Rokka no Yuusha - Volume 4 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue 
A Dream of Days Past 

It was one month before the Evil God’s awakening. In a corner of the land known as the Plain of Cropped Ears was a human-built hut. The crude building was no more than walls and a roof, and inside slept a fiend. It resembled an ant, but it was far larger than a human. Its abdomen was swollen to an unnatural size, its limbs were slender, and its chest and head were small. Its stomach probably dragged the ground unavoidably when it walked. Strangely, there was something that resembled human breasts on its stomach. 
The fiend was dreaming. Like humans, they could dream. This one dreamed of eighteen years earlier. 
The room, a hollowed-out cave, was buried in various articles: a stuffed rabbit, a drum that made a noise when shaken, blankets of various patterns, materials, and colors. In the center of the room was a bed. It was soft and luxurious, unthinkable for a commoner. Sleeping in it was a fiend. 
“Good morning, specialist number six. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?” said the three-winged lizard-fiend that came into the cave. 
The fiend called specialist number six bowed reverently, its large abdomen dragging on the ground. “Good morníng, Commander Tgurneu. It’s wärm today, isn’t it?” 
“No big news?” asked Tgurneu. 
“No. It jüst fell äsleep,” said number six. 
Tgurneu looked toward the bed. A human-shaped baby slept there. 
When the commander peered at it, it opened its eyes. “Oh! It woke up.” Tgurneu waved one claw, and the baby thrust both arms out toward it, smiling. 
“It seems more áttached to you than me, Cómmander.” 
“Ah-ha-ha, you’re just lacking in affection, number six.” 
One of Tgurneu’s subordinates came into the cave, carrying something strange. It was a puppy. Tgurneu showed the tiny dog to the baby. The infant’s eyes widened in puzzlement, and then it started bawling as if it were on fire. 
“Uh…huh? Huh?” Tgurneu was baffled. 
“It’s a cowärdly child,” said number six. “You can’t show it such á thing so suddenly.” Specialist number six used its front legs to scoop up the baby and soothe it, and it immediately stopped crying. The puppy, now out of Tgurneu’s hands, wandered around in obvious confusion. In number six’s arms, the baby stared at the puppy. 
“It looks like it doesn’t häte the creature,” said number six. “They should soon bécome friendly.” 
Tgurneu breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh yes, I’ve decided on a name for the child. I’m going with ‘Fremy’ after all. There were various other options, but the one I hit upon first is the best.” 
“…Fremy,” specialist number six muttered under its breath. It was a horribly human-sounding name. But it wasn’t so bad for what it was, number six figured. 

“Oh, and I finally found out the name of the father, too. Apparently, it was Noria Speeddraw.” 
“Which means thïs child is Fremy Speeddraw.” 
“Good grief. You always go and eat them right after you’re done copulating. At least ask his name first before you eat him. You made this more work than it had to be.” 
“I do apológize for that. I just couldn’t résist my hunger…” Specialist number six’s head drooped as it coddled the baby—Fremy. 
“Well, whatever,” said Tgurneu. “Now it has a name. It would be rather pitiful to forever call it the Black Barrenbloom.” 
“Yes, Cómmander. You’ve gïven it a very good name. The chïld is glad, too.” 
“From what I can tell, it doesn’t seem to understand much of anything, though,” Tgurneu said with a smile. 
When specialist number six had first birthed this baby, it had been horrified, thinking it a hideous offspring. It had known that a beautiful fiend couldn’t be born with a human father. But still, the child was extremely ugly. 
At first, number six had been put off, wondering whether it could love the child or not. Tgurneu’s orders had been to raise it with love. Would it be able to attain those emotions of “love” that humans possessed? And even if it did, would it be capable of turning them toward such an ugly baby? It seemed an impossible task for it—no, for any fiend. 
“Fremy, Fremy,” specialist number six called the baby’s name over and over. Each time it called the name, joy welled up from within its stomach. Was this what humans called love? It didn’t feel uneasy now. The revolting appearance of the child was no reason not to love it. No one else could, and that fact changed number six’s heart. 
Specialist number six swore that it would never let go of this child. 
In the small hut, specialist number six opened its eyes. There was an old dog lying there in the barren room, head hung low. 
“…Oh, it’s tïme for your food, ïsn’t it?” number six muttered, and it picked up a nearby bowl. With a small wooden pestle, it crushed a rat that it had caught and then offered it to the dog. The animal began eating. 
“Are you lönely?” specialist number six murmured. 
The old dog snuffled. 
“I see. I’m sure she wänts tó see you, too,” it said, petting the old dog’s head with the end of its front leg. “You’ll get to see hér soon. She’ll come bäck once the Evil God returns.” 
The old dog growled quietly. 
“It’s äll right. I know Commander Tgurneu will protect Fremy. Don’t worry. Jüst wait.” The old dog quietly sat down. “Yes…he’s sure to prótect her. I know that Commander Tgurneu is actually very kind.” 
The fiend and the old dog quietly awaited Fremy’s return.