NOVEL NEXT Chapter 81
Episode 81
“What exactly is a hero?”
The man wearing a black hood spoke in a calm voice.
“A blade that protects life. A guardian of civilization. A sword that cuts down evil. A demon king slayer.”
The man droned each word out in a voice so devoid of emotion it could put a rock to sleep. But behind his voice, steeped in pitch darkness, was a slight trace of something more—like a faint sprinkle of seasoning on a bland dish.
“Though these titles are sung in praise, in this age their meaning has twisted into mere murderers.”
Contempt.
He held contempt for the heroes that everyone else adored.
“From the very first nameless hero of yore, the heroes of ancient times truly deserved such reverence, but now? Look at this age. Witness this tragic display.”
Around him lay countless bodies strewn about like discarded dolls.
Each had met their end in a variety of brutal ways.
The remains of those false heroes who dared to call themselves heroes.
“If we were still living in the time when deities chose heroes, this problem wouldn’t even be a thing…but now we have a bunch of foolish imposters masquerading as heroes.”
He kicked the head of a fake hero near his feet, sending it tumbling away like a soccer ball. The grotesquely severed head seemed to have an expression that was like, “Huh? I’m dead?”
“Trash belongs in the trash bin. So even if it means getting my hands dirty, I’ll clean up the garbage that’s soiling this world.”
The man growled as he unsheathed his sword from his waist.
“Now let me ask you, are you also one of those fake heroes pretending to be something you’re not?”
– Excerpt from the novel *Hero Hunter*
Legend has it that this story was inspired by a mass murder incident that happened years before the book was published, though whether that incident was real is still shrouded in mystery.
But supposedly, because society’s anger at those posing as heroes reached a boiling point, the novel managed to evade any backlash.
———————
I was sitting at the table, watching a young boy nibbling on a cookie with his tiny mouth.
“There, you look like you’ve calmed down a bit now.”
“Ah, yes. I feel much calmer now.”
He was just a plain-looking boy with brown hair, the kind you could find anywhere. His features were so ordinary that, at a glance, you’d probably struggle to remember what he looked like.
More like…air, really. Not to mention he had this almost nonexistent presence.
Feels like a prime candidate for sneaky reconnaissance.
“So, will you tell me your name?”
“My name?”
The boy hesitated for a moment at my question before cautiously replying.
“I don’t have one. I don’t have a name.”
Huh? No name?
Whoa. Did his parents really forget to name him?
“You mean you have no name because your father didn’t give you one?”
“I don’t have a father.”
“Ah, so what about your mother?”
“I don’t have a mother either. I’ve been an orphan since I was little.”
Ugh! That’s really heartbreaking…!
“I…I see. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“No, it’s alright. I’m used to it now.”
For a child who looked to be around ten, frail and skinny, being accustomed to having no parents is just plain sad.
I cleared my throat with a gentle cough before speaking to the boy again.
“Well then, since you’re the first hero, let’s just call you ‘Hero.’ I don’t really think it’s my place to name you.”
If his parents didn’t give him a name, then he should be the one to choose.
Better that than some stranger like me naming him.
“It’s just a title, but as long as you live and don’t give up on being a hero, you’ll be the only hero. So calling you ‘Hero’ will essentially mean you. It should work just fine.”
“Hero…but what is a hero?”
Hmmm? Wait…should I start explaining that? I thought I mentioned it when I gave the prophecy.
I replied briefly, “A hero is a protector.”
“A protector?”
“Yep. A protector. One chosen by the Goddess of Life to defend life against monsters.”
Minor monsters are taken care of by other humans and demi-beings, but the ones tainted by fragments of darkness? Yeah, not a chance for mere humans.
Even if they manage to take them down, it’s usually after a heavy toll in lives.
Elves, dwarves, lizardmen, and giants? They can deal with those bad boys without breaking a sweat…but humans and demi-humans? Way too fragile, really.
“Protect life…from monsters…”
The boy mulled over what I said, likely reflecting on how a little kid like him ended up as an orphan—probably due to those nasty monsters.
In a way, I might just be capitalizing on this boy’s thirst for revenge and treating him as a disposable tool.
Yikes, I admit I’m a pretty lousy person.
“Can I…do it?”
“Whether you can or not depends on you.”
I looked at the boy.
He was trembling slightly. A totally timid kid overflowing with self-doubt.
Let’s throw him a bone of encouragement.
“But if you want to, you can definitely do it.”
“If I want to…”
“If you need strength, I’ll give you strength. If you want to learn how to swing a sword, I’ll teach you. Helping you with whatever you need? That’s my job in guiding a hero.”
I said to him.
“Of course, it won’t always be easy. There will be moments where your life might hang by a thread. You may want to throw in the towel because it’s too much. But if you keep fighting until the end, you could become someone who is remembered in history.”
Suddenly, the boy’s trembling hands began to steady.
“Hero. Will you do it?”
The boy paused for a moment, as if deep in thought, then finally nodded and spoke.
“I’ll try. It’s a bit scary but… I’ll give it a go. I want to protect others, so no more kids like me who don’t even know what their parents look like.”
Yeah, that’s right.
I could only smile softly at the sight of that determined boy.
———————
“By the way, I’m curious about something.”
“Hmm? What’s up?”
The boy looked at me, or rather at my horns, with big, curious eyes and asked.
“What are those horns? From what I know, female beastkin don’t have horns.”
Hmm? Really? Don’t cows or female goats have horns sometimes? Or maybe beastkin are a bit different? I’m not entirely sure.
Let me come up with an excuse for that. What can I say…?
Oh, I’ve got it.
“These horns are completely different from beastkin ones. To start with, I’m not even a beastkin.”
“Not a beastkin… Could you be a dragon from the legends?”
Ugh! Bull’s-eye!!
No, no. Let’s take advantage of this. I mean, we’re not going to be together for long anyway. I should use this to impress upon him that I’m something special; it could come in handy later on.
Plus, as a representative of the great Goddess of Life, I’d feel a bit lame if I was just another ordinary beastkin.
“To be precise, I’m a being created by infusing the power and life essence of a creature known as a dragon into a human body. This body was personally crafted by the Goddess of Life herself. That’s why I have dragon horns on my head.”
Technically speaking, I’m the Goddess of Life and the Creator Dragon God! But that’s a little too much info for this kid.
“The power of a dragon…amazing…”
“Right? Super amazing.”
“Then…um…what should I call you?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah. I can be called by the title ‘Hero,’ but you…you’re not my older sister, are you?”
…Older sister?
I froze for a moment at the unexpected title. Older sister? Seriously…?
“Whoops! I-I’m sorry! I was told to always refer to older women as ‘older sister’…”
“Eh. It’s no big deal. But let’s keep that between us. Calling me ‘older sister’ in front of others might cause some trouble.”
Can you believe it? I’ve been called a mom before, but never an older sister. What a day!
Wait, isn’t being called a mom even more shocking? Why am I more taken aback by “older sister” than “mom”?
“Okay, then I’ll call you older sister. But what about in front of others?”
“Hmm… when it comes to other people…”
The proxy of the Goddess of Life? That name is weirdly long and repeats ‘of’ twice. So inconvenient.
If I drop the ‘of Life’ part, does that make it the Goddess’ proxy? But that feels too formal and distant, not to mention its not great. Should I think of a better title?
Since I’m a woman sent directly by the deity…Saint? No, not saint. A saint is…
If someone were to call me a saint, it would sound like I’m heading for a heroine’s journey, getting pursued while sacrificing myself at the last moment to save my companions—total cliche. I’m not looking to be a heroine here! I want to be more like the shadowy figure giving strength to the hero!
Now, how about this: I’m definitely not a saint! No way!
Then… how about a priestess? A priestess sounds good.
That fits since the understanding of my existence would still be quite primitive, so being referred to as a priestess makes sense.
And here’s a twist: I have the power of a dragon, so, the Dragon Priestess! That fits perfectly!
“In front of others, just call me the Dragon Priestess. That feels appropriate.”
“Okay, got it… older sister.”
Older sister…sounds quite nice, actually.
And so, I found myself living with this child destined to become a future hero in a secret room of the Temple of Life.
……
Oh, by the way, I eventually found out that indeed, there are female beastkin who do have horns.
But honestly, I don’t really care anymore!