Chapter 92

First of All, the resurrection is done… but….

I looked around at the villagers lying on the ground and then gazed upon the devastated village.

“Hmm… it might take some time for them to wake up. And there’s nowhere to lay these people down.”

Every building was completely wrecked. During the battle between the Hero and the Wyvern, everything got tossed around so much that not a single intact building remained.

Trouble. This is.

“Hmm… we can’t just leave them lying on the road, right? Hmm…”

“Uh… maybe we could build a little hut out of wood?”

“That would take too long, wouldn’t it? Think of something else.”

I tapped the ground twice with my foot, awakening the slumbering spirit of the Black Rock from its sleep.

「Who’s there?」

“I am a Representative of the Beautiful Goddess passing by. I’ve awakened you because I have a task for you.”

「Huh? A task… ugh, this is bothersome… haaawn…」

Even though I’m holding back some of my Power of the Gods, this attitude! The spirits of the Black Rock are all way too laid-back.

“Just a quick job. Do one thing for me, will ya?”

「Ugh… if I cooperate, you’re just gonna keep bothering me, aren’t you? Hmph.」

“Just help a bit. It’ll be fast.”

「Fine…」

The spirit of the Black Rock began to use its power according to my Will.

A broad vacant lot quickly transformed: the ground was smoothed, pillars and walls were erected, and a massive roof was placed atop. An entrance and ventilation windows were carved out, completing a Temporary Building.

「Done. Now I’m going back to sleep.」

“Yeah, sleep well.”

With that, the spirit of the Black Rock returned to slumber, while the Hero swiftly moved the resurrected people into the new shelter.

“But… when will these people wake up?”

“Hmm… since this is our first actual trial, they should awaken within a few days.”

After all, it will take some time for their Divine Bodies and Souls of the God to recover from the shock of separation.

And considering the trauma inflicted on their Spirits during the process of death and resurrection…

“Their Memories may also be lost in part.”

“Memories?!”

“Yep. Memories.”

Since Memories are closely tied to the Soul, there’s a chance they could be affected by the process of returning from the dead.

More specifically, there’s a significant likelihood that parts of their recent Memories will vanish.

Though, compared to other costs of resurrection, this is fairly cheap.

“Memories… will be… lost…?”

“We won’t know the extent until they wake up. Could be a few days, or even several months worth of recollections.”

This being our first practical attempt, it’s hard to give definitive answers.

“Well, for now, all we can do is wait and see.”

—

The next day.

One by one, the resurrected individuals began to stir.

Hmm. Looks like the resurrection was successful without major issues!

Their Memories seem to have been partially erased, as none of them remember the Hero who had been with them recently.

The Hero showed these confused people the remains of the giant Snake and explained the situation briefly.

Despite the utter destruction of their village and belongings, the villagers remained surprisingly positive.

“Hey, at least no one died, right?! Some are still asleep, but that girl will surely wake up soon too!”

Hmm. They’re taking it pretty well. As long as no one’s dead, anything can be fixed eventually.

In this scenario where most villagers had already awakened, the Hero sat beside the still-slumbering Girl.

Hmm. That Girl was the Village Chief’s Daughter, wasn’t she? Hmm hmm hmm…

Could it be that the Hero has started developing feelings for her?

Hmm… age-wise, it’s not inappropriate. By the standards of this era, the Hero is old enough to start a Family, and showing interest in women isn’t problematic either!

But handing over my carefully raised Hero to some random Country Girl feels… off somehow.

If only I could introduce him to someone better… Hmm… Even so, there’s still dissatisfaction.

Ideally, I’d want to pair him with the Best Woman possible, given he’ll be cutting down countless Monsters in my stead!

Grrr… If only I knew what kind of Woman is his Ideal Type…

While pondering the Hero’s future, the Girl finally woke up.

—

“Huh? Uh… Where am I…?”

The Girl appeared startled by the unfamiliar ceiling.

There weren’t any stone buildings in that tiny village, so it makes sense she’d feel disoriented.

“You’ve awakened. You’re the last one.”

“Eh? Me? Last?”

The Hero spoke calmly to the bewildered Girl.

“Calm down and listen carefully. You and the rest of the villagers were attacked and killed by a monstrous Huge Snake.”

“Wait, we’re dead?! Everyone in the village is gone?! So, is this the Underworld? The Afterlife? I heard rumors about it before, but never thought I’d actually end up here! Incredible! They say there’s an enormous River here, wide like the Sea! Is this where we get to cross it on a Boat?”

“Unfortunately, this isn’t the Underworld. There’s no River here.”

“Whaaaat? What a letdown. I wanted to see the Sea, or at least a River like the Sea! Anyway, who are you? Oh, you said we were killed by a giant Snake Monster… did you bring us back to life? Bringing the dead back is truly miraculous! Thank you so much! I’m very curious how you managed it, but thank you!”

Upon hearing “Who are you?” the Hero’s expression darkened slightly but quickly returned to normal.

“It wasn’t my doing. A Representative of the Beautiful Goddess, the Dragon Priestess, answered my Request and brought everyone back to life. In exchange, your Memories have been somewhat erased. Anyway, I merely arrived late and killed the Snake. If I had acted faster, perhaps none of you would have died…”

“Huh? But you saved us all, didn’t you? We should express our gratitude instead. Ah, and we must thank the Representative of the Beautiful Goddess too!”

After struggling to move her stiff body, the Girl stood up.

“Haha, my body feels so rigid. Maybe dying made it stiff? It’s awkward to move again—kinda funny.”

“Though it might sound strange coming from me… do you believe the story about dying and being resurrected?”

“Hmm… I don’t know why, but looking at your Face makes me trust it. Even though I’ve never seen you before, it feels oddly familiar… Strange, huh?”

The Girl smiled awkwardly, while the Hero clenched his Fist tightly.

“Where are the other villagers?”

“They’ve already awakened and gone back toward the village. They’re planning to rebuild.”

“Hmm… rebuilding, huh.”

The Girl turned to face the Hero.

“For some reason, I feel like you should be there when we reconstruct the village… Why is that, I wonder?”

“Ah, THAT’S flattery! Such outrageous flattery!!!”

“But since I have other tasks ahead, it might be tough for me.”

“Hmm… as expected, right?”

The Girl stepped outside and looked at the devastated village.

“Wow… everything’s destroyed. And that’s supposed to be a Snake? No wonder the entire village was wiped out. Honestly… even though I don’t remember, it’s probably for the best. It must’ve been painful.”

“Yeah…”

Considering their broken bones and flesh rotting from venomous fangs, it was undoubtedly agonizing.

“Thank you for bringing us back to life. That’s all I can really say. Oh, you mentioned the Representative of the Beautiful Goddess, the Dragon Priestess, was the one who revived us? I should thank her too…”

The Hero couldn’t respond to the Girl’s words.

“Anyway, I’ll greet her later. Hmm… someone capable of defeating such a massive Snake must be quite the Hero, right?”

The Hero silently nodded.

“Indeed. So, you must have plenty of important duties ahead. There are surely many others suffering under Monsters’ tyranny.”

“That’s…”

The Girl spoke calmly.

“To the Hero who brought us back to life, we wish to offer our Help. Though, folks like us from the Countryside might not be much use to a great Hero like yourself.”

The Girl spoke shyly.

“But there’s one thing we CAN do! Our village is on the path where Pilgrims traveling to the Temple of Life pass through! Whenever Pilgrims come through, we’ll share tales of your Achievements! We’ll tell them about the Dragon Priestess who revived everyone in our village and the Hero who defeated the giant Snake! Even if we can’t personally travel far to spread the word, we’ll make sure every Pilgrim passing through hears the story!”

Thus began the spreading of rumors about the Hero’s first great deed, starting from this small Country Village.