The Demon King Is Dead, and the Genre Is Romance Fantasy

The wind is cold again today. I was standing on the Northern Wall, checking to see if that bunch of trash—the Demon King’s army—was swarming in, when a pigeon flew in from the south. It had a piece of paper wrapped around its leg, so I took a look. It was a letter from somewhere.

I stood there, dazed, holding the letter.

“The Demon King is dead?”

What kind of mother-fucking nonsense is that? I read the next line to get a better grasp of the situation. Apparently, the Crown Prince and four other pieces of trash from the Imperial Capital formed a "Hero Party," marched north of the wall, and cut off the Demon King’s head.

...We were fighting so fiercely until just yesterday. I was definitely fighting the Demon King, too. I’m the one who drove a greatsword into the Demon King’s heart yesterday and left him half-dead. And they went on an expedition to finish off a guy who was barely clinging to life?

“Hah. I’ll have to see it with my own eyes.”

I mounted the only warhorse left in one piece ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and rode north. I climbed the highest hill and looked out. There was truly no one there. The Demon King’s army, which should have been swarming like an anthill, was gone.

“Tsk.”

I’ve lived near the Northern Wall for almost ten years since I crossed over into this world. At first, it was an apocalypse by any definition. Burning villages, shattered fortresses, and monsters pouring in endlessly. I thought this world had collapsed, so I fought tooth and nail. I fought solely to survive.

At first, I only had one greatsword, but after awakening my ability, the fighting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠became easier. My ability is the Weapon Warehouse: I can copy the weapons of anyone weaker than me and store them in an internal vault. One sword became two, then four, and now I have countless weapons piled up in my warehouse. Once I had enough, I found I could even float them in the air and launch them as projectiles.

My comrades all died, and I was the only one left to defend this place. I thought there was nothing left in the south. I thought everything had been destroyed. I fought thinking everyone but me was dead, but what? The Empire? The Imperial Capital? A Hero Party? Don’t make me laugh.

Thinking this, I returned to the wall and grilled some monster meat. Sizzle— It didn’t taste like much compared to how appetizing it looked, but I ate it anyway. I had to eat something to stay alive. Then, I stared blankly at the sky. If the Demon King’s army is gone... what am I supposed to do now?

I spent three days like that. Honestly, it was boring. There was nothing to do. Fighting monsters was a chore at first, but later, I actually started to enjoy it. Collecting weapons was fun, and above all, slaughtering enemies with my own power was incredibly satisfying. They were the axis of evil that destroyed the world, anyway. So, I figured it was fine to kill as many as I wanted. Now, that opponent is gone. Some bunch of trash calling themselves a Hero Party stole my job.

If this world hasn’t actually been destroyed, what kind of world is waiting for me in the south?

I was staring at the sky with a dried blade of grass in my mouth when I heard the sound of hoofbeats from the south.

Thud—

I leaped down from the Northern Wall, which was over 20 meters high. The people on horseback looked at me with dumbfounded expressions, then approached, dismounted, and prostrated themselves.

“We greet the Legion Commander.”

“Me?” I asked, chewing on the blade of grass.

“Yes, we greet the Legion Commander!!”

“Who the hell are you guys?”

They looked visibly flustered. Their faces were plump and greasy. How pathetic. I guess the south was more peaceful than I thought.

“We have come from the Imperial Capital. We are here to escort you, Legion Commander.”

“Me? Legion Commander? Why?”

The guy who held the title of Legion Commander died instantly when he was hit by a monster’s arrow the moment I arrived in this world. There hasn’t been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a "Legion Commander" since. Everyone but me died.

The guy in the front asked back, panicked, “Are you not Legion Commander Nikolai Tashkievich?”

“My name is Go Suhyun?”

“Ehh?”

I’m pretty sure that was the name of the guy who died from the arrow. Let’s just say it’s my name for now.

“I’m the only survivor here.”

“Yes. We are aware of that.”

“The Demon King’s army covered everything all the way to the south, and I fought here alone. But what is this?” I fluttered the letter and threw it at him.

“We couldn’t confirm it due to the circumstances, but thanks to you defending this place, the imperial citizens were able to escape the ravages of war! You will also be credited for the success of the Hero Party!”

Is that so? I did fight until I was half-dead. The first year was a real nightmare.

“Credit. Credit is nice. So, what are you going to do?”

“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered us to bring you to the Imperial Capital! We will ring out the news of our great victory, and you will be granted appropriate rewards and a title!”

Rewards, huh... I don’t need a title, but the rewards sound tempting. It’s been ages since I’ve had a proper meal. Was it five years ago when I sprinkled sugar on some leftover hardtack? If the south is peaceful because of me, there must be plenty of delicious food. My mouth is watering. I doubt it’s as common as it was on Earth, but I’m looking forward to it. Above all, I have nothing to do right now. The monsters are all dead.

Anyway, there’s no point in staying here; there isn’t even a corpse left to pick apart. Which means I’ll starve to death soon.

“Fine, let’s go. Do you provide food?”

“Yes? Ah, yes! Of course! A top-class banquet is prepared!”

The greasy guy standing in front of me glanced at my appearance. Armor and clothes made of roughly stitched-together monster hide. Even those were stiff and stinking from dried monster blood and fluids. But when his gaze met my face, he flinched in surprise.

I know why. I was shocked as hell when I saw my face in the mirror after arriving at the wall.

I don’t know why, but my body changed when I fell into this godforsaken world. Into a ridiculously pretty young boy. Maybe the original owner of this body was a handsome boy. But does that even matter? The ability to copy weapons was what actually helped in battle. It means my face was completely meaningless.

Come to think of it, when was the last time I talked to a woman? The older sister who was already dead and being eaten by monsters... did she die seven years ago? Anyway, it’s been a long time. I was lost in thought when the guy in front of me spoke up.

“Let us go, Legion Commander. We have prepared a carriage.”

They bowed and stepped back. Behind them, I saw a carriage that was ridiculously flashy. The durability probably wasn’t even as good as the monster bones rolling around under the wall. I’m supposed to ride in that?

“Do you have any luggage?”

“Luggage?”

I flicked my finger into the air.

Snap—

At that moment, tens of thousands of swords, spears, and axes appeared behind my back, cutting through the air in unison.

“Hiiik—!”

“Mo, monster... !!”

The guys in flashy clothes and armor foamed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground. Those idiots wouldn’t even survive against three orcs.

“If you mean luggage, this is enough. No need to pack anything.”

I flicked my finger again and shoved the weapons back into my warehouse.

“Are we not going?”

“Ah, yes, yes! We, we shall escort you!” The guys who had pissed themselves trembled as they opened the carriage door. Inside, there was a sofa so soft it was indescribable. I felt like I’d fall asleep the moment I lay down.

I looked out the window as the scenery flew by. The carriage was faster than I thought. The desolate land of the north and the blood-red sky were nowhere to be seen; green meadows and peaceful farmhouses began to appear.

It’s so fucking, ridiculously peaceful.

Someone was out there in the north, rolling around until their body was about to burst. I let out a dry laugh because it was so absurd. Damn it. What kind of one-man show was I putting on?

Clatter—

As the carriage passed through a space imbued with mana, the scenery changed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instantly.

“Is this the Imperial Capital?”

White stone walls I was seeing for the first time in my life. They were much shorter than the Northern Wall, but the splendor was incomparable. And inside the walls, it was so flashy it made my eyes spin. Instead of rotting monster corpses, flower petals were flying in the streets, and people were wearing perfume so strong it made me want to gag, instead of the smell of blood. The world hadn’t been destroyed. I was the only one who had mistakenly thought it was.

“Damn it.”

After passing through ridiculously flashy buildings and ridiculously bright people, the carriage stopped somewhere. A massive building came into view.

Knock knock—

Someone knocked on the carriage door. It was the guy who had pissed himself earlier.

“You may come out now, Legion Commander!!”

As soon as I got out of the carriage, they started making a fuss again.

“We will take you straight to the banquet hall of the Imperial Palace! Tonight, a grand banquet will be held for you, Legion Commander, and the Hero Party!”

A grand banquet. Good. There must be piles of meat. The banquet hall of the Imperial Palace, where I was guided, was truly a different world. Chandeliers that flashed enough to blind you. Women in fluttering dresses with their chests pushed up as much as possible. Men in stiff suits holding wine glasses and acting arrogant. Isn’t this just a romance fantasy? The scene is exactly the same as the romance fantasy webtoons I saw on Earth. And then there’s me, covered head to toe in monster hide. The surrounding gazes converged on me all at once. Contempt, fear, and strange curiosity. What the hell, did they bring me here to embarrass me?

“Is that the Legion Commander of the north...?”

“My god, look at his appearance. He looks like he smells.”

“But his face... Oh my god. I thought a statue had just walked in.”

I heard those things, but I didn’t care and picked up some meat from the side with my hand. The other men and women gave me strange looks again at my behavior, but I ignored them. My stomach was churning. My mouth was watering. How long has it been since I’ve eaten proper food?

“Oh, the Shield of the Empire has finally arrived.”

An annoying voice came from the side. I turned my head to see a guy with greasy, slicked-back blonde hair walking over. He wore a ridiculously large and flashy sword on his waist. He looked like he was advertising, "I’m a great guy." Is that the Crown Prince or whatever, that kill-stealing bastard?

The Crown Prince bastard came up to me and arrogantly raised his wine glass.

“You’ve worked hard, Legion Commander of the north. Although it was this great holy sword in my hand that cut the Demon King’s breath, your petty struggling wasn’t entirely useless.”

Does this bastard want to die?

I stared intently at the "holy sword" he wore on his waist. And then I looked quietly into my warehouse.

Huh. A sword that looked exactly like that one just dropped into my warehouse. The concentration of mana was ten times denser than the one stuck in my warehouse. The one that bastard was holding looked like a toy in comparison.

I scratched my chin while looking at the face of the Crown Prince, who was smiling stupidly. Should I smash this bastard’s head in right now? Or should I eat the meat first and then smash it? I had a feeling that the first day in the peaceful southern neighborhood was going to be incredibly tiring.