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“Hmm….”

The boy, who had lost consciousness as a hero, slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling of the room.

“Where is this…?”

As the boy regained his senses, his gaze quickly focused, and his expression shifted to one of confusion as he took in the scenery of the room.

Just before losing consciousness, he had been fighting monsters in the forest, but now he was waking up to the ceiling of a strange room. It was certainly enough to cause panic.

The boy hurriedly tried to get up, but he was pushed back down onto the bed by the Dragon Priestess.

“Don’t get up yet. Although your recovery is complete, moving too quickly won’t do you any good.”

The Dragon Priestess spoke in a soft voice while the boy looked at her, bewildered.

“Is this… the paradise of the afterlife…?”

“Excuse me?”

“No, but… I heard that to enter the paradise of the afterlife, one must pass a terrifying test administered by the gods…”

Paradise? Test? There are trials, but no tests!

“What do you mean by that?”

“I… I was certainly stabbed by the poisonous stinger of a terrifying monster… Wasn’t I supposed to have died from the monster’s poison? Otherwise, how could I wake up in such a nice room after fighting monsters in the forest…?”

Hmm. Well, that’s certainly true. Just a moment ago, I was fighting formidable monsters in the forest.

Unless someone had swiftly carried me away, there was no way I would wake up in a place like this.

“And there’s no way such a beautiful girl would be beside me. This must either be a dream, or I’m surely in some paradise beyond the afterlife.”

The boy, still not grasping the situation, was spouting nonsense. Meanwhile, the Dragon Priestess…

“……”

She said nothing.

「What’s wrong?」

‘Ah, um… when I heard you say beautiful… it feels like something is tickling inside my chest….’

「Hmm…?」

‘Why am I feeling this way?’

I could slightly guess, but I decided to refrain from speaking.

Such feelings should not be explained by someone else; one must realize them on their own.

‘Something is trembling lightly inside my chest… it feels like something is vibrating. Hmm… I don’t really understand. Why am I feeling this way?’

「Well, maybe your heart is acting up?」

‘Heart? You’re the Dragon Priestess, right?’

Or could it be something like arrhythmia?

While the Dragon Priestess was lost in her foolish thoughts, after a moment…

“I should correct one thing.”

She began to speak calmly to the boy.

“This isn’t a paradise you go to after death. You are not dead.”

“Huh? Not a paradise? So, then this place… you are… um… seeing those horns, are you a Beastman?”

“No. I am not a Beastman.”

The Dragon Priestess shook her head slightly and spoke.

“This is the headquarters of the Church of Life. And I am…”

She paused for a moment, as if considering what to say.

“Headquarters of the Church of Life…? Then… are you perhaps the Dragon Priestess?”

The boy was quick on the uptake.

“Wha? Ah, um… yes. I am the current Dragon Priestess.”

“Are you really the Dragon Priestess? Or are you just a Beastgirl who thinks she is the Dragon Priestess?”

“The Goddess of Life has sent me her voice, and anyone who acts according to her will is surely the Dragon Priestess; what else could I be?”

Ironically, the Dragon Priestess herself didn’t seem to regard me as the Goddess of Life!

Well, since I had been talking with her even before her self-awareness formed, it looks like she doesn’t see me as the Goddess of Life.

“So if you really are the Dragon Priestess… did you come down to this world to choose a hero to protect the lives of this land from the threat of the Demon King?”

The Dragon Priestess hesitated to answer the boy’s words.

“That is…”

“Of course! The Goddess of Life is the one who nurtures the lives in this land! She wouldn’t just leave the Demon King alone, right? She will surely grant the Hero’s sword to this land and choose a hero to defeat the Demon King!”

Hmm. I wouldn’t say it’s been neglected. I separated the Demon King’s body and spirit to weaken him…

Had I not weakened him, if his body was still intact… the Demon King might have swept through the world himself?

Right now, he doesn’t have a body, so he can’t move properly… but if he did, just roaming around would have caused a disaster.

“So, where is the chosen hero that the Dragon Priestess has selected? Can we meet the one who will save this world?!”

Until just a moment ago, the boy who had been unconscious was now gazing at the Dragon Priestess with shining eyes.

A hero. The hero who has saved countless people. The one who inherits the sword and title as a hero is surely admired by many.

And that must be the case for this boy as well.

But…

“The hero is…”

The Dragon Priestess silently pointed to the boy with her index finger.

“It’s you.”

“What?”

“You are the hero I have chosen.”

The soft voice of the Dragon Priestess echoed.

Upon hearing those words, the boy tilted his head in confusion for a few seconds, then gradually changed his expression to one of understanding, turning as pale as a sheet and then blue.

Thud.

With his eyes rolled back, he collapsed onto the bed as if he had fainted.

“Wait…?”

The Dragon Priestess, seeing the boy’s condition, could only tilt her head in confusion.

「You’ve gone too far. Just dumping that red potion on him out of nowhere.」

‘Red potion?’

「Ah, is that not a term used for that purpose?」

‘The potion made by the Church of Life is red, but…’

「Forget it, it’s a different meaning.」

There’s no one in this world capable of understanding the meaning of ‘red potion’ anyway.

「Anyway, how do you think the boy would take it when you tell him he’s the hero he’s been looking forward to meeting?」

‘Um… he’d be happy?’

「What an innocent child, not understanding human emotions!」

‘Yet here I am, not grasping human emotions either.’

「Well, that’s because I’m a god. I’m beings far removed from human emotions.」

‘How unfair. You only say you’re a god when it suits you. You seem more human than anyone I know.’

「You’re the only one who says that.」

At this point… I can’t even remember what kind of human I originally was.

All that remains in my heart is a painfully indelible, vague longing.

「Anyway, once the boy regains his senses, let’s have a calm conversation.」

‘A calm conversation? About what?’

「Anything will do. It’s about sharing a time to slowly understand each other. Whether you chose this boy or not, to him, you’re just the person he met for the first time and the Dragon Priestess.」

From the boy’s perspective, he wouldn’t understand why I approached him like this.

Therefore, a process of calmly getting to know each other is necessary.

‘Um… I’m not really sure.’

The Dragon Priestess only tilted her head at those words.

「Well, it’s okay if you don’t know. Right now, neither of you knows anything. What you need is time to understand each other from now on.」

Of course, I don’t really know either! I’m just saying all this based on a vague feeling!

Honestly, would I have any connection to romance or anything like that? Even if I’m called the Goddess of Life or the Primordial Mother, I’m still aware that my mind is much closer to that of a male.

If only I had been fully female… would it have been better? Could I have made better choices?

No, thinking about it now holds no meaning.

Even if I had the power to turn back time and start over, I wouldn’t find satisfaction in a rewound timeline.

If I were to rewind just once, it would lead to doing it again and again, each time finding something I don’t like and wanting to rewind infinitely, predicting an endless and eternal cycle.

Unless it’s an unavoidable circumstance, I don’t want to go back in time.

Hmm. Suddenly, my thoughts drifted in a strange direction. Okay. Focus. Focus.

‘Time needed to get to know each other…?’

「Yes, just like slowly easing your toes into the water before swimming. Little by little, taking the time to understand each other. Right now, your actions were like suddenly submerging your entire head in the water.」

‘Um… I don’t really get it. I’ve never swum before anyway.’

「Ah… come to think of it, that’s true.」

The Dragon Priestess, so lovingly cherished within the Church of Life, probably hasn’t had the chance to swim.

She has hardly gotten wet, except for lying in a warm bathtub full of water meant for a bath.

「Ahem. Anyway, even if you tell the boy who just woke up that he will be the hero, he’s not mentally prepared to accept that. It would have been better to take your time to explain it.」

‘Ah… dealing with people is difficult, isn’t it?’

「Well, that’s how it is.」

There’s nothing easy in this world, but dealing with others could be said to be the most difficult part of it all.

Especially if the other person thinks and makes judgments and has their own agenda, like oneself.

‘It would have been easier if I had done it for him.’

「You do it for him?」

‘Yeah. I know so much, I’m wise, and I can do anything.’

「But this body is not mine; it’s yours.」

At my words, the Dragon Priestess’s expression turned slightly sulky.

“Hmm…”

The boy, having rolled his eyes and lost consciousness, slowly opened his eyes again.

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