Gargoyle.
A race that occupies one of the three major demon clans, characterized by their durable skin.
“There was a reason Oparn was a tank even in the original work.”
Was it because of the recent attack?
I spoke in a voice only he could hear as he turned his head restlessly on the bed with anxious eyes.
“Don’t worry too much. No matter what, this is still the realm of humans. The Levains can only cause so much trouble; they have their limits.”
“…But if we get caught by humans, wouldn’t we also be in danger?”
Well, I’ll be safe.
I’m human, after all.
I tapped Oparn on the shoulder, who was worrying in such a demon-like manner.
“Nobody would think a demon would go as far as to cut off their horns to infiltrate. Not even other demons.”
Horns, for a demon, are a symbol and honor of their being, in addition to being an organ that stores extra mana.
In short, it’s madness.
And Oparn had done just that.
‘Ah, so that’s why Oparn’s magical power was always at rock bottom when I played?’
“I guarantee it, having lived here for decades. No one will think of you as a demon now.”
Of course.
Considering he even enrolled in the Academy, where key figures like the prince and the saintess are present.
Even possibly having a thing with the saintess?
If he hasn’t been caught there, he could live as a human forever.
“Looking around so anxiously makes you more suspicious. Instead, look forward boldly!”
“Are you giving advice as a senior?”
Suddenly emerging from the shadows and sitting cross-legged on a chair was Bathory.
She looked at Oparn with a cluck of her tongue.
“Common sense is far from the Frost Mane, so it’d be wise to heed my advice.”
“That’s rich coming from you, Bathory.”
The look on her face as she seemingly mocked me revealed a subtle pleasure at seeing the boy.
‘It’s understandable, encountering a fellow demon in a similar situation in a foreign land.’
However.
A demon plaintiff.
A vampire maid prisoner of war.
A gargoyle refugee in hiding.
Thinking about it again, it was indeed a strange combination.
“Then, let me reintroduce myself. I am currently using the name Hans Byron, known as Frost Mane. A Doppleganger noble.”
“I’m Bathory Erzsebet. I had lands in the Evildon Empire. Well, you, being holed up in the ground, might not have heard of it.”
Oparn’s lips were sealed in a straight line, unable to shed his wariness.
I sighed dramatically, showing my annoyance.
“Hmm. That’s disappointing. From the snowy fields to the recent attack, I’ve been quite the lifesaver, haven’t I? I was hoping for at least a word of thanks.”
“Oparn.”
He opened his mouth reluctantly under my pressing.
But that wasn’t the answer I was looking for.
“So, what is your position?”
“I hold a place among my kind, and Lady Bathory is a noble. You don’t seem like an ordinary gargoyle either.”
That made sense, given the pursuers.
An ordinary gargoyle?
Whether fleeing to the Manhett Empire or whatever, what did the Levains, who would have already taken over Evildon, care?
There had to be a reason they sent pursuers all the way to the Speda territory, risking danger.
“Huh? What are you looking at?”
Like Bathory, who could pose a threat to them.
“No, it’s just that Lady Bathory’s hair looks particularly radiant today, like sunshine.”
“You, have you eaten something strange today? Enough with the nonsense!”
A flush of warmth spread over her pale, almost ghostly white skin.
“Just kidding.”
Soon, a deep redness spread over her smooth skin.
But the current heat was soon replaced by embarrassment and anger.
Knowing well that she might pounce on me at any moment, I quickly backed off.
“Pfft.”
Was it because of our little farce?
For the first time, a smile appeared on his face, which had been stiff with tension.
It was a familiar sight of Oparn that I had come to know through the game.
“Ahem. My apologies. Are you two opposed to Tyrone?”
Perhaps embarrassed, he coughed into his fist repeatedly.
Well, you could say that.
A disaster that must be eradicated to prevent destruction.
For Luciana’s happy ending too, Demon King Tyrone was ultimately a barrier that had to be overcome.
“More than just opposition. It’s not enough even if he’s chewed to death.”
It was the same for Bathory.
He was the enemy who took everything from her, putting her in the same situation as Oparn.
“Please forgive the rudeness of hiding our identities. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but we were on the run and couldn’t afford to let down our guard.”
Oparn, speaking, momentarily closed his eyes as if pondering, then sealed his lips.
His quivering eyelashes spoke volumes of his inner turmoil.
Soon.
The red eyes that appeared between his eyelids shone with determination.
“I, too, will introduce myself anew. My name is Oparn. Embarrassingly, I held the position of Ruby.”
“Oh wow. You were quite a big deal then.”
“Sorry, but I’m not well-versed in the ranks of gargoyles. Frost Mane, could you explain?”
Gargoyles differentiate their ranks with gemstones. Ruby meant direct lineage to Diamond, the king of gargoyles.
“In simple terms, he’s like a prince of the gargoyle race.”
‘No wonder he was a mercenary all by himself.’
In visual novels, the charm of the male lead isn’t just in their appearance but importantly their background.
Crown prince, duke’s heir, successor to the magic tower…
Among these prominent contenders, a promising mercenary?
Of course, being a commoner like the protagonist, there’s a point of relating without pressure.
Whether in the game or the community.
It was inevitable that Oparn’s popularity was somewhat lower.
‘But to think he was the heir to an entire race.’
Even I, who had seen the ending, hadn’t known this fact.
It was probably something reserved for DLC or a sequel.
“What happened to Diamond?”
“…Tyrone did him in.”
As expected.
Though I had suspected from the existence of the relic known as “Diamond’s Heart” available in the Evildon Empire, the king of the gargoyles had already passed away.
“Please, lend us your aid.”
Then, the white-haired prince turned suddenly towards me and Bathory.
“You seek help?”
“Before his death, Diamond prophesied the arrival of a single being who could stand against Tyrone in the human nations.”
The wrinkles caught in the bed’s blanket.
Oparn’s fist, filled with anger, clenched it tightly.
“I’ve heard the saintess has appeared. Surely, she must be the one from the prophecy. It’s my fervent wish to meet her, the one who could aid in avenging our race, and join forces.”
Our eyes met in a moment.
“The saintess. Is it that cursed girl seen by you and the warrior’s descendant?”
“Don’t go around saying that openly. You’d get beaten for blaspheming, being just a maid.”
I roughly got the picture.
Unrevealed in the original work, I hadn’t known, but to Oparn, the protagonist, Lina, was essentially a tool for revenge.
‘That’s a rather impure motive for a male lead candidate.’
So, he wooed her with a purpose, but in the end, he could give up everything for her, or something like that?
It also explained why he was angry at the protagonist for choosing to help the injured and abandon the demon hunt.
“Could it be, do you know where she is? Ugh.”
As he tried to sit up abruptly, he groaned and collapsed back onto the bed.
“Please calm down first. I’m willing to help you.”
Fortunately.
I struggled to suppress the corners of my mouth that kept curling into a half-moon.
Malevolent and impure motives?
Not mixed with love?
But what does that matter?
The most important thing for me is the candidate for the male lead who will separate that damn prince and the original protagonist.
‘He wants this so much, how could I not push him forward?’
To prevent Luciana’s downfall,
And for the peace of the world.
I made an irresistible sweet offer to the guy who would take on that important role.
“Though I am just a worthless doppelgänger, I have a debt of gratitude to Diamond in the past. I’ll gladly help you. Besides, I saw the saintess at this royal court.”
The gargoyle young master, who has just arrived in the human realm, completely ignorant of the ways of the world.
I extended a handshake with a fraudulent contract to him.
“Is that true?!”
“Of course. I’ve lived in the human world for a long time. Arranging a meeting place is not a difficult task.”
Like a traveler who found a path in the pitch darkness, he smiled brightly.
Unaware that it was a mere empty promise.
“Frost Mane, why does your expression seem so impure?”
“You’re mistaken.”
The one who had experienced it before felt something ominous and showed a very uncomfortable furrowed brow, but I paid it no mind.
Let’s see.
‘If I want to naturally push the male lead candidate next to the protagonist…?’
Making Oparn follow the original flow as much as possible, so he can enroll in the academy,
That’s the first step.
My own blueprint that I’m drawing out.
Just as it disrupted it, an unpleasant sound pierced my head.
[Emergency mission emerged!]
‘…I thought I dealt with that earlier.’
Does this mean it’s not over with Oparn fending off those attackers earlier?
I sighed and turned my head toward the status window that was demanding something more.
[The obsession of the Levains with Oparn, a direct descendant of Diamond, is beyond imagination. To the extent that ‘the true dragon’ watches over him.]
[The mercenaries repelled were just the vanguard; the main force aiming for him has not yet arrived.]
[Prepare for subsequent attacks.]
[Reward: ???]
Ah.
The corners of my mouth twisted strangely without a moment’s pause.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Oparn. I have something to ask you.”
“Oh, yes! Anything!”
“Are you still hiding something?”
His smiling face froze in place.
“What do you mean by that?”
He tried to make excuses, but it was clear to my eyes.
Avoiding my gaze, fidgeting with his fingers.
So, that’s how it’s going to be.
Then I have my own thoughts.
“Let’s forget about cooperation.”
He stood up abruptly at my declaration.
“Why, why!”
“I offered a helping hand out of goodwill, but I find it uncomfortable to ally myself with someone who still insists on carrying their worries alone.”
It’s clear that he’s hiding something I don’t know about.
If that’s the case, I have no choice but to overturn the board.
Oparn, with his clear desires, would be an easy target to control.
But I refuse to start with someone who goes astray right from the beginning.
‘Besides, did I say that the candidates for the male lead are only you and the prince?’
I wonder, who will regret more? (Though it’s a lie) me, trying to repay the grace of Diamond, or Oparn, who might miss the chance to meet the saintess right before his eyes.
“Let’s go, Bathory.”
“You, are you sure it’s alright? He’s one of the few who can stand against Tyrone.”
“Ah, I cannot allow a dagger aimed at my back that I don’t know of.”
I answered leisurely while glancing sideways.
Yes.
That’s actually what I want to say.
A male lead candidate? There are plenty of substitutes, but where would I meet them?
I am tied to the north. Except for the prince, I haven’t seen a trace of them in years!
All my attention is on Oparn, the most promising lifeline behind me.
‘Please hold onto me.’
Better than those I haven’t even made contact with yet, you have matching interests,
And above all, you seem easy to use.
And then.
“Please wait a moment.”
Oparn, dragging his ailing body, blocked the door I was about to leave through.
He frowned as if pondering for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry. I, too, have a heavy treasure in my possession.”
…Treasure?”
From the moment Oparn stood up.
Struggling to hold back a smile, I unwittingly swallowed hard.
The flashing instinct of a thief.
I could intuitively sense that the ‘treasure’ he mentioned with difficulty was not something ordinary.
A seal shining transparently.
The treasure revealed its form from within his pocket.
“This is the treasure of our race, Diamond Seal.”
“…What is that?”
Even I, who prided myself on conquering this game, had never heard of this treasure.
Glancing sideways, Bathory also looked puzzled.
It seems that even she, who had lived in the Evildon Empire for a long time, did not know.
“You wouldn’t know. This is… because it selects the king of gargoyles.”
***
“What about him?”
“We lost him.”
The commander scolded the slow-reacting Levain mercenaries with an angry voice.
“How pathetic! You couldn’t even catch a wounded gargoyle kid!”
“…There was interference.”
“Interference?! Is that interference more important than the orders from the true dragon?”
– Flinch.
The scales of a tail peeking out from behind the robe bristled.
“We must steal his treasure by any means! It’s a mission given by the true dragon himself!”
There was also personal greed mixed in that voice.
‘This is a mission directly given by the true dragon. If I complete this successfully, I might even aim for the position of legion commander.’
It didn’t matter how dangerous it was.
As long as he could use the hired mercenaries.
“Don’t worry and keep using the magical tools! We’ll attack as soon as we locate him!”
The great warrior ruling the north?
As if those who inherited dragon’s blood could be matched by him.
From the start, humans who obstructed the path of the Levain tribe deserved to die.
Even tearing their bodies to shreds would not be enough.
“Spida. No, was it Spedo? I wonder what their blood tastes like.”
His confidence was evident, as the horns rising above his head sparkled with mana.
“Cheh. Acting all high and mighty. One would think he single-handedly annihilated the humans of the north.”
Proud for sneaking in by bypassing the Balant fortress with a thrown bait.
But.
For him, who was already dreaming of a beautiful future seated in the position of legion commander, the dissatisfied murmuring of his subordinate mercenaries was unheard.
Cliche Novel 