Prolog - The First Death

~Earth~

Today was still the same as usual. I had to keep working to live.

I was currently working as a part-time employee at a convenience store, which was open 24 hours.

I was standing behind the counter. When a customer came in, I always welcomed them as they were.

I realized I'm not a person who can smoothly socialize. For that reason, the owner of this convenience store made me work the night shift. Because at night, not many customers would have come.

Slowly, the day that was originally dark, is now brightened by the morning sun.

I checked the clock on the shop wall, it was already six in the morning, which was the time to change shifts.

After that, I walked out without saying a word to another employee.

From behind, I could hear the conversation of another employee.

"Hey, isn't he too arrogant, walking around without saying a word."

"Haha. Don't think about it too much. He's just like that, you know, someone who's anti-social?!"

"However, aren't we much older than him? Couldn't a little boy like him be a little more polite?"

I had heard those words many times before.

Without paying attention to them, I was walking out of the convenience store. I walked straight to my house.

***

A dilapidated building that seemed ready to collapse at any moment was in front of me.

The building was small and cramped, so it could only be used by one person.

That building is my house.

I have been an orphan since I was born. The house that I owned was gifted by the government.

When I was a baby, I was adopted by an orphanage foundation.

So, I didn't know who my parents were.

I was a realistic person, so I had no desire to search for my parents, where such an expectation would be unattainable.

Until now, I had lived by relying on myself.

Since I left the orphanage, I started to live here.

I could only shake my head to get rid of the sad thoughts that crossed my mind.

As soon as I entered the house, I took off the work clothes that I was wearing.

After that, I took a shower, changed clothes, and had breakfast. As soon as I finished, I started packing all kinds of textbooks.

I noticed a book, which was not one of the course books, neatly tucked away on the table.

The writing on the cover of the book was Demon Lord and Hero of Light.

It was a novel that told the story of a demon lord and a hero of light, just like the title said.

When I'm looking at that book, I remembered what a nanny at the orphanage had said.

"Mesties, don't lose that book. This was something we discovered when we found you in front of the orphanage. Who knows, you might find your parents if you keep this book with you."

That's what she said. Therefore, I have kept it until now. Moreover, I kept it not only for that reason but also because I liked the story.

Reaching for the novel, I went through the novel in my bag. I put on the bag and then headed to school.

I planned to read this novel during my lunch break, or in between the change of class hours.

Understandably, I didn't have as much time as other teenagers, because as soon as I got home from school, I went straight to work at the construction site.

***

Various types of vehicles drove on paved roads.

As various vehicles passed, noise filled my ears.

Not only that, the pollution by various vehicles was damaging the earth.

Ignoring the noise sound around me, I'm walking on the sidewalk with my head down.

Hooamm~

I'm covering my yawning mouth with the back of my hand.

Suddenly, there was a car stopped right beside me.

My knowledge of quality cars and famous car brands was very shallow—you can already tell that I knew nothing about them.

So, I could only say that the limousine that stopped right beside me was a "Luxury" car.

"Miss, that was dangerous, why did you tell me to suddenly stop here?!"

"Aha ha, aren't we still fine, sir."

The driver who was driving the car looked very angry at someone suspected of being his employer, for telling him to brake suddenly.

Even so, what responded to the anger was just a teenage girl's mischievous laugh.

Then, the girl got out of the car gracefully.

Starting from her long legs that are dazzling, then, her long hair flutters in the wind beautifully.

When she looked at me, with a smiling expression applied to her pretty face, I couldn't help but take my eyes off her.

It's not because my heart is pounding or that my face is blushing, it's just that I'm not used to seeing someone's face.

"Oh, Mesties! Are you going to school?"

"Yes."

The name of the girl I was talking to was Elvia Flynn.

As you can see, she and I were the same age.

We both lived and grew up in the same orphanage. Because we were from the same orphanage, it was quite natural for her to approach me and engage me in conversation.

Unlike me, who had received government benefits in the form of a house and the opportunity to go to school, Elvia herself had been adopted as a daughter by a wealthy family.

Since she had found a rich and good family who was already willing to adopt her, I didn't want to interfere with her happy life.

So, when she asked about my house, or when she wanted to visit, I always refused for various reasons.

Elvia narrowed her eyes when she saw my face, then she said, "Hey, why do you look so sleepy like that?"

"Um. Oh. I just stayed up all night. There's a game that I was trying to finish."

"What's the name of the game? What game is it? What company developed it? Then, is it fun?"

"… Ha ha ha."

After a series of questions asked by Elvia with a sullen face, I couldn't help but laugh blankly without being able to answer her.

Moreover, I didn't know anything about games.

She kept glaring at me, but I still kept a hollow laugh on my face.

I can't tell her the truth, both about my work and about the life that I lead. I didn't want her to get too involved with someone like me—at least for now.

After realizing that I didn't mean to retaliate, Elvia then couldn't help but sigh wordlessly.

"By the way, do you want me to take you to school?"

"… No. Thanks. After all, our schools are different. And I walk as a form of exercise."

I refuse Elvia's invitation. Not because of the driver who kept looking at me with a disgusting expression, but for another reason.

To be honest, I had been very happy that she was still as kind as she used to be.

Subconsciously, I started to smile and noticed her beauty.

After saying goodbye, Elvia entered the limousine.

When Elvia had closed the door of the car, the driver stomped hard on the gas. When he did that, he was still occasionally glancing at me with a mocking expression.

From inside the car, Elvia waved her hand with a bright expression.

Unknowingly—unaware, my hands started waving at her automatically, until finally, she disappeared beyond the horizon.

When my hand fell after wavering,

Vbroom!

I heard a very loud sound of a car. The car braked suddenly, then stopped right beside me, just like the car Elvia was driving earlier.

But, before I could see the car, I felt something hit my head hard.

Smash!!

"Ugh."

My balance was wavering. I immediately fell forward without being able to hold on.

My body hit the paving surface hard enough to make a little dust billow.

I'm still holding the back of my head when I look up slightly.

I looked up only to find someone who was already hitting the back of my head.

***

Pow! Pwak! Pow! Pbuk!

The sound of beatings echoed around the pitch-black alley.

After I was kidnapped by two unknown people, I was brought to this place. This place is a dark and lonely alley.

When we arrived earlier, they both started hitting me so hard.

Like a tennis ball, my body oscillated, following the rhythm of the blows I felt all over my body. As for the two people who hit me? They looked as if they were playing tennis.

Strangely, they only hit my midsection, like my stomach and chest. However, the pain still stung everywhere they had hit.

After a while, the two of them finally stopped.

"I think this is enough."

"W-who-?"

I'm attempting to ask while enduring the pain.

One of them took out a smartphone. Then he showed me the contents of the smartphone.

"Look at this, brat! Our client wants us to beat you up and warn you to get away from the girl named Elvia. And never met her again."

Without having listened to what they said, I immediately knew what he meant after seeing the photo on his smartphone.

I completely ignored everything that was happening around me and stared at a photo on his smartphone screen.

As soon as I saw the photo, my mind went blank. All the sounds that entered my ears suddenly disappeared.

That was the photo of Elvia kissing another man.

'Is that person Elvia's boyfriend? Why did she never tell me about it? Then why does my heart feel like it's about to burn?'

Various thoughts flashed through my head.

"Hahaha, look at this, brat! Is he heartbroken?!"

"Th-this must be a lie, right?"

I didn't know what expression I had on my face, but when the two thugs saw my expression, they immediately frowned deeply.

Their expressions told me that I was too detestable because I couldn't accept reality.

'Ah! The photo must be real?!' The thought suddenly took over my brain.

When an imagination took over my mind, anger suddenly rose within my body.

I knew that I was nothing to Elvia, so why do I feel like I was betrayed?! Shouldn't I be happy for her?!

Ah! It should be because of the memories of when she and I were little! That time, we promised to get married and live together forever.

The reason I kept my poor life a secret from her was to convince myself that I didn't want her to see my poor self.

'When I became rich and successful, I would have been proposing to her.' Such was the childish thinking I had.

How stupid I am!

I was angry not only because I had seen a photo of Elvia with another man, but because of my incompetence.

Such thoughts have already blurred my vision of whether the photo shown by the thugs is true or not.

I bit my lip until it bled. Then I stood up. Although still staggering, I clenched my fists and tried to hit the two thugs in front of me.

"Haaaaa!!!"

SCREAM!!!

That's all I've been able to do.

I shouted. But the result was only pain coming from my face.

Boom!

A hard kick hit my head.

Two thugs who were angry with me kept beating me.

This time, they no longer hesitated to beat my head, legs, and vital organs. They attacked me like they were ready to kill me.

Perhaps because I managed to land the occasional punch, they seemed to get even angrier.

Blood soaked my clothes. Blood also came out profusely from my head and other parts of my body.

"Shit, we overdid it. Let's run."

The two thugs immediately fled without being responsible.

That was the last sight I saw before pitch blackness invaded my consciousness.

My eyelids felt very heavy. Finally, I couldn't hold it in and surrendered as every ounce of strength in my body disappeared.

***

Mesties' blood flowed everywhere, soaking the entire ground until it reached a book that had been fell of Mesties' bag.

That was Mesties' novel book, which was titled Demon King and Hero of Light.

When Mesties' blood came into contact with the novel book, a bright light suddenly shot out from inside the entire book.

The book suddenly flew toward Mesties. One by one the pages suddenly opened on their own. Finally, the book and Mesties disappeared just like that.