog ears. I was cursed by a certain someone, and these wolf ears are the result."
Five years ago, I set out on a quest to defeat the Demon King as a member of the Hero’s party. During that journey, I was struck by a curse that left me with the ears of a wolfman.
Ever since the party broke up, I’ve been traveling the world alone, searching for a way to break the curse. But then the King summoned me, practically begging me to return, which is how I ended up back in the Royal Capital.
And that was when this mysterious girl dropped in on me.
"How old are you, mister?" she asked.
"Twenty-three."
"Eight years older than me, then. Hey, you’re pretty strong, aren't you?"
"Do I look it?"
"I can tell. After all, I’m a Genius Beautiful Girl Swordsman."
She answered with absolute confidence. She certainly had a pretty face, but I found it a bit much to say that about herself. Between her falling off a roof and her eccentric attitude, she was clearly an odd one.
However, even stranger than the girl herself were the two swords strapped to her waist. I could sense an extraordinary power radiating from them. They were almost certainly magic swords.
"Those blades at your hip... they’re both magic swords, aren't they? Where on earth did you get your hands on monsters like those?"
"These? My grandpa gave them to me as a birthday present."
"What kind of grandfather gives those away?"
"My grandpa is the Great Sage Otfried. You got a problem with that?"
I was stunned. I never would have guessed this girl was the granddaughter of the Great Sage, a man I deeply respected. The world is a small place.
"So, why were you falling from the sky?"
"I thought it would be a shortcut, but I guess I slipped and fell off the roof."
"And crashed into me. Why were you in such a hurry? Where were you going?"
"The Royal Palace. The King summoned me for something."
Good grief. To think she’d been called by the King as well. It seemed the Great Sage’s granddaughter and I were headed to the exact same place.
After making her promise not to tell a soul about my wolf ears, we finally reached the VIP chamber of the Royal Palace. When we entered, three people were already waiting. Since we were apparently the last to arrive, the guards outside promptly closed the doors behind us.
"Now that everyone is here," a girl at the end of the table said, standing up.
She was dressed as a Saint. Looking at her, I felt a pang of nostalgia as I remembered my former companion and cousin, a Saint herself.
"To get straight to the point, we have orders from His Majesty the King. The five of you are to form a party and subjugate the Demon King’s Army."
I let my shoulders slump. Just as I suspected. After what happened five years ago, I never wanted to travel in a party again.
For now, I decided to question the Saint acting as the moderator.
"Young lady, judging by that yellow feather hair ornament, you must be the rumored Saint of the Yellow Wings. Will you be accompanying us?"
"I will. Our destination is the western frontier. Our objective is to defeat a certain member of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army who has been committing atrocities there."
The Saint of the Yellow Wings was a famous newcomer who had earned her title a few months ago for her achievements. She was the third in a line of recent Saints, following Saint Iris—my cousin and comrade from five years ago—and Iris’s own disciple, the Apprentice Saint who was now the Hero’s wife. Despite being a rookie, I’d heard she possessed incredible power.
I glanced at the Great Sage’s granddaughter standing beside me, then looked at the other members in turn. It seemed everyone gathered here was a top-tier elite. To assemble such heroes meant that this member of the Four Heavenly Kings must be a truly terrifying threat.
"Lord Wolfgang. Your strength was said to rival the Hero’s five years ago, and we need it now. We would like you to be the leader of this Four Heavenly Kings Subjugation Party."
"Then what about the Hero? Call him and his wife. Those two would be immediate assets."
"The Hero and his consort are both in poor health and cannot accompany the party."
"I find that hard to believe. They’re probably just faking it."
The Hero was my cousin and a former comrade. I knew him well. I understood that the events of five years ago were a shock, but I honestly wished he would stand back up and serve his country again. Though, as a wandering noble, I wasn't really one to talk.
I wanted to know more about the state of the kingdom, so I agreed to at least listen and took a seat. The Saint of the Yellow Wings breathed a soft sigh of relief and continued.
"Regarding the member of the Four Heavenly Kings we are targeting, our reports say they possess the ability to manipulate others using the power of plants."
"A troublesome ability."
"Indeed. Because of this foe, over ten frontier towns have already been destroyed. If we do not act quickly, they will soon reach the Royal Capital."
So that’s why they’d gathered these elites. It seemed ordinary soldiers were no match for this enemy. The damage was already severe.
I didn't want to see any more comrades die. That was why I’d started calling myself a lone wolf and insisted on working alone.
"Let me think about it," I said, standing up and heading out to the balcony to be alone with my thoughts.
The enemy was a member of the Demon King’s Army who controlled plants. My mind drifted back to Tower City, where I’d stopped during my travels. On the wall of the Adventurer Guild, there had been a single wanted poster displayed in a prominent frame.
I believe it said "Fallen Spirit Princess."
In that city, there was a famous legend about a Dryades who killed a Hero fifty years ago and joined the Demon King’s Army. Since this party was heading to the western frontier, it was likely that the Dryades was the one who had become a member of the Four Heavenly Kings.
We had defeated a Four Heavenly King once before.
I missed those days five years ago when we all traveled together. We were a close-knit party. We’d repelled the Four Heavenly Kings, and everything was going so well.
Yes... until Saint Iris died.
Even now, I can't believe it. I can't believe that Iris—a Saint—would betray us and join the Demon King’s Army. If the words hadn't come from the mouth of her fiancé, the Hero himself, I still wouldn't believe it.
I can still see her as a little girl, my cute cousin who used to follow me around calling me "Vol-nii." Even after she became a Saint, she worked tirelessly for the country, and she loved the Hero so much. I could never imagine her betraying us.
There had to be a reason.
However, the Hero and the Apprentice Saint reported that they couldn't get a detailed explanation out of her. They said that when she was cornered, Iris used light magic to blow herself up, leaving no body behind.
Afterward, the Saint’s betrayal was hushed up by the higher-ups. If the truth about Iris ever got out, it would shake the kingdom to its core. The public, knowing nothing, pitied the Saint’s death, but the officials in the palace hated her as a traitor and a criminal.
But I still didn't believe she’d sold her soul. When the Hero told me about the betrayal, his behavior had been off. There had to be something he didn't want us to know.
I know better than anyone that the world is full of the unimaginable—I have the wolf’s curse to prove it.
Between a cousin who had become a hopeless shut-in and a cousin branded a traitor, it looked like I was the only one left to do the heavy lifting.
"Dog-ear mister?"
I realized the self-proclaimed genius swordsman was standing next to me.
"Not a dog. A wolf."
"Wolf-ear mister?"
"I told you that's a secret. Don't say it again."
"So it’s a secret between just the two of us. Then what should I call you?"
"Let's see..."
I looked the Great Sage’s granddaughter in the eye. I wasn't a legend like her grandfather yet. But to realize my own goals, and for the sake of my two younger cousins, I had to do what I could.
I steeled my resolve.
"From today on, you call me Leader."
If I had to be the leader of a subjugation party, then so be it. Besides, if I ran into the Demon King’s Army, I might find the person who cursed me. I might even find the truth about why Iris "betrayed" the country.
For that, I’d take down the Four Heavenly Kings, the Demon King, or anyone else in my way.
And so, I set out on a journey with new companions.
At the time, I had no idea that the battle with the Four Heavenly Kings would be beyond my wildest imagination—or that I was about to learn a shocking truth about Saint Iris.
This chapter was from the perspective of the Magic Swordsman of the former Hero’s party. It allows us to see what’s happening in the Royal Capital, which the protagonist cannot see. By the way, the "Young Star of the Court Mages" mentioned by the Great Sage in his autobiography refers to this Wolf-ear Magic Swordsman.
Next time: An unexpected visitor.