I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. For a brief moment, I have no idea where I am. Then I feel someone pressed against my right arm.

  Right. I’m in my tent.

  The colors of my kingdom glow in the light of the rising sun. Elegant white fabric and icy pale blue shimmer softly around me. It overwhelms me every single time. Above my head, the flag bearing my family crest flaps in the fresh morning wind.

  The familiar image rises in my mind: a white wolf on a light-blue field, howling passionately at the moon.

  My tent rises above all the others in the army camp. Positioned at its very center, it’s unmistakable even from a distance—the residence of the commander.

  The tent of the crown prince of Amarasia.

  Around me, an army of countless peoples and races stretches all the way to the horizon. Even now, it feels unreal that I stand at its head—and that today, I will lead it into the final battle.

  Still half-asleep, my gaze drifts across the interior. The shapes slowly sharpen. It’s early morning, the sun has only just risen, and the tent lies in gentle twilight.

  Something stirs to my left. A slender arm wraps itself around my chest.

  “Mmm… don’t move,” a quiet voice murmurs.

  I turn my head. Lying beside me is a woman in her early twenties, with fiery red hair in complete disarray. Every attempt to keep her shoulder-length strands in order are futile and now they spill freely across the pillow. Freckles give her face a mischievous, almost wild look. Her doe-brown eyes remain tightly shut as she continues mumbling in her sleep.

  A real mumble monster, I think, barely holding back a laugh.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The reaction is immediate. Clearly displeased, she tightens her grip and presses herself against me, making escape physically impossible.

  Rin and I have known each other since we were small children, back when we played together in the castle. Even then, she never hesitated to scold me or speak her mind. I still shudder when I think about it.

  Once, she caught me sneaking a cake out of the castle kitchen. I ended up returning it in tears and apologizing to the cook. Sometimes I wonder whether princes naturally lack authority—or whether I’m just a special case.

  When I set out on my journey, Rin volunteered to come along without hesitation. Even now, her reasons leave an unpleasant aftertaste.

  She had stood in front of me and declared,

  “There’s no way an unreliable, wannabe hero like you would even make it to the next village. I guess it can’t be helped. The greatest mage in the world will just have to come with you.”

  As the daughter of the court’s head mage, Rin really is exceptionally talented—far beyond her years. At just seventeen, she could cast spells that took other mages decades to master. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intensely jealous.

  I had wanted to leave my self-appointed watchdog behind at the castle, travel alone, and finally experience something real. But Father found Rin’s—admittedly questionable—arguments convincing, and so I had no choice but to take her with me.

  Why doesn’t even my own father trust me? I was chosen to save the world, after all.

  In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions of my life. Rin has saved my neck more times than I can count.

  My gaze shifts to my other arm, where the blood circulation is slowly but surely being cut off. The long, platinum-blonde hair and the pointed ears leave no room for doubt.

  She’s an elf.

  I was ecstatic when I learned that elves actually exist in this world. Anyone who’s read as much fantasy as I have knows that meeting a real elf is practically a lifelong dream. And what can I say? Dreams do come true.

  There’s an elf lying in my right arm.

  Even though my arm is protesting loudly, the thought alone fills me with indescribable happiness.

  This really is a fantasy world. Exactly the kind of story I used to wish for. With the perfect balance of thrilling adventures and mildly indecent fantasies.

  My thoughts drift further through my memories. Somehow, almost everything so far has unfolded just like in the stories.

  A completely normal journey through a completely normal fantasy world—

  with a more or less normal, reborn hero.