The empire insisted on calling him a hero.
Despite that,
everyone knew what he truly was.
A chimera.
For generations, the Ellengarde family had offered their bodies to the empire in exchange for power strong enough to resist the Demon Realm. Their bloodline had been shaped through brutal experimentation,monster essence fused into human flesh again and again until something finally survived the process.
Most died screaming.
Some became monsters themselves.
And eventually,
one succeeded.
Noctellis Ellengarde stood beneath a sky blackened by smoke while thousands knelt around him.
Soldiers.
Nobles.
Priests.
Even the emperor himself.
Behind them, the battlefield still burned.
Demonic corpses littered the frozen earth while shattered weapons and crimson banners slowly vanished beneath falling snow.
At the center of it all,
stood the man who ended the battle.
Dark hair stirred faintly in the cold wind. Black armor streaked with blood reflected the surrounding firelight in dull crimson lines while the massive sword resting beside him remained buried halfway into the frozen ground.
His expression never changed.
No triumph.
No pride.
His eyes remained calm.
Empty enough that even victory failed to reach them.
"The western front has fallen," one knight whispered nearby in disbelief. "He truly defeated the Demon Generals alone…"
Noctellis ignored them.
As always.
The emperor descended the ruined stone steps slowly before stopping directly before him.
"You have protected the empire," the emperor declared.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Then,
"In recognition of your achievements, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Duke."
Murmurs spread instantly through the gathered nobles.
Too young.
Too sudden.
Too much authority.
But none dared object aloud.
Because every person standing there had witnessed what Noctellis became on the battlefield.
The emperor himself raised the ceremonial crest.
"From this day onward,you are Duke Noctellis Ellengarde."
Snow continued falling softly around them.
Noctellis lowered his gaze slightly.
"…I accept."
That was all.
No speech.
No emotion.
No celebration.
The crowd erupted into cheers anyway.
Hero of the Empire.
The Empire's Shield.
The Chimera Duke.
A monster granted nobility in exchange for slaughter.
People gave him countless titles after that.
Some meant to honor him.
Others meant to remind him what he truly was.
Of all the humiliations forced upon him,
the emperor's choice of wife became the greatest.
Instead of a refined imperial princess, the emperor handed him a disgrace.
The daughter of a struggling noble family.
A woman with no elegance.
No restraint.
No understanding of dignity whatsoever.
Jemina.
She spoke too loudly.
Laughed too freely.
Climbed onto him in public like an untrained animal.
She failed spectacularly at behaving like a proper duchess.
Most of the household wanted her gone.
At one point,
he had been one of them.
So when she disappeared before his eyes,
his mind should have finally become quiet.
Instead,
it hadn't.
And that irritated him more than anything.
For generations, the purpose of the Ellengarde bloodline had remained unchanged.
Protect the peace of the kingdom.
Destroy the Demon Realm.
Every experiment.
Every death.
Every sacrifice,
had led to this war.
And only in Noctellis's generation had humanity finally reached the Demon King's castle.
A first in imperial history.
A victory made possible solely because of him.
The battlefield burned beneath a storm-dark sky.
This battle would mark the end of the war between the empire and the Demon Realm.
Or so everyone believed.
"Advance!"
Explosions thundered across the mountainside as imperial knights stormed the outer walls of the Demon King's fortress.
Black flames swallowed entire towers.
Steel clashed violently against steel while mages shattered defensive barriers overhead in flashes of blue light.
Noctellis cut through another demon soldier without slowing.
Blood splattered across the snow.
Around him, imperial forces surged deeper into the fortress while demonic defenses steadily collapsed beneath the assault.
"The eastern gate has fallen!"
"The Demon King's forces are retreating!"
"We have them cornered!"
Victory seemed close.
Too close.
Noctellis immediately sensed something wrong.
At the top of the ruined staircase ahead stood the Demon King himself.
Dark robes whipped violently in the wind.
Blood dripped lazily from one arm.
And despite the destruction surrounding him,
he was smiling.
Not desperate.
Not angry.
Smiling.
"You look displeased," the Demon King remarked lazily. "Shouldn't heroes enjoy moments like this?"
Noctellis raised his sword slowly.
"A dying insect writhing before its death is bound to make noise."
"That's rude." The Demon King sighed dramatically. "I even prepared an entire speech."
The ground trembled suddenly.
Once.
Then again.
Every soldier froze.
Noctellis's eyes narrowed instantly.
That pressure,
Ancient.
Heavy.
Wrong.
The Demon King's smile vanished.
For the first time since the battle began,
he looked genuinely alarmed.
"…No," he muttered quietly.
Something screamed overhead.
Not human.
Not beast.
The sky exploded.
Clouds scattered violently apart as an enormous white shape descended through the storm.
Soldiers screamed instantly.
Some dropped their weapons outright.
Massive silver-white fur shimmered beneath flashes of lightning while gigantic paws crushed directly through the upper towers of the fortress.
CRAAAAASH!!!
The entire castle shook violently.
Stone walls collapsed inward.
A watchtower vanished completely beneath snapping jaws.
"What IS that?!" someone screamed.
Noctellis stared upward silently.
A wolf.
An enormous wolf.
Far too massive to exist naturally.
Its jade green eyes blazed against the darkness as it landed atop the fortress itself.
The Demon King actually stepped backward.
"…My dearest love?"
For the first time,
his voice sounded uncertain.
The wolf snarled.
The sound alone shattered nearby windows.
Noctellis understood immediately:
Whatever this creature was,
even the Demon King feared it.
The wolf moved.
Not toward the imperial army.
Toward the fortress itself.
Its claws tore effortlessly through black stone while entire sections of the castle collapsed beneath its weight.
Demons fled screaming in every direction.
"The mistress has gone insane!"
"RETREAT!"
The Demon King leapt backward as massive jaws crushed through the throne hall behind him.
The mountain itself began splitting apart.
"Retreat!" imperial commanders shouted instantly.
"But we're winning—!"
"RETREAT NOW!"
Noctellis remained still for one brief moment longer.
Watching.
The wolf barely acknowledged the battlefield around it.
It only destroyed.
Relentlessly.
Violently.
Almost personally.
The Demon King himself was forced backward beneath the assault.
And that alone revealed the truth.
Noctellis turned sharply.
"All forces withdraw immediately."
Imperial soldiers retreated through smoke and collapsing stone while the monstrous white wolf tore through the Demon King's fortress behind them like divine punishment given form.
Far above,
its furious howl echoed across the mountains.
Noctellis glanced back only once.
The Demon King stood amidst the collapsing ruins of his castle, staring upward in disbelief while destruction rained around him.
Noctellis turned away.
That battle was never a draw.
Nor was it an imperial victory.
The true victor of that day was undoubtedly,
a fruit-wine-smelling white wolf with marital problems.