Prologue
The royal family of this country followed a matrilineal lineage.
It seems they were originally descended from shrine maidens who served the gods, but they maintained their bloodline by taking powerful men from each era as their husbands and making them kings.
The husbands ranged from nobles within the country to royalty from other lands, but in most cases a man of noble birth was sought.
There was one exception.
That was the hero.
The demon king who periodically appeared and sought to destroy the world of man. The hero was the one who would defeat this demon king. In this country, the position of king was promised to the hero as a reward. By accepting the hero, the royal family maintained its legitimacy as royalty, and boasted its status as the country that saved the world.
And so the royal family endured.
Fifteen years ago, a demon king appeared in this world. A king who ruled over the powerful Demon people race. One who despised the gods revered by man, and sought to destroy their followers, mankind.
After an intense battle, already half the world was under his dominion, and this country had also suffered invasion.
It was then that a hero appeared.
No one knows beforehand who will become the hero, but they are often guided by a person called the Prophet.
The Prophet appears from nowhere, leaves a prophecy, and disappears somewhere. Their true identity is unknown.
Four years ago, a Prophet appeared in a small village within the country, and prophesied the advent of the hero.
The hero of the prophecy entered Pharme Academy, the country’s hero training institution, and stood out. Bringing the current generation’s hero candidates, Swordmaster Leon, Saint Maria, and Scholar Solon into his party, he was now summoned to the royal palace.
I am Alexia, the princess of this country. I am the prize for the hero.
My father the king seems to have some misgivings about the hero.
Supposedly, he is “lowborn commoner”, “an unimpressive man”, and “Leon should have been the hero”, etcetera.
My mother the queen has entered the temple as the shrine maiden after my grandmother passed away, so she is not here. The princesses of this country choose a partner as king, give birth to a child, then enter the temple as shrine maidens and devote their lives to the country.
Swordmaster Leon is the heir to a prominent Earl household, accomplished in both status and ability. If not for the demon king’s advent, he likely would have become my partner.
When we met before, he was aware of that himself, but after the battle at the Rozolof Forest, he said “I was not the hero” and withdrew himself. Including the king, those around him regret this.
I did not care either way. Leon is certainly an excellent person. However, in the end, I have no say in who I marry. So whoever the hero may be does not matter to me.
From a young age I applied myself to my studies, swordplay, horsemanship, and was praised for my talents by those around me. But even so, I cannot decide my own future. Honestly, being the princess of this country is like a curse. After all, no princes have ever been born. If only I could have been born a prince instead, I could have lived a somewhat better life.
Disregarding my sentiments, the audience began, and the hero entered the throne room.
My father the king extolled the hero’s feats at the Rozolof Forest, bestowed rewards upon him, and formally acknowledged him as the hero.
The birth of Hero Ares.
I was introduced to him as a reward.
“This is my daughter, Alexia. When you slay the demon king, I will make you Alexia’s husband, and the next king of this country.”
The hall stirred a little. Even if it’s tradition, the nobles still recoil at making a lowborn man the king.
However, even heroes risk their lives. Without adequate compensation, who would willingly embark on the reckless adventure of invading the demon king’s domain and defeating him? He may be called by the appealing name of hero, but he is essentially an assassin against the demon king.
To increase the success rate of this assassination, the hero’s reward must be as motivating to him as possible.
I don’t want the world to be destroyed either.
I need this hero to try his very hardest.
To that end, I know I must act a certain way.
I walked to the kneeling hero and said just loud enough for him to hear,
“Sir Hero, please slay the demon king and save the world. I await your return.”
I’m still only twelve years old, quite young, but I’m beautiful, and know how I should act to please the other party – or so I thought.
However, while I truly want him to save the world, awaiting his return is a lie.
The hero was a young man with a very ordinary appearance. Windswept chestnut colored hair, and eyes to match. He looked well trained, but was of medium height and build, and lacked any notable features.
With a troubled expression, he said to me in a voice only I could hear,
“Princess, I promise. I will definitely slay the demon king.”
He smiled gently.
“But I won’t be coming back here. So, you should marry the one you love.”
Four years later, the hero kept his word and slew the demon king. And he never returned.
Four more years after that. The kingdom, having finally regained stability, established a project to compile the hero’s feats in literature, in order to honor his memory.
In the Town –
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“What do you think about the hero? I mean, he defeated the Demon Lord, so we should be grateful, right? Our lives are possible because of the hero.”
“He could use a sword and both attack and healing magic. He was an extraordinary person. It’s such a shame that he passed away.”
“It’s a loss. I’ve heard he was outstanding even at the academy, and we still needed someone like the hero in the future.”
“Could it be that he died because of the wounds and curses from defeating the Demon Lord? He fought such a terrifying enemy, maybe it ended up as a mutual kill.”
“Well, he was amazing. After all, he defeated the Demon Lord. But you know, I’ve heard rumors that the hero was from some rural village. It’s a bit scary to think that if he comes back, he might become the king. He probably doesn’t know anything about running a country or politics, right?”
“Why did he die in the middle of it all? He defeated the Demon Lord, so there’s no way he’d lose to monsters. It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”
“I actually suspect the Sword Saint. After all, he’s a count. Maybe he aimed for the next king’s throne and took him out? If there’s no hero, it’s said the Sword Saint will marry the princess. Oh, by the way, keep this conversation a secret. You never know what they might do to me.”
“I’ve heard that the Sage and the Saintess were childhood friends. Did the Sage like the Saintess? But the Saintess’s heart ended up going towards the hero, so maybe the Sage got jealous and killed the hero?”
“Perhaps they fought over the Saintess? She’s so beautiful, after all. I think the Saintess liked the hero, but maybe the Sword Saint and the Sage conspired to get rid of the hero out of jealousy? When I think about it, I can’t help but feel sorry for the still unmarried Saintess.”
“He was said to be a commoner, right? Perhaps the nobility didn’t like that. When he came back, he would have to listen to what the commoners say, right? They might have disliked that and ordered someone to kill the hero.”
Translator note : The “official” english title of the novel is “Who Kill the Brave” but I use Hero instead Brave in my translation. Thank you for the understanding
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated.
Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 3-10+ additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
