A man's voice pierced my ears. His speech was aristocratic. And he was saying it with his own mouth: "I am a Prince!"
'It's you.'
If you don't recognize it when it's so blatantly served to you, you're an idiot.
'Where are you?!'
Looking back, I saw a group of people tangled together in the distance. It looked like a fight had broken out. Five people were surrounding one of them...
“Did you get into a fight?”
“Leave it alone. It’s none of our business.”
I leave Ryan and Revan talking indifferently.
“Bu, Bunny?”
“Hey, where are you going!”
I just ran towards it.
“You crazy bastard! Don’t you ever get tired of hearing that Prince’s voice!”
"You little beggar! If you're hungry, work and earn some money! Why have you been begging in our village for days now?"
One man, who was very angry for some reason, threw a stone with all his might.
Puck.
The moment when a stone flew without a moment to stop it and hit the head of the man called a beggar.
I was so surprised that I couldn't run any further and just stopped there with my mouth covered.
‘...What happened?’
It's dangerous, so I keep my distance and quickly examine the man who was hit by the stone.
However...
Pale blond hair that shone even when covered in dust. Blue eyes. White skin that clearly looked like it had grown beautifully. A face that looked like it had just become an adult.
Crucially.
"Stop it! I won't ask for bread, so stop! Don't hit me! You'll all die!"
Even that statement...
“Something scary is happening!”
I was sure that the blond man was Ratan and ran towards him, extending my hand.
“Wait a minute! Time!”
We can stop it now.
“Don’t throw stones!!”
However, the stone-throwing by those who knew nothing was carried out mercilessly.
Thud. Thud.
'It's you.'
If you don't recognize it when it's so blatantly served to you, you're an idiot.
'Where are you?!'
Looking back, I saw a group of people tangled together in the distance. It looked like a fight had broken out. Five people were surrounding one of them...
“Did you get into a fight?”
“Leave it alone. It’s none of our business.”
I leave Ryan and Revan talking indifferently.
“Bu, Bunny?”
“Hey, where are you going!”
I just ran towards it.
“You crazy bastard! Don’t you ever get tired of hearing that Prince’s voice!”
"You little beggar! If you're hungry, work and earn some money! Why have you been begging in our village for days now?"
One man, who was very angry for some reason, threw a stone with all his might.
Puck.
The moment when a stone flew without a moment to stop it and hit the head of the man called a beggar.
I was so surprised that I couldn't run any further and just stopped there with my mouth covered.
‘...What happened?’
It's dangerous, so I keep my distance and quickly examine the man who was hit by the stone.
He's wearing a tattered rag that looks like he wouldn't wear it even if given, and shoes made of woven straw.
Pale blond hair that shone even when covered in dust. Blue eyes. White skin that clearly looked like it had grown beautifully. A face that looked like it had just become an adult.
Crucially.
"Stop it! I won't ask for bread, so stop! Don't hit me! You'll all die!"
Even that statement...
“Something scary is happening!”
I was sure that the blond man was Ratan and ran towards him, extending my hand.
“Wait a minute! Time!”
We can stop it now.
“Don’t throw stones!!”
However, the stone-throwing by those who knew nothing was carried out mercilessly.
Thud. Thud.
The man was trying to protect his body as much as possible with his arms.
“Stop it!!”
I shouted.
The old men, who looked quite innocent considering they had thrown rocks at people, suddenly appeared and looked back at me.
“Hey! Are you okay?”
The blond man lifted his head with difficulty and looked at me.
Gulp.
Blood flowed from his broken head.
'No...'
Silence.
Silence.
The tension turned into sweat.
"Are you okay? Nothing happened? Do you mind if I hurt you like that?"
...As I thought about it, the blond man who had been staring at me suddenly turned his neck 90 degrees to the right.
Uduk.
Crack.
And then... the joints in his body started to twist in strange ways.
“Ha, life...”
The timing is really off.
If only you had come a little sooner...
“What, what is it? Why is he like that?”
“G, it’s gross!”
I glared at the terrified men who had caused the accident and cursed.
“I told you not to throw stones! Why are you throwing stones at people and causing trouble?”
And then he turned around and ran away.
Ryan and Revan, who were behind me, had widened their eyes... and turned to ‘Ratan’, who was behind me.
The jaws of the two men, who were looking up at the demon that had grown so large after a while, opened wide as if they were going to fall off...
Only after I had ducked next to them did I look back.
'Wow, my goodness...'
The terrifying body of Ratan, which could not be fully captured in a rough sketch on a wanted poster.
The creature, so large that you had to crane your neck to see it, appeared to be at least 5 meters tall and was covered entirely in purple, muscular skin. Its arms and legs, almost as thick as its torso, were adorned with sharp claws...
Finally, to borrow Ryan's favorite phrase, "it's scary." Seriously. I'm talking about those two massive horns on its head.
Yes, that is the true identity of 'Ratan'.
"Oh! It's been a while since I've been outside. I was just getting hungry, and there's so much delicious food here."
Ratan, speaking in a chilling voice that seemed to scratch at one's ears, quickly grabbed an old man with his hand.
“Eww! Aww!”
I only realized it when I saw it.
Before the return, why did Ratan jump out from Guintz and cause chaos?
‘Those guys reaped what they sowed...’
Ratan licked his lips and pulled the struggling man closer to him.
And...
Opening his mouth wide...
'Oh, I can't see.'
I closed my eyes tightly.
The Eye of the Mirror - Poetry of Retrograde
“The meal is here.”
Again, the restaurant before eating.
And then the empty stomach again...
"Time!"
Ryan and Revan, who had just finished eating, looked at me in confusion.
I quickly scanned the table, grabbed a freshly baked loaf of soft bread, and jumped up.
“Eat first! I’ll be back in a bit!”
And I ran out of the restaurant faster than anyone else.
Prince Merchen, 17 years old, was the legitimate heir to the Kingdom of Farnese.
The Kingdom of Farnese, located at the southern tip of the continent, was a peaceful country with warm weather and fertile land.
A country where the laughter and joy of the people never cease, under the rule of a kind and just King and Queen.
Prince Merchen was happy.
A beautiful kingdom that he will soon rule, loving parents, a pretty younger sister, and innocent and honest people of the kingdom...
But one day.
In this peaceful kingdom, misfortune came without warning.
"Hahaha! Humans are so weak!"
But one day.
And then... the joints in his body started to twist in strange ways.
“Ha, life...”
The timing is really off.
If only you had come a little sooner...
“What, what is it? Why is he like that?”
“G, it’s gross!”
I glared at the terrified men who had caused the accident and cursed.
“I told you not to throw stones! Why are you throwing stones at people and causing trouble?”
And then he turned around and ran away.
Ryan and Revan, who were behind me, had widened their eyes... and turned to ‘Ratan’, who was behind me.
The jaws of the two men, who were looking up at the demon that had grown so large after a while, opened wide as if they were going to fall off...
Only after I had ducked next to them did I look back.
'Wow, my goodness...'
The terrifying body of Ratan, which could not be fully captured in a rough sketch on a wanted poster.
The creature, so large that you had to crane your neck to see it, appeared to be at least 5 meters tall and was covered entirely in purple, muscular skin. Its arms and legs, almost as thick as its torso, were adorned with sharp claws...
Finally, to borrow Ryan's favorite phrase, "it's scary." Seriously. I'm talking about those two massive horns on its head.
Yes, that is the true identity of 'Ratan'.
It is a ‘possession demon’ that normally lurks hidden within its host's body, only emerging when the host sustains injuries exceeding a certain threshold.
Ratan, speaking in a chilling voice that seemed to scratch at one's ears, quickly grabbed an old man with his hand.
“Eww! Aww!”
I only realized it when I saw it.
Before the return, why did Ratan jump out from Guintz and cause chaos?
‘Those guys reaped what they sowed...’
Ratan licked his lips and pulled the struggling man closer to him.
And...
Opening his mouth wide...
'Oh, I can't see.'
I closed my eyes tightly.
The Eye of the Mirror - Poetry of Retrograde
***
“The meal is here.”
Again, the restaurant before eating.
And then the empty stomach again...
"Time!"
Ryan and Revan, who had just finished eating, looked at me in confusion.
I quickly scanned the table, grabbed a freshly baked loaf of soft bread, and jumped up.
“Eat first! I’ll be back in a bit!”
And I ran out of the restaurant faster than anyone else.
***
Prince Merchen, 17 years old, was the legitimate heir to the Kingdom of Farnese.
The Kingdom of Farnese, located at the southern tip of the continent, was a peaceful country with warm weather and fertile land.
A country where the laughter and joy of the people never cease, under the rule of a kind and just King and Queen.
Prince Merchen was happy.
A beautiful kingdom that he will soon rule, loving parents, a pretty younger sister, and innocent and honest people of the kingdom...
But one day.
In this peaceful kingdom, misfortune came without warning.
"Hahaha! Humans are so weak!"
But one day.
Horrifying monsters rose from the earth. Led by a horned, purple-skinned creature, they slaughtered people and devastated the land.
Merchen tried to run away.
With his parents and younger sister...
'I have to protect my family.'
That was the end of his memory of that day.
When he opened his eyes again.
“...?”
Merchen was lying in an unfamiliar place.
“Oh, my parents! Are His Majesty the King and Queen safe? My, my sister! And the Princess!”
He just stopped people passing by and asked them.
What about Farneee, who was attacked by monsters?
What happened to my parents and younger sibling?
“Are you crazy...?”
"Farnese? Why seek out this cursed land?"
He was treated like a madman. Only after arresting and questioning several more people did Merchen realize the unbelievable nature of the situation.
933 in the imperial calendar...
600 years had passed.
It felt like everyone was deceiving themselves.
Of course, he didn't know whether his parents or younger sister were alive or dead.
No, if it really has been 600 years, then the family would already be dead, even if it hadn't been for the attack that day.
But why am I alive?
Why am I the only one alive?
17 years old. Just like that day...
Merchen couldn't figure out anything from his memories that had been cut off while he was running away.
He walked aimlessly.
I should go back to Farnese. Yeah, everyone's just teasing me. I should go home... and see if my family is alive, if the people of the kingdom are safe, with my own eyes...
Until I see it... I will never believe it...
The world into which the Prince, who had been raised all his life, was thrown naked was horrific. No one treated Merchen with respect.
But he never lost his royal dignity and nobility. Even when he was hungry, he didn't beg, and even when his feet were swollen, he didn't ask his coachman for help.
He drank rainwater, ate grass and fruit from trees, and walked on his own two feet.
Down, down.
Towards Farnese...
One day, after wandering in the mountains for almost a month, he discovered a village beyond.
“Eww!”
Merchen stumbled in joy at finding someone.
His body tumbled back and forth, the sensation of his bones breaking. The sensation of being pricked by sharp tree roots. His head, smashed against a rock, felt like it had been shattered.
‘I... am dying...’
The moment he lost consciousness.
Merchen opened his eyes.
It was another unfamiliar place. He had no memory, and his body, which had been injured to the point of death, was fine.
He just had a dream.
A very unpleasant dream.
In the dream, Merchen became a monster. Before losing consciousness, he discovered the village, indiscriminately killing and devouring the people there. It was a horrific dream.
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