I was watching the news. A police officer had just shot down a criminal.
One part of me said it was justice.
Another part of me said a human life was still valuable.
I've always had this problem…
seeing things from two completely different sides.
I just ran out of snacks.
I hate going outside…
but if it's for snacks, I'll do it.
With a sigh, I got up and decided to leave the house.
I stepped into the department store.
They had a huge variety of snacks…
I picked up a pack of chips. Two flavors.
Red… or green?
Red looked good.
…No, green was better.
Ugh, this is irritating.
I grabbed the red one.
Finally, after picking up everything I needed, I headed toward the exit.
I was standing at a pedestrian crossing.
A pregnant woman stood beside me, talking on her phone… probably her boyfriend.
I looked away for a moment.
When I turned back—
she had already started crossing.
Wait… the signal was still red.
That means—
A truck was coming.
"Hey—!"
She couldn't hear me.
Damn it…
It's her fault for using her phone while crossing.
I should just leave her—
…No.
I ran forward and pushed her out of the way.
—
Pain.
My body was thrown back.
I hit the ground hard.
My vision blurred.
I think… I got hit.
I'm… losing consciousness.
Where am I…?
It's dark.
Am I… dead?
Then I saw him.
An old man with white hair and a long white beard, wearing strange robes, slowly walking toward me.
"Welcome," he said, "to the afterlife."
I just stared at him.
"…What the popcorn?"
"Child… you saved two lives today," he said.
"I will reincarnate you into a new world—one filled with magic. What do you say?"
I wanted to say no.
But… it might not be so bad.
Then again—
what if it turns out really bad…?
Like… very bad?
I mean… I already died.
"Yeah… I guess I'll take it."
The old man nodded.
"Since you saved two lives, I'll give you a special offer.
You may choose where you will be reborn—
on the side of good… or evil."
…What?
Obviously, I should choose good.
But… what if evil isn't that bad?
No, no—good. Definitely good.
…But evil sounds kind of interesting.
Why am I like this?
"Child, decide quickly. I have other matters to attend to."
"Okay, okay—good."
…Wait.
"No—evil."
…No, good.
…Evil?
The old man's expression changed.
"You are… irritating."
Oh.
I think I made him mad.
Before I could say anything else, he raised his hand.
"Enough."
A strange energy surrounded me.
"Wait—! I haven't decided yet—!"
Everything started to blur.
My body felt like it was being pulled apart
Why is it so dark…?
Oh.
I forgot to open my eyes.
Slowly, I opened them.
A woman was looking at me…
She felt warm.
Familiar.
She looked like my mother—
…but she had horns.
Wait.
Horns?
Is she… a demon?
Before I could think any further, she gently picked me up.
"Ruby…"
Someone called out her name.
Oh… so my mom's name is Ruby.
Wait a minute—
There's another bed.
…Another baby?
I turned my head and looked at him.
He looked… kind of ugly.
A mirror stood nearby.
I glanced at it—
…Wait.
Why do I look like him?
What the pizza…?
The door opened.
A large man walked in.
He looked… strong.
"Dear—" my mom called out.
Wait…
That makes him my dad.
…I didn't know I had a dad now.
Suddenly, he reached out and picked me up.
Hey—! Old man, be careful!
And just like that…
my mom handed me over without hesitation.
Wow.
She gave me up that easily?
Then she picked up the other baby—
my brother.
I looked at them both.
…So this is my family now.
Time passed quickly.
Before I knew it, I had grown older.
And now—
I was attending a demon academy.
Did I ever tell you my name?
No… I didn't.
My name is Ron.
The demon prince.
And my brother's name is Ren.
Even though we're twins…
everyone says I'm the more handsome one.
Seriously—
you've got to believe me.
I walked into the classroom.
A group of demon girls started approaching…
Oh?
Are they coming to invite me?
…Wait.
They walked right past me.
And went straight to my brother.
…What?
Hmph.
These demon girls probably just couldn't handle my aura.
"Ron! Ron!"
Someone called out to me.
Oh… it was my friend, Seth.
"So," he said, "any improvement in your magic?"
I paused for a moment.
"…Let's see."
I thought about it.
"…I don't think so."
"I don't get it, Ron.
Your brother is the strongest magician in the academy…
and you can only use basic magic?"
"Yeah…"
I scratched my head.
"I can only use basic magic."
The class started.
"Pair up," the teacher said.
I ended up with my brother.
He didn't look happy about it.
"I don't want to be with this loser," Ren said.
"Change my partner."
…Ouch.
So, I got a new partner.
Seth.
Great.
Both of us have the lowest magic output in the class.
I knew this would happen.
I had full faith in us…
…and we still lost.
Half of the academy classes moved on.
My brother…
was considered the strongest demon prince ever born.
And me…
I was considered—
…someone above him.
Why is there such a commotion outside…?
…My dad.
It's my dad.
He was carried in—
wounded.
Defeated… by a hero.
Voices spread quickly.
"He's dying…"
No.
No, I don't want this.
I don't want him to die.
"…Dad…"
…I called him dad.
He was barely holding on to life.
Then my brother stepped forward.
"Old man," he said coldly,
"choose your successor quickly.
I don't want to share the throne with him."
…For the first time in my life—
I wanted to punch him.
My dad… died.
In his final moments—
he chose my brother as his successor.
Just like that…
Ren became the Demon King.
And me…
I became—
the Demon King's brother.
Years passed.
My mother died.
Now, the Demon Kingdom is ruled by my brother.
And there are two things he hates—
Humans.
…and me.
"My lord! We've captured a group of human adventurers!"
Someone shouted as they rushed in.
I looked over.
…Oh.
That was my brother's knight—Rass.
Now, my brother was going to decide their fate.
…That's bad.
He's going to kill them.
One of them stepped forward, trembling.
"Please… spare me. I have a daughter at home."
My brother laughed.
"That just makes killing you more interesting."
I clenched my fists.
I had no power to stop him…
but I still stepped forward.
"Leave them alone."
He clicked his tongue, clearly irritated…
and turned away.
I let out a breath.
I saved them.
…But they still looked at me with fear.
My brother ordered the soldiers to lock them up.
That night—
I made my decision.
After hearing about his daughter…
I couldn't just leave them there.
I stole the keys from a giant guard demon—
who slept like a pig.
Quietly, I entered the prison and unlocked their cell.
…And they attacked me.
They thought I was my brother.
I fell to the ground as they ran past me.
Idiots…
They ran the wrong way.
Suddenly—
alarms rang out.
Everyone woke up.
My brother stepped out.
He saw them…
running toward the forest.
He chased them.
I followed.
But before I could reach them…
…he had already killed them
I was caught…
for the crime of releasing the humans.
My brother didn't hesitate.
He used it as an excuse—
and cast me out of the kingdom.
And now…
I'm standing here.
Alone.
It's dark.
I don't even know where to go.
Morning came.
I headed toward a nearby village.
The moment people saw me—
they ran.
Soldiers rushed toward me.
For a second, I thought…
I was popular.
…Then I remembered.
I have a demon face.
They attacked me.
I turned and ran—
as fast as I could.
Humans couldn't keep up with me.
I didn't know what to do.
I couldn't go back to the Demon Kingdom…
and I couldn't enter a human village either.
I was stuck.
As I stood there thinking,
I noticed someone lying near a tree.
I walked closer and tried to wake him.
…He was bleeding.
He was already dead.
He was wearing armor and a mask.
An adventurer…
I stared at him for a moment.
…I was starving.
And then—
an idea came to me.
I took his armor…
and put on his mask.
Then I headed back toward the human village.
Good.
No one will recognize me now.
I walked into the village.
There was a shop selling fruits.
I picked some up—
…and the shopkeeper didn't even ask for money.
Everyone I passed looked at me…
and greeted me.
Maybe this guy was important.
Suddenly—
"Rudo!"
Someone shouted and ran toward me.
He looked like a warrior.
…His partner?
So this guy's name is Rudo.
Not bad.
I'll use it for now.
He dragged me to a guild hall.
Inside, there were many adventurers.
A group was waiting—
an elf woman,
a large man,
and a saint-like woman.
They all looked at me.
"Rudo," they said.
Everything was going smoothly…
until—
they called me a hero.
…Wait.
That guy…
the one lying near the tree…
he was a hero?
What the egg…?
—To be continued—