As the hideously ugly villain extra in a romance fantasy novel, his future originally ended at the execution block. So he did the sensible thing and ran straight to the battlefield.

Ten years later, he returns to the capital as one of the empire’s greatest war heroes, commander of a feared beastmen brigade, survivor of countless campaigns,

and still painfully ugly.

Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse.

His brother is dead.
The North needs a new ruler.
And somehow, Volka has inherited the title of Grand Duke.

In a world obsessed with elegance, romance, and beautiful nobles, the empire’s newest hero looks more like the final boss of a war story than a romantic lead.

Which, honestly, suits him just fine.