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“Can someone like me… really become a Hero?”

The would-be hero, a boy named Eric, hesitated as he spoke.

“Hmm?”

“I… I really have nothing. No talents, almost nothing I can do. And yet, can I really become a hero just because I’ve been chosen by the Dragon Priestess?”

Eric’s self-esteem felt like it was about to dig a hole and disappear into the ground.

Honestly, anyone would feel that way.

There are surely many with greater potential.

There are definitely those who are better at swordsmanship.

And there are surely those who hunt monsters much more effectively.

But that boy? He was just chosen by the Dragon Priestess.

That’s why he felt even more anxious.

“You can do it. Definitely.”

“But…”

“If you don’t want to do it, just be honest. Then I’ll look for someone else.”

The conversation between the unsure boy and the Dragon Priestess felt like it was just going in circles, not leading to any clear conclusion.

“How troublesome.”

‘Huh?’

“This isn’t going to work.”

If they kept hesitating like this, they wouldn’t accomplish anything.

When it’s time to act, one must act decisively.

So.

“Hold on. I’m going to borrow this body for a bit.”

‘What? What do you mean all of a sudden…’

Someone had to take the lead and move things along.

So.

“Just take a little nap.”

I carefully put the Dragon Priestess’s consciousness to sleep.

Her body was overflowing with magical power, yet her mind and soul were still weak… no, they were so lacking that a proper soul hadn’t even formed, causing the Dragon Priestess to fall asleep in an instant.

“Ahem.”

I was now able to move in place of the Dragon Priestess.

Honestly, I didn’t want to do this, but it didn’t seem like there was any other way.

So.

“Let’s have a chat.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Let’s have a chat.”

In a moment, the Dragon Priestess lowered her head then lifted it again.

Seeing this, the boy, Eric, panicked greatly.

“Wh-what…?”

The Dragon Priestess. Her gaze had completely changed from before she lowered her head. As if someone else had taken her place.

“First, I must apologize. I was going to just watch quietly, but… it seems we can’t discuss anything like this.”

Moreover, her tone had greatly changed.

It was no longer that of a small girl… it carried a weighty feeling.

The one with that dignified, imposing tone could not possibly be the Dragon Priestess.

“Well, it’s not too complicated. You just need to listen simply.”

The Dragon Priestess gave a slight smile. Perhaps due to mixing in a slightly lighter tone, the weightiness lessened a bit.

“And you are…?”

“Me? Well… I’m just a being who can directly communicate with the Dragon Priestess.”

“That is…”

A being connected to the Dragon Priestess.

None other than the Goddess of Life, of course.

Right now, the Goddess of Life had descended by borrowing the body of the Dragon Priestess.

“Y-you’re the Goddess…?”

“Hmm… that’s a secret.”

The Goddess of Life, having borrowed the Dragon Priestess’s body, covered her mouth with her index finger as she said so.

“Well, my true identity and such are trivial matters, so let’s move on. What’s important now is whether you become a hero or not. That’s all.”

“B-but I…”

“Have nothing?”

When the Goddess of Life said that, Eric nodded.

With no possessions, no talents, no skills, and having even lost his family… what could a boy like that possibly do?

He’d likely just vanish without a trace, swept away by the harshness of the world.

“The first hero had nothing either.”

“Huh?”

Eric didn’t understand what the Goddess of Life meant.

“The first hero… the nameless hero…?”

“Hmm. That guy hardly ever claimed his own name, so it’s not surprising that it wouldn’t be remembered.”

The Goddess of Life nodded slightly and continued.

“Right now, few know how the boy who left the legendary tales of heroes was like as a child.”

“The hero’s childhood…!”

Eric felt his heart race for the first time hearing such a story.

If it’s a hero, the tale of the nameless hero is so famous that almost no one hasn’t heard of it.

Yet, his childhood was completely unknown.

“Can you tell me?”

“Hmm… it might not be that interesting.”

The Goddess of Life began to share the tale as she looked at Eric.

The story of how the hero, before becoming a hero, was just an orphan taken in by the Church of Life’s pilgrims.

At that time, the hero’s sword was discovered, and many tried to draw the sword according to the goddess’s prophecy, but all failed, until that boy with nothing finally drew the sword and became a hero.

After that, he trained endlessly at the Church of Life and grew stronger before embarking on adventures.

“And so the boy, completed as a hero, began his journey as a hero.”

“Wow…”

“The stories after that… well, you already know them well enough. They’re famous tales.”

“Yes! They are famous! The story of defeating the dragon that burned down the village! The tale of stopping the war between Elves and Dwarves! The story of taming the Beast God and traveling with him! The adventures where the Dragon Priestess accompanied all of that!”

“Hmm. Those were quite a fun time.”

The travels of smashing monsters that harm life were indeed rewarding.

“Back then…? Oh, then what about the Dragon Priestess who traveled with him…?”

“She was like my avatar.”

Well, more accurately, I had transformed into a human form!

“Then… is the hero’s descendant… a demigod?”

“That’s not it. In the first place, the hero had a wife, so I don’t get why people keep calling the Dragon Priestess the hero’s partner.”

“But… the hero’s daughter looks just like the Dragon Priestess…”

“That’s! Because of certain circumstances! She just happened to be born looking like me. Anyway, I didn’t date that girl at all. She has a wife of her own!”

Right now… it seems they’re both doing well in paradise! NTR can’t happen! Absolutely!!

“Anyway, the first hero was also in a situation not too different from yours. In fact, he had no memories of family, so he was even worse off than you. That guy also left behind remarkable achievements as a hero, so why wouldn’t you be able to do the same?”

Those words etched themselves into Eric’s heart like a sharp arrow.

If the first hero, the nameless hero, had a life not too different from his own, then what’s stopping him from achieving that?

The Goddess of Life must have borrowed the Dragon Priestess’s body to convey this fact to Eric.

“Can I… really do it?”

“As long as you don’t give up on yourself.”

“But I’m so weak and insignificant…”

“There are countless ways to get stronger. Besides, the Dragon Priestess will be there to help you, so how could you not grow stronger?”

“Can I really… defeat the Demon King?”

“If you don’t give up.”

The words filled with certainty from the Goddess of Life seemed to assure him that it would come true.

Listening to that story, Eric made a solid resolution.

“I… will try. As a hero.”

The Goddess of Life could only smile faintly at Eric’s determination.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The hero who defeated the Demon King. Unyielding Eric.

Despite his achievement of defeating the Demon King, he was a person who lacked compared to other heroes in terms of personal excellence.

He could wield the hero’s sword, but his swordsmanship was not great enough to take down thousands of enemies solo, nor did he possess any talent for commanding troops, and he couldn’t use magic at all… he was called the weakest hero among heroes. Unyielding Eric.

Yet, he had strengths that surpassed those of others. That was his unyielding resolve.

Even when facing unbeatable foes, even when confronted with impossible problems, even when his party faced annihilation, even when having to part with precious companions…

Unyielding Eric never gave up.

With that strong heart, he caused miracles time and time again. Eric achieved the hero’s feats with sheer willpower, rather than sheer strength.

Though a normal person would have their heart broken and would fall apart in such situations, he never gave up and kept moving forward.

With such resolve, he was surely able to defeat the Demon King.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Unyielding Eric isn’t a bad thing, but…”

“Hmm. Honestly, it feels quite plain, doesn’t it?”

“There’s no particularly outstanding strength, and while forming a hero party was good, it feels like that reduced the presence of other companions because of it.”

“Oh, but the romance was definitely good.”

The history research club was still discussing the hero who would be the main feature of their next bulletin.

“Though I think it’s sufficient material for discussion.”

“First of all, there’s a record that he’s not handsome. That’s the first problem. Shouldn’t he at least be good-looking to have a good drawing?”

“No! Looks aren’t everything!!! Just think about that unwavering resolve!!!”

As they continued to debate, the sleepy-eyed girl merely nibbled on the cookies she had brought as a snack.

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